Mount Frontenac offers you a very playable course at a very budget-conscious price. No, you won't get high-end country-club fairways and greens, but it's close. And you won't get a steak like you can get at Manny's in downtown Minneapolis. But the food is good, the selection is decent and the price is cheap.

Tee boxes are decent with the usual tee litter and typical divots on certain holes. But they're mostly level with good grass coverage and nary a bare spot. Fairways are lush with a punishing 2nd-cut rough. It's not that it's long or scraggly; it's just dense and hard to get good contact. But the fairways have mostly generous landing areas and quite a few bailout areas.

Greens are varying in size from large to small with some sloping and some minor undulations. They're soft and accept approach shots easily. While the greens are generally slow, they do putt nice. They may have a little too many unrepaired pitch marks on some greens, but overall they're pretty good.

General playability and layout of the course is very good, though we did get lost on a couple of holes due to lack of signage. There's a nice mix of long and short holes with quite a few risk/reward holes. Big hitters can go for it on many holes, and hackers can get some easy pars. The clubhouse is large with a sit-down restaurant and an outdoor patio so you can watch others play up to the 18th hole while you enjoy your meal. The clubhouse can handle large groups and they offer catering. Read the tips given on the scorecard and you will have an enjoyable round.

Latest Update: 12/18/2009