Sale of Superior National Golf Course receives interest from 30 prospective buyers

Since hiring SVN Northco, a commercial real estate firm, to facilitate the sale of the Superior National Golf Course, the Cook County/Grand Marais Economic Development Authority (EDA) has received upwards of 30 inquiries from interested buyers.

Most of the interested buyers are Minnesota-based companies or individuals, with a few potential buyers coming from farther afield, including Texas.

Since March, SVN Northco and Mike Larson, who serves as a liaison for the EDA for the sale of the golf course, have been showing the property to prospective buyers.

“There’s been a lot of interest in the golf course over these last couple of months,” said EDA Board Chair Peter Clissold.

Clissold said showings with interested buyers will continue throughout June.

Discussions among the EDA Board and the Cook County Board of Commissioners to sell the golf course have been ongoing for nearly two years. In late summer and early fall of 2024, the EDA officially decided to sell the 27-hole public golf course.

The decision followed a market analysis report conducted by a hired consultant, which identified necessary capital improvements, operational capacity issues, labor shortages, and other key findings. Given the findings in the market analysis report, the Superior National Board of Governors recommended to the EDA that the best course of action was to sell the golf course to a private party.

Following the recommendation, the EDA Board hired SVN Northco, based in Minneapolis, Minn., in January 2025 to facilitate the sale of the golf course with the help of Larson. Larson is the president of the Superior National Board of Governors and has an extensive history with the golf course.

The listing price for the 213.2-acre Superior National Golf Course is $2.9 million.

Clissold said there have not been any discussions about price with any potential buyers to date.

In previous meetings, the EDA Board has discussed setting stipulations for the sale. Potential stipulations discussed during the Jan. 21 meeting were that the golf course must remain a public golf course for a certain number of years and offer a first right of refusal to the Nelson family, among others.

Kalli Hawkins June 4, 2025