Bulrush Golf Club in Rush City, Minnesota, is 45 minutes north of the Twin Cities Metro area. We were expecting the course to be fairly open and straightforward, but it definitely was not! Most of the holes have doglegs, hilly fairways, woods on the side and wetlands. The woods and wetlands assure you that a lost ball really is lost. Every hole has a different, interesting variation to keep a golfer thinking.

The fairways are in good shape. There are four tee boxes per hole with dis- tances from 5234 to 6929 yards, allowing for a wide range of abilities. While it was fairly easy to find our way around the course, the local we caught up with on the 4th hole helped guide us and suggested options for playing each hole.

Hole #6 was a par 3 over the wetlands. The green was in really good shape-- smooth and quick. In fact all greens were excellent. The local we were playing with named hole #13 the Hacker Special! It is a 181-yard par 3; you tee off from the top of a hill, then go over a stream and marsh at the bottom to the green on the side of another hill. On this green the ball rolls randomly (a four- foot putt can miss every time). The course was tough, but with care one can do well. There are no easy holes.

Is the course walkable? Well, the distance from the clubhouse to the 1st tee plus the distance from the 18th green to the clubhouse is about one mile! So it is walkable, but a cart is close to a requirement. We talked with the owner, three staff people, the groundskeeper and several members. They are all proud of the course. It is about 10 years old and under new management, and they are working to improve an already good course. The course has beauti- ful terrain, wooded areas and wetlands and is one of the best-kept secrets in Minnesota. We had a very pleasant experience at Bulrush, and it's worth playing again.