The New Finley Golf Course

April 12, 1999

		TEE
Hole	Par	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th
1	4	406	376	346	316	276
2	4	391	366	333	304	268
3	5	550	522	496	464	420
4	4	356	322	295	264	238
5	3	213	185	153	124	87
6	5	533	502	474	443	400
7	4	443	412	385	356	312
8	3	180	152	123	94	94
9	4	410	384	356	322	294
OUT	36	3482	3215	2961	2687	2389
10	4	463	432	402	375	332
11	4	420	394	362	334	292
12	3	175	145	136	112	112
13	5	566	522	501	472	431
14	3	164	164	140	106	78
15	4	421	372	363	310	285
16	4	435	402	375	342	311
17	5	540	510	483	442	400
18	4	453	423	395	363	324
IN	36	3637	3364	3157	2856	2565
TOTAL	72	7119	6579	6118	5543	4954

The 15-month renovation project of 48-year-old Finley Golf Course which began in late August of last year is proceeding nicely, with a projected completion date of November, 1999. The redesign is being directed by famed golf architect Tom Fazio of Fazio Golf Course Designers, Inc. of Hendersonville, N.C.

The new layout will give UNC one of the finest college facilities in the country and a course capable of hosting NCAA Tournament competition as well as major amateur tournaments.

The new course will have five sets of tees ranging from 7,119 yards from the championship tees to 4,954 yards from the shortest tees. Several holes will have a sixth tee to be used only for certain tournament play. There will be two new lakes, one on each nine.

The driving range is also being renovated and should reopen in July with 50 to 60 tee boxes. The range will feature six greens with pins to provide the golfer realistic targets, plus there will be a pitching and chipping green that will include a bunker for practicing sand play.

In addition, the new practice putting green will be over 9,000 square feet in size.

A new clubhouse and locker room facility for the UNC men's and women's golf teams will be built at the far end of the driving range. The current clubhouse will be renovated, with a 36-seat upscale grill to be added to the back of the current clubhouse. The old snack bar will be used exclusively for the renovated driving range.

The $8 million project will utilize the latest in golf course technology. A laser-guided grading system will be used to shape the new course, a method that will allow water to drain naturally away from playing areas. The computerized irrigation system will detect dry areas and automatically water them.

Pipes under each of the bentgrass greens will serve a dual purpose. They can be used to drain excess water, plus they can be "reversed" to blow air under the greens when they need more oxygen.

Environmental concerns have been addressed with the help of Dr. Charles Peacock of N.C. State's Crop Science department. Peacock, who helped design the classic Old North State Club at Uwharrie Point, has created a system that will allow for small amounts of elements such as fertilizer to be channeled through the watering system to specific points of the course with no run-off.

Course superintendent Ross Fowler is leading the on-site part of the renovation, while 1997 PGA champion and former Tar Heel Davis Love is the honorary fund-raising chairman for the project.

Our goal is to have the best public golf facility in the state, a facility that is comparable to other department projects such as the Dean E. Smith Center and the new Frank H. Kenan Football Center.

The Designer:

In the past 37 years, Tom Fazio has established himself as the No. 1 golf course designer in the world. He has been named as the best contemporary architect by Golf Digest. He has designed nearly 150 courses in all parts of the country, but, as a man devoted to his family, prefers to work in the Southeast near his North Carolina home. Fazio's designs generally maximize the natural beauty of a setting, while creating golf holes that are both challenging and fun for golfers of all skill levels.

"As a resident of North Carolina, it is very exciting for me to take on a project like this for a great university. The New Finley Golf Course is going to truly be a world-class facility, one that will make all stakeholders in the university proud."

Tom Fazio
Fazio Golf Course Designers Inc.

Scope of the Project:

Finley Golf Course will be closed for a little over a year, from August 1998 to the fall of 1999. It will reopen as The New Finley Golf Course.

Tom Fazio's design of The New Finley Golf Course will make it one of the premiere public facilities in the country.

The new course will possess a state of the art irrigation system and exceptional drainage.

Tees, greens and fairways will be built and maintained to today's highest standards.

A number of different tees will allow golfers of all ability levels to play competitively.

A new wolrd-class practice facility will be built, offering mulitiple teeing areas, a variety of target greens and short game practice areas.

The clubhouse will be completely renovated.

A modern teaching and practice facility will be constructed to support the intercollegiate golf program at UNC.

The Final Result:

The New Finley Golf Course will present a stiff challenge to the best golfers, but will be accessible to all golfers, since it will play from 5,900 to 7,100 yards.

The new course will retain the best aspects of the old course - its tees, fairways and greens will be isolated from highway traffic and the intrusion of residential development. The overall effect will be an exceptionally pleasant playing experience.

The new course will also provide the UNC men's and women's golf teams with a facility that mirrors the high quality facilities available to student-athletes in other intercollegiate sports programs at the university. Just as important, this facility will hold its own against the courses and training centers at other schools.

The Fazio design will allow The New Finley Golf Course the opportunity to host NCAA regional and championship tournaments.

The University of North Carolina will soon have one of the finest golf courses in the country.

Note: For more information, please call (919) 962-2349.

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