Next up: re-imagine Hiawatha Golf Course

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Because of flooding, the Hiawatha Golf Course will remain closed until 2017. The course was built in 1929 and opened in 1934. The course was created on the west shore of what is now Lake Hiawatha by using fill material dredged from the lake. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)[/caption]

Because of last year’s extensive flooding, portions of the Hiawatha Golf Course will remain closed through 2017.

As the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) fashions a plan for fixing the damage that is the worst sustained since 1987, it is inviting citizen input on what the golf course needs.

Opinions vary widely. Some residents question whether the golf course should be open at all as the city’s courses have been losing money and need many repairs. Other would like to see the course open up to more public use by those walking, sledding and playing foot golf. And others have suggested that the course have fewer holes.

Golfers and neighborhood residents are encouraged to attend a park board meeting on the course on Mon., Feb. 2, 6pm, at the park board headquarters. An earlier meeting in January was well-attended, and Park Board staff expects the same for this meeting.

“We’re looking at getting some good input from people who are users and stakeholders and neighbors,” said Assistant Superintendent of Planning Michael Schroeder.

“While I was dismayed to see the extent of the flood damage and mourn the loss of so many mature trees, this disaster has provided the MPRB and the residents with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to not only re-imagine a golf course and how it fits into the fabric of our community, but to also address the need to improve the health and ecological value of this urban segment of Minnehaha Creek,” said District 5 Parks Commissioner Steffanie Musich.

Issues at the course

According to Musich, some of the issues at the course that need to be addressed include: aging and/or damaged infrastructure; loss of trees; damaged turf on fairways, the roughs and greens; and damaged cart paths and bridges. She pointed out that large swaths of the course are below the water level in high water years.

Hiawatha Golf Course was built in 1929 and opened in 1934. The course was created on the west shore of what is now Lake Hiawatha by using fill material dredged from the lake.

Extensive remodeling occurred to the front nine holes in 1993 and the back nine holes in 1999. Although the course has undergone renovations that modified fairway drainage and the green complexes, the course has maintained some of its original turn-of-the-century character. The course plays from 5,122 to 6,613 and has a slope of 130 from the back tees.

Hiawatha Golf Course has long been a popular course due largely to its location and a routing that is enjoyable for golfers of all abilities.

The course has flooded regularly throughout the years, including in 1987 and 1991. In the summer of 2012, the lake spilled onto the golf course, according to Hiawatha Golf Course Operations Manager Dan Stoneburg.

Money is available from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) to help solve some of the flooding issues.

$8.1 million in repairs needed at Hiawatha

Musich pointed out that the Minneapolis Park Board courses have been in need of serious reinvestment for many years. She observed that previous boards had elected to use profits from the Enterprise Fund to support other park needs during times of decreased funding instead of reinvesting in golf courses, event venues and concession spaces.

“With this new investment in well-loved golf course spaces with great potential, I anticipate seeing them return to at least a sustainable level, if not a profitable one,” Musich said.

Golf course usage in Minneapolis peaked in 2000 and is now at only half of what it was, according to a report prepared last year by Golf Convergence for the Park Board. Fifteen years ago, the city’s golf courses made $1,845,849. In 2013, they lost over half a million dollars.

The average golfer is 41.5 years old, and has a median household income of $85,800. Eighty-eight percent are Caucasian and 82% are male.

Because maintenance at the seven Minneapolis courses has not been done, Golf Convergence estimated that it would take $34 million to bring the courses back into shape attract golfers back from competing private courses. Of that, $8.1 million would be for Hiawatha.

Should the city run a golf course?

“Given the fairly small number of people using them, the high cost of operating them, and the many private golf facilities available in the metro area, one has to wonder if it’s worthwhile for the Minneapolis Park Board to continue all these golf courses,” remarked Tim Bonham, who lives a few blocks from the Hiawatha Golf Course.

Bob Friedman lives one house away from the golf course and enjoys walking there. He would love to see foot golf and a trail bike course. “The athletic and leisure time outdoor activities of the changing population is significant and therefore warrants more variety of usage of this golf course,” said Friedman. “I would guess there are far more young families close by than there were 15 years ago.” He suggested that the number of holes at the course be less to accommodate other uses.

“The Park Board also must do some real demographics and financial research to prove that 18 holes is the only viable alternative,” said Friedman.

While meetings were being held last year on the Nokomis-Hiawatha Regional Park Plan, some residents expressed a desire for a year-round walking path around Lake Hiawatha. All comments gathered during that park planning process have been provided to the staff members studying the golf course for consideration as part of the improvement/recovery plan.

People interested in helping shape the future of Hiawatha Golf Course should subscribe to email updates at www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=1510. There should also be an online comment submission form made available soon.

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