- Exploring the hidden gems of Western Wisconsin—curating unforgettable stays and sharing the places locals love most.
Throw the clubs in the trunk. The countryside around Prescott is all rolling hills, river bluffs and old oak woods, and it makes for some of the most fun golf you’ll play all summer. Within about 45 minutes of downtown, there’s a Golf Digest Top 100 public course, a course built on an old ski hill, a 1920s classic with a river winding through it and a local favorite with greens so sloped one golfer called them “ski-hill greens.”
Here are the five I’d send you to, what makes each one special and how to turn them into a golf weekend. Drive times are approximate from downtown Prescott.
The closest course to downtown sits about three miles north of town, on the hills above the St. Croix River valley, and it’s a local treasure. Clifton Highlands opened in 1973, designed by Dr. Gordon Emerson, who drew up about 20 Wisconsin courses and considered this one his finest.
It’s an 18-hole, par-72 championship course that plays about 6,650 yards from the back tees, with woods, water and sand all in play. The real story is the greens. They have strong back-to-front slopes, and you’ll want to leave yourself below the hole every chance you get. On 17 and 18, you can’t even see the flag from the tee.
Don’t skip the short course. A tram carries you up the hill to a nine-hole par-3 course set high among mature oaks, with some of the best views in western Wisconsin. It’s perfect for a quick round at the end of the day or for golfers just learning the game.
Clifton Highlands has earned a 4.5-star rating from Golf Digest for years and is known as one of the best values in the area. After your round, grab a bite at the Highlands Grill. They serve breakfast on weekend mornings from 7 a.m. It’s also the home course of the UW–River Falls women’s golf team.
If you only splurge on one round, make it this one. Troy Burne, just outside Hudson, is a Tom Lehman Signature Design, built with architects Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry and opened in 1999. “Burne” is Scottish for creek, and one winds right through the property. The course spent four straight years (2017–2020) on Golf Digest’s list of the top 100 public courses in America.
It’s a par 71 that stretches to just over 7,000 yards from the tips, with more than 120 bunkers and water in play on eight holes. The front nine is open and links-style, with mounds and fescue, and the back nine drops into a wooded hollow. Holes 11 through 14 are known as the course’s “Amen Corner,” highlighted by the par-5 12th with its peninsula green (Lehman designed that green himself) and a 10-foot-deep sod-wall bunker waiting on the par-3 15th.
Good to know: 2026 rates were $147 to ride and $120 to walk, including range balls and GPS carts, with twilight rates after 3 p.m. Pace of play is enforced, and the dress code means no denim. Plan on lunch at the bar and grill in the Shaker-style clubhouse.
Out in Hammond, Pheasant Hills is the laid-back round. It’s a public, par-72 course that opened in 2004, and it can play long, about 7,000 yards from the back, with a par 5 on 13 that stretches past 600 yards. There are 13 ponds, wetlands and native grasses and wildflowers along the way, and the greens are big, some over 10,000 square feet.
What golfers love most is the value and the welcome. Weekday rates have been $48 to ride and $30 to walk, and kids play 18 holes for $15. It’s a great pick for a group trip or a relaxed round where nobody’s keeping score too seriously.
Up in Somerset, St. Croix National is built on the old Snowcrest ski hill, which ran from the 1950s until 1983, and you’ll feel every bit of that elevation. Designed by former PGA Tour player Joel Goldstrand and opened in 1996, it plays to par 72 with dramatic, almost alpine drops and ravines. On the par-3 7th, you hit down into a bowl. GolfPass named it the #1 public course in Wisconsin in 2024. Fall color here is spectacular.
There’s more than golf, too. A 2023 expansion added an 18-hole putting course designed with Dave Pelz, golf simulators and a big new clubhouse. After your round, grab a seat on the 100-seat patio at The Grounds, overlooking the last holes. Order a brick-oven pizza or a walleye sandwich with fries cooked in beef tallow, and a Bloody Mary. Note: walking isn’t allowed here, so plan on a cart.
New Richmond Golf Club has been around since the early 1920s, and it feels like it, in the best way. The 18-hole Old Course is a par 72 with the Willow River winding through it, especially on holes 4, 5 and 7. There’s also a nine-hole, Scottish-style Links Course with big greens, waste bunkers and wind.
If you like to practice, this is your place. The Joe Swanda Learning Center has 32 hitting stations, a 320-yard range and an 8,000-square-foot putting green, and it’s billed as the best practice facility in western Wisconsin. It’s semi-private but open to the public, so call ahead for tee times and rates.
Check in downtown and walk to dinner at Muddy Waters on the river. Grab two seats at the bar and order the house-smoked prime rib (Fridays and Saturdays only).
Play Clifton Highlands in the morning, just 10 minutes from your room, and finish with a quick loop on the par-3 short course. In the afternoon, cool off on the patio at Two Rivers Lodge, overlooking where the St. Croix meets the Mississippi.
Fuel up at The Kitchen Table with the Hangover Hash, then play Troy Burne or St. Croix National on your way home to the Twin Cities.
Make downtown Prescott your home base and book direct with us: The Port of Prescott for boutique king suites steps from the river, Port After Dark for romantic suites made for couples, The Harbor Hotel for themed rooms and extended stays, and The Cove Guest House for downtown condos and group getaways.
