This private club has a long and illustrious history, having hosted the 1916 U.S. Open, 1927 U.S. Amateur, 1957 Walker Cup, 1988 U.S. Women's Amateur, 1998 Curtis Cup, and the 2007 Trans-Mississippi Amateur.

The club was formed in the winter of 1898. In the spring of 1899, the original nine holes were designed by the first club pro at Minikahda, William Watson, Robert Foulis (from nearby Town and Country Club), and original member C.T. Jaffray. When the club purchased additional land, Jaffray and then-Minikahda golf pro Robert Taylor routed an 18-hole layout in 1906-1907, and then in 1908, Thomas Bendelow was hired to upgrade the design.

After harsh reviews of the course followed the 1916 U.S. Open (won by Chick Evans), Donald Ross was brought in to redesign the course -- a task interrupted by World War I and not completed until 1920. Since then, the routing remained much the same (save a rebuilt 8th hole) until 2003, when architect Ron Prichard restored some of the Ross features, relying on Ross's original hole-by-hole drawings.

The name 'Minikahda' was invented by member William C. Edgar, who combined two words from local Native American dialects to make one that could mean "by the side of the water," appropriate given the location on the shore of Lake Calhoun. The club's emblem is patterned after a shield carried by the Sioux chief Swift Dog, which is on display in the clubhouse.