USPGA returns to Bellerive

20 May 2011

Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis has been selected by the PGA of America to host the centennial PGA Championship in 2018. The course, which last hosted a PGA Championship in 1992, will also host the Senior PGA Championship in 2013, making it only the third club to host all four of the nation’s rotating major championships: the US Open, PGA Championship and their Senior counterparts.

Founded in 1897 as the former St. Louis Field Club in north St. Louis, the club became Bellerive Country Club in 1910 when Scotsman Robert Foulis designed its course in Normandy. 50 years later Robert Trent Jones was enlisted to create a new course, and chose a prime farm location where the ‘Green Monster of Ladue Road’ opened in 1960.

The parkland course was remodelled by Jones’ son Rees in 2005. “We completely rebuilt my dad’s famous design while maintaining much of his style,” said Rees Jones on reopening in 2007. “Most importantly, we made small targets within the large greens while retaining the dramatic contours. We also rebuilt and repositioned all the fairway and greenside bunkers.”

The course has since successfully hosted the 2008 BMW Championship and now has two major championships to look forward to. “I’m so pleased the PGA Championship is returning to Bellerive,” said Jones. “The golf course was designed and built by my dad to be a championship test of golf. It presents a complete test of golf on ample ground with great green contours and a wonderful flow to the routing.”