Valley High: The Only 18-Hole in Houston County, MN

There is exactly one 18-hole public golf course in Houston County, Minnesota. That distinction belongs to Valley High Golf Club, a par-71 layout in Mound Prairie Township that architect Homer Fieldhouse built in 1970. More than 50 years later, it remains one of the better-kept secrets in the bluff country of southeast Minnesota.

The Course

Valley High plays to par 71 across 6,134 yards from the blue tees, with a course rating of 69.7 and a slope of 128. The white tees come in at 5,916 yards (68.8/126), the gold tees at 5,299 yards (65.7/120), and the red tees at 4,796 yards (67.9/116). Four sets of tees make it accessible for everyone from beginners to low handicappers.

Bentgrass greens and bluegrass fairways give the course a classic Midwest feel. Players consistently call the greens fast for a public track, and the slopes are real enough that three-putts happen when you miss on the wrong side. The course has water hazards in play and a handful of sand bunkers spread through the routing.

Homer Fieldhouse's Midwest Work

Homer Fieldhouse designed nearly 60 courses across Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa during the 1960s and early 1970s. His background was unusual: his father ran a nursery in Wisconsin and counted Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin as a client. Fieldhouse spent a summer working there as a teenager, then studied landscape architecture formally before turning to golf course design. Valley High dates from the middle of his most productive decade, when he was turning out courses across the region in steady succession.

The routing at Valley High reflects that practical, land-respecting approach. The terrain in Mound Prairie Township is part of the bluff country carved by the Mississippi and its tributaries, and Fieldhouse used the natural grades rather than fighting them. The result is a course that reads like it belongs on the land, not like it was imposed on it.

Front Nine vs. Back Nine

The front nine plays to par 36 and opens with a manageable run of holes before hitting the course's hardest challenge: hole 2, a 446-yard par 4 that carries the number-one handicap. Players who survive that one and hole 4 (a 555-yard par 5) have earned a spot on the back nine.

The back nine is the half most players remember. It runs to par 35 with three par 3s and one par 5, and reviewers consistently call it the more interesting routing. The finish demands focus: hole 14 is a 201-yard par 3 listed as the fourth-hardest hole on the card, and the closing par 4s require straight ball-striking.

The most talked-about hole on the course is hole 16, a 122-yard par 3 that carries the number-18 handicap but gets people talking for a different reason. A tree grows in or immediately on the green itself. It is genuinely unusual. At least one reviewer wrote that they had never seen anything like it in years of playing golf. Whether or not it affects your score, you will remember it.

Getting There

Valley High sits about 15 miles south of La Crescent on the Minnesota side of the Mississippi, roughly 15 to 18 minutes from La Crosse, Wisconsin. The address is 9203 Mound Prairie Drive, just off the Historic Bluff Country National Scenic Byway (Highway 16). The drive in from La Crosse is short enough to make this a viable stop on any bluff-country road trip, and the course is part of the Great River Golf Trail.

Amenities

The clubhouse has a full bar and restaurant open daily, plus banquet space that accommodates 100 or more people. The pro shop and fleet of 60 golf carts handle tournament and outing traffic without strain. Walking is allowed. There is a driving range with five practice tees and a putting green to warm up.

The most significant recent addition is a pair of Uneekor EYE XO2 indoor simulator bays, advertised as the two largest in the region at 16 by 9 feet each. The simulators run 4K graphics and have let Valley High operate year-round through Minnesota winters. Reviews from winter 2025 describe the bar setup around the simulators as a natural gathering spot when the outdoor course is closed.

What Golfers Say

Google reviews average 4.4 out of 5 across nearly 90 ratings. The comments repeat a few themes: the staff is friendly and unhurried, the course is well maintained for the price, and the back nine is worth the trip. One player returned decades after playing the course in college and found it largely unchanged in the best sense. Rates run around 9 for 18 holes with a cart in spring 2026, which puts Valley High among the better values in the region.

Plan Your Round

Valley High Golf Club opens for the outdoor season on April 1 and runs through November 1. Tee times are available through EasyTeeGolf. You can view the full scorecard for all four tee sets, including hole-by-hole yardages and handicaps, on Stymie.

See the Valley High Golf Club scorecard on Stymie