Since 2000, by my count, 86 golf courses in Minnesota have closed and/or been abandoned (I am continually updating that number as I find more courses, or as they close down). This list, last updated on Aug. 2, 2022, is posted without commentary. Feel free to respond with additions, corrections or opinions.
Thank you to the Minnesota Golf Association for information on some of these courses.
Afton Alps Golf Course, Denmark Township (1990-2019)
Albert Lea Country Club (1912-2006)
All Seasons, Cottage Grove (1993-ca. 2006)
Apple Valley Golf Course, Apple Valley (1974-2019)
B&V Par 3, Plymouth (1962-circa 2006)
Beaver Creek GC, Beaver Creek (2003-2007)
Begin Oaks, Plymouth (2000-2014)
Bentwood, Climax (1987-circa 2019)
Birch Bay, Fairview Township (near Lake Shore) (1965-2015)
Black Bear Golf Complex, Backus (1998-2017)
Black Bear Golf Course, Backus (1998-unknown)
Brainerd Country Club/Pine Meadows (1920s-2004)
The Bridges of Mounds View (1995-2006)
Brockway, Rosemount (1935-2004)
Carriage Hills, Eagan (1967-2004)
Cedar Hills, Eden Prairie (1940-2000)
City View, Cold Spring (1999-2015)
Country Air, Lake Elmo (closed circa 2016)
Countryside, Shafer (2001-circa 2013)
Country View, Maplewood (1930-2004)
Deer Meadows, Cambridge (2000-2008)
Driftwood Golf & Fitness, Clearwater (1994-2019)
Elm Creek, Plymouth (1960-2013)
Fair Havens, Park Rapids (2000-circa 2015)
Fairways at Howard’s Barn, Fifty Lakes (1968-circa 2015)
Far Par Golf, Duluth (unknown-circa 2018)
Fort Ridgely State Park Golf Course, Fairfax (1927-2017)
Fred Richards Executive Course, Edina (1956-2014)
French Lake Open Golf, Dayton (1985-ca. 2015)
Fritz’s Resort Golf Course, Nisswa (1972-2006)
Greenwood, Wyoming (1985-unknown)
The Greens of Howard Lake (1995-2015)
Hampton Hills, Plymouth (1960-2003)
Hayden Hills, Dayton (1972-2018)
Hidden Creek, Owatonna (1996-2009)
Higbee’s, Wahkon (closed 2013)
Hillcrest Golf Club, St. Paul (1921-2017; originally called Lakeview)
Holiday Park, Hayward (1966-2011)
Hollydale, Plymouth (1965-2019)
Irish Hills, Pine River (1985-2009)
Ironman, Detroit Lakes (1960-2016)
KateHaven, Blaine (1981-2014)
Lakeview, Orono (1956-2013)
Links of Byron (1994-ca. 2013)
Lone Pine, Prior Lake (closed circa 2003; I hadn’t previously listed this because the property became the site of The Meadows at Mystic Lake. But Lone Pine shut down, and The Meadows was a complete overhaul of the Lone Pine course.)
Lost River, Gonvick (circa 1958-circa 200)
Maplebrook, Stewartville (1974-unknown)
Maple Hills, Maplewood (1954-2003)
Meadowbrook, Mabel (opened 1984; shown below, 2014 photo, after course’s closing, with the former kidney-shaped ninth green in the foreground and clubhouse in the background, courtesy of Ross Himlie Photography in Rushford) 
Meadow Lakes, Rochester (1998-2012)
Meadow Links, Hutchinson (1999-ca. 2015)
Meadowwoods, Minnetonka (1991-ca.-2004)
Minnetonka Country Club, Shorewood (1916-2014)
Mississippi Dunes, Cottage Grove (1995-2017)
Mulligan Masters/Lake Elmo Pines, Lake Elmo (circa 2000-08)
Oakdale Par 3 (1994-2009)
Orchard Gardens, Burnsville (1967-2004)
Parkview, Eagan (1969-2013)
Pine River Country Club, Pine River (1981-2010)
Ponderosa, Glyndon (1962-2015)
Ponds at Battle Creek, Maplewood (2004-2021)
Prairie View Golf Links, Worthington (1983-2015)
Red Oak, Minnetrista (1969-2013)
Red Rock Golf Course, Hoffman (1932-2017)
Rich Valley, Rosemount (shown below, October 2021; 1998-2021)
Ridgewood Golf Course, Longville (1987-2016)
River Bend Golf Club, East Grand Forks (second iteration 1995-20022)
Rock Pile, Dent (1999-2013)
Rodina, Alexandria (1998-circa 2015)
Rolling Green Fairways, Fairmont (1976-2003)
Rolling Hills, Pelican Rapids (circa 1970-2016)
Root River Country Club, Spring Valley (1962-2014)
Sanbrook Golf Club, Isanti (1995-2001)
Sauk Centre Country Club (1921-2013) (Note: This course has reopened as Old Course Sauk Centre, partially rerouted and redesigned.)
Silver Springs, Monticello (1974-2009)
Stillwater Oaks (formerly Sawmill), 1983-2019
Stone Bridge, Otsego (1999-2009)
Tartan Park, Lake Elmo (opened 1965, closed December 2015. The grounds have been converted into The Royal Golf Club, which opened in 2018, but it was a total rebuild of Tartan Park, so I’m considering Tartan Park to be a lost course.)
Thompson Oaks, West St. Paul (1997-2017)
Town & Country Golf Course, Moorhead (1963-2007)
Valley View, Belle Plaine (1992-2015)
Wedgewood, Walker (established 1962) reopened as Moonlight Bay, notation made May 2021
Wendigo, Grand Rapids (1995-2011)
Wilderness Hills, Holyoke (1995-unknown)
Wilderness Trail Golf & Village (formerly Chippewa National), Longville, 1987-2016
Woodbury Golf & Fitness (1975-2003)
Woodland Creek, Andover (1989-2008)
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My family (of 10) grew up in the old hilltop golf course house in the 50’s and 60’s. We (my brothers and sisters) have lots of pictures of the place after the course shut down. I lived there from 1955 to 1970. The house still stands and is occupied. I watched the 1965 tornadoes in Fridley from the back yard. good memories.
Rolling Hills golf course north of Pelican Rapids closed in the fall of 2016
Thanks for the info. I will check on it and add it to the list.
Wedgewood golf course sold in 2018 & is now Moonlight Bay golf course.
Thank you for the information. I have taken it off my lost-course list and map.
Joe… I used to play in men’s night at meadowbrook in Mabel. The owner, Jim Gunderson was an avid golfer and real character. During a charity tournament there one year, Gunderson bought $1 million hole in one insurance for one golfer, to take one shot, on the par three 8th hole. I ended up being that golfer… Jim had to video the shot as proof if I made it, and there were about 75 people in carts watching. I hit a good shot, landed just short of the hole, and and just missed going in. Up to that point it might have been the biggest event at the golf course. Sad to hear it closed
Ha! Very interesting, Mark. Just guessing you might have lived around Spring Grove. I, too, played MaCal Grove almost every day from about 1974-80. The course I grew up on. My uncle, the late Andy Schwartzhoff, was the longtime superintendent/manager. I suspect we knew / know many of the same people, even if I probably a fair amount older than you. Thanks for taking a look at my website.
I currently live at the property of Greenwood in Wyoming. I have no info on the course, other than most the land is now farmed, and rented out for hunting. Also soon to be all developed.
Interesting, Gus. I’m afraid I don’t know anything more about Greenwood than you do but would love to hear from someone who remembers the place.
Joe: Stumbled onto this list from the link provided in the Strib article. I’m years late in replying, but I have fond memories of Greenwood Golf Links in Wyoming. It’s where I truly started playing the game…the place sure had an unmistakable “swamp” smell! Lol…the 1st hole was a par 5 as I remember it, and I can vividly remember having the thought I just wanted a single digit score on that hole. Just starting out, I counted an 8 or 9 as a success on that opening hole. Thanks for sharing! Golf courses lend themselves to some vivid and nostalgic memories of yesteryear.
Hi, Rodney. Loved the comment. I have a Greenwood towel lying around my office somewhere and used a photo of it in my second book. Thankfully, it does not smell — the towel, I mean. Whether the book does, readers can judge for themselves.
Hi Joe,
Lone Pine was a real fun track next to Mystic Lake. The casino bought it and changed the whole property. Fun times!!
Hi, Paul. Hope you are doing well. Seems to me Lone Pine used to be the first course to open and the last to close every year. I’d give that honor to Oak Marsh these days.
Why did Beaver Creek close ?
Afraid I don’t know the answer to that except to say many dozens of courses have closed since 2000 following a period of serious overbuilding.
In prior lake, what was the name of the course before it was sold and developed into the Legends ?
Lone Tree.Early to open, late to close during golf season.Correction, May 2019: Yikes. I meant Lone Pine. Sorry about that.
Lone Pine became Meadows at Mystic Lake. I believe Scottdale became The Legends.
You are correct, of course. Thanks for the note. Do I have it wrong somewhere? I’m trying to find it and not having success. I know that I fouled this up earlier, but I thought I corrected it. I don’t see a reference to Scottdale/Legends in this list, and the info I found indicates it closed in 1999 or thereabouts.
I see it now. Further below in the comments. Thanks.
I fouled this up, sorry. A comment above clears it up. The Meadows at Mystic Lake was formerly Lone Pine. The Legends was formerly Scottdale.
French Lake Golf Course closed in Dayton off of Hwy 81 sometime after 2000. Opened in 1985.
Thank you for the note. I have updated the list.
Joe,
Birch Bay in Lake Shore (Nisswa) closed a few years back. It was a nice little 9 that we played when “up north” since it was close to the resort we stayed at.
Also, “The Gardens” at Grand View Lodge in Nisswa was sacrificed in 2019 for resort expansion.
Rich Acres in Richfield closed around 2008 when MSP airport was expanded. I think it had been there for about 30 years. Was a fun, affordable 18 hole public course that also had a short par 3 course that catered to beginners.
Thanks for the note, Brian. I know of many people who played and enjoyed Rich Acres.
The course closed at the end of the 1999 season, which is why it isn’t on my list of courses that closed in 2000 or later. I wrote about the course in the first chapter of my book. Cheers.
I watched Dr. Dobler and Dave tentis build Mississippi dunes from scratch starting in 1989.
A dream come true for a long time local resident. Myself
When it first opened the fairways and greens were like Augasta! The Dr let me play the coarse before it officially opened.
Dave would sit in a trailer parked on the gravel driveway and collect the green fees.
This gem was set along back Waters of the Mississippi a beautiful and quiet setting.
Not one home or building was vissable from the coarse.
A very sad day when this beautiful links coarse closed.
Howard’s Barn, Fifty lakes closed several years ago.
Thanks, Mike. I’ll add it. I know I’ve checked on it a few times in recent years but never saw a firm indication it had closed.
I’m fearing what kind of updates this list will need in the next couple of years.
Wondering about the name changes for what is currently called
Northwoods Hills Golf Course in Garrison.
Thanks for the question, John. Sorry I didn’t respond sooner; I’m wrapping up work on a second book about lost courses.
I believe Northwood Hills Golf Course used to be called Mille Lacs Golf Resort, and the name change occurred in about 2008. Please correct me if I’m wrong. jb
I am trying find information on a 9 hole course in Montgomery, MN that I played on in the 90’s. It was called Montgomery Golf Club or Montgomery Golf Course. They have an 18 hole course there but haven’t found anything online indicating they still have the 9 hole course, which was not located where the 18 hole course is.
Hi, thanks for the question. I’m familiar mostly with the current iteration of the course, with its Beatles-themed layout. I believe you’re correct, though, that there used to be a nine-hole course. Looks to me like it was expanded into an 18-holer, designed by Joel Goldstrand.
The club’s entry on Yelp includes this:
History
Established in 1970.
The Montgomery National Golf Course was the first golf course designed by the popular Minnesota golf architect, Joel Goldstrand in 1970. The course was created on the Alfred Bury farm at the northeast edge of the city of Montgomery. Gravestones for two of the original settlers of the property are still on the premises under a large cottonwood tree on the first hole. Goldstrand returned to Montgomery in 1993 to redesign the course, adding a second 9 and driving range.