Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake

What Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake does

Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake is a privately held, full-service lakeside resort operating under Legacy Resort LLC on the southwestern shore of Gull Lake in Brainerd, Minnesota. Founded by Dutch and Irma Cragun and operating for over 65 years, the resort delivers an integrated hospitality experience built around 20+ lodging types — ranging from Lakeview Lodge rooms and Shoreline Suites to luxury South Beach Cabins (up to 7 bedrooms/24 guests), Bayview Villas, Private Collection Homes, and dedicated reunion accommodations — combined with 45 holes of championship golf under the Cragun's Legacy Courses brand (the Lehman 18 designed with PGA TOUR legend Tom Lehman, the Dutch 27 across three nines, and the Nice 09 par-3), six on-site dining venues, and a full-service marina.

Revenue is generated across eight distinct service lines: lodging, golf (greens fees, packages, memberships, instruction, simulator, and tournament hosting including the PGA TOUR Americas CRMC Championship), dining, Gull Lake cruises aboard the luxury yacht North Star, marina and watersports rentals, snowmobile rentals with access to 1,000 miles of groomed trails, guided fishing trips, and events/weddings/corporate retreats supported by 47,000+ sq ft of meeting space. Pricing is predominantly transactional and pay-as-you-go across add-on activities, with multi-night lodging deposits and bundled products such as the Summer Recreation Pass and customizable golf packages.

The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer: online booking via craguns.com and reservations.craguns.com, phone reservations (1-800-CRAGUNS), tee-time booking through ForeUp Software, marina and cruise reservations through Rezeze, and a dedicated sales team handling group bookings for weddings, family reunions, and corporate retreats. Distribution is supplemented by marketing activity across Instagram, Facebook, X/Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn, plus SEO-driven blog content and email newsletters. The customer base spans families, multi-generational reunion groups, golf enthusiasts, wedding parties, corporate retreat planners, and outdoor recreation visitors — with no concentration on any single anchor account. Technology is conventional third-party hospitality SaaS; there is no evidence of proprietary AI/ML, APIs, or developer-facing platforms.

Name

Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake

Legal name

Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake

Website

https://craguns.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake is a 65+ year-old private lakeside resort in Brainerd, Minnesota offering 20+ lodging types, 45 holes of championship golf, six dining venues, a full-service marina, and year-round recreation for families, golf groups, weddings, and corporate retreats.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Resort Hospitality and Lodging

NAICS

Traveler Accommodation (7211), Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (72111), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (487210)

SIC

Hotels & Motels (7011), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Resort-Area Full-Service Hotels (Non–All-Inclusive) (THAGAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Beachfront & Island Luxury Resorts (THAGACAA), Hotel & Resort Restaurants (THAFACAH), Gulet & Traditional Wooden Yacht Cruises (THAEADAE)

Keywords

• Resort lodging services
• Championship golf courses
• Wedding and event venues
• Marina watersports rentals
• Corporate retreat hospitality

Headquarters

HQ city

Brainerd

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Lodging: Rooms, cabins, and vacation home rentals across 20+ lodging types including Lakeview Lodge rooms, beach cabins, and private collection homes
2. Golf: 45 holes of championship golf including Lehman 18, Dutch 27, and par-3 course. Revenue from greens fees, golf packages, and memberships
3. Dining: Five to six dining venues including Legacy Grill, Above Deck Pizza, Irma's Kitchen, Lakeside Dining Room, Lakehouse Bar + Kitchen, and Grind on Gull coffee shop
4. Gull Lake Cruises: Lake cruises aboard the luxury yacht North Star including brunch, dinner, themed cruises (Italian, BBQ, Cantina, Pirates)
5. Watersports & Marina Rentals: Pontoon rentals, banana boat rides, fishing charters, watersports lessons, kayaking, jet skiing
6. Snowmobile Rentals: Ski-doo snowmobile rentals for single and tandem riders with access to 1,000 miles of groomed trails
7. Events & Weddings: Corporate retreats, weddings, family reunions with 47,000+ sq ft of meeting space
8. Guided Fishing Trips: Professional fishing guides with various trip durations for up to 8 people

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake operates a full-service Minnesota lakeside resort offering over 20 lodging types (cabins, lodge rooms, villas, private homes), 45 holes of championship golf designed by Tom Lehman, six dining venues, a full-service marina with boat rentals and watersports lessons, luxury Gull Lake cruises aboard the North Star yacht, and 47,000+ sq ft of meeting and event space. Revenue is generated through multi-night lodging stays, golf packages and memberships, food and beverage service, recreation rentals, weddings, and corporate retreats.

Product overview

Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake is a multi-faceted lakeside resort offering over 20 lodging types, championship golf, multiple dining venues, marina and water activities, and year-round recreation. The core product is the resort experience encompassing accommodations (Lakeside Lodge Rooms, South Beach Cabins, Lakeview Cabins, Bayview Villas, Private Collection Homes, Shoreline Suites, Oaks Reunion Homes, and Cabin 115 Family Reunion) paired with amenities including Cragun's Legacy Courses (45 holes: Lehman 18, Dutch 27, Nice 09 par-3), six dining options (Legacy Grill, Above Deck Pizza, Irma's Kitchen, Lakeside Dining Room, Lakehouse Bar + Kitchen, Grind on Gull), Marina on Gull Lake with watersports and boat rentals, Gull Lake Cruises aboard the North Star yacht, tennis and pickleball facilities, Tamarack Event Centre, and seasonal activities. Add-on modules include Summer Recreation Pass, Golf Simulator, Snowmobile Rentals, Guided Fishing Trips, Watersports Lessons, and event services for weddings and corporate meetings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cragun's Legacy Courses: Championship golf courses designed by Tom Lehman featuring 45 holes including the Lehman 18 and Dutch 27 courses.
• Gull Lake Cruises
• The Legacy Ridge
• The Pointe

Products and services

• Lakeview Lodge Hotel Rooms

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20 lodging types serving diverse group sizes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• National Loon Center (Crosslake)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the National Loon Center in Crosslake to bring loon expert-guided cruises to Cragun's guests. The partnership provides educational loon watching experiences aboard Cragun's cruises, combining local wildlife expertise with the resort's lake activities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Madden's on Gull Lake: Long-standing Gull Lake resort in Brainerd, MN offering lodging, golf, marina, dining, and event facilities — a direct same-lake competitor with comparable family-reunion and golf destination positioning.
• Grand View Lodge: Historic Brainerd Lakes Area resort in Nisswa, MN with multiple lodging types, championship golf, spa, dining, and event venues — directly competes for Cragun's family vacation, golf package, and wedding segments within the same regional destination.
• Breezy Point Resort: Pequot Lakes, MN resort offering lakeside cabins, golf courses, dining, and event facilities — a nearby direct competitor in the Brainerd Lakes Area targeting similar family, golf, and group business.
• Chase on the Lake: Walker, MN lakeside resort on Leech Lake offering hotel rooms, condos, dining, marina, and event space — a Minnesota drive-to lake resort competitor with comparable lodging and water activity mix.
• Arrowwood Resort Hotel and Conference Center: Alexandria, MN resort on Lake Darling featuring hotel rooms, condos, golf, dining, and 30,000+ sq ft of meeting space — comparable full-service Minnesota regional resort competing for similar group and leisure demand.
• Lost Lake Lodge: Family-focused Minnesota lake resort in Walker offering all-inclusive meal plans, cabins, and lakeside recreation — competes for the same multi-generational family vacation market.
• Mission Point Resort: Mackinac Island, MI lakefront resort with multiple lodging types, dining, golf, marina, and event venues — a comparable full-service Midwestern destination resort with similar multi-generational family and group appeal.

Broad incumbents

• Big Cedar Lodge: Large nature resort in Ridgedale, MO with extensive lodging, championship golf (multiple courses including Tiger Woods design), dining, and outdoor recreation — a broader, larger incumbent whose scale and amenity breadth offer a comparable full-service nature resort model.
• Grand Geneva Resort & Spa: Lake Geneva, WI full-service resort with lodging, championship golf, spa, ski hill, dining, and conference facilities — a broader Midwest resort incumbent with similar year-round amenity strategy.

Regional players

• Wilderness Resort: Wisconsin Dells, WI waterpark and resort complex with multiple lodging towers, indoor/outdoor waterparks, dining, and event space — a regional Midwest resort competitor targeting family and group travel in an adjacent drive-to geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cragunsresort
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CragunsResort/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/CragunsResort
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cragun%27s-resort
• Instagraminstagram.com/cragunsresort

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cragun's Resort on Gull Lake