Club History

The origins of Mendakota Country Club go back to 1925 and a makeshift golf course on Dakota County farmland, near where the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers meet. Louis and Laura Fischer had farmed the property since 1918. When Louis became interested in golf he constructed a 5-hole course on pastureland, complete with tin cans for the holes. Soon his neighbors became interested in the game, which prompted him to expand the course to 9-holes and establish a club the following year. The original name was Riverview Golf Club and it used the Fischer barn as its clubhouse.

As more area residents joined the game, the Riverview Golf Club grew and the course expanded to 18-holes. In January of 1957, the Club was reorganized and became Mendakota Country Club, a name taken from a combination of Mendota Heights and Dakota County. Mendota means “meeting of waters” and Dakota means “friend”.

The Fischer barn underwent major remodeling to bring the Mendakota Clubhouse up to country club standards. In 1959, construction was completed with a pro shop, common lounge, men’s and women’s locker rooms, and utility rooms on the ground floor. The second floor housed the dining room, kitchen, porch and “Mendakota Bar and Grill”. The third floor was converted to an office and club room. This was a proud time for the shareholding members of the new Mendakota Country Club.

The first major change to the layout of the course came in 1965 when the Highway Department took some of the land on the southwest edge of the property for the new Interstate 35E. The course work was completed in 1966 and open for play in 1967. Over the years, the golf course has undergone continual modification and improvement, shaping a green here, lengthening a fairway there.

By the late 1980s, the Mendakota family had outgrown its aged clubhouse. On March 17, 1989 the Mendakota shareholders ushered in a new era with the opening of a new 22,000 square foot clubhouse.

Starting in the 1990s, major improvements have been made to numerous holes on our championship course. In the fall of 2007, Mendakota’s golf course underwent major construction to complete the course renovation project for enhanced tee complexes, improved bunkers and refined greens. Now measuring 7,001 yards, Mendakota Country Club is a strong championship course and one of the best private clubs in the area.

In the winter of 2008 our clubhouse underwent construction to refresh and expand our facility. The expanded 25,000 square foot clubhouse now offers a variety of versatile spaces suitable for business meetings, privately catered functions, socializing and dining at its best.

Mendakota Country Club has evolved into one of the finest private clubs in the Twin Cities area. With a heritage of golfing fellowship dating back to 1926, each member can share in the pride of what determined and devoted golfers can accomplish. It is our goal to ensure that this tradition prevails for many years to come. There has never been a better time to be a part of the Mendakota family.