The intramural field will soon become more accommodating, as a
golf practice facility will open Nov. 15 on the north end of the
field.
The facility, which will include a 3,000 square foot green, a
3,000 square foot tee box and a brick building that houses
instructional materials and lockers, is primarily for the UCLA
men’s and women’s golf teams. However, coordination
with UCLA Recreation will make the facility available to a broader
range of UCLA students.
The project idea came in a brainstorming session between
men’s golf coach O.D. Vincent, women’s golf coach
Carrie Forsyth and Associate Athletic Director Ken Weiner, during
which the necessity of an on-campus golf practice facility was made
clear.
“UCLA should be the No. 1 choice of all schools in the
country,” Vincent said. “It has everything to offer
except for a practice facility. We’re not going to have a
university golf course, so we need to do everything we can to get
as close as we can.”
Getting close involved the IM field and Director of Recreation
Mick Deluca.
“There was a space on the field that was going to be grass
that couldn’t be used as a playing field,” Deluca said.
“It wasn’t programmed for any type of usage, so O.D.
found a donor and got the project approved.”
Donor Jack Rhodine Gifford played baseball at UCLA from
1960-1961 and has been a longtime booster of the baseball program.
After meeting Vincent at a golf tournament in Hawaii, Rhodine
donated $200,000 for the project.
John Fought Design was responsible for the design and
coordination of the construction.
Though the project had to be coordinated through the facilities
division and capital programs division of the university, Deluca
said the speed of this project from inception to conclusion is
almost unprecedented.
“From thinking about this to having grass growing in the
amount of time we’ve done it is almost unheard of,” he
said.
The original idea came about in the fall of 2002, and now that
it is actually a reality, the golf teams expect to benefit
mightily.
“Recruiting-wise, it’s going to be huge,”
Vincent said. “It’s going to be great for our
relationships with all the groups on campus.”
Features of the facility include the green itself, a practice
bunker where players can practice greenside bunker shots as well as
fairway bunker shots, a tee box that can accommodate 10 skilled
golfers at one time, and the aforementioned brick building where
players can keep clubs for practice in between classes. The
facility will be surrounded by a chain-link fence.
The 75 foot by 25 foot green is bermuda bentgrass, just like the
greens at Bel Air Country Club. In fact, Vincent has coordinated a
deal with the course’s superintendent.
“They’re going to come over on a daily basis and
maintain this green for us,” Vincent said. “The
standards for this green are going to be exactly what they are at
Bel Air Country Club, which are the highest level. It should be in
fabulous shape all year around.”
It will cost $30,000 per year to maintain the green.
From Deluca’s perspective, the golfing facility will
benefit UCLA Recreation as well. There will likely be two days a
week when any UCLA student can use the green to putt, and the
restricted-flight driving facility will likely be available one
morning each week.
Five “Learn to Golf” classes are being offered this
fall, and 140 students are enrolled. Golf clinics will also be held
with members of the golf teams.