Jan. 20, 2014
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky men’s and women’s golf programs will officially open the new UK Golf House, located at the University Club of Kentucky, on Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 5 p.m. ET. Following the opening ceremony, a reception and facility tour will take place from 5:30-7 p.m.
“This is an important step for both our men’s and women’s golf programs,” Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said. “It’s our goal to provide all our student-athletes with the facilities they need to compete for championships and I believe the UK Golf House is that kind of facility. I would like to thank everyone involved in the planning and construction process who helped make it happen.”
The 11,628-square foot facility will be located within the heart of the 36-hole University Club of Kentucky complex– the home of the UK men’s and women’s golf programs. Amenities included are a 5,100-square foot indoor putting and chipping area, three separate hitting bays that are 22 feet wide by 20 feet deep, a club repair area, locker rooms for both teams, a team lounge and a conference room. The facility will be the first of its kind, dedicated solely to the UK golf programs.
“A new era in Kentucky Golf has begun with the opening of this state-of-the-art indoor training facility,” said UK men’s golf head coach Brian Craig. “We have been planning and working on this building for quite a few years now and it has turned out even better than I had imagined. Not only are the hitting stalls and indoor short game area perfect for our players to improve their skills, but we now have a place to call home with a beautiful locker room, team lounge and conference room. I envision our guys spending many hours together in this building getting better and bonding as a team. It is a great time to be a member of the Kentucky Golf family and we are genuinely grateful.”
Also included with the Golf House are two TrackMan Simulators and SAM PuttLab Wireless. The TrackMan Simulator is a state-of-the-art indoor technology that has the ability to measure the full trajectory of shots outdoors. The SAM PuttLab is similar technology to the simulator but used for putting. It is the first system worldwide that provides comprehensive putting analysis.
“We are beyond excited to have this golf building,” said UK women’s golf head coach Golda Johansson Borst. “This facility will give our girls a great opportunity to work on their games throughout the winter months and it will also help them better prepare for our spring events. It’s a great facility to call home for our teams and they have all been looking forward to being able to using the building. They have really been itching to use it and I think we will see a true difference in how prepared they will be to compete early on this spring.
“Overall, women’s collegiate golf has gotten really competitive over the last few years. This facility gives us an opportunity to take advantage of the cold days here in Kentucky so that we can be as physically prepared as the teams farther down south. This is really important as we continue to work towards winning championships here at the University of Kentucky.”
The new UK Golf House was designed and constructed by Brett Construction. The University Club is owned by Danny McQueen.
For directions to the University Club of Kentucky, go to: http://www.ukathletics.com/athletic-dept/university-club.html.
For more information on the University of Kentucky men’s and women’s golf teams please visit UKathletics.com and follow on Twitter @UKmensgolf and @UKWomensGolf.
