White Bear Yacht Club

For years (and maybe still by some), White Bear Yacht Club was thought to be one of the many Donald Ross designs in Minnesota. Thanks to extensive work by club historian Mark Mammel, it was discovered that the course was designed by William Watson. White Bear Yacht Club was rarely discussed as one of the best courses in Minneapolis. With the changing tastes in golf architecture in the early 2000s and the help of thoughtful restoration work from Tom Doak and Jim Urbina, White Bear Yacht Club has become one of the giants of midwestern golf. The 6,471-yard setup sits on one of the most mesmerizing inland properties in the United States. The small, compact plot features both bold and dramatic landforms, as seen on the par-4 fifth, and more subtle, human-sized contours, like on the par-4 12th hole. This diversity in terrain makes it one of the most unique properties in golf. 

White Bear Yacht Club was overlooked for years due to its short nature. Measuring under 6,500 yards used to be a death sentence for appeal in the many golf course rankings (it still is in Golf Digest, as WBYC ranks outside their top 200). As the trends have changed, few courses have seen their profile skyrocket more than White Bear. On top of the restoration efforts over the last two decades, the course has also seen a dramatic shift in agronomic philosophy with the hiring of former Ballyneal Superintendent Jared Kalina. Since Kalina’s hiring, firm and fast conditions have been prioritized, and the expansion of fairway widths and green sizes has been fast-tracked. Improved playing conditions and recapturing some of the missing scale of White Bear Yacht Club’s original design have only continued to increase the stature of the course, which should be considered either the best or second-best course in Minnesota.

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