17 Apr 10 Public Golf Courses in the St. Louis Area Worth a Tee Time

St. Louis is a good place to be a public-course golfer. Within about 40 minutes of downtown you can play a Gary Player 27-holer, a Tom Fazio layout in St. Charles County, a Jack Nicklaus Signature course across the river, and a 27-hole city course inside Forest Park, all without a membership. Here are ten courses we’d send a client to, grouped by region, with the details each course publishes and a note on where nearby golfers shop for homes.

City of St. Louis

The Courses at Forest Park, St. Louis

Forest Park’s golf course (6141 Lagoon Drive) is 27 holes laid out as three par-35 nines named Hawthorne, Dogwood, and Redbud, so you can mix any two for an 18-hole round. It’s operated by Arcis Golf, which offers a public daily-fee option alongside a Players’ Club membership that includes unlimited range access and weekly clinics with PGA professionals. Ruthie’s Bar & Grill is on site. This is the easiest tee time to reach from the Central West End, DeBaliviere Place, Skinker DeBaliviere, and Dogtown, and a lot of city golfers walk or bike over. Details: Arcis Golf.

St. Louis County

Tapawingo National Golf Club, Sunset Hills

Tapawingo (13001 Gary Player Drive) is a 27-hole Gary Player design that combines the Meramec, Woodlands, and Prairie nines, each par 36. The club’s own site emphasizes the rivers, lakes, and hardwood forest that frame the holes, plus fast greens. There’s a driving range and a banquet center, and GolfPass lists walking as permitted, which isn’t a given at a course this size. Sunset Hills, Crestwood, and Fenton are the nearby home-shopping areas, with I-270 and I-44 both a few minutes away.

Quail Creek Golf Club, South St. Louis County

Quail Creek (6022 Wells Road, 63128) sits inside St. Louis County’s Wayne C. Kennedy Recreation Complex and has been under new management since April 2022, according to the club, with a new cart fleet and ongoing improvements. It’s an 18-hole par-72 course designed by Hale Irwin and Gary Kern, and GolfPass lists it at about 7,050 yards from the back tees with walking allowed. The layout is known for narrow fairways, water, and tricky greens. Golfers here typically look at homes in Oakville, Mehlville, and Concord.

Creve Coeur Golf Club, Creve Coeur

A municipal nine-holer at 11400 Olde Cabin Road, just off Olive Boulevard. The city’s site lists it at 3,050 yards from the men’s tees and 2,419 from the women’s, with no sand traps, sloped fairways, and two-tiered greens, plus “Family Tees” designed for junior golfers. It’s the kind of course where a parent and a nine-year-old can get a round in before dinner. Creve Coeur, Olivette, and Town and Country are all within ten minutes.

West County and the Meramec Valley

Pevely Farms Golf Club, Eureka

Arthur Hills designed Pevely Farms (400 Lewis Road) on the grounds of a former dairy show farm. The club describes an 18-hole championship layout of more than 7,100 yards from the tips, with zoysia fairways, bentgrass greens, big elevation changes, forced carries over water, and views over the Meramec River valley. Eureka and Wildwood are the natural home bases, and Route 66 State Park is close by if the family wants something to do while you play.

The Landings at Spirit Golf Club, Chesterfield

Roger Null designed The Landings (180 N. Eatherton Road) in the Chesterfield Valley, and the club’s site says it opened in 1999. It’s 18 holes with five tee sets from 6,758 yards down to 4,379, zoysia and bluegrass fairways, bentgrass greens, and three double greens that give the links-style layout its character. The practice facility includes a full-length driving range, a large putting green, and a separate chipping area. Chesterfield and Wildwood buyers who want to be near Highway 40 and the Chesterfield Valley retail corridor gravitate here.

St. Charles County

The Missouri Bluffs Golf Club, St. Charles

Missouri Bluffs (18 Research Park Circle, off Highway 40/61 near Weldon Spring) is a Tom Fazio design that opened in 1995; GolfLink lists it as 18 holes, par 71, and 7,047 yards from the back tees. The club changed hands in 2025 and now sells an all-inclusive public rate that bundles lunch and a draft beer before 3 p.m. It has a fully lighted range with a concrete tee line and a kids’ zone in the clubhouse, and it’s affiliated with Golf Club of Wentzville and Links at Dardenne for members. Nearby: Weldon Spring, Cottleville, and the newer subdivisions along Highway 94.

Bear Creek Golf Club, Wentzville

Bear Creek (158 Bear Creek Drive) was the first 18-hole public course inside Wentzville city limits, designed by Gary Kern and opened in 1998 according to the club. The routing kept most of the mature trees, so each hole feels separate. There’s a driving range, a short-game area, leagues, lessons, and a pro shop. It’s a selling point for buyers looking at Wentzville, Lake St. Louis, and O’Fallon.

Metro East

Stonewolf Golf Club, Fairview Heights, Illinois

Stonewolf (1195 Stonewolf Trail) is a Jack Nicklaus Signature course, one of only four Nicklaus Signature designs in Illinois and Missouri, and about 15 minutes from the Arch per the club. GolfPass lists it as 18 holes, par 72, 6,943 yards, opened in 1997, with zoysia fairways and bentgrass greens. Five tee sets, a three-tiered range, a big putting green, and a short-game area with practice bunkers. The club participates in Youth on Course, which subsidizes rounds for junior members. Fairview Heights, Shiloh, and O’Fallon, Illinois, are the neighborhoods to know.

Gateway National Golf Links, Madison, Illinois

Gateway National (18 Golf Drive) is the region’s only true links-style course, designed by Keith Foster and opened in 1998, next to World Wide Technology Raceway, which acquired it and kept Walters Golf Management running it. GolfPass lists 18 holes, par 71, and 7,178 yards from the tips, with bentgrass fairways and greens, wood-tie bunkers, and Scottish-style burns. The club’s site points out you can see the Arch from the course. It’s a ten-minute drive from downtown lofts and from Edwardsville and Granite City.

Buying a Home Near the Course

Quick picks: Creve Coeur’s Family Tees for kids, Tapawingo or Quail Creek if you like to walk, Missouri Bluffs’ lighted range after work, and Pevely Farms, Stonewolf, or Gateway National for a bucket-list round. If you’re comparing neighborhoods, start with St. Louis area listings on Wizah, then read our home buying guide. Our agents know which of these courses back up to which subdivisions, and we’re happy to set up a no-pressure consultation to talk it through.