The over the last decade has given golfers an for trips. From iconic standouts like Pinehurst and Pebble Beach to new favorites like Streamsong and Bandon Dunes, there has never been a better time in American golf when it comes to publicly available destinations. Among the best is Sand Valley, which opened in 2017 and now features four 18-hole championship courses and one 17-hole short course, The Sandbox, on the sprawling Wisconsin property.
Two of their courses, the namesake Sand Valley and Mammoth Dunes, fall in the top-30 public courses in the country by various outlets, and the newest course, Sedge Valley, will almost assuredly join them in that distinction after opening earlier this year. The Lido, their private course with limited resort play allowed Sunday to Thursday, opened in 2023 and immediately landed at No. 68 on Golf Magazine’s top-100 courses in the world list.
Those rankings make Sand Valley one of the nation’s premier golf destinations, but also begs the question: What do those rankings mean for a typical golfer? I got a chance to find out on a media trip to Sand Valley in early August, playing all five courses over a pretty incredible four-day trip. I started with Sand Valley upon arriving on Saturday afternoon, played Sedge Valley and the Sandbox on Sunday, The Lido on Monday, and wrapped up the trip with Mammoth Dunes on Tuesday before flying out that afternoon. Here, I’ll give my full thoughts on all things Sand Valley, starting with my detailed th.