The Craziest Facilities in College Sports Aren’t for Football or Basketball
College golf doesn’t sell tickets, draw TV ratings, or generate revenue — so why are schools building $50 million practice facilities? Today's newsletter breaks it down.
Last year, the University of Alabama unveiled its new golf practice facility. Known as the Crimson Reserve, the $47 million state-of-the-art complex spans 176 acres and includes every amenity you could possibly want, such as a nine-hole golf course, a 410-yard driving range, short-game practice areas, and an 18,000-square-foot clubhouse.
Inside, players have access to swing analysis software that helps them track ball flight and spin rate to perfect shot-shaping. There is also a putting green that can mimic the movement of any green on any course anywhere in the world. And yes, it has all the standard amenities too — a locker room, weight room, recovery room, and kitchen.
Alabama alumnus and two-time major champion Justin Thomas helped design the facility. But here’s the craziest part: Despite taking several years and tens of millions of dollars to build, Alabama’s new facility might not even be the nicest in Division I.
Once considered a low-profile, non-revenue-generating sport, college golf has been swept up in an facilities arms race traditionally only seen in football and basketball.
The University of Illinois built a facility modeled after Augusta National. Vanderbilt recently spent $11 million to remodel its clubhouse. Phil Mickelson helped design a 522,000-square-foot practice facility at Arizona State, and virtually every top 25 golf program has now built, renovated, or announced plans for elite practice facilities.
So, where is this money coming from? Why are schools committing so many resources to a sport that produces no revenue? And if there are no tickets to sell or media rights to leverage, how can they determine that these expensive projects offer a positive ROI?