Keller Golf Course

Overview: Keller Golf Course is a public classic in Maplewood, operated by Ramsey County and built across rolling ground that was once open farmland. Paul Coates, the county's civil engineer, designed the original course after studying established layouts elsewhere, producing a flowing parkland routing with varied hole shapes and strong use of the land. The course is approachable in scale but carries genuine championship history: its greens and fairways have hosted major professional and amateur events while remaining a public facility for everyday play.

History: The county authorized Keller in the late 1920s, purchased the final land in 1928 and completed construction with horses and tractors. The course opened in 1929, and the St. Paul Open began there the following year. Keller hosted the PGA Championship in 1932 and 1954, the Western Open in 1949, the National Amateur Public Links Championship in 1931 and the Patty Berg Golf Classic during the 1970s. A major renovation directed by Richard Mandell closed the course in 2012; Keller reopened in 2014 with its historic character retained and its infrastructure renewed.

Did You Know? Keller's original clubhouse was designed by Clarence Wigington, the nation's first African-American municipal architect. Its replacement preserves visual references to the earlier building, keeping a civic-architecture story attached to the golf course.