Hiawatha Golf Course set to close after Park Board vote

Courtesy of the Minneapolis Park Board

The Hiawatha Golf Course has been a neighborhood mainstay for decades, but a recent dispute over groundwater is putting the future of this Minneapolis institution in jeopardy.

According to a recent study, the course currently pumps 242 million gallons of water into Lake Hiawatha--despite only being permitted for 36.5 million gallons. The board voted 6-3 Wednesday to reduce groundwater pumping back to its legally obligated level by the end of the 2019 season, meaning an almost seven-fold increase of water retained on the course.

Almost assuredly, officials say, this will put some of what is now the golf course under water. 

The board is currently looking at creating a new master plan for the property, voting to give "strong consideration" to keeping golf, in some form, as its main use. This could mean creating a new nine-hole course or some sort or "golf center," according to city officials. 

A flood three years ago brought attention to the issue, and kicked off debate over the future of the course.

The changes mean Columbia will be the only 18 hole course left in the city.