Applewood Hills Golf Course

Applewood Hills Golf Course sits in Stillwater, Minnesota, a historic river town on the St. Croix River in the eastern Twin Cities metro area. The course was designed by Neil Wilson, a regional architect active in Minnesota and the upper Midwest during the mid-to-late twentieth century. Wilson's work typically emphasized routing that worked with existing terrain rather than extensive earthmoving, a practical approach common among courses built in this era outside major resort or championship contexts. The Stillwater area features rolling topography shaped by glacial activity and proximity to the St. Croix valley, and courses in this region often incorporate elevation changes, mature hardwood stands, and natural drainage corridors. Applewood Hills likely reflects these landscape characteristics, with holes routed through wooded corridors and across moderate slopes typical of the area's golf courses. The design would have been intended primarily for daily-fee or semi-private play, serving the local golfing community and visitors to the St. Croix valley. Stillwater itself is known for its nineteenth-century lumber industry heritage and its role as a gateway to the scenic St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. The town attracts weekend visitors from the Twin Cities, and Applewood Hills functions as part of the area's recreational offerings. The course provides a straightforward test of golf in a wooded, hilly setting characteristic of eastern Minnesota's transition zone between prairie and northern forest.