Elgin's Wing Park Golf Course listed in National Register of Historic Places

ELGIN - The Wing Park Golf Course in Elgin was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on February 18, 2009 by the National Park Service.

"The Wing Park Golf Course is historically significant for its association with the recreational history of Elgin, and for its landscape architecture," said Jan Grimes, director of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, which administers the National Register program in Illinois. "We welcome its inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places, the nation's most prestigious listing of properties with historical significance."

The Wing Park Golf Course opened in 1908 and was open to players of both genders and a wide range of ages and abilities. It is the oldest and best preserved nine-hole municipal course in Illinois, featuring its original configuration of tees, fairways and greens. It is pre-dated only by Chicago's Jackson Park Golf Course, which was built in 1899 as a nine-hole layout but was later redesigned and expanded to 18 holes. The course at Wing Park is an excellent example of the early work of Thomas Bendelow (1868 - 1936), the nation's most prolific early golf course designer. Wing Park remains a popular destination for Elgin golfers today.

For more information on the National Register of Historic Places program in Illinois, visit www.Illinois-History.gov/PS/historicplaces.htm.