St. Louis CC is easily the best course in town, the others all lack the subtlety, nuance and strategic thinking to come close.
Can you go over the strategic thinking required at SLCC? I also believe, btw, it is (or was when I was there) the best course in the area.
Jim:
I hope you do not mind, but I will try to take a very simple shot at your question. Most of the fairways are fairly level at Bellerive, and rarely does any particular side of a fairway offer any advantage over the other side. Most of the holes are pretty straight forward, hazards around the green are usually equally distributed, and rarely can shots be run into the greens. In contrast, St. Louis C.C. has little undulations, swales, and other uneven lies scattered around the course. First this can require one to consider how to avoid the uneven lie. Second, when one does have one of those uneven lies, a variety of options are available about how to play that next shot. Next many of the holes allow for a punch shot, or for one to bounce or run the ball onto the green. In addition, some holes reward the cautious play of avoiding the hole because of the more severe hazards at that portion of the green.
Some examples:
#6 offers the option of hitting a long iron or fairway wood, then leaving a wedge to the green. Or one can hit driver and try to get into one of the bunkers surrounding the green leaving a possible up-and-down sandie for birdie. However, if the lay-up is chosen, it is best to play the shot as if playing to a green sized portion of the right side of the fairway; as being on the left side of the fairway well leave a side-hill lie with the ball above your feet.
Depending on the tee shot on #9 your next side can be on top of the hill on the right side of the fairway with a level lie, but with a difficult cut shot needed to be played to leave oneself with a short pitch to the green for their third. Or one can try to catch the down-slope which is closer the to the tee on the left side of the fairway. If the down-slope is caught just right, you may possibly have a go for getting on the green in two or at least chipping for your third. However, you may also be left with a down-hill/side-hill lie with which you may be tempted to play the foolish shot and try to get to within a wedge of the green; when instead you should take your medicine and hit a short iron over the creek and then leave yourself with a mid-iron to the green.
Finally, on #16 even if the pin is in the back right, the sensible shot is to hit at the front left of the green, and then allow the ball to run to the back of the green.
In response to an earlier posting about some college golfers not enjoying Shoreacres. I do not think they represent the general opinion of most sub-scratch golfers. Even though they can make many birdies during their visit, it is common to hear about PGA Tour pros making an effort to play courses such as Cypress Point, Pine Valley, Seminole, etc. They can probably easily shoot say a 68 on one of these course, while on a similar day playing at the same level, maybe they would shoot 70 at Bellerive. But I would guess they would find it more interesting if they could play smart and figure out how to turn that 68 at the classic course into a 65, by playing some different shots so as to take advantage where the course allows. While at Bellerive, the only way they may find to lower their score is by hitting the ball closer to the hole, and putting better.
I know when I live in St. Louis most of the local pros enjoyed the opportunities to play at St. Louis C.C. And when St. Louis C.C. had Sectional qualifying for the US Open, the medal score was usually only a couple under par (for 36 holes), and one could see how the contestants (who at this level are very good), had to think their way around the course.