Gateway National Golf Links

About
Gateway National Golf Club is the top public golf course in St. Louis. The course sprawls across gently rolling pasturelands crossed with ribbons of tall native grasses and sprinkled with mature cottonwood trees. There are also several sparkling lakes that dot the course, providing challenges on several holes. Although it's nowhere near the ocean, the golf course has a classic links layout with wood-tie bunkers and subtle but tricky mounding that is in the tradition of great British Isles courses such as Carnoustie and the Old Course at St. Andrews. The Gateway National layout even incorporates Scottish-style burns. The fairways are generous but they are lined with rough that will readily swallow errant shots. It is a long golf course at 7,178 yards and it even boasts one of Illinois' longest par 4s, the 482-yard fifth hole.
Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Tips | 71 | 7178 yards | 75.0 | 138 |
Championship | 71 | 7092 yards | 74.6 | 138 |
Back | 71 | 6623 yards | 72.4 | 133 |
Middle | 71 | 6154 yards | 70.1 | 126 |
Combo | 71 | 5650 yards | 66.4 | 114 |
Forward | 71 | 5187 yards | 64.5 | 109 |
Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Tips M: 74.2/127 | 410 | 469 | 661 | 197 | 482 | 560 | 204 | 419 | 430 | 3832 | 317 | 444 | 154 | 562 | 240 | 458 | 390 | 231 | 550 | 3346 | 7178 |
Championship M: 71.9/126 | 401 | 462 | 655 | 194 | 475 | 556 | 200 | 417 | 427 | 3787 | 315 | 442 | 147 | 557 | 236 | 454 | 384 | 225 | 545 | 3305 | 7092 |
Back M: 69.6/123 | 376 | 422 | 630 | 180 | 452 | 530 | 180 | 408 | 390 | 3568 | 271 | 422 | 131 | 533 | 200 | 428 | 354 | 195 | 527 | 3061 | 6629 |
Arch M: 70.5/124 | 376 | 397 | 566 | 153 | 421 | 530 | 160 | 408 | 390 | 3401 | 271 | 394 | 131 | 533 | 185 | 408 | 354 | 173 | 527 | 2976 | 6377 |
Middle M: 66.8/120 W: 72.1/126 | 354 | 397 | 566 | 153 | 421 | 500 | 160 | 378 | 360 | 3289 | 251 | 397 | 115 | 520 | 185 | 408 | 325 | 173 | 494 | 2868 | 6157 |
Combo M: 65.0/106 W: 69.9/121 | 354 | 329 | 530 | 153 | 351 | 455 | 160 | 378 | 360 | 3070 | 251 | 329 | 115 | 462 | 155 | 330 | 325 | 173 | 494 | 2634 | 5704 |
Forward M: 65.0/106 W: 69.9/121 | 302 | 329 | 500 | 130 | 351 | 455 | 145 | 300 | 310 | 2822 | 202 | 330 | 90 | 462 | 155 | 330 | 274 | 156 | 391 | 2390 | 5212 |
Handicap | 13 | 7 | 1 | 17 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 6 | 18 | 2 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 16 | 8 | |||
Par | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 35 | 71 |
Course Details
Rentals/Services
Practice/Instruction
Policies
Food & Beverage
BarAvailable Facilities
Clubhouse, Meeting Facilities, Banquet FacilitiesReviews
Reviewer Photos
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# 18 Photo submitted by WayneJ17 on 08/02/2020
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# 15 Photo submitted by WayneJ17 on 08/02/2020
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Photo submitted by WayneJ17 on 11/19/2019
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Photo submitted by WayneJ17 on 11/19/2019
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view of downtown St. Louis Photo submitted by u7895139 on 08/08/2018
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Photo submitted by josephmchambers on 01/04/2017
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Photo submitted by dlovekamp on 06/13/2016
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Photo submitted by ddroege on 02/20/2014
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Photo submitted by Khang5905166 on 03/24/2013
Cabin fever has set it
Played the course on a 30 degree day. There was maybe 10 people total in the course for the day, walked it to stay warm, never was rushed or waited on anyone. Our 3some walked it in 3.2 hours. Fairways were soft and great to hit from. Most tees could still get the peg in the ground, but the greens were frozen. Not complaining, just had to play it way short to roll up to the hole. It beat sitting at home. They have re-sodded and seeded some of the tee boxes on multiple holes, looking forward to playing it again once it’s all grown in and in season.
Course was soggy and there were plenty of poor areas. Lost a ball right on front of a green when it went into a very small ditch - NOT a hazard or trap - and I couldn't find it. That's not good.
Excellent Course
The course is one of the best in St. Louis area. The course and greens are in excellent condition. A couple of tee boxes are currently being redone so they have temporary boxes. Time to play was 4:30 hours with waiting on a couple holes. The clubhouse is currently limited due to COVID restrictions but they have a drink cart on the course. Overall this course is highly recommended.
Overpriced & Pace of Play Issues Continue
We played on October 25 and this course is still charging $84 for a round, with several temporary tee boxes. The good news, they are resodding several tee boxes which were in desperate need of repair.
We waited 5-10 minutes on every tee box. This continues to be an issue and this course does not care. Again, no course ranger.
The course is in very good shape. No complaints in this area..
Good course, great view, worth the hot deal!
The day I played the course, there had been heavy rain the previous weekend so it was cart path only. The tee boxes were in great condition, the fairways were good besides a few divots that people didn't repair, and the greens were great: smooth, fast, and in good repair. There were mud plugs all over in the rough from what seemed like a recent aeration, but besides that everything seemed well maintained (and evidence of aeration shows they maintain it well)
My only issue with playing this course is the daily rate, which is the highest in the area. If you can catch a hot deal or don't mind waiting for a later round to get the twilight rates, this course is a must see.
Course is in pretty good condition overall. Only shortfall are the tee boxes. Numerous tees are under repair and others need to be. 2 holes had temporary tees which required hitting on off a turf matt.
Call first for course conditions
This happens often with golf courses and PGA professionals, they refuse to tell you that the course is being aerated. When I checked in I was told to start on the back and when I got there they were in the process of aerating. We then had to skip 4 holes and finish the round, that being said I will not return anytime soon.
Great Course, Poor Conditions Post Tournament
Normally - I would say that Gateway National is one of the best tracks in the Lou, but today was not the case. However give it a few weeks to recover and it will be back in great shape once again. I would still recommend this course as it is still one of my favorite places to play in the St. Louis Metro area.
Pace of Play - was OK except we got stuck playing behind a group of egotistical men, who refused to play the tees that they should be playing. Listen up here, if you cannot get past the forward tees, you cannot play from the blue tees! The best part of golf is that it is meant to be played by all talent levels. I have no issues with beginners learning to play the game, but play up... it will make playing the game that much more enjoyable. At one time I called to ask the marshall to come out, but instead of asking them to pick up the pace; which they did not, but they actually had a 5-some at one point.
Course Conditions - The course was torn up, the tee boxes were not in the best shape and the greens were atrocious. On the 17th tee box, it became obvious why - we played a couple of days after a tournament; where it was obvious the players did not take any care to fix pitch marks on the greens. The greens were in the worst condition I have ever seen them. However, give them a couple of weeks to come back and they will be back in great shape.
Cost Value - The course value was good due to getting a cost break from GolfNow, but if I had to pay the full rack rate, I would have been unhappy. Overall, though I didi not feel as though we got a poor value. One nice thing to see was that the snack shack at the turn was open, and the beverage cart was seen many times throughout the 18 holes.
Customer Service Is So Poor
This is most expensive course in the St. Louis metro,. They really need help with customer service and how to run a golf course,
When I arrived to pay the $94.49, the man behind the counter says this first. The State of Illinois does not allow us to have water on the course. We all kinda know this with the pandemic going on, No course does this.
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How about welcome to Gateway National - we are so happy you decided to play here today. If you need some water, we have some for purchase here in the cooler to your left (however, only filled with alcohol). Maybe consider putting water in there? He never says where I can get any water. At the bar? Some courses have filled cups of water sitting on the bar for customers to take for free.
We do not see the beverage cart until the 10th hole. Nor is the snack shack open at the 10th tee.
They now state you must ride 2 in a cart. Depending on availabity, you can pay an additional $5 for a single cart. The man behind the counter said this was not an option today. Just to note, when we finished our round, there were 14 carts sitting outside, Another 4 being returned. There may have been more but I did not look in the cart shack. Looks like there was availability.
A nice course in St. Charles County (greens fee of $56), allows single carts during this pandemic at no charge at anytime (including weekends). Now, that is what good customer service looks like..
On the positive side, the course is in outstanding shape. With all the rain earlier in the week, this course drains the best in the area. The only concerns were a couple of tees are in rough shape. Holes 7, 10 & 15.
Pace of play was terriffic, first time I can remember this in a long time.
Great course...a little attention to service would make it incredible!
Finally played Gateway National after years of wanting to...great decision! Best course in the area as far as conditions are concerned. Fairways are immaculate. Greens rolled true. Tons of fun! The only drawback is the service. Played at 12:30 on a Sunday and the guys in the pro shop seemed more annoyed that I was there to play than grateful. I’m not looking to be massively catered to...but a smile would go a long way. Same goes for the cart guys. Standing around on their phones not interested in helping me figure out where to start. A little attention to detail like that and this course would be AMAZING in every aspect!
August at Gateway
Gateway is in great shape, greens are firm but receptive and the bent grass fairways are the best fairways around.. We played as a twosome in just over 3 1/2 hours which was nice for a weekend round. Food options are limited with Covid but basics ( burger , brats and dogs are available) cart girl was around every few holes, so drinks were readily accessible. Shot 79 so it was a enjoyable fun day out!
Lightning storm
Had thunderstorms in the area. And was only able to play nine holes. Spoke with Clubhouse manager and he advised I needed to contact Gokfnow.com for a rain check for the other nine holes. Please advise process to obtain a rain check for the holes. I paid for two rounds of golf for today 7/8/2020 and as I said we were only able to play 9 holes. Please refund or provide rain check.
A new favorite
We went off around 4 pm. There was no starter and the course was wide open. We coasted through until 16 when it came to a dead stop. We had plenty of beer and enjoying the course and company so no big deal. Course condition was like a nice private club. If I had a complaint it would be the bunkers. Since there is no raking right now anyway, I’d say not really their fault. Staff was friendly. The clubhouse was a no frills kind of place. It looked like a clubhouse from a Muny course but who cares. The course is what you are there for. The layout was nothing to get excited about but the condition of greens and fairways outweigh that slight downfall. Looking forward to returning.