Walking into the clubhouse, there’s nothing too extraordinary or fancy about the place. The smaller clubhouse feels like a comfortable living room, and it has the basic necessities. The check-in and start was smooth, and they got us on the course as soon as possible. We were impressed with the course before the round even started when our four beers turned into six, due to the course’s buy four, get two free policy. Also, while out on the course, the beverage cart impressively appeared whenever we needed it, so we were never thirsty even on a very warm afternoon.

Atikwa delivers a very playable layout with a variety of different demands. Both the front and back nine start out with relatively straightforward par 5s, so a golfer should have a good chance at starting out either side with a decent score under his or her belt. The course alternates between a more wide-open play in the opening and closing holes on each nine, and closer to target golf in the middle half of each nine, particularly the front side. These different styles give all levels of golfers a chance to hit shorter, straighter shots or longer, more forgiving shots.

The course is cut out of a very natural scene, so there are plenty of challenges that a hacker faces while at Atikwa. However, outside of the demanding par-3 #15, there isn’t anything about the course that is so challenging it might scare a hacker away. The course is designed to give a player a fair chance to score while at the same time not rolling over and letting the hacker spray it just anywhere without finding trouble. For a fair price and a high quality of play, Atikwa is a great stop in northern Minnesota for any level of golfer.

Latest Update: 9/12/2011