On the negative side, I don't like playing on courses surrounded on all sides by zero lot line houses. Their are numerous lake views on several holes and some of the elevation changes allow you to see quite far in the distance. The course has a nice variation of short and long holes of the par 3s, 4s and 5s which is also fun. There are also some visual distractions off the tee. What makes this course challenging are the elevation changes from tee to green, the aggressive bunkering around the greens, the narrowing of the course as it approaches the green, the occasional blind shot off the tee and second shots on par 5s and the wind which can be confusing. The pin placements can change how a hole plays completely. This course generally has open fairways so golfers of all levels won't be losing too many balls off the tee. The fairways were excellent although it seems many of the players aren't filling in the divots with the provided sand and seed. The bunkers were suffering from the recent heavy rains and a few were hardpan. It was always better to approach the greens from one side of the fairway which adds some thinking to the golf. The greens were really nice with aggressive contouring.

Second, the course ranger stopped us a few times to ask us who we were yet didn't really talk to the foursome four holes ahead of us that we caught at hole 14 with their slow play and PGA-style putt reading. First, we were trying to play quickly to get back to our families and the starter made us wait until our appointed tee time despite no people in front of us for 4 holes.

The golf shop staff was quick and helpful, the beverage cart woman was prompt, pleasant and polite and the cart staff was fine. However, I did not experience much negativity in this regard. I was somewhat leery of the Wilds given the reviews of the customer service. The Wilds also included unlimited range balls which were nice. All were in the $80-$90 dollar range with cart. I played three golf courses in the Prior Lake area during a recent visit: The Meadows at Mystic Lake, The Legends and The Wilds.

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