UNM Course Saved...For Now

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Good news as one of the better college golf courses has been spared the ax, reports Club and Resort Business via a New Mexico Golf News report (that I can't locate).

“The Championship Course has been revamping its business model, and anticipates that it will come close to break even next fiscal year. There is no closure or sale at this time,” a University spokesperson, Susan McKinsey, said in response to an inquiry.

McKinsey’s statement followed a meeting of the UNM Board of Regents at which student tuition and fees were increased by 5.5 percent for the 2011-2012 budget year.

With the tuition picture made clearer, the regents were scheduled to meet again at the end of April to finalize details of the university’s budget for the coming year.

"They're playing with the lives of the players to do this."

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Ryan Herrington ponders how changing PGA Tour Q-School to the Sponsorless-Tour-Formerly-Known-As-Nationwide Qualifying Tournament would impact college golf. First, there is this, which Herrington calls a quick aside but it's one of the fundamental questions that the PGA Tour Policy Board should have asked before green-lighting the concept.
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UNM Woes...$1.3 Million Maintenance Budget!?

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Brad Klein fleshes out a few details about how the troubled University of New Mexico Golf Course is over $4 million in the red and the struggles can be attributed to a green fee and maintenance upgrade to compete with local upscale daily fees.

With green fees now set at $20-$39 for UNM students and $52-$70 for others, the course still runs an annual operating deficit of $400,000. The maintenance budget, including upkeep of the school’s on-campus nine-hole North Course, comes to $1.3 million a year. An aging cast-iron irrigation system, balky septic system and antiquated heating and cooling add maintenance “baggage,” Trujeque said.

"The team’s mantra is ‘212 Degrees,’ the temperature at which water boils."

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Sean Martin, filing a must read for the college-golf-coaches-have-too-much-time-and-money-at-their-disposal files, tells us that UCLA now sports numbers on their uniforms and bags to give the players a sense of "ownership." The coach also has a number.

Freeman is No. 212. Why? The team’s mantra is ‘212 Degrees,’ the temperature at which water boils. Since water cannot boil at 211 degrees, the implication is that one degree – the degree that pushes water to its boiling point – makes a huge difference. It’s an effort to push players to put in that small incremental increase in effort that makes a huge difference.]

Way too cerebrial for me!

"This is a big deal not just for Augusta State but for the city of Augusta, Ga."

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It's a shame the NCAA golf championships aren't televised, because after reading Ron Balicki and Ryan Herrington's game stories and watching the Golfweek highlight reel, it looks like the match play format would make good television. Especially when Augusta State and it's well-spoken mix of American and European players knocks off big, bad Oklahoma State.
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"There are players that would not dare hit a putt until the coach looks at it from more than one angle and gets the coach’s approval. Give me a break!"

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Asher Wildman solicited views and now prints an email from Long Beach State coach Bill Poutre about slow play in college golf. Poutre says the problem starts with lack of enforcement by coaches hosting events and the coaches themselves...overcoaching during play.
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"Thoughtful setup equals more fun"

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Lance Rigler documents a small but nice example of shifting tees around and how some college golfers are finding it both fun and challenging.

The best examples might have been Nos. 16 and 17. Playing from the tips, the par-5 16th hole featured a back right hole location and gave players all they wanted today. It stretched over 680 yards and played to a 5.13 scoring average.

However, players were immediately rewarded with the par-4 17th, where a good drive could find the putting surface. What a swing of emotions that were produced in that two-hole stretch.

“The kids are saying this is a lot of fun,” said Vanderbilt coach Tom Shaw. “The setup today with some of the tees up and some of the tees back, it really makes them think.”

"All factors considered, Burgoon’s shot will go down as one of the best in college golf history."

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Check out Eric Soderstrom's NCAA game story on a thrilling win by Texas A&M. Sounds like the new match play format produced a classic. Just a shame it wasn't televised. At least Golfweek TV has video of the big finish.

Ryan Herrington also notes a subtle way that the new format produced more media attention that almost certainly would not have occurred under the old format.