We are going to begin a series of posts of great places to eat after your round on your favorite Minnesota rural golf course. The list has been provided by Chuck Lennon who writes for Explore Minnesota Tourism. Here is the first entry from Chuck:

Great Golf, Fine Food Make a Nice Match

            By Chuck Lennon

            In many towns across Minnesota, when folks plan a special meal out, they head for the local golf course.  Many clubhouse restaurants are noted for their great food, with views of a beautifully landscaped course as a scenic backdrop.  So the next time you're on the road and looking for a quality dining experience, check out the area's golf courses for their restaurants. 

            And if you enjoy a round of golf before you dine to work up an appetite, so much the better.  The golfing's great, too.  Here are some suggestions to get you started.

The Bridges Golf Club, Winona

The course:  Not far off Great River Road scenic byway, The Bridges is a 1920s layout set in scenic Pleasant Valley, surrounded by steep bluffs and hardwood forest.  Seven of the original 9 holes were incorporated into today's 18 by Robert Trent Jones.

Dining:  In a serene setting, Signatures Restaurant offers fine dining with lovely views.  The menu's refined selections emphasize regional foods and go beyond the fare typically found at  clubhouse restaurants. Among the interesting items are shepherd's pie, cheese fondue, pheasant and duck confit, each very well-presented.  "Hot small plates" include a delicious gratin and a sumptuous shrimp bake.

Nearby: The Minnesota Marine Art Museum along the Mississippi River in Winona

Info:  www.winonagolf.com

By now many of you have read different postings on the golf forum on MinnesotaRuralGolf.com. Some readers have registered to post comments on the various forums. This forum was put into place to be used as a community resource for golfers from Minnesota to share their thoughts about golf related topics for each other and for travelers researching and planning a vacation to Minnesota. A vacation to Minnesota may or may not have golf as the focal point, but the resources listed on this discussion forum will hopefully assist other golfers in planning their next golf getaway to rural Minnesota. Here are some highlights of the categories on the MinnesotaRuralGolf.com golf forum. As you can see the forum is divided into main topics or categories with subcategories under them to give you the ability to discuss specific subjects within that subcategory. A couple of examples of this may be that someone is doing a search on their favorite Internet search engine for "Minnesota golf vacation packages" they could look under the category Minnesota Golf Resorts to find what they are looking for or under any of the regional categories such as Northern Minnesota Golf Forum, Central Minnesota Golf Forum or Southern Minnesota Golf Forum. Another example may be that someone does an Internet search for "vacation getaway central Minnesota" now they could again look for information under the category Minnesota Golf Resorts as well as Central Minnesota Golf Forum. Under the Central Minnesota Golf Forum they could search for greater details under Alexandria, Annandale, Hutchinson, Little Falls, St.Cloud, Sauk Centre, Willmar or Central Lakes to find the information they are looking for. Another example would be if somebody were doing an Internet search for "Austin Minnesota golf courses" they would, of course, precede to the regional category Southern Minnesota Golf Forum and then to the subcategory Albert Lea area favorites, as Albert Lea is the closest city geographically to Austin. There are also opportunities for you to use this forum as a meeting place for league notes from your own golf course. This would be particularly helpful to you if the golf course you play your league matches at either doesn't have a website or has a website but does not have an interactive feature. An example of how to use this resource would be used would be to start a thread such as  "Albion Ridges Wednesday Night League Notes". You would find the Annandale Area subcategory under the regional Central Minnesota category then begin a thread for discussion among members in that particular league. Remember that the information is only as good as the source. When posting information about golf courses or golf vacation spots be fair and honest. Postings that violate the terms of service will be eliminated and any person making false claims on this forum will be subjected to having the discussion privileges revoked.