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The Meadows at Mystic Lake Selected as #10 Best Casino Golf Course in Country

By Tessa Lehto

Prior Lake, MN – The Meadows at Mystic Lake has been selected as the tenth Best Casino Golf Course in the country by Golfweek magazine. The results appeared in the December 12, 2009, issue. The Meadows at Mystic Lake was ranked as number ten in the top 40 casino layouts in the United States as selected by the magazine’s ranking system.

The Meadows at Mystic Lake is adjacent to Mystic Lake Casino Hotel. Both of these enterprises are owned and operated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, a federally recognized Indian Tribe in Minnesota.

"We are thrilled that Golfweek has judged our course as one of the best in the country," said Director of Golf Greg McKush. "We are very proud of our course and the amenities and challenge it offers to golfers. Our goal is to keep improving the golfing experience for golfers of all skill levels."

“We have put a lot of work into The Meadows to create a golf course that is challenging, beautiful, and fun to play,” said SMSC Chairman Stanley R. Crooks. “We’re proud of the destination resort we have created.”

Golfweek reaches more than 1.2 million readers per issue. For 35 years Golfweek magazine has written about every elite level of golf: junior, college, amateur, and professional both domestic and international; in-depth information on golf companies, equipment, and trends; and reports on the latest in golf travel, real estate, luxury goods, and accessories.

Courses were rated on the following ten criteria:
-Ease and intimacy of routing. (The extent to which the sequence of holes follows natural contours and unfolds in an unforced manner.)
-Integrity of original design (Classic) or Quality of feature shaping (Modern).
(The extent to which subsequent changes are compatible with the original design and enhance the course rather than undermine or weaken it or the extent to which the land’s features have been enhanced though earthmoving and shaping to form a landscape that suits the game and has aesthetic/thematic coherence.)
- Natural setting and overall land plan. (Quality and aesthetic relationship of golf course, clubhouse, cart paths, and other facility features to surrounding structures and native scenery.)
- Interest of greens and surrounding contours. (Shotmaking demands on and around the putting surfaces.)
-Variety and memorability of par 3s. (Different clubs hit; different terrain; different looks.)
-Variety and memorability of par 4s. (The extent to which the angles of play, varied terrain and left-to-right/right-to-left shots create interesting and varied playing options.)
-Variety and memorability of par 5s. (The extent to which holes offer a variety of options from the tee and on the second shot as well as risk/reward possibilities.)
-Basic quality of conditioning. (Variety of playing textures; extent of turf coverage; consistency and quality of bunker sand; delineation of tees/fairways/roughs/collars and chipping areas beyond day-to-day changes because of weather, aerification, overseeding or repairs.)
-Landscape and tree management. (The extent to which trees and any floral features complement or enhance rather than impose and intrude upon the ground features and the playing options of the course.)
-“Walk in the park” test. (The degree to which the course ultimately is worth spending a half-day on as a compelling outdoor experience.)

The Meadows at Mystic Lake has also won Reader’s Choice Awards for best Casino Golf Course from Midwest Gaming & Travel magazine for several years. Golf Digest also ranked The Meadows at Mystic Lake as one of the top new golf courses in the country out of several hundred courses in their January 2007 issue.

For more information about The Meadows at Mystic Lake call 952-233-5533 or go to www.mysticlakegolf.com.

Steven A. Chin is reznet's managing editor. A former new media specialist at the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education and former reporter at the San Francisco Examiner, Chin is principal of MKmedia, a web development consulting firm.