Golf

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For nearly 100 years, Sunset Country Club has been regarded as having one of the finest private championship golf courses in the St. Louis area.  The par 72 layout boasts 6,640 yards of tight tree-lined fairways, rolling hills, strategically placed bunkers, natural flowing creeks, challenging but true greens, and breathtaking elevated views of the Meramec Valley.

Renowned Scottish-born designer Robert Foulis first developed the course using the natural lay of the land.  At the time, Sunset was regarded as one of the finest private golf courses in the United States established by August A. Busch, Eberhard Anheuser, and some of their associates.

Early on, Sunset hosted three important golf championships:  the 1930 St. Louis Open, the 1946 Western Open, and the 1956 Carling Open -- won by Tommy Armour, the “Immortal” Ben Hogan, and Dow Finsterwald Sr., respectively.  All three players are enshrined in the PGA Hall of Fame, with Sunset Country Club forever etched in their biographies. Since then, Sunset has hosted many USGA national qualifying events and state championships, more recently including the 2001 Missouri State Amateur Championship and a 2003 U.S. Senior Open Championship qualifying event.

In 1989, Dr. Michael Hurdzan, Golf Digest’s  1998 Architect of the Year, was retained to rejuvenate and update the layout of Sunset, bringing it up to modern day golf course design standards.  Dr. Hurdzan and his staff continue to work closely with the club and noted Superintendent Tom VanDeWalle to ensure the ongoing excellence of the golf course.

In addition to the championship course, Sunset has an excellent practice range as well as practice putting and chipping greens.   With a beautiful sunset and breathtaking views in the background while standing on the practice facility, you will know exactly how the club got its name.  

With a history rich in resident golf professionals, from the two-time PGA Champion Jim Barnes, the first “Master Professional” Jim Fogertey, “Pro Emeritus” Gary Fee, and our current head pro, Ryan Johnson, Sunset is recognized for providing its members and guests with a “first class” golf experience.  Our PGA professional staff maintains a full-service pro shop with the latest golf products and excels in innovative instruction techniques.  Our PGA professional staff is second to none in creating and implementing exciting club tournaments, twilight events, and junior development programs.

Golf at Sunset is unique.  It is the only club in the St. Louis area where no tee times are required.  It is a very social club and everyone is always welcome into a game.   Sunset offers a great golfing experience for everyone regardless of age or skill level, Men, Women, Couples, and Juniors. 

Number One - Par 5 - 572 Yards
Number one is a scenic golf hole with no room for error on either side of your tee shot. The hole opens up for an easier lay-up shot, but it is important to hit the green on the third shot for it is heavily guarded by three bunkers and a sharp drop off to the left and behind the green.

Number Two - Par 4 - 375 Yards
Number two is a shorter par four which plays much longer than its yardage. The second shot plays extremely up-hill making it a difficult approach. Don’t take this green for granted for it is one of the trickiest on the course.

Number Three - Par 4 - 287 Yards
Number three is a risk/reward par four. The green is drivable, but tough to hold and there is no room to miss on the left side. A ball left short will find one of the biggest bunkers on the course. Toward evening, his hole boasts one of the most scenic views of the Meramec Valley. A good course design always includes a par four like number three.

Number Four - Par 3 - 166 Yards
Number four is known at Sunset as the “Dew Drop”. This short but tough par three is guarded by water hazards on three of its four sides. Remember to club down for the green drops approximately 70 yards in elevation below the tee box.

Number Five - Par 4 - 442 Yards
Number five is one of the toughest holes on the course and is noted as one of Ben Hogan’s favorite par fours. This hole doesn’t surrender many birdies. With out of bounds up the entire right side, the tee shot is intimidating. Once in the fairway, the second shot does not get any easier. It is a long approach over a hazard to a green which slopes severely from right to left. Par is a great score.

Number 6 - Par 4 - 403 Yards
Number six is a sharp ninety degree dogleg right. The tee shot must carry two hundred yards over a water hazard. Avoid hitting it right off the tee for a large elm can knock a tee shot back into the hazard. Once in the fairway, the approach is easy but you must be on the correct side as the flagstick for the green is split by a large ridge. Tucked back in the trees, this hole is one of the most peaceful on the course.

Number 7 - Par 5 - 513 Yards
Number seven is a difficult par five that is long, tight, and uphill. The tee shot must be executed perfectly for a large Elm Tree is positioned in the left center of the fairway two hundred and sixty yards off the tee. The second shot lay-up must carry a water hazard and hit the landing zone which is only eighteen yards wide. Getting it to this position will leave a short uphill approach to a two-tiered green. An approach landing on the wrong tier can lead to a three putt.

Number 8 - Par 5 - 520 Yards
Number eight has one of the most unique teeing grounds on the entire golf course. A rock stairway will take you up and in the trees and really narrows the hole from an elevated position. A water hazard guards the right side. Once in the fairway, it is all uphill to a landing zone which slopes severely from right to left. Favor the right side on the approach shot for the ball will shoot left off the hanging lie and there is no room for error left of the green.

Number 9 - Par 4 - 360 Yards
Number nine is a tight par four playing straight uphill. The tee shot must be positioned perfectly for there are deep bunkers guarding both sides of the fairway. Once in the fairway, know that a missed approach shot will leave an uneven lie for a chip or pitch to a stadium set green.

Number 10 - Par 5 - 495 Yards
Number ten is the third par five in four holes. This is one of the toughest driving holes on the course. A draw is the desired shot and anything else can find the dense tree lines. Going for this green in two will allow the best chance at birdie for an approach third shot will be coming from a hanging downhill lie making it tough to stop the ball on a green that runs from front to back. Par is a good score.

Number 11 - Par 4 - 400 Yards
Number eleven is a slight dogleg right playing uphill. It is a challenging tee shot requiring a fade to stay in the fairway. With very few drives finding the fairway the green is fair with an opening in the middle, but don’t squirt the ball right or left out of the rough or greenside bunkers will be found. This green looks like it slopes from back to front, but putts relatively flat.

Number 12 - Par 4 - 444 Yards
Number twelve is the second hardest hole on the course behind number five. It plays long with no room to miss off the tee or approach to the right. A ball right is almost sure to go out of bounds. This hole has one of the largest greens on the course and slopes devilishly from back to front. Keep the ball below the hole to avoid a three putt. Enjoy the brick wall back drop as you hit your approach and putt out on the green. It is truly a nice setting.

Number 13 - Par 3 - 155 Yards
Number thirteen is a short par three over a pond to an “L” shaped green. The wind is tough to judge on this hole. Many tee shots carry the green long. Grass mounds behind the green make the second shot pitch quite difficult. Enjoy the sound of splashing water from the hole’s fountain while putting out on the green.

Number 14 - Par 4 - 355 Yards
Number fourteen is a simple but beautiful par four. The trees behind the green provide a stadium back drop for the approach shot. However, the green on this par four is difficult. It is divided into thirds by two ridges. Balls have a tendency to trickle down to the back right corner.

Number 15 - Par 3 - 217 Yards
Number fifteen is one of the best holes on the course. It is a beautifully shaped par three. From two hundred and seventeen yards, the tee shot shoots out from under the largest Pin Oak tree registered in the state of Missouri. The tee shot then carries a ravine which features the club’s old stone meat locker. Any shot left short, long, left, or right of the green will challenge the skills of any golfer.

Number 16 - Par 4 - 337 Yards
Number sixteen has a picturesque view from an elevated tee box. This is a tight par four which slopes from right to left. A ball pulled left is sure to run down out of play and any ball hit right has a chance of going out of bounds. A hybrid or fairway wood is a smart play off the tee to get the ball in the fairway. Once in the fairway look to your right and observe the old Anheuser home. From the fairway enjoy a mid-wedge to a green guarded by a tall Pin Oak on its front left side.

Number 17 - Par 3 - 215 Yards
Number seventeen is a long par three which plays much like number fifteen. It features a very wide green that is tough to miss if the tee shot is hit the correct distance. Long or short can pose some tough problems leaving a difficult uphill chip from the front and an even harder downhill chip from the rear. Par is a great score on this hole.

Number 18 - Par 4 - 400 Yards
Number eighteen lives up to every expectation one would have for a finishing hole. It is long, tight, and severely sloped from right to left. Any tee shot to the far left will be out of play. A fairway bunker two hundred and fifty yards off the tee tends to be a popular collection area. From any position on this hole, add one club for the approach shot. Once on the green, play a little bit more break than you normally would; if not you will find the ball running away from you.