Ray Richards at Ray Richards Golf Course

Ray Richards Golf Course serves Grand Forks, North Dakota, as a municipal facility designed by Robert B. Harris. The course occupies land in the Red River Valley, a region characterized by flat to gently rolling terrain and agricultural surroundings typical of eastern North Dakota. Harris, who designed numerous courses across the Upper Midwest during the mid-twentieth century, worked within the natural constraints of prairie topography to create a layout accessible to the local golfing community.

The course reflects the practical design approach common to municipal golf in smaller Midwestern cities, where the emphasis falls on playability for a broad range of skill levels rather than championship length or severe hazards. The Red River Valley's landscape offers limited natural elevation change, so strategic interest typically comes from bunkering, green contours, and the placement of trees that have matured since the course's establishment. Water features, if present, are likely integrated into the routing to add variety and challenge.

Ray Richards serves as the primary public golf option for Grand Forks and the surrounding area, providing an affordable and straightforward test of golf in a region where weather limits the playing season to the warmer months. The course functions as both a recreational amenity for residents and a venue for local competitive play, fulfilling the traditional role of a community-centered municipal golf facility in the Northern Plains.