History of Old Warson Country Club
During the War of 1812, John Mullanphy, an adventurer from Ireland, made a fortune trading in cotton. He acquired large real estate holdings in the St. Louis area, including parts of the property on which Old Warson Country Club is now located. The property, and additional acreage acquired over the years, was held by the family and devoted to raising cattle. In 1941 a great- great-grandson, John Boland, sold a total of 300 acres, including the present Old Warson property, to George Strake. Strake, a former resident of St. Louis and a director of St. Louis Mercantile Trust Company, sold 180 acres of land north of Old Warson Road to a small group of prominent St. Louisans led by W. Alfred Hayes and James E. Rarick. Hayes and Rarick put up $200,000 and purchased the land in the name of their company, the Algonquin Chemical Company.
Golf.
The Deceptive Greens
Of all the enduring appeals of Old Warson Country Club, none surpasses the beauty of our 18-hole championship golf course. Situated on 184 acres of rolling terrain with the Noroton River winding through it, the course is a rich natural habitat, justly deserving being the first golf course recognized as a bird sanctuary by the National Audubon Society.
The course was designed by Willie Park, Jr., a two-time British Open Champion and world renowned golf course architect. Old Warson CC is challenging to golfers of all skill levels mainly because it requires golfers to hit "all of the shots". The yardage from the back tees measures 6,901 yards, but the course's true challenge – regardless of which tees you play – is its unique and deceptive greens. Justifiably, the club is regularly ranked as one of the best in state by Golf Digest.