Nine holes, 100 years: Wing Park Golf Course still going strong
The Wing Park Golf Course in Elgin plays like it did 100 years ago.
And that's exactly what its keepers want.
The oldest city-owned 9-hole golf course in Illinois is in no need of an overhaul or redesign.
It's a classic course crafted out of some 50-plus acres on the city's near west side by Tom Bendelow, nicknamed the "Johnny Appleseed of American Golf" for designing more than 600 courses.
As the course marks 100 years, golf officials say its design, accessibility and variety of play have kept it strong.
"It's a great neighborhood golf course," said Mike Lehman, Elgin's Parks and Recreation Department's golf services manager. "It is really the key component to keeping the game rolling. You need a place to learn to play the game and Wing Park is it."
But don't let the nine-hole tag fool you.
"The greens are exceptionally small and tricky. The have very subtle ridges and dips," warned Dave Buck, clubhouse attendant and the course's de facto historian. "It's a complete challenge for the everyday golfer. It's certainly a challenge for the rookie golfer, the golfer in his early, formative years and the older golfer."
One aspect that makes the course noteworthy is it was designed by Bendelow and is nearly the same as it was 1908. Overall, he designed more than 600 courses.
"It's here as he (Bendelow) laid it out. The greens are in the same place. The tees are in the same place. We added a few bunkers," Buck said.
For regulars and employees, taking a break from the day to play the Wing for two-and-a-half hours also is part of the charm.
"We have our niche. We call our niche the jewel of the Fox River Valley," Buck said. "There are very few venues that can offer what we offer for the price."
Five years ago, Buck became interested in the course's history after he saw some old photographs of an Illinois National Guard encampment in 1909.
"It just grew from there. I thought the 100th anniversary would be the perfect time to have it designated as a historic public landmark," he said.
As a result of Buck's work, Elgin leaders declared the course a local Historical Landmark in late May.
Later this year, a Washington panel will decide whether the course should be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
If successful, that could lead to more opportunities to land grants to improve the course.
Lehman doesn't foresee wholesale changes in the course's layout.
The only improvement he would make is slightly enlarging the greens because the other grass has encroached upon them over the years.
"I don't want to necessarily change the golf course," Lehman said. "I want it to be the same thing people played in the 20s, 30s and 40s. I want to offer that to the next generation."
Did you know?
Some interesting tidbits about the Wing Park Golf Course.
Legend has it that it only took Tom Bendelow, considered Johnny Appleseed of American Golf, only three hours to design the course.
Each of the course's nine holes has a name, many of them from Illinois National Guard Encampments in the early 1900s.
The course's only pond used to be a swampy area. In 2007, the location was excavated, enlarged, its banks stabilized and native plantings added.
Bob Thoren won the Elgin City Championship six times and once beat a golfer named Arnold Palmer.
When the course first opened, playing at Wing Park was free. By 1936, it was 50 cents for an all-day pass and $1 for a season pass. It's now $12.50 on weekdays and $14.50 on weekends for Elgin residents.
For more history about the course, you can visit the Elgin Area Historical Society and Museum, 360 Park St. An exhibit there about the course runs through the end of 2008. The museum is open from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. For information, call (847) 742-4248.
Sources: Daily Herald interviews, Elgin Historical Society
100 Years at Wing Park
Some noteworthy dates in the Wing Park Golf Course's history:
Oct. 31, 1893: Washington Wing gives 121.55 acres to his son, William H. Wing.
Oct. 31, 1902: The younger Wing, an attorney and businessman, falls ill and writes his will. Since his wife died a few years earlier and they had no kids, he deeds the land to the city of Elgin to be used as a public park. He died later that day.
July 1, 1903 - The city of Elgin formally accepts land by ordinance. Later that year, three newspapers in town begin calling for a golf course and park for the site. The city names the area William H. Wing Park, takes over maintenance and begins planning.
1908: O.C. Edwards, a landscape architecture firm, is hired by Elgin to develop the park. The course costs $1,200.
May 2, 1908: Tom Bendelow, considered the Johnny Appleseed of American Golf, comes to Elgin and lays out the course. The course is initially rated a par 36.
Early September 1908: The course opens for public use.
Spring 1909: Course reopens and does not charge fees for play
July 15-29, 1909: 3,000 Illinois National Guard soldiers hold a two-week encampment at the course, holding mock battles, using wireless radio and an enormous observation balloon. Then-Illinois Gov. Charles Deneen visits troops and more than 45,000 people come to Elgin to see the encampment. The city extends water service to the course for the troops.
August 1911 - National Guard returns for a month-long encampment
1914: A brick house at 999 Wing St. is used as the clubhouse. It burned down in 1924 and was rebuilt as a private residence. A small building on site for the greenskeeper becomes the "clubhouse"
1920s: Expanding it to an 18-hole course is considered, but funding is lacking
1972: First year since 1910 that a City Golf Championship is not held at the course
1985: irrigation system installed
Early 1990s: putting green added
May 28, 2008: Elgin City Council members vote unanimously to name the course a local Historical Landmark
June 14-15, 2008: Centennial Wing Park open scheduled. Formal application to have course listed on National Registry of Historic Places will be made to Washington.
Sources: Daily Herald interviews, Elgin Area Historical Society