For more than 70 years, St. Louis’s Old Warson Country Club (OWCC) has been an integral part of the lives of some of the city’s most prominent citizens.
With a championship golf course as part of the founders’ vision, they enlisted the expertise of Robert Trent Jones, Sr., to design and supervise the construction of Old Warson’s 18-hole course in 1952. Within a year, the membership roster was capped at 300, with a waiting list of 200 by the time the course opened in 1954. From amateur to elite events, OWCC has hosted many notable tournaments in its history, including Arnold Palmer’s final Ryder Cup Match in 1971 where the American team, which also included Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino, triumphed.
One of seven charter members of the Robert Trent Jones Society, OWCC takes great pride in its origins, and it would be easy to see why the golf course might be considered the crown jewel of the club. However, OWCC has long had another ace up its sleeve: an exceptional culinary program helmed by passionate chefs who are dedicated to developing their craft.
Strong Culinary Ties
General Manager Aidan Murphy, CMC, began his career after culinary school in his native Ireland and came to OWCC after stints in Switzerland and Florida. He began a 32-year (and counting) career at OWCC as executive chef, where he exercised his culinary muscles for 18 years before moving into the general manager role. Along the way, he pursued his passion for the culinary arts, earned his Certified Master Chef designation, and made a name for himself as a formidable competitor in American Culinary Federation (ACF) competitions and on the global stage. Today, Old Warson Chef Dan Holtgrave, CEC, is making his own mark as captain of the ACF Team USA. In 2022 the team was one of 18 vying for gold in one of the largest and most prestigious culinary competitions in the world and took home a silver medal each day of the two-day competition. Chef Dan has now been at the helm of OWCC’s kitchen for 14 years; the apprenticeship program he runs enables apprentices—there are currently two—to acquire and hone the culinary skills to succeed in a lifelong trade. Recognized as St. Louis Chef of the Year, he frequently participates in local charity dinners, and is a past president and active leader in the local ACF chapter
A truly family-centric club, Old Warson has programming that brings all generations and demographics of its 420 individual members and their families into the fold to enjoy the course, the courts, the pool, the clubhouse and most importantly, the fellowship of other Warsonians. As the trend toward accommodating a more casual lifestyle takes hold across the industry, Murphy notes that while the atmosphere has become more casual, the menus have not. His team at OWCC remains dedicated to expertly delivering innovative and well-executed dishes with every service. Its patio bar, which premiered 12 years ago, changed the tenor of the club and significantly increased member usage. As Holtgrave prepares for the 2024 Culinary Olympics, Old Warson members eagerly attend dinners where he prepares practice menus for the competition and showcases his Michelin star-worthy dishes.
Members have many options, from white tablecloth all-day dining in the Trophy Room to casual all-day dining in the RTJ Room and Bar. The Conway Room is open several evenings per week for à la carte dining or private parties. The men’s- only Ryder Cup Lounge serves daily beginning at 11:30 a.m. in December, January and February, and this room is open for regular evening dining for both men and women on Friday and Saturday evenings. The Patio Bar is for all members, is staffed April-November, weather permitting, and serves from the bar menu. This is a member favorite during the spring, summer, and fall with its majestic views of the golf course.
The poolside snack bar and golf course tee house round out the options for members. The 400-seat Main Dining Room is used for big holidays and member events, weddings and private parties. There are two more private rooms on the second floor that can cater up to 48 and 20, respectively.
The club’s annual F&B income is around $3.5 million with 62% from regular dining and 38% from banquets. The club’s wine cellar houses 4,000 bottles with an estimated value of $240,000. Though the cellar does not have seating, the wine program is a large part of the OWCC member experience with sold-out wine tastings and dinners scheduled frequently throughout the year. OWCC invests annually in wine futures to add to its curated collection.
Investing in the Member Experience
The club has continuously invested in upgrades to various aspects of the facility during the past 25 years and its ongoing strategic plan will see exciting changes to enhance operational efficiency, aesthetics, and capacity.
A large master plan that was intensely member-driven and based upon extensive member feedback was recently approved by the OWCC membership. They will commence upon some exciting renovations to the clubhouse, golf facility, aquatics center, patio dining and kitchen this coming fall. The $2.9 million renovation to the patio and outdoor bar area will reconfigure and enlarge the space to include a view of the 18th green, add covered dining areas, improve the fountain feature, add fire tables, and incorporate infrastructure to allow for use of both a 4,000-square-foot and a 3,200-square-foot tent in conjunction with indoor spaces, and replace the existing trees. The plan will enhance and increase casual indoor dining and create a larger lounge bar and a back service bar area. The upgraded golf training facility will have three simulators and a lounge, a new tennis shop and a children’s camp area. Improvements to the aquatic area include added shade areas for dining comfort, a pool bar and an improved kitchen. The casual dining improvement will begin after the holiday season, and the club will forgo banquet business to dedicate those areas for member à la carte dining.
Additionally, the club is undergoing an assessment of all equipment in the main kitchen and, once the analysis is complete, plans to invest about $500,000 in upgrades to ensure they are using the most efficient equipment for their specific needs. This plan also includes upgrading the employee lounge and enhancing the locker areas.Because of the high-caliber talent and excellent quality of the menu items, the club does not require a food minimum to incentivize members to dine there. Whether it’s working with OWCC’s in-house horticulturist to grow and harvest herbs and vegetables from the club’s garden or figs, peaches, or apples from their trees, partnering with a farmer to source quality pork that is purchased whole, butchered by the chef and his staff, and cured and processed to create their own meats and charcute- rie boards, or baking a personalized custom-made cake for a family celebration, members know that the dishes they’re served are crafted not only with expertise but with intention. Clearly, OWCC’s approach is a recipe for success.