Public Play · Golf Trips from Chicago
Sedge Valley at Sand ValleyNekoosa
Tom Doak's par-68 heathland-style course at Sand Valley, a walking-only resort in central Wisconsin.
Par
68
Yardage
6,198
Rating · Slope
70.7 · 133
Holes
18
Green Fee
Contact for pricing
The Course
About Sedge Valley at Sand Valley
Tom Doak drew Sedge Valley on the lines of English heathland golf, and it is one of four 18-hole courses at the Sand Valley resort in Nekoosa, open to lodging and day guests. From Chicago it is an overnight trip, not a day out. Play is walking only, with caddies or push carts. Expect a par 68 of five par 3s, several short par 4s and a single par 5, with long, narrow greens angled to the line of play.
History
Sedge Valley at Sand Valley — History
Sedge Valley opened for public play in July 2024. The Keiser family asked Doak, who had recreated The Lido at the resort the year before, to route a shorter course on land near the back nine of the Sand Valley course. Michael Keiser first floated 4,500 to 5,000 yards; Doak aimed instead for the 6,000-yard range of Swinley Forest, Rye and West Sussex. A separate clubhouse later turned his planned 18th into the 1st.
Design
Sedge Valley at Sand Valley — Design
Doak set aside any target of par 72 and mixed five par 3s, short par 4s and full-length par 4s with one par 5. Heavy resort traffic ruled out tiny greens, so he built long, skinny ones, some set 90 degrees to the approach so they play wide and shallow. Sand is more restrained than on the resort's first two courses, used largely as a buffer between the targets and the native sedge his team worked to keep.
What Sets It Apart
Why Play Sedge Valley at Sand Valley
Where the resort's first two courses are framed by sandy waste, Sedge Valley works on a more intimate scale: a par 68 near 6,000 yards that Doak expected good players to find hard to break par on.
The Round
The Journey at Sedge Valley at Sand Valley
I.
The Opening
Four straight par 4s open the round. The 370-yard 1st and 386-yard 2nd are wide and gentle, holes a drive and a wedge can handle. Then the 468-yard 3rd, the No. 1 handicap, crosses rolling ground to a green behind a cluster of deep bunkers, and the 427-yard 4th is nearly as stern. The 159-yard 5th starts a run of short holes, and the 300-yard 6th is drivable through a gap between deep bunkers, though the fairway kicks shots right.
II.
The Middle
Back-to-back par 3s follow, the 160-yard 7th and 243-yard 8th; like the 5th, their greens are long and thin, each angled differently, with heathland-style bunkering. Doak describes the stretch from the 9th through the 14th as flatter ground. The 571-yard 11th is the only par 5 and the No. 2 handicap, and the 286-yard 12th is another short par 4 that long hitters will try to drive, with lay-up options that may score better.
III.
The Finish
The 160-yard 13th is the easiest hole by handicap, and the 477-yard 14th, the longest par 4, defends a green with no bunkers at all, only contour. The 206-yard 15th sits against a rock outcrop, its generous green holding a small back-right plateau. After the 435-yard 16th and 426-yard 17th, the 332-yard 18th splits its fairway: a partially blind approach to an L-shaped green set in a big dune, or a narrow strip on the right. Doak modeled it on the 4th at Barnbougle Dunes.
How to Play It
Sedge Valley at Sand Valley — Playing Strategy
Beginner / High Handicap
Judge the round by score, not par: Doak expected breaking 80 or 90 to come a little easier here than on a longer course. Play the short par 4s, the 6th, 12th and 18th, as two easy shots rather than going for the green, and aim at the middle of the long, thin greens. Take a caddie or push cart; riding carts are for ADA use only.
Intermediate / Mid Handicap
The 468-yard 3rd and 427-yard 4th are where early shots slip away; take a bogey and move on. On the 6th, a drive left of center gives a straight look up the green, but the fairway kicks right, so judge the line by your length. With greens angled every way, check whether the pin is front or back before choosing a club; deep pins play much harder.
Advanced / Low Handicap
From the championship tees (70.7/133) the test is precision, not length. The 6th punishes a drive that leaks either side of its bunkers, and at the 12th and 18th a lay-up often scores as well as a go. On the 18th the right-hand strip gives a clearer approach but is narrow. Use the contours at the bunkerless 14th, and respect the 15th's back-right plateau.
Signature Holes
Sedge Valley at Sand Valley — Signature Holes
The Card
Sedge Valley 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 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 33 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 68 |
| Yards | 370 | 386 | 468 | 427 | 159 | 300 | 160 | 243 | 370 | 2,883 | 422 | 571 | 286 | 160 | 477 | 206 | 435 | 426 | 332 | 3,315 | 6,198 |
| Handicap | 13 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 15 | 17 | 11 | 5 | — | 8 | 2 | 14 | 18 | 6 | 16 | 4 | 10 | 12 | — | — |
Good to Know
Sedge Valley at Sand Valley — questions answered
- How do I book a tee time at Sedge Valley at Sand Valley?
- Sedge Valley at Sand Valley takes tee-time bookings directly on its own website. Golf in CHI links the course's booking page on this listing.
- Who designed Sedge Valley at Sand Valley?
- Sedge Valley at Sand Valley was designed by Tom Doak and opened in 2024.
- What is the par and yardage at Sedge Valley at Sand Valley?
- Sedge Valley at Sand Valley plays to a par of 68 over 6,198 yards from the championship tees, with a course rating of 70.7 and a slope of 133.
- Is Sedge Valley at Sand Valley public or private?
- Sedge Valley at Sand Valley is open to public play. Tee times can be reserved in advance.
- Where is Sedge Valley at Sand Valley located?
- Sedge Valley 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.
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.
How to Play It
Book a Tee Time at Sedge Valley at Sand Valley.
Sedge Valley 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.