Sedge Valley, the newest course at Sand Valley, is must-play material

My long playing partner left the 6th green in the Sedge Valley having learned his lesson, the same almost everyone who plays the newest journey in Sand Valley Golf Resort has managed to understand.

“That’s why you lay down,” he said, “and don’t hit the bunkers, which are death.”

Sedge Valley has only been open since July, but the 5,829-yard par-68 course is already doing what great golf courses are supposed to do: make golfers THINK.

That was the plan all along for architect Tom Doak, his team at Renaissance Golf Design and the brothers Chris and Michael Keizerwho operate the resort they developed with their father, Mike Keiser.

“If you’re out of position on that course, it’s not like you have a better angle versus a slightly better angle,” Michael Keizer said. GOLF.com during the construction process. “You can be on the freeway with a wedge, and if you’re in the wrong position, you have to think seriously about getting into the right position.”

Let’s get back to that 6th hole, one of many with multiple options off the tee. It’s a 294-yard par-4 with a fairway that slopes from left to right. A 200-yard shot to the left side should rest on that upper shelf of the fairway, leaving you with a short approach and a good angle to a tight green. But the same 200-yard shot that fades and rolls down a hill leaves a poorly angled uphill wedge at a thin target.

You can also go for the green, as my playing partner did, and find one of the five bunkers surrounding it. This led to a blocked lie, his first bogey of the day and a painful education for Sedge Valley (maximum $295), which has already become the favorite course of many visitors on a property that boasts two other popular courses (not including semi-private Lido).

Sedge Valley was inspired by classic Dutch English courses and delivers on that promise with a dynamite combination of playability and strategic challenge in the rolling terrain of central Wisconsin.

The fairways are wide—not as wide as Sand Valley or Mammoth Dunes, but still spacious—with green complexes so imposing you’ll be holding your breath waiting to see the next one.

Don’t be fooled by the par-68 numbers, under 6,000 yards either. This may seem like a short course — there’s only one par-5 — but four par-4s stretch more than 400 yards. (In the words of our starter, it plays more like a 6,500-yard course.)

There is also a trio of excellent short par-4s, including the aforementioned 6th. The 278-yard 12th shares features with the 6th. A lay on the left fairway shelf will keep you level with the green and give you an ideal inside angle, while anything straight means an uphill shot and a trickier line into a green with a large ravine running through it.

The short final 4, the 318-yard 18th, may be more memorable. A bunker 200 yards off the tee bisects the massively elevated upper half of the fairway from a landing area far below. A stretch in front of the sand calls for a blind wedge into a small green surrounded by aggressive banks, giving it a punch-like effect. A ball that lands on the upper shelf lets a wedge roll onto a green that tucks discreetly into the folds of the turf.

Sedge Valley is also loaded with other goodies. The only blind shot is the approach to the long, uphill par-4 third, where you aim for a board in the trees, drop the ball over a set of bunkers, then cross your fingers as you walk uphill in anxious anticipation of the reveal. There are back-to-back par-3s on 7 and 8 (echoes of what Doak did on the 10th and 11th at Pacific Dunes), with the second playing 80 yards longer to ensure you don’t hit the same par twice. blow The only par-5 (the 11th) is also a standout, with enough long fairways to encourage players to try and get to two, although a shot that misses right will drop hard from the bank, leaving a difficult field again. .

After this par-5, you’ll reach the halfway point, where you can grab a $1 Italian beef sandwich (the budget-friendly grub is a Sand Valley signature). They are tasty, but not as good as the golf course you are playing. It’s hard to beat.

Josh Berhow

Editor of Golf.com

As managing editor of GOLF.com, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of the most widely read sports news and services websites. He spends most of his days writingediting, planning and wondering if he’ll ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he resides in the Twin Cities with his wife and two children. You can contact him at joshua_berhow@golf.com.