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Hole 1

Hole Name

From The Tee As with many Seth Raynor’s designs, the opening hole at Minnesota Valley provides an opportunity to begin your round with a good score.

From The Fairway The tee shot is played to the top of a plateau and offers a panoramic view of holes to come. On the second shot, the longer hitter can carry the cross bunker to a downhill slope to the green for a possible eagle chance, or the strategic player can challenge

On The Green the same bunker by favoring the right side on a lay up which provides the best angle to the green. The back to front slope of the first green is a clear message to the golfer from the start: staying below the hole is imperative at the Valley.

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Hole 2

Hole Name

From The Tee Modeled after the 15th hole at North Berwick in Scotland, the Redan is considered by many to be the best par 3 design in golf. Famed architect C.B. MacDonald brought the template to the United States, and he describes

From The Fairway Take a narrow tableland, tilt it a little from right to left, dig a deep bunker on the front side, approach it diagonally and you have a Redan. Even with improved technology of the last century, the design has stood the test, rewarding a tee ball that utilizes the contouring and penalizing aggressive lines imperfectly played.

On The Green The tabletop green is oriented at a 45 degree angle with menacing deep bunkers left, right, and long. The prudent play is to take aim at the front right and use the kick slope to channel your ball onto the green…par is a great score here.

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Hole 3

Hole Name

From The Tee A precise dogleg left with a stately Elm framing the hole behind the green.

From The Fairway A slight draw off the tee fit in between the fairway bunkers is an ideal line to set up a short second. The primary defense of the hole is the green slope where there is risk of putting off the surface.

On The Green An offline approach finding the greenside swale left or bunker right is a difficult up and down. Staying below the hole is critical for a chance at birdie.

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Hole 4

Hole Name

From The Tee Modeled after the 15th at Muirfield in Scotland, the Narrows hole offers a strategic choice: a player

From The Fairway can lay safely back to the wider portion of the fairway but this leaves a longer approach to a back to front sloping green where distance control and precision are vital. Or a player can take on the bunkering that narrows the fairway from both sides, and if successful,

On The Green a wedge or pitch is all that remains to the green. The second must negotiate green side bunkering and fall offs on both sides as well as a false front, and should stay below the hole for the best chance at birdie. The approach plays more uphill than it appears, but don’t go long!

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Hole 5

Hole Name

From The Tee The original Long hole is at the home of golf, the revered 14th hole at the Old Course in St. Andrews. The Minnesota Valley long hole lays out in full view from the tee.

From The Fairway The fairway serpentines around Raynor bunkering as the routing returns to the plateau. The approach is framed by left green side bunkers to an infinity green and a steep fall off beyond.

On The Green The green site is located on the high point of the course, and has a half-mile view back to the club house. The putting surface is one of the flattest on the course where the modest breaks remain elusive to detect even for seasoned members.

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Hole 6

Hole Name

From The Tee A short length severe dogleg left par 4 that requires precision off the tee, approach and short game. The tee shot presents options:

From The Fairway play a straight safe shot that leaves a longer approach off a downhill lie, or play an aggressive longer shot challenging the corner of the dogleg to reach the flat of the valley for a level lie and shorter approach. The green site rises out of a valley perched on a tabletop, with steep fall offs short, left and long. Approach shots coming up short or with too much spin can roll back down the fair

On The Green The diabolical green pitches severely back to front at its front and middle sections, then reaches an apex and the final third runs away to the back.

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Hole 7

Hole Name

From The Tee The original Eden hole is the 11th at the Old Course in St Andrews. The Valley version of the Eden

From The Fairway features an uphill tee shot to an elevated narrow green; be sure to avoid the Strath Bunker on the front right. The green is like a staircase, back to front slope at the start, flatter in the middle section, and sloping again in the rear.

On The Green Saddling in the midsection of the green and a bisecting spine in the rear third adds to the putting complexity. Conquering the most unique putting surface on the course could deliver a great score on this hole.

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Hole 8

Hole Name

From The Tee A short length par four and a chance for birdie. From an elevated tee,

From The Fairway the left side of the fairway provides a flatter lie, but must negotiate the deep greenside bunker. The L-shaped green is best attacked from the right, but the fairway cross bunker protects the ideal landing area.

On The Green An aggressive shot over the fairway bunker leaves a pitch that must navigate the raised right side. Distance control is vital on the approach to another back to front sloping green complex.

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Hole 9

Hole Name

From The Tee The routing returns to the clubhouse with the most demanding hole of the outward nine, and the most dramatic green on the course. Premier golf is required to achieve par.

From The Fairway The tee shot is played downhill semi-blind into a valley, with water sneaky close on the left. From there, the fairway climbs up to a three-tiered green protected by bunkers and fall-offs on all sides.

On The Green The origin of the Double Plateau green is unknown, but it was incorporated into nearly every design by C.B. MacDonald and Seth Raynor for it’s exciting and challenging contouring, and was often placed on the longest par 4 on the course to make it even more difficult.

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Hole 10

Hole Name

From The Tee The routing crosses the plateau again on the start of the second nine.

From The Fairway Longer hitters can challenge the fairway bunkers on tee shot to reach the top of the plateau for an open look to the green. Those laying up must choose between staying on top of the plateau or hitting closer to the green to avoid a severe downhill fairway lie 70-100 yards out.

On The Green Mounding and bunkering pinches the approach to the hourglass shaped green. Putts on the tenth appear to break more than they do. A chance for birdie or even eagle awaits to start the back nine after the tough stretch to finish on the front.

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Hole 11

Hole Name

From The Tee In 1888, Willie Dunn Jr, a one time runner up of the Open Championship designed a long par 3 hole in the resort town of Biarritz, France.

From The Fairway The hole played an outrageous 200+ yards over 60-foot cliffs along the Atlantic Ocean to a green featuring a large dip in the middle section. ‘The Chasm’ hole concept was taken by C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor and used as a template hole in numerous designs.

On The Green Unfortunately, the original Chasm hole no longer exists, but the Biarritz is now commonplace requiring a long, accurate shot to a large green with a swale in the middle and ubiquitous Biarritz-style bunkering on each side. The Valley Biarritz green is 60 yards long with a three foot deep swale in the middle. A par here usually wins the hole.

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Hole 12

Hole Name

From The Tee The ‘Mount Rushmore’ of Par 3’s include the Redan, the Eden, the Biarritz and the Short. These four one shot holes provide a classic variety of length, green type and hazards that uniquely test a variety of a golfer’s skills during the round.

From The Fairway Minnesota Valley’s Short is the second of back to back par 3’s. After testing length with accuracy at the previous hole, the 12th tests precision with short game. The tee shot is the most picturesque on the property, played over water and a deep bunker to a large, wide, back to front sloping green.

On The Green One of Raynor’s signature features is the ‘Thumbprint’, a contoured depression in the green surface that creates havoc for putting to pin positions located right of center.

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Hole 13

Hole Name

From The Tee The Prize Dogleg, a Seth Raynor personal template, is designed to be the most difficult par 4 on the course; in Raynor’s words, “a par 4, bogey 6”.

From The Fairway The demanding tee shot is played uphill and protected by bunkers on both the inside and outside corners of the dogleg. A bail out area is available to the right

On The Green but each yard of safety off the tee adds length to the approach into the prevailing wind that must carry a cross bunker to a fish hook shaped green guarded by a deep swale left and bunker right. Staying below the hole is a must for front pins, and the back center section has a subtle mound that affects nearly every putt.

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Hole 14

Hole Name

From The Tee One of the flattest holes on the course is given character by

From The Fairway the staggered fairway bunkering and Alps mounding on the approach. The ideal line off the tee is a slight fade landing right center between the fairway bunkers to open up the best angle to the green. The Alps cover the left half of the green and hides a fall off collection area that penalizes shots long and left.

On The Green A bunker wraps around the front right. An Alp mound behind the green provides a back stop, and also influences all putts on that portion of the surface. The template is modeled after what is now the 17that Prestwick in Scotland, home of The Open Championship and designed by Old Tom Morris.

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Hole 15

Hole Name

From The Tee The largest bunker on the course, the Serpent, sits on the inside corner of the dogleg on this long

From The Fairway par 5. Longer hitters can challenge this bunker for an open view to the green. The Principal’s Nose bunker, modeled after the original at St. Andrews, Scotland, guards against a poorly struck shot attempting to get home or a misplaced layup. Once these fairway hazards have been navigated,

On The Green along with a third green side left, the putting surface is perhaps the most severely sloped on the course both back to front and left to right. An approach short and right of the pin offers the best chance to make a putt.

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Hole 16

Hole Name

From The Tee A template design that is usually reserved for par 3 holes and typically only used once per routing, Minnesota Valley has a second Biarritz green hole on the back nine on short par 4.

From The Fairway Off the tee, players can play back for a full short iron, take a more aggressive line to fit in between the bunkering for a short pitch, or pull a driver and “go for it”. The hole appears flat and benign off the tee…

On The Green but at the business end of the hole, the bunkering, mini Biarritz swale, and subtleties of the green cause many a player to walk away wondering how they made bogey.

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Hole 17

Hole Name

From The Tee Following scoring opportunities at the two previous holes, the penultimate hole is a test for par over the closing stretch.

From The Fairway Players should take note of the pin position from the tee and favor the opposite side of the fairway with the tee shot. A front or right pin should be attacked from the left to avoid the steep slope off the cape bunker on the front right.

On The Green A tee shot down the right opens up the kidney shaped green to approach a left or back hole location. The view of the downhill second shot is a favorite of the members, and plays to the only domed green on the course. Missing the green here will result in a difficult chip back onto the vaulted surface.

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Hole 18

Hole Name

From The Tee The widest fairway on the course awaits on the final tee shot. Longer players should hug the left side for a direct line to go for the green in two.

From The Fairway Lay up second shots should also favor the left over the crest of the hill. Whether attacking or laying back on the second, take note of the cross bunker 40 yards short left of the green. Approaches are played from a left to right tilted fairway to a right to left tilted green.

On The Green The right green side bunkers must be avoided. A discreet spine runs down the middle of the putting surface adding more challenge to hole out for the final time. Playing this hole smartly will provide you with a great opportunity to finish your round with a birdie.

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