Hawthorn at The Courses at Forest Park

The Hawthorn Course at Forest Park represents one of the oldest public golf facilities in the United States, with roots tracing back to Robert Foulis, a Scottish professional who laid out the original nine holes in 1912. Foulis, who also designed Glen Echo Country Club in St. Louis, created a course that took advantage of the natural terrain within Forest Park, the expansive urban park that also hosted the 1904 World's Fair. The course expanded over the decades and became a fixture of municipal golf in St. Louis.

In the early 2000s, Hale Irwin Golf Services undertook a significant renovation of the facility, which includes multiple courses within Forest Park. Irwin's work aimed to modernize the layout while respecting the historic character of the property and the constraints of routing golf holes through an active urban park. The Hawthorn Course plays through rolling terrain with mature trees framing many holes, typical of parkland golf in the Midwest.

Forest Park itself covers more than 1,300 acres and includes cultural institutions, recreational facilities, and wooded areas, giving the golf courses a distinctive setting within the city limits. The Hawthorn layout serves a diverse population of St. Louis golfers and visitors, maintaining the tradition of accessible public golf that dates back more than a century. The course remains part of the city's parks system and continues to host regular play and local competitions throughout the season.