Golf in Prior Lake
Prior Lake has three 18-hole championship courses open to the public inside or on the city line, The Wilds, Legends Club and The Meadows at Mystic Lake, plus a nine-hole executive course at Cleary Lake and the 40-suite LaunchPad Golf range next to the casino. Add the public courses within about 20 minutes and you can play a different track every weekend from April to November without crossing the river. This is the local rundown: what each course is, who it suits, and how to book.
Golf courses in Prior Lake
- The Wilds Golf Club (3151 Wilds Ridge) — public, 18 holes, par 72, 7,012 yards from the tips with a 145 slope. Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish routed it through 150 feet of elevation change and wetlands inside The Wilds neighborhood, and it has sat on Minnesota best-public lists for years. Slate North, the clubhouse restaurant, is open to non-golfers, and the banquet rooms host most of the town’s fundraiser scrambles. Tee times at golfthewilds.com or (952) 445-3500.
- Legends Club (8670 Credit River Blvd) — public, 18 holes, par 72, 7,063 yards, slope 143. Opened in 2001 on the wooded, marshy Prior Lake and Lakeville line with about 50 acres of water in play; it was named National Golf Course of the Year early on and still plays like the tournament course it was built to be. (952) 226-4777, legendsgc.com.
- The Meadows at Mystic Lake (2400 Mystic Lake Blvd NW) — public, 18 holes, par 72, 7,144 yards from the back tees, designed by Paul Miller and Garrett Gill and opened in 2005. Owned by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and run as part of the casino resort, which means good conditioning, lessons and TrackMan analysis, and The Meadows Bar and Grille overlooking the course. Tee times at golfthemeadows.com.
- Cleary Lake Golf Course (18106 Texas Ave) — public nine-hole executive course, par 28, inside Cleary Lake Regional Park, run by Three Rivers Park District. Driving range, short-game area, FootGolf, cart and club rentals, and the area’s First Tee and LPGA-USGA Girls Golf programs. This is where beginners and kids start. 763-694-7777, threeriversparks.org.
Golf courses near Prior Lake
All public unless noted, all within roughly 20 minutes of downtown.
- Stonebrooke Golf Club, Shakopee — 18 holes, par 71, with 13 water holes along O’Dowd Lake and a signature 8th that asks for a forced carry of up to 240 yards over a bay. You take a short boat ride between holes, which is either charming or nerve-wracking depending on your tee shot. Restaurant and terrace on site. stonebrooke.com
- Heritage Links Golf Club, Lakeville — 18-hole public links-style course about six miles east, a regular for Prior Lake and Lakeville leagues. heritagelinks.com
- Crystal Lake Golf Club, Lakeville — 18 holes, par 71, four tee sets from 4,805 to 6,306 yards, which makes it one of the friendlier full-length rounds nearby. crystallakegolfcourse.com
- Valleywood Golf Course, Apple Valley — the city-owned 18 on 190 acres of rolling ground with 11 ponds; solid municipal value. valleywoodgolf.com
- Birnamwood Golf Course, Burnsville — nine-hole par-3 city course, the right place for a first round with kids or a quick evening loop.
- Ridges at Sand Creek, Jordan — 18 holes, par 72, Joel Goldstrand design from 2000: eleven holes down in the woods below a ridge, seven links-style on top. ridgesatsandcreek.com
- Boulder Pointe Golf Club, Elko New Market — 18 holes, par 71, 6,224 yards, a Kevin Norby layout from 2002 across 185 acres of rolling ground and wetlands. boulderpointegolf.com
- Brackett’s Crossing Country Club, Lakeville — private 18-hole club; the public gets on through Monday outings and the charity events held there. brackettscrossingcc.com
Ranges, simulators and winter golf
- LaunchPad Golf (2340 Park Place NW, next to Mystic Lake) — 40 heated hitting suites on two floors facing a 243-yard range with radar ball tracking, games and virtual courses, plus a full restaurant and two bars. Open late, year-round; suites run roughly $40 to $60 an hour for up to six people. This is the answer to “where can I golf in January.”
- The Wilds runs golf simulator leagues in the clubhouse all winter.
- Cleary Lake has the most accessible driving range in town, with a short-game practice area alongside it.
- The Meadows offers lessons and TrackMan swing analysis through its pro shop.
Lessons, leagues and junior golf
First Tee Minnesota and LPGA-USGA Girls Golf both run their south-metro youth programs out of Cleary Lake, and Three Rivers publishes a Golf Academy schedule each spring. The Meadows and The Wilds both offer adult instruction. League play runs at every course on this page; most open sign-ups in March, so ask in late winter if you want a spot.
Golf on the events calendar
The Prior Lake Chamber’s annual golf tournament lands at The Wilds in June, Golf Day Minnesota and league nights show up at LaunchPad, and a long list of school, church and nonprofit scrambles rotate through the courses above from May through September. The ones open to the public are on the Prior Lake Events calendar; the venue pages linked above show what is coming up at each course.
Which course should you pick?
The short version
Toughest and most scenic: The Wilds or Legends Club. Best all-around value with resort conditioning: The Meadows. Beginners, kids, or nine quick holes: Cleary Lake or Birnamwood. Rain, dark, or February: LaunchPad. A round you will talk about: Stonebrooke’s 8th.