Wedgewood Golf Course renovations begin

The future of Wedgewood Golf Course 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.

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.

“I’m excited to see the new changes to the course,” said Tony Janes, a frequent golfer at Wedgewood. “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 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 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.

“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 at Route 59 and Caton Farm Road. Not much was around the golf course then. Today, it’s on one of the busiest corners in Joliet. 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 park board a year ago approved the deal to sell the land to Hawk Auto for
$4.5 million.

The deal might have kept the Hawk dealerships in Joliet. Hawk had a tentative deal to buy another site farther north on Route 59 in Plainfield.

Hawk plans to begin construction on two new dealership buildings before the end of this year, said Michael Hansen, an attorney for the dealer. He said Hawk plans two buildings on the site – one for a Mazda dealership and another for its Subaru business. Both dealerships would move from existing locations on West Jefferson Street.

Revenue from the sale will finance the improvements at Wedgewood, which will include a replacement of the original irrigation system.

“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 be upgraded. 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 Aug. 27, leaving the back nine open. 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.”