Still a friendly walk in the Wing Park

It's hard to get wet here, unless it's raining. And if you're up for a day at the beach, there are only seven bunkers on the whole course.

But the greens are tiny.

Welcome to Wing Park Golf Club in Elgin, which celebrates its centennial this year and has the distinction of being the oldest municipal 9-hole course in Illinois.

It may lack the glitz of modern courses, with their gorgeous vistas and elaborate hazards, but there is a quiet dignity about this place -- and we're not only talking about the nice man taking our money behind the counter or the starter out by the first tee box.

Enormous trees abound. And the postage-stamp greens were designed not for the big hitters of today but precision golfers of old. It's a place where those new to the game can learn a lot and not be intimidated.

As editors and avowed duffers at the Daily Herald, we wanted to mark the occasion by playing a round -- on company time, of course -- to see what it was all about.

It ended up being as much about the people you meet as the golf you play.

Join us on our round, which played 3,131 yards from the blues.

No. 1, The Lark

• 313 yards, par 4, slight dogleg left

• 7th hardest hole

Jim: Par; Mike: Double bogey

Since lots of season pass holders come to the course alone, we were paired with Lyle Kurth, 74, of Elgin.

"You call everyone by their first names," Lyle told us. "Nobody ever asks the last name. You're Lyle or Joe or Pete."

The former principal of Good Shepherd Lutheran School lived in Elgin in the 1960s, moved away in 1982 and returned for his retirement 10 years ago. He plays every day.

Lyle knows each hole as well as anyone. He doesn't always hit it a mile but he's down the middle more times than not. Nonetheless, he concurs that if you can hit your first shot just to the left of the giant oak tree left of the fairway, you're in excellent position for a short chip and a birdie putt -- whether you intended to put it there or not.

If you hit it straight down the fairway (like Lyle) you have a longer setup shot because of a modest turn to the left. The green is slow and basically flat but slopes up toward the back.

Lyle has the right idea. Leave the fairway and the grass, while not long, is as dense as otter fur.

This is a walkers' course. While they have carts (at $8 per rider) you rarely see them used. And forget about GPS.

Once you come to realize that sprinkler head yardage markers are few and far between -- and that the low shrubs surrounded by red mulch are the 150-yard markers on each hole -- you can settle down and have fun.

No. 2, Purgatory

• 380 yards, par 4, straight

• 3rd hardest hole

Jim: Bogey; Mike: Bogey

On this day, Lyle tells us he played 9 in the morning, went home and painted his picnic table and came back in the afternoon for another round.

Lyle bought a seven-day senior pass for $355. "Last year I figure it cost me $1.83 a round," he said.

What does he like about this place?

"In all the time I've come out here -- and I always come alone -- I have never met anyone who was a real jerk.

"And the staff here is always caring, congenial and kind."

No. 3, East View

• 295 yards, par 4, straight

• 8th hardest hole

• Jim: Bogey; Mike: Bogey

If you have a big slice, chances are pretty good you'll dump your ball into Scott Menke's backyard about two-thirds down the fairway on your right.

Scott's wife grew up a couple doors down. "When this house became available in '99, we jumped on it," he said.

Scott wisely wears a blue hard hat that says "Ranger" across the front when he's cutting his grass.

If you airmail a ball into his yard, he's likely to meet you at the fence and toss your ball back. Eva, his rottweiler, is likely to accompany him. "I'm a golfer. I know how expensive balls are," he said. "My best day was a Sunday: 45 balls."

Once you get to the green, you'll find it's roughly the size of a salad plate. And if you're unlucky enough to be close but not on it, you run the risk of finding the greenside bunker and then overshooting the green.

No. 4, Hoot Mon

• 350 yards, par 4, straight, with a hill between tee box and green

• 5th hardest hole

• Mike: Par; Jim: Bogey

Ron is a special ed teacher who has been playing solo behind us. As we prepare to tee off, we watch him over airmail the green with his drive on 3. A lefty, he's a big hitter. He also backhands a 10-foot putt for birdie. We invite him to join us.

Ron plays Wing Park every day and claims he just started playing a year ago. We're dubious.

If you're playing the 4th hole on a weekend, you're about as likely to get hit by a round-tripper over the left field wall from an Elgin Classic Little League game as you are to bean another golfer with your tee shot.

No. 5, Speedway

• 175 yards, par 3, straight

• 6th hardest hole

• Jim: Bogey; Mike: Bogey

Lyle tells us that an enterprising guy named Jack can normally be found at the end of this hole, selling golf balls that he has shagged from the fence that lines the west side of the course. Too many golfers to count slice them over the fence into Wing Park proper, where you'll find picnic enclosures and basketball courts.

No. 6, Boulevard

• 571 yards, par 5, curves to the right

• Hardest hole

• Jim: Double bogey; Mike: Double bogey

This hole never ends. "This is a par 8," Lyle jokes.

To do anything with it, you need to hit it past the bell (which you ring to let the group behind you know it's OK to tee off). Go too far right and you're tangled in trees. Go too far left and you risk getting wet on the course's only pond. A solid 3-wood second shot needs to hit the fairway, preferably left of center so you have a good look at the green. The second shot also requires precision. To the right are more trees and to the left some very tall pines.

Lyle is one of those golfers who is old and wise enough to hit it short and straight every time. He's reinforcing that philosophy on this monster hole. We're not that old and not that wise, which accounts for our unlucky 7's.

No. 7, Dress Parade

• 465 yards, par 5, straight

• 4th hardest hole

• Mike: Par; Jim: Par

If you're a lefty, you're in trouble. Unless you smack it like Ron. He clears the monster tree on the right side of the fairway and fades it onto the impossibly narrow landing area. He says the water (the same pond we avoided while playing the adjacent sixth hole), which comes in on the left, has been extended about 10 yards into the fairway this season. We all miraculously manage to stay dry.

No. 8, Highlands

• 433 yards, par 4, straight, uphill all the way

• 2nd hardest hole

• Mike: Double bogey; Jim: Triple bogey

This hole plays longer than No. 6. Given what we carded it should be another par 5. Once you finally get there -- some people don't go this far on vacation -- you'll find an elevated green. Before you hit your third shot from the hill in front of the green, do yourself a favor and run up the hill to see where the green starts. There's a lot of fairway left once you reach the plateau.

No. 9, A Wee Drop

• 149 yards, par 3, straight and down hill

• Easiest hole on the course

• Jim: Par; Mike: Bogey

Despite a front pin -- and despite a near blinding sun -- this hole is almost as easy as advertised. Plays about that distance even if it is an elevated tee box. After 6, 7 and 8, it's a welcome easy hole and a prime opportunity for a feel-good birdie at the end of your round. Or a feel-good par, in our case.