St. Denis was built by the Foecking family, who bought the land outside Chardon in 1965. The design came from family patriarch Scotty Foecking, a chemical engineer, working with H. A. Burkhardt of Cleveland Metroparks. Family members, including ten children and grandparents, cleared, shaped and planted the first nine themselves beginning in 1966. A second nine, two lakes, a range and a party center followed, and the course is still family owned and operated.