Golf course coming back to Grove Park? Jackson plans $1.3M in upgrades for historic park

Posted by author March 6, 2025 Golf

Golf course coming back to Grove Park? Jackson plans .3M in upgrades for historic park

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The restoration of Grove Park, which closed in January, is now underway, with upgrades planned for the pool, baseball fields, and the eventual reopening of the 9-hole golf course.

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and Abram Muhammad, director of the Department of Parks and Recreation, made the announcement Thursday afternoon at a press conference at the park. They were joined by city leaders, including Mississippi Senator Hillman Frazier and Ward 4 Councilman Brian Grizzell.

Located in Northwest Jackson, Grove Park sits next to the former Lake Hico, which has since been drained. It was the first public recreational space created to serve Black residents in Jackson during the Jim Crow era.

The city plans to invest $1.3 million in the restoration, funded by Jackson’s settlement with Zurich-American Insurance Group. The $10.3 million settlement was reached last year after a more than 10-year legal battle with the insurer over damage from a 2013 hailstorm that affected more than 100 city-owned buildings.

Muhammad said construction is already underway on the pool. Future work will focus on the playground, pavilion, concessions, and baseball fields, which will be equipped with lights for night games. Other upgrades include renovations to the park’s tennis courts, with two courts being converted to pickleball courts, and improvements to the Grove Park Community Center.

The Grove Park Golf Course, closed for years due to budget cuts, will also be reopened, although details will be provided at a future news conference, Muhammad said.

Another area of Grove Park will also be developed into a walking track and “a community fitness area,” Muhammad said.

“Grove Park has been the cornerstone of this community for over 60 years where families gathered, friendships were made and traditions were built,” said Grizzell, who has made restoring Grove Park a priority since he was elected to represent Ward 4.

He called the upgrades personal.

“They mean so much, not just for me, but this is an investment beyond beautification. This is about restoring a space that has for so long provided so much for so many people. It’s about assuring future generations having a safe and welcoming and thriving place to learn, to play and to grow,” Grizzell said.

The aim is to finish the park’s restoration and have it reopen in the spring or summer.

The Grove Park restoration is part of broader park upgrade in Jackson. In January, Livingston Park in West Jackson reopened with a 9-hole disc golf course, which cost the city $29,000. Plans are also in place to build pickleball courts at “The Pulse at Farish Street,” a development in Downtown Jackson linked to the Jackson’s bribery scandal.