Hiawatha Golf Course redesign public input sought by MPRB officials

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Officials with the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board (MPRB) are offering details on the projected redesign of the historic Hiawatha Golf Course and surrounding parkland in south Minneapolis.

Hiawatha Golf Course redesign

What we know:

After years of indecision, MPRB approved a plan to cut down the historic Hiawatha Golf Course to nine holes in 2022.

Following flooding on the course in 2014, a plan was crafted to overhaul the course after millions of gallons of groundwater was pumped into nearby Hiawatha Lake, despite the protests of environmentalists.

New amenities being considered include practice holes, a new youth learning facility, and a large putting green with varied terrain modeled after the famous Himalayas Putting Green at St. Andrews.

What's next:

In the coming months, redesign concepts will be made public, allowing for public comment on them.

MPRB officials say the intent will be to pull the most favorable concepts from each design, rather than vote for any as a complete project.

Each concept is said to address new amenities for visitors, environmental concerns and connect all surrounding areas to nearby trail systems.

The earliest MPRB intends to break ground on any redesign will be 2030.

Officials estimate a current cost target of $43 million, with "nothing set in stone" in terms of funding yet.

In the meantime, maintenance issues such as irrigation and drainage will be assessed, officials said.

The other side:

But not everyone is thrilled with the potential upgrades. In recent years, golfers have fought to preserve the course, noting its listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Cultural Landscape Foundation says Hiawatha was the first golf course in the upper Midwest to admit Black golfers in the late 1930s.

MPRB has previously voted to rename the clubhouse at the Hiawatha Golf Course after pioneering Black golfer Solomon Hughes.