News

St. Louis, MO - The Normandie Golf Club’s future caddies got an experience to remember on Wednesday. Our caddies were fortunate to be invited for a Dream Day at the BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club by Midwest BankCentre. Over the summer, these young men and women have been calling Bellerive home as they train and learn the ropes of the role of a caddie. This Dream Day gave them the opportunity to experience Bellerive from an entirely different perspective and see firsthand just how many opportunities exist through the game of golf.

The day began at Normandie Golf Course where Midwest BankCentre made sure they were taken care of from the moment they arrived, providing each caddie with a hat, clear bag, water bottle, fan, rain poncho, and gift card for food and merchandise. Our Foundation was also excited to surprise them with new Normandie shirts for the day. From there, the group was shuttled to Bellerive Country Club where we were met by Rick Meyer (Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association Board Member and Normandie advocate) and a few Midwest BankCentre employees who wanted to spend the day with the youth.  

Former PGA Tour professional and St. Louis native, Jay Delsing, joined the group at the shuttle upon arrival at Bellerive and served as a personal tour guide for the day. He led the group through the practice areas, where they stopped to see players warming up on the range and then at the practice putting green. While at the practice green, the caddies had the opportunity to meet St. Louis Cardinals legend, Ozzie Smith and capture a group picture with him. 

The group walked over to the 1st tee where they were able to watch Lal Karsanbhai, the CEO of Emerson, and Ram Krishnan, Emerson COO and Metropolitan Golf Foundation Board Member, tee off for the Pro-Am. Karsanbhai and Krishnan then came over for a brief moment to meet the future caddies of Normandie and take a group picture with them. As huge supporters of Normandie Reimagined and Emerson’s donation - which has resulted in the naming of Normandie Golf Club at Emerson Park - this was a special moment for Karsanbhai and Krishnan to see the impact their support and investment is already having. It was also a great moment for these caddies to meet people who believe in what we are doing at Normandie and are helping make their futures become a reality. 

Next stops were the BMW car exhibit and the merchandise tent, followed by a walk over to the 18th green. The caddies took a seat in the grandstand and watched as a group made their way up the hole. Then, the group got lunch from the concession stand. Following lunch and as a conclusion to the day, Nick Wojciechowski of the Western Golf Association and former USGA President, Tom O’Toole Jr., joined the group to talk with the caddies about the WGA, caddying, and the life-changing opportunity of the Evans Scholars Program. 

A huge thank you to Midwest BankCentre for putting this Dream Day together and providing a great experience for our youth. We also want to say thank you to Jay Delsing for taking the time to spend the day with us, be our guide, and talk to the kids to make it such a memorable day.  

This is what Normandie Reimagined is all about. The golf course is nearing completion, and while it is not yet open for play, the mission is already very much underway. We are creating experiences, relationships, and opportunities that can have a lasting impact on the lives of young people. And what better week to reinforce that mission than one that reminded our entire region of the incredible power of golf to bring people together, open doors, and create opportunities.