Dacotah Ridge - Minnesota - USA

This very well might be my favorite of all of the Minnesota courses. If you love a true links style course that is protected by the winds and bunkers. You would love this gem!

Located in the Lower Sioux Indian Community in southwest Minnesota, is an example of prairieland golf at its finest. The rolling hills, native grasses and the fast and clear Wabasha Creek, a tributary of the Minnesota River, gives each hole natural drama and definition.

Make no mistake this course can hold its own and there is a reason that it is a Top 5 course in Minnesota for nearly every golfer that plays it. You will hit every shot imaginable. Shots made more interesting when the prairie wind blows. Not a gentle breeze to cool the warm summer sun. A wind that can make the best golfer cringe when the pin you are seeking is at a 45 degree angle and the flag is hanging on for dear life.

Had the best drive of the day to the middle of the dogleg. 160 yards to negotiate into the wind that was gusting to 40mph. Flushed a 3 metal that ended up 10 yards short of the green. Didn't know whether to laugh, or cry.

The people here are tremendous and always looking to help. You WILL remember the time you played Dakotah Ridge.

If you’re looking for a fantastic public golf course offering in southern Minnesota, you’ve found it: Dacotah Ridge earns every accolade and more. Uncharacteristic for the region it resides in, Dacotah Ridge sports very few trees. In fact, they’re completely absent on 12 of the 18 holes, five of which hug a large pond in the middle of the property that provides for the best views on the course. The track’s challenges lie within a few blind shots you’ll encounter and the mammoth white bunkers, some of which are larger than the green beside them, which can be a bummer.

A few of the best holes: the par four 10th, a downhill approach shot the player needs to carry over Wabasha Creek to a thin green; the picturesque par three 11th, a drive that requires a carry to the green over the aforementioned pond; and the par five 18th, a dogleg left that possesses (no joke) about half the trees on the golf course. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find any single hole on the back not considered strong.

With Dacotah Ridge, Rees Jones gave southwest Minnesota its premier golf course. It’s worth the trip from the Twin Cities and one of the greatest values you'll find in a public track.