Pheasant Run Golf Course — Local services in O’Fallon

I'm sad to leave this review. Here's why:

10 years ago I started taking my five year-old to the neighboring chip-and-putt at Golf Headquarters. It was there he developed a real love for the game and begged me to take him every chance we could get. I fueled that passion by promising if he could consistently break par on the chip-and-putt he could "graduate" to the par 3 next door at Pheasant Run (and promising a bag of gummy bears for every birdie he made also didn't hurt).

We logged nearly 100 rounds of chip-and-putt chasing goals (and gummy bears). And every time we'd reach the green on the 15th hole with the clearest view of Pheasant Run I'd watch him take just a brief moment to stop and stare in awe. And wonder, if just maybe one day, he might be able to play the "big course". To him, it might as well have been Augusta National.

I knew he was ready the moment I had to juggle seven bags of gummy bears in the checkout line at QuikTrip up the street. Once he "graduated" to Pheasant Run we set new goals. ✅ Reach the green in two shots on the par four 8th hole with the green guarded by water. ✅ Break par from the back tees. ✅ Beat dad.

We played nearly another hundred rounds at Pheasant Run checking off those goals before eventually moving on to bigger courses and setting bigger goals. We've spent recent summers traveling the country playing competitive junior events. He's setting his own goals now. And his passion for golf continues. But we've always felt like Golf Headquarters and Pheasant Run were where it all started.

I share that story because I believe facilities like these are important to introducing juniors to the game of golf. Yes, the course is objectively in poor condition. The tee boxes are a mixture of crabgrass and dirt so hard you can't stick a tee in them. The greens are plagued with black fungus and cut at the height of most fringes. Bunkers aren't maintained and are unplayable. None of that matters because this is a lighted public course offering night play and an opportunity for a father to squeeze in some holes with his son after a busy day of work.

We recently went back for the first time in years with excitement of playing some night golf (and how much candy we might earn).

We were greeted with a PLEASE READ memo titled: Golf Cart Damage Repair and Labor Example Costs. It details the schedule of fees if you damage a golf cart including line items like $397 for Rack and Pinion ASM. Whatever that means.

Later in our round the marshal arrived and after I opened with a polite "hey, how's it going" his first words were "YOU NEED TO GET OFF THE GOLF COURSE NOW". I initially chuckled thinking he was making some kind of joke. He followed with "WHAT'S FUNNY" and a crazy look in his eye to let me know he was serious. And very much in charge. He runs this place and we had wronged him.

We had pulled our cart just off the path to let another cart go through. He claims we were driving on the tee box. I claim it's a distinction without a difference.

You cannot damage the crabgrass and dirt of Pheasant Run with a golf cart. But what you can damage is a once friendly and welcoming environment for those learning to play an already intimidating game. And you do that with "Golf Cart Damage Repair Cost" memos and empowering Marshal Karen to patrol its fairways like a beat cop pacing his streets.

After our encounter, I was not surprised to see "the marshal is on a power trip" to be a common theme in these reviews. I'm frequently asked "how did you get your son started in golf" and I'd tell them my stories about playing 100 rounds of chip-and-putt and keeping it fun with gummy bears and how fortunate we were to find Golf Headquarters and Pheasant Run a welcoming place to learn the game. Now I'll tell them to stay clear at all costs.

A plea to management: These places matter. Lighten the posture, retrain your staff, and bring back the welcoming vibe that helps kids fall in love...

Worse course I’ve ever played, the marshal is on a power trip. If you go there expect slow play, t times are 4 minutes apart and be prepared to hurry up and wait through the whole course or get yelled at by the marshal. Started tge first hole by waiting for 3 groups ahead of me to t off. That’s whatever I didn’t mind slow play even though it took 4 plus hours for a par 3 course. On one of the last par 4’s we were waiting for the 2 groups ahead of us, like we have every hole, and my buddy and I decide to take driver out for fun to see if we can drive the green and make a deal that if we miss we’ll just take a provisional and play from that spot. I take a drive and miss in the water and proceed to t up my second shot to lay up. The marshal suddenly pulls up behind us and says that’s not allowed, I tell him that we are waiting for the 2 groups ahead of us anyway and we are not holding up play and he tells me that if I hit a second shot we will be trespassing and kicked off the course… never in my life have I had this experience at a golf course. If I was holding up play I would understand and I would not take another shot to begin with but we were not even close to that. Even after arguing with the marshal we finished up the whole and headed to the next t just to wait for the 2 groups ahead of us. If you are a beginner golfer this is not for you, I am not a beginner but I’ve played tons of legit courses and they will not treat you like this. Skip this dog shit par 3 course and...

After 3 room changes I’m finally in a room that I wouldn’t mind putting my bags in. Never again. This place is horrible

The rooms are atrocious. The lamp has holes in it. The phones are too dirty to touch. The sheets are ripped. There is brown stuff on the walls. I shudder to think what it is. There are unknown stains on the toilet. There are also stains on the bed. There was mold on the walls. And extensive water damage along with rotten wood along the window. The topper on the cake was the non-working TUBE Tv. Like really, it’s about to be 2019 and they have a tube tv. My son did not know what it was. With all this, I told the manager to check the next room to see if it was decent, he came back telling it’s not any better and his best advice was to check out.

Really, I should have been at my daughter’s competition not arguing with a silly manager who thought the rooms were ok. How dare they put people in a rat hole like that. I shouldn’t have to ask for 3 different rooms. Only to find out there was a renovated tower that I was never offered.

Again never again. With so many changes one of my bags was lost. My son had to be medically treated for his asthma due to his mold. The icing on cake was I paid for this horrible experience. When requested a refund I was told no because I prepaid.

If I could give them zero...