Sand Valley Golf Resort: Sand Valley
Nekoosa, WI • Public
Courtesy of Jeffrey R. Bertch
Courtesy of Jeffrey R. Bertch
Courtesy of Jeffrey R. Bertch
Courtesy of Jeffrey R. Bertch
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Overview
Sand Valley is the fifth course that the firm of Coore and Crenshaw has designed for resort maven Mike Keiser, and the first not located close to an ocean. No matter. It’s still on a thousand acres of rolling sand hills in Central Wisconsin, and Coore and Crenshaw were given carte blanche to route their course. (Rumor has it Coore routed a hole outside the property line and Keiser reluctantly bought that additional parcel.) Given the name, many conclude Sand Valley is a combination of Nebraska’s Sand Hills Golf Club and New Jersey’s Pine Valley. But Sand Valley has its own personality, with some dual fairways, gigantic sand spits, enormous greens and even a hidden putting surface. Sand Valley was Golf Digest’s Best New Course of 2017.
About
Awards
Ranking history:
Second 100 Greatest: Ranked since 2019.
2023-'24 ranking: 116th.
Previous ranking: 112th.
Highest ranking: 110th, 2019-2020.
100 Greatest Public: Ranked since its debut in 2017.
2023-'24 ranking: 17th.
Previous ranking: 18th.
Highest ranking: Current.
Best in State: Ranked fifth, 2019 to previous.
2023-'24 ranking: 4th.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“A fantastic course with great strategic value. Beautiful variety of holes that demand good shots. A slight miss and short game choices will be the difference in scoring."
Read More2022
Review
“In my opinion, the better of the two courses on property (I am anxiously awaiting the opening of The Lido to reevaluate). Sand Valley delivers more of a classic golf challenge (as compared to Mammoth Dunes) and is definitely the more challenging course. That said, you can have a bunch of fun on this course with its elevation changes, its fun layout, routing, and walkability. A great resort to head to for plenty of golf!"
Read More2022
Review
“A very strong course from beginning to end. A version of Prairie Dunes in central Wisconsin."
Read More2021
Review
“Really solid Coore/Crenshaw golf course. Interestingly, there are not the topographical dynamics that are available over at Mammoth Dunes to make this even more enjoyable. Yes, the golf provides all the typical C"
Read More2021
Review
“Excellent conditions and a good layout. Great fun."
Read More2021
Review
“More difficult than its sister course, Mammoth Dunes. Played firm and fast with ample risk/reward opportunities. First class golf resort."
Read More2021
Review
“I really like the front 9 here. The back gets a little sleepy on #11-15 and #18 is a repeat of the first par 5 on the front. Not as good as Mammoth in my opinion."
Read More2020
Review
“Lots of ambience with an abundance of sand on every hole. Several of the longer holes have sand hazards that aren’t visible from the tee and captured what appeared to be good shots. The greens are also large and pretty severe. A couple of the par 3’s are very unique. Number 8 is a great short hole and number 17 has a great punchbowl green."
Read More2020
Review
“18 beautiful holes cut into an amazing sand landscape. The ocean must just be right over that dune. Wisconsin? Yeah."
Read More2018
Review
“Spectacular resort with 2 regulation and 17 hole par 3 courses. A "bucket list" resort. Very playable and great fun."
Read More2018
Review
“Another outstanding Mike Keiser golf development. Bandon Dunes of the Midwest. Worth the time and money to play this remote course."
Read More2018
Review
“What a great place, well worth the drive from Milwaukee, the Coore/Crenshaw team have done it again. A really great track with tons of shot choices all over the place. This new destination will make Wisconsin the choice for everyone's next golf trip."
Read More2018
Review
“Big golf course over a lot of varied terrain. Fantastic sand based turf means the course will play firm and fast. Wide fairways with huge greens make the course very playable. The lodge, deck and grounds create a cool vibe seen only in a few places, such as Bandon Dunes. Certainly worth the time and effort to get there and a great place for a buddies trip."
Read More2018
Review
“The next great American golf resort. Both Sand Valley and Mammoth Dunes are exceptional (and fun) to play and with a par 3 course, great accommodations and restaurant there is no need to ever leave the resort."
Read More2018
Review
“A wonderful facility in the middle of nowhere. Had no idea that land like this was in Wisconsin. Will only get better as the courses mature."
Read More2018
Readers
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