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Kate Haven Offers Amenities of Regulation Golf Course
By Riley Worth - Times Sports Editor
The Times, July 23, 1998
Kate Haven Golf Course, located in Circle Pines, might only be a nine-hole executive course, but don't tell that to owners Tom and Melanie Lundgren.
Set on the old farm space of Harley and Carlotta Flor, Melanie's parents, is a beautiful well-manicured, challenging par 30 course. Also referred to as "short" courses, "par-three" courses and "beginner" courses, rarely are executive courses found in as excellent shape or design as this one.
That's because executive courses are usually run by people who don't know (no greenskeeping background), or don't care (don't need to because most beginning golfers don't care).
Neither is true at Kate Haven. Tom has been a greenskeeper since 1991, four years before he and his wife took over the course from Melanie's parents. Melanie has worked at Kate Haven since her parents opened the course in 1981, and has been manager since she and Tom took over.
"We try to keep pace with the industry," Melanie said. "We don't want to be known as a hack, par three."
Not average "par three"
The clubhouse: cozy, but it has a decent proshop with all the necessary amenities. Plus, it has a kitchen.
The course: it's as green as the White House lawn; on each tee box are beautiful wooden signs, depicting the hole and the distance from each tee. If it rains or is unbearably hot, don't fret, within a short distance from anywhere on the course are shelters to rest under.
There's one big pond in the middle of the course that comes into play on more then half the holes, including having to directly cross over water on four of the holes.
"We think we know what we like when we golf at other places," Melanie said. "What we appreciate we try to provide here."
Huge junior league
Forget Kate Haven is a nine-hole course. Forget it is an executive course. Forget it doesn't have a range. For any course, 320 young children is too many.
Between Tuesdays and Thursdays, the number which more closely resembles a new area code than a junior golf league, assemble at the course split over two days. Because of the nature of the course, the two days of junior leagues focus on younger age golfers.
"We really work hard to educate kids on proper etiquette, and how to act on the course," Melanie said.
A little about the course...
It should immediately be known, of the public courses in the area, Kate Haven may have the most well-manicured fairways. The first sign of a course that goes the extra mile to be challenging is that the majority of the greens are elevated. Elevated greens make it imperative that you hit the greens, because the up and downs will be tougher.
"It all falls back on that we golf a lot, so we know what we like and strive to provide that," Melanie said.
The course is interesting through the first four holes, but you are expected to be loose and ready by the 5th hole, because that's where the course gets tougher. Last Friday, a player who goes by the name Moose was four over after the first four and played the next five nine over. The author of this article was one over after the first four and went three over on the last five.
The 5th hole is a 295-yard par four. It was previously a 265-yard hole before an extra 30 yards were added by moving the green back, which is straight uphill. A tough approach to a postage stamp green, starts the five-hole tough finish.
The 6th hole is Melanie Lundgren's favorite and the course's signature hole. It is a 223-yard par four, with water at the halfway point. The tee box is elevated, the water at the bottom of the basin, with the green back at about the same elevation as the tee box.
"The view is gorgeous from the white tees," Melanie said.
The 7th, 8th, and 9th holes cover the triangle area surrounding the main pond which centers the course.
Story behind the course's name
When Harley Flor was asking for names to the course in the early 80's, no one had any suggestions so he came up with one himself.
His parents, Jake and Katie Flor, homesteaded the land the course sits on in 1913. His mother was very active in the community churches and a savior to people during The Depression of the 1930's.
"She always had an open door to many people in the community," Harley said. "She made a haven out of it."
Hence the name.
But don't get the impression from the name that this course is easier for women or anyone playing from the red tees. For one, this is the only course the author knows of that the par is lower for women then men, 30 to 27, respectively. And also, the red tees are positioned in places that make the course almost as hard from the reds as it is from whites.
But one thing is for sure, the course is beautiful from all tees.
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