Bogey Hills Country Club opened in 1962, designed by Charles Walters in St. Charles. From 1972 to 1993 the club hosted the nationally recognized Bogey Hills Invitational, which attracted PGA Tour players including Payne Stewart, John Daly, and Hal Sutton.
History
Bogey Hills Country Club in St. Charles, Missouri was founded in 1962, making it one of the postwar private clubs that developed in response to the expansion of suburban St. Louis into St. Charles County during the 1950s and 1960s. The course was designed by Charles Walters, an architect who worked in the Midwestern market during this period of significant golf course construction across the region. St. Charles County's development during the postwar decades was driven by the expansion of manufacturing, particularly at Boeing and related defense contractors, and by the general westward movement of St. Louis's residential population that followed highway construction and suburban growth. The club was established to serve the growing professional and business community that was settling in St. Charles and the surrounding area as the county developed from a largely rural character into one of the region's major suburban corridors. The course at Bogey Hills occupies rolling terrain characteristic of Missouri's eastern river country, a landscape shaped by the Missouri River valley and the uplands that rise above it. St. Charles sits at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi river systems, and the topography of the surrounding area reflects this setting — the land is varied enough to provide interesting golf without the dramatic elevation changes that characterize more rugged terrain. Charles Walters designed the course to provide a challenging test for the serious golfer while remaining accessible to the range of skill levels found in a private club membership. The design philosophy of the early 1960s favored generous fairways with strategic bunkering and green complexes that rewarded precise approach shots. Walters worked within these conventions while taking advantage of the specific terrain of the St. Charles site to create a course with its own identity. The club's name — Bogey Hills — reflects both the naming conventions of the era and the rolling terrain of the property.
The choice of "Bogey" as part of the club name connects to a tradition of golf nomenclature that was well established in Missouri, where The Bogey Club in Ladue had carried the name since 1911. Bogey Hills Country Club was conceived as a full-service private club with dining and social facilities in addition to the golf course, and it has maintained this comprehensive character throughout its history. St. Charles itself has a history that significantly predates the club. It was the first capital of Missouri after statehood in 1821, and it served as the launching point for the Lewis and Clark Expedition when the Corps of Discovery departed from this location in 1804. The city's long history gives the broader community a sense of place that extends well beyond its postwar suburban character, and the golf club is part of the contemporary institutional fabric of a community with deep historical roots. The club has operated continuously since its opening in 1962, serving a membership drawn from the St. Charles County professional and business community. Over the decades, St. Charles County has grown substantially — it is now one of the fastest-growing counties in Missouri and one of the major components of the St. Louis metropolitan area. Bogey Hills Country Club has been part of this growth, serving a community that has expanded dramatically from the relatively modest suburban enclave it was when the club was founded. The golf course has been maintained and updated over the decades to keep pace with changes in equipment and agronomic practice. Green surfaces have been improved, irrigation systems updated, and the overall conditioning standards advanced to meet the expectations of a membership that plays regularly and understands what good golf course maintenance looks like. The Walters design has proven durable, with the fundamental routing and strategic demands of the course remaining relevant despite the significant changes in golf equipment that have occurred since 1962.