Wing Park Golf Course
Encyclopedia
Wing Park Golf Course in Elgin, Illinois
is the "oldest and best preserved nine-hole municipal golf course in Illinois." The course was constructed during a golf course boom in the Chicago area during first few years of the 1900s. The course was named after William H. Wing, who donated the land for a park in 1902. When the Elgin and Belvidere Electric Company
was built only a few blocks away, Elgin developed the southern portion of the property to a golf course. The course was developed by Tom Bendelow
, a prolific designer who laid out over six hundred golf courses. Wing Park Golf Course opened on September 5, 1908 and has been in continuous operation since. The Wing Park Golf Club was organized in 1912 to help manage the property. The course was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 2009.
is a sport that was brought to America by Scottish
immigrants in the 1890s. It was immediately recognized as a sport of the wealthy, and moguls such as William Kissam Vanderbilt
built their own courses. Charles B. Macdonald
was a stockbroker who learned the sport while he attended school at the University of St Andrews
in Scotland. Macdonald built the first golf course, the Onwentsia Club
, in the Chicago
area in Lake Forest
in 1892. A year later, he built the Chicago Golf Club
, the nation's first 18-hole golf course. The Chicago Golf Club was a great success, and prompted the construction of several new courses; by 1900, Chicago and its suburbs boasted twenty-six courses. Golf became a sport not only for the wealthy, but also for the public. In 1895, New York City
opened a course at Van Cortlandt Park
, the nation's first municipal course. Chicago followed suit in 1899, opening Jackson Park Golf Club
to the public.
Elgin
was founded in 1830s and became an important manufacturing town after the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad
reached it in 1850. The Elgin National Watch Company and Gail Borden
Condensed Milk factories dramatically increased the local population by providing jobs. Decreasing work hours at the turn of the century resulted in more recreational time for employees. The first golf course in Elgin was the nine-hole Elgin Country Club in 1901, a private course designed Tom Bendelow
by west of the city. Bendelow designed over 600 golf courses in his career. He was a strong advocate for public golf courses, and taught course design at the college level.
Wing Park was named for William H. Wing, a decedent of the Wing family who moved to Elgin in 1846. Wing was a successful attorney
and donated 121.5 acres (49.2 ha) of this estate to Elgin for use as a public park in 1902. The park officially opened to the public on August 2, 1903, and was split between land that had been used for farming and land that covered in native woods. The park remained relatively undeveloped until 1907, when the Elgin and Belvidere Electric Company
extended to State Street, four blocks west of the park. Among this plans was the construction of the Wing Park Golf Course. Elgin hired Bendelow, who staked the Wing Park course in only one day, and the course was built in two months at a cost of $1,250. The course was simple, but was primarily intended to be playable to beginning golfers. The course featured parallel fairways, small greens, and incorporated the natural terrain into course design. When Wing Park Golf Course opened on September 5, 1908, Elgin became the smallest city in the country with a public golf course.
The Wing Park Golf Club was established on September 14, 1912 with eighty-eight charter members. They purchased the property across from the course entrance and built a club house the next year. The club house was an American Craftsman
bungalow
with a veranda facing the course. The club sold an additional 200 memberships for $25 each. By 1921, Wing Park was so successful that Elgin had to ban non-residents from playing the course on weekends. Non-residents still flocked to the field, prompting Elgin in the mid-1920s to impose a fifty cent fee to residents and a dollar fee for non-residents to further increase availability to residents. In 1926, plans were made to buy and adjacent property and convert Wing Park to an 18-hole course, but these were halted by the Great Depression
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on February 18, 2009. The property was the Highlighted Property of the Week when the National Park Service
released its weekly list of February 27, 2009. Today, it is the second-oldest extant golf course in Illinois (next to Jackson Park), and the oldest to retain its original conformation.
All holes were named in the early days of the golf couse.
Elgin, Illinois
Elgin is a city in northern Illinois located roughly northwest of Chicago on the Fox River. Most of Elgin lies within Kane County, Illinois, with a portion in Cook County, Illinois...
is the "oldest and best preserved nine-hole municipal golf course in Illinois." The course was constructed during a golf course boom in the Chicago area during first few years of the 1900s. The course was named after William H. Wing, who donated the land for a park in 1902. When the Elgin and Belvidere Electric Company
Elgin and Belvidere Electric Company
The Elgin and Belvidere Electric Company was a 36-mile interurban line that connected Belvidere, Illinois and Elgin, Illinois...
was built only a few blocks away, Elgin developed the southern portion of the property to a golf course. The course was developed by Tom Bendelow
Tom Bendelow
Tom Bendelow , nicknamed "The Johnny Appleseed of American Golf", was a prolific Scottish American golf course architect during the first half of the twentieth century. He is credited with having designed some 600 courses in a 35-year span....
, a prolific designer who laid out over six hundred golf courses. Wing Park Golf Course opened on September 5, 1908 and has been in continuous operation since. The Wing Park Golf Club was organized in 1912 to help manage the property. The course was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2009.
History
GolfGolf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
is a sport that was brought to America by Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
immigrants in the 1890s. It was immediately recognized as a sport of the wealthy, and moguls such as William Kissam Vanderbilt
William Kissam Vanderbilt
William Kissam Vanderbilt was a member of the prominent American Vanderbilt family. He managed railroads and was a horse breeder.-Biography:...
built their own courses. Charles B. Macdonald
Charles B. Macdonald
Charles Blair Macdonald was a major figure in early American golf. He built the first 18-hole course in the United States, was a driving force in the founding of the United States Golf Association, won the first U.S...
was a stockbroker who learned the sport while he attended school at the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
in Scotland. Macdonald built the first golf course, the Onwentsia Club
Onwentsia Club
Onwentsia Club is an 18-hole golf course. It is located at the Onwentsia Club facility in Lake Forest, Illinois, U.S., and lies in Lake County....
, in the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
area in Lake Forest
Lake Forest, Illinois
Lake Forest is an affluent city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The city is south of Waukegan along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the North Shore. Lake Forest was founded around Lake Forest College and was laid out as a town in...
in 1892. A year later, he built the Chicago Golf Club
Chicago Golf Club
Chicago Golf Club is a private golf club in Wheaton, Illinois in the United States. It is the oldest 18-hole course in North America and was one of the five clubs which founded the United States Golf Association in 1894. Its founder, Charles B. Macdonald, won the first official U.S...
, the nation's first 18-hole golf course. The Chicago Golf Club was a great success, and prompted the construction of several new courses; by 1900, Chicago and its suburbs boasted twenty-six courses. Golf became a sport not only for the wealthy, but also for the public. In 1895, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
opened a course at Van Cortlandt Park
Van Cortlandt Park
Van Cortlandt Park is a park located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the fourth largest park in New York City, behind Pelham Bay Park, Flushing Meadows Park and Staten Island Greenbelt....
, the nation's first municipal course. Chicago followed suit in 1899, opening Jackson Park Golf Club
Jackson Park (Chicago)
Jackson Park is a 500 acre park on Chicago's South Side, located at 6401 South Stony Island Avenue in the Woodlawn community area. It extends into the South Shore and Hyde Park community areas, bordering Lake Michigan and several South Side neighborhoods...
to the public.
Elgin
Elgin, Illinois
Elgin is a city in northern Illinois located roughly northwest of Chicago on the Fox River. Most of Elgin lies within Kane County, Illinois, with a portion in Cook County, Illinois...
was founded in 1830s and became an important manufacturing town after the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad
Galena and Chicago Union Railroad
The Galena and Chicago Union Railroad was a railroad running west from Chicago to Clinton, Iowa and Freeport, Illinois, never reaching Galena, Illinois...
reached it in 1850. The Elgin National Watch Company and Gail Borden
Gail Borden
Gail Borden, Jr. was a 19th century U.S. inventor, surveyor, and publisher, and was the inventor of condensed milk in 1853.- Early years :...
Condensed Milk factories dramatically increased the local population by providing jobs. Decreasing work hours at the turn of the century resulted in more recreational time for employees. The first golf course in Elgin was the nine-hole Elgin Country Club in 1901, a private course designed Tom Bendelow
Tom Bendelow
Tom Bendelow , nicknamed "The Johnny Appleseed of American Golf", was a prolific Scottish American golf course architect during the first half of the twentieth century. He is credited with having designed some 600 courses in a 35-year span....
by west of the city. Bendelow designed over 600 golf courses in his career. He was a strong advocate for public golf courses, and taught course design at the college level.
Wing Park was named for William H. Wing, a decedent of the Wing family who moved to Elgin in 1846. Wing was a successful attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and donated 121.5 acres (49.2 ha) of this estate to Elgin for use as a public park in 1902. The park officially opened to the public on August 2, 1903, and was split between land that had been used for farming and land that covered in native woods. The park remained relatively undeveloped until 1907, when the Elgin and Belvidere Electric Company
Elgin and Belvidere Electric Company
The Elgin and Belvidere Electric Company was a 36-mile interurban line that connected Belvidere, Illinois and Elgin, Illinois...
extended to State Street, four blocks west of the park. Among this plans was the construction of the Wing Park Golf Course. Elgin hired Bendelow, who staked the Wing Park course in only one day, and the course was built in two months at a cost of $1,250. The course was simple, but was primarily intended to be playable to beginning golfers. The course featured parallel fairways, small greens, and incorporated the natural terrain into course design. When Wing Park Golf Course opened on September 5, 1908, Elgin became the smallest city in the country with a public golf course.
The Wing Park Golf Club was established on September 14, 1912 with eighty-eight charter members. They purchased the property across from the course entrance and built a club house the next year. The club house was an American Craftsman
American Craftsman
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts style and lifestyle philosophy that began in the last years of the 19th century. As a comprehensive design and art...
bungalow
Bungalow
A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...
with a veranda facing the course. The club sold an additional 200 memberships for $25 each. By 1921, Wing Park was so successful that Elgin had to ban non-residents from playing the course on weekends. Non-residents still flocked to the field, prompting Elgin in the mid-1920s to impose a fifty cent fee to residents and a dollar fee for non-residents to further increase availability to residents. In 1926, plans were made to buy and adjacent property and convert Wing Park to an 18-hole course, but these were halted by the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on February 18, 2009. The property was the Highlighted Property of the Week when the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
released its weekly list of February 27, 2009. Today, it is the second-oldest extant golf course in Illinois (next to Jackson Park), and the oldest to retain its original conformation.
All holes were named in the early days of the golf couse.
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