When talking about the best facilities in college golf, Arizona State’s Thunderbirds Golf Complex is on that list.
Located about five miles away from ASU’s campus, the 7,000 square-foot facility resides at Papago Golf Course, a City of Phoenix municipal course which became the home of Arizona State’s men’s and women’s golf programs on Nov. 1, 2018. It features a grand entry lobby, national championship displays, a gym, locker rooms for both men’s and women’s teams, a fueling station, study lounge, team lounge, indoor hitting bays and more.
Six-time major winner Phil Mickelson, an ASU alum, had a hand in the design. It includes a four-acre practice area consisting of five practice greens, four practice bunkers and a three-acre fairway and rough designed to practice every possible golf shot.
Originally built in 1963, Papago Golf Course has become a prominent feature in the college golf world, thanks to “The Bird.”
A good number of NCAA Div. I schools will be jealous of this new Div. II facility in northwest Ohio.
The University of Findlay recently unveiled the Beall Oilers Golf Center, the new $400,000 on-campus home of both the men’s and women’s golf teams. Lead donors John and Pam Beall committed to the project in the winter of 2021 and the rest was funded privately by alumni, friends, family, and other supporters of the programs.
“First and foremost I want to offer a big thank you to all of the donors who made this building possible, with a special thank you to John and Pam (Beall) and Brant Rhoad and family who believed in this project from it’s inception,” said Director of Golf Dominic Guarnieri. “The Beall Oilers Golf Center will be a vital tool in the improvement and preparation of our players during the winter months and on bad weather days. The completion of this project is a dream come true for myself and our players and we are excited to call the Beall Oilers Golf Center home now and for years to come.”
Highlights include a 1,100 square foot putting green, the Brant Rhoad and Family Short Game Area and two hitting bays with Foresight GCQuad launch monitors. The facility also includes a lounge with flat screen TVs, couches and a place for players to study. The school also unveiled a new logo for the golf program, “Swingin’ Derrick.”
In the ever lasting recruiting race, schools across the country continually try to one-up each other when it comes to their facilities. Athletes spend most of their time there, so having one of the best around the country is a big selling point for many schools.
Recently, 247Sports Brad Crawford ranked the Top-25 schools based on facilities and Notre Dame came in thirteenth, in front of schools like Michigan, Tennessee and Florida.
Notre Dame’s simplistic look had quite a dazzling facelift prior to the 2017 season with a new-look locker room for players… Notre Dame’s new 111,400-square-foot Irish Indoor Athletics center, which will serve as an indoor practice facility for the football and men’s and women’s soccer programs, opened in July 2019.
The Irish aren’t too flashy with their facilities, using a simplistic look that is classic and timeless. Glad to see that it still ranks among the best in the country.
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LSU is among the top 10, but perhaps should be higher
LSU comes in at No. 8 on the list of the 25 best facilities in 2022. As Brian Kelly enters his first season on the Bayou, he makes the jump from the No. 13 facilities to the No. 8 facilities in the country.
We saw what he was able to do at Notre Dame. Now, with better digs at LSU, can he continue that same success? Can he get over the hump and win his first National Championship as a head coach?
LSU’s first season in 2019 inside its new year-long makeover of its football ops building paid off in a huge way as the Tigers posted their most impressive campaign in program history with an unbeaten run to a national championship. Featuring state-of-the-art upgrades, the Tigers now have nutrition center for student athletes to a futuristic locker room that customizable player pods at the cool cost of $28 million. Part of that came from a donation via former LSU All-American Tyrann Mathieu. According to Business Insider, LSU’s newbuilding was designed by HNTB Architecture. HNTB also designed multimillion-dollar athletic centers for other programs in this list, including the University of Kentucky and the University of Illinois — two programs inside our top 25. – 247sports.com
See where the nation’s top recruits placed the Crimson Tide’s facilities.
At the All-American Bowl, where the nation’s top recruits and talent showcase their skills against each other, 247Sports polled the highly-sought-after prospects about the nations best college football facilities.
These recruits basically go on a nation-wide tour when they are being recruited. They are shown the campus, the town and the facilities they will have access to if they choose to join that school’s football program.
After asking 88 recruits which program had the best facilities, the program with the most votes was Oregon with 12.
The Crimson Tide came in at No. 4 with a total of eight votes.
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LSU voted among the 10 best facilities in the country.
One of the benefits of the LSU Tigers football program is its facilities. When hosting potential recruits, it can be a driving force when it comes to the final decision. Where does it rank among the best in the country?
According to a vote held by 247Sports’ Collin Kennedy, LSU finished tied for eighth with a total of three votes. The same number as Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas, and Texas A&M. 247Sports polled All-American game recruits for how they view the top facility.
Call it good timing. LSU’s first season in 2019 inside its new year-long makeover of its football ops building paid off in a huge way for the Tigers, who won a national championship that season. Featuring state-of-the-art upgrades, the Tigers have everything from a nutrition center for student athletes to a futuristic locker room that features customizable player pods at the cool cost of $28 million. Part of that came from a donation via former LSU All-American Tyrann Mathieu. New coach Brian Kelly has a lot to work with here.
Modeled after a college setup, Westside High School might have the finest public high school indoor golf practice facility in the country.
Kaitlyn Hanna likes to go into The Swede Center before basketball games to work on her putting. Said it helps with her nerves.
She can also get a few clubs out of her locker during lunch or after her homework is complete at Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska, and go to work on one of the school’s simulators.
“They’re definitely jealous,” said Hanna of friends who play at rival high schools. “Every once in a while they’ll be like ‘Oh I want to transfer to Westside.’ ”
Inside Westside’s The Swede Center (Photo by Tom Kessler)
And who could blame them? Modeled after what’s often seen on college campuses, Westside is now home to what’s surely one of the finest – if not the finest – public high school indoor golf practice facilities in the country.
“We’re big on just giving every kid opportunities to try new passions,” said Terry Hanna, development director for the Westside Community Schools Foundation and Hanna’s father.
The facility, which was officially dedicated last February, features putting and chipping areas, two hitting bays, a players’ lounge and locker room. It’s situated behind the gym in what was once considered an unusable space. Because so much of the electrical was already in place, the total cost of the project was $350,000.
Kaitlyn, a two-time state champion who has committed to play college golf at Iowa, enjoys reading about the history of the program that lines the walls of the Swede Center. For her part, she constructed a piece of wall art in the shape of a “W” made out of 9,300 golf tees.
The facility was funded entirely by donations – 61 donors in all – and the lead gift came from the Carlson family. Scott Carlson said one of the main reasons they wanted to get involved with the center was to connect an endowed scholarship in their father’s name. That and Merrill “Swede” Carlson loved golf, shooting his age every year from age 69 to 84 at the Field Club.
“When this opportunity came by it just seemed to be a perfect fit for my dad,” said Scott, who attended Westside along with his siblings.
One aspect of the facility that his father would appreciate the most, Scott said, is the way it involves the entire community.
Inside Westside’s The Swede Center (Photo by Tom Kessler)
There are 6,000 students within the district – one high school, one middle school and 10 elementary schools. Youth clinics hosted by members of the girls and boys golf teams at Westside are at the heart of the project’s mission.
The National Football League has issued a memo detailing the protocols teams must have in place for reopening due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The National Football League has now put all 32 teams on notice of the protocols clubs must have in place by May 15 prior to the potential reopening of any facilities.
A limited number of non-player personnel would be allowed to return in the first phase of the protocol.
Local and state government officials must consent to reopening.
The team must implement all operational guidelines set by the league to minimize the risk of virus transmission among employees.
Each club must acquire adequate amounts of needed supplies as prescribed by the league.
An Infection Response Team with a written plan for newly diagnosed coronavirus cases.
An Infection Control Officer to oversee all aspects of the implementation of the listed guidelines.
Each employee who returns to work at the club facility must receive COVID-19 safety and hygiene training prior to using the facility, and agree to report health information to the ICO.
“While these protocols have been carefully developed and reflect best practices,” Goodell wrote in the memo. “They can also be adapted and supplemented to ensure compliance with any state and local public health requirements.”
