Lake Forest

Gary Kern is not the most well-known of golf course architects, however it is difficult to discuss the topic in St. Louis without his name coming up. Among his most celebrated productions in the region are Fox Run Golf Club and Lake Forest Country Club.

Kern’s style is reminiscent of the era in which he worked, emphasizing accuracy off of the tee (and otherwise) with tight fairways and penal fairways. That hardly summed up the whole of his approach to golf, however, as is displayed at the course’s signature hole, No. 11. Among the shortest holes on the course, this par three features a 200-yard carry over water from the back tees. It’s easy to get distracted by the pond and focus on distance alone, but the two-tiered green reveals that finding the right placement on the putting surface was the true challenge all along.