The Plainfield, Ill. course that is operated by the Joliet, Ill. Park District has had no major renovations since opening in 1970. But $4.5 million that was brought in by selling 7.6 acres to Hawk Auto will now be put toward a new irrigation system as well as a rerouting that will turn the front nine into a back nine while protecting the new dealerships from errant shots.
The future of Wedgewood Golf Course in Plainfield, Ill. is being shaped as trees are cut down, ground is excavated and work begins on the first major renovations since the course opened in 1970, The Herald-News of Joliet, Ill. reported.
Wedgewood will be turned into a nine-hole course later this month and stay that way until it returns to 18 holes around Memorial Day, as the Joliet Park District changes the course while making the improvements, The Herald-News reported.
“I’m excited to see the new changes to the course,” Tony Janes, a frequent golfer at Wedgewood, told The Herald-News. “We’ve been coming here since 1989, and playing the same course gets kind of boring. So we’re excited for what’s to come.”
The front nine of the course is being converted to the back nine, which will give golfers a different experience, The Herald-News reported.
The project was spurred and funded by the sale of 7.6 acres of land along Route 59 to Hawk Auto, which will move its Mazda and Subaru dealerships there—a change from previous plans to move the Mazda and Volkswagen dealership to the corner, The Herald-News reported.
The golf course will be redesigned so golfers won’t be hitting balls into the new dealerships, said Ted Brodeur, Director of Revenue facilities for the Park District. Berms will provide a visual separation between the golfers and the car business, The Herald-News reported.
“When you’re standing on the golf course and looking at the new car dealership, you won’t be able to see much of the dealership,” Brodeur said.
It may be hard to visualize these days, but a half-century ago, Wedgewood was built in what was a rural area on the edge of Joliet, The Herald-News reported. Not much was around the golf course then, but today, it’s on one of the busiest corners in Joliet, with strip shopping centers, supermarkets, gas stations and restaurants are on the other three corners of the intersection.
The Park District put 7.6 acres of the golf course along Route 59 up for sale after the land increased in value because of the surrounding development, The Herald-News reported, and a year ago, the Park Board approved the deal to sell the land to Hawk Auto for $4.5 million.
The deal might have kept the Hawk dealerships in Joliet, The Herald-News reported, because the company had a tentative deal to buy another site farther north on Route 59 in Plainfield.
Revenue from the sale will finance the improvements at Wedgewood, which will include a replacement of the original irrigation system, The Herald-News reported.
“The course was built in 1970,” Brodeur said. “We’ve had no major renovations in 48 years.”
The Park District will replace the original single-row irrigation system with a double-row system that Brodeur said should spread water more evenly.
“Over the years, the system has been deteriorating,” he said. “We haven’t been able to get water out far enough.”
Bunkers will also be upgraded, The Herald-News reported. But the most noticeable change to golfers will be the switch of the front nine holes with the back nine holes. The change will create a different golfing experience, including a tougher 18th hole, Brodeur said. Now a par 4, the 18th hole will become a par 5.
The Park District plans to shut down the front nine on August 27th, leaving the back nine open, The Herald-News reported. The back nine will shut down in mid-October, with the front nine becoming available until Memorial Day, when all 18 holes are expected to be available again—a schedule that will depend on the spring weather.
“The new holes are what you have to look forward to,” said Dave Mondrella, a Wedgewood golfer and coach at Joliet Catholic Academy. “Once they get the new holes in, they’re going to see an influx in play, because everyone is going to want to play those new holes.”
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