You’ve heard the names MacDonald and Ross and Raynor. You’ve prayed at the altar of Mackenzie and Colt and Old Tom. And yes, you’ve dabbled in the modernist works of Doak and Coore and McLay-Kidd.
But here are two names you haven’t heard: Craig and … Claus. The former, as in Jim Craig, the longtime shaper and golf course artist who will earn his first architectural credit in 2026 at Sand Valley’s newest golf course. And the latter, as in Santa Claus, the guy whose Dec. 25th journey around the world brings gifts to those on their best behavior … including to the course architect at the center of our story.
Even in October, the holiday cheer is alive at Sand Valley in 2025. And the reason for it is good: The Commons, Sand Valley’s newest resort course, is in the final growth phase after a lengthy building process, adding a brand-new offering to a prolific list of enviable resort courses.
By resort golf standards, The Commons is an extreme outlier: A 12-hole short course named for the Scottish “common lands” — or public property — upon which many historic golf courses rest, granting free access to the people.
The spirit here is much the same: The Commons is intended to be a place where anybody can play, be you old or young, scratch or hacker, stud or scrub. The unifying theory is accessibility, and while the golf course is built to maximalist specifications — an enormous sand mound frames the golf course’s first seven holes, creating the effect of playing on the surface of Mars — the golf plays in the friendly, minimalist style of a neighborhood muni. You can run shots up to most greens, and hit several fairways even with a wide miss.
“I like the fact that you can bring your spouse or your kids out here,” Craig said from the side of an enormous double-green. “It’s just fun, and that’s how golf is supposed to be.”
According to Craig, the toughest part of the build at The Commons was deciphering its purpose. Originally, Sand Valley owner Mike Keiser’s goal was 18 holes. Then nine. Then something in between. Craig, a longtime shaper for Coore-Crenshaw commissioned for the job, envisioned 12, with the goal for the course in line with golf’s original purpose: a pleasant walk in the great outdoors with loved ones.
There was, however, the issue of land. The Commons routes through a crowded thoroughfare in the Sand Valley property, and early versions for the course involved a smaller footprint looped around the Mars-like sand crater. Craig liked the original routing, but loved the lakeside peninsula across the road. It wouldn’t take much effort to turn the stretch into a jaw-dropping finishing trio — perhaps the most stunning view on the entire Sand Valley property — giving The Commons a true “signature stretch.”
But Keiser had other plans. The property was designated for real estate development, adding to Sand Valley’s prolific smattering of luxuriously Spartan on-property lodges modeled in the Nordic style.
It wasn’t until Christmas Eve 2023 that Keiser called to deliver the news: Craig was receiving a “Christmas Bonus” — a gift from the big man, Santa Claus, himself.
The gift? He could use the property around the peninsula for his golf course.
“That was a good day,” Craig says now with a grin.
By the time the bulldozers and shapers arrived on the property not long after, Craig’s closing stretch had earned a nickname.
“The Stocking Stuffer,” Craig says, chuckling. “It was one hell of a Christmas gift.”
Indeed, it was. Craig’s closing stretch at The Commons is the most visually stunning stretch on the golf course — and perhaps at all of Sand Valley. The first hole, a choose-your-adventure par-4, is a drivable forced-carry for big-hitters, but a tumbling waterfront walk for everybody else. The second, an infinity green par-3, looks like a postage stamp but benefits from a hidden swale that sends smart shots aimed inland tumbling down toward the putting surface. (“You’re going to like that,” Craig said, delighted, when one far-right tee shot bounded over the hill.) And the third, another par-4, features a gentle forced-carry leading into the course’s widest fairway — an encouragement to swing as hard as you’d like.
On the whole, the “Stocking Stuffer” gives The Commons the feeling of a story in several acts, which is quite the accomplishment for a course that can be walked comfortably in two hours. With a little bit of land and a lot of imagination, Craig and Co. have cultivated something funky and fun for golfers of all ages.
In all, it may be said that the second-most impressive thing about The Commons is its sense of levity: It is a gift back to golf at its roots.
And the most impressive thing?
The gift arrived in central Wisconsin … all the way from the North Pole.
