Golf Trip to St. Louis, Missouri – August 2024
The Embo “Shows Up” in the Show Me State
In 2023, we spent a fantastic few days at Hacienda Patron in Tequila Mexico, where our connection to St. Louis first began. Tom Piers, Charlie’s Angels, along with Trigg, Molly, Embo, and more, all had a weekend to remember. As 2024 rolled around, my good mate Mike decided to assist me with my quest in adding 10 new golf courses to my worldwide collection of courses played. Thanks to PJ, Piers, and the Dorseys, this trip to the Midwest of the USA was born with my handler “Gries” bringing some quality golf to the Mid West.
Upon arrival, I was eager to learn a bit of history about the city. Molly and the Angels were having a tough time helping out. Here’s what I discovered over a fantastic few days in St. Louis!
In 1904, St. Louis hosted the World’s Fair, which showcased innovations and introduced new foods like the ice cream cone and Dr. Pepper. The same year, the city hosted the Summer Olympics, the first ever held in the United States. One of the city’s most iconic landmarks, the Gateway Arch, was completed in 1965 as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States. Standing 630 feet tall, it’s the tallest man-made monument in the country. With a population of over 300,000 within the city and over 2.8 million in the larger metropolitan area, St. Louis is home to the St. Louis Cardinals, one of the most successful franchises in Major League Baseball history. We even bumped into one or two players at our hotel!
The city is also renowned for its contributions to music, particularly blues, jazz, and ragtime, and is the birthplace of Chuck Berry, a pioneer of rock’n’roll. St. Louis is famous for its unique cuisine, including its distinct style of pizza, toasted ravioli, and gooey butter cake. I had the chance to try these delicacies—absolutely delicious!
Our primary reason for visiting was to participate in PG’s Member-Guest tournament at Old Warson Country Club on day one. Despite some showers over the first few holes, we had a real blast. I vividly recall an early birdie after an 8-iron shot landed, bounced off a small lake’s protective wall, soared into the sky, and landed 10 feet from the pin. Embo managed to sink the slippery putt for a birdie, which was a great start for the team. PJ, Big Rig Gries and the Embo finished the day 4 strokes behind the leaders in 6th place—a great club and a great day! Dinner was at the Italian restaurant Casa Don Alfonso, where we enjoyed excellent service from our waiter Juan Pablo, Nespresso martinis, and a very special 2015 Barolo ordered by Trigg – extremely great value for money. Meeting the legendary Tim on his home turf was a highlight, followed by a sing-along of Danny Ho Classics with the Angels, a speakeasy night cap no.1 with shirt exchange, and a further nightcap at the Triggs’ suite.
A bit of history: Old Warson Country Club hosted the Ryder Cup Matches in 1971, where the American team won decisively. This was the last Ryder Cup team to include legends like Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Lee Trevino, with Palmer making his final Ryder Cup appearance. I was told the club is named Warson because it’s located on Warson Road.
Day two took us to Bellerive Country Club with Piers. Bellerive has a rich history, having hosted the U.S. Open in 1965, where South African Gary Player completed the career grand slam by defeating Kel Nagle in a playoff. Nick Price captured his first major by winning the PGA Championship here in 1992. Bellerive has also hosted the U.S. Senior Open, the BMW Championship, and the 100th PGA Championship in 2018, making it one of only three clubs to host all four men’s major championships. It’s a tough course, with Piers and Trigg showing us the ropes while Embo struggled off the tee. At times, it “didn’t even feel like we were in Missouri” —challenging to understand but someone did say that. After a couple of cold beers, we headed to Tom and Sara’s place for a fun evening with ribs and red wine. After Dinner we bumped into Local Boy aka The Big Rig, 3 Time Stanley Cup winner Patrick Maroon in the bar at the Ritz Carlton. No photos with any Stanley Cup winners in the Embos one day in the life of a hotelier collection. A nice guy as confirmed by my mate AKA Big Rig, Mike Trigg.
Our final day took us to Boone Valley, a little out of town. It’s a great club with fantastic Club food (specially the Chicken wings) and a fitting course to wrap up this memorable trip. Trigg was my partner for the day, and we wiped the Irishman and Piers off the map on the front nine before taking down Aaron and Tombo on the back nine! Embo had invented too many bets for the day, so we called it even, had a few cocktails, and headed off to Annie Gunn’s for dinner—delicious smoked shrimp, a great ribeye, French Bordeaux, and excellent company. A big thanks to PJ and Brian for setting up the day!
And that’s a wrap! Rumor has it we’ll be invited back, and that on this trip, the Annual Pacific Cup vs. Warsons-Bellerive combo Cup was envisioned by the boys! Amazing Midwestern hospitality!
