ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Normandie Golf Course is about to undergo a major renovation project with one of the greatest golfers in history leading the way.
Jack Nicklaus and his design firm have agreed to join the effort to revamp the course in north St. Louis County. Nicklaus himself will lead the design effort and help fundraising efforts to buy the property from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association made the announcement Thursday.
Once the project is complete, Normandie Golf Club will become a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course.
“The appeal of this project to me was to be involved in an effort that could serve as a catalyst to change needed in our country today, beginning with parts of St. Louis County,” Jack Nicklaus said. “Restoring Normandie for a community in need will have a long-lasting positive impact on the lives of youth in St. Louis.”
Normandie was built in 1901 and is one of the oldest public golf courses west of the Mississippi River.
Nicklaus first learned about the efforts to renovate Normandie late last year from his friend Tom O’Toole Jr., who once served as president of the United States Golf Association.
“To have Jack agree to be involved in this project immeasurably changes its viability,” O’Toole said. “Now, this is an effort that a metropolitan area, and the businesses who thrive here can get behind to forever change the lives of youth in our region.”
The Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association said renovating Normandie is about so much more than freshening up the course; it’s also about “being a catalyst for socio-economic change in an under-served community,” the golf association said in a news release.
“Once a community loses an asset of this magnitude, seldom is it regained,” said Chris Krehmeyer, CEO of Beyond Housing, which is participating in the renovation. “This project expands and complements the successful projects BH has developed in this region.”
Nicklaus Design, the Metropolitan Golf Foundation and Beyond Housing are participating in the project. Once funding is in place, construction could begin by the end of 2021. The golf course will remain open and continue to be operated by Walters Golf Management through the end of the 2021 golf season.