The Lansing, Mich., golf course is being reconfigured due to a drainage project aimed at stopping flooding, and is removing holes six and seven for the season. Golfers can play just nine holes, or the whole 16 at a discounted price.
Golfers this season at the city-owned Groesbeck Golf Course in Lansing, Mich., will have just 16 holes of play instead of 18 as the course is reconfigured to accommodate a much-larger pond, the Lansing (Mich.) State Journal reported.
They will be able to play the back nine but the front nine is down to just seven holes. So it’s nine or 16 holes, with the 16 holes at a discounted price, the State Journal reported.
No. 6 and No. 7 are moving and will be back in play next season. The golf course is being reconfigured around additional rainwater from a drainage project aimed at stopping flooding in Lansing Township, the State Journal reported.
“We’re going to go through short-term pain with construction but we have long-term gain coming. I wish we could grow grass instantly but we can’t,” said Lansing Parks and Recreation Director Brett Kaschinske.
He said the $18 fee for 18 holes (no cart) is reduced to $16 for 16 holes. For nine holes, the walking fee is $12 on the back and $9 on the front. Cart fees are $8 per nine holes. There are reduced rates offered for spring specials, the State Journal reported.
When the city closed Red Cedar and Waverly golf courses in 2007, Mayor Virg Bernero cited a lack of revenue. There’s an undercurrent of worry that Groesbeck could meet the same fate. Groesbeck dates back to 1926, the State Journal reported.
But Kaschinske said the golf course is being improved with low, wet spots being filled in and will be back in full play next year. He said additional tees are being added to each hole on the front nine to accommodate different skill levels: senior, women’s, men’s and championship. There’s now just two tees per hole, the State Journal reported.
Bill Triola, a Lansing businessman who was critical the 2007 golf course closings, said Groesbeck is a beautiful course that needs to be preserved as a community recreational offering. He isn’t too worried about the reduced number of holes on a temporary basis, the State Journal reported.
“The beauty of Groesbeck is that it’s not catering to the elite. You can be a great golfer but you don’t have to have a big wallet,” Triola said.
Josh Pugh, a Lansing political consultant, used to live next to the golf course and now lives not too far away in Old Town. He tries to play at least weekly. At age 27, he bucks the age trend toward older players. While a 16-hole golf course is odd, he said it will work out, and he and his friends usually play just nine, anyway, the State Journal reported.
“It’s just gorgeous. To have something like that in the middle of a major city is underrated and probably under-appreciated, but certainly not by me,” he said.
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