Public Play · Golf Trips from Chicago
Mammoth Dunes at Sand ValleyNekoosa
David McLay Kidd's par-73, walking-only public course at Sand Valley in central Wisconsin.
Par
73
Yardage
7,549
Rating · Slope
76.6 · 154
Holes
18
Green Fee
$235–$325
The Course
About Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley
Sand Valley's second full-length course was built for big, playful golf: wide fairways, huge greens and a walking-only rule, with caddies and pull carts available. The resort near Nekoosa offers golf-only tee times, so the public can play without booking a room. The card runs 7,549 yards at par 73 from the Championship tees, and the resort rates ten tee combinations. From Chicago it is an overnight trip, not a day out.
History
Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley — History
A year after Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw's Sand Valley course, David McLay Kidd's Mammoth Dunes opened in 2018 as the resort's second 18, built for the Keiser family. Its 14th came from Golf Digest's 2016 Armchair Architect contest: winner Brian Silvernail, a Florida graphic designer, laid out the hole with Kidd's team. The resort has since added Sedge Valley, The Lido and other courses.
Design
Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley — Design
Kidd shaped the course around a huge V-shaped ridge that runs through the property, then matched it with wide fairways and oversized greens, which gave the course its name. GOLF's critics who walked it at the 2018 opening noted pronounced contours that let the ball run onto many greens. Kidd's explanation of the 5th shows the idea: a fairway about 120 yards wide, where only some positions leave a clear angle to the flag.
What Sets It Apart
Why Play Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley
GOLF called its par of 73 rare for a modern course, and it gets there with five par 5s; its drivable 14th was laid out with the winner of a Golf Digest readers' design contest.
The Round
The Journey at Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley
I.
The Opening
Long par 4s of 445 and 430 yards open the round before the 550-yard 3rd, the first of five par 5s, and the 218-yard 4th. The 490-yard 5th tees off from one of the high points of the property and tumbles through big sand dunes to a very wide fairway, where the chosen side decides the angle in. The 362-yard 6th ends at a boomerang-shaped green.
II.
The Middle
The 618-yard 7th, the No. 1 handicap, starts with a semi-blind drive over a diagonal ridge, brings a large cross bunker into play on the second, and has what the resort calls its settlement bunker guarding the green. The 228-yard 8th plays to a green ringed by sand. Two small bunkers sit in the line of play on the 498-yard 9th, whose green is backed by the ridge, and the 355-yard 10th's green is perched atop a dune.
III.
The Finish
The 151-yard 13th is the shortest hole but carries a deep sand chasm to a long, slender green. The 340-yard 14th, the Armchair Architect hole, plays downhill and can be driven. After the 554-yard 15th, the 206-yard 16th drops downhill with sand jutting in near the tee and a diagonal bunker front left of the green. The 467-yard 17th and the 603-yard 18th, rated second-hardest, close a par-37 back nine.
How to Play It
Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley — Playing Strategy
Beginner / High Handicap
Choose a set from the resort's ten tee combinations that suits your length, and walk with a caddie the first time. Off the tee the fairways are broad, so most of the risk lies in the approach: aim at the middle of the big greens and expect long putts. Play the 618-yard 7th in three, short of the cross bunker.
Intermediate / Mid Handicap
Use the width to pick angles. Kidd's point on the 5th is that one side of a 120-yard fairway leaves a blind or poor approach, and the same logic runs through the course. The 14th tempts a driver, but a lay-up to a full wedge is sound for many players. The five par 5s give room to recover, though the 7th and 18th rank as the two hardest holes.
Advanced / Low Handicap
Length helps on a 7,549-yard card, but the 7th and 18th stretch beyond 600 yards and the 3rd, 11th and 15th are the par 5s where two strong swings get close. The 14th is a real drive-the-green hole. On the 6th, work the approach around the boomerang green or off its back banks instead of firing straight at the flag.
Signature Holes
Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley — Signature Holes
The Card
Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley Scorecard
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 37 | 73 |
| Yards | 445 | 430 | 550 | 218 | 490 | 362 | 618 | 228 | 498 | 3,839 | 355 | 560 | 474 | 151 | 340 | 554 | 206 | 467 | 603 | 3,710 | 7,549 |
| Handicap | 11 | 9 | 3 | 15 | 5 | 13 | 1 | 17 | 7 | — | 12 | 4 | 8 | 18 | 14 | 6 | 16 | 10 | 2 | — | — |
Good to Know
Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley — questions answered
- How do I book a tee time at Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley?
- Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley takes tee-time bookings directly on its own website. Golf in CHI links the course's booking page on this listing.
- How much does it cost to play Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley?
- Green fees at Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley are typically $235 to $325, varying by season, day of week and time. Lodging and day-guest 18-hole rate; walking only; tax extra. Resort-wide table, not course-specific.
- Who designed Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley?
- Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley was designed by David McLay Kidd and opened in 2018.
- What is the par and yardage at Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley?
- Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley plays to a par of 73 over 7,549 yards from the championship tees, with a course rating of 76.6 and a slope of 154.
- Is Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley public or private?
- Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley is open to public play. Tee times can be reserved in advance.
- Where is Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley located?
- Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley is located at 597 Leopold Way, Nekoosa, WI 54457, in the Golf Trips from Chicago area of Chicagoland.
More in Golf Trips from Chicago
More golf courses in Golf Trips from Chicago
Tom Doak and Brian Schneider (re-creating C.B. Macdonald's Lido) · Nekoosa
The Lido at Sand Valley
Tom Doak and Brian Schneider's re-creation of C.B. Macdonald's lost Long Island Lido, at Sand Valley.
Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw · Nekoosa
Sand Valley
The original Coore and Crenshaw course at Sand Valley, laid over central Wisconsin's sand dunes.
Tom Doak · Nekoosa
Sedge Valley at Sand Valley
Tom Doak's par-68 heathland-style course at Sand Valley, a walking-only resort in central Wisconsin.
How to Play It
Book a Tee Time at Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley.
Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley takes its tee sheet directly — book your round on the club's own site.
Golf in CHI is an independent guide — we don’t sell tee times or mark them up. We map the exact way on.