Cooley Law School Stadium morphs into mini golf course

Cooley Law School Stadium is shifting from a place to hit home runs to holes in one.

The home of the Lansing Lugnuts has been transformed into an 18-hole miniature golf course for one week. The course will be open to the public from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Lugnuts Assistant General Manager of Marketing and Special Events Linda Frederickson said the opportunity to transform the ballpark into a miniature golf course was made possible because the stadium is having its field replaced next week. Frederickson said this week will likely be the only opportunity for at least a decade to play golf on the stadium playing surface.

“We learned of some others teams that have tried it when they were going to do a field replacement, and we were intrigued by it and really wanted to do it,” said Frederickson, who partnered with Maple Brook Golf Club and City Limits East to make miniature golf a reality.

Lugnut Head Groundskeeper Lenny Yoder designed the baseball-obstacle-filled course, which starts on the outfield grass and ends on the pitcher’s mound.

Frederickson said bringing miniature golf to the stadium is another way for the Lugnuts to provide entertainment for the Lansing area.

“Cooley Law School Stadium in my mind is more than just a baseball stadium,” Frederickson said. “We’re trying to make this a community center where lots of things can happen at the ballpark. Beerfest at the ballpark – this is now going to be the sixth one. We’re having miniature golf at the ballpark. We want to have concerts at the ballpark. Hopefully someday we’ll have a winter festival. We’re really trying to put something together to have a fun downtown winter fest.

“If you can think it, we can do it. That’s my motto. We’d love to have people here all the time. Baseball is 71 games in a calendar year so there’s lots of open dates to come have fun at the ballpark.”

Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.

How to go

What: Miniature Golf at the Ballpark

When: 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, noon-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday

Cost: $5