Peter Wong
Peter Wong
Peter Wong
Minnesota Valley Country Club
Minnesota Valley Country Club
6300 Auto Club Rd
Bloomington, MN 55438-2406
United States
Overview
The design lineage of Minnesota Valley is cloudy, but the club believes the Seth Raynor drafted plans for the course during one of his visits to Minneapolis in the early 1920s (it’s doubtful he was involved in the actual construction of the course). But the design if full of Raynor and C.B. Macdonald ideas, and no matter who gets original credit, Minnesota Valley now fully looks and plays like a Raynor course following a 2018 renovation by Bill Bergin that enhanced the character of holes like Short, Redan, Raynor’s Prize Dogleg and a Biarritz green at a par-4 rather than the usual par-3.
About
Awards
RANKING HISTORY:
Best in State: Ranked 16th, 2025-'26. Ranked 17th, 2023-'24. Ranked 18th, 2021-'22.
Previous ranking: 17th.
2025-'26 ranking: 16th.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“Great use of land! Topography requires taking elevation into account on many holes, stay below the cup and you will be rewarded, get above it and be ready to experience a tough 2 putt. Many club options from the tee box. A good mix of dogleg holes. The bunkers are in play off tees and near green complexes. Many options available on approach shots. Number 6 is a great example of a risk reward hole, take the risk and take the fairway bunker on, if successful the reward is a flip wedge to the green, leave it in the bunker or hit it to far right of the bunker and you find sand on the far side of the fairway neither miss is a fun second shot. Great experience you will talk about with your golf pals!"
Read More2025
Review
“GREENS ARE ALL SETH RAYNOR, The layout makes great use of the terrain. Green approaches give plenty of club and shot options , the dogleg 6th (as do many of the holes) offers risk reward off the tee. Golfer choice of driver or fairway wood on many holes due to fairway bunker positions and doglegs. Bunkers well placed in fairways and surrounding green complexes. Greens require a putt from below the cup or risk three putts. A very good test of golf, enjoyable experience>"
Read More2025
Review
“This club claims to be designed by Seth Raynor, though it’s difficult to substantiate. Regardless, it is a solid course that certainly uses his design principles. The par-three 2nd hole, a Redan, has great contouring, and the back-left side of the green falls off considerably into a short grass recovery area. It’s easy to put off the green here, and it adds a unique feature to this ideal hole strategy. The next hole is a great dogleg right Alps Punchbowl, where a large bunker defense the left half of this extremely wide green. The line of charm is over the right side of the fairway, which allows a view of most pin positions. The neat par-four 4th, a combination Maiden and Narrows template, players must thread their drive between bunkers staggered on the sides of the fairway, three on the right and one on the left. Getting past all of these hazards leaves a much easier and shorter approach, especially to a back left pin, on a very small shelf. I originally thought that OCM took inspiration from the Hogan’s alley hole at Carnoustie to concept the new 6th hole at Medinah #3, but after seeing the 5th hole at Minnesota Valley, the 6th at Medinah is almost a carbon copy of this hole here. The 6th is a short Valley hole that plays very far downhill and very far to the left. A good drive must take a draw or hook shape, or cut off the left corner where out of bounds lurks. A straight drive over the fairway Bunker will need to be shorter than 200 yards from the back tees, in order to avoid the right rough, where large chocolate drops make flies and stances formidable into this short par four. Overall, the conditioning is slightly above average. Many of the tees are severely hacked up, and the bunkers have lost their crisp edges. The course does receive considerable play from its golf-obsessed members, and many women play here regularly. The course is also walkable, although a difficult walk; about half of the rounds played are walking versus riding. With that said, this course does have a bit of the Peachtree problem: holes often starting at the top of the hill, playing down into a valley, to an elevated green. It negatively affects the variety, including the stretch from 5 to 9. After back to back par fives for holes 9 and 10, the par-three 11th, a Biarritz, is a welcome relief, albeit a tough test. The entire length of the tiers and swales are all cut to green height. I noted four or five former cups in the swale, which has to be the equivalent of putting cheese whiz on a hotdog. The 13th is a dogleg-left par four, playing uphill on the drive, then to a square-shaped green that slopes dramatically from back to front. The next hole, Leven, features bunkers left and right on the fairway, but the best position is on the right side of the fairway, especially when the pin is on the left, tucked in behind troubling chocolate-drop mounds. A miss short left here is almost certainly a one-shot penalty. On the next, a par five called Principal’s Nose, long-hitters must negotiate around a large fairway bunker on the left, shaped somewhat like a cloven hoof. Clear this hazard, and an approach shot into the green awaits. Get stuck, and you are certainly forced to lay up. The finishing holes are strong on fun, if not challenge."
Read More2025
Review
“Fun city course. Made great use of the land. Great practice area"
Read More2022
