St. Louis, Missouri – Far Oaks Golf Club in Suburban St. Louis has been selected as the host course for the 2007 United States Deaf Open. The course is the work of local resident and 1968 Masters Champion Bob Goalby with a rating of 73.3 and a slope of 141 from the back tees. For the championship, the zoyzia grass fairways and bent grass greens can be stretched to 7,083 yards for the men. The central location of the tournament will allow for the best deaf golfers in the country to have an easy time traveling to compete.

 

Former National Champion Bill Roberts spearheaded the group that submitted St. Louis to the USDGA for the 2007 event. When approached with the opportunity to host the preeminent National Championship in the Deaf Community Far Oaks Head Golf Professional Jim Knott enthusiastically opened the door to his course. “We would love to have this tournament and our course will be a perfect challenge to the players.”

 

 

 

The Goalby design boasts water on 7 holes with the most dangerous being the creek fronted par 3 15th, the treacherous  and drivable  par 4 16th which is guarded by a pond on the left, and the lakes that border the finishing holes on each nine, both par 5’s. The risk reward 18th should provide for an exciting climax to the championship with water directly in play in front of the green on the 545 yard par 5. The front nine for the tournament requires the player to thread their shots between majestic oak trees and across dramatic elevation changes. Once you make the turn the style shifts to the open feeling of the Scottish courses with native grass and wildflowers in abundance. The flattish last nine will require anyone brave enough to challenge for the title to hit every club in the bag with the final stretch of holes yielding some birdies or extracting bogies or worse depending on your strategy. The Gateway city offers many exciting things to do and see as well as some of the best restaurants in the country and will provide those that qualify and play in the tournament a National Championship to remember for a long time.