Old Warson Country Club
Travis Bakai has a diverse work experience in the sports industry. Travis started their career as a Sales and Marketing professional at Strassner Tennis Court Builders from 2010 to 2013. After that, they worked as a Pro Shop Manager at Hanalei Bay Restaurant Group, Inc. from 2013 to 2015. In 2014, they served as a Tour Guide at Princeville Ranch, where they conducted zipline, kayak, and hiking tours. From 2015 to 2017, Travis worked as a Sales Manager at Tennis Machines. In 2016, they became the General Manager at String n Swing Tennis, where they managed the specialty store and also dealt with sales, marketing, customer relations, and racket stringing. Travis continued their career as a Tennis Professional at Woodsmill Tennis Club from 2018 to the present. In 2019, Travis took on the role of Director of Pickleball at Old Warson Country Club. Travis also has experience at Forever Tennis as a General Manager and Head Racket Stringer, as well as at Frontenac Racquet Club Inc as a PPR Pickleball Coach, Director of Pickleball, and Tennis Professional.
Travis Bakai completed their Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Management, General from Bellarmine University. Travis pursued this degree from 2007 to 2011.
Old Warson Country Club
During the War of 1812, John Mullanphy, an adventurer from Ireland, made a fortune trading in cotton. He acquired large real estate holdings in the St. Louis area, including parts of the property on which Old Warson Country Club is now located. The property, and additional acreage acquired over the years, was held by the family and devoted to raising cattle. In 1941 a great- great-grandson, John Boland, sold a total of 300 acres, including the present Old Warson property, to George Strake. Strake, a former resident of St. Louis and a director of St. Louis Mercantile Trust Company, sold 180 acres of land north of Old Warson Road to a small group of prominent St. Louisans led by W. Alfred Hayes and James E. Rarick. Hayes and Rarick put up $200,000 and purchased the land in the name of their company, the Algonquin Chemical Company.