*one* US Amateur course is the famous muni that you should know about
The par-5 18th hole at the Chaska Town Course in Chaska, Minn.
Josh Behow
It was almost 20 years ago that Billy Horschel shot the course record 60 at the Chaska Town Course, but the eight-time PGA Tour winner still remembers every shot.
“I got in on 17 and thought I needed to go for birdie-eagle to shoot a 59,” Horschel said last month while in Minnesota at the 3M Open. “I hit it until it was like 12-14 feet on No. 17, I took it out. On the 18th I thought, OK, I need to make an albatross to have a chance.
18 is a dogleg-left par-5 where marshland hugs the entire left side. Horschel tried to cut too hard from the corner, pulled it and his ball landed above the hazard line and went off the edge and into the water. It fell, hit the middle iron about 25 feet and birdied it.
Minutes later in the penalty area, Horschel was standing on his 61 shot.
“And they’re like, ‘No, 60,'” Horschel said. “I’m like, No, I shot 61. Par’s 72. It’s like, ‘No, par’s 71.’ It was kind of a slog because I thought the par was 72 and I realized that all I needed to do was make an eagle on 18; I might have played a little bit into the drive.”
Josh Behow
Horschel’s 60 at the 2006 US Amateur – which is still the lowest score ever recorded in a USGA tournament – is the story of the Chaska Town Course, which was Hazeltine’s stroke-holder for that year’s US Amateur. It may spread even more this week, when the 2024 US Amateur returns to the Hazeltine/Chaska combo to play strokes on Monday and Tuesday before play resumes on Wednesday at Hazeltine.
While a $30 ticket will get spectators through the gates at Hazeltine this week, it’s not so easy to get a tee time at the private club that has hosted the PGA Championships and the Ryder Cup (one coming in 2029). But the same can’t be said for the Chaska Town Course, a muni that’s one of the top public golf courses in the Twin Cities and one of the best prices ($82 peak walk) in the state.
Josh Behow
The design of Arthur Hills connects to nearly 300 acres of marshland and open fields and includes an abundance of scoring opportunities and a touch of quirk. It passes the weekend litmus test – some par-5s are twice as accessible, a few par-4s are close to drivable and, best of all, there are four good par-3s where you can hit short irons (none of that business -hybrid).
The first hole is wide open, and if you lose the ball on the tee it certainly won’t be your day. The third is a short par-4 with an odd tree in the middle of the fairway and a green pushed up into the lake. Some people don’t like it (I’m not one of them).
The 5th is a split-fairway par-4 with water guarding the green, the 6th is a beautiful par-3 over a marsh and the 7th is a par-5 that’s a double if you can connect the needle on your second shot. (and get a little help with your drive down).
Josh Behow
The par-4 11th handicap hole is No. 4 but may be considered too difficult by laymen (and too annoying, by others). A narrow fairway in front of the lake will prevent the biggest hitters from pulling the driver off the tee, and even a good drive still leaves a long iron on the green.
The 13th is a blind drive over a bog on a dogleg par-4, while the 15th is a par-5 you’ll probably like more (and play better) the second time around. On the 16th, he blasts off the tee on the short last 4, and on the 17th he tries to hit two long, straight shots (and don’t go left). On the 18th, the signature finisher, definitely don’t go left.
You won’t shoot 60 here like Horschel did; his career (and the ball) is probably safe at the USGA Museum in Pinehurst, NC But you can play a much more exciting golf course for a few bucks more.
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