��ѿ��ý

The 117-acre course, established in 1901, is considered the oldest public course west of the Mississippi River, but its future has been in limbo for years. It survived a failed effort by a homebuilder a decade ago to develop townhouses, a project bitterly fought by residents of Bel-Nor and Greendale.

The University of Missouri-��ѿ��ý bought it for $1.4 million in January 2015, and agreed to lease it to Walters Golf Management for 10 years at $1 per year. The university has not discussed long-term plans for the property, and some residents have been concerned the university may ultimately develop it.

Walters, which operates nine area courses, has kept Normandie more than playable in the interim. The typical greens fees of $25 make the course one of the area’s best golf bargains. But its tight, quirky layout, blind shots and rough patches keep it well out of the area’s top tier of public courses. And its condition is sliding.

A group called NormandieFore! on Sunday told a group of about 50 people, mostly Bel-Nor and Greendale residents, it wants to raise $20 million to dramatically remake Normandie by rerouting holes, adding a banquet facility, practice area and possible golf hall of fame. It also wants to acquire part of nearby St. Vincent county park, or surrounding cemeteries, to expand.

Moreover, the effort’s organizers hope the course could become an educational center for Normandy School District and the University of Missouri-��ѿ��ý, and include programs in golf skills, agriculture, culinary arts and sustainability. Inclusion and education would be at the center of the new facility’s mission, the group said.

“Let’s take an old jewel, and let’s see if we can’t drive … the charitable part of this so we can get corporate ��ѿ��ý behind it,” said Tom O’Toole, a partner in the Mickes O’Toole law firm who was president of the U.S. Golf Association from 2014-16, and founded the ��ѿ��ý Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association. “Then what’s the byproduct of that? This gets renovated and then gets used to change lives, and change these kids’ lives in this community.”

The group includes Chris Krehmeyer, president and CEO of Beyond Housing; Russell Brightman, first vice president of Bank of America Merrill Lynch; Richard Ryffel, executive director and market manager for J.P. Morgan; Jeff Smith, the managing partner for Walters; and Curt Rohe, executive director for the area golf association.

The group cautioned it was in the very early stages of planning, and that UMSL had not agreed to sell or lease the course, but that university officials seemed to support the idea. UMSL did not have a representative at the meeting, and one could not be reached on Sunday.

Krehmeyer pointed to the movie theater and coffee house his group helped develop in nearby Pagedale and said the revamped Normandie could be a similar source of community pride. “I want this course to be a shining star because guess what else it does? It increases property values around here. ... I want people from all across the area to come to Normandie and say, ‘Wow, I didn’t know.’”