A golfer drives his ball off the Legend’s 17th hole at Giants Ridge. The Legend and the Quarry have been rated as some of the best golf courses in Minnesota. Photos courtesy of Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation.
BIWABIK – This summer celebrated the 25th year of Giants Ridge golf activities. The Legend opened in 1997; the Quarry, in 2003. Since then, they have been an integral part of the Minnesota and Midwestern golf landscape and have recently received national awards:
• The editors of Golf Digest
Choice award: # 68 “Best”
Midwest Golf Resorts “• The Quarry: # 1” Best
Courses to play in
Minnesota ”from Golfweek
• The legend: # 8 “Best”
Courses to play in
Minnesota ”from Golfweek
• The quarry: “Top 100”
Courses You Can Play ”by
GOLF magazine
681490
“The golf courses have set monthly sales records this summer,” said John Kendall, director of golf. “One of the by-products of the past 18 months and the pandemic has been the public’s deeper appreciation for outdoor activities, and golf has benefited from it.”
Kendall stated that a constant goal of the courses since they opened has been to offer a very high quality product at an affordable price. Giants Ridge continues to be one of the top stats in the Midwest for upscale public golfing. The staff and facility have not given up on their commitment to exceptional customer service and exceptional gaming surfaces.
Giants Ridge offers visitors the chance to golf amid the beautiful natural and man-made landscapes of northern Minnesota.
Joe Marafiot and Jeff Simondet are the golf course superintendents and oversee the staff who prepare the golf courses for hundreds of local and foreign golfers every day.
“It is a privilege to work on this amazing property,” said Jeff Simondet, director of Quarry. “I have been in the golf industry for 17 years and I was born and raised in Minnesota. When people in Minnesota and the Midwest talk about golf, Giants Ridge is at the top of their list. It is a great honor to have the facility recognized as an industry leader. “
Golfers playing the quarry will traverse a former sandstone quarry and iron ore mine, dramatically increased tees and hazards forged from reclaimed and reclaimed land, and expansive views of the Iron Range. The Legend is carved out of the Superior National Forest and plays its way through towering pine trees and along Sabin Lake.
“I am very proud to work at Giants Ridge. I grew up in the Iron Range and I know what the facility means to local businesses and the jobs it creates for people, ”said Joe Marafiot, Superintendent of Legend. “I manage about 26 people who all work very hard to bring out a great product every day. Before the sun rises and the first golfer tees off, the employees prepare the golf course. “
For the entire 2021 golf season, full-time residents of the Iron Range can play any course for $ 50 from Sunday through Thursday after 12:00 noon. Juniors under the age of 17 can play for $ 35 each day. Tee times are required. Call the Golf Shop at 218-865-8030 with questions about pricing and tee time availability.
“Over the years it has been very rewarding to see how popular the facility has become,” said Kendall. “Jeff, Joe and all of the staff are very committed to their roles here at Giants Ridge. They know very well that what we achieve together as employees has an impact on the Iron Range economy. Giants Ridge has developed into a real travel destination in both summer and winter. “
Giants Ridge is owned by Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation and has been managed by Guest Services, a hospitality management company in the United States, since 1917. In summer, the recreation area offers lift-operated mountain bike routes, hiking trails, a climbing wall and access to the lake. The winter months bring alpine and cross-country skiing, snow tubing, snowshoeing and access to over 2,000 miles of snowmobile trails.
Book a tee time and plan your fall golf trip to Giants Ridge by visiting www.giantsridge.com.
Source: The Ranger, an Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation publication.