Minneapolis Park Board reconsiders reducing Hiawatha Golf Course to 9 holes

Talk about shrinking the Hiawatha Golf Course is back again.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is considering a revival of the $60 million Hiawatha Park and Golf Course Master Plan that was defeated by the previous Park Board in 2021.

The Park Board has been sharply divided over how to mitigate flooding and high water problems at Hiawatha. The Master Plan would reduce the golf course from 18 to nine holes and environmental changes would be put in place to stop the pumping of millions of gallons of groundwater into Lake Hiawatha every year.

But many Black residents oppose cutting the golf course in half because of its rich historical significance connected to the civil rights movement.

In the 1940s, the golf course was still segregated, with whites only allowed in the clubhouse and African Americans allowed to golf only during off hours, particularly in the evening.

Solomon Hughes, a Black golfer, pressed Hiawatha to end its segregation policies, and in 1948 the clubhouse was integrated, allowing African Americans to play the course during more desirable tee times.

It’s that historical significance, Park Board Vice President Alicia Smith argues, that cannot and should not be eliminated by cutting the course in half.

“People come here for the experience and to stand on such a shoulder of a giant like Solomon Hughes,” Smith said in an interview with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS. “We’re talking about someone who was brave enough to be the first — and the only — and creating a space where others can feel welcomed.”

Board Commissioner Steffanie Musich said she was sensitive to the historical value of the golf course, but said the park and golf course could not survive if things don’t change.

“We are also dealing with our coming climate future and the fact that this site was massively changed by our predecessors in ways that cannot endure in the long term,” Musich said during Wednesday’s Park Board meeting.

The Park Board voted late Wednesday night to hold a public hearing on the Master Plan being revisited no sooner than Aug. 17.