Minneapolis Golf Club or Golden Valley CC?

Hi Everybody,

I'm going to join a club next year and these two seem to check the right boxes for me. Financially both of these clubs are acceptable based on the public information on their sites and are close to home and work, which means I can play/practice 4-5 days a week.

Depending on weekday traffic, I can be out of my office and on the range or tee in under 45 min with both of these clubs. I'm not interested in the social membership side of things and my wife and I have no kids...so pool, tennis, etc is of no importance.

I've been away from the game for a few years and am hoping to get back to playing competitively next year now that I have my amateur status back. A good practice facility would also be nice as well as the ability to find a good, competitive game regularly.

I quite miss the days when I was in the industry and I could find tough matches every day at the courses I worked at and I'm hoping one of these clubs will provide that as well. Being 41, my guess is i'll likely be one of the younger members so that will also play into my decision.

Thanks in advance for any insight you have!

I am curious to hear the responses. I've previously heard mixed things about both clubs.

Totally biased opinion as a member of another club but I wouldn't join either of these clubs.

Both of them check certain boxes - solid group of very good younger players, affordable dues, small financial commitment. But both of them have some glaring issues that discouraged me from considering them.

Golden Valley is financially in trouble, has had at least 3 temporary greens for more than a month each of the last 3-4 seasons, and is losing members faster than it's gaining new ones.

Minneapolis has some kind of lottery for certain tee times, the range is a joke, and the facilities are starting to show their age. A lot of members so tee times feel rushed.

I absolutely love both golf courses. I just wouldn't want to be a dues paying member at either of them.

Where is your office?

Where do you live?

Are these the only two options you've considered?

Totally biased opinion as a member of another club but I wouldn't join either of these clubs.

 

Both of them check certain boxes - solid group of very good younger players, affordable dues, small financial commitment. But both of them have some glaring issues that discouraged me from considering them.

 

Golden Valley is financially in trouble, has had at least 3 temporary greens for more than a month each of the last 3-4 seasons, and is losing members faster than it's gaining new ones.

 

Minneapolis has some kind of lottery for certain tee times, the range is a joke, and the facilities are starting to show their age. A lot of members so tee times feel rushed.

 

I absolutely love both golf courses. I just wouldn't want to be a dues paying member at either of them.

 

Where is your office?

Where do you live?

Are these the only two options you've considered?

Thanks for the info.

My office is in the North Loop downtown and we currently live in Apple Valley but are moving next year to either Golden Valley or St Louis Park to be closer to the office.

Midland Hills could also work as could Town and Country I suppose. Not sure what the cost of either of those are but I would think probably similar. Temp Greens are a no go for sure so that probably rules out GVCC.

Number 1 for me is close proximity to work and then home. I tend to play quite a bit during the week so with traffic out of downtown being terrible I'd like to be able to keep it close by. Our business is Tuesday - Saturday so weekend play is generally later in the day for me, so busy weekend tee-sheets isn't an issue.

Totally biased opinion as a member of another club but I wouldn't join either of these clubs.

 

Both of them check certain boxes - solid group of very good younger players, affordable dues, small financial commitment. But both of them have some glaring issues that discouraged me from considering them.

 

Golden Valley is financially in trouble, has had at least 3 temporary greens for more than a month each of the last 3-4 seasons, and is losing members faster than it's gaining new ones.

 

Minneapolis has some kind of lottery for certain tee times, the range is a joke, and the facilities are starting to show their age. A lot of members so tee times feel rushed.

 

I absolutely love both golf courses. I just wouldn't want to be a dues paying member at either of them.

 

Where is your office?

Where do you live?

Are these the only two options you've considered?

 

 

Thanks for the info.

 

My office is in the North Loop downtown and we currently live in Apple Valley but are moving next year to either Golden Valley or St Louis Park to be closer to the office.

 

Midland Hills could also work as could Town and Country I suppose. Not sure what the cost of either of those are but I would think probably similar. Temp Greens are a no go for sure so that probably rules out GVCC.

 

Number 1 for me is close proximity to work and then home. I tend to play quite a bit during the week so with traffic out of downtown being terrible I'd like to be able to keep it close by. Our business is Tuesday - Saturday so weekend play is generally later in the day for me, so busy weekend tee-sheets isn't an issue.

Minneapolis also has reciprocity at Oak Ridge, which is not far away in Hopkins. Midland is a great course and might even be cheaper than Mpls and GV.

You could also look at Interlachen and Minikahda, both are very close to St Louis Park and have world class golf courses.

Totally biased opinion as a member of another club but I wouldn't join either of these clubs.

 

Both of them check certain boxes - solid group of very good younger players, affordable dues, small financial commitment. But both of them have some glaring issues that discouraged me from considering them.

 

Golden Valley is financially in trouble, has had at least 3 temporary greens for more than a month each of the last 3-4 seasons, and is losing members faster than it's gaining new ones.

 

Minneapolis has some kind of lottery for certain tee times, the range is a joke, and the facilities are starting to show their age. A lot of members so tee times feel rushed.

 

I absolutely love both golf courses. I just wouldn't want to be a dues paying member at either of them.

 

Where is your office?

Where do you live?

Are these the only two options you've considered?

 

 

Thanks for the info.

 

My office is in the North Loop downtown and we currently live in Apple Valley but are moving next year to either Golden Valley or St Louis Park to be closer to the office.

 

Midland Hills could also work as could Town and Country I suppose. Not sure what the cost of either of those are but I would think probably similar. Temp Greens are a no go for sure so that probably rules out GVCC.

 

Number 1 for me is close proximity to work and then home. I tend to play quite a bit during the week so with traffic out of downtown being terrible I'd like to be able to keep it close by. Our business is Tuesday - Saturday so weekend play is generally later in the day for me, so busy weekend tee-sheets isn't an issue.

 

 

You could also look at Interlachen and Minikahda, both are very close to St Louis Park and have world class golf courses.

Sure....all things being equal I would join either of these clubs in a heartbeat before the others. That said, I assumed (maybe wongly?) that the downstroke for these clubs were still quite high.

Somebody here probably knows more than me but I heard Minikahda is going to close their course in the near future for renovation. Heard they were going with a new turf?

Edina CC is also fairly close and maybe Olympic Hills or Minnesota Valley is worth a look even though their respective locations aren't ideal for you. MV just completed a bunker renovation last fall.

Totally biased opinion as a member of another club but I wouldn't join either of these clubs.

 

Both of them check certain boxes - solid group of very good younger players, affordable dues, small financial commitment. But both of them have some glaring issues that discouraged me from considering them.

 

Golden Valley is financially in trouble, has had at least 3 temporary greens for more than a month each of the last 3-4 seasons, and is losing members faster than it's gaining new ones.

 

Minneapolis has some kind of lottery for certain tee times, the range is a joke, and the facilities are starting to show their age. A lot of members so tee times feel rushed.

 

I absolutely love both golf courses. I just wouldn't want to be a dues paying member at either of them.

 

Where is your office?

Where do you live?

Are these the only two options you've considered?

 

 

Thanks for the info.

 

My office is in the North Loop downtown and we currently live in Apple Valley but are moving next year to either Golden Valley or St Louis Park to be closer to the office.

 

Midland Hills could also work as could Town and Country I suppose. Not sure what the cost of either of those are but I would think probably similar. Temp Greens are a no go for sure so that probably rules out GVCC.

 

Number 1 for me is close proximity to work and then home. I tend to play quite a bit during the week so with traffic out of downtown being terrible I'd like to be able to keep it close by. Our business is Tuesday - Saturday so weekend play is generally later in the day for me, so busy weekend tee-sheets isn't an issue.

 

 

You could also look at Interlachen and Minikahda, both are very close to St Louis Park and have world class golf courses.

 

 

 

Sure....all things being equal I would join either of these clubs in a heartbeat before the others. That said, I assumed (maybe wongly?) that the downstroke for these clubs were still quite high.

I believe Interlachen is still expensive, lots of old money around there, but I think Minikahda is much more in line with the other metro area clubs, could be totally wrong though. I requested information from them so I should find out shortly.

Somebody here probably know more than me but I heard Minikahda is going to close their course in the near future for renovation. Heard they were going with a new turf?

 

Edina CC is also fairly close and maybe Olympic Hills or Minnesota Valley is worth a look even though their respective locations aren't ideal for you. MV just completed a bunker renovation last fall.

I have heard MN Valley now has a waiting list following the Raynor renovation that they did last year.

If Minikhada is comparable to the others I'll join yesterday. My guess is it probably isnt but I requested info so we'll see...

Go tour them all. Meet some people that use the facilities.

I moved to the Cities this spring and live downtown. I put a few requests out this spring to some of the closest to my condo. I reached out to Midland Hills, TPC and North Oaks. Midland Hills just started today their fall trial membership deal that sounds pretty good. I am having trouble talking myself into paying $700 - $850 per month dues for a 6 month season.

Got some numbers back from a few of the clubs i've reached out to. Midland is certainly the best value but I dont know if I can justify the dues to play there every day.

MGC and Minikhada are both courses I could play over and over and never get sick of. I'm leaning MGC at this point and bracing for the cost of Minikhada as I think it's going to be out of my reach at this stage in life.

Got some numbers back from a few of the clubs i've reached out to. Midland is certainly the best value but I dont know if I can justify the dues to play there every day.

 

MGC and Minikhada are both courses I could play over and over and never get sick of. I'm leaning MGC at this point and bracing for the cost of Minikhada as I think it's going to be out of my reach at this stage in life.

What's wrong with Midland? I've never played it but I may give it a try. Poor condition? Too short? Boring? I'm in my early 40s and single digit handicap looking around but I can't swing $10K initiation and $800+/mo. That's why I'm giving Midland some thought. Was also thinking about TPC but it may be a bit further than I want to drive.

Got some numbers back from a few of the clubs i've reached out to. Midland is certainly the best value but I dont know if I can justify the dues to play there every day.

 

MGC and Minikhada are both courses I could play over and over and never get sick of. I'm leaning MGC at this point and bracing for the cost of Minikhada as I think it's going to be out of my reach at this stage in life.

 

 

What's wrong with Midland? I've never played it but I may give it a try. Poor condition? Too short? Boring? I'm in my early 40s and single digit handicap looking around but I can't swing $10K initiation and $800+/mo. That's why I'm giving Midland some thought. Was also thinking about TPC but it may be a bit further than I want to drive.

Midland is a good course. I've played it a handful of times and i've enjoyed it and its always been in great shape. That said, it's just not a course that gets me all that excited. If i'm going to lay out that kind of money every month to play the same course, I want to be be excited about it.

I moved to the Cities this spring and live downtown. I put a few requests out this spring to some of the closest to my condo. I reached out to Midland Hills, TPC and North Oaks. Midland Hills just started today their fall trial membership deal that sounds pretty good. I am having trouble talking myself into paying $700 - $850 per month dues for a 6 month season.

I'm in the same boat and the reality is that I have maybe 50 courses available within a 50 minute drive plus the new Braemar is opening next year, too.

I've learned from this site that a lot of metro areas around the country don't have a lot of public golf options. The Twin Cities fortunately has an abundance.

I moved to the Cities this spring and live downtown. I put a few requests out this spring to some of the closest to my condo. I reached out to Midland Hills, TPC and North Oaks. Midland Hills just started today their fall trial membership deal that sounds pretty good. I am having trouble talking myself into paying $700 - $850 per month dues for a 6 month season.

 

I'm in the same boat and the reality is that I have maybe 50 courses available within a 50 minute drive plus the new Braemar is opening next year, too.

 

I've learned from this site that a lot of metro areas around the country don't have a lot of public golf options. The Twin Cities fortunately has an abundance.

That's the thing about Midland Hills. It's a perfectly fine golf course....and in another market it might even be a top course. But given all of the options both public and private in the area, I just think the monthly dues are a bit steep. The initiation fee is really low, which is nice.

Got some numbers back from a few of the clubs i've reached out to. Midland is certainly the best value but I dont know if I can justify the dues to play there every day.

 

MGC and Minikhada are both courses I could play over and over and never get sick of. I'm leaning MGC at this point and bracing for the cost of Minikhada as I think it's going to be out of my reach at this stage in life.

 

 

What's wrong with Midland? I've never played it but I may give it a try. Poor condition? Too short? Boring? I'm in my early 40s and single digit handicap looking around but I can't swing $10K initiation and $800+/mo. That's why I'm giving Midland some thought. Was also thinking about TPC but it may be a bit further than I want to drive.

 

Midland is a good course. I've played it a handful of times and i've enjoyed it and its always been in great shape. That said, it's just not a course that gets me all that excited. If i'm going to lay out that kind of money every month to play the same course, I want to be be excited about it.

It has to be significantly cheaper than the other courses you are talking about, no? I understand what you are saying that Midland doesn't really do it for you, but it has to be more reasonable than the other courses.

The initiation fee is quite lower but the monthly is pretty comparable to the others.

Got some numbers back from a few of the clubs i've reached out to. Midland is certainly the best value but I dont know if I can justify the dues to play there every day.

 

MGC and Minikhada are both courses I could play over and over and never get sick of. I'm leaning MGC at this point and bracing for the cost of Minikhada as I think it's going to be out of my reach at this stage in life.

 

 

What's wrong with Midland? I've never played it but I may give it a try. Poor condition? Too short? Boring? I'm in my early 40s and single digit handicap looking around but I can't swing $10K initiation and $800+/mo. That's why I'm giving Midland some thought. Was also thinking about TPC but it may be a bit further than I want to drive.

Personally I love Midland, I could play it every week and be very happy. I may be a bit biased though as I love all things Seth Raynor.

I moved to the Cities this spring and live downtown. I put a few requests out this spring to some of the closest to my condo. I reached out to Midland Hills, TPC and North Oaks. Midland Hills just started today their fall trial membership deal that sounds pretty good. I am having trouble talking myself into paying $700 - $850 per month dues for a 6 month season.

 

I'm in the same boat and the reality is that I have maybe 50 courses available within a 50 minute drive plus the new Braemar is opening next year, too.

 

I've learned from this site that a lot of metro areas around the country don't have a lot of public golf options. The Twin Cities fortunately has an abundance.

I am holding off on joining a private course in the metro due to the new Braemar course opening next year, I really want to check that course out before I commit to the down stroke of a private club. I have a feeling the new Braemar course could be something special. The architect also did the Keller renovation (and killed it) and seems to follow the golden age school of design. The routing and holes look incredible, from what I can see online at least.

MGC and Golden Valley are both great courses. The only problem with MGC is the range (or lack there of). They have a nice short game area, but the range is 200 yards max, I think? Golden Valley just has a few quirky holes, but is always in great shape and has some of the best greens you'll find anywhere. If I were you, and were going to be soon moving to the SLP-Golden Valley area, I'd look into Windsong Farm. The place is just pure golf. Awesome layout, great conditioning, and the dues are probably comparable. I was really hoping the new tournament was going to be given to them instead of TPC. TPC is fun and everything, but the pros are going to eat it alive!

I would join Windsong...no doubt. The fact that it is about an hour + from my office, with traffic rules it out. I want to join a club where I can play 4-5 days a week.

MGC and Golden Valley are great courses as my man Billy B stated above, but MGC can be a headache, need to book tee times well in advance and if you're late, you're out of a round. Limited range is a huge negative too, its a shame because that course is wonderful, although the last 3 holes are a let down.

Golden valley is having some money issues, but my uncle is a member there and i believe they have it under control for the foreseeable future.

Minikahda is a 2 year wait and 60k down.

Midland is not a course i could see enjoying paying that kind of money to play at everyday, solid course overall, but the traffic noise would get annoying to me as i use golf as somewhere to get peace and quiet.

Golden Valley has the bad combination of too much debt and too many jerks.

The sell or don’t sell debate last year got very ugly to the point where guys wouldn’t talk to or play golf with some other guys and some people quit coming to the club in order to avoid seeing some other people.

They’ve lost in the ball park of 100 golf members over the past two years. That’s not good.

 

Midland is not a course i could see enjoying paying that kind of money to play at everyday, solid course overall, but the traffic noise would get annoying to me as i use golf as somewhere to get peace and quiet.

I've played Midland hundreds of times. Yes, you hear the traffic of Hwy 280 on hole #6, but other than that the course is as quiet as any other around town.

I'd argue that Midland may have the best & most convenient location of any private club in the Twin Cities. It's a very solid track, has a generally great group of members and is almost a "hidden secret" among the private options around here.

Midland is not a course i could see enjoying paying that kind of money to play at everyday, solid course overall, but the traffic noise would get annoying to me as i use golf as somewhere to get peace and quiet.

 

I've played Midland hundreds of times. Yes, you hear the traffic of Hwy 280 on hole #6, but other than that the course is as quiet as any other around town.

 

I'd argue that Midland may have the best & most convenient location of any private club in the Twin Cities. It's a very solid track, has a generally great group of members and is almost a "hidden secret" among the private options around here.

Im not arguing anything about the course or convenience, it certainly is a quality course in an extremely convenient location. Definitely a good option for some people, its not what i was looking for from my golf club though. If i were in a much different situation, i could see choosing it compared to the other courses located immediately within the cities.

I will have to disagree that it is as quiet as any other in the cities though, thats just not true, however, if you're talking about GV, MGC, T&C, Midland and any other clubs considered being in the cities only and not in the metro area, then id agree and say they all are about the same.

I would caution anybody who lives on the west side of town to think twice about joining Midland if you want easy, quick access to a club. This is no shot at the club itself but your main travel route to get there is thru the Lowry Hill tunnel, one of the worst bottle necks in the metro.

It's one thing to get there from downtown Minneapolis after work but the tunnel is almost always clogged regardless of time of day and will make for a frustrating drive to and from the club.

Regarding Golden Valley, earlier this year their initiation fee was $5,000. It's now $7,500 so this tells me they had enough people join at $5k that they were comfortable raising the initiation fee.

Anybody have an opinion on North Oaks? Looks pretty nice.

North oaks is fine. Im not a big fan personally but it has a good amount of decent holes. However if you were looking in that area, the white bear yacht club is a far superior option and is crazy cheap atm