If you are looking for something to do this winter to keep active, strap on a pair of cross-country skis or snowshoes and try out the trails at Minakwa Golf Course. When snow covers the course co-owners Zach Stromen and Brandon Carlson will transform the course into trails you can navigate by either ski or snowshoe. How did the idea of making the golf course a year-round amenity come to fruition? “When we were trying to decide if we were going to purchase the golf course or not, every golf course owner I talked to said that if we did, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails worked well for them,” says Carlson. “Basically, by talking to other owners of golf courses around the area and trying to get it to be a year-round place for people to use, it seems to have gotten a lot of attraction on Facebook, unfortunately the weather kind of swapped on us here so we are going to need a little bit more snow before they will get usable again.”
Carlson says that, really, once there is enough snow, the commitment on his part to ready the course for skis and snow shoes is pretty minimal. “It took me about half an hour to groom the trails that I groomed the other day,” says Carlson. “I was grooming like every other day it seemed like.” There are a few spots on the course that take a little more time to get ready. “The trails on the top of the hill, closer to Fisher Ave., are higher maintenance; they blow in much easier. The stuff down by the lower ground seems to stay a little bit better.”
Initially, the thought was just for cross-country skiing, but Carlson says he had a few requests for snowshoeing trials as well. Walking on the ski trails, however, doesn’t work as it messes things up, so Carlson is planning to find a way to groom a snowshoe trail alongside the ski trail so snowshoes can come out too when there is more snow.
Eventually, Carlson says they will likely need some signage put up, but this is really kind of a trial-and-error thing this year. For now, there is a map of the trails on Facebook that can be looked at before coming out to use the trails. Admittedly, Carlson is not a cross-country skier and has relied on some help with this project. “I haven’t cross-country skied since I was a kid, and I am not that knowledgeable on it, so if anybody has more knowledge than me, I’ve kind of been leaning on the Noah boys a little bit,” says Carlson. “They cross-country ski a lot, so they have been throwing ideas at me here and there.”
Carlson’s best guess while trying to keep a measurement going is that he has groomed about three to four miles of trails. The trails are open to anyone and extend into Schuster Park. “We aren’t charging anything; it’s just kind of something for us to do for the community to do during the wintertime to get people outside.” People are welcome to come out anytime to use the trails, the club house does not have to be open. You can jump on the trail at any time. Carlson says they were able to acquire the use of some skis for those who may not have any but would like to try cross-country skiing. You do not have to rent them; you just have to come out at a time the clubhouse is open and leave your ID and a credit card to ensure the equipment will be returned.
Carlson has been doing his best to steer clear of the greens as he is grooming these trails, and they, of course, are hoping that anyone coming out to enjoy the outdoors will be respectful of the property so it can have this year-round usage continue into the future. “We ask that if people come out there, that they stay on the trails, that they stay on the appropriate trail, that is for the use whether they are skiing or snowshoeing and respect the property as if it were yours.”
Of course, snow is the ticket, and we know that being in Northern Minnesota, it will be back. When it is, stop out and try out the trails at Minakwa.
