Cut fieldstone boulder steps leading to golf course tee box — Wayzata Country Club — Heritage Outdoors Twin Cities
Commercial boulder wall · Wayzata, MN

Boulder Walls & Cut Stone Steps
Wayzata Country Club

Wayzata, MN
November 2024
Fieldstone boulders · cut-face granite steps
~16 steps · 2 step areas · boulder outcroppings
Project overview

A golf course renovation.
Driving on fairways not on the bingo card.

Wayzata Country Club is in the middle of a remarkable multi-year transformation — a full 18-hole course renovation that, when complete, will be something worth seeing. Heritage Outdoors was brought in as part of that renovation to install fieldstone boulder walls, outcroppings, and cut granite steps leading from the cart path up to the tee boxes on hole 9.

The brief was intentional and specific: natural stone, built to last, designed for the garden beds that would be installed around it in spring. The steps needed to handle high foot traffic from golfers every season, and the boulder walls and outcroppings needed to frame the plantings in a way that looked like they'd always been there.

Coordinating with Jesse, the club's superintendent, Heritage navigated equipment access across an active renovation site — driving trucks and a skid steer on fairways in late November, working around other contractors, and racing to finish before hard frost locked the ground. We got it done. Barely — but we got it done.

ClientWayzata Country Club
LocationWayzata, MN
CompletedNovember 2024
ScopeBoulder walls, outcroppings & cut stone steps
Steps~16 steps across 2 separate step areas
StoneMinnesota fieldstone · cut-face granite steps
ApplicationCart path to tee box · hole 9
Lead installerJacob · Heritage Outdoors
SeasonLate fall install · completed before hard frost
The challenge

Not your typical job site.

01
Equipment on a golf course
Getting trucks, a trailer loaded with fieldstone boulders, and a skid steer onto a golf course fairway in late November is not a typical access situation. Coordinating with Jesse and the renovation team, Heritage mapped out entry routes that minimized turf impact while getting the stone where it needed to be.
02
Racing the frost
The install pushed into the final days of the season. Ground temperatures were dropping and the forecast wasn't forgiving. The crew worked through frost conditions on the last day to get the steps seated and the boulder outcroppings locked in before the ground hardened. Late-season installs require the right materials — and boulder work, with no concrete or polymeric sand, is built for exactly this.
03
Built for what comes next
The boulder walls and outcroppings weren't the finished product — they were the bones for the garden beds Wayzata Country Club plans to install in spring. Every placement was made with the plantings in mind: the outcroppings needed to frame the beds, the steps needed to feel natural within the landscape, and the overall composition had to read as intentional before a single plant went in the ground.

"Driving equipment on fairways in late November — definitely not something I'd done before. But that's the thing about boulder work. No concrete, no polymeric sand, nothing that freezes and fails. We could push the season because the materials let us. We got it done."

— Jacob · Lead Installer · Heritage Outdoors
The work

Two step areas.
One tight deadline.

Both step areas were built to connect the cart path to the tee box — each with its own boulder outcroppings framing the steps and creating the planting bed structure for spring. The flat cut-face granite treads give golfers a safe, level surface season after season, while the natural fieldstone boulders will only look better as the landscape fills in around them.

Cut granite boulder steps with fieldstone outcroppings — Wayzata Country Club golf course renovation — Heritage Outdoors
Heritage Outdoors crew installing boulder steps on Wayzata Country Club golf course — late November 2024
Flat cut-face fieldstone granite steps with boulder outcroppings — Wayzata MN — Heritage Outdoors
Completed boulder steps leading from cart path to tee box — Wayzata Country Club — Heritage Outdoors Twin Cities
Good news for your timeline

Boulder walls don't care
what month it is.

Most hardscape projects are temperature-sensitive — concrete needs to cure above freezing, polymeric sand can't be installed in frost. Boulder walls have none of those constraints. It's stone, gravel base, and drainage fabric. That's it. Which means Heritage Outdoors can install boulder walls well into late fall and pick back up in early spring — extending your window on both ends of the season.

If you've been told you missed the window, you probably haven't. Call us.

Late fall window — late Oct through early Dec
Ground hasn't frozen yet. Boulders can be placed and seated. No temperature-sensitive materials means no cold-weather risk. Wayzata Country Club was finished in late November fighting light frost on the final day.
Early spring window — March through April
Ground thaws before paver season opens. Boulder work can begin while other contractors are still waiting. Great way to get on the schedule early and have the wall done before the rest of your project begins.
Why it works — no concrete, no polymeric sand
Boulder walls are built with stone, compacted gravel base, and drainage fabric. Nothing that freezes, cracks, or fails in cold temps. The materials determine the season — and these materials work year-round.
What was built

Stone that will outlast
the renovation around it.

~16 cut granite steps
Flat cut-face Minnesota fieldstone granite treads across two separate step areas — each connecting the cart path to the tee box on hole 9. Safe, level, built for heavy seasonal foot traffic from golfers year after year.
Boulder walls & outcroppings
Natural fieldstone boulder walls and outcropping features flanking each step area — set intentionally to frame the garden beds Wayzata Country Club will install in spring 2025. The stone is the structure that everything else grows into.
Built for what's coming
The Wayzata Country Club renovation is ongoing. When the course opens fully — whether 2026 or 2027 — the boulder work Heritage installed will have been there from the start, quietly doing its job while the rest of the course catches up around it.

Heritage Outdoors is watching the Wayzata Country Club renovation with interest — we can't wait to see the finished course and how the plantings fill in around the stonework.

Common questions

Questions about this project
& boulder work in general

Can boulder walls be installed in late fall in Minnesota?

Yes — boulder walls are one of the best hardscape projects for late-season installation in Minnesota. Because there's no concrete, no polymeric sand, and no temperature-sensitive materials involved, Heritage Outdoors can install boulder walls well into late October and November, and again in early March. The Wayzata Country Club project was completed in late November 2024, with the crew working through light frost on the final day. If you have a boulder wall project in mind, you don't have to wait for spring.

Does Heritage Outdoors do commercial hardscape projects?

Yes. Heritage Outdoors takes on commercial hardscape projects including golf courses, club facilities, and commercial properties throughout the Twin Cities metro. Commercial projects often involve coordination with project superintendents, phased timelines, and equipment access on sensitive sites. Call 651-219-3668 to discuss your project.

What are cut boulder steps and how are they different from natural stone steps?

Cut boulder steps are natural granite fieldstone boulders that have been cut on one face to create a flat, level tread surface. The sides and back remain rough and natural, giving the step a rugged fieldstone look while providing a clean, safe walking surface. They're ideal for high-use applications like golf course tee box access where you need a consistent, safe tread combined with a natural aesthetic.

How much do cut boulder steps cost in Minnesota?

Natural stone and cut boulder steps in Minnesota typically run $250–$500 per step installed depending on stone size, cut complexity, and site access. Steps are often installed alongside boulder wall outcroppings as part of a larger grade change or landscape feature. Heritage Outdoors has a $5,000 project minimum. Call 651-219-3668 for a free on-site estimate.

Does Heritage Outdoors serve Wayzata and the Lake Minnetonka area?

Yes — Heritage Outdoors serves Wayzata, Orono, Minnetonka, Shorewood, and surrounding Lake Minnetonka communities, as well as the full Twin Cities and East Metro. Call 651-219-3668 or request a free estimate online.

Have a boulder wall project
in mind?

Whether it's a backyard retaining wall, a shoreline feature, or a commercial project like this one — Jacob will come out, walk the site, and tell you exactly what he'd build and what it would cost. No pressure. Just an honest conversation.