Public Play · Golf Trips from Chicago
Sand ValleyNekoosa
The original Coore and Crenshaw course at Sand Valley, laid over central Wisconsin's sand dunes.
Par
72
Yardage
7,124
Rating · Slope
75.1 · 142
Holes
18
Green Fee
$235–$325
The Course
About Sand Valley
The resort's first course, Sand Valley is open to the public and a trip from Chicago best treated as an overnight. The resort likens it to golfing in a national park: exposed sand dunes, firm and fast fairways and plenty of strategic options. It is walking only, with caddies and pull carts available and accessible carts by application. From the Championship tees it measures 7,124 yards, par 72, with five par 3s and five par 5s.
History
Sand Valley — History
Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw began routing the course in 2014 and opened it in 2017 as the resort's first, on what Sand Valley calls the prehistoric sand dunes of central Wisconsin. The founding idea, per the resort, was to bring public golf to that ground. The resort has since grown to six courses, with Mammoth Dunes, Sedge Valley, The Lido, Sandbox and Commons alongside the original.
Design
Sand Valley — Design
The resort describes a minimalist design with massive, exposed dunes, firm and fast fairways and many ways to play each hole, fun and playable but able to be set up as a serious challenge. Its hole notes bear that out: cross bunkers on the 2nd and 7th, a split fairway at the 12th, false fronts at the 4th and 16th, and a punchbowl green at the 17th where the ground does much of the work.
What Sets It Apart
Why Play Sand Valley
The course that started a destination: the first of six at Sand Valley, a Coore and Crenshaw design open to the public and played on foot across the sand dunes of central Wisconsin.
The Round
The Journey at Sand Valley
I.
The Opening
A gentle opener, the 332-yard 1st needs only a 170-to-220-yard tee shot to leave a wedge to a two-tiered green; a miss left makes the up-and-down tricky. The 441-yard 2nd asks for a drive short of cross bunkers and an approach from the left, away from a steep fall-off. The 227-yard 3rd green slopes right to left. The 618-yard 4th, the No. 1 handicap, climbs to a false front. The 171-yard 5th drops from one of the property's highest points, and the 476-yard 6th hides a bunker left.
II.
The Middle
Laying up left gives the best angle on the 605-yard 7th, which has a waste area right and a 140-yard cross bunker. The 140-yard 8th, the shortest hole, plays uphill to a narrow green. The 304-yard 9th pinches near the landing area between deep bunkers. After Craig's Porch, the 575-yard 10th has a bunker stretching 70 yards short of the green. The 406-yard 11th doglegs left around a waste area, and the 499-yard 12th, the shortest par 5, splits its fairway.
III.
The Finish
An uphill approach to a green set well above the fairway marks the 445-yard 13th. The 197-yard 14th plays downhill, about a club shorter. On the 419-yard 15th a lone bare pine marks the tee line and mounding guards the front of the green. The 455-yard 16th, the last par 4, has a steep false front. The 257-yard 17th is a punchbowl, and the 557-yard 18th climbs back toward Craig's Porch past the fairway bunker called Second Base.
How to Play It
Sand Valley — Playing Strategy
Beginner / High Handicap
Sand Valley is walking only, so a caddie is worth considering on a first visit. The resort rates ten tee combinations from Black down to Royal Blue, so choose one that leaves short irons into the greens. Play the 4th, 7th and 10th as three-shot holes, and on the 8th and 16th favor long over short.
Intermediate / Mid Handicap
Firm fairways and sloping greens reward running shots: feed the ball off the left slope at the 12th, use the slope short of the left bunker on the 8th for front pins, and land just past the front edge of the punchbowl 17th. At the 7th, lay up to the left fairway, and on the 11th weigh the carry over the waste area against a longer iron in.
Advanced / Low Handicap
From 7,124 yards (75.1/142) the par 5s are where a round is made: the 10th if you take on the fairway bunker, the 12th from the left fairway, and the 18th if you challenge Second Base. On the 6th, carry the hidden left bunker for a short approach to one of the largest greens, and on the 9th decide early whether to attack or lay up to a full wedge.
Signature Holes
Sand Valley — Signature Holes
The Card
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 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 35 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 37 | 72 |
| Yards | 332 | 441 | 227 | 618 | 171 | 476 | 605 | 140 | 304 | 3,314 | 575 | 406 | 499 | 445 | 197 | 419 | 455 | 257 | 557 | 3,810 | 7,124 |
| Handicap | 9 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 17 | 11 | — | 2 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 16 | 4 | — | — |
Good to Know
Sand Valley — questions answered
- How do I book a tee time at Sand Valley?
- 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 Sand Valley?
- Green fees at Sand Valley are typically $235 to $325, varying by season, day of week and time. 2026 lodging and day-guest rate on the resort's 18-hole courses; walking only, caddie extra.
- Who designed Sand Valley?
- Sand Valley was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and opened in 2017.
- What is the par and yardage at Sand Valley?
- Sand Valley plays to a par of 72 over 7,124 yards from the championship tees, with a course rating of 75.1 and a slope of 142.
- Is Sand Valley public or private?
- Sand Valley is open to public play. Tee times can be reserved in advance.
- Where is Sand Valley located?
- 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.
David McLay Kidd · Nekoosa
Mammoth Dunes at Sand Valley
David McLay Kidd's par-73, walking-only public course at Sand Valley in central Wisconsin.
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 Sand Valley.
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.