Nearly a century of golf history at the University of Minnesota ended this fall.
Citing financial challenges and the increasing cost of maintenance, the University of Minnesota has closed the 96-year-old Les Bolstad Golf Course and plans to sell the 140.9 acres on which the course is located, according to the university.
Designed in 1929 by Tom Vardon, the course officially closed its doors on Oct. 30. The course employed about 60 University of Minnesota students in a variety of roles.
According to the university: "The golf course does not generate funding needed for the extensive repairs and upkeep that would ensure its ongoing viability."
The property will be sold as-is, including all existing infrastructure and buildings. The adjacent John W. Mooty Golf Facility and associated short game outdoor training area, used by the university's golf teams, as well as Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium that is used by the women's soccer team are not part of the sale.
Playing 6,259 yards from the back tees, the golf course was home to both accomplished college players as well newcomers to the game and everyone in between.
The university's golf teams, while continuing to practice on the adjacent site, will play home matches 15 miles away at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota.
The golf course was identified by university officials as a potential area of opportunity for sale as far back as 2021. Proceeds from the sale will be earmarked for use in "areas more directly aligned with the core mission of teaching, research and service."
The course's namesake, Les Bolstad, was the youngest U.S. Public Links Championship winner in 1926, at age 18, a record that stood for almost 40 years. He joined the University of Minnesota golf team the following year in 1927, where he won two Big Ten championships.
After a professional golf career, Bolstad was named coach of the university's men's golf team in 1947, a position he held for 30 years.
