KALAMAZOO TOWNSHIP, Mich. — While the future of a beloved Kalamazoo golf course is up in the air, one township official is making it clear that there are no plans to sell it at this time.
Two longtime managers at Grand Prairie Golf Course will be retiring at the end of the 2026 season, according to Kalamazoo Township Supervisor David Combs.
Combs says an investor is eyeing the property as a potential site for single-family housing, but there are currently no offers on the table.
“To be clear, there is no plan to sell the Grand Prairie Golf Course,” Combs said. “There has been no offer made, no offer accepted, no offer being currently considered.”
Kalamazoo Township owns the golf course and because of a resolution passed by the board in 1989, the property is to be only used for recreational use.
However, the township is getting the property appraised.
“The short version is the revenue has been virtually non-existent for the township over the past especially the past decade or so and maintenance costs have been rising,” Combs said.
According to Combs, the golf course is barely breaking even and the township not only needs to find new management to run it, but also come up with a plan so its profitable.
“We have to do something. If the township does nothing, there will be an empty field there next year, not a golf course,” Combs said.
Residents and golfers News Channel 3 spoke with say they are afraid of the golf course going away.
South Haven resident Kendra Super has played at Grand Prairie since she was a little girl. Her and her dad, Timothy Berkey, come every season.
“I have golfed here my whole life,” Super said. “I feel like it’s a tradition, it’s history, it is not only a great resource for the people of this community but also surrounding communities.”
Kalamazoo residents Katie Kelly and Ike Turner have lived in the neighborhood across from Gull Prairie for more than a decade.
“I’ve known several people in the neighborhood who literally moved to the neighborhoods so they can walk to the golf course,” Turner said.
Combs says the township knows how much Grand Prairie means to the community and the township hopes to keep it operational if feasible.
“The board had a conversation about actually expanding the golf course operations to include potentially things like a restaurant and even more facilities,” Combs said.
“If there was a way we could keep it as a park or a community-focused area with some ways that the township can also profit off of it or at least break even and pay for it, would be amazing,” Kelly said.
Combs says the township wants to hear from community members before they make any decisions. He is encouraging people to come to the board of trustees meetings.
The next board of trustees meeting is scheduled for Aug. 10 at 6 p.m. at Charter Township of Kalamazoo Administrative Offices.
By then, Combs said the township should have the property appraisal back.