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Spencer
T. Olin golf course, site of the 1999 USGA Public Links
Championship, in Alton, Ill. |
TO SATISFY
EVERY TASTE
ST. LOUIS NOW
OFFERS A DELECTABLE MIX OF DESIGNS.
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BY BILL BURTON
A former Chicagoan who transferred here recently said St. Louisans
don’t even know how special their golf is.
“You’ve got some of the best and most diverse courses in the U.S.
and you don’t even mention it,” he says. “It’s incredible, the golf
here! All you talk about is your Italian restaurants. And they’re
not as great as you think.”
Hmmm! Glad he didn’t sample any of our main courses back in the
1970s.
In the 100-plus years since Scottish immigrants introduced the game,
St. Louisans have never enjoyed so many opportunities to play golf.
That includes some of the most delicious layouts found anywhere
in the Midwest.
PUBLIC LINKS PLAYERS, RISE UP!
Thirty years ago, Florida-based National Golf Foundation declared
St. Louis in dire need of public-access golf. While elegant clubs
dominated the landscape, few attractive options were left for the
not-so-well-heeled.
Our fortunes took a radical turn for the better when three-time
U.S. Open champion Hale Irwin signed on to design Quail Creek in
Suson County Park. Its successful launch in 1986 provided a stimulus
for local investors to jump in the “golf business.”
Prominent architects were summoned, and earthmovers pushed out some
of the most adventurous golf designs St. Louisans had ever seen.
We were treated to the work of Irwin (now involved in the Forest
Park renovation), Arnold Palmer (Spencer T. Olin), Tom Fazio (The
Missouri Bluffs), Tom Weiskopf (St. Albans), Jack Nicklaus (Stonewolf
and WingHaven), Gary Player (Tapawingo National), Arthur Hills (Pevely
Farms), Keith Foster (Gateway National and Persimmon Woods), Bob
Goalby (Far Oaks), Robert Trent Jones (Country Club of the Legends),
P.B. Dye (Boone Valley and Old Hickory) and Dr. Mike Hurdzan (Annbriar
and St. Albans’ Tavern Creek). Local architect Gary Kern (Fox Run
and Lake Forest, among others) was designing courses at a breakneck
pace throughout the area.
St. Louis pulled a golfing 180 faster than a downhill 10-footer
at Augusta National. Now, it appears we’re “golf saturated.” St.
Andrews, which served St. Charles for more than 30 years, recently
closed to make way for new homes. A few others will follow suit
in what the stock analysts might call “a correction.”
For the course operators, it’s a tough market—plenty of great holes
and not enough golfers playing them. It’s an opportune time for
the consumer who has an abundance of public and private options.
UPSCALE PUBLIC
(generally $50 + for an 18-hole round, though discounts are available)
Keith Foster gained national acclaim for his renovations of Tulsa’s
Southern Hills prior to the 2001 U.S. Open. We knew of his work
well before that. For about five years, Foster called St. Louis
home. During his stay, he turned a perfectly mundane piece of Illinois
river-bottom land into one of the area’s most compelling courses.
“There’s less than two feet of fall from the back of the property
to the front,” says Gateway National head pro Shawn Barnes.
Nearly 550,000 cubic yards of dirt was pushed about to create Gateway’s
visual interest.
Located within the shadow of the Arch, St. Louis’ only all-bent
grass public facility may have a uniform elevation, but one of the
most diverse mixes of holes in town. “We have everything from great
short holes to true, three-shot par-5s,” Barnes says. The par-4
10th measures less than 300 yards and dares golfers to shoot for
the well-guarded green. Then there’s the third, which plays as long
as 660 yards. The cool season grasses remain a lush green all year,
but Gateway National is at its best when the fairways run firm and
fast.
There’s not a more pristine nine in all of St. Louis than the back
at Annbriar Golf Club. Located 15 minutes south of the JB
Bridge in Waterloo, Ill., Annbriar offers a blend of prairie grasses,
meandering creeks and elevation changes.
The front nine’s generous targets allow golfers to get up to speed
for the more daunting inward nine. Among the most scenic is the
dogleg 11th. From an elevated tee, golfers play through encroaching
woods and over and around a creek that snakes through the hole.
Metro East can claim three other outstanding venues on the upper
end of the price scale. Far Oaks, in Caseyville, is a bit
like Annbriar in that its front nine is spacious, while the back
nine winds through scenic woodlands. Its finishing holes are as
challenging as breathtaking. From the tips, Stonewolf is
one of the two or three most difficult courses in the area. Tight,
well bunkered and long, Stonewolf earned Golf Digest magazine's
No. 2 ranking as best new upscale public facility when it opened
in 1996. Spencer T. Olin is a treat to play. Site of the
1999 USGA Public Links Championship, it is a straightforward design
that makes it enjoyable whether you’re playing it for the first
time or for the fifth time in a week. It’s a great tournament venue
and worth the trip to Alton.
WingHaven, a planned community in O’Fallon, Mo., offers memberships
as well as public access to its Nicklaus-designed layout. The course
can be docile from the forward tees, but shows its teeth the farther
back you play it. Now in its third year of operation, it continues
to mature into one of St. Louis’ elite golf experiences.
South County offers three great golf options—Quail Creek,
Tapawingo and Pevely Farms. Quail Creek is an extremely
playable layout with elevation variety and good conditioning. It
offers a pleasing mix of birdie opportunities and stiff challenges
to par. Tapawingo’s three unique nines are complemented by a recently
completed clubhouse overlooking the Meramec Valley.
Pevely Farms’ clubhouse, perched on a ridge above the Meramec, overlooks
a beautiful Arthur Hills design that continues to improve as the
turf matures. Like most of its upscale peers, the course can play
as short as 5,000 yards and about 7,000 yards from the tips.
MODERATELY PRICED PUBLIC ($30-$50)
Walters Golf Management converted the fairways at the Links of
Dardenne to zoysia last year, which greatly enhanced the year-round
condition of the course. Dardenne, located in O’Fallon, Mo., is
a Midwestern interpretation of links golf. It’s a wonderful and
very playable design that will appeal to players of all skill levels.
Since opening in 1995, The Falls has matured into one of
the most enjoyable layouts in town. Its front nine is extremely
challenging while the back nine affords a bit more opportunity to
score well. The greens are always in great shape.
Up north, you’ll enjoy Eagle Springs. It poses enough of
a challenge to keep your interest, but is not so hard that it will
cost you a fortune in golf balls. Its executive course is great
for beginners or players wanting to get in a quick nine.
Belk Park’s rates went up a few bucks after the Wood River,
Ill., municipal made the investment in zoysia fairways. It’s still
a great bargain at a little over $40 and now it’s in perfect shape
year round.
The city’s only courses—Forest Park and Triple A—have
an incredible upside as we head for 2004. Triple A, which celebrates
its 100th birthday this summer, is thriving once again. At less
than 2,800 yards, it’s among the shorter courses in the area. But
ribbon-thin fairways and small greens make this one testy little
nine.
Meantime, Forest Park has reopened nine holes and its sparkling
new clubhouse, with work continuing on the other 18. Hallelujah.
Bring it on!
The patrons who bitterly opposed the loss of the ol’ Park, with
all of its quirks and bottlenecks, should be thrilled with the changes.
The immaculate tee boxes and lush fairway conditions are enough
to convince the staunchest nay sayers that this will be a wonderful
and welcome addition to St. Louis golf.
SLEEPERS
It’s a bit of a drive south of town, but once you get out on Farmington’s
Eagle Lake, you’ll quickly forget the inconvenience. One
of Gary Kern’s best layouts, Eagle Lake is all the course you want.
Sportscaster Jay Randolph and golf pro Mark Waltman combined to
create Innsbrook, located near Warrenton, Mo. Routed around
a series of lakes in a planned community, Innsbrook offers breathtaking
scenery and pristine conditions. It has never looked better.
Rolling Hills in Godfrey, Ill., is in great shape and has
an excellent practice facility and executive course that keeps the
place hopping.
Many golfers tend to downplay nine-holers. They shouldn’t overlook
Ballwin Golf Club in West County. It’s a terrific design
that can challenge scratch players.
Other recommendations: Clinton Hill in Belleville, Crystal
Springs Quarry in Maryland Heights, Arlington in Granite
City, Bear Creek in Wentzville, Emerald Greens in
north county, Tour 3 in St. Peters, Berry Hill in
Bridgeton, and the Landings at Spirit in Chesterfield.
PRIVATE CLUB OPPORTUNITIES
Not long ago, most of St. Louis’ private golf clubs had significant
initiation fees or waiting lists of five and six years long. Today,
the list of clubs whose doors aren’t virtually wide open to new
members is about three.
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The Missouri Bluffs is an all-private club. |
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Most are aggressively recruiting with incentives such as reduced
or deferred initiations, no initiations, referral rebates and no
cart fees.
The private club market has increased its ranks too. The operators
of The Missouri Bluffs, Walters Golf Management, recently
decided to convert its “country club for a day” concept to an all-private
club format. Daily fee opportunities will decrease as The Bluffs
reaches its member objective of 275.
When it opened in 1994, Tom Fazio’s design was unique in that it
presented considerable challenge for low-handicappers but had generous,
saucer-shaped fairways that tended to catch most drives. This concept
made The Bluffs a very playable experience for golfers of even modest
ability. Winding through Research Park near the Missouri River,
Fazio took full advantage of dramatic elevation changes, like the
drive from No. 15. With the fairway nearly 100 feet below, even
average golfers marvel as tee shots hang in the air for an eternity.
Also joining the private club scene is Old Hickory Golf Club,
which opened in 2002 and will have its clubhouse complete this spring.
P.B. Dye’s design is more in character with a South Carolina lowlands
course. Old Hickory features characteristics associated with the
designer’s father, Pete Dye. You’ll find the island green at the
par-3 17th and railroad ties in full force. The dogleg ninth and
18th holes—which wrap around a common lake—are among the most impressive
finishing holes in St. Louis.
There are a host of other great options in the private club market.
Many have included some great incentives and discounts for joining
now—including Lake Forest, Lockhaven, Meadowbrook,
The Country Club of St. Albans, Whitmoor, Persimmon
Woods, The Country Club at The Legends and the historic
Glen Echo. If you have an inclination to join a club, there
may be no better time.
THE LAKE OF THE OZARKS
With more than a dozen courses situated on both sides of the Lake
of the Ozarks— St. Louisans come in large numbers to play resort
golf without having to “go to the coast.”
What you’ll find is an incredibly unique mix of designs—capable
of satisfying all budgets and all skill levels.
Among the finest (and priciest) are Tom Weiskopf’s Old Kinderhook,
arguably the prettiest course in the entire state, and Jack Nicklaus’
recent addition, Porto Cima. With the lake figuring prominently
in more than half a dozen holes, Porto Cima has received rave reviews
from some of the top players in the state. And now guests at the
Lodge of the Four Seasons have some access to the Lake’s only truly
exclusive club.
At the upper end of the spectrum, legitimate golfers will enjoy
Tan-Tar-A’s The Oaks, The Lodge’s Season’s Ridge and
Witch’s Cove, as well as the Arnold Palmer-designed Osage
National. They are all true test best enjoyed by skilled players.
If you’re hoping to back off on the difficulty scale just a bit,
Dogwood Hills is in impeccable shape and won’t beat you up.
Sycamore Creek and Indian Rock are two favorites of
the locals. They are quite affordable and have some incredibly unique
holes. All three of these facilities earn high marks for customer
service.
A personal favorite is Lake Valley, in nearby Camdenton.
It’s a highly underrated layout that is harder than it looks.
Be sure to contact the Lake Ozark Golf Council, a group designed
to represent the interests of all the courses. Visit golfingmissouri.com
to learn more about opportunities for golf packages at the Lake.
The Gateway PGA’s GOLFPASS ($34) includes discounts for golf
throughout St. Louis and on visits to the Ozarks. Contact the Gateway
PGA at 877-356-GOLF.
Bill Burton is the Director of Public Relations/Marketing for
the Gateway PGA in St. Louis. |
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