Prairiewood Golf Course

Prairiewood Golf Course sits in Fargo, North Dakota's largest city, positioned along the Red River of the North in the state's eastern agricultural plains. The course was designed by Dick Phelps and Brad Benz, reflecting a regional approach to public golf that works with the naturally flat terrain characteristic of the Red River Valley. The design incorporates the modest elevation changes available in this landscape, using earth-moving to create visual interest and strategic variety across the routing. The course serves Fargo's municipal golf needs in a region where the growing season is compressed by North Dakota's continental climate, with winters that can extend well into spring and arrive early in fall. Prairiewood's layout takes advantage of native grasses and prairie vegetation where appropriate, nodding to the landscape's agricultural heritage while providing a playable test for golfers of varying abilities. The design emphasizes accessibility and pace of play, common priorities for daily-fee facilities serving a broad public constituency. Fargo's golf community supports several courses despite the climate constraints, and Prairiewood functions as part of this network, offering a straightforward parkland experience shaped by prairie winds that can significantly affect play and club selection. The course reflects the practical design philosophy often found in northern plains golf, where durability and maintenance efficiency matter as much as strategic complexity, and where the landscape itself—open, expansive, and subject to weather extremes—defines much of the golfing character.