Minnesota Valley Country Club

A serious golfer planning to play the Minnesota Valley Country Club for the first time should first read some articles about Seth Raynor’s template holes in order to fully appreciate the experience. Raynor, an associate of C.B. MacDonald, designed or remodeled some of the most iconic courses in the U.S., including Greenbrier, Shinnecock Hills, Chicago Golf Club, and the Country Club of Charleston (site of the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open). Many of the famous template holes seen at those courses- Redan, Biarritz, Cape, Eden, etc.- can be found and enjoyed at Minnesota Valley. The course is absolutely gorgeous with large mature trees lining gently rolling and sloping fairways, rough that will swallow any ball that leaves the fairway, enormous undulating greens that are among the fastest in the Twin Cities, and bunkers- lots of bunkers. The scorecard allows for the use of seven sets of tees or combos ranging from 6,812 to 4,985 yards, so both long and short hitters can find an appropriate length to play. From the back tees the course has a rating of 73.1 and slope of 141, and it is definitely not an easy course from any set of tees. The middle men’s tees (Blue) run to 6,392 yards with a 137 slope. The second hole provides the first recognizable template hole, a 172 yard par 3 Redan with the iconic green sloping from front right to back left, a bunker on the front right and a really deep bunker guarding the front left. If you happen to find one of the bunkers you might note that they are cut somewhat differently from what you’ll see at most other courses, in that they are mostly rectangular in shape with squared off corners. You won’t see bunkers cut like jigsaw puzzle pieces around the greens on this course. The Valley hole, number 6, is a dogleg left 344 yard par 4 that runs sharply downhill from the dogleg. A tee shot that is too short will leave a downhill approach shot to an elevated green with a false front and a steep dropoff on the left to a deep bunker. Bailing out to the right may leave an easy chip to the green for an up and own par. One of the longest greens in the Twin Cities will be found on the 11th hole, the 206 yard par 3 Biarritz. Paying attention to the pin placement is important here because the green is about 60 yards long, so a front pin placement may mean that the hole is only 185 yards from the tee, while a back placement may require a tee shot of 235 yards. There’s also the Biarritz swale to consider, because being on the wrong side of the swale from the hole means that you’ll have to putt down and then up a three foot depression. Good luck! The 363 yard par 4 13th hole, called Prize Dogleg, is a great example of Raynor’s genius for placement of both fairway and greenside bunkers. Three of our foursome managed to find at least one of these enroute to our bogeys. This course is truly a gem and a great golfing experience. Unfortunately, like almost all Raynor courses it is private, so outings and member invitations provide the only opportunities for most golfers to enjoy it.

This course is as sharp as they come. A very classy place with plenty of charm. Pro shop is huge, and the course is great. I was lucky to play here through work, and I really enjoyed it. Some sharp turns on a few holes really makes you play the game in a smart way. I loved this course and hope to be back.

The course is just completing a minor makeover. Things that have improved are Billy Bunkers, Ohio Sand, correct bunker layout and a redesign of hole 2 and tweaks to several other holes. The biggest mistake they made is switching the nines several years ago. It eliminated the four finest flinishing holes in MN. Stupid