Nestled in the center of the University of Missouri’s campus is Gustin Golf Course, 18 holes of pure golf bliss.
Today, it’s a polished destination for championship-level golf. Pull into the parking lot and green fairways stretch out before you. The driving range hums on your right. A renovated clubhouse houses a Pro Shop and Peachtree at Gustin serves up sandwiches, breakfast burritos, snacks and drinks.
But it wasn’t always this way.
In 1993, having a snack bar was only a shadow of a dream for Karen Miller and David Brown. Founders of Pro’s Choice, the course’s first snack bar, Miller and Brown set up shop in what they described as a “tiny shack” next to the clubhouse. They cooked on outdoor grills and served up the classics: hotdogs, burgers and bratwursts.
For Miller and Brown, Pro’s Choice was never just a business — it was a way to serve the Gustin community. They knew the course was more than fairways and greens; it was a gathering place for students, faculty, local golfers and neighbors. Every sandwich served and conversation shared was part of creating a place where people could come together.
Popular with golfers and the Mizzou and local communities, Pro’s Choice was soon serving up the works — pork steaks, baked beans, potato salad and rolls.
“You’ve got to find your niche in any business,” Miller said. “And that’s exactly what we were able to do at Gustin.”
Their commitment didn’t stop at the snack bar window. Still a fledgling course in the 1990s, Gustin had no irrigation, and spring rains often left it too muddy to play. Miller and Brown were among a group of community volunteers (including the resident Golf Pro, Mizzou professors and others) who hand dug the trenches and ran the first water lines across the course.
Installing irrigation would be one of the most significant steps toward modernizing the course in Gustin’s almost 60-year history — one of the many legacies of Miller and Brown’s stewardship.
Gustin today
Miller and Brown recently visited Gustin for a community event, where they saw their vision fully realized.
“When we were installing irrigation, all we wanted was for the course to look like it does now,” Brown said. “If we had a dream, this was it.”
Just a short stroll from Memorial Union, Gustin feels like a different world.
Perfectly cut tee boxes meet fast Zoysia fairways and smooth bentgrass greens. A fully stocked Pro Shop complements the elevated bites and beverages offered by Peachtree at Gustin catering, creating an experience that invites golfers to linger and enjoy the outdoors — and the birds and blooms that share the landscape.
“It’s beautiful out there,” Miller said. “The bluebird houses established by Jim Knoesel, the wildflowers and pollinator habitat all bring it together.”
Hosting around 25,000 rounds of golf each year, Gustin continues to evolve, shaped not only by modern amenities, but also by decades of stewardship from people who believed in the course long before it became what it is today.
The tireless support of community members such as Miller and Brown helped lay the groundwork for the sprawling course Gustin is today, proving that love for a place — and the people who gather there — can leave an impact that lasts for generations.
