College golf is known as a popular path to the professional top. As many as 15 players from the top 20 of the Official World Golf Ranking played college golf before going on the PGA Tour. The reason many of the top players on the PGA Tour come from college is because college golf allows for lots of training and competitions in addition to college. But the facilities also contribute to the success of college golfers. In America there are no less than 1,320 schools that offer a golf program. The differences in levels and facilities between these universities are enormous – some have better facilities than others. This depends on the level and location of the university. For example, a school in Florida, which is very south and where it is always warm, have a smaller indoor sports facility than a university in Wisconsin, which is far north and very cold in the winter. We have listed the top 6 golf facilities for you!
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University (NC State) is a top 50 Division 1 golf team. They have designed and built an 18-hole par 71 course of 7,350 yards (6,625 meters) by ‘The Palmer Course Design Company.’ This is the only college golf course in America designed by Arnold Palmer (multiple PGA Tour winner). The course has a putting and a short game area that may only be used by NC State University teams. Both the putting green and the short game area have a lot of undulation in the green and are in top condition 24/7. The short game area contains 2 greens – one with ‘bent grass’ and one with ‘bermuda grass.’ This allows players to prepare well for the tournaments on different types of grass. In addition, NC State has a clubhouse with a separate section especially for the golf teams. Here the teams have their own team lounge, study area, kitchen, locker room, hitting bay with Trackman and Foresight, indoor putting room with Sam Putt Lab and a club repair area. Check it out in the video below.
Check de athletics website van NC State waar je meer informatie over de mannen- en vrouwen golf teams terug vindt. Bekijk ook meteen de Lonnie Poole Golf Course & Carol Johnson Poole Club House en de Golf Short Game Facility.
Iowa State University
Iowa State University’s golf teams fall just outside the top 50 of the NCAA Division 1 ranking. Yet they have one of the best outdoor facilities in the country. They have a wide training range of 400 yards (360 meters) long and 200 yards (180 meters) wide. There are 360 degree tee boxes around the facility so players can practice any kind of wind direction. In addition, this outdoor facility has two long fairways and several practice bunkers with different types of sand. In addition, the nine different greens were designed by five different architects. This facility allows players to practice any type of stroke and prepare for any circumstance they might encounter. Iowa State University also has an indoor facility with four heated hitting bays with trackman, a large putting and short game area, lounge, kitchen, locker room and a club repair area. This indoor space ensures that players can continue to train all year round and prepare well for the season. See a video of Iowa State University’s indoor facilities below. Also check the Iowa state athletics website where information about the men’s and women’s golf teams can be found.
Arizona State University
Arizona State University ranks in both the men’s and women’s top 10 in NCAA Division 1. It is also the old college of PGA Tour players Phil Mickelson and John Rahm. Arizona State University’s facilities were co-designed by Phil Mickelson. The Sun Devils have one of the best college golf facilities in the country. On the range they have different targets where they can get the distances of both the short wedge shots and the long iron shots sharp. In addition, they have a large pitching area with multiple greens and hole locations where they can prepare for every shot. The Sun Devils also have a team house called ‘The Bird’ where both the men and women teams can meet, study and relax. In the team house they also have a hitting / putting area with two trackmans and sam-putt lab.
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University, Arnold Palmer’s college school, has an on-campus outdoor facility called “the Arnold Palmer Golf Complex.” The facility has 70,000 square feet of Bermuda grass and consists of five chipping and putting greens, and 24 practice bunkers. Tee boxes are located on each side of the complex so that players can approach the greens from all angles. This way they can also practice all directions. In addition, this complex also has a learning center with five heated hitting bays. One of them has the V1 swing analysis system and the latest version of Trackman. The learning center also has an indoor putting green with Tomi video system, a club repair area and a locker room. Watch the video of the facility below or check Wake Forest University’s athletics website.
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois is one of the top golf teams in America and is the home of Slamstox golfer Jerry Ji. They have a great outdoor facility made especially for the men’s and women’s golf team. Here players can practice any kind of stroke they want and all greens are made of real grass so that the ball responds as realistically as possible to the greens. Another great thing about this facility is that it is on campus so players can easily train before or after school. See a video of this great outdoor facility here. In addition to this great outdoor facility, the University of Illinois also has a great indoor facility on the same site called ‘The Dermijian Facility.’ Here players can use an indoor pitching and putting area in winter, six hitting bays, two with trackman and video cameras, and a club repair room. So players can train all aspects of the game all year round. See a video of ‘The Dermijian Facility’ here or check out the University of Illinois athletics website for more information.
Texas Tech
Texas Tech is one of the top universities in America. The teams play on the Rawls Course specially designed for Texas Tech. This is a par 72 of 7,349 yards (6,720 meters). See a hole-by-hole overview here. The driving range is 375 yards (343 meters) long and has a grass tee of 89 square meters. So you can train every stroke you can think of. The Rawls Course has been named “No. 3 Best Campus Course in the Country ”. In addition to a fantastic golf course, Texas Tech also has a team house called ‘Texas Tech Cribs.’ Here the teams can withdraw and relax in between workouts.
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