Willinger's Golf Club

The course is always immaculate. As always, the colors are wonderful in the fall and on Tuesday's this year, they reduced the price of a round w/cart and included lunch as a complete package. If I was retired, that would be my go to course EVERY Tuesday.

Great course and excellent value. A short drive south of the metro area. Excellent design and layout. This should be a must play for all metro area golfers and visitors to the MSP area.

just South of the twin cities great course great people that run it . challenging course during the fall we have seen plenty of Deer

Rolling hills, beautiful woodland course south of Twin Cities. Plenty challenging, nice layout. Good to excellent condition. Friendly pro shop staff and very accommodating starter. I think this course is a real gem and played it twice during my brief stay in Northfield.

Gets my vote as a top 10 public course in Minnesota. One of my favorite places to bring golf events. No houses. Fun layout and always in great shape.

I made a goal for myself to play Willingers this season and I fulfilled that goal today and I am glad that I did. This course is beautifully maintained and
I love the layout of it. The clubhouse is very nice, pro shop isn't huge but they have a nice selection and everything is fairly priced. They have a very nice driving range and one of my favorite parts, they have a practice bunker. We don't see a lot of those in MN. Pace of play was pretty good, only slowed down once but they allowed us to pass. Staff was very welcoming and made me feel like a valued customer. Greens were quick and they have white sand bunkers, which I love. This course is awesome but it will make you work. A lot of dog legs, water and tough bunkers. Plenty of elevated tees and greens, and some very memorable holes. I will absolutely be back to patronize Willingers and am looking forward to it.

Willinger's Golf Club is a beautiful, difficult, and totally fun course to play. Located in a rural area about 35 miles from the Twin Cities, the course is totally isolated from housing developments and traffic. Wiillinger's is visually striking, with some rolling topography, water, marshes and beautiful wooded areas. The course is not excessively long: 6,809 yards from the back “tournament” tees, while the “championship” and “regular” tees play to 6,310 and 5,936 yards. But as I'll describe later, the length isn't what makes the course difficult. And with ratings of 74.3, 72.3, and 70.5 and slopes of 147, 143 and 142 respectively for the three sets of tees, the course is difficult. (There is also a forward set of tees at 5,167 yards, so a lack of length should not deter golfers from playing the course.) The first thing that catches your eye on the first tee is the water that borders the right side of the fairway for about the first 200 yards. Since the hole is a dogleft right, the last thing you want to see on your first drive is the dreaded slice. If you don't hit the fairway, you'll notice that there is no intermediate cut of rough off the fairway. There is fairway and there is rough, and the rough is high enough to completely obscure your ball. Unless you get lucky with the lie, you won't be hitting any more than a short iron to return to the fairway. The water on the first hole is a harbinger of things to come, as water comes into play on about half of the holes. Where there isn't water bordering the fairway, you'll find woods and other stuff you don't want to be in. This course will punish you if you don't find the fairway. The second hole, a par 5, illustrates another of the features that makes the course difficult. The fairway varies significantly in width, from generous to very stingy. You must choose your club carefully and be sure of your distances in order to reach the preferred landing areas, unless you are accurate enough to hit the narrow parts of the fairway. Be sure to pick up a yardage guide that is provided in the pro shot in order to see exactly how the fairways vary in width so you can pick the right club. And pay attention to the Pro's Advice for each of the holes. This advice is especially handy when dealing with the significant elevation changes on the back nine. Several holes have you driving from an elevated tee and then back up to an elevated green. Unfortunately, the Pro can't help you once you reach the green. These greens are large, averaging 7,750 square feet, so you need to be aware of the pin placement in order to choose the right club for your approach shot. They are also undulating, smooth, and fast. It took a while for our foursome to adjust to the speed, especially on downhill putts that would not stop until they were well past the hole. Did I say the course was difficult? This was my first time to play the course, and I have to admit that the course won. But with very reasonable green fees for a high quality golfing experience, I'll gladly make the drive to come play again.

This was one of the best golf courses I've played in some time. Layout was challenging but playable, course conditions were excellent, cost was ok, staff was nice. I don't know why it's not rated in top public courses in MN.

I hadn't played here for years and I'm glad I went back. It's prettier than I remember and a lot of fun. I like a challenging course, but not too long, and from the white tees, it was perfect for me. It's not a course for beginners.
The variety of holes is excellent, the condition was very good and I like the clubhouse redo. The food was good, greens fees are moderate (good value) and the practice facilities are nice. If I had one complaint it's that the greens were a little slow for me, but probably just fine for most golfers.

This was the second time I have played Willingers in the past 3 weeks, and this is a hidden gem near the Twin Cities. Prices are very reasonable, the course definitely is a "Top 10" Minneapolis public course as it is challenging and fun for any handicapper.

I'm looking forward to heading back down for a few rounds in 2013!

Great golf, friendly staff and a good value. Greens were in super condition. Good fall golf

I have heard many good things about Willingers, however I had never played this course until now. On the 26th of October this course was still in very good shape considering the weather conditions. I was very impressed with the course layout, it was challenging which I enjoyed. I would recommend playing this course and am planning on playing again at least once before winter.

Love the open yet challenging fairways and protected greens.
Course condition was very good for lat fall play.

Love, Love this course. It's a scenic heaven, no jumbo homes along side fairways, just nature, you and golf. I spend my summer playing different courses throughout Minnesota. This course is very well maintained and in my opinion has some of the best greens. I'm an average player shooting from low to high 80's and this course is so much fun because I can get par's, chances at birdies and eat up my game quickly when I make poor decisions and poor shots. If I could afford it, I would play here alot more.

The greens had just been punched a week prior, but you would never have been able to tell by speed and consistancy alone. great value for mid october golf!

great layout with tons of variety. you must play smart but can take risk/reward shots on some holes. good practice facilitys and clubhouse. very scenic, always in great shape. premium course at very moderate price.

I like this couse because every hole presents different challenges...water, trees, sand, etc. Fairways and greens are well kept. Staff is friendly and helpful. I love this course...try to play it 2 to 3 times a season.

This club has a wonderful golf course, clubhouse and staff. The course is always in great shape and plays fair. And so does the staff. They are friendly, courteous, helpful and accomodating. What goes on here should be emulated by other metro area clubs.

Willinger's is a challenging course that is always well maintained. Each hole is unique and tests your skills, but are very playable from the white tees for a high handicapper.