University of Minnesota set to close Les Bolstad golf course
The Brief
The University of Minnesota is set to close and sell the Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon Heights.
The university cited financial concerns for the closure.
The city has looked at potential reuse ideas for the golf course, including housing development and turning it into a park.
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota announced last week plans to close the Les Bolstad golf course in Falcon Heights.
What we know
The City of Falcon Heights said on Friday it had been notified by the university that the Board of Regents will vote on selling the golf course at their June meeting.
In a news release, the city says it has been anticipating the move by the university and is already considering potential re-use of the property.
The backstory
In its own statement, the university says the decision was made due to "today's challenging financial environment."
"We recognize this course holds generations of memories for our community," the statement from the University of Minnesota reads. "This decision reflects careful consideration and was made in light of today's challenging financial environment. As a public university, we have a responsibility to ensure that our land and resources are aligned with our core mission: supporting students, advancing research, and serving the state of Minnesota."
"The golf course does not generate funding needed for the extensive repairs and upkeep that would ensure its ongoing viability," the university adds. "The University is in a constrained economic environment and must ensure every investment is core to our mission. In unpredictable times, it's more important than ever to be clear about who we are and strategic in how we deploy resources."
Dig deeper
The golf course originally opened in 1928 and covers about 141 acres off Larpenteur Avenue in Falcon Heights, not far from the University of Minnesota's St. Paul campus.
A 2024 survey by the City of Falcon Heights, which considered changes to the Larpenteur and Snelling corridor, showed most residents favored turning the golf course into a park or green space of some sort. The city says the golf course land, if sold out of public ownership, would revert to single-family zoning and it's possible at least some of the land could be developed into housing.
As far back as 2012, when the university was weighing the future of the golf course back then, there was discussion of selling the course for development.
What's next
At the same time as the university looks to unload the golf course, the Board of Regents is also considering its 2026 budget. The current proposal would come with the largest in-state tuition increase since 2010. A meeting on the budget is set for Thursday with a vote expected on June 18.
The course will remain open through the 2025 season but won't reopen next spring.
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