With golf course redo underway, Maple Meadows clubhouse slated to get upgrades

The public Maple Meadows golf course is in the midst of a major update, and DuPage County forest preserve officials are planning clubhouse renovations to go along with it.

Last year, the board hired Wadsworth Golf Construction for a revamp of the district-owned course in Wood Dale.

Wadsworth also completed the overhaul of Oak Meadows, transforming a property with a history of flooding into an 18-hole course renamed The Preserve at Oak Meadows. In recognizing the project with one of its 2017 “Force of Nature” awards, the Chicago Wilderness Alliance highlighted how previously manicured fairways and turf became acres of upland prairie and oak savanna.

Work on its sister course started at the end of the 2025 season. The Maple Meadows project involves a complete renovation of the course layout, a new irrigation system, new cart paths and parking lot reconstruction.

“Golf course construction is currently anticipated to be completed late this fall, with turf establishment expected to be completed by the summer of 2027,” said Karen Gray, the district’s manager of planning.

The district also hired Woodhouse Tinucci Architects to design clubhouse improvements, a larger outdoor patio and a new halfway house between holes 9 and 10 — a convenient spot to grab a snack in the middle of your round. The stand-alone structure, situated north of Dominion Drive, would also have flush restrooms.

The district aims to complete the project around the same time as the golf course will be ready for play.

The district anticipates releasing the project for bid in late June or early July.

“All included, we are looking at a ballpark project likely around $6 million total, pending alternate selections, built-in contingencies and just the actual bid results as they come in,” Gray said in a recent update to the board. “This puts us in the range of the original project budget.”

Improved amenities can encourage “golfer lingering” and increase food and beverage revenues, golf league activity and event bookings, according to a Maple Meadows master plan.

“Primarily, we're designing the business model at this location around what would prioritize three-season use,” said Ed Stevenson, the district's executive adviser and director of business enterprises.

He pointed to more of a quick-service type of dining model, and “that is meant to complement what we're already doing very nearby at The Preserve at Oak Meadows.”

The district envisions a patio addition behind the Maple Meadows clubhouse. A covered outdoor pavilion with rooftop solar panels is also planned. The rear patio of the clubhouse has a “minimal colonnade that offers only small sitting and table areas” for outdoor dining, a previous architectural study found.

“The pavilion will expand the capacity and flexibility of this patio and the clubhouse so we have more support for indoor and outdoor events,” Gray said.

The architectural firm is also incorporating renewable energy and sustainability features in the designs.

“The doors and the windows in the existing clubhouse will be replaced with more energy-efficient systems, and lighting improvements throughout will utilize LEDs and occupancy sensors. The plans also call for replacing the main roof and adding solar to it as well,” Gray said.

As part of interior renovations, the district would reconfigure office space to expand a flexible event area, a board presentation noted.

“We have changes to the inefficient locker room and office space, and then we're also relocating the bar to the other side of the event space and making some changes for kitchen access and a few other minor things in the kitchen,” Gray said.

The district also owns the 9-hole Green Meadows in Westmont.