[Matt Varney]

GCA,

I thought I would share this and get your thoughts on the design of the new University of Tennessee Intercollegiate Golf Complex?

Reading this thread about a $1M Jack Nicklaus Signature Design three hole private course in your backyard made me start thinking about three hole course designs.  Below is a site plan design along with an aerial image of the property located along the Tennessee River near campus in Knoxville.  

In addition to the three holes for play the design has a huge range, putting / chipping greens along with short game turf / bunker practice areas and has turf grass testing areas for bent, zoysia, bermuda and other hybrid grass species being researched at Tennessee.

[Ronald Montesano]

Stanford might have this one beat...

http://www.stanfordmensgolf.com/practicecenter_945.htm

[Matt Varney]

Ronald,

The Stanford University Cardinal golf practice facility is awesome.  I love the design layout using a common fairway area with all the different angles into the variety of green complexes.  Very well thoughout and created to prepare the golf teams for shots they would encounter on a full range of course designs.

I am at UT Alum and I am very happy to see us stepping up with support financially to design and create golf facilities that can compete with other SEC schools in the southeast region.  The teams are very good and I have posted below pictures of their current practice facility they use if they are not playing in tournaments or on local courses like Cherokee CC (Ross), Holston Hills (Ross) and Fox Den CC (Nationwide Knoxville Open venue).

Lakeshore Park UT Golf Practice Facilities

[Ronald Montesano]

I went to Wake (didn't play on the varsity) and watched them build the Haddock facility in my final year of school.  It was state-of-the-art then, but is in need of updates now.

[Lou_Duran]

When I went to Ohio State, the golf team went to the northwest corner of the range to practice.  I don't know if Scarlet's redo provided for greatly improved practice facilities for the team, but I know the guys had access to Muirfield Village and other private clubs with great practice areas.

I've seen incredibly outstanding team-only practice facilites at Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and U. of Texas at Austin.  It appears that there might be a competition for the best facility.  Too bad students beyond the 20 or so on the men's and women's teams don't have access.

[Craig Van Egmond]

Lou,

For $275.00 any student, staff or faculty of Oklahoma State University can have access to Karsten Creek 

[Matt Varney]

I am not sure what type of access programs will be available to staff, faculty, students and alumni like myself at this UT Golf Complex.  All I know is that this has been in the works for years and Tennessee boosters that want to see all of out athletic programs succeed at the highest level are putting up the money to make sure can recruit good athletes.

UT doesn't have a course owned by the university like Florida, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Stanford, etc... the list goes on and on.  Amazingly with these facilites our Men's UT Golf Team was recently ranked #2 just behind Oklahoma State during this Fall 2008 season.   

[Anthony Gray]

  Matt,

 Where does the UT golf team compete. I live in Chattanooga.


                                               Anthony

[Eric Smith]

Matt,
What's the reaction around the office re: Coach Fulmer's retirement?

[Matt_Cohn]

Ronald, half the universities in the country have this facility beat. I don't think they're doing this to "get ahead"!

It looks OK. Frankly I wouldn't want water hazards, and hence lost balls, at a practice facility.

[Matt Varney]

Anthony,

They play all over Tennessee.  I played with the guys on the team about 2 weeks ago and we were talking about all the courses they play for practice rounds and tournaments in our region and in SEC stroke play.  You name it they have probably played them all except for maybe ANGC if they are good courses.

The Honors, The Virginian, Golf Club of Tennessee, Cherokee CC, Holston Hills, Fox Den CC, Willow Creek, Nashville Courses, Memphis Courses, Chattanooga Courses.  Some of the guys have played Black Creek, Council Fire, The Farm (GA).  I think you understand where I am coming from when I saw they play all over - if you watched the way these guys hit the ball they can play any course from the tips and beat a course down with power and precision.

Matt

[Matt Varney]

Eric,

I expected it to happen at the end of the season.  A little suprised by the way it was handled after all he has done in his career - he deserved to leave on his terms.  His buyout is $6M don't feel sorry for the guy he has plenty of money.  The Tennessee cash machine is loaded up and ready to go now we want to win championships.

Be looking for an impressive list of candidates coming to Knoxville soon! 

Jon Gruden
Will Muschamp


Matt,

You have to admit this is a much better facility than the driving range they had been suing for decades.  This facility will give the golf teams a really good practice range to work with their instructors and coaches to get better.  One last thing based on my site visit and the design if you hit a ball in the water on this course you should not be on the team.  You have one small creek running through the property down to the river and the river is never in play.   You will see a water retention pond but, it is really not in play these teams have really strong players and I doubt they are going to be losing many ProV1's in the water.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

It's been awhile since I've been there but the range and learning center at ASU's Karsten Course looked pretty good:

http://www.asukarsten.com/course_information/course_map/

http://www.asukarsten.com/ping_learning_center/

[Ronald Montesano]

Ronald, half the universities in the country have this facility beat. I don't think they're doing this to "get ahead"!

It looks OK. Frankly I wouldn't want water hazards, and hence lost balls, at a practice facility.

Really, Matt?  Half the universities in the country?  Including St. Copies of Northern Nebraska?  That's just the practice facility, with greens that stylistically copy the architects on whose courses the team will compete.  Couple it with the golf course and I'm venturing that "half the universities in the country" would poop their pants to get a setup like Stanford has.

[Matt_Cohn]

Ronald, half the universities in the country have this facility beat. I don't think they're doing this to "get ahead"!

It looks OK. Frankly I wouldn't want water hazards, and hence lost balls, at a practice facility.

Really, Matt?  Half the universities in the country?  Including St. Copies of Northern Nebraska?  That's just the practice facility, with greens that stylistically copy the architects on whose courses the team will compete.  Couple it with the golf course and I'm venturing that "half the universities in the country" would poop their pants to get a setup like Stanford has.

 

[Ronald Montesano]

Fair enough.

[Matt_Cohn]

Ha ha.   

But, to give an example of sorts. In 1998, when I took my recruiting trip to Oklahoma, OU had the 2nd best golf facility in the Big XII, behind Oklahoma State's Karsten Creek.

In the next few years:

Way better-
Colbert Hills (Kansas State), 2000
Rawls Texas Tech, 2002
University of Texas Golf Club, 2003

Possibly better-
University of Kansas Golf Practice Facility, 2001
Twin Rivers (Baylor, not sure of the year)

Add Karsten Creek back into the picture and in 5 short years, OU went from the 2nd best golf facility in the Big XIII, to barely average amongst the entire conference.

If you think the arms race in college football is intense, golf is not far behind.

[Mike Fowler]

The Blessings in Fayetteville, Ar is one of the finest college facillities around.  RTJ golf course designed specifically for the U of A golf team. Opened in 2004. The course is incredibly difficult. Course rating from the tips is close to 77.  It has bent greens with zoysia fairways. Bermuda practice green in case the guys are headed to a site with bermuda greens. Special club house and team room with 4 heated hitting bays with overhead doors for winter practice. Video setup so that the players can send their swings back to their coaches wherever they may be. Funded by John Tyson, Tyson Foods, money was no object. I've played it several times and it's one of the hardest courses I've ever played. It's amazing what you can do with enough money!!!

[Matt Varney]

Matt & Mike,

You all are both exactly right about an arms race in college sports when it comes to athletic facilities for recruiting the best athletes in any sport.  Take Tennessee for example our sports programs are huge in scale and scope - we spend whatever it takes to make us stay competitive at the highest level in the SEC and Nationally.

Tennessee has amazing facilties for almost all sports programs - football, basketball, baseball, track/field, swimming, soccer you name it and they have it.  Golf at UT has never been front and center and now it is getting its fair share along with a connection to turf grass research so that we can have a practice facility that allows us to stay competitive with top teams. 

I have heard great things about Karsten Creek, Kansas State, Rawls Course at TX Tech, Texas, Stanford, The Blessings for Arkansas and don't forget about a private club called The Alotian that I am sure those guys have access to as well. 

This Stanford Cardinal golf complex looks amazing when you think about how much 30 acres of land in Palo Alto California costs near campus.  All it takes is one big sports booster or a group of donors that are willing to make an investment to compete and attract the best talent with nice facilities and then attract good coaches so you can build a team of athletes that can win.

[Pat Burke]

AT CS Dominguez Hills, we hopped the fence, "borrowed" range balls and hit them

[Mike Fowler]

You won't be seeing any golf teams at the Alotian. Ultra private and one of the hardest courses to get on in the country. It's also 3 hours from Fayetteville!

[Anthony Gray]

  One of the kids in the neighborhood just got back from OK State and said it was incredible.

[Tim Gavrich]

 

Jeez, if my team had access to a facility like that, I daresay some of us (myself included) might never leave it, except for the odd class and meals.

[Matt Varney]

Tim,

This facility is going to have a golf clubhouse, locker rooms, meeting rooms, fitness room along with coaches offices and video instruction along with some indoor hitting bays for bad weather days.  I will take some pics and post them in the coming weeks so you can see the progress.

By next summer this facility should be complete and ready for the golf teams for the start of the Fall golf season.  I am glad to see it coming together and me personally I would love to have a facility like this for me and my friends to play.  You could warm up on the range play the 3 holes then turnaround and play the course on a reverse routing with the final green near #1 tee boxes.

Matt

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