I played in the 92nd annual Cloquet CC Invitational........
This event has a high level of pride and importance to a community which can be difficult to describe
Not every golf course can claim it has an historic event that holds a lengthy tradition such as the Cloquet Country Club. The golf course turned 100 years old this year and the invitational has been going strong for 92 of them. Having a buddy who has been playing in this golf tournament for quite a few years intrigued me enough to want to check it out for myself. I got an opportunity to play in this year’s version and experience the golf course, the venue, and the people.
The Golf Course
Cloquet Minnesota is “Up North” for 98% of the people in the United States as its just southwest of Duluth. The course sits right in town, and is a tale of two 9’s. The first of which is the original. Famous architect Donald Ross from golf’s “golden age” supposedly had his hand in the design in some way, shape, or form. It’s tightly routed which is great for walkers, penalizes poor tee shots with hazards and OB everywhere you look, and has green complexes that depending on where the flag is, you will need to strategize your approach shot. I particularly enjoyed hole 4. It’s a short par 3 that plays somewhere between 130 and 150 yards. The green is small and slopes from left to right. It’s surrounded by bunkering and if you really hit a poor shot, could be even OB. It offers a birdie chance with how short it is, but I came to learn very quickly that putts can be hard to make on these greens.
The back nine was added to the course much later and has a different feel. Designed by Joel Goldstrand, holes 10-18 offers its own set of challenges. Although it keeps that up north vibe, it uses much more land with less constraint off the tee. This doesn’t mean it’s wide open, in fact it’s just as intimidating. However, on some of the holes there are places you can favor on one side or another, and your ball will still live to see another day. The greens are a bit bigger, and haven’t quite settled in all the way which leads to many subtle breaks in them that can be hard to see. My favorite back 9 hole is the par 4 14th. It’s a tee shot that narrows the further you get and has a green that is perched up in front of a hazard. The design of the hole is almost a 90 degree left turn from drive to approach. You need to be accurate on your 2nd shot because missing it can lead to difficult up and downs. I played it more conservatively in rounds 1 and 2 and had to scramble a bit more. Round 3 I got more aggressive off the tee and ended up with a really nice look for birdie.
The golf course is hard. It doesn’t allow you to lose focus. If you do, you will have some BIG numbers. You can find OB stakes on 11 out of the 18 holes with red stakes on nearly all of them. I think it’s a perfect match play golf course. Stroke play? Not necessarily my cup of tea but that’s my problem, not the course’s. If you are going to play it well, you will need to be confident and straight off the tee. It’s not long, so something that gets you 250 yards and straight is all you need. You also will need to be dialed in on your short putts. Subtle breaks will have your attention until you hear that ball finally land in the cup.
The Venue
Aside from its clubhouse, Cloquett CC has another detached facility right on property that can host dinners with plenty of space. It has a nice indoor as well as outdoor bar, and a patio that sits to the side of hole two’s green. You can find people playing bags outside, sitting by the fire as the day cools, or telling stories of the day’s round. After each round on Friday and Saturday, we were treated to a very nice dinner. One night was tacos, the next was a juicy ribeye steak.
Drink prices were so much lower than I’m use to paying and the service was fantastic. In fact, I can remember numerous times the wait staff coming back just as we finished something and asking to help clear our table. Friday night was the long drive, putting contest, and calcutta. I got to witness some nasty bombs as some of these players had effortless power. I believe the longest ball of the evening belonged to Joey Cummings who hit one 343 yards. The putting contest takes place on hole 2 and is a 70-80 foot putt that is up a slope. The person who either makes it or gets the closet to the hole is the winner. In terms of the calcutta, champ flight participants were put into groups and then bet on. If someone in the group you buy finishes in the top 6, you are getting paid.
The People
Let’s be honest, the people are what makes events like this special. Tradition and history can only be carried on from one year to the next by the people. There is a reason why so many continue to play in this event each year. This community is proud of their tournament, and their golf course. A lot of credit needs to go to the hard working staff. The golf course needs to be ready as well as all of the behind the scenes logistics. Bill Manahan and Matt Carlson are two of the big names who have a hand in running it, meanwhile Jud Crist as the superintendent has the job of getting the golf course ready.
In terms of the actual golf tournament, the people who play in it have the greatest impact on your experience. I had an opportunity to play with and meet quite a few people. Brian Moores who was the eventual winner of the tournament was in my pairing on Friday. He fired what seemed to be an effortless 69. As a guy who enjoys tournament golf, he has played in quite a few of them in the Duluth area.
On Saturday, I got paired with the 14 time Cloquet Country Club champion in the Men’s Department John Sheff. He’s known for cigars and pars! What a pleasure it was to watch him work his way around the golf course. On Sunday, I had the honor to play with an up north legend. Steve Stojevich who is in his 70’s, has won dang near 70 amateur golf tournaments if not more with the majority of them coming from up north. As a competitor, he still tees it up in the champ flight and it was a joy to watch him hit some spectacular shots.
And???
How did I do? Well, let’s say that I got to know the course. I was +3 thru the first 13 holes of the tournament and feeling quite confident until a chunked fairway bunker shot into the hazard on 14, and an OB layup on 16 did me in for a first round 78. After that, the rounds progressively worsened as I shot 83 on Saturday followed by an 85 on Sunday. I learned a lot about my game and about myself under pressure. In two different scenarios, I had to hit 3 balls off the tee which I’m not sure if I have ever had to do that before. One led to a 10, one led to an 8. Those types of holes will really test your attitude and your mental game. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the one bad swing that derailed me, I let it enter into the second shot off the tee as well. I compounded one mistake, with another. Something else I learned, a 3 foot putt past the hole, is better than a 3 foot putt left short of the hole. Timid putting in tournaments is so easy to do. We fear the “3 putt” monster and don’t allow ourselves permission to make putts being more aggressive. Another thing I am not use to is playing in front of people. There were quite a few spectators out and about watching the rounds. I learned that I need to embrace that, have fun with it, and do my best to put on a show. Timid golf swings and feeling inadequate isn’t going to allow me to play any better so why not take ownership of the situation and enjoy it. Overall I can say that my time at CCC for the invite was well worth it. The course showed its teeth, the venue kicks ass, and the people had their Minnesota Nice to welcome me on full display.
Big thanks to all the volunteers, bar staff, course maintenance staff, Bill and Matt, the Cannon Family, and the community for giving me a positive experience. I look forward to following the tournament for years to come.
-Stouds
It was great having you up at CCC! I had a pleasure playing with you on Saturday! It is so great to read/ hear your comments on the podcast also. We play this course day in and day out and have those same issues during the tournament. I hope to see you in the upcoming years! Thanks for the kind words for the CCC and staff….heading to the putting green!