Introduction
Windsong Farm is one of the Twin Cities’ top tier private golf clubs. With the addition of the new John Fought-designed North Course, its second eighteen hole golf course, it separates itself, providing an experience that no other club in the area can match. The North Course features a great variety of holes and the potential for fun shots at every turn.
Practice Facilities
Windsong Farm is an elite private club and its practice facilities reflect that. A well-maintained driving range stocked with premium golf balls, short game area, and numerous putting greens are available for members and their guests. One of my fellow guests remarked that he believed the club has one of the best practice facilities in the area.
Customer Service & Amenities
Similar to the practice facilities, the club provides a high level of service to its members and guests. Staff is attentive but not overbearing. In addition to building the new golf course, the club also recently redesigned its logo, creating a stronger brand identity and renovated its pro shop, which in terms of soft goods is as curated and comprehensive as you will find, complete with a members only alcove filled with limited and one-off items. There are also renovations underway to the clubhouse which will add a more intimate “card room” where members can relax and socialize, as well as spaces where members can take a meeting or fire off an email.
Beauty and Scenery
Windsong Farm is located about 30 minutes west of Minneapolis in the “horse country” of the west metro. The North Course occupies a gently rolling piece of property without a single tree in play. There are several points throughout where marshy areas come into play – a particularly Minnesotan feature. The property exists on the site of a former horse farm and in addition to the old stables still being a feature of the property (albeit on the other golf course), you can see several adjacent farms from a few of the holes.
Tee Shots
With really only one notable exception, tee shots on the North Course are quite forgiving, with many fairways feeling expansive in their width and the natural humps and bumps that occur in on its gently rolling terrain. As I found out, there are still plenty of holes where being wayward off the tee could result in a lost ball in the native areas that separate some of the holes.
The round begins and ends with a stern test off the tee, bookending with the #1 and #2 handicap holes. Both holes feature Cape-style tee shots, where the golfer is invited to bite off as much as they can chew at the risk of a lost ball. Choosing a conservative target is prudent in order to not blow up your round before it even starts.
The North Course measures a modest 6,483 yards from the back tees and plays to a par of 70. However, the wind almost always seems to be blowing in this area (one of my favorite local public courses happens to be right across the street, shout out Pioneer Creek) so players will want to choose their tees wisely and not get too cocky based on the perceived lack of length on the scorecard.
Approach Shots
Many will consider the North Course to be a “second shot golf course.” Though the tee shots offer plenty of interest, it’s fair to say that the approaches offer more excitement overall. Whether hitting a shot into a tiny par 5 green, a massive par 3 green with multiple sections, or a well-protected par 4 green, precision is at a premium.
The par 3s in particular are an exciting and varied collection. Ranging from 149 to 211 yards from the back tees, there’s a mid-length Redan with a massive kicker that will get the ball screaming across the green in firm conditions. You’ll also find a wild Biarritz with a massive swale in the center and a green measuring 17,000 square feet and 70 yards front to back. These two were highlights for our group and are featured below in my Favorite Holes section.
In addition to the interest and excitement, the approaches provide a ton of variety. I hit clubs ranging from fairway wood to lob wedge into par four greens and used almost every club in my bag throughout the round.
While guests may not have the luxury of carding too many rounds here, it certainly is a golf course that will reward multiple plays with lower scores. There are a few spots where the marshy native areas come in pretty tight to the greens. On #14, I severely over-clubbed myself and hit it straight into the marsh hidden just a few yards over the green. This hole felt like an exception – the majority of the golf course is “right in front of you.” That is to say that the parts that are blind don’t necessarily have the ability to hurt you too badly.
Greens & Surrounds
The North Course has an excellent set of greens. Most are large and significantly undulating with subtle tilt. Most exist on a single level, without multiple obvious tiers. Several have bold, distinctive features inspired by some of the most popular and influential template holes, namely the aforementioned Redan and Biarritz.
Because of the slope of the greens, the club intends to keep the greens running at a modest 10-10.5 in order to keep things from getting too crazy. This provides a nice contrast to the club’s original 18, the South Course, also designed by John Fought along with local legend Tom Lehman in 2003. The South Course is a more brawny test with demanding tee shots and glassy greens that can be stretched out to 7,500 yards.
We were lucky enough to play the North Course just a few weeks after it opened for member play and the greens were rolling pure. They were an absolute pleasure to putt on, and I can only imagine they will get better with time.
The green surrounds are mostly forgiving with few bunkers, moderate slopes, and short rough to chip from. I found this indicative of the fact that the course was designed to be fun and forgiving in comparison to the club’s other more challenging course.
Overall Design
Windsong Farm’s new North Course is not a “links-style” course and it’s not a golden-age tribute course. It combines elements of both of these design styles with the natural terrain of central Minnesota to create a beautiful golf course that is a ton of fun to play and maxes out the replay factor.
Its set of one-shotters is elite. The par fives offer scoring opportunities that are there for the taking but, with small greens, must be earned with a succession of quality golf shots. It also presents a tremendous amount of variety. A par 70 with only one par 5 on the back nine, there are no two successive holes of the same par until three par fours in a row from 14 to 16.
Visiting the club on a Friday afternoon just a few weeks after opening, the excitement about the new course was palpable, and I can understand why. It is an incredibly fun course to play that makes you want to play it again. The contrast to the club’s original South Course makes everything it has to offer all the more enticing.
Favorite Holes
#4 – Par 3 – 211 Yards
By the time my playing partners and I reached the second green, we knew we were playing a good golf course. But when we got to #4 tee, the excitement reach a different level. It’s a long par three with an insanely large and deep Biarritz green featuring its trademark massive swale bisecting its middle. Attempting to hit putts from the back of the 70-yard-deep green to the pin on the front section was a highlight of the round.
#9 – Par 4 – 304 Yards
If the course has a signature hole, this is probably it. An elevated tee box frames a very driveable par 4 (tee shot pictured above) with three bunkers protecting a narrow green down the right and marsh tight to the left. It’s an enticing but high risk tee shot that most will take on for the sheer fun of it, though scoring average will probably be lower for those who lay up to a number.
#13 – Par 3 – 159 Yards
This was one of the holes that got our group most excited. Its a relatively short par 3 with a massive backstop. The green continues past the backstop to form to a double green with hole 16. #13 exemplifies one of the strengths of the golf course as a whole: providing excitement by getting the ball moving on the ground. “Dartboard” par 3s feel incredibly dull in comparison.
Conclusion
Windsong Farm’s North Course adds a whole new dimension to the club’s already excellent offerings. Members will enjoy the fun and variety of the course even more because of the contrast with its existing South Course. Golfers who have an opportunity to play the course as a guest should jump at the opportunity.