St. Louis Area - Public Courses

[gbut]

All:

 

Every year I make a trip up to St. Louis for a Cardinals game and like to get a round of golf in with my Father in Law.

So far we have played:

 

Gateway National (really enjoyed this one)

Pevely Farms

Stonewolf Golf Club

 

 

This year we are playing Aberdeen Golf Club.

 

I feel like we are running thin on courses.

Any recommendations on where we should hit next?

 

Thanks

[mci711]

Annbriar is the best public course in the St. Louis area. Gateway I would say is 2. Aberdeen is good, Missouri Bluffs is decent as well. Annbriar is a must play though.

 

After that grouping I would clump in Far Oaks, Stonewolf, Pevely, Bear Creek in the next grouping. Then goat tracks. I may be forgetting some.

 

Go Cardinals!

[gbut]

Great! Thank you

[Mr. Blutarski]

Annbriar is the best public course in the St. Louis area. Gateway I would say is 2. Aberdeen is good, Missouri Bluffs is decent as well. Annbriar is a must play though.

 

After that grouping I would clump in Far Oaks, Stonewolf, Pevely, Bear Creek in the next grouping. Then goat tracks. I may be forgetting some.

 

Go Cardinals!

 

Unless Missouri Bluffs has gone downhill, it's better than Annbriar. The new Forest Park course is supposed to be good as well.

[mci711]

Annbriar is the best public course in the St. Louis area. Gateway I would say is 2. Aberdeen is good, Missouri Bluffs is decent as well. Annbriar is a must play though.

 

After that grouping I would clump in Far Oaks, Stonewolf, Pevely, Bear Creek in the next grouping. Then goat tracks. I may be forgetting some.

 

Go Cardinals!

 

Unless Missouri Bluffs has gone downhill, it's better than Annbriar. The new Forest Park course is supposed to be good as well.

 

Mo Bluffs is never in great condition. And is never less than a 5 hour round. I am not a huge fan of Mo Bluffs, and would probably put it 5th in St. Louis area.

[Morety]

I'm not sure how the condition is at the moment, but during the flooding a month ago, the entire course except for one tee box was under water at Aberdeen. The clubhouse was flooded and they were using portapotties last I heard. May want to give them a call and get an update.

[stachoaj]

Anybody here play Tapawingo?

[mci711]

Anybody here play Tapawingo?

 

Wow, I completely forgot about Tapawingo. Woodlands is one of my favorite 9s in St. Louis. Pairie is boring, and woodlands is solid. Also, think it is better than Mo Bluffs. Ha.

[Mr. Blutarski]

Anybody here play Tapawingo?

 

Probably got flooded as well. If you like Gary Player designs.......

[stachoaj]

Anybody here play Tapawingo?

 

Wow, I completely forgot about Tapawingo. Woodlands is one of my favorite 9s in St. Louis. Pairie is boring, and woodlands is solid. Also, think it is better than Mo Bluffs. Ha.

 

Did you mean Meramec is solid?

[mci711]

Anybody here play Tapawingo?

 

Wow, I completely forgot about Tapawingo. Woodlands is one of my favorite 9s in St. Louis. Pairie is boring, and woodlands is solid. Also, think it is better than Mo Bluffs. Ha.

 

Did you mean Meramec is solid?

 

yes sorry.

[TK3]

Literally across the street from Stone Wolf is Far Oaks GC. It's been a couple of years, but it was a great course in immaculate condition.

[mci711]

Literally across the street from Stone Wolf is Far Oaks GC. It's been a couple of years, but it was a great course in immaculate condition.

Agree.. I think Far Oaks > Stonewolf. Condition is iffy though, they have so many charity tournaments now greens are tough to keep.

[gbut]

Thanks all, after looking at the website I switched our tee time from Aberdeen to Mo Bluffs. Hope its not a 5 hour round. that right there will sour my opinion of the course. We did play Stonewolf, wasnt real impressed but try to shy away from going into IL too far since I have to drive to Tulsa after the round.

 

Tapawingo looks to be on the way out of town. Might want to check that one out one year.

 

Thanks for the feedback all!

[rpgolf]

does anyone know if the flooded courses have recovered yet? looking to get in 36 this week and want to make sure i dont make a mistake

[stachoaj]

does anyone know if the flooded courses have recovered yet? looking to get in 36 this week and want to make sure i dont make a mistake

 

Not sure about the flooded courses but I've recently played Normandie and Highlands. The tee boxes at Normandie might have been the worst I've ever played on. There were multiple times I had to play outside of the tee markers to get a flat lie with some grass left. Fairways were decent, greens were actually pretty good. Highlands was in way better shape than Normandy. Nice tee boxes, fairways, and greens. I was pleasantly surprised.

 

I'm playing Gateway on Weds, I'll let you know how conditions are after my round.

[jaygween]

does anyone know if the flooded courses have recovered yet? looking to get in 36 this week and want to make sure i dont make a mistake

 

Tapawingo has 2 of the 3 nine hole courses open. Meramec should be opening within the next week or two. Aberdeen is fully open I believe. Seems like Tap and Aberdeen were to the only 2 courses that flooded but I could be wrong.

[jaygween]

Thanks all, after looking at the website I switched our tee time from Aberdeen to Mo Bluffs. Hope its not a 5 hour round. that right there will sour my opinion of the course. We did play Stonewolf, wasnt real impressed but try to shy away from going into IL too far since I have to drive to Tulsa after the round.

 

Tapawingo looks to be on the way out of town. Might want to check that one out one year.

 

Thanks for the feedback all!

 

For a similar price you could also check out Country Club at the Legends in Eureka which is right of 44. On boxgroove it is $75 to play which is similar to what they charge at Mo Bluffs. I haven't played it but have heard it's pretty solid.

[McMoo]

Thanks all, after looking at the website I switched our tee time from Aberdeen to Mo Bluffs. Hope its not a 5 hour round. that right there will sour my opinion of the course. We did play Stonewolf, wasnt real impressed but try to shy away from going into IL too far since I have to drive to Tulsa after the round.

 

Tapawingo looks to be on the way out of town. Might want to check that one out one year.

 

Thanks for the feedback all!

 

For a similar price you could also check out Country Club at the Legends in Eureka which is right of 44. On boxgroove it is $75 to play which is similar to what they charge at Mo Bluffs. I haven't played it but have heard it's pretty solid.

 

The legends is a decent course and should be in good condition. Hasn't heard of boxgroove but checked it out and St. Albans is the best course on there. Really great courses at St. Albans. Aberdeen is probably my favorite of the others listed in this thread.

[stachoaj]

Gateway was in great shape. No complaints about my round there!

[StlEER]

I can't believe some of you people actually like The Bluffs. Of the ones I have played multiple times:

 

1. Annbriar - just overall in great shape, fun layout and good greens

2. Gateway - great course. Front takes 2 hours to complete, back takes 3.5

3. Far Oaks - I like the layout and greens are good. Shorter course than I prefer. You need driver maybe 5 times the whole round

4. Aberdeen - Back from the flood for the most part and in good shape. Greens were pretty good 3 weeks ago

|

|

5. Tapawingo - this time last year it would be higher but their greens were ruined. Starting to finally recover but not quite there

6. Stonewolf - not a fan of the layout. Greens are good but bunkers are concrete

7. Quarry Crystal Springs - havent played in a few years. Nothing memorable but nothing horrible either

|

|

|

|

8/9. Pevely/Bluffs - I dont mind elevation changes but neither of these courses are a fun layout. Both charge too much for the condition of the greens.

 

 

Then there is a group of Crescant Farms, Normandie, etc. Not worth checking out if you are visiting from out of town.

[StlEER]

does anyone know if the flooded courses have recovered yet? looking to get in 36 this week and want to make sure i dont make a mistake

 

Aberdeen is back with little to no noticeable issues. Fairways are running firm and fast. Be careful if you go in the sand. I think they dumped half of the US coastline in their bunkers. Literally a foot deep of loose sand.

 

Tapawingo has 18 open as of three weeks ago (Woodlands and Prairies). They punched their greens 2 weeks ago so if they arent fully back they are close.

[mci711]

I can't believe some of you people actually like The Bluffs. Of the ones I have played multiple times:

 

1. Annbriar - just overall in great shape, fun layout and good greens

2. Gateway - great course. Front takes 2 hours to complete, back takes 3.5

3. Far Oaks - I like the layout and greens are good. Shorter course than I prefer. You need driver maybe 5 times the whole round

4. Aberdeen - Back from the flood for the most part and in good shape. Greens were pretty good 3 weeks ago

|

|

5. Tapawingo - this time last year it would be higher but their greens were ruined. Starting to finally recover but not quite there

6. Stonewolf - not a fan of the layout. Greens are good but bunkers are concrete

7. Quarry Crystal Springs - havent played in a few years. Nothing memorable but nothing horrible either

|

|

|

|

8/9. Pevely/Bluffs - I dont mind elevation changes but neither of these courses are a fun layout. Both charge too much for the condition of the greens.

 

 

Then there is a group of Crescant Farms, Normandie, etc. Not worth checking out if you are visiting from out of town.

 

I don't get the bluffs love either. It is a pretty course, specially in the fall, but that is about it.

[jaygween]

It's been a couple years since I've played the Bluffs and I've only played it once, but I'd definitely not pay rack rate of $75 to play it again. I'd honestly not pay more than $50 a round for any public course in the STL metro area. Not having lived in any other cities, I may be spoiled, but there really aren't that many good public courses around. I'd say Annbriar and Gateway (The course itself. The pace of play and overbooking usually make it a no go) are a clear #1 & #2.

 

The next tier down I would put Far Oaks, Aberdeen and Tapawingo. Aberdeen is a solid track but not overall that memorable. It's a good value though. I like Far Oaks value but they have the same problem as Gateway. Overbooking and pace of play. Seems like there is always at least three groups waiting to tee off on the first tee. It doesn't help that #1 is like a 450 yard par 5 so everyone has to wait for the green to clear to play their 2nd shot. Tapawingo is well overpriced at $70 for peak time, but I think is worth a play if you can play for $45 or so. Conditioning is improving on Woodlands and Prairie. We'll have to see how Meramec recovers from the flooding. Woodlands is a fun 9 with some memorable holes.

 

I really wouldn't consider any of the courses as must plays though. The private courses are much stronger.

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

We are playing Gateway next week as out first stop on our 15 course, out west trip. Looking forward to it.

[gbut]

back from my trip and round at Mo Bluffs. Played the tips which was a lot of fun. Overall I liked the course.

 

Pros

- Beautiful lay out/course design

- Fairways and greens in great shape (at least when i played)

- Generous landing areas in fairways but trouble is close by once off fairway with thick fescue and woods (good proportion)

 

Cons

- Feels a bit gimmicky at times (hitting off of cliffs and what not). Wouldnt want it to be my home course

- So much elevation change was tough to club myself (probably just me playing for the first time not really a con)

- Terrible bunkers. No sand in them at all. Ball would roll through. Tough to hit out of

- Bare areas on tee boxes and around green. Probably typical for a public

[StlEER]

Update on the Quarry at Crystal Springs. I hadn't played it in nearly 4 years so I went out this weekend. Well......it was in absolutely perfect shape. The hosted a Monday qualifier for a mini tour event last week and had everything in tip top shape. Greens were the smoothest and fastest that STL public courses have to offer and fariways were firm, fast and manicured nicely. Very impressed with the course conditioning.

 

The layout is what is so you will either love it or hate but for $49 on a Saturday morning it is moving up the list.

[mjbfyb]

I played Gateway and Tapawingo last weekend. Gateway is the same as it always is. It's in excellent shape, except for minor issues due to heavy play.

 

It was the first time I played Tapawingo and I won't be going back. It was in horrible condition. The greens and bunkers were fine, but everything else was in bad shape. Lots of dusty bare areas and weeds in the rough. It is way overpriced in its current state.

[stachoaj]

Anybody have any tips for Annbriar? I'm playing this Saturday and it will be my first time on that course.

[StlEER]

I need to kill some time at work and this is my favorite course in the area so here ya go (in way more detail than you need):

 

Generally, you can't be over the green on any hole. Pretty much every hole has 5 yards to miss long and then it’s into the junk.

 

#1 - #3: straight forward, what you see is what you get. You really need to hit the green on #3 as greenside rough is almost impossible to get up and down from.

 

#4: tough par 3 where the only bailout is short. You can’t feel the wind from the tee box so be sure to check out the flag.

 

#5: Aim at the bunker off the tee. Your second has much more room to the left than you would think. Again, long is completely dead at the green.

 

#6: 230-240 is the max I would go off the tee. Fairway pinches down and has some odd runoff straight into the woods past that number.

 

#7: Easiest hole on the course. 150 yards straight away

 

#8: Hardest hole on the course. You have to just man up and split the fairway (which I never do). OB left and long stuff right. Approach is straight down hill to a green that you really cant miss anywhere. Left and long is straight down a 30 foot decline into heavy rough. Kiss your ball goodbye if you go there. Long is wooded and right is a hill side. You better pray for a front flag. If they tuck it back left don’t even think about. God this hole is my nemesis.

 

#9: Very short par 5. If you can carry driver 260+, go over the hill on the right (but stay inside the cart path). The ball will come off the hill and roll down to the 150 marker. Add a club for your approach shot since it is straight back up the hill.

 

#10: I personally lay-up with iron to avoid the downhill lay on the second shot. 200-220 should be safe. Long and left are dead at the green.

 

#11: Just hit a 220 club as far left in the fairway as you can (right gets blocked out by the trees) OR if you can hit a driver 280+ you can probably carry the creek (not recommended).

 

#12: 230-240 off the tee is a good number to the wide part of the fairway. The longer you go the tighter it gets.

 

#13: Tough tee shot for a first timer. You have plenty of room left even though you cant see it. Anywhere from 220-260 is a good number. If you go longer you run the risk of the tree blocking out the green.

 

#14: Aim straight at the bunkers. It take ~290ish to actually reach. Anything left will likely run off into the rough. Smart play is to layup here. Creek directly in front of the green so don’t push it too much.

 

#15: Par 3 that can be visually distracting but remember you are basically level with the green. You actually can miss long here but you will see what happens if you come up short.

 

#16: If #8 isnt the hardest, this is. Long par 4 with a treacherous green if a front pin. Left is findable but not really a good spot off the tee. There is a huge false front that will funnel everything off.

 

#17: downhill par 3. Not much to it other than guessing the distance drop correctly. You should go drop a ball in the right bunker and see how many shots it takes you to get out of it.

 

#18: Similar to #9 but much longer. Which tees you play and how far you hit it make a huge impact on this hole. Back tees hit whatever you want but if up any tee boxes a 275+ drive will carry you into the rough as the fairway is split. I have seen a couple balls make it into the lower fairway but you need a good one off the tee to make it. Left is dead and the hole fades right so keep it there. This is a layup 99% of the time so don’t even waste your time thinking about going for it.

 

Have fun out there. I really enjoy the layout and the fact that you have to use every club in your bag.