Suburban golf course turns parking lot into drive-in movie theater

ROMEOVILLE - Drive-in movie theaters are back in business and a suburban golf course is making sure it is part of the recent trend.

The screen is up, the parking lot is blocked off and a new tradition is on tap at the Mistwood Golf Club in Romeoville, and no tee time or nine irons are necessary.

Kid friendly “Ferdinand” was playing Wednesday night, drawing a big crowd.

“We had this crazy idea. Everybody’s locked in their house, quarantining in their homes and we decided you know what, when people are starting to come back out, we want to do something for the community,” said Jim Kolkas of Mistwood Golf Club.

Mistwood usually is booked with events, banquets and weddings, but all of those have been postponed due to COVID-19 concerns, leaving ample parking.

“We have an empty lot. We have a giant movie screen 33-feet tall, so why not use it?” Kolkas said.

The pop-up drive-in theater is showing three movies a week and tickets start at $30 per car.

“We're planning on doing it through the summer, possibly move it to the driving range, down the road after we get events back into business,” Kolkas said.