Grand Prairie Golf Course

Keep at it, and one day the ball might actually go in the hole. GPGC member and course favorite, Nancy Simmons gets her first hole in one on hole #9.
Congratulations Nancy!

Adorable stowaway spotted on the course. Now we all want one of those on our cart.

A note from Jim Roschek, PGA and Operator of Grand Prairie Golf Course...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2026

First and foremost: My wife Ann Marie and I would like to thank all the patrons of the Grand Prairie Golf Club who have supported us over these last 35 years. Our mission was always to provide a nice golf course at affordable prices. We wanted to grow the game through instruction, junior golf, school programs, Special Olympics, and creating a welcoming environment for those who chose to play our course. As we assess the last 35 years, we feel we can pat ourselves on the back and say well-done.

Recently, the Township of Kalamazoo, has decided to cancel our operating contract and move in another direction. Ann Marie and I wanted to finish the last year of our agreement and notified the Township of this on June 23rd of this year. There has been a lot of conversation about the motivation of our dismissal, and we wanted to make sure everyone heard our version of the events.

Late last fall, I had a conversation with the Operations Director of the Township about our last two years of our contract and what lies ahead for not only ourselves but for the Township. It was an effort on my part to start the conversation about getting a new operator for the golf course when our time was over. I did mention that 2026 could be our last year but we would notify the Township of our decision in the spring or early summer on what we would like to do. We made that commitment to them that we would be returning for the 2027 season on June 23rd of this year. When we did not hear from the Township after a couple of weeks, I contacted the operations manager at the Township and inquired about the fulfillment of our contract. I directly asked her, “Can you confirm that we will be operating the golf course for the 2027 season?” She stated she could not confirm this.

It was important to us to have certainty on our contract because we were spending money improving the cart paths and the course, we have a significant amount of inventory to liquidate and have a lot of long-term employees to inform. Consequently, I wrote another letter to the Township on July 23, 2026, asking for written assurances that we would be operating the golf course for the 2027 golf season.

I attended a Board of Trustee work session on Monday, July 27 and while looking at some minutes of a previous meeting, I saw that the Board had already voted to provide us notice that 2026 would be our last season. I spoke at the meeting and noted my surprise that the Board had already decided to end our contract after 35 years with no conversation with us, not even a phone call.

On July 28th, I received an email from the Superintendent that “the Township of Kalamazoo is exercising its right to terminate the Golf Course Management Agreement.

That is the sequence of events of our dismissal but more importantly, what is the Township going to do with the Grand Prairie Golf Course? Sell it? Get a new operator? We thought the course was deed restricted to staying as a golf course? These are all questions we need to know.

Though Ann Marie and I will not be operating the course in 2027, we have assured the Township of a professional transition as we conclude our last 90 days. There have been at least three credible operators that have shown interest in the golf course.

We sincerely hope that Grand Prairie stays as a golf course, remains an institution in the Westwood area, and a leader in affordable golf in the Kalamazoo area.
Thank you for your interest and thank you for 35 years of memories.

Jim Roschek, PGA

Grand Prairie Golf Course
3620 Grand Prairie Rd.
Kalamazoo MI 49006
(269) 388-4447
grandprairiegolfcourse.com

The is in full swing on the course! And no worries… we’re open for you to also hit the links.

Did somebody say, free golf?

So, his friend, the penguin, was picked up by his owner, but we’re still looking for this guy’s family. We’re doing our best to feed him, but he’s starting to cause a bit of a ruckus by chewing EVERYTHING. Hopefully his rightful owner claims him soon. We think he’s lonely.

Open play all weekend. Yes, we're open on the 4th! And no, we do not take tee times. Come on out!

We’re keeping an eye on these two until their owners come back for them…

Looking good on the course makes all the difference… $400 for BagBoy Push cart / Golf Bag Combo.

Sometimes, the greatest moments happen when you’re alone. 12-yr-old Miles VanHamersveld was on hole 7 on this beautiful morning, teeing off from the forward tees, when he swung, and watched the ball land on the green … and disappear! Thankfully, the ladies a hole over witnessed the magic.

Sometimes we get that hole-in-one after a lifetime of playing golf. And sometimes it happens when you’re 12. Congratulations Miles!