Mendota Heights, Minnesota
Somerset Country Club fuses the golden age strategy of Seth Raynor with a thoroughly revitalized, player-friendly layout. Its newly routed holes and modernized greens make for a deeply engaging, state-ranked private experience that rewards finesse and course management.
Somerset Country Club stands out for its careful revival of Seth Raynor’s strategic architecture, which is celebrated for blueprint ‘template holes’ that force creative decisions and place a premium on positioning. Recent renovations both honored and updated the routing, while new greens inject the bold contours and tightly defined targets that Raynor fans crave. Throughout, the influence of the Macdonald–Raynor school is clear: every hole presents multiple ways home, challenging golfers to plot, shape, and scheme their way to par.
Raynor’s template architecture, re-energized by a full course restoration, ensures Somerset remains a living study in classic golf design.
This early par 5 tempts players with a reachable green in two but punishes any wayward drive. Flirt with risk off the tee, or keep it safe and play for a straightforward third.
Pick your landing zone wisely: long hitters can try to get close in two, but smart angles are rewarded more than brute force.
Miss right and thick rough or fairway bunkers force a layup; misjudge the green contour and a three-putt lurks.
Superb private-club conditioning with smooth bent grass fairways and inventive greens.
Steady, relaxed pace; member rounds, not tournament-pressure speed.
Traditional, understated, and friendly; steeped in local golf lore.
Standard private-club golf attire expected.
Rehearse chips, pitches, and creative recovery shots to handle Raynor’s run-offs and raised greens.
Review the Redan, Biarritz, and other classic template concepts—knowing the intended lines gives you an edge.
Somerset is eminently walkable, but 18 holes on a rolling course require fitness and hydration for best play.
Club founded by Charles Gordon and fellow members
Course opens, designed by Seth Raynor
Renovation by Stanley Thompson and Robert Moote
Restoration touches by Ron Prichard
Preservation work by Jim Urbina
While in the Twin Cities region, Seth Raynor left his strategic mark not only at Somerset but also at Midland Hills. Somerset’s early build underscored the arrival of Raynor’s Macdonald-inspired strategy in Minnesota, giving the state its first real taste of bold template holes.
The latest renovations, completed between 2021 and 2026, dramatically reinvigorated Somerset by reshaping routing and rebuilding greens—all aimed at recapturing the quirky brilliance of Raynor’s original templates. Today’s course plays as a modernized homage, with the old soul shining through crisp fairways and lively green contours.
Though private and not marketed as a national destination, Somerset is a magnet for architectural devotees and classic-golf fans thanks to its storied past and Raynor pedigree. Its annual Minnesota amateur events add to its steady, low-key atmosphere.
Somerset was among the first courses in Minnesota to showcase Raynor’s strategic design philosophy.
The course renovation (2021–2026) included a full routing reimagining and all-new greens.
Somerset’s fairways and greens have always been kept to private-club, tournament-ready standards.
The club was founded in part by Charles Gordon, a key figure in Twin Cities golf history.
Its signature holes feature true Raynor templates still admired by architecture fans today.
Best public-access links-style outing in the metro
Historic, top-tier private test with Donald Ross roots
Major championship pedigree, nationally renowned
Modern PGA Tour design and tournament site
Downtown St. Paul or Highland Park for easy access to both city courses and all metro-area private clubs.
Courses with the most similar DNA profile — matched by deviation shape across all eight playing characteristics.
Why it matches: There is real overlap here. Cedar Rapids Country Club makes the greens a central strategic puzzle, making it a compelling counterpart to Somerset Country Club.
Why it matches: What links these two? Demands the same precision once you reach the putting surface — a familiar feeling, expressed in Youngstown Country Club's own setting.
Why it matches: There is real overlap here. Brook Hollow Golf Club offers similarly polished playing surfaces, making it a compelling counterpart to Somerset Country Club.
Frequently ranked US Top-20
A Macdonald–Raynor masterpiece
Famed for bold greens and strategy
Community Sentiment
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