Miles Bennett
The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, and the school colours are navy blue and white. The university operates the Penn State Golf Courses, which are two 18-hole courses named after the school colours, located in State College, Pennsylvania. The Blue Course became the home course for all intercollegiate golf competitions at Penn State, and both courses are the home of the men's and women's golf teams. For most sports, Penn State participates in NCAA Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the highest level of collegiate-level play. The women's golf team has won several championships, including the NCAA Division I National Championship in 1989 and 1990.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of courses | 2 |
| Location | State College, Pennsylvania |
| Operator | Pennsylvania State University |
| Number of holes | 36 |
| Course names | Blue Course, White Course |
| Course length | 7,228 yards (6,609 m) |
| Par | 72 |
| Practice facilities | Double-sided driving range, putting greens |
| Team name | Nittany Lions |
| Team achievements | USCA Collegiate National Championship in golf croquet (2017) |
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What You'll Learn
Penn State Golf Courses
The Penn State Golf Courses are two 18-hole courses located in State College, Pennsylvania, operated by Pennsylvania State University. The individual 18-hole courses are named after the school colours, blue and white. The courses are the home of the men's and women's golf teams and all intramural golf activities of the university.
Golf has been played at the university since the latter half of the 19th century when the sport first rose in popularity in the United States. However, the sport was not popular enough to merit a formalised golf course until 1921, when two professors, Bob Rutherford and R.D. Pryde, laid out nine holes on the west end of campus. The Willie Park course, which opened in 1926, became known as the College Golf Course, as the school was not yet a full-fledged university. The course featured large push-up-style greens and dramatic bunkering, with wide fairways and closely mown areas around the green.
By the late 1960s, the university hired the golf architecture firm of Harrison & Grabin (both Penn State graduates) to design what would become the "Blue" Course. The University Golf Course's name was then changed to the White Course. The Blue Course became the home course for all intercollegiate golf competitions at Penn State, primarily because of its length.
The Blue and White Golf Courses underwent a major renovation/redesign in 2007. The Blue Course hosted its first major amateur event, the 2009 Big Ten Men's Golf Championship, following the renovation. The White Course, renovated in 2005, provides a challenging alternative to the Blue Course, with holes dating back to 1922. The Blue Course is a Par 72, 7,228-yard course from the Championship Tees.
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$24.56 $28.89
Blue and White Courses
The Penn State Golf Courses are two 18-hole courses located in State College, Pennsylvania, operated by Pennsylvania State University. The individual 18-hole courses are named after the school colours: the Blue Course and the White Course. They, along with their practice facilities, are the home of the men's and women's golf teams and all intramural golf activities of the university.
The Blue Course became the home course for all intercollegiate golf competitions at Penn State, primarily because of its length. The University Golf Course's name was changed to the White Course in the 1960s, but it still exists in the same form. The White Course, renovated in 2005, provides a challenging alternative to the Blue Course, with holes dating back to 1922. The Blue Course was also renovated in 2005, and the new "Lion" tees now measure 7,228 yards (6,609 m) Par 72.
The history of the courses dates back to the first rise in popularity of the sport in the United States in the latter half of the 19th century. However, the sport was not popular enough to merit a formalised golf course until 1921 when two professors, Bob Rutherford and R.D. Pryde, laid out nine holes on the west end of campus. The course came to be known as the College Golf Course, as the school had yet to be named a full-fledged university. The course featured large push-up-style greens and some dramatic bunkering.
The character and playability of the golf course were substantially altered in the 1960s when the university decided to use the golf course's open areas as a test facility for various trees and forestry techniques. By the late 1960s, changes in technology and a growth in the popularity of the game, led by the professional success of Pennsylvania native Arnold Palmer, created demand for a second course. The university hired the golf architecture firm of Harrison & Grabin (both Penn State graduates) to design what would become the "Blue" Course.
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Intercollegiate golf competitions
The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University. The school colours are navy blue and white, and the school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The university operates the Penn State Golf Courses, which include two 18-hole courses located in State College, Pennsylvania. The individual courses are named after the school colours—the Blue Course and the White Course.
The Blue Course is the home course for all intercollegiate golf competitions at Penn State, primarily because of its length. The Nittany Lions Men's and Women's Varsity Teams have access to an exclusive 2-acre short-game practice facility, which includes two 5,000 sq ft greens. One green is used for putting practice, and the other is attached to a 100-yard and 50-yard fairway for wedge practice.
Penn State has a rich history of intercollegiate golf competitions. Golf has been played at the university since the latter half of the 19th century when two professors, Bob Rutherford and R.D. Pryde, laid out nine holes on the west end of campus in 1921. The Willie Park course, named after its designer, was known as the College Golf Course until the school became a full-fledged university. The course featured large push-up style greens and dramatic bunkering, wide fairways, and closely mown areas around the greens.
The popularity of golf at Penn State increased in the 1960s, largely due to the professional success of Pennsylvania native Arnold Palmer. This led to the development of the Blue Course by the golf architecture firm of Harrison & Grabin (both Penn State graduates). The University Golf Course was then renamed the White Course. The Blue Course has undergone several renovations over the years, including the addition of new tee boxes to increase its length.
The Penn State Nittany Lions golf team has achieved notable success in intercollegiate competitions. During their membership in the Atlantic 10 Conference (1982–91) and the Eastern 8 Conference (1976–79), Penn State won a total of 70 championships across various sports, including men's golf in the 1988–89, 1989–90, and 1990–91 seasons. In addition to their success in the Atlantic 10 and Eastern 8 Conferences, the Nittany Lions golf team has also excelled in other competitions. For instance, in 2017, the team won the USCA Collegiate National Championship in golf croquet.
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Golf team's practice facilities
The Penn State Golf Courses consist of two 18-hole courses located in State College, Pennsylvania, operated by Pennsylvania State University. The Blue and White Courses are the home of the men's and women's golf teams and all intramural golf activities of the university. The Nittany Lion golf teams' practice facilities include a double-sided driving range with both natural grass and artificial teeing areas, and several putting greens located throughout the facility.
In 2007, a 2-acre short-game practice facility was opened for the exclusive use of the Nittany Lions Men's and Women's Varsity Teams. The area includes two 5,000 sq ft greens, one used exclusively for putting and one attached to a 100-yard and 50-yard fairway for wedge practice. The ample grass range located at the opposite end of the public range was also expanded in 2007 to provide an area for the Lions to practice almost any shot in the bag. This private golf team area has four tiers with bent and bluegrass teeing ground, two fairway bunkers, and a rolling fairway for players to work on uneven lies.
The Tombros Varsity Clubhouse, located between the Blue and White Courses, is the newest asset to Penn State's golf teams. The facility provides coaches' offices, team locker rooms, club storage, and a lounge with a big-screen TV. A new heated indoor hitting-net facility and indoor-to-outdoor hitting bays give the golfers an advantage, especially in winter.
The Blue Course is now a Par 72, 7,228-yard course from the Championship tees. The Blue Course hosted its first major amateur event; the 2009 Big Ten Men's Golf Championship. The Big Ten Conference is well known for the outstanding calibre of its university-owned golf courses.
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Golf course history
The Penn State Golf Courses in State College, Pennsylvania, consist of two 18-hole courses: the White Course and the Blue Course. The courses are named after the school colours and are operated by Pennsylvania State University.
The history of golf at Penn State dates back to the late 1800s, when a rudimentary course of four or five holes was established. In the 1890s, the school's yearbook, La Vie, made several references to an interest in the game, and in 1898, a "Golf Department" was established. The college's newspaper, The Free Lance, also provided anecdotal evidence that golf was played on a simple course, likely on the east side of the campus. In 1901, the course was expanded to nine holes and improved with red flags, tee markers, and "hole tins". However, the golf course was short-lived, as the college closed it in 1908 to make way for campus expansion.
In 1919, Hugo Bezdek, the athletic director, hired Robert D. Pryde, a prominent figure in New England golf, to design a new nine-hole course. The Nittany Course, located on the west end of campus, was completed in 1920. Bezdek also brought on Robert "Pop" Rutherford, who coached the first Penn State golf team in 1922 and remained as coach until 1949. Under Rutherford's leadership, the popularity of golf at Penn State surged. He collaborated with Willie Park Jr., a Scottish golf professional and renowned golf course architect, to create the 18-hole Campus Course, which opened for play in 1924. The course featured large push-up style greens, dramatic bunkering, wide fairways, and closely mown areas, providing a diverse playing field.
Over the years, the Penn State Golf Courses have undergone several renovations and reconstructions. In the 1960s, the university used the open areas of the golf course as a test facility for tree planting, significantly altering the character and playability of the course. The growing popularity of golf, influenced by Pennsylvania native Arnold Palmer, led to the development of the Blue Course by the golf architecture firm Harrison & Grabin in the late 1960s. The University Golf Course was then renamed the White Course. In 1993, the university considered retrofitting both courses to be managed from the Blue Course's site and adding nine holes to create a new Blue Course, resulting in the elimination of several existing holes on both courses.
The opening of a new clubhouse in 1994 marked a new era for Penn State golf. Significant renovations were undertaken in 2005, including tree removal and the construction of new tee boxes to add length to the courses. The Blue Course was extended to 7,228 yards, becoming a Par 72 course. These changes enhanced the challenge and continued to provide a rewarding golfing experience for players of all skill levels.
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Frequently asked questions
Penn State Golf is in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The two 18-hole courses at Penn State Golf are called the Blue Course and the White Course, named after the school colours.
The mascot for Penn State Golf is the Nittany Lion.
