Elk River Golf Club

Elk River Golf Club sits along the Elk River corridor in Sherburne County, about 35 miles northwest of Minneapolis — far enough from the metro to feel genuinely removed, close enough to draw a steady stream of Twin Cities golfers looking for a less crowded round. The area sits at the edge of where the glacially shaped lakes district gives way to the broader Minnesota River plain, and that transitional landscape tends to mean open skies, wooded stretches, and the kind of terrain that gives a public course real visual variety without manufactured drama.

A par-72 layout at this latitude means you're playing in a climate that compresses the season hard — summers are warm and breezy, but the window runs roughly May through October, which gives every round a certain seasonal value that golfers in the Sunbelt never quite feel.

Elk River itself is a working river town that has grown steadily as the Twin Cities metro has pushed outward, and the golf club reflects that community character — approachable, unpretentious, and oriented toward the kind of golfer who plays for the game itself rather than the occasion.