The Commons

Favorite Hole

No. 3, par 4, 325 yards 

Simply strategic. This is a common description for many holes at the Commons, but none are more overt than the third. The 75-yard-wide fairway appears excessively generous, but a tumultuous set of mounds short left of the green dictates the strategy. These rumpled contours can kick your ball in unpredictable ways and also obscure your view of the green from the left side. Additionally, the green tilts from left to right with a steep falloff on the right-hand side, accentuating the advantage of being down the right half of the fairway for your approach. It may be easier and safer to hit your ball to the expansive fairway on the left, but it just delays the inevitable of needing to hit a precise approach shot. Since the course is generally scaled down, hitting driver is discouraged on most of the par 4s like the third, and accuracy is rewarded. 

{{the-commons-favorite-hole-3-gallery}}

Overall Thoughts 

From the very beginning, the Commons was going to be much different than the rest of the courses at Sand Valley. It was meant to be unconventional, but it also sits on what was once the old, flat driving range. You could confidently call this the least desirable site for golf at the resort. The three regulation courses and the Sandbox par 3 are ingrained into the beautiful Wisconsin landscape, and much of each course's character is defined by the idyllic rolling dunes. Because the land wasn’t as comparable to the rest of the resort, Jim Craig needed to create an identity to allow the course to be as compelling as the others on property while still being unique. To achieve this, Craig went all in by creating strategic golf holes with extremely bold features. All the while, the course still feels natural and blends into the surrounding landscape, even if that landscape was completely manufactured. The method may have been different, but the resulting product is just as spectacular in its own ways.

Right out of the gate, the first hole sets the precedent that this isn’t your typical golf course and that you have to consider your own best path to get the ball into the hole. At just 450 yards, it seems like you can overpower this par 5 and hit a mid iron to set up an eagle putt, but that’s not the case. The hole is designed to be played in three shots and accepts balls best from a perpendicular angle left of the green rather than the line of play. In fact, trying to hit the green from 160 yards is quite difficult as there’s a steep false front and hollow short of the severe green that pitches away. This is one of the ways Craig was able to level the playing field, so to speak. Experienced golfers will want to go for that eagle try, but the level of precision required to hit the green is much higher than a typical golf course. This type of strategic question is ever present at the Commons and forces players to think. It’s more often than not that the path of least resistance involves playing more conservatively and placing your ball into the right window to approach the green. 

{{the-commons-hole-1-gallery}}

The seventh is another prime example of the Commons' strategic nature with its risk-reward proposition. Players have the opportunity to knock a drive on the green, but trouble lurks around all sides of this elevated putting surface in the form of repelling contours and bunkers. Conversely, there’s plenty of room to whack a long iron into the sunken fairway and set yourself up for a fairly simple uphill wedge shot. Will the temptation of an eagle make you play aggressively or do you want to safely plot your way around?

{{the-commons-hole-7-gallery}}

The underlying concept of being smaller-scaled, more whimsical, and blatantly strategic is what makes the Commons so enjoyable to play. Golfers may feel a sense of youthfulness and curiosity at the Commons because the unconventional nature of the design forces players to play and think about the game differently. Think of it as a game of HORSE rather than an organized basketball game. There are endless possibilities for what shots you can play, and sometimes going in for a left-handed reverse lay-up leads to victory. 

1 Egg

(How We Rate Courses)

This was a difficult course to rate given its unorthodox style. One thing I do know is that the Commons is not to be missed on a trip to Sand Valley. I’d even go as far as to say you should play it multiple times for maximum enjoyment. The combination of quality design and presentation gives the Commons its Egg. A lack of variety in the par 4s ultimately holds it back from 2-Egg territory

Course Tour

{{the-commons-course-tour-01}}

Additional Content

Dream Golf Happenings with Michael Keiser Jr. (Fried Egg Golf Podcast)

Initial Thoughts on The Commons (Andy Johnson)