Mistwood Hosts Groundbreaking Ceremony

owner Jim McWethy said will make an already good course one of the premier golfing facilities in the state.

The result, McWethy told guests at an Oct. 21 groundbreaking ceremony, will be “unquestionably one of the finest golf courses in Illinois and also one of the finest facilities in Illinois.”

Although construction has been well under way since August, local officials and Mistwood staff welcomed visitors at what several called Romeoville’s biggest groundbreaking ever.

“I think this will be a fine addition to our community,” Romeoville Mayor John Noak said. “We’re really proud to have this golf course in Romeoville.”

The overhaul will include a reconfigured golf course, a new learning center and a Scottish castle-themed clubhouse. The golf course’s entrance at Renwick and Gaylord roads will also get a traffic signal.

Dan Phillips, Mistwood’s director of golf, said the renovation has been in the works for some time.

“We have a master plan that was done years ago,” he said.

Phillips said work on the golf course itself will be completed first, followed by the learning center. The final project will be the 32,000-square-foot clubhouse, featuring an upscale restaurant, banquet facility with seating for 250 guests and a new pro shop.

“[The learning center] is going to be our temporary clubhouse,” Phillips said, explaining the existing clubhouse will eventually be demolished.

The golf course is scheduled to reopen in May 2012. The completion date for the clubhouse will depend on factors including weather and how quickly Mistwood can complete the permit process, Phillips said. 

'A huge moment'

General Manager Andy Krajewski, a Mistwood employee for 14 years, said he’s seen the course through good times, when the club was receiving awards and accolades from national golf publications, and bad, when economic tough times began to take their toll.

He recalled an incident when an employee at a local business, spotting Krajewski’s Mistwood golf shirt, began to berate him, criticizing the course, which had fallen into disrepair. That began to change eight years ago, when McWethy, previously a minority partner in the golf course, took over as the new owner, Krajewski said.

 “I knew what Mistwood could be,” Krajewski said. “To see the vision that our owner had for this facility … it’s absolutely incredible to be part of this.

“ … It’s a huge moment for me, and it’s a huge moment for Mistwood.”

The renovation is designed by Ray Hearn, the architect behind the original golf course, which opened in 1998. Hearn said the changes include a relocated third green to make way for the new clubhouse, along with minor changes at every other hole.

“I feel each hole out there has a personality of its own,” Hearn said. “There’s something very special about each hole.

“This is a lofty goal,” Hearn added. “This course will be one of the premier courses in Illinois. The judge and jury will be those playing on it next year.”