Sedge Valley

Favorite Hole

No. 12, par 4, 274 yards

On a course chock full of short par 4s, the 12th stands out. It occupies a dramatic piece of land which actually was a dumping area before the course was built. Funny how a mess can be the perfect starting place for a golf hole. The tee is on a ridge and the fairway drapes over a hill going up to a green that sits about level with the tee.

The key to this hole’s brilliance is the narrow and wildly contoured green that points directly at the tee box. The right side is heavily bunkered with deep and dramatic hazards. It looks scary. Meanwhile, the entire left side of the hole is short grass, making you feel like it’s the place to miss. Shots from the left will be difficult as they have to contend with a pronounced ridge that runs along the left side of the green. That same ridge also serves as a backstop for any shot that misses right or short. It’s a great example of a contour that helps one side of the hole and is a vicious penalty for the other side.

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Overall Thoughts

The concept of Sedge Valley being shorter and having a sub-70 par will always be the first line of conversation regarding the course. But what makes it a world-class golf course, and in my opinion, the best resort course at Sand Valley, is Doak’s stellar routing ability. The task of building a shorter course didn’t pose much of a difference for Doak in the routing process. “Really the only difference is I was not looking for any par 5s, usually you get halfway done with a routing and you’re like, okay, where can I get a par five in here?” he said. “It’s just like… if I find a place for a par 5, I’m going to build two good holes there instead.” The routing mastery accentuates a few things about Sedge Valley, a preponderance of land-induced drama and the natural beauty and diversity of landscapes on the property.

One of the strengths of the Sedge Valley property is its natural diversity. In some areas, the land is choppy and dramatic. In others, the slopes are a bit longer and more mellow. There are even some rock outcroppings, and Doak’s routing gives golfers the opportunity to spend quality time in each of them at different points of the round. The round starts in the most dramatic part of the property where holes play across big ridges. It then plays around a set of rock outcroppings for two holes before transitioning to the broader, more subtle section of the course. Rocks reappear on the 15th before the round returns to the chopping contours that golfers played along early in the round. It creates a nice cadence with new challenges and familiar returns, a style of routing that I am quite fond of.

While the routing primarily relied on the natural elements of the property, it required minimal earthwork from the Renaissance Golf construction team. Minimizing earth movement has a number of advantages, but one of the big ones is the lack of disturbance of the native vegetation. When you move the ground to create features, it often leads to a large disturbance of the site’s flora and fauna. It’s why a new course often looks new because it’s barren of mature plants on the perimeters of holes. The other courses at the Sand Valley Resort feature sandy waste areas on the perimeter, and this plant life on Sedge Valley gives it a nice, distinct look. Offline shots don’t just find a sandy wasteland like Sand Valley and Mammoth, because the plant life gives chances for easy recovery but also stymies. The beauty plus the element of chance the out-of-play areas present greatly contribute to the experience.

Getting back to the routing, Doak wisely situated the opening and closing holes on the more dramatic parts of the property. In doing so, he immediately grabs the attention of players with land that is as dramatic and exhilarating as that of any course at the resort. He then benefits from being able to transition players to a different environment before they return to the dramatic opening stretch at the course’s close.

Here are a few holes that accentuate the different features of the property.

No. 2, par 4, 386 yards

One of my favorites on the property, this hole is the start of the dramatic stretch. A ridge cuts diagonally across the fairway from left to right. The key here is picking a good line and hitting it. A shot too safe and too far left can tumble into the waste area, while a shot that’s too aggressive and too far right can tumble down the ridge, leaving a blind approach to a stellar green that’s both wide and shallow.

No. 3, par 4, 455 yards

A big par 4 that features a rollicking fairway that might be as dramatic as any hole that exists at Sand Valley. At this point in the round, you find yourself thinking, “I thought this course was smaller?” The fairway, which feels like a set of waves, can either slow down or speed up a drive (depending on if you hit the up or downslope). It then leads to a blind shot into a punchbowl-like green. The scale and drama feels similar to the 16th at National Golf Links of America.

No. 4, par 4, 413 yards

Another hole that accentuates the great topographical features of the site in the fairway. Here the fairway acts as a half hogs back. Playing too far right will see your ball tumble away from the hole and to a place with low visibility and a poor angle into a narrow and long green which sheds balls in every direction. Play too far left of the center of the feature and you will catch a fairway bunker. A precise tee shot is rewarded with a flat lie to a difficult green.

No. 16, par 4, 419 yards

The sign of heading home and reentry to the dramatic opening stretch. The 16th plays parallel to the aforementioned fourth and its green site is situated on the ridge the third green plays under. The hole is a wonderful example of the use of a centerline bunker and natural topography. The aggressive line is up the left and yields a great angle and clear look at the green. The right offers plenty of space and short grass but will be completely blind and from a fairly severe upslope, not a fun lie to hit a shot. The hole revisits one of the great locations on the property, a ridge above the third green and next to the shared fourth and 17th tee, a place that tells golfers, “this is the end.”

Rock Outcropping Holes

No. 8, par 3, 227 yards

A stunning and long, downhill par 3 that plays along the rock outcroppings. This hole rewards a shot that lands short and bounces onto the green.

No. 15, par 3, 178 yards

A beautiful par 3 green that boomerangs around the final rock outcropping of the round. Trust that if you play it left the slopes will take it to the back-right part of the green.

Mellow Land

No. 9, par 4, 343 yards

On perhaps the most mellow ground of the course is the hole that I find the most beguiling. I truly believe I will never hit a shot close. Your natural inclination is to hit a long iron short of the left bunker, but the play is to hit to the right. That’s the pathway to an angle where it’s possible to hit a good wedge shot to this stunning green complex which carries the day on the muted ground.

No. 11, par 5, 542 yards

The lone par 5 on the property runs along fairly flat land. For players looking to give the green a go in two face a semi-blind approach. The key is playing left of where you think, from there the ball will funnel back to the green. I love the way this green sits on the ground, a stunning green to look at from behind, or on the 12th tee.

This diversity in landscapes and features weaves together beautifully to create a visual feast as you play through the expansive Sedge property. The landforms allowed Doak to design a number of holes that are similar yardages but unique.

2 Eggs

(How We Rate Courses)

In my mind Sedge plants itself firmly as the best resort course at Sand Valley and potentially the course that I would play the most out of Lido, Sand Valley, and Mammoth Dunes. It’s the most beautiful setting for a course at Sand Valley and, outside of Lido, stimulates the most thought, particularly off the tee.

Course Tour

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Additional Content

Yolk with Doak 44: Links Travel, Analytics in Golf, and Short Par 4s (Oct. 2024 Fried Egg Golf Podcast)

Yolk with Doak 41: Sedge Valley, Pinehurst No. 10, Difficulty vs. “Fun,” and Blind Shots (Nov. 2023 Fried Egg Golf Podcast)

Yolk with Doak 36: Tom’s New Projects ft. the Return of High Pointe (Nov. 2022 Fried Egg Golf Podcast)

Yolk with Doak 33: Listener Questions and the State of the Industry (Jan. 2022 Fried Egg Golf Podcast)

Doak’s Inland Innovation: Sedge Valley (Sept. 2018 Article)