First Tee Range, 6286 Lemay Ferry, was recommended for approval for a zoning change July 26 by the St. Louis County Planning Commission to allow a new restaurant/golf shop area and six elevated instructional tees to be built.

The zoning was changed from Flood Plain Non-Urban and Non-Urban to C-8 and Flood Plain C-8. The plan was approved unanimously.

The area was purchased by owner Paula Muck in 2004 and she said each year she tries to improve the range with new updates.

“I try to improve every year … we were very honored to have won the 2011 Top 100 Ranges award. That was a very big deal for us,” Muck said at a commission meeting June 28. 

She said 15 high schools and 10 Catholic Youth Council teams practice at the range.  

Mark Doering, president of Doering Engineering, said changes included in the plan are a new monument sign at the entrance, a screened trash/storage enclosure, a new golf shop/restaurant building where the existing building is, a bigger parking lot and six elevated instructional tee boxes on the roof of the building. 

The new building will be 3,400 square feet, and the range’s hours might extend from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.