Current Status:
The golf course is hickory-only and walking-only, as of August 2026.
Both changes arrived well ahead of the original 2028 target.
The Keweenaw Mountain Lodge exists to get people closer to nature. Our golf course is a historic wilderness course built at the top of the Keweenaw, and the Lodge holds a place on the National Register of Historic Places,. Hickory clubs, natural fairways, and walking are the way golf was played here in the 1930s, and they are the way golf best fits the land. Playing hickory rewards accuracy and course management over muscle, and walking the course slows the round down so golfers can enjoy the surroundings.
The announcement was made on October 21, 2025, with the transition happening over a 3-year period. The full transition will be completed in the 2028 golf season. UPDATE: We moved sooner than 2028 — we are now hickory-only and walking-only as of August 2026.
2026 timeline
October 21, 2025 — The announcement. The Lodge announced a move to a hickory-sticks and walking-only golf course, with a three-year transition that would finish in the 2028 season.
Early July 2026 — Walking-only. Dry conditions in early July led us to restrict the course to walking only. Walking the course that month confirmed for us that walking is the game of golf, not riding a golf cart.
July 28, 2026 — Walking-only becomes permanent. We announced that the course would be walking-only permanently, ahead of the 2028 deadline.
August 15, 2026 — Hickory-only. With walking confirmed, we moved to hickory-only golf. As we wrote at the time, there is no reason to wait any longer. This completed the hickory | natural fairways | walking focus for the course.
August 20, 2026 — Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. The course was designated a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary by Audubon International, recognizing the natural management practices behind the course.
August 31, 2026 — Transition cutoff for the 2026 season. Cabin guests with a cabin booking in place as of August 31, 2026 may play modern clubs for the remainder of the 2026 season. Any lodging reservation made after August 31, 2026 is hickory-only.
October 15, 2026 — Last golf day of the 2026 season. The golf season runs June 1 through October 15 and is never opened early or extended.
2027 season and beyond. Every round is hickory-only and walking-only.
What this means for your round
- Bring your own hickory clubs or rent a set. We keep both right-handed and left-handed hickory rental sets. We have a limited number of sets, so reserve your rental clubs ahead of time.
- Pull carts are available to help you walk the course.
- Tee times are by advance reservation only, and you must be a cabin guest to play.
- New to hickory golf? The Society of Hickory Golfers is a great place to start.
How we are caring for the course
The change in how golfers play goes together with how we care for the land. Course changes began in the 2024 season:
- Growing fine fescue longer to better define the holes
- Expanding the greens back to their original size, increasing the putting surface from about 1 acre to about 1.66 acres across 2024 through 2026
- Cutting the greens at a higher height of 3/16″
- Using autonomous fairway mowers and all-electric green mowers
- Working with Audubon International on golf course sanctuary certification
This is how we marry history with the future to arrive at a vibrant and progressive present.
A note on who this is for
We understand that this decision will not appeal to everyone, and we are fine with that. The Keweenaw Mountain Lodge is a unique place focused on a niche market, and that focus is how we get people closer to nature. For golfers who prefer modern clubs and carts, there are other courses in the Keweenaw and beyond.
Related posts
- Golf Course is Now Walking Only (July 28, 2026)
- The Golf Course is Now Hickory Only (August 15, 2026)
- Our Historic Wilderness Golf Course Is Now a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary (August 2026)
- Golf course rules and tee times
We have been talking to various hickory stick manufacturers to build out our hickory stick rental sets.
We continue to modify the golf course each year to fit the historic nature of the Lodge golf course and the historic nature of the game of golf. This process started during the 2024 golf season (e.g. growing the fine fescue longer in to better define each hole, and expanding the greens back to their original size — in 2024, 2025, and 2026 the putting surface area will have increased from 1 acre to close to 1.66 acres; cutting the greens at a higher height — 3/16″). But we still think about the future — as part of our marrying history with the future concept. For example, mowing the fairways and roughs with autonomous mowers, mowing the greens with an all-electric mower, etc. And working with Audubon International to continue to get better as a golf course sanctuary.