Northern Bay Resort — Attraction in Town of Strongs Prairie

Subject: Cool Chunk of Land, Tough Conditions Date: July 2, 2025 Price: $89 (with cart)

Masked Review Introduction We were excited to play a replica course and experience some of the most iconic holes in American golf. Proximity to our rental made Northern Bay an easy choice.

The Good Replica Holes (Some) A few replica holes were impressively crafted—especially #10 (inspired by #17 at TPC Sawgrass) and #18 (a take on Bay Hill’s final hole). For a moment, you could feel the essence of those legendary layouts. Their location near the clubhouse and patio was a smart touch for visual appeal.

Pro Shop Solid selection of apparel, souvenirs, and accessories from top golf brands. Better than expected for a course of this caliber.

Beverage Cart Friendly service—our cart attendant made the rounds at least four times during the round. Much appreciated.

Landscape The course winds through a beautiful piece of land, weaving between the woods and Northern Bay Resort condos. Scenic and peaceful.

The Not-So-Good Replica Holes (Some) Not all replicas hit the mark. Hole #11, modeled after Augusta’s #13, barely resembled it. If not for the sign, we wouldn’t have known.

Fairways and Grass Fairway conditions were disappointing—patchy and inconsistent. The ball often sat down rather than up. Strangely, the rough sometimes offered a better lie. The lack of defined fringe around greens didn’t help. Turf quality felt more like a budget muni than a destination course.

Bunkers Bunker variety was strong, but the sand quality missed the mark. Instead of soft silica, it was hard-packed and more like play sand. Shots came out unpredictably—definitely not tour-standard conditions.

Conclusion Northern Bay sits on a great piece of Wisconsin land and benefits from the charm of being nestled within the resort without feeling overly "resorty." With the right grass and proper bunker sand, this could become a hidden gem—especially given its proximity to Sand Valley.

Would we play again? Maybe. Not in a rush to return, but if we were staying nearby, it might be worth another shot.

Price A bit steep. $60 with cart and range balls would feel more appropriate for the...

We paid $65 for a Thursday night twilight tee time, and I can confidently say that I wouldn't pay a cent over that for this course.

Upon driving up to the pro shop, the course initially appeared impressive. However, any initial excitement quickly faded as we started playing. The fairways were dry, thin, and poorly maintained. It felt like hitting off a patchy, uncut grass rather than a well-manicured fairway. The numerous bunkers were filled with rocky "play sand," making them more of a hazard than a fair challenge.

To make matters worse, the greens were sub par at best. It was evident that the maintenance crew had taken their time to create a lovely oil spill pattern over every green.

Overall, my experience at Northern Bay Golf Course was highly disappointing. Despite the initial promise of a visually appealing course, the lack of proper maintenance and substandard playing conditions left me thoroughly dissatisfied. I would not recommend this course to any serious golfer or anyone seeking a quality golfing experience.

In conclusion, save your money and time by avoiding Northern Bay Golf Course. There are far better options available in the area that offer well-maintained courses and a more enjoyable...

Played in an event there this past weekend. Property is nice and staff is okay, but that's about it. Out of the replica holes, only 3 of them really stand out as recognizable. Without the scorecard to tell you, I never would've known and most still weren't close. "Augusta #16" couldn't be any further than realistic. It's not an elevated tee and it doesn't have banking like a turn at Daytona. If the event hadn't been a scramble with a group of friends, I never would pay what they charge to play this course. Other than starting the event and paying out at end, there was never any communication from the staff about the event. Not even and thank you to everyone who came out and played. Only saw the beverage cart twice during our 6 hour round. Complete joke. I would pick Lake Arrowhead courses or Sentry World over this Mickey Mouse course any day of the week. Can pay and extra $100 bucks to play Sand Valley 20 minutes away and get a much more enjoyable and memorable experience. My recommendation to anyone looking into this course to play...find somewhere else. Much higher quality courses in the area who are worthy of your being the beneficiary of your hard earned money...