Golf in Stillwater

Designed by course architect Kevin Norby, The Refuge Golf Club cleaves through 350 acres of woods and wetlands to frame an 18-hole, par 72 course. Native grasses, wooden cart bridges, and immaculate bluegrass fairways characterize this northern-style course, which challenges golfers with tight tree lines and abundant sunbathing opportunities for losing shirts in sand traps. If golfers haven't spotted much wildlife throughout the course, they might find a gallery of hawks, deer, and feral caddies watching at the 17th, the course's second-most-difficult hole. Clubbers must blast tee shots over a forced carry before safely landing on an open fairway that leads to a green flanked by bunkers on both sides. Players can warm up for rounds at the 20-stall driving range and contoured putting green, and PGA professionals help golfers hone their game during private lessons. Meanwhile, a 13,000-square-foot clubhouse built of rock and cedar beckons for post-round revelry in the facility's restaurant, bar, and pro shop.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Total length of 6,534 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 71.9 from the back tees
• Course slope of 139 from the back tees
• Five sets of tees per hole

Breezes from Big Butternut Lake coil through the surrounding hardwood forests, sweeping piney air across the fairways of Luck Golf Course. The 6,093-yard, par 71 course rests on the lake's southern shore, where undulating terrain offers scenic vistas of the lake's glassy surface. Though tree-lined fairways are a constant throughout the course, golfers will notice a shift in terrain midway through the round. Ten holes snake through pine trees and hardwoods, while the other eight regular holes and six black holes roam over rolling countryside dotted with maples and oak trees. Water hazards also come into play on 12 holes, including on the seventh—a par-four rated as the course's most difficult hole—where a pond fronts the green to summon errant approach shots and golf carts in need of a bath.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 71 course
• Length of 6,093 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 70.9 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 126 from the farthest tees
• Five tee options
• Scorecard

With 27 challenging kentucky-bluegrass fairways in front of lush bentgrass greens, The Ponds challenges golfers to play a trio of nine-hole courses or combine two of them for three unique 18-hole rounds. Water hazards make for an especially difficult approach to the green on the Red Course’s signature first hole, whereas the White Course’s ninth hole ends with a green flanked by sand traps. Wetlands and sloped greens make up the Blue Course, which players can travel in new electric-power carts.

Before hitting the fairways, golfers can warm up at the driving range, chipping green, putting green, or pleading-with-your-clubs green. After the round, replace any golf balls that got away at the pro shop, which stocks brands such as Nike and Titleist.

Red Course at a Glance:

• 9-hole, par 36 course
• Length of 3,380 yards
• Four tee options

Blue Course at a Glance:

• 9-hole, par 36 course
• Length of 3,453 yards
• Four tee options

White Course at a Glance:

• 9-hole, par 36 course
• Length of 3,401 yards
• Four tee options

The Summit Golf Club’s 18-hole course takes dimpled orbs somersaulting over a topsy-turvy landscape that spans 7,022 yards of challenging, undulating terrain. Hemmed by mature trees, the course rises and falls across elevation changes up to 110 feet, which demand deft club selection, confident swings, and golf carts not prone to motion sickness. Cresting hills give way to scenic vistas peppered throughout the course, where clubbers can pause to overlook the bentgrass tee boxes, fairways, and greens as they wind past rippling streams and hedge against arboreal walls. The club also encompasses a nine-hole, par 3 course, ideal for novices or golfers in the midst of punishing bedtime-flouting drivers.

Championship Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Length of 7,022 yards from farthest tees
• Course rating of 74.6 from farthest tees
• Slope rating of 138 from farthest tees
• Four tee options available