Four rounds split between Giants Ridge's two Iron Range courses, Superior National on the North Shore and a course near town, with two hotel rooms in Duluth, are the plan. Summer hotel rates near Canal Park, a 14.375% hotel tax, pricey flights into Duluth and long drives to Giants Ridge and Lutsen are what push the total up.
Plan my golf trip for me: budget, dates and courses →Starts with a sample trip. Change any number to match yours. Set up your travel profile to fill these in for you.
Compare hotels near Canal Park →Pick each course you'll play (one round per golfer) and we'll price it for your group. Prices are per golfer for 18 holes, with the season and time of day you choose. Your picks set “Green fees per golfer (whole trip)” in your budget.
4⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡3/5 Golfing Volts
16 courses around Duluth & North Shore that take public tee times, by city, with peak green fees. Private member clubs are left out.
Built on old mine land on the Iron Range and usually called the best public course in Minnesota, with big elevation changes and rock-walled hazards. It is about 70 minutes north of Duluth.
thegolfwire.com mngolf.orgGiants Ridge's older course winds through tall pines in the Superior National Forest beside Sabin Lake. It pairs well with The Quarry for a 36-hole day.
thegolfwire.com mesabitribune.comA rugged course cut through forest and rock on Lake Vermilion, owned by the Bois Forte Band, and one of the toughest tests in the state. It is about 1 hour 40 minutes north of Duluth.
top100golfcourses.com greenfeetracker.com27 hilly holes with Lake Superior views and river canyons on the North Shore, about 1 hour 35 minutes up Highway 61 from Duluth. Golfers rated it the No. 4 public course in Minnesota in 2025.
golfpass.com golfpass.comA championship course at the Black Bear Casino Resort, about 25 minutes south of Duluth, so it is easy to stay and play.
mngolf.org golfnow.comA city course on the hills above Two Harbors, about 30 minutes up the shore, with Lake Superior views from 13 holes.
golfnow.com duluthnewstribune.comThe longer, woodier and better of the two 18s at Superior's 36-hole city course, 15 minutes from downtown Duluth.
golfpass.com wisconsin.golfThe original, flatter 18 at Nemadji. It is shorter and more forgiving than the East/West.
kempersports.com golfnow.comDuluth's city course, 27 holes on the hill above downtown with views of the harbor and Lake Superior. It is the closest round to the hotels.
greenfeetracker.com duluthmn.govA wooded course at Sugar Lake Lodge near Grand Rapids, about 1 hour 25 minutes northwest of Duluth.
golfpass.com duluthnewstribune.comA hilly course 6 miles east of Grand Rapids and one of the area's three "Grand Lakes of Golf" courses.
golfnow.com duluthnewstribune.comA long-running city course on Pokegama Lake in Grand Rapids, with a good price for the quality.
nxtbook.com visitgrandrapids.comA semi-private club in Hibbing that takes public tee times, about 1 hour 15 minutes north of Duluth.
duluthnewstribune.comA hilltop course above Bayfield with views over the Apostle Islands, about 1 hour 30 minutes east of Duluth.
duluthnewstribune.comA cheap city course on the Iron Range, about an hour north of Duluth and on the way to Giants Ridge.
duluthnewstribune.com minnesotagolf.comA low-cost 18 in the northern Wisconsin pines, about 40 minutes south of Superior.
duluthnewstribune.com greenfeetracker.comThe sample is 4 travelers for 4 nights. Your plan ($7,860) covers the main costs most people budget for, the ones you enter on the left. Costs people forget ($2,976, about 38% more for this trip) are the fees, taxes, tips and extras listed in the calculator. Prices were last checked on October 17, 2026.
Share of the $10,836 real cost. Nights and travelers multiply most of these costs, so changing either one moves the total the most.
11 of this trip's numbers link to a published price or rate. The rest are our estimates, and each one says what it is based on. You can also read how we calculate every trip.
| Cost | Default | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Green fees per golfer (whole trip) | $440 per traveler | Four peak-summer rounds with cart: The Quarry $130 and The Legend $130 (2026 prime rates, May 29–Aug 23), Superior National $114 (MN Golf Association listing, cart included) and about $70 at Black Bear or $60 at Enger Park, so about $440. The 36-hole Giants Ridge special ($210 weekdays, $230 weekends) would lower it. Judgment call. Source |
| Hotel, two rooms per night (whole group) | $520 a night | KAYAK shows Duluth stays averaging $316 a night in June (the priciest month) and $178 on weeknights over the year. We use $520 for two hotel rooms near Canal Park in summer, about $260 each. Judgment call. Source |
| Airfare per person | $575 per traveler | The latest DLH figure we could open is the US DOT average fare for 2022: $525.35 ($593.69 in 2026 dollars), when Duluth ran about a third above the national average. The national average was $445 in Q2 2026, so we use about $575. The 2026 quarterly DLH figure could not be opened. Judgment call. Source |
| Food per person, per day | $86 per traveler, per day | The FY2027 federal meals and incidentals rate for Duluth (St. Louis County) is $86 a day. Source |
| Cost | Default | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Checked bag fees | $90 per traveler | Major US airlines charge about $35 to $50 for a first checked bag each way, so about $90 round trip. Source |
| Golf bag fees | $110 per traveler | American, Delta, United and Southwest treat a golf bag as a standard checked bag; a second bag is $55 each way. Source |
| Shipping your clubs Off by default | $108 per traveler | Ground shipping for a golf bag starts around $54 each way. Source |
| Lodging taxes | 14.375% of the hotel | City of Duluth: 6.875% state sales tax, 0.5% St. Louis County transit tax, 1.5% Duluth sales tax, 3% tourism lodging tax and a 2.5% additional lodging tax for properties with more than 30 rooms, so 14.375% (11.875% for 30 rooms or fewer). Source |
| Rental car | $95 a day | KAYAK shows DLH SUVs averaging about $81 a day and vans about $98, with July the priciest month. We use $95 a day for a summer SUV or minivan that fits four golf bags. Judgment call. Source |
| Gas for the drives to Giants Ridge and Lutsen | $50 for the trip | Our estimate: about 300 miles round trip from Duluth to Giants Ridge (about 120 miles) and Lutsen (about 180 miles) at about 20 mpg and about $3.20 a gallon. Judgment call. Our estimate |
| Drinks on the course | $80 per traveler | Our estimate of about $20 a round for beverage-cart drinks and snacks. Judgment call. Our estimate |
| Golf balls | $55 per traveler | A dozen Titleist Pro V1 balls lists at $55. Source |
| Tips for bag drop and cart staff | $20 per traveler | A few dollars at bag drop and the turn; we use $5 a round. Judgment call. Source |
| Side bets and prizes | $50 per traveler | Our estimate for skins, team bets and a small trophy. Our estimate |
| Lessons and extras you picked Off by default | $0 for the trip | Set by the extras you pick in the tee-time planner. Our estimate |
| Travel insurance | 6% of your plan | Squaremouth says a comprehensive plan averages about 6% of the trip cost, usually 4% to 10%. Source |
| Pre-trip shopping | $60 for the trip | Our estimate for travel-size toiletries, sunscreen and small things bought before a trip. Our estimate |
| Pet boarding or sitter | $50 a day, if you check Pets | Dogster puts regular kennel boarding at about $35 to $85 a night. Overnight sitters at home cost more. Source |
For 4 golfers spending 4 nights in peak summer season, with four rounds each, a hotel, two rooms, flights and food, plan on about $7,860. Once you add golf bag fees, lodging taxes, rental car, gas for the drives to Giants Ridge and Lutsen, drinks on the course, balls, tips and side bets, it's closer to $10,840, or about $2,710 each. Use the tee-time planner above to price the courses you want.
Late May and early October. Giants Ridge charges $100 a round with a cart before May 29 and after September 27, against $130 in summer. Courses open in late April or early May and close in October, and they are closed all winter. Source
Yes. The Quarry and The Legend are public resort courses. Summer rounds are $130 with a cart and range balls, and the 36-hole special with lunch is $210 on weekdays and $230 on weekends from late May to late August. Same-day replays are $75. Source
Duluth International (DLH), about 10 minutes from downtown. From there Giants Ridge is about 70 minutes north and Superior National in Lutsen about 95 minutes up the shore. Minneapolis–St. Paul is about 2.5 hours away by car and often has cheaper flights. Source
14.375% at hotels with more than 30 rooms: 6.875% state sales tax, 0.5% county transit tax, 1.5% city sales tax and 5.5% in city lodging taxes. Smaller places charge 11.875%. Source