The Wilds Golf Club
Prior Lake, Scott County, Minnesota · Twin Cities Metro golf market
- Access
- mixed
- Holes
- 18
- Architect(s)
- Tom Weiskopf, Jay Morrish
- Gated
- No
Thinking About Living in The Wilds Golf Club?
Get connected with a local real-estate specialist who understands The Wilds Golf Club and the surrounding Twin Cities Metro golf market.
The Wilds is a roughly 1990s-2000s-built master-planned community in Prior Lake organized around an 18-hole Tom Weiskopf/Jay Morrish course that opened in 1995 on a site with significant natural terrain (Ponderosa pines, hardwoods, wetlands) preserved into the routing. The community itself is genuinely developer-organized around the course -- housing spans single-family homes, detached and attached townhomes, villas, and condos across distinct named sub-neighborhoods (The Wilds North, The Wilds South, Sterling North, Sterling South, The Villas, The Woods, The Preserve, and The Approach), all governed by The Wilds Homeowner Association, professionally managed by Associa Minnesota. Single-family homes generally run in the $500K-$890K+ range (median around $540K), with townhomes/condos starting around $280K.
The golf club itself has changed hands recently and materially: after being on the market since 2020, it sold for $7.7 million to Thompson Golf Group, an Arizona-based golf ownership/management company, in a deal completed March 5, 2025. As a result, The Wilds is now part of Thompson Golf Group's 'Public Country Club' multicourse membership program -- an upscale public-access model, not a private or equity club. Residents of The Wilds Homeowner Association remain eligible for a 'Homeowner Club Card,' a resident-specific discount program at the club, but this is a discount benefit layered onto public access rather than exclusive or bundled membership.
Golf & Course
Designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish and opened in 1995, The Wilds plays to a par-72, 7,012 yards with a 74.4 rating/154 slope from the back tees, and more than 150 feet of elevation change across the routing -- long regarded as one of the top public courses in the Twin Cities and nationally ranked by multiple golf publications. Thompson Golf Group's 2025 acquisition folded the course into its 'Public Country Club' network alongside courses the group developed or acquired elsewhere, including Geneva Golf Club in Alexandria, Minnesota.
Membership & Access
Does buying a home here include club membership?
Golf at The Wilds is now sold on a public green-fee and multicourse-membership basis open to anyone, not gated behind residency or a private-club application. The Wilds Homeowner Association's residents-only 'Homeowner Club Card' provides a discount/preferred-rate benefit at the club, but this session found no evidence that it constitutes full membership, that it is included automatically with a home purchase, or that non-cardholder residents are excluded from ordinary public play. Buyers should not assume any specific discount level without confirming current Homeowner Club Card terms directly.
Living in The Wilds Golf Club
The Wilds' housing stock is unusually varied for a single golf community, ranging from entry-level townhomes and condos to large custom single-family homes, spread across eight distinct named sub-neighborhoods under one HOA. This session found no evidence that access terms differ meaningfully between these sub-neighborhoods -- all appear to share the same Homeowner Club Card eligibility -- so they are treated here as one community rather than split into separate access tiers.
Lifestyle & Amenities
Beyond golf, the community is close to Mystic Lake Casino and other south-metro Prior Lake amenities; the club itself offers dining and practice facilities typical of a full-service upscale public course.
Location & Surrounding Area
Prior Lake sits in the south metro, roughly 30 minutes southwest of downtown Minneapolis via I-35 and MN-13, positioning The Wilds as the south-metro counterpart to North Oaks (north metro) and TPC Twin Cities/Deacon's Walk (north/northeast metro).
Interested in Homes in The Wilds Golf Club?
We can connect you with a local real-estate specialist who knows the community, nearby golf communities, and the Twin Cities Metro market.
What Buyers Should Verify
- Confirm current terms, eligibility, and pricing of The Wilds Homeowner Club Card directly with the club and HOA -- this session found the program's existence but not its current specific benefit level.
- Confirm current Public Country Club multicourse membership pricing directly, since this is a newly (2025) established program.
- Confirm whether any of The Wilds' eight named sub-neighborhoods carry different HOA fee structures or amenities.
Notable
- Sold for $7.7 million to Arizona-based Thompson Golf Group in a deal completed March 5, 2025, after being on the market since 2020.
- Regularly ranked among the top public golf courses in Minnesota and nationally by outlets including Golf Digest and Golf Magazine.
- The Wilds Homeowner Association is professionally managed by Associa Minnesota and covers eight distinct named sub-neighborhoods.
Related Comparisons
Considering a Move to The Wilds Golf Club?
Whether you're comparing The Wilds Golf Club with another Twin Cities Metro golf community or you're ready to start looking at homes, US Golf Living can connect you with a local real-estate specialist.
US Golf Living provides independent real-estate research and can connect consumers with real-estate professionals. Golf membership, availability, fees and approval are determined independently by the applicable club.