The Lonnie Poole Golf Course is a dream come true for NC State University. The stunning layout has been designed by Arnold Palmer and the design team at Arnold Palmer Design Company (including Erik Larsen and Brandon Johnson, both NC State graduates). With breathtaking views of the Raleigh skyline and the award-winning Centennial Campus, the golf course has become a favorite in the golf community. The purpose of the facility is to provide a public golf course on the Centennial Campus of NC State University that serves as a venue for the men’s and women’s varsity golf teams.
It also facilitates turf grass and storm-water research associated with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). Likewise, the golf course serves as a teaching and training facility for the Professional Golf Management (PGM) Program in the College of Natural Resources. The course is very playable for all skill levels and a large challenge to low handicap players. We feel that you will find this course as one of the finest in the area, one of the best university facilities, and worthy of one of the premier universities in the nation.
In October 2013, Campus Enterprises broke ground on the new Carol Johnson Poole Clubhouse, scheduled for completion in late Fall 2013. Just as Lonnie and Carol Poole stepped forward to help with the costs of the golf course, they now have provided the lead gift of $2.5 million of the $6 million total project cost to construct the new clubhouse.
The new two-story clubhouse will replace the temporary modular clubhouse and will include space for NC State’s Professional Golf Management and Turfgrass academic programs, men’s and women’s golf team facilities, Charter Partner and public locker rooms, a snack bar and dining facility,practice bays for swing analysis, and a golf pro shop. Also, new cart storage will allow the course to convert to more efficient electric golf carts.
The new clubhouse will be designed as a high performance green building, achieving a minimum LEED certification of silver. This attention to a sustainable footprint is consistent with the Audubon-recognized course design that serves as a laboratory for NC State students engaged with turfgrass, storm water research, and associated with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Natural Resources. It is being privately financed, as was the golf course. For naming opportunities, contact becky_bumgardner@ncsu.edu.
To make a tee time or learn more about the Lonnie Poole Golf Course, visit www.lonniepoolegolfcourse.com.
For comments or suggestions, please contact:
Chip Watson, Director
Phone: (919) 833-3338
Email: chip@lonniepoolegolfcourse.com