Golfers have been on the course since April 11, about three weeks earlier than normal. The warm winter only helped conditions at the course, which club President Steve Flaminio says are exceptional for the time of the year.

Founded in 1902, Pine Grove Country Club is one of the oldest in Upper Michigan. Pine Grove is a semi-private country club at 1520 W. Hughitt St. in Iron Mountain.

“The goal of Pine Grove is we want to make it a great experience for our members and our guests,” Flaminio said.

Flaminio has a long history with Pine Grove Country Club. He has played golf at the course since he was young and worked as a caddy in the ’70s near the end of the caddy era. Flaminio and his wife had their wedding reception in the old clubhouse.

THE CLUBHOUSE at Pine Grove Country Club in Iron Mountain. (Jim Paul/Daily News photo)

Though he left the area for several years, he often played golf at Pine Grove as a guest. After returning to the area in 2020, Flaminio became a member and soon was on the board of directors. He has been president for the past year.

Pine Grove Country Club currently has 460 members — 380 golfing members and another 80 social members. The club limits the number of golfing members to 450 to protect the integrity of the course.

The course is also open to the public at certain times — all day on Mondays, mornings on Thursdays and Fridays and afternoons on the weekends.

Flaminio says the course — 18 holes since 1964 — can be challenging, which is what brings the golfers in.

“It is called Pine Grove for a reason, with lots of trees, and it is hilly, a lot of elevation changes and it is narrow, too. It is not as long as some courses, but the difficulty is there because of the trees, narrowness and the hills,” Flaminio said. “It has been around so long and has such a great reputation that people want to come and play this course. We have a lot of people during the year that will come up from Wisconsin to play Pine Grove because they have heard about it.”

Golfers at Pine Grove Country Club can also take advantage of private and group instruction from golf professionals, a driving range and indoor golf simulator, all to help improve their game. Cart rental and storage are available as well, along with club storage.

Pine Grove operates a pro shop featuring a wide array of golf merchandise and apparel.

In addition to the full range of golf services, members and guests can enjoy a lounge and dining room.

During the season, dining is available on Thursdays, which are pizza nights. On Friday nights, dining is available in the Hearth Room, with a fish fry and the regular dinner menu that features Italian entrees, tenderloin steaks and ribs.

Also during the golf season, lunch is served Tuesday through Friday. Tuesday nights are ladies’ night and Wednesdays are men’s nights.

Pine Grove offers banquet services, hosting weddings, private events, graduation parties and holiday parties. The clubhouse can handle 25 to almost 300 people attending. Nonprofit organizations often use the facilities for their events.

The clubhouse, which was built in 2002 after the original was destroyed by a fire set by vandals, was rebuilt bigger and is currently going through some upgrades, such as new carpeting and fresh paint. A new patio that faces the course features a fire table and barbecue grill where members and guests can relax and enjoy the view.

The clubhouse at Pine Grove Country Club usually closes for two weeks in November for maintenance; however, this past November it was closed for the whole month to allow for the updates. The clubhouse reopened in December, in time for holiday parties in the banquet rooms.

Those interested in playing golf can call 906-774-2994 for tee times. Also, Pine Grove Country Club is currently accepting applications for membership that can be downloaded at https://pinegrovecc.org/Membership/Applying-for-Membership.