Grand Rapids Curling Club

About Grand Rapids Curling Club

Grand Rapids Curling Club: A 1897 Tradition Reborn in West Michigan

Grand Rapids Curling Club carries on a curling tradition in West Michigan that dates to the 19th century. The original club was organized around 1897 with its own board of directors and reached a peak of about 150 members in the early 1900s before the game faded in the mid-1920s and the club dissolved. The modern club was refounded in 2020 and began play in the fall of 2021 through a partnership with Kentwood Ice Arena, part of Kentwood Public Schools, where hockey ice is converted to curling ice before each session.

Growth since the restart has been quick. By February 2022 the club had more than 70 members and every Learn to Curl class of its first season had sold out. By 2026, more than 1,600 people had taken a class over four years, with Saturday sessions of up to 32 players covering delivery, sweeping, rules and a friendly game.

Members curl in league nights twice a week, and the club has added a four-week mini-league in spring to move new curlers from class to competition. Corporate events round out the calendar, and the club is known for a social atmosphere on the ice, with music playing during games.