6 carts stolen from Hiawatha Golf Club in Minneapolis

Six golf carts were stolen after hours from a municipal golf course in Minneapolis, officials said Wednesday.

The carts were hauled away from the Hiawatha Golf Club, located west of Lake Hiawatha in south Minneapolis, said Park and Recreation Board spokeswoman Dawn Sommers.

Sommers said some type of large vehicle must have been used to make off from the 80-year-old course with the carts, collectively valued at $27,000.

The thefts occurred sometime after closing Tuesday night and before the attendant arrived at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, she said. Neither the white carts, with canopies and the course's logo on the front, nor the thief or thieves have been located.

"Somebody planned it, and they executed it," Sommers said. "We'd very much like to have them back and have golfers using them."

Park Police Chief Jason Ohotto declined to explain "the methods or tactics" used to pull off the crime.

The 18-hole course's carts are stored in a secured area outside not far from the clubhouse, whose entrance is along Longfellow Avenue near E. 46th Street.

Course manager Dan Stoneburg said that outside storage is "coming to an end" in the wake of someone being "able to break into the secured area and get them out."

Stoneburg said this is the biggest cart heist he has seen at the course in his 30 years on the job. Four were swiped in one incident last year, he said.

"This is the frustrating part of this job," Stoneburg said. "These carts must be a wanted thing for some reason."

A check of eBay finds these types of carts selling around the country for $2,500 and higher.

Anyone with information about the case is urged to call Park Police at 612-348-2345.