In April 1997, Tom Lehman reached golf’s pinnacle: the No. 1 ranking in the world. The moment was as special as it was fleeting, as that status lasted just one week.
They are fond memories now for the only golfer in history to be named Player of the Year on all three PGA tours — Korn Ferry, PGA and Tour Champions. But Minnesota’s most famous golfer now has something more lasting — closer to his roots — to hang his proverbial hat on.
It has been a year since Lehman finished off a spectacular 45-hole golf project at Cragun’s Resort along 9,418-acre Gull Lake to rave reviews. The boating, fishing and golf getaway had been in the Cragun family since the 1940s before being purchased in April 2025 by a regional investment group. The $41 million transaction is believed to be the largest in Minnesota resort history.
Lehman’s recent facelift of the golf complex has elevated the historic property to one of the premier destinations in the Upper Midwest.
“If people don’t think about going to Minnesota to play golf, they’re sadly mistaken,” says Lehman of a state that may be better known in golf travel circles for its harsh winters than its pleasant summers. “It’s a great place to visit and a great place for golf.
“There are a ton of really super golf courses, and our idea was to elevate Cragun’s from more of a local destination to a Midwestern regional and even national destination. Cragun’s wanted to lead the charge when people think about the best golfing experiences.”
Lehman had never been to the resort until a few years ago, when he took his son to play in a junior golf tournament. He was informed that then-owner Dutch Cragun wanted to meet the former major champion. At dinner, Cragun explained his vision for a revitalization of the former Robert Trent Jones Jr. courses designed in 1998.
“He thought it’d be kind of cool to have another Minnesota Gopher alumnus involved because he’s an avid University of Minnesota supporter,” Lehman says of Cragun. “That’s kind of the way it all started.”
It didn’t take the 67-year-old Lehman long to agree to tackle a project that would further cement his legacy in the state. A photo of their handshake hangs in the golf shop as a lasting reminder of the consequential meeting.
“It’s stunningly beautiful, gorgeous, quintessential Minnesota,” Lehman says of the resort’s golf layout. “The courses are built on a big sand dune, so it has beautiful growing conditions for great golf. It had great potential, but a lot of things needed to be fixed. It was way too narrow. I looked at it and said, ‘This is OK, but we can do better.’”
Lehman and his architectural team set out to unlock the courses’ natural beauty that had previously been overgrown or underutilized, producing the 7,400-yard Lehman 18 and the Dutch 27. There is also a par-3 course for beginners called the Nice9.
“Obviously, it’s an amazing piece of property, but the most unique thing is it feels like you’re on a nature preserve when you’re out there,” says Jack Wawro, director of golf at Cragun’s Resort. “And I believe having 45 holes in one location separates us because you can play four 18-hole combinations out of one clubhouse. We ask golfers all the time what their favorite combination is, and they don’t have a favorite. They love them all. So I think that’s good to hear because it just tells you that we have a good variety.”
Wawro agrees with Lehman that Minnesota has an underrated golf reputation.
“There is a lot of pent-up cabin fever in this area of the country, and people go hard in Minnesota when they golf because it’s all about a five-month window,” Wawro says. “People come here to get away from the city, but you still have everything available to you. It’s cabin country with great food, music and, of course, the lake.”
The resort, located outside the historic railroad town of Brainerd, Minnesota, features 55 cabins ranging in size from one to seven bedrooms, along with more than 200 lodge rooms. Seven luxury homes are also available for rent on the golf course.
“Every unit on our resort faces the lake, and that is very unique,” Wawro says. “Not many resorts can say that, that’s for sure. So when guests come here, guess what: You have a beautiful view of the lake no matter what. It’s pretty amazing.”
With golf construction completed, the primary upgrades under the new ownership are focused on the resort side. Eight new cabins have been added along the lakeshore.
“The South Beach Cabins are amazing, to say the least,” Wawro says of the units situated along the resort’s mile-long beach.
The roof of the resort’s check-in area was also removed and raised by 15 feet to create an infinity-style view of Gull Lake upon entering the lobby. The property now boasts five restaurants.
In peak season, green fees are $175 for the Lehman 18 and $165 for an 18-hole combination on the Dutch 27. Custom golf and lodging packages are also available.
“Tom Lehman obviously means a lot in Minnesota, and to be able to put his name on something like this was really important to him,” Wawro says. “Everyone knows him as a really good human first and a great golfer on top of that, so it was a no-brainer for us to bring him in.”
“We came up with a vision, we created the vision, and now they are selling the vision,” Lehman says of the restored resort. “I had the time of my life on this project.”
