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Photographs courtesy of University Athletics

Golf Course

For 75 years, one of the green gems of the University of Minnesota has sat quietly just northwest of the St. Paul campus. The Les Bolstad University of Minnesota Golf Course is one of the most challenging and beautiful courses in the inner Twin Cities, says course manager Chris Korbol. "This is really a well-maintained golf course, certainly the best public course in the immediate area," he says. "But a lot people don't even realize we're open to the public."

With groves of mature trees, strategic sand and water hazards, and rolling hills along its narrow fairways, the course plays longer than its advertised 6,100 yards. "It definitely rewards the golfer who can hit it straight over the big hitter," Korbol says. "But when you walk the course, you'd swear you were playing a 6,400- or 6,500-yard course. It gives you quite a variety of things."

Something else a lot of people don't know is that University of Minnesota Alumni Association members enjoy discounts at the course. Members receive $9 off single rounds on Mondays, making a round of 18 holes just $20. A season pass for Alumni Association members is $1,185, a $155 discount. Season-pass holders also have priority in scheduling weekend tee times.

Named after legendary U golf coach Les Bolstad, the course has hosted nine Big Ten golf tournaments, most recently the women's tournament in 1999. The women's golf team also hosts an annual invitational tournament in the fall, and many University and alumni groups hold golf fund-raisers there every summer.

Bolstad boasts one of the largest driving ranges in the area. With its location between the downtowns, Korbol says he sees numerous people who take a break from work to come over and hit a bucket of balls. The course is located on Larpenteur Avenue in Falcon Heights, just east of Highway 280 between interstates 94 and 35W.

The late-1920s clubhouse, featuring a remodeled pro shop, celebrates its 80th anniversary this year. Weekend reservations can be made the Monday before, while weekday reservations can be made one week in advance.

Showboat

Each summer, Alumni Association members are invited to attend special evenings on the Minnesota Centennial Showboat. Events include a theatre performance and an exclusive post-show reception with the Showboat cast.

This year's show, "Is There a Doctor in the House?" is your cure for the summertime blues. Based on "The Imaginary Invalid" by Molière, the story centers on Argan, a hypochondriac whose obsession with his health and following his physician’s advice becomes more intolerable than actually being ill. A comedy of misdirection, mistaken identities, and misdiagnosis, the production will also fill your prescription for musical entertainment with our delightful olios (signature Vaudvillesque musical numbers). "Is There a Doctor in the House?" is sure to leave you in stitches, whether you need them or not!

Your ticket to opening night, Friday, June 19, includes a pre-show talk (Alumni Association members-only) with director Kenneth Noel Mitchell, dinner and a ticket to Is There Doctor in the House? All attendees are invited to attend an opening night reception after the show. ($49.40 package)

On Tuesday, July 21, enjoy a performance on the Showboat of Is There Doctor in the House? and a special Alumni Association post-show reception with the Showboat caston the upper deck. ($30 package)