Daily Herald opinion: A makeover strategy works: DuPage forest preserve finds success with its golf courses
Nearly eight years after completing an ambitious renovation of its golf course in Addison, the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County is seeing its golf operation generate a lot of green.
Last year, the district collected $8.38 million in revenue from its three “golf preserves” — The Preserve at Oak Meadows in Addison, Maple Meadows in Wood Dale, and the 9-hole Green Meadows in Westmont.
Ed Stevenson, the district’s director of golf, told senior writer Katlyn Smith that the combined revenue amount was the highest total on record for the three properties.
After the district paid all the operational expenses for the golf preserves, it still made a profit of more than $2.5 million in 2024.
It’s an impressive turnaround for an operation that used to lose money. Those difficult few years came after a 2009 fire destroyed the former clubhouse at Oak Meadows. The property was also experiencing increased flooding.
Around the same time, other local governments saw their public golf courses hit a rough patch. Golf experts blamed a decline in the sport's popularity and said there were too many golf courses and not enough golfers.
Many park districts responded by marketing other amenities, like restaurants, bars and gambling machines, to attract golfers.
In DuPage, the forest preserve district resisted calls from some who suggested that it close or privatize its courses. Following years of discussion and planning, officials agreed to spend millions of dollars to improve Oak Meadows.
As part of the two-year project — completed in August 2017 — the district restored a portion of Salt Creek that runs through the 288-acre property and consolidated two courses into a single 18-hole facility with increased flood resistance and more stormwater storage capacity.
The district bought Oak Meadows in 1985 to retain stormwater. However, having holes that flood created problems for the golf operation.
After the renovation, portions of the property still flood during heavy rains, but the water is held in areas intended for that purpose. Meanwhile, the tees, greens and fairways remain dry.
The result was a facility well-positioned to take advantage of the surge in rounds played at public golf courses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stevenson said the district has seen “continued growth and participation.” Smith reported the number of golf rounds topped 100,000 in 2023 and held steady last year at 97,200.
A decade ago, it appeared that more public golf courses in the suburbs would need to close. So, it is refreshing to see the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County find success by upgrading its golf preserves. It will be interesting to see what officials do with a planned makeover of Maple Meadows.