Wing Park Golf Course

Elgin's Wing Park Golf Course, completed in 1908, stands as one of Illinois' oldest continually operating public golf courses and the one of the first municipally owned courses in the state. Designed by the prolific Tom Bendelow, the 52-acre, nine-hole course retains its original configuration of tees, fairways, and greens, exemplifying Bendelow's early work with parallel fairways, small greens, and integration of natural terrain. Situated within the 121-acre Wing Park, which was donated by William H. Wing in 1902, the course was built at a remarkably low cost of $1,250, making golf accessible to the general public. This included players of both genders and a wide range of ages and abilities, at a time when the sport was largely exclusive to wealthy country club members. Its historical significance led to its listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

The golf course at Wing Park quickly gained popularity, leading to the formation of the Wing Park Golf Club on September 14, 1912. This private club purchased property directly across from the park entrance on Wing Street and built a one-and-a-half story Craftsman-style bungalow clubhouse with a broad veranda facing the links, offering members a place to relax, socialize, and rent lockers. The club immediately sold its 200 available memberships. Members of the Wing Park Golf Club actively promoted the game in Elgin, hosting tournaments on the public course, including the Elgin City Championship Tournament, which was played on the course from 1910 to 1961. Despite proposals in the mid-1920s to expand the course to 18 holes, which were halted by the Great Depression, the course has maintained its original design and remains a cherished destination for Elgin golfers today.

These days, Wing Park offers a well-maintained municipal course offering a full-length 9-hole challenge. This isn't an executive course; with a par of 36, it includes two par 5s and two par 3s. The longest hole, #6, measures 571 yards, serving as the number one handicap hole. The course spans 3131 yards with a course rating of 34.6 and a slope of 114. Courses with a similar difficulty are Billy Caldwell, Lombard Golf Course, and Shiloh Park. Golfers should be prepared for postage stamp-sized greens. The layout features mostly parallel fairways (as Tom Bendelow intended), with a smattering of trees providing separation between most holes. The course's primary defense comes from its narrow fairways. Homes border the course on the southeast side, while baseball diamonds are to the north. There’s minimal water on the course, with just one pond situated between the 6th and 7th holes. The terrain is mostly flat, making it very walkable, and tee times are spaced a sensible 10 minutes apart.

The facility at Wing Park Golf Course is designed for efficiency. The current clubhouse, a renovated version of the original 1925 building, is quite small. It functions primarily as a snack shop with some tables and basic golf merchandise, focusing on getting players onto the course quickly. For practice, there is a putting green near the first tee, but no driving range on site. If you wish to hit balls before your round, the Highlands of Elgin golf course is about a 10-minute drive away.

Looking ahead, there are exciting plans for the future of Wing Park GC. A February 2024 Chicago Tribune article detailed proposals for a new clubhouse. The city has engaged architects to design a new facility. Concept designs include the new building being constructed north of the existing clubhouse, with a patio area between the two that will feature practice bays and space for a food truck. Inside the new clubhouse, golfers can anticipate three golf simulators, an expanded golf shop, and even a whiskey bar. The timeline for this development remains to be seen, however.