As one chapter ends, another begins at historic Maple Meadows Golf Course in Addison.
The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County facility closed last fall for a comprehensive renovation project that will extend into the summer of 2027. The overhaul transitions the course, which dates back to 1924, into a new era of enhanced playability, modernized amenities and increased environmental impact.
“As stewards of 26,000 acres here at the Forest Preserve District, all of our properties have some legacy or story,” said Ed Stevenson, Executive Advisor / Director of Golf for the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. “Our golf courses in particular have been enjoyed by people for a long time. The Maple Meadows property, which formerly was Brookwood Country Club before becoming Maple Meadows, certainly is no exception to that.”
As Stevenson alluded to, and as outlined by golf historian Tim Cronin in a special ceremony last fall (see video below), the facility was founded as Brookwood Country Club. Waldo Ames bought the farmland in what today is considered Addison and hired C.D. Wagstaff to design the original holes. It existed as a private club until 1972, when it was sold to a real estate developer. The property changed hands numerous times before being purchased by the Forest Preserve District in 1987.
Following three decades as a west suburban mainstay, the District hired Greg Martin to oversee a comprehensive renovation project. Martin, who also led the heralded renovation of Maple Meadows’ sister course, The Preserve at Oak Meadows, developed a plan (pictured above) that will reconfigure holes to improve the player experience, expand short-game areas and enhance clubhouse amenities.
“We wanted to pay homage to exactly what this is,” Martin said. “It’s Maple Meadows, it’s C.D. Wagstaff, it’s the existing architecture.
“What you’re going to see is a revitalized, modernized, reinvigorated and re-shaped golf course that will look familiar, but be brand new,” Martin explained. “It will be something that is not only going to be enjoyable, but also emphasize fun and honor the landscape it sits on.”
Watch the video below for comments from Stevenson, Cronin and Martin.