Minnesota Golfer - Directory 2024 - 23

Coney Isle Golf Course
On a September morning in 2023, a dozen
curiosity-seekers set off by boat at Lake
Waconia Regional Park, their destination
a mile away: a landing on the southwestern
tip of Coney Island of the West. (Theories
vary as to the origin of the name; it also
was known as Paradise Island in the early
1900s.) The 31-acre island as a whole was
the excursion's main attraction, and only
one visitor had a particular interest in
what once lay near its eastern shore. (This
is called fore-shadowing; please excuse
the pun.)
It's a fascinating place, beyond its thick
woods, winding trails and the bucolic
backdrop of the city of Waconia, prominently
in view a half-mile away. Listed on
the National Register of Historic Places,
Coney Island of the West holds archeological
and historical significance.
Indigenous people visited the island for
centuries before it was settled by those of
European descent, and relics are still found
there. Lambert Naegele bought the island
in 1884, platted it with streets named after
German authors such as Goethe and built a
large hotel. Plots of land were sold. Private
cabins were built.
Reinhold Zeglin and his sons operated
the island resort before the turn of the 20th
century. The Zeglins' interests focused on
sports; they built a bowling alley, added
croquet grounds and hosted the University
of Minnesota football team for preseason
training from 1903 to 1905. Workouts were
held on a small, flat, open patch on the
eastern end of the island.
" [A] better spot could not be found if
the world was raked with a fine-toothed
comb, " the Minneapolis Journal declared
of Coney Island in August 1904.
Two decades later, J.W. Zeglin invited
sportsmen of a different bent to play a
burgeoning game on the grounds. " Coney
Isle Hotel / Open season May 1924 on May
29th, " began an ad in the Minneapolis
Tribune. " Under same management for
36 years. "
The kicker followed-no football reference
intended: " Five-hole golf course. "
Guests were ferried to and from Coney
Island. Zeglin would attract up to 1,000
visitors for events, it is said, so it's no wonder
he might have considered a golf course
a worthwhile side attraction. But could
this really be considered a golf course? The
2023 boat trip produced equal parts evidence
and improbability.
The former " golf course " is about the
size of a football field, not coincidentally,
and not much more. It's reasonable to
imagine a longest hole of about 130 yards,
a couple more of 75 to 80, and one or two
others that are pitch-and-putt. That's if
you stretch it.
Zeglin spread word about his golf course.
In addition to Minneapolis papers, Coney
Island was advertised in newspapers in
Kansas City, Omaha and Bartlesville,
Oklahoma. (The latter's ad inexplicably
said the island was 130 miles from the
Twin Cities). An Omaha Evening WorldHerald
ad boasted that, based on service,
atmosphere and location, Coney Isle was
" in a class by itself for real merit. "
But as a golf course, Coney Isle was small
potatoes-a handful at best. After the
five-hole reference in 1924, a Minneapolis
Journal story in 1925 referred to " a fourhole
golf course, located on the island. "
And then in 1928, a Journal description
had reduced the grounds to a " four-hole
putting course. "
That was the last reference I could find
to golf on Coney Island.
The
island's popularity had peaked
before that, and even though a dance hall,
restaurant and more cabins were added
starting in 1940, things were left to deteriorate.
Vandalism contributed to further
degeneration until efforts to revitalize
began in 1975. Today, Carver County continues
revitalization, with picnic grounds,
trails, beaches and a boat launch, with
plans for more.
Opposite: The site of the former Coney Isle Golf Course at the far eastern end of Coney Island in Lake Waconia.
Below: Coney Island of the West, as it once was platted, showing streets and privately owned plots.
The former golf course site is at the far right of the photo.
mngolf.org
Directory 2024 MINNESOTAGOLFER 23
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF CARVER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

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