Keller Golf Course

Great course layout. Undulating greens. Straight forward holes no tricks, except for 11 be sure to keep it left. Right is dead.

Great layout. Good greens. But for some reason the fairways were WAY to wet. Every drive backed up a foot when it landed and you had to clean your ball as it was caked in mud. And it has not rained in weeks. Not sure why courses do this but it is a major screw up.

The Keller renovation in 2013, and other choices (including the privatization of golf course operations), is a blueprint for other municipal courses here and elsewhere. Keller presents a quirky, unique challenge on a fun property perched on a hill, bordered by a residential neighborhood, popular regional bike trail, and local park. It has a gorgeous view of Keller Lake from the 18th and 12th holes. Keller tends to be in playable or better shape all year around, which is quite the achievement in MN. They do usually punch the greens in both the early and late season, so call ahead during those times. The contrast in pricing is also staggering. Before 4PM, the rate is $47 walking, which is-frankly-not a good value for a public course in the TC metro, even one as fun and in as good of condition as Keller. But the post-4PM rate of $27 in the May-August window can't be beat. Some pin placements can be unreasonable (such as front left on 1, on the ridge on 11, front side of 17), and the cart path running behind 4 green was a very unfortunate oversight made during the renovation (there should be mounds and/or bunkers there), and for whatever reason, the greenskepeer sometimes likes to put pins closer than 3 paces from the edges of greens (he must be short). That said, once you understand where to miss on this course, you can mitigate some of the frustrations, and you'll love that the course feels like an escape while being very centrally located.

Played it for the first time. Really good course in excellent shape and our pace of play was very good as well. The range was acceptable but fairly beat up.

Keller's layout is very good except for two holes, the par three 4th and a par 4 on the back, either 16 or 17.

On both holes there's a large tree in front of the green. These trees might be viewed as course "signatures" but they are terrible from a golf design standpoint and detract from the otherwise solid layout. I suspect the architect of the remodel was told these two trees needed to stay which is unfortunate.

We didn't think the beverage cart was running on our day, only to finally see it from 400 yards away while we were on the 16th hole. Then, in a true Seinfeld moment, the beverage vending machine would not accept a $5 bill. Comical as it kept spitting it back out.

It would also have been helpful to have a ranger on the course as the group behind us hit into us four times throughout the round.

Cut the two trees down, use a ranger, and improve the beverage service and this will be a top notch golf experience. The par 4 18th is a nice finishing hole as you play towards the classic-looking clubhouse.

Keller Golf Course, opened in 1929, is a classic old American-style golf course with rolling tree-lined fairways and fast, smooth, undulating greens. The course hosted many professional PGA and LPGA tournaments up until 1980. Ultimately, the course's length of 6,675 yards from the back tees made it too short for modern professionals. However, most amateurs will still find plenty of challenge (and charm!) in this old beauty. The four sets of tees range down to 4,830 yards, making it suitable for a wide range of players. Your round will start in fairly benign fashion, with a 288 yard (from the middle men's tees) par 4 where the greatest danger is hooking or pulling your tee shot into the driving range in an attempt to avoid the fairway bunkers on the right side of the fairway. Make your par and move on. As you stand on the elevated tee of the second hole, a 345 yard par 4, and see the large bunker in the middle of the fairway about 235 yards out, you start to appreciate that this is no ordinary course. Avoid the bunker and you should be rewarded with another par. Probably the most iconic hole on the course is the 134 yard par 3 fourth. It's a normal par 3- except for the oak tree that stands directly in front of the green on the flight path from the tee. The tree is at least 60 feet high. Only one member of our foursome managed to completely avoid the tree and land on the green. A par here is well-earned. The rest of the front nine is enjoyable, but not truly memorable. There are no sharp doglegs, no forced carries, but you still have to pay attention and avoid the strategically placed fairway bunkers and the bunkers that protect every green. You'll probably also have to contend with fairway lies that are everything but flat. After you finish the 9th hole, you may be looking forward to a snack and beverage from the clubhouse. Wrong! There is a sign on the cartpath advising that the management asks you to wait until after you finish the 11th hole before you stop for refreshments. The 13th through 15th holes are easily the most visually pleasing stretch of holes on the course. The 13th is a 138 yard par 3 with a tee shot that must carry a deep gully and land on a hard, narrow green. Take too much club and you'll be hitting out of a bunker back toward the gully or you'll be chipping downhill toward the green. On the 14th you'll have a tee shot from an elevated green to a valley green that doglegs to the right. Go too far left and you'll be in a hazard, too far right and your approach shot to the elevated green will be blocked by a tree at the bend of the dogleg. The 15th is a 184 yard par 3 from an elevated tee to a smallish green at the top of the hill across a valley. The greens on the course were almost uniformly smooth, well-contoured, and fairly fast. However, the fairways had problems, with many bare patches on almost every hole. These didn't seem to be related to unrepaired divots, but possibly disease or irrigation issues. There were a number of areas that were roped off as ground under repair. Hopefully, these issues will be addressed at the start of the next golf season. Another minor issue was the price of a hot dog- $4 with only catsup and mustard available as condiments. No onions, sauerkraut, or relish, which every other course has. With these exceptions, Keller is a truly enjoyable golf experience. It is pricier than other public courses in the area, so the individual golfer will have to judge whether it is worth the price difference.

I play Keller once a month since they remodel it 2 years ago. I enjoy playing from every tee, from whites to blacks.
The redesign by the architect was very true to the roots of a old style course, and he made it better including elements of modern courses. So you can get a real challenging course no matter the tee. Greens are quick and unregulated, making good approaches fundamental.
Fairways, by design are very close one to others, so keep an eye on errand shots. There are several doglegs that are heavily protected by trees, so long hitters will have to use every club on their bags.
The renovation brought a very nice clubhouse, especially for events. At of these year, the people handling restaurant have a very good menu, better than most courses.
I can't give Keller a 5 star rating because there are 2 elements that are notable:
1) the clientele has been playing here for many years, and have a feeling of entitlement regarding pace of play that is not even questioned by the staff. So if you are coming and don't get early, chances are for a 5+ hour round.
2) the crew is "maintaining" the course, but if you play around in other local courses you'll see is lacking in comparison. Fairways have bare spots (they spent millions 2 years ago, so it shouldn't be happening), sand is not well kept either. Greens are very good though. Plus the beverage cart is more expensive than most.
All in all, if you have the time and appreciate old design, you'll have a good golf session.

Recently renovated this course used to to hold a PGA event in the 50s. Also hosted a PGA championship. Don't miss it