LANSING – A hundred years of swinging clubs while learning life’s lessons and strengthening friendships and family ties at Groesbeck Golf Course was celebrated Tuesday, April 14.
With more golf.
Golf balls flew thanks to club action from Lansing Mayor Andy Schor, East Lansing native Lynn Janson, a former PGA Tour professional; and Burton Smith, a Lansing native, African-American, and a former member of the 1976 and 1977 Ivy League championship teams.
Their ceremonial drives were part of an afternoon celebration for the more than 50 people who visited the city’s last surviving municipal golf course at 1523 E. Cesar E. Chavez Ave. to kick off its centennial season.
Schor was one of a few who gave special remarks, noting that former Michigan Gov. Alex Groesbeck, and former Lansing Mayor Alfred Doughty were the first to hit golf balls at the course in June 1926.
“Today, we mark the centennial anniversary of this city landmark,” he said, adding that Groesbeck serves as the “people’s course” in the city. “It is a historic gem that’s accessible for every resident.
“Groesbeck is an asset to our city, and as long as I’m mayor we won’t be shutting it down.”
He invited those gathered for the centennial event to spend the season play a lot of golf at Groesbeck, known for its 18-hole, Par 71 course, and scenic beauty.
Several centennial events are planned including a May 3 Hickory Golf Day, a May 17 Century Classic Scramble and June 16 marker dedication.
“One of the important aspects of a municipal golf course was that they didn’t exclude women or minorities,” said Bill Castanier, president of the Historical Society of Greater Lansing. “At other courses, they could only play on Tuesday night for two hours or something like that. There were rules like that.
“Clearly to me and I think a lot of other people, golf is more than hitting a little white ball. It’s part of our society. It’s part of our culture.”
Castanier has been researching Groesbeck’s first 100 years and preparing a small exhibit now in Groesbeck’s clubhouse.
Lansing, at one time, had four municipal golf courses. Groesbeck was its oldest.
A budget crunch following the Great Recession in 2008 shortened the list. Then-Mayor Virg Bernero said at the time that the sales of the other courses were necessary to save the city’s flagging finances.
The nine-hole Sycamore golf course closed in 2001, and in 2003 it was converted to a driving range, spurred in part by a $3.5 million loss in the previous decade across all four golf courses. A beginners program, First Tee, was launched at the property and later closed.
The Waverly and Red Cedar golf courses closed in 2007. Voters authorized the sale of the courses in a 2012 vote, although Waverly and Red Cedar weren’t officially sold to developers until 2018.
Groesbeck’s subsidy from the city was $207,550 in 2018, when the Lansing Entertainment and Public Facilities Authority took control. The subsidy had dropped to less than $100,000 in 2024.
The city’s subsidy for Groesbeck’s operations was $15,000 this budget cycle and could increase to $72,000 for capital expenses in the proposed budget plan that would start July 1, said Brett Kaschinske, the city’s parks director.
The number of rounds played increased dramatically from 14,702 rounds in 2017 to 32,791 in 2021. More than 30,000 rounds are now played annually, said Mindy Biladeau, a LEPFA spokesperson.
Contact editor Susan Vela at svela@lsj.com or 248-873-7044. Follow her on Twitter @susanvela.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lansing marks 100 years for Groesbeck Golf Course, Schor vows not to close it
Reporting by Susan Vela, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
