Golf | St. Louis Public Radio

Bellerive hosts thousands for PGA Championship: The months of work behind all that green

By Wayne Pratt • Aug 6, 2018

Workers set up for the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club in Town and Country in June. — Carolina Hidalgo | St. Louis Public Radio

Bellerive Country Club in Town and Country is the center of the golf world this week with the 100th PGA Championship set to begin Thursday. Organizers are expecting 80,000 people to come in for the event.

They will get to see a championship course in all its glory. Precisely mowed greens, protected by deep sandy bunkers and fairways stretching for hundreds of yards lined by trees reaching for the sky.

The person tasked with getting everything ready — and making it all look good — is Carlos Arraya.

‘Putt your way through downtown St. Louis’ at Sheldon Art Galleries' mini-golf installation

By Lara Hamdan • Jun 8, 2018

Switch’s “The Gateway Green – A Hole-in-One for STL” installation at the Sheldon Art Galleries. — Alex Heuer | St. Louis Public Radio

There are many art galleries and exhibits in St. Louis, but none combine the classic game of mini-golf with art like the Sheldon Art Galleries’ current exhibition, "Golf the Galleries: Artist-Designed Mini Golf."

“[Golf the Galleries] brings together design aspects and play – so art and fun,” Olivia Lahs-Gonzales, director of the Sheldon Art Galleries, told St. Louis on the Air producer Alex Heuer as they putted their way through the gallery on Friday’s program.

Belleville Celebrates Bicentennial, Looks Ahead

By Erica Smith • Dec 30, 2014

Five men were inducted into the Belleville Walk of Fame in 2014: Ninian Edwards, Lyman Trumull, Bob Goalby, George Blair and Christian "Buddy" Ebsen. — Larry Betz / Belleville Historical Society

You’ve stumbled across the cakes, watched the fireworks and heard the stories about St. Louis’ 250th anniversary. But nearby Belleville also is celebrating a milestone: 2014 marked the Illinois city’s bicentennial.

Belleville was founded in 1814 when George Blair donated an acre of his farmland for the city, part of a deal that moved the St. Clair County seat from Cahokia, on the Mississippi River, to the center of the county.

New Leader Of USGA From St. Louis; Talks Belly Putters, Arm Chair Officials And Expanding The Game

By Camille Phillips • Mar 13, 2014

For the next two years, the governing body of golf in the United States will be led by St. Louis attorney Tom O’Toole. When he became president of the United States Golf Association (USGA) last month, O’Toole spoke about the need to increase the accessibility and prominence of the sport.

He reiterated that idea today when he discussed the future of golf with St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh. Fellow St. Louisans and big-name amateur golfers Ellen Port and Jim Holtgrieve joined the conversation.

Bellerive officials study this week's Senior PGA Championship

By Bill Raack & Greg Echlin • May 25, 2012

The General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis is in Benton Harbor, Michigan, this week asking a lot of questions.

Bellerive is the host golf course next year at this time for the Senior PGA Championship, which is now underway at the Harbor Shores golf course. Jeffery Kreafle is entering his fourth year as the GM and COO at Bellerive. It’s the first time he’s been involved with a golf course that’s slated to be the site of a major. He’s trying to keep from being overwhelmed.

In the market to buy a golf course?

By The Associated Press • Nov 16, 2011

An 18-hole golf course in southern Illinois could be yours for $750,000.

The Belleville News-Democrat reports that the family of Joseph Trover is selling the Yorktown Golf Course in Belleville.

They have owned the 38-acre property since 1992 and hope to keep it a golf course. Trover says he is willing to come down on the price because a golf course is good for the community and people.

Bellerive Country Club wins bids for two major golf events

By Kelsey Proud & Rachel Lippmann • May 6, 2011

Bellerive Country Club in suburban Town and Country has been named by the Professional Golf Association as the location for not one, but two major events over the next several years.

Bellerive will host the Senior PGA Championship in 2013 followed by the 100th PGA Championship in 2018.