The Country Club of St. Albans
by Warren Mayes

About This Article
The Gateway PGA Senior PGA Professional Championship returns to the Country Club of St. Albans this Monday and Tuesday, August 10–11, where the Section’s senior Professionals will play 36 holes for the title and for spots in the National Championship. With the championship heading back to St. Albans, we went into the Section archives and pulled the feature below — written by Warren Mayes for the Gateway PGA Section magazine at a moment when the club was still only half of what it would become.

At the time of the writing, the Weiskopf–Morrish course had been open since 1992 and a second 18 by Dr. Michael Hurdzan sat nine holes complete, due for final completion that July. The membership had not yet named either course. Reading it now, the fun is in how much Terry Grosch, PGA, got right: the names Lewis and Clark were indeed chosen for the original course, and the creek he mentions in passing gave Tavern Creek its name when it opened in 1997. Both courses have since been ranked consistently among Golf Digest’s Top 10 in Missouri.The article is reproduced below as it originally appeared.

We all know that Christmas comes on December 25, but Christmas will arrive in July this year for the members of the Country Club of St. Albans in Franklin County. PGA Master Golf Professional Terry Grosch, Director of Golf Shop Operations for this prestigious club, says that the target date to open the second 18 hole course at St. Albans is next summer. It will be a wonderful present for its membership, giving them two outstanding 18 hole courses from which to choose. The prospect is thrilling for the Country Club of St. Albans which opened in September of 1992, near the bluffs of the Missouri River.

It is unusual to attract two world class designers to the same facility, but St. Albans has done just that. The first course was designed by the world renowned golf course architectural team of Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish. The team, which has recently dissolved, drew upon a rich golf history in designing the course. Weiskopf, who plays on the Senior Tour, has won 15 tournaments, including three Kemper Opens, two Canadian Opens and the British Open, as well as finishing second four times in the Masters. Morrish designed golf courses with Jack Nicklaus for a decade and worked with Robert Trent Jones and George Fazio before teaming up with Weiskopf.

The second 18 hole course, designed by Michael Hurdzan, has nine holes completed to date and is due for final completion in July. Once the course is completed, the club will be one of the premier facilities in the state, adding to the already rich heritage of St. Albans.

“It has been our plan all along to have two courses,” says Grosch. “We have a growing, active membership and everyone is thrilled about the new course. The facility is great now, but knowing that we will have two world class courses is very exciting. I feel fortunate to be affiliated with all of this.”

The area can trace its beginnings to the 1800s, when it was a noted point of commerce for local indians and French fur trappers before it became a pioneer settlement. Historians note that St. Albans was well known to navigators on the Missouri River as a celebrated landing place for steamboats. Prior to its founding, St. Albans was visited by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark of westward expansion fame. It was near the village of St. Albans where Lewis was believed to have fallen from a 300 foot bluff, catching himself on a branch twenty feet above the ground. The branch broke his fall, saving his life and allowing the Lewis and Clark expedition to continue.

This historical background will come into play next summer when the membership decides on names for the two courses. “The names Lewis and Clark may be chosen,” says Grosch. “The creek that runs through the property is ‘Tavern Creek,’ but I don’t know if that will have any representation,” Grosch added with a grin. “I really don’t have a preference — it will just be fun to see what kind of names the membership comes up with.”
Although both courses blend the existing natural beauty with the course, they are drastically different from one another. The Weiskopf course is well manicured with deep bunkering and large, fast greens. The Hurdzan course is very scenic with long, par 3’s, a meandering creek and several small ponds. Both courses are good spectator courses, able to host a professional golf event as well as a major tournament such as the U.S. Open or the PGA Championship. The Weiskopf–Morrish course has already hosted a Missouri Amateur Championship.

“Both world class golf courses will test the skill of the membership,” says Grosch. “All golfers are alike. They want to shoot low scores on good golf courses. The Weiskopf course is challenging — you have ample fairways to hit, but it seems to play a little long. You have a little room to miss the ball there and you have a chance to make some bogeys if you hit a bad shot. On the other course, it is going to play a lot tighter and you are going to have to hit some precise shots. The greens undulate and may be more challenging.”
“Naturally there are differences in the two courses,” says the 48 year old Grosch. Both courses feature bent grass tees and greens, zoysia fairways, and native grasses (such as fescue) in the rough areas. While the Weiskopf course is somewhat more generous in size and length at 7,027 yards from the championship tees and 6,502 from the regular tees, the Hurdzan course will be a tighter, more strategic course.

The Hurdzan course, which boasts close to ten miles of cart paths, is a little shorter at a par 71, but it is going to have five really tough par 3’s. The other holes are more placement holes — if you miss the fairway, you are in trouble. “Hurdzan did a great job with the piece of ground here,” said Grosch. “It has been quite an experience seeing it take shape, watching the ground movers and seeing it all change — it was really something.”

The first tee off the new course offers the first challenge as the golfer encounters two gullies. “It’s a great opening hole. It is 410 yards and plays uphill into a normally prevailing wind,” Grosch said. “It is quite a challenge — it is a good hole to start the course. I call it a nerve rester.”

The signature hole for the Hurdzan course is the par 3 second hole. It has a creek winding along the side and front of the green with an array of boulders in the creek bank. Grosch says that the creek helps to define the course. “This hole deserves its accolades,” said Grosch. “The holes just keep getting better.” Pine trees line several of the holes with plenty of bunkers coming into play. The trees scattered throughout will be especially delightful in the spring and fall when they show their dazzling color.

Number 6 is a tight par 4. “When an errant shot is made, it can be very difficult hitting out of the secondary rough, which is fescue and grows about 20 inches high,” Grosch says. “When you get in that, you cannot get out — it just kills the club. It is 385 yards from the back tee, but when you play it, it seems longer. It is a great hole with a really nice green.”
One of the more challenging par 3’s on the course is 240 yard No. 14. The elevated tee box gives you a great look. “This hole is just beautiful,” says Grosch. “I think people will be really impressed. There are some spectacular holes on this new course and No. 14 ranks right up there with them. Remember, there are multiple sets of tees on this course. We want people to enjoy the course at their own skill level.”

“If a major event would come to the new course, the final four or five holes would likely determine the outcome,” Grosch says. Hurdzan designed the course that way. With the elevation, the water and the length all added to the mix, the finish will separate the champion from the pretender.
“Hole 14 is 240 yards coming downhill, and at 15, you have a long par 4. Number 17 is very difficult because it is a 225 yard carry over water,” Grosch says. “Rarely is it that far back, though. Usually, the championship tee is at 205 yards, but that is still rough. When you know you have to carry it over water, it effects your mind.”

The 18th hole is a 535 yard, par 5 where the golfer must walk up a bridge to the elevated tee box. “The view from up there is just beautiful,” says Grosch. “You are going to be laying up because the creek crosses the fairway and then comes back in front of the green. It is a good finishing hole with hope for a possible birdie. There is always hope for a birdie.”
The Weiskopf course has its share of good holes as well. The second hole is a par 5 with the back tee at 534 yards and the regular tee at 515. Trouble exists on both the right and left side of the tee, so a conservative approach is warranted here. Number 4 is a 181 yard, par 3 that is downhill with the green guarded by a bunker on the left and a stream on the right and in front.

The 6th hole is 600 yards from the back tee and is the longest and most difficult par 5 on the course. It is protected by a stream down the left side and a series of bunkers down the right side. “Accuracy is the key to playing this hole because the green is small,” notes Grosch.

Number 9, one of Weiskopf’s favorite holes on the course, is a tricky par 4. The golfer is semi-blinded on both the tee and second shots. A long fairway wood should be used off the tee for position down the right half of the fairway. Club selection is very important on this hole.

The shortest par 3 on the course is Number 12, a postcard hole that is 152 yards from the back tee and 143 from the regular tee. If a player is going to miss the green, he should be short or to the right. The green is larger than it appears from the tee and it has four bunkers with a rock wall to the right. Number 15 is a beautiful little par 3 that is reminiscent of the “Postage Stamp at Troon.” Again, accuracy is important here since the entirety of the green is protected by bunkers.

“I love the Weiskopf course. It is one of the few golf courses that I never tire of playing,” says Grosch. “It is always fun and rewarding when you play it well. If you don’t play it well, it doesn’t bother you so much because you know it is a tough course.”

“Both the Hurdzan and Weiskopf/Morrish courses are straight-up. What you see is what you get. They are both a lot of fun, I tell you. I can’t wait for the next seven or eight months to go by so that we can open the new course,” Grosch said anxiously. “It will definitely be Christmas in July for all of us at St. Albans.”