BEL-NOR, Mo. — If all goes to plan, Normandie Golf Club in Bel-Nor could finally see some much-needed investment to help restore the historic golf course to its former glory.
But first, its potential buyer, nonprofit community development organization Beyond Housing, needs to raise more than $1 million in order to buy the golf course from the University of Missouri - St. Louis in north St. Louis County. It's unclear how much time the group has to raise the funds and whether it can secure the funding since the COVID-19 pandemic has dampened Beyond Housing's fundraising efforts so far.
"We're thrilled with the opportunity, and we're confident we can raise the money," Beyond Housing President and CEO Chris Krehmeyer said Wednesday during a Bel-Nor town hall meeting. "But we don't want to cannibalize our own mission."
UMSL is selling Normandie Golf Club, which it purchased five years ago, after the university said it could not afford to maintain nor improve the property (UMSL has about $375 million in deferred maintenance costs for the entire campus). The club closed in January after its previous operator, Walter Golf Management, said it could not afford the significant investment needed to improve the golf course. Beyond Housing and partner Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association then stepped in to take over the lease.
Krehmeyer said the lease came with an option to buy the property by the end of 2020 for $1.5 million, what UMSL paid for it in 2015.
Read the full story from the St. Louis Business Journal here.
