Almost 400 golfers came to the redesigned Wedgewood Golf Course this weekend, its biggest Saturday-Sunday turnout since the Joliet Park District reopened the full golf course in early July.

Golfers are still finding out about the reopening as the Park District nears completion of the first major renovations at the course since it opened in 1970.

The course was redesigned to accommodate a sale of land for the new Hawk Auto dealership being built on the southeast edge of the course. Money from the sale was used for the Wedgewood improvements, which include a new irrigation system and better drainage.

Golfers will find the course a bit shorter – by 250 yards, with a par of 71 instead of 72 – but perhaps more interesting to play with its varied contours to the approaches and greens at three new holes.

“I did notice that,” said golfer Curtis Terrell of Bolingbrook after finishing a round at Wedgewood this week. “There was a little undulation.”

Terrell, who golfs Wedgewood regularly, said he likes the new holes and the changes, although he noted, “The course still needs some work.”

That’s why the Park District is holding off on a grand opening until grass grows in a little better in the new section. Nine holes have been open all year while work was being done on the other nine.

Planting new grass was a challenge with heavy rains in the spring, said John Ekstrom, grounds superintendent for Park District courses. Once more grass grows in, the Park District will draw more attention to the revamped Wedgewood.

“This is a 1970s golf course. We’re trying to update it,” Ekstrom said.

The approaches to the greens at the three new holes reflect modern course design, different than the flatter style of the original Wedgewood, he said.

“You could definitely tell it was an older course by how flat it was,” he said, stopping at one green to point out the new new touches added by golf course architect Greg Martin. “I think this gives it more character.”

Irrigation has been updated, too, with a dual-row system replacing the center-row irrigation that was standard at the time the course was built.

The Wedgewood improvements are the first major renovations at any of the three Park District golf courses since reconstruction was done on part of Inwood Golf Course in 1991. Wedgewood is the district’s newest course. Woodruff Golf Course, which opened in 1926, is the oldest.

One question golfers have at the new Wedgewood is whether they will be hitting balls into the new Hawk Auto dealership once it opens. They shouldn’t, said Jason Shook, PGA head golf professional at Wedgewood.

“The way the holes are designed, if you play it the right way, it’s impossible to hit a golf ball into there,” Shook said. “You could if you tried – just like someone could have hit a golf ball into Kohl’s and Jewel.”

Kohl’s and Jewel-Osco stores are on the other side of Route 59. Golf balls hit into neighboring property have not been an issue, Shook said.

The Park District sold 7.6 acres at the corner of Route 59 and Caton Farm Road to Hawk Auto for $4.5 million. The money went into Wedgewood improvements, which park officials said is required by state law.

The Park District was able to make up for most of the land sold to Hawk Auto by putting into use land that previously was an open field on the edge of the golf course.

Wedgewood was always known as “a long, wide-open course,” Ekstrom said, and that hasn’t changed. “Even now, it’s still the longest of the three Park District courses.”