Sand Valley

What an experience. This place is so cool . The amount of fun you can have here is endless. The course are so playable but challenging at the same time that it doesn't matter if you are a 5 handicap or 20 you will have fun. We got in on a great package deal through the WSGA played all 3 course and a night stay for $310.

The Sand Valley course is terrific. The layout the conditions are all great. To me it was just a touch behind Mammoth Dunes but not by much. 1st hole is a great hole. It is a wide open par 4 to ease you into the round. Once you get through about the first 3 then the teeth of the course starts to show. The fairways are huge greens are forgiving but if you hit ball in wrong spots or off the wrong hump and you are in trouble. #8 and #9 were my favorite holes. 8 is a super short par 3 played at 102 yds but has a false front and is up hill guarded well by bunker (which is most greens guarded by sneaking bunkers or humps and bumps). #9 is a short par 4 but is very tight with the only water on the hole property. Plays to an up hill 2 tier green. The whole course is fun we all left smiling.

Amenities at this place are nuts. The rooms are awesome the bar/restaurant is great for watching games with reasonable prices. Craig's Porch is a must it is at the Sand Valley Course, $2 beer's $3 mixers and the best taco's you will eat for $1.50 a taco. Make sure to get a Nye's Ice cream sandwich too.

A most for golf lovers!

The Sandbox...what a course, it is one of the most fun experiences I have ever had on a golf course and when the longest hole measured at 114 yards that should tell you how much fun it is. What a great experience the course requires you to think on every shot but have so much fun at the same time if you hit the wrong hump or bump the ball could end up farther than when you started OR it could take it right down to the hole like the toilet bowl hole #9. The course was in great condition the course was designed amazingly and the amenities were great ( a canoe filled with beer for $2 how can you beat that). I have not been to Bandon or played the Cradle but The Sandbox has to be close to those it is so much fun you just laugh the whole time.

The service at Sand Valley is amazing the place is stunning, it some place everyone needs to visit once a YEAR. Loved every minute of my trip their. Only downside would be price of Sandbox in the summer. We played on a package price so it was all good.

Played Sand Valley in September 2019. Played Sand Valley and Mammoth Dunes but didn’t have time for the Sandbox. Both courses are amazing but Mammoth definitely stands out being just more dramatic. Incredible property and fun golf. Friend of mine popped for caddies which was very nice but not necessary. Staff is beyond friendly and the place is just a top notch golf destination. I stayed off property at a townhouse rental and saved 50% which I would do again. I put a lot of stock in the conditions of the course when I rate golf courses. This being said SV technically isn’t pristine, but the rustic, somewhat linksy, wind swept bunkers had a cool feeling. Greens were in tip top shape which is #1 in my book. At the end of the day I definitely recommend visiting this property.

Mamouth Dunes and Sand Valley was nice, but disappointing. Having played Streamsong and many other high end golf destination courses, my expectations were high. Mamouth Dunes was dry, greens very hard, putting difficult. Course is open off the tee, there is a ton of large sand bunkers and waste areas and its difficult to stop the ball near the hole, and I am a good player. The two big disappointments were the driving range/practice area (tons of divots, no real targets just a totally flat range with 4-5 pins like a muni range and the pace of play. Almost 5 hours and we only finished 10 minutes after the group in front of us. The clubhouse was nice, but some basics are missing like a decent size locker room (basement) and no fitting room in the proshop,

Mammoth Dunes shoots up my list of maybe among the top 25 courses I've ever played (out of more than 1,000). It's such a creative, thoughtful interpretation of what a modern golf course should look and play like.

It will give (I made three birdies) and it will take too (I made a whopping 8 3-putts). Everything is supersized, from the fairways to the greens to the waste bunkers.

There are endless scoring opportunities if you play the proper angles, especially on the two drivable par 4s. I drove the downhill 14th with a 5-wood for a simple birdie. It was interesting that our caddie told everyone to layup on the short 6th. After making birdie, I saw why. The guy behind us drove his ball onto the left side of the kidney-shaped green, while we were putting to the pin on the right side. That ball had no chance to be putted close to the hole, so his risk-reward tee shot wasn't in the 'A' position. Good fun.

I don't think the Sandbox is as compelling as The Preserve at Bandon Dunes or as endearing as the Cradle at Pinehurst, but it certainly delivers the fun, if done right.

I walked it solo when I should have begged my way into the six-some a couple holes behind me. They were having a great time and the alcohol was flowing. There's a bartender and a canoe filled with beer serving groups on the first tee.

Most of the course is wedge/half-wedge shots to treacherous, sloping greens. Some pins get tucked behind evil bunkering.

Beyond the 145-yard second hole, it's not until holes 14-16 that golfers hit more 8 or 9 irons. Those holes play from 120 yards to 149 yards. The final green, the 17th, is guarded by perhaps the scariest bunker on property, a deep and dark pit. Avoid it at all cost. Unless you want to drop a ball in there and give it a go.

I didn't fall in love with Sand Valley the first time in 2017. A couple tee shots bothered me - over or around the trees on the par-5 12th and the blind tee shot on the par-3 17th. Solving them a second time helped me appreciate the routing a little more.

This is my favorite kind of golf. The ball rolls for days and the greens are easy to hit and hard to putt. It's engaging golf but not penal - kind of the hard par/easy bogey mantra that RTJ Sr. employed.

Hard to believe this course is located here as I drove miles through rural Wisconsin. Once you arrive, the facility and experience are 1st class. Driving range, practice area, putting green, second to none. Staff both on and off the course really make you feel like it’s all about you today. Now on to the course......18 fantastic holes, one after another. Fairways are extremely forgiving, and grass appears to be a fescue which is different than the bent grass most commonly seen in this part of the country. With all the sand, you get a thumping sensation when you hit the ground at times. Chipping around the greens can be tricky as the lies are tight. I recommend running the ball on as much as possible. Greens don’t check as much as others, so allow for one club less as ball rolls out. The greens are ENORMOUS, and offer great options for pins and tactics to play. Yes, there is a lot of sand, but the course is playable for the average player. The vistas from many tees is breathtaking, and the expansive area for each hole can offer a lot of solitude in a peaceful way. I won’t go into hole descriptions, but they are really fun, with the par 3’s being the most interesting. May rate of $155 was a very reasonable price. This is a walking only course, with caddies available. If you live in the Upper Midwest, it’s a bucket list course !

Played at Sand Valley opening weekend. Played Mammoth Dunes twice, Sand Valley once, and The Sandbox once. Had Mez on the bag for three 18 rounds and he was awesome. He previously caddied at Pebble for 17 years. So the weather was tough. It rained a bit the first day, windy (30+ MPH day #2 on Sand Valley) and then cold (38 degrees) the last day. Despite the weather challenges I can't tell you how much I enjoyed the courses. They were fun, fair, the sand was wet, almost like paste which was because of the wetness, greens were so much fun. I am an above average putter so I liked the cool, crazy greens. The fairways are really wide but you can miss them and if you do, you are in trouble. Mammoth has a lot of elevation change and you will be tired when you are done. Food at the turn on Mammoth is after #10 and is a guy with a cart selling hot beef sandwiches for $4 along with drinks and snacks. Very reasonably priced. Sand Valley has Craig's Porch at the turn. The Nye's ice cream sandwiches live up to the hype!! The food at the resort along with the service from everyone was 4 stars all the way. The price to stay there is a bit salty, not going sugar coat it. But the town of Wisconsin Rapids is only 20 to 25 minutes away. It's a cute town that's looks straight out of 1975. Neat downtown with a few local places to eat (Jennings Bar rocks) and numerous hotels. I am comparing Sand Valley to Streamsong. Streamsong gets a very slight edge because it's got three full sized courses and a spa. Once Sand Valley opens their third course (Sedge Valley) and a spa (hopefully) I'd give Sand Valley the edge. The food and service at Sand Valley beat out Streamsong handily. The downside to Sand Valley is it's essentially a six month out of the year place so during the season they are pretty full and making reservations month in advance is recommended. They do have a low season rate the first and last week they are open and also a shoulder season rate for the golf and lodging. Sand Valley will become the Bandon of the Midwest which makes sense given the Keiser's own both places. All I can say is just go and enjoy Sand Valley. You'll be happy that you did!!

I would highly recommend not playing this course in the fall (the frost delay delayed my tee time almost 2 hours), but man this course is good! The sheer quality of the holes is just unreal from the start to finish, with each hole standing out along the way. The fourth hole marks the point when you realize that this course is really something special (If you’ve played here you know what I mean). It’s an uphill par 3 with an infinity green that lies on one of the highest points on the course, and the view from the top is enough to take your breath away. From here you get a little taste of what’s ahead, buybacks I’ll save that because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t played here. Pictures don’t do this place justice, so just hurry up and play it already! I can’t wait to see where this course places on the top 100 list!

Wide fairways, large greens and wonderful experience! Really recommend Mammoth Dunes. Does not have some of the ragged sand bunkers/areas that Sand Valley has on it.

Lots of fun and lots of sand. Yes, you'll most likely spend time in the sand, but not too difficult to get out and plenty of room for misses. The caddie situation sucked! My buddy and I each wanted a caddie and ended up with one caddie carrying two bags. He was never in the right place, couldn't read the greens and spent more time talking about all the people he had caddied for in the past rather than helping us. Ridiculous waste of money. We cancelled out caddie for out next day round at Mammoth Dunes.

The Good: This is now the third time (and review) of Sand Valley. It continues to get better with age! The Coore & Crenshaw course is a rugged, sandy masterpiece of playable, yet intimidating golf that gives golfers plenty of options and challenges along the way. Fabulously conditioned despite being in its second year and huge, large greens that already putt true. The layout is fair with huge fairways and a strong variety of tough holes sprinkled with short Par 3's and drivable Par 4's to improve your confidence. The Par 3's may be the best collection I've ever played. Practice facility is excellent with full driving range and putting green. Superb service in place with full caddie program and friendly staff. First class clubhouse with extremely nice restaurant and bar, as well as awesome pro shop.

The Bad: Greens are borderline unfair in some areas due to being crowned and all falloff to devilish bunkers. Perhaps a little overpriced at $200+ for a new resort. Luckily I played in October and paid only $105!

The Verdict: Sand Valley is well on its way to being a Top 3 Wisconsin course and one of the best resort courses in the Midwest. While not quite as good as its younger brother Mammoth Dunes, I contend that the most memorable, individual holes are on Sand Valley. An extremely fun, playable track that will only get better with time. A truly memorable golfing experience that will only get better with age.

Best Hole(s): The closing holes on each 9 are great, but there is something about the punchbowl green on the long uphill Par 3 17th that is just magical. It is the most unique green complex I've ever played.

The Good: David McLay-Kidd has constructed the flagship masterpiece at Sand Valley Golf Resort, Mike Keiser's budding golf resort in middle Wisconsin. Even more expansive in scale compared to Coore & Crenshaw's Sand Valley course, it features some of the most awe-inspiring sand dune vistas that you will ever see on a golf course. Arguably the best mixture and collection of Par 4's I've played, each with a fair target off the tee but a risk-reward opportunity to score. Several are drivable! Excellent Par 5's that require strategic placement on the approach shots and can be conquered with excellent long iron play. Par 3's are particularly strong, most notably the 8th with a sand engulfed peninsula green, and the 16th with a downhill shot over the largest dune on the course. Fabulous views of the closing holes from the brand new clubhouse. In excellent shape considering the course is in its infancy. Great service and friendly staff. The uber nice pull carts are a nice touch.

The Bad: The greens can be considered TOO large and don't putt quite as quick as the Sand Valley course. Practice facilities require a bus trip from the clubhouse and is a slight annoyance. Limited on-course restroom areas or service.

The Verdict: Mammoth Dunes is the best inland public golf course in the Midwest that I've played. As fair, fun and memorable a course as you will ever play. Playing during the shoulder season during the fall is the way to go!

Best Hole(s): There are so many to choose from, but the downhill Par 4 #5 is one of the most beautiful settings at the the whole resort. Will be one of many spots where pictures are taken. My favorite hole is actually the long Par 4 2nd hole. A tough driving hole and then approach to a demanding, massive green.

Two courses: Sand Valley and Mammouth and a par 3. We enjoyed Mammouth better, but it is pretty easy. The courses are walking only, which is great. Recommend a caddie since there are blind shots and rolling greens and will make for a better experience. Links golf with very little in the way of hazards. Relatively easy for good players. Very generous fairways and large greens makes this a good place for a group with a wide variety of skills. Courses are still new, greens and fairways are hard. Consider playing longer tees since the ball rolls out. Also, there is sand everyone, but none of which is considered a hazard. They don't seem to bother to rake the sand so I ended up in footprints a couple of times.

Overall, overpriced for the quality of golf and the service received. You need to shuttle down to the practice range and you are expected to lug your clubs on and off the shuttle. I was with my wife and the shuttle drivers don't move from their seat to help out.

We found the buildings on grounds to be cold and uninviting. The style is rustic prairie meets modern. The food was good and reasonably priced and wait staff was great, but the atmosphere was lacking. Although the courses are very female friendly, this place caters to men and guy getaways.

Pro shop staff could be a lot nicer. Clothes are over priced.

We play resort courses all over the US and internationally. Sand Valley acts a little haughty considering it is in the middle of nowhere. You think they would be happy to see you. But the place is very busy and seems to be a big success for the owners.

We were going along nicely on the front 9. We then got to current turn area and found what would ruin the rest of the round.

As we approached the tent we noticed a large crowd gathering. What we found out that there was one group teeing off in ten and it was not the group in front of us.

We noticed that there were 3 groups, including us waiting to tee off .

Probably 30 minutes to tee off on 10 and the backup continued thru the whole back 9

My brother and I stopped to play Sand Valley on the way home to Chicago after being in northern Wisconsin for the weekend. The service and overall "feel" of the resort is very comparable to Bandon Dunes. Because it is very new there is still construction going on but you can see that in the near future it will be the Bandon Dunes of the Midwest.

We only played the Sand Valley course and I must say the views and layout are stunning! We couldn't stop taking pictures from every tee box. I would love to play it again later in the year when the greens are repaired and rolling at true speed.

The one thing that did frustrate me though was the level of knowledge or lack thereof my caddie had of the course and golf in general. On the second hole my "A" caddie informed me that it was his FIRST time actually being out on the course and that we would learn it together because it was also my first time being there. He also had no idea how to give me a yardage, didn't know how to work his rangefinder or how to step off yardages from nearby sprinkler heads. Managing this course by yourself is very difficult as there are many blind shots into greens and from tee box areas. I am not by any means high maintenance when it comes to caddies and I am not upset at my caddie at all (he was a really nice and pleasant guy) but I am upset at the caddie director as obviously there isn't any sort of training. I would be totally fine if this was a junior caddie. But how can you send out an "A" caddie who has never even stepped foot on the course and doesn't know how to give yardage?

There is a tremendous amount of buzz surrounding Sand Valley right now, with the success of The Sandbox, the resort’s short course, and the opening of Mammoth Dunes, the resort’s second course, in a couple of weeks. A harsh Spring, however, has dealt a severe blow to the Sand Valley course.

One-third of the holes (Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5, 8 and 11) employed temporary greens. And I must say that the regular greens did not look close to returning to the rotation. The course is currently offering 18-hole play at the nine-hole rate, due to the temporary greens. The fairways were thin and sandy.

If you are planning a trip here in the next two weeks, be advised that you will want to call ahead and see how the course is coming along.

I must say, however, that my first trip to Sand Valley was only mildly tainted by the aforementioned conditioning. I could easily tell what makes SV one of the Best New Courses of 2017 and why it will undoubtedly continue to soar up all the course ranking lists.

This is not a tournament golf course. In this regard, it reminded me a lot of Gamble Sands in Washington. Coore and Crenshaw designed SV to be exceedingly playable for all skill levels. Fairways are beyond generous, and though I found the bunkers and waste areas numerous times off the tee, I did not think they were overly penal. This is definitely a second-shot golf course.

There is a ton of construction going on at the facility. More lodging is being created to inevitably handle the flood of players descending once Mammoth is complete. Currently, Mammoth is offering 13-hole preview play.

My only criticism is that the course was “out” of yardage/course guides. As a first-timer walking with my own bag, a book would have been helpful, though it was still mostly navigable without too much issue. A resort of this caliber, however, should never run out of anything in the pro shop. It would have been nice to have.

In conclusion, despite the limitations, I was still easily able to see why there is so much acclaim being garnered by Sand Valley, and look forward to returning in the future to see how it matures with the addition of Mammoth.

WOW! This is going to be the next #1 new course for the resort when the raters get to it. MAMMOTH means MAMMOTH- Fairways, waste areas, bunkers, greens, elevation changes, views, all larger than life. Hard to miss a fairway as most are 100yds wide or more but if you do you're in native(heavy) sand. Don't try blasting, just pick it clean.

Played in mid May on a not-so-nice weather weekend(cold) but then it is in central Wisconsin. Only 13 holes open(full course open as of May 31). Watch for $1 hamburgers at the turn.

The resort is still pretty new with a tent as a temp restaurant but ALL the staff,-bag attendants, starters, caddy masters, caddies, wait staff, pro shop folks super friendly(almost like family).

Play the Sand Valley course for comparison(an unbelievable course in its own right) and the Sand Box(17 hole par 3 course for fun.

This golf experience is outstanding for nearly any quality golfer. I can’t enough positives about it. Staff, layout, scenic views ...it’s as good as any other destination in Wisconsin or the Midwest!