Ridges At Sand Creek
Jordan, MN (near Minneapolis)
2000, Joel Goldstrand (native Minnesotian)
Black 6936, 73.0, 133, 120
Blue 6547, 71.3, 129 , 120
White 6115, 69.3, 75.2, 125, 131, 120
Directions: Take Hwy 169 S to the Jordan exit (Hwy 21). Take Hwy 21 S for 3 mi., course is on L.
Fees: ~$36 plus cart
Golf Magazine Review: A brilliant young layout. 11 holes are laid into thick woods below a ridge. The rest are links-style creations on higher, more open terrain. Sand Creek winds itself through several holes, with wetlands and well-placed bunkers in play.
Golfcourse.com Review: The Ridges At Sand Creek is a championship track. Located just south of Minneapolis, this course opened for play 7/00. Embodied by a mix of styles, 7 holes are designed in the links style and the remainder are wooded, traditional parkland in design. There is a sand creek that comes into play on 8 holes, and water comes into play on 16 holes. The rolling, tree-lined fairways lead to medium-sized, undulating greens that are moderate in speed.
Avg. Golfcourse.com Player Review: 3.7/5.0 on 3 reviews. "Great service, hard greens... long distances green to tee, would be a tough walk... bad greens crew burned out 2 greens, and they mow all weekend."
Best Bar Nearby, Minneapolis: Fat Guy Research- Esquire named Nye's Polonaise Room (www.nyespolenaise.com), a "Nordeast" Minneapolis landmark since 1949, as their Best Bar in America in 2006. An eclectic throwback spot that would have felt at home in Swingers, with multiple dining rooms (and a bar in each one), and The World's Most Dangerous Polka Band on weekends. But Guy Fieri of Food Network's Diners Drive-Ins & Dives digs Nye's for the food. Order the perogies and the prime rib. Stuff Magazine likes The Annex (582 Hennapin Ave, Minneapolis). 3 words: Total. Hottie. Waitresses. (whose collective favorite drink is called a Redheaded Slut, a shooter of equal parts Jagermeister, Red Bull, and Cranberry). Enough said. I've also heard good things about a place called Sneaky Pete's Ultimate Fun Bar (www.ultimatefunbar.com) for a no-pretense restaurant/ sportsbar/ nightclub/ boozefest with a couple stripper poles for patrons and dancing on the bar is encouraged. Online reviews said Pete's sees lots of bachelorette parties and girl's nights out, and it's usually wall-to-wall people on weekends. Also see 'What To Read Before You Go' below for Gentlemen's club recommendations.
Where To Grub Nearby: Golf Magazine likes The Ridges' outdoor deck for good Buffalo wings and an even better walleye sandwich.
Matt's Bar (www.mattsbar.com) is a small hole-in-the-wall, but reputed to serve the best cheeseburger in Minnesota, aka the "Jucy Lucy", with the cheese cooked into a pocket inside the beef. But be careful, it's easy to burn your mouth on the piping hot cheese. And how can you not head for a joint named Ted Cook's 19th Hole BBQ (www.tedcooks19thholebbq.com) for tasty smoked ribs, chicken, and beef. NorthWest Airlines' World Traveler magazine says Dakota Jazz Club has been quoted as "the most comfortable jazz club in the world for musicians and audiences", with cuisine featured in Cooking Light magazine. Murray's Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge (26 S 6th St, 612-339-0909, www.murraysrestaurant.com) circa 1946 has won the prestigious Wine Spectator's Award Of Excellence. OR, Manny's Steakhouse (612-339-0201) makes some Best Steakhouses in the U.S. lists.
Where To Stay: Per Golf Magazine, end the day at Prior Lake at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel (800-813-7349, www.mysticlake.com). Do a casual dinner at Minnehaha Cafe, upscale fare at Ribbons, or the as-far-as-the-eye-can-see Four Seasons Buffet. OR, Country Inn & Suites features golf packages (800-574-2150, www.countryinns.com).
Other Area Tracks To Play: Stonebrooke GC is relatively short with rolling terrain, lots of water, and a ferry ride across Lake O'Dowd on the 8th. Dine at the new clubhouse with waterfall-side seating, or at local fave supper club Dangerfield's. OR The Wilds GC is a Weiskopf-Morrish design with slopes up to 147. It's a long beast with broad fairways and wavy-edged bunkers, several lake/marsh-side holes, great Twin Cities skyline views from the 18th tee, and a good Sunday brunch buffet on the patio of The Wilds Pub.
Further Diversions: Shopaholics will head straight for The Mall of America in Bloomington. Just leave before credit card meltdown. Or families can head for Valleyfair -- the Midwest's largest family amusement park. Try a corn dog.
What To Read Before You Go: Candy Girl by Diablo Cody (autobiography). Here's a summary:
On a lark, an intelligent mid-20's nerdy girl named Diablo moves from her hometown of Chicago to Minneapolis, which she dubs the White City (for obvious reasons), or the City That Never Wakes. She does this to move in with a guy she met on the internet. Gets a job as a copy typist at an ad agency. On another lark (apparently she's big on larks), she's on her walk home from work, passing by a blue collar Gentlemen's club, notices a banner for Amateur Night, and enters. Her performance is awkward and a little scary, but exciting. Within two weeks she's dancing a couple nights a week at Schieks, Minneapolis' most upscale Gentlemen's club. Internet boyfriend thinks it's great. Diablo adopts a unique style: wigs, witty comments, lots of rock-school high kicks, a sort of post-modern punk dancer. Keeps her day job. Dances for co-workers who happen to stumble in the club the night she's working, but somewhat to her dismay, they get shy about it the next day. She works her way through 3 new clubs, with moderate success, but can't seem to consistently land lap dances and bank. Gets addicted to the money despite her moderate success and lack of a drug habit or kids. Quits her day job. Graduates to working peep shows. Meets a lot of freaks. Starts dancing again at a new club, where, after months of dancing, she finally figures out the riddle of how to get guys to agree to a lap dance. She loses the wigs and the witty comments, learns to work the pole, stops gossiping in the locker room, observes when guys are warming up for a dance, sits on guys' laps and purrs. Gives herself over to becoming the fantasy. And she banks. Big time. Soon afterwards she burns out, runs crying from the club, but still needs the cash, so she downshifts to a brief stint as a phone sex operator. Quickly gets fed up with every guy wanting the same barely-18-innocent-suburban-stacked-blonde-virgin-nympho fantasy. Finally decides she's had enough, gets a straight job, buys a house, and gets married to the internet guy. Oops, I just gave away the whole story. Check out her semi-interesting slide into the flesh trade, as well as her psychological and attitude progressions toward it, exposing the little-known underbelly of the American Midwest, through her glib little tough-girl jokes, unique similes, and vivid descriptions of the rat holes and characters she meets along the way. Supposedly a true story. Yes, occasionally I read this kind of trash.
Check out Diablo's Amateur Night starting digs at Skyway Lounge, Hennipen Ave. Shop for Easy-Spirit-comfortable stripper shoe brand Ellies, or the official Midwestern dancer perfumes, Thierry Mugler Angel or Stella McCartney, at any of the White City's many fine exotic dancewear emporiums. Check out the happy internet couple's local hang of choice, the Texa-Tonka Bowling Alley, where Jaeger-pounding jocks peacefully co-exist with the local eccentrics. They only have 2 martini glasses in the joint, so order your foo-foo drinks early. Schiek's competition Déjà Vu aka "Big Pink", sports the slogan "1000's of beautiful girls, and 3 ugly ones", with $9 sodas and no liquor license, for nekkid entertainment. Diablo says bed dances at Big Pink are worth the ching, and laws get broken in the Erotic Loft. Or hit Choice, the rowdy, hands-on joint where Diablo finally learned to bank.
Diablo's 10 Best Songs to Strip To:
"Remix To Ignition" R. Kelly; "Purple Rain" Prince (requires some theatrics); "Honky Tonk Woman" The Rolling Stones (requires a Mick Jagger strut); "Pour Some Sugar On Me" Def Leppard; "Amber" by 311; "Miserable" by Lit (first line: 'You make me come'); "Back Door Man" by The Doors; "Back In Black" AC/DC; "I Touch Myself" Divinyls; "Hash Pipe" Weezer.