Aug. 9, 2007
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame men’s golf program has been rated ninth in the nation, according to the latest in-depth Golf Digest rankings released in this month’s issue of the magazine. The Irish were cited for their impressive combination of athletic and academic success, as well as the quality of the program’s new facilities and the accomplishments of its coaching staff.
Notre Dame was ranked among the top 35 in all three categories evaluated in the Golf Digest study. In the “golf-first” rating, which heavily weights a program’s performance on the course through both adjusted scoring average and player growth during the past four seasons (2003-04 through 2006-07), the Irish checked in at No. 35. Under the “academics-first” classification, which depends largely on the school’s standing in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings and the golf program’s graduation rates, Notre Dame was 14th in the nation. However, when combining those two rankings and factoring in facilities, coaching and climate (location) — the components of the “balanced” Golf Digest ranking — the Irish made their biggest impression, placing ninth in the country, second among all programs north of the Mason-Dixon Line, and tops in the BIG EAST Conference.
“We are understandably thrilled with the 2007-08 Golf Digest program rankings,” Notre Dame head coach Jim Kubinski said. “We think this only confirms what we’ve believed for quite a while — that we have the pieces in places to compete as one of the elite programs in the country, both on the course and the classroom. The greatest days for Fighting Irish golf are still to come and we couldn’t be more excited about what lies ahead.”
In addition, Notre Dame’s facilities were singled out as the third-best college golf footprint in the nation with a 98 rating — only Stanford and Duke had higher totals. The Irish have made tremendous strides in their physical plant during the past decade, beginning with the 2000 debut of the on-campus Warren Golf Course, designed by Bill Coore and PGA Tour great Ben Crenshaw and rated among the nation’s top college and public layouts. The course already has hosted five BIG EAST Championships, the 2005 NCAA Central Regional, a 2004 U.S. Amateur Championship qualifier, and three Western Amateur Championship qualifiers in its seven-year existence.
Notre Dame’s latest facility addition opened this past September, with the completion of the $2.1 million, 10,333-square foot Robert and Marilyn Rolfs Family All-Season Varsity Golf Facility, located on the grounds of the Warren Golf Course. The Rolfs Facility features a 5,000-square foot indoor short game area, six covered tee stations that include state-of-the-art video equipment for instant coaching feedback, office space for the Irish men’s and women’s coaching staffs, and a fully-furnished lounge area with separate locker room areas for both teams.
The complete 2007-08 Golf Digest rankings in all three categories, as well as a full explanation of how the ratings were determined, can be found by clicking here.
A six-time BIG EAST champion and the 2007 BIG EAST runner-up, Notre Dame will tee off its 2007-08 season on Sept. 15-16 whe it takes part in the Gopher Invitational at the Spring Hill Golf Club in Wayzata, Minn. The Irish “B” team also will compete that weekend, playing in the Rutgers Invitational at the Rutgers Golf Course in Piscataway, N.J.
— ND —