The hardest golf courses in Buffalo, Minnesota
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Buffalo, Minnesota, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 13 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers Elk River and Becker.
Rush Creek Golf Club
Maple Grove, MN, USASlope rating 149, 75.7 course rating, Duncan tees, 7,290 yds
PublicBob Cupp & John Fought
- 3.5Conditions
- NRLayout
- NRValue
- NRScenery
- 2.6Facilities
Insane amount of play, greens get beat to a pulp because of this and the price is way too damn high for it to not get better conditions, yet I love the layout. Will play once a year, get disappointed by the worst driving range ever and watch my ball fly over a bunch of pitch marks on every putt…
Written by
@Dawgattheturn
- Challenging
- Underrated
- Walkable
Spring Hill Golf Club
Wayzata, MN, USASlope rating 147, 74.7 course rating, Championship tees, 7,042 yds
PrivateTom Fazio
- 5.0Conditions
- 5.0Layout
- 5.0Scenery
- 4.8Facilities
Firm conditions, but not crazy. Feels like all the par 5s (except 6) ask the same question, which is "dare to climb this impossible hill to a green you can't hold?" and the answer is so obvious that it dumbs down the hole.
Written by
@Lazstradamus
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Must play
Windsong Farm Golf Club
Maple Plain, MN, USASlope rating 143, 74.2 course rating, Back tees, 7,152 yds
PrivateJohn Fought
- 5.0Conditions
- 4.8Layout
- 4.5Scenery
- 4.4Facilities
Really strong golf club. Several memorable shots and a wonderfully maintained golf course. Feels very “big” but demands precision. I’ve only played it once (on a very windy day with an injury) but I could tell it was different and a few cuts above the normal country club.
Written by
@Lazstradamus
- Pristine
- Challenging
- Must play
Championship
Pebble Creek Golf Club
Becker, MN, USASlope rating 140, 73.3 course rating, Black tees, 6,872 yds
PublicDon Herfort
Nice little town course outside MSP. Good value, good conditions, good variety. Really nothing to dislike other than its location 45 minutes away from the cities
Written by
@Kirkeide1
- Challenging
- Hidden gem
- Walkable
Pioneer Creek Golf Course
Maple Plain, MN, USASlope rating 139, 73.6 course rating, Championship tees, 6,953 yds
PublicJoel Goldstrand
- 5.0Conditions
- 5.0Layout
- 5.0Value
- 4.0Scenery
- 5.0Facilities
Bunker renovations and green expansion have upped the thoughtfulness and variability. Lots of runoffs and interesting green complexes. Can often play firm and fast which is a rarity around the cities. Probably the most underrated public in the metro area…
Written by
@Kirkeide1
- Hidden gem
- Underrated
- Great value
Wild Marsh Golf Club
Buffalo, MN, USA
Slope rating 139, 72.0 course rating, Black tees, 6,505 yds
(18 Hole) Baker National Golf Club
Medina, MN, USA
Slope rating 138, 73.9 course rating, Black tees, 6,762 yds
The Links at Northfork
Ramsey, MN, USA
Slope rating 131, 74.3 course rating, Championship tees, 6,979 yds
Woodhill Country Club
Wayzata, MN, USA
Slope rating 130, 71.8 course rating, Blue tees, 6,575 yds
Elk River Country Club
Elk River, MN, USA
Slope rating 127, 71.7 course rating, Blue tees, 6,560 yds
Deer Run Golf Club
Victoria, MN, USA
Slope rating 125, 70.6 course rating, Black tees, 6,326 yds
Fox Hollow Golf Club
St. Michael, MN, USA
Slope rating 123, 68.4 course rating, Blue tees, 6,728 yds
Shamrock Golf Club
Corcoran, MN, USA
Slope rating 115, 70.0 course rating, Blue tees, 6,427 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Buffalo, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
Rush Creek Golf Club is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Buffalo, Minnesota at Slope 149 (75.7 course rating · Duncan tees · 7,290 yds). 13 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Buffalo, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Buffalo, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 4:10 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
