St. Andrews Golf Club plans to maintain operations, host social events

A sign for St. Andrews Golf Club is seen along Blairs Ferry Rd. NE in northeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Monday, Dec. 27, 2021. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

CEDAR RAPIDS — St. Andrews Golf Club remains open.

The course hosted at least one group of golfers who took advantage of the unusually warm weather for one more round Monday before snow and more seasonal temperatures return to Eastern Iowa, owner Vicky Hanus and her son, Troy, said.

The course, nestled in the northeast quadrant off Blairs Ferry Road, has been a key part of the Metro’s golf landscape since it was built in 1966. It will be under new management, but plans are to keep operations the same.

A man plays a round of golf at St. Andrews Golf Club in northeast Cedar Rapids on Monday. Owner Vicky Hanus denied rumors the club was closing. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

There was speculation on social media over the weekend the course was closing on Jan. 1. It will not be permanently closed, the Hanus’ said.

“We are remodeling,” said Vicky Hanus, who took over for the property’s previous owner and her father, Waldo Morris, who died a year ago. “Everything else is just the same.

“All the teams that played here will be back. The members will be back. We will remodel and will still have the bar area. We will look to have more of a lounge area.”

Vicky Hanus said some staff will be retained, but it appears longtime Director of Golf and Superintendent Mike Hall Sr. will not be one of them. Hall has been with St. Andrews for more than 30 years and was the architect when it became an 18-hole course in 1988.

Vicky Hanus said they will continue to have the driving range and indoor golf simulators. She also noted that Richie Rich Custom Golf Clubs and Repair is expected to bring back its trailer for business at St. Andrews in April.

Vicky Hanus admitted she didn’t have much knowledge about how the popular Wednesday Game was run, but noted Troy Hanus will likely take care of leagues.

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A small crew already was working in the clubhouse Monday afternoon, including Troy, and Vicky was conducting business. They had golfers walk the course, squeezing in final rounds for the year.

“People can still golf now,” said Troy Hanus, a fact confirmed by Vicky Hanus. “We still have the carts going.”

Alburnett and Cedar Rapids Xavier have used the course as their home course for fall and spring high school golf seasons. Vicky Hanus said she met with Xavier boys’ coach Tim O’Brien about extending that relationship.

Xavier's Charlie Allen tees off on the eleventh green at the Mississippi Valley Conference golf meet at St. Andrews Golf Course in Cedar Rapids on Monday, Sept. 13, 2021. The meet featured eight teams from local metro areas. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Saints athletics director Adam McDonnell confirmed the school will compete at the course for the girls’ 2022 season.

“As of now, that’s our intention,” McDonnell said. “We plan to play girls’ golf there in the spring.”

Most of the changes will impact the elements adjacent to the golf course. Vicky Hanus said the bar will be redone and named in honor of her father. The lounge area will be expanded and named after her mom, Charlotte, who was an avid golfer at St. Andrews.

Vicky Hanus said the goal is to attract more people for meals and make it more than just a destination for golf. She added she wants to open the club for more social gatherings.

“We will hope to have more events scheduled here,” Vicky Hanus said. “We will walk before we can run. We will look to schedule more retirement and graduation parties.”

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com