University of Tennessee Athletics
UT Dedicates Day Golf Practice Facility
November 12, 2010 | Men's Golf
Nov. 12, 2010
The Tennessee men's and women's golf programs dedicated the new Mack & Jonnie Day Golf Practice Facility with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday afternoon.
Constructed in association with the Greg Norman Design Group and located off Alcoa Highway across from the UT Medical Center, the facility is the new home of the Vols and Lady Vols golf teams.
"When this project was conceived and first started, I was in my 30s and I had hair and it wasn't gray, but good things come to those who wait," Men's Athletics Director Mike Hamilton said with a smith. "We couldn't do this without our friends and donors who have said that Tennessee golf matters."
"This is an exciting time for Tennessee golf," UT Women's Athletics Director Joan Cronan said. "I don't know of anyone in the country who will have a better golf facility than the University of Tennessee."
The completed first phase of the project, which sits alongside the banks of the Tennessee River, includes three practice holes, a driving range and pitching and putting areas.
Phase II will include the Furrow-Blackburn Clubhouse, featuring offices for both teams, heated hitting bays for year-round practice, video training space and locker rooms.
"This facility is a reflection of the University's commitment to develop winning traditions and is symbolic of the great tradition of athletic excellence here at Tennessee," men's head coach Jim Kelson said. "We feel that this new facility will provide us with the opportunity to compete for national championships."
"We have been a consistently good program, but I believe the Mac & Jonnie Day Golf Practice Facility is the key for the Lady Vols to become a consistently great program," Lady Vol head coach Judi Pavon said. "In order to win, our golfers need to spend countless hours working on their games, and having a place you love to be at day in and day out makes that work that much more enjoyable."
The facility, which covers 28 acres, also serves as UT's Turfgrass Research Center.
Specifications
Hole No. 1 -- Par 4, 450 yards maximum length. Green surrounded by three bunkers with an 11,000 square-foot putting surface. Also doubles as a pitching green from in front of the No. 2 tee, with shots ranging from 60-100 yards.
Hole No. 2 -- Par 3, 120 yards maximum length. Severely sloped green from back to front has a 10,000 square-foot putting surface. Also guarded by three bunkers.
Hole No. 3 -- Par 4, 430 yards maximum length. Signature hole along the banks of the Tennessee River. Plays to a narrow fairway that slopes from right to left, with a bunker in play down the right-hand side. Severely sloped green has a 10,000 square-foot putting surface that also doubles as another chipping area with a variety of outstanding bunker shots.
Putting Green -- 11,000 square feet, designed with a great deal of slope on one side of the green while being relatively flat on the other side.
Chipping/Pitching Green -- 10,600 square feet, designed with numerous uneven lies in mind. Also includes two practice bunkers.
Practice Tee -- 100 yards by 50 yards (approximately the size of a regulation football field).
Grass -- 419 Bermuda fairways and A-1 Bentgrass greens, with three of the newest varieties of A-1 Bentgrass on the market today. The sand used is the same type Augusta National Golf Club uses in its bunkers.
Facility Area -- 28 acres.
