MEN'S CLUB AT VILLAGE GREENS OF WOODRIDGE BUILT ON A "BAND OF BROTHERS" BOND

1961 was a long time ago. You had to get off the couch to change the channel on the television, coins were needed to call home from a pay phone, the internet was something out of a science magazine, and baby boomers like myself were smaller than a golf bag.  And in 1961, the Men's Club at the Village Greens of Woodridge was formed, and 55 years later it is recognized as one of the oldest, continuously running clubs at a public course in the Windy City.

The club roots go back to the Maple Crest Golf Club, an 18 hole course that lost several holes to the building of the Tri-State Tollway, and that today has morphed into the nine hole Flagg Creek layout.  The owner of Maple Crest, John Henry, bought the property for the future Village Greens, and the newly completed course was originally named Maple Crest Lakes.  "Twelve members of the old Maple Crest Men's Club moved to the new course in 1961," shared Bill Dooley, who is regarded as the Men's Club historian.  "The Village of Woodridge took over operations in 1972 and has run the course since."

Dooley joined the club in 1979 after moving to Chicago from his hometown of Kewanee in western Illinois. "I was looking for people to play with and I stopped by the Village Greens.  The head pro hooked me up with a group of regulars, and I ended up playing with them the next week as one of their group was unavailable.  It turns out they were men's club members, and within a few weeks I joined the club," reminisced Dooley, who also served a 1 year term as club president in 1986.  "Some of my best friends today are people I've met in the men's club."

Gary Wilks shared a similar story.  Wilks grew up in eastern Ohio and played collegiate golf at the University of Alabama as a walk-on in the early '80's.  "I moved to Chicago for work and joined the club in 1996.  It was easier for me to play on a regular schedule than look for tee times each week." Wilks is the top golfer of the 100 current active members (he plays to a 1 handicap at Village Greens) and completed his 2 year term as president last year.  When asked to share his thoughts on the longevity of the club, Wilks had a ready answer.  "One of the members described us as more than a men's club, but as like a "Band of Brothers", and I really think that's true," he stated proudly.  "If any of us needs help in any way, we'll be there for each other."

Current president Geary Glaum echoed Wilks' sentiment.  "I've been a member since 2007, and it's just a great group of guys."  A golf outing held to raise funds to assist with medical expenses for a member with early onset Ahlzeimer's is the most recent example of the helping philosophy within the group.

The Men's Club season consists of 12 to 13 events that are held every other Sunday beginning the 1st weekend of May.  Two day tournaments, the Member-Guest in July and the Member-Member in September, are the highlights of the season.  The Member-Guest tournament this year honored Bob Zavala, who joined the club in the first year of 1961 and who has shot his age every year since he turned 69 and still sports a 13 handicap at age 86. Along with charter member and fellow 86 year old Harry Spataro, the two represent an important link to the origins of the club.

"We also have a Ryder Cup style event with the Old Oak Men's Club," mentioned Dooley. "36 members from each club participate, with one day of play at each course. This will be the 15th year that we've had this challenge and it's a great time."  At all the tournaments, it is not uncommon to see members wives supporting the club by working the prize holes, selling raffle tickets or providing whatever assistance is needed at the event. 

The annual membership dues of $300 includes prize money for the tourneys, trophies and food, plus a spring kick-off and an end of season banquet.  A portion of the money is also allocated for charitable causes such as the Junior Golf Program, and the club is a fixture at the Village Jubilee as the sponsor of the beer tent.  "We work hard at being a presence in the local community and promoting the game of golf," said Dooley, and the pages of sponsorships from local businesses in the two day event brochures is a clear indication of their successful efforts.

In 1998, the Men's Club raised $12,000 and donated the life size statue of a golfer checking his scorecard that stands next to the 10th tee, a permanent and lasting gift to the home course.

As the club looks to the future, Geary Glaum was forthright about the biggest challenge he is facing in his term as president.  "We need to get younger. The average age of our membership is 60, and we need an infusion of younger members to promote the continuation of the club.  Brandon (Village Greens Golf Manager Brandon Evans) does a good job encouraging younger players to join."

The Village Greens had its own recent challenge as its status as an 18 hole facility was in question a few years ago.  The Village of Woodridge floated a plan to turn the valuable frontage along 75th Street into retail store fronts and use the south end of the property as a 9 hole layout.  "The Men's Club went out and gathered 3,000 signatures on a petition to leave the course as is, and presented it to the Village Board, and the plan was eventually scrapped," beamed Dooley as he recalled the effort.

Though the Men's Club may have some hurdles to overcome moving forward, it currently remains a fixture on the southwest suburban Windy City golf scene.  At the 50th anniversary celebration in 2011, Frank Jemsek, the owner of Cog Hill in Lemont, paid a visit to the Village Greens.  Although he declined to wear a Village Greens hat, the fact that the current patriarch of public golf in Chicagoland came by is a testament to the prominence of the club.  With the "Band of Brothers" bond as its foundation, the future of the Village Greens of Woodridge Men's Club looks bright.