The Commons

The Commons is Sand Valley's newest course, designed by Jim Craig and opening in 2026. It is a 12-hole layout at par 45 with a total yardage of 3,465, conceived as an "afternoon course" in the tradition of the short loops that Scottish clubs have maintained alongside their championship layouts for over a century.

The design draws inspiration from Prestwick and North Berwick, two of Scotland's oldest and most influential courses. Both are known for holes that prioritize imagination and ground-game creativity over length. Craig's interpretation brings that spirit to Wisconsin sand, creating a course that can be played in roughly two hours and serves as either a standalone round or the second loop of a long day at the resort.

The 12-hole format places The Commons in a small but growing category of courses that have abandoned the rigid 9- or 18-hole structure in favour of a length that better suits how many golfers actually want to spend their time. Twelve holes provides a complete golf experience with enough variety in par values and hole lengths to feel satisfying, while respecting the reality that a full 18 after an already-full morning round can feel like obligation rather than pleasure.

The Scottish references are specific rather than decorative. Prestwick, the course that hosted the first 12 Open Championships, is known for blind shots, rumpled fairways, and greens that accept creative approaches from multiple angles. North Berwick's back nine contains some of the most copied holes in architecture, including the Redan and the pit-bunker-guarded par 3 at the 15th. Craig's design draws from these traditions to create holes where the golfer who reads the ground and uses the terrain to shape shots will score better than the golfer who relies on a consistent aerial game. The par of 45 across 12 holes suggests a mix of par 3s, par 4s, and at least one par 5, providing enough variety to feel like a complete round rather than a truncated one.

Course rating and slope are not yet available, and green fees have not been announced. What is known is the designer's intent: a course that rewards feel and creativity over power, set on the same glacial sand that supports the rest of the resort's portfolio. The yardage of 3,465 averages roughly 289 yards per hole, which places many of the holes in the range where club selection and shot shaping matter more than raw distance. Walking only, naturally.

The Commons joins The Sandbox as Sand Valley's second short-format offering and expands the resort's capacity to serve golfers who arrive for multiple days and want variety across their stay. Where The Sandbox compresses architecture into wedge distances, The Commons extends the concept to include full iron shots and the occasional driver. For visitors planning a long weekend at the resort, the ability to play a championship course in the morning and a 12-hole Scottish-inspired loop in the afternoon creates a daily rhythm that few American golf destinations can match. The Commons is not a compromise. It is a different format for a different time of day, built on the same sand and with the same architectural seriousness as the courses that precede it.