Feature Story

June 2017

California Campus Converts Courts to Golf Practice Space

By Deborah Vence

Claremont McKenna College and the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps athletic department in California recently completed Phase 1 of its on-campus golf practice facility.

The facility, which was created on old tennis courts and includes six hitting cages, a bunker and a putting green, will be used by the school's varsity golf programs and physical education program. It is located on the Smith and Marks Tennis Courts that are no longer being used by the CMS tennis teams.

CMS had lost its home course when Empire Lakes Golf Course in Ranch Cucamonga closed last year. Discussions about adding an on-campus golf practice area had been in the works for some time. However, the closure of Empire Lakes Golf Course created a more immediate need since the CMS golf teams were forced to spend valuable practice time commuting to a course farther away on a regular basis.

CMS worked with Claremont McKenna College's Facilities and Campus Services department to complete the first phase of the project. Additions to the golf facility are planned for the future and include a TrackMan shot monitor to analyze the golfers' swings, as well as another hitting area to practice short iron shots. Both the Stags (men's program) and Athenas (women's program) had the opportunity to use the new facility for the first time on April 28.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is the only program in the SCIAC (Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) that has won at least two conference titles in each of the 21 sports. Moreover, each of the men's teams has repeated as SCIAC champion at least once and each has won at least four titles. And, all 11 of the women's teams have repeated as SCIAC champion, according to information from www.cmsathletics.org.

What's more, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps also has performed well in postseason competition. CMS has won four national championships. In 2016 the men's golf team won its first national title. In 2015 the men's tennis team won its second national championship after a tie for the title in 1981. In addition, Claremont-Mudd won the NAIA swimming crown in 1967. The men's swimming and tennis teams also have combined to win 13 second-place trophies at the NCAA Championships.