Rain closes golf courses, grass areas at Pioneer to parking for Michigan-Notre Dame game

Soggy weather over the past few days promises to make parking for the University of Michigan-Notre Dame game in Ann Arbor today a bigger headache than anticipated.

Both the University of Michigan Golf Course and Ann Arbor Golf and Outing have closed their primary parking areas.

The grass areas at Pioneer High School -- known as the Purple Lot -- will also be off limits.

U-M will allow permit parking only at the course from the entrance off Stadium Boulevard, a notice on the MGoBlue.com, the university’s official athletic site said this morning. Entrances off Main Street and State Street will be closed, the notice said, and there will be no cash sales.

Officials at the nearby Ann Arbor Golf and Outing Club said Friday the course would be closed to public parking.

The closures mean thousands of fans who might normally park at the courses will have to find somewhere else, likely further away to leave their vehicles during the game.

The university offers suggestions for parking on its website. AATA offers shuttles from various locations around Ann Arbor. Find details here.