Golfweek’s Best 2022: Top public and private courses in South Dakota

South Dakota doesn’t have a large population: fewer than 900,000 residents. That doesn’t mean there isn’t solid golf to played there, and Golfweek’s Best shines a light on the top tracks in the Mount Rushmore State.

Golfweek’s Best offers many lists of course rankings, with that of top public-access courses in each state among the most popular. All the courses on this list allow public access in some fashion, be it standard daily green fees, through a resort or by staying at an affiliated hotel. If there’s a will, there’s a tee time.

Also popular are the Golfweek’s Best rankings of top private courses in each state, and that list for South Dakota’s private offerings is likewise included below.

MORE: Best Modern | Best Classic | Top 200 Resort | Top 200 Residential | Top 100 Best You Can Play

(m): Modern course, built in or after 1960
(c): Classic course, built before 1960

Note: If there is a number in the parenthesis with the m or c, that indicates where that course ranks among Golfweek’s Best top 200 modern or classic courses. 

Best public-access courses in South Dakota in 2022

Willow Run in South Dakota (Courtesy of Willow Run)

1. GC at Red Rock
Rapid City (m)

2. Hart Ranch
Rapid City (m)

3. Prairie Green
Sioux Falls (m)

4. Willow Run
Sioux Falls (m)

5. Meadowbrook
Rapid City (m)

Best private courses in South Dakota in 2022

Golfers check the 10th green in the final round of the Sanford International at Minnehaha Country Club on September 23, 2018 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

1. Sutton Bay
Agar (T55m)

2. Minnehaha
Sioux Falls (c)

3. Dakota Dunes CC
Dakota Dunes (m)