A municipal course operated by the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, it opened in 1916 as the Glenwood course and is one of Minnesota's oldest public golf courses. The park and course were renamed in 1938 to honor Theodore Wirth, who served as superintendent of the Minneapolis park system from 1906 to 1936. The facility retains a Swiss chalet-style clubhouse from the 1920s and is certified as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.