If you were asked which golf course was the place where two of Minnesota’s best golfers, ones who eventually went on to play on the PGA TOUR, got their start, you might be surprised to find out that Como Golf Course in St. Paul is the answer. In his PGA TOUR career, Howie Johnson entered 451 events and made the cut in 389 of them. George Shortridge played on both the PGA TOUR and the PGA TOURS Champions. While he didn’t win on either of those Tours, he has had great success in Minnesota, winning the Minnesota PGA Championship six times, the Minnesota PGA Championship Match Play eight times, the Minnesota State Open three times and the Minnesota Golf Champions three times. And, yes, they both started playing at Como. Apparently, Shortridge developed his putting prowess while practicing under the streetlights with Dick Nelson, the longtime pro at Indian Hills.

With a 95-year-old course like Como, it’s bound to have some rich history. In the early 1900s, playing golf in Minneapolis or St. Paul meant joining a country club. In 1915, St. Paul’s commissioner of parks and playgrounds, Louis Nash, said, “The game of golf today is confined to the rich… Steps should be taken to lay out public links at Como and Phalen parks, if possible, so that those of our citizens who cannot afford the luxury of exclusive club membership, should at least enjoy the privilege of playing the game.” As a result, Phalen Park was built in 1918, Highland in 1928, and finally Como in 1930.

It took a little work to get Como made. The first 9 holes were laid out by Paul Coates, the designer of Keller Golf Course. The route for those first 9 holes wrapped around Cozy Lake, but it took some good fortune, a carnival fundraiser and a decision by the owner and developer to sell the land at less than market value to get the second 9 built. Interestingly, the designer for the second 9 holes was Tom Vardon, the head pro at White Bear Yacht Club and brother to Harry Vardon, the 6-time winner of The Open Championship.

A recent trip to Como brought me into contact with Chris Bettinger, the general manager. Bettinger was excited to show off some recent changes to the course, namely the ones that have provided him with the ability to keep all 18 holes open in this rain-filled 2024 season. Local golf course designer Keven Norby was brought in to help with water mitigation; drainage was improved around holes 8 and 9, and the lake to the right of #11 was dredged to help move water to more favorable locations. This work was done in 2022, and in the drought of 2023, it was hard to tell if the plan was actually doing anything. No water equals no water to move. Then we got hit with all the rain this spring / summer, and the results were clear. “In the past,” said Bettinger, “this much rain would have forced us to close holes 8 and 15. Now, even though they are wetter than other parts of the course, we can still play them.”

Of course, improvements to the course cost money, but those costs have not come out of St. Paul’s budget. Foursome Golf Management has been running Como and Phalen for some time now and the very busy post-COVID years have allowed them to reinvest some of the profits from the course. In addition to the drainage, a new, larger tee box was built for the par three 13^th hole. Bettinger says he has some ideas for what to work on next, so we’ll have to wait and see. Tim Kuebelbeck, owner of Foursome Golf, says that most city-owned courses treat them like cost centers and hope to just break even. They have shown that the course can even make money. “There is a real place in the world for public golf courses,” says Kuebelbeck. I agree with him. Golf courses are amenities to the city and provide quality of life. Not everyone can afford the cost of a private club membership, so having an affordable golf course within a big city provides opportunities for a wide variety of people. The golf course is just one part of the 384-acre (almost half the size of Central Park in New York!) park complex that includes paved trails, picnic areas, Como Lake, and athletic fields. It truly is a wonderful place.

Como’s 18 holes (par 70) provide plenty of challenges, even though it’s a relatively short course at 5,900 yards, due to the changes in elevation, mature trees and the aforementioned lakes. Some of my personal favorites are the par 4 third hole (look up the hill to see the pulley system for the winter activities that go on at Como), the par five 8^th hole whose cruel lake swallows plenty of golf balls, and the narrow par four 14^th. Finishing things off is the par five 18^th hole that runs along the back of the clubhouse and features a green almost entirely surrounded by water. True story, years ago, my brother’s wayward drive forced him to hit his second shot over the clubhouse. He pulled it off and made par.

Phalen’s yardage is slightly longer than Como’s, but it is also a par 70 with just one par five on each side. A particularly enjoyable part of playing at Phalen is understanding its longevity as evidenced by the plentiful large trees on the property. To score well at Phalen, you’ll need to keep your ball out of those trees which is particularly challenging on the right-angle dogleg 5th hole, the narrow par four 9^th hole (out of bounds left and driving range on the right), the dogleg left 15^th and the long par four 17^th hole. Of the four par three holes, only the 3^rd hole doesn’t have water. Make sure you take enough club to get your ball to the green.

In case you’re wondering where the Phalen name came from, Peter Boulay, Maplewood Heritage Preservation Commissioner, has uncovered a great story. Lake Phalen was named after Edward Phalen, a soldier who was discharged from Fort Snelling in 1838. After being acquitted of murdering his claim partner in 1839, Phalen moved west in search of gold. There, he was killed by some companions who claimed it was self-defense! Keep that story for the next time you tee it up at Phalen Park.

All talk of nefarious activity aside, the Twin Cities are lucky to have such historic and enjoyable golf so readily available. Without these places we wouldn’t have people like Howie Johnson and George Shortridge to talk about. Who knows? Keep playing Como and Phalen and just maybe, you can join that list!