Weber State University Athletics
Weber State Opens New Short Game Practice Facility
4/7/2021 9:06:00 PM | Men's Golf, Women's Golf
SOUTH OGDEN, Utah – Weber State University Athletics opened its newly constructed Golf Short Game Practice Facility at the Ogden Golf and Country Club on Wednesday morning with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony.
"This is an exciting opportunity to partner up with the country club and South Ogden city, and really have a home practice facility for our student-athletes on our men's and women's golf teams," said WSU Director of Athletics Tim Crompton. "This is something that we have been working on for many years now, and I'd like to thank all of the parties involved in making this great venture come to fruition."
The land was formerly the site of Club Heights Elementary School, which was closed and combined with another closed elementary school in the area into a brand new school in another location in the city. Weber State University purchased the land and partnered with the city and the country club to develop the new practice facility.
The 2.71 acre facility, designed by Jim Ruelle and constructed by Duininck Golf Construction, gives the Wildcat golf teams the opportunity to practice numerous types of shots from around the green back to 140-plus yards. It includes a main chipping and pitching green, as well as five other fixed targets that gives the teams various lengths and multiple targets to accommodate several players practicing at the same time.
The facility also includes a stand-alone putting green that is over 7,000 square feet that is strictly for putting. The putting green features a flat area for players to work on line and straight putts, undulating areas for players to work on putting with break, and is large enough to work on lag putting.
"In designing this, I always thought I wanted us to be able to practice from a foot off the green to as far back as the land would allow us," said said WSU Director of Golf Scott Erling. "So we started putting things on paper, and eventually started moving dirt and it became a little easier to see what we could do, and we ended up with not only what we wanted, but something that is greater than I imagined it could be when we started. Along with Greg Gilmore and Craig Sarlo and their staffs here at the country club, it was a true collaboration and developed into a true win-win proposition for both our program and the club."
The area also includes a new tee box for the par-3 second hole. The hole, which originally played at a maximum of around 135 yards, has now been lengthened and can play out to around 215 yards with the new box, making a significant improvement on the hole.
"This facility means everything to our teams," said head women's golf coach Sara Federico. "We have some great golf courses that we partner with where we can play, and a lot of driving ranges, but we've never had a space where we can go and get in the quality of work on our wedges and short game like we will be able to here. This is the area of our game, on both the men's and women's side, that I think we struggle with the most at tournaments, and this facility will give us the opportunity to get in some great work and will really help us save shots in competition."
"I think the biggest thing for me is that this facility cements our relationship with the country club basically forever," said Erling. "This is such a great place, such a great golf course, and it's such a bonus for our teams to be able to come out here. And to now, where we feel like we are true partners with the country club is fantastic. And now going forward, as club boards change and our teams change and coaching staffs change, this is going to remain the same and this will always be Weber State golf's home and we are just thrilled about that."
"This is an exciting opportunity to partner up with the country club and South Ogden city, and really have a home practice facility for our student-athletes on our men's and women's golf teams," said WSU Director of Athletics Tim Crompton. "This is something that we have been working on for many years now, and I'd like to thank all of the parties involved in making this great venture come to fruition."
The land was formerly the site of Club Heights Elementary School, which was closed and combined with another closed elementary school in the area into a brand new school in another location in the city. Weber State University purchased the land and partnered with the city and the country club to develop the new practice facility.
The 2.71 acre facility, designed by Jim Ruelle and constructed by Duininck Golf Construction, gives the Wildcat golf teams the opportunity to practice numerous types of shots from around the green back to 140-plus yards. It includes a main chipping and pitching green, as well as five other fixed targets that gives the teams various lengths and multiple targets to accommodate several players practicing at the same time.
The facility also includes a stand-alone putting green that is over 7,000 square feet that is strictly for putting. The putting green features a flat area for players to work on line and straight putts, undulating areas for players to work on putting with break, and is large enough to work on lag putting.
"In designing this, I always thought I wanted us to be able to practice from a foot off the green to as far back as the land would allow us," said said WSU Director of Golf Scott Erling. "So we started putting things on paper, and eventually started moving dirt and it became a little easier to see what we could do, and we ended up with not only what we wanted, but something that is greater than I imagined it could be when we started. Along with Greg Gilmore and Craig Sarlo and their staffs here at the country club, it was a true collaboration and developed into a true win-win proposition for both our program and the club."
The area also includes a new tee box for the par-3 second hole. The hole, which originally played at a maximum of around 135 yards, has now been lengthened and can play out to around 215 yards with the new box, making a significant improvement on the hole.
"This facility means everything to our teams," said head women's golf coach Sara Federico. "We have some great golf courses that we partner with where we can play, and a lot of driving ranges, but we've never had a space where we can go and get in the quality of work on our wedges and short game like we will be able to here. This is the area of our game, on both the men's and women's side, that I think we struggle with the most at tournaments, and this facility will give us the opportunity to get in some great work and will really help us save shots in competition."
"I think the biggest thing for me is that this facility cements our relationship with the country club basically forever," said Erling. "This is such a great place, such a great golf course, and it's such a bonus for our teams to be able to come out here. And to now, where we feel like we are true partners with the country club is fantastic. And now going forward, as club boards change and our teams change and coaching staffs change, this is going to remain the same and this will always be Weber State golf's home and we are just thrilled about that."
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