Prentice Pines Golf Course Up for Sealed Bids: What the Sale Means for a 70-Year Community Asset

A Prentice Landmark Is Up for Grabs

Last updated: July 7, 2026 Ripsaw Saloon in Prentice. Read more Price County stories from across the web.

History of Prentice in Photos

Prentice was founded in the late 19th century as a logging and railroad town in Price County. These historic photographs, sourced from the Price County Historical Society, show what the village looked like in its early years.

These images offer a rare look at Prentice during its formative decades — the public school that educated the children of loggers and mill workers, the bustling main street where the Crystal Saloon served thirsty patrons, and the high school building that marked the community’s growth. They stand in contrast with the modern questions facing the village: what to do with the Prentice Pines Golf Course, a 70-year community asset that itself is a later chapter of Prentice history.

The Village of Prentice is putting its municipal golf course up for sale. At the April 9 board of trustees meeting, Village Clerk/Treasurer Laurie Andreae told the board she had received an email from an individual interested in buying the course. A local Prentice family has also expressed interest. The board voted to put the course out for sealed bids, to be opened at the June 8 board meeting.

That’s the news. But the questions underneath it are bigger than the meeting minutes suggest.

What’s Actually for Sale

The Prentice Pines Golf Course. Formerly known as the Prentice Municipal Golf Course. Sits on land east of the village that has been a golf course since the 1950s. It’s a nine-hole, 2,500-yard par-35 course (renovated from the original par 34 in 2013). The course includes a clubhouse (added in 1973), a pro shop, two ponds, and the infrastructure for leagues and events.

What the village is selling isn’t just a fairway. It’s 70+ years of community history, a public recreational asset, and , depending on how the deed is written , potentially irreplaceable green space in a village of roughly 600 people.

The Leo Heikkinen Legacy

The course exists because Leo Heikkinen purchased the land and made it happen. In the 1950s, he bought a plot east of Prentice and turned it into a nine-hole course that originally shared space with a 2,000-foot grass airstrip. Golfers had to clear the runway when planes came in. The course was 2,500 yards, par 34, and it stood that way for over 50 years.

In 1973, Leo and his wife Norma Heikkinen donated the funds for the Prentice Community Clubhouse, with community members chipping in through donations and fundraisers. The clubhouse still stands , and still has the Heikkinen name attached.

Then in 2013, the course got a major renovation. Village Public Works Director Dale Andreae (the same Dale Andreae who handles village infrastructure) oversaw a redesign of the first three holes, a new putting green, and a clubhouse remodel. Volunteers from the Prentice High School golf team and the Men’s League built three new tee boxes and redid the watering system. The course went from par 34 to par 35, and the new layout made better use of the water has. The course was rebranded as “Prentice Pines.”

The phone number on the course website

The phone number on the course website . (715) 428-2127 , still rings. The website still lists memberships: $440/year for a family, $220 for seniors, $110 for students. Nine holes on a weekday costs $14. This isn’t a failing business. It’s a functioning, affordable, community-rooted asset.

The Deed Restriction Question

Here’s where it gets important: the village has not publicly stated whether the sale will include a deed restriction requiring the property to remain a golf course.

Without a restriction, whoever buys the course can do whatever they want with the land. In small towns across Wisconsin and the country, that has meant housing subdivisions more often than not. Rural golf courses are attractive to developers because they’re already cleared, graded, and serviced , the infrastructure work is largely done.

There are two main legal tools the village could use to protect the land:

Option 1: Deed Restriction (Restrictive Covenant)

A deed restriction is a provision written directly into the property deed that dictates how the land can be used. The village could write a restriction that says, essentially, “this property must be operated as a golf course for X years” or “this property may not be subdivided or developed for residential use.”

The upside: it’s straightforward and the village controls it entirely. The downside: deed restrictions can be challenged in court, and a future village board could vote to remove them. They’re not always permanent. A Reddit thread about a similar situation in Florida showed county commissioners promising deed restrictions to prevent subdivision, only for legal analysis to reveal that those restrictions could be overridden by a future board vote.

If Prentice writes a 20-year restriction, that’s 20 years of golf course. But year 21 is up for grabs.

Option 2: Conservation Easement

A conservation easement is a voluntary, legally binding agreement that transfers specific land-use rights , like development and subdivision rights , from the landowner to a third-party easement holder, such as a land trust or government agency. In Wisconsin, the North Central Conservancy Trust (NCCT) works with landowners in the region on exactly these kinds of agreements.

Conservation easements are perpetual , they stay on the land even if it’s sold or inherited. The easement holder (the trust) has legal standing to enforce the restriction, which means no future board can simply vote to remove it. This is the strongest protection available.

But there’s a catch: Wisconsin’s Marketable Title Act (Chapter 893.33) may make conservation easements vulnerable to challenge after 30 years if certain re-recordings aren’t filed by the easement holder. Gathering Waters, Wisconsin’s alliance for land trusts, flagged this as a serious concern in a recent report. Any conservation easement would need proactive re-recording to maintain its force.

Option 3: Reverter Clause

The village could include a reverter clause: if the property stops being used as a golf course, ownership reverts back to the Village of Prentice. This gives the village a direct enforcement mechanism without relying on a third party. But reverter clauses can be difficult to enforce and may discourage serious buyers who don’t want the uncertainty of a clouded title.

Public Course to Private: What Changes?

If one of the two interested parties buys the course and keeps it as a golf course, the next question is: public or private?

A public municipal course has to serve the community. Membership rates are affordable. Leagues , men’s, women’s, junior , have guaranteed access. The course is a gathering place. The Prentice Pines website lists open hours, walk-in rates, and yearly memberships starting at $110 for students.

A private course can charge whatever the market will bear. It can restrict membership. It can change the layout, the rates, the hours, the access. None of that is inherently wrong , but it’s a fundamental shift from what the Heikkinen family and the community built over 70 years.

There’s also the question of the land itself. The village’s website lists the golf course alongside the municipal airport and industrial park as community assets. If the course goes private and raises rates significantly, it stops being an accessible community resource. If it closes and becomes housing, Prentice loses its only golf course and a chunk of green space that serves drainage, recreation, and community identity functions that don’t show up on a balance sheet.

What We Know and What We Don’t

Here’s what the public record shows:

• Two parties have expressed interest: one individual (via email to the village clerk) and one local family
• Sealed bids will be opened at the June 8 board meeting
• The village has not publicly disclosed a minimum bid or whether deed restrictions will be part of the sale terms
• The course was renovated as recently as 2013, with community volunteer labor
• The 1973 clubhouse was funded by Leo and Norma Heikkinen’s donations
• Village Public Works Director Dale Andreae oversaw the 2013 renovation

Here’s what we don’t know:

• The appraised value of the property
• Whether the village has conducted an independent appraisal
• Whether a deed restriction, conservation easement, or reverter clause will be required
• The current financial condition of the course (operating costs vs. revenue)
• Whether the Heikkinen family’s original land donation included any use restrictions that might still apply
• Whether the village has consulted with a land trust about a conservation easement

What Happens Next

The June 8 board meeting is where sealed bids get opened. That’s the first public window into what the market thinks the course is worth , and who’s bidding.

But the more important deadline is before the bids are opened. Once a bid is accepted, the terms of the sale , including any restrictions , are locked in. If residents want the village to include a deed restriction or conservation easement, they need to make that case to the board before June 8.

The Village of Prentice board meets at the village hall. Meeting minutes are public records. The next meeting agenda should include the bid opening.

This isn’t just about golf. It’s about whether a village of 600 people sells off a 70-year community asset , one built on a local family’s vision and a community’s volunteer labor , without ensuring that whatever comes next still serves the people who live there.

We’ll be at the June 8 meeting.

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Update: June 8, 2026 — Sale Stalls

Updated July 7, 2026 with findings from the June 8 board meeting minutes.

The sealed bid opening at the June 8 board meeting did not produce a sale. Village Clerk/Treasurer Laurie Andreae reported that neither of the two interested parties responded to follow-up. One individual who had emailed initial interest never replied. The local family that had expressed interest also stopped pursuing it.

The golf course has not yet been advertised in the Price County Review — Andreae noted that the two interested parties were being given first opportunity before public advertising.

The board voted to table the golf course sale until further notice. No new timeline was set.

What this means: the Prentice Pines Golf Course is still owned by the Village of Prentice, still unmaintained-for-sale, and still without a clear path forward. The village has not disclosed whether deed restrictions or conservation easements will be part of any future sale terms. The June 8 minutes do not reference any appraisal, land trust consultation, or community input process.

The next regular board meeting is July 13, 2026 at 5:00 PM at the Village Hall. The golf course is not specifically listed on the published agenda, but residents can raise it during public input.

Also from the June 8 meeting: The board addressed an awning dispute at the Owl’s Nest property — awning poles are in the village right-of-way and blocking planned water line and sidewalk replacement. Owner Greg Donahoe told the board he cannot afford to hire someone to remove it. No resolution was recorded.

See also: our guide to free camping in Wisconsin, what makes Price County communities special, our guide to Price County public records, our weekend weather preview and our 48-hour Price County itinerary

See also: our guide to every town in Price County

See also: our reporting on Price County’s surveillance cameras

Frequently Asked Questions

What is happening with Prentice Pines Golf Course?

As of May 2026, Prentice Pines Golf Course in Price County is being offered for sale through a sealed bid process. The 70-plus-year-old course is one of the few public golf facilities in the county, and its potential sale has raised community concerns about recreation access.

Can the public still play at Prentice Pines Golf Course?

The course’s availability depends on the current status of the sale process. Check with Price County or the course directly for current tee times and operating hours. Community members have expressed interest in keeping the course accessible regardless of ownership.

Are there other golf courses in Price County?

Price County has limited golf options. The Phillips Area Golf Association maintains a course south of Phillips, and there are courses in neighboring communities including Park Falls and Merrill. The loss of Prentice Pines would reduce local access significantly.

How do sealed bids work for property sales like this?

Sealed bid sales require interested buyers to submit their best offer by a deadline without knowing other bids. The seller typically reserves the right to accept or reject all bids. Details on the Prentice Pines bid process are available through Price County or the listing agent.

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