By Jo McCulty Bob Vanecko, a senior administrator for rehabilitation services at University Hospitals, practices at the driving range at the OSU Golf Course.

Rich tradition is par for the OSU Golf Course

New incentives have been instituted to attract faculty/staff

Located two miles northwest of the Columbus campus at the corner of Kenny and Tremont roads, the Ohio State University Golf Course boasts a rich tradition that some say rivals any on the main campus.

Built on farmland in the Depression Era by Works Progress Administration workers, the rolling greens opened for business in 1938. Since then, the course has hosted nine men's and three women's NCAA championships and has served as the home course for the OSU men's golf team (1945 and 1979 NCAA champions) and the OSU women's golf team. The course also has functioned as the annual site for the Lady Buckeye and Robert Kepler tournaments, the Ohio High School Athletic Association championships, and the Buckeye Pro-Am fund-raiser to support men's and women's golf scholarships at OSU.

Golfing legends like Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf honed their skills there, while another 20 former OSU golfers used the course as a springboard to successful careers on the Professional Golf Association tour.

The history, well-maintained greens and intrigue of a course designed by Alister MacKenzie -- of Augusta National and Cypress Point golf courses fame -- combined to bring the course to maximum membership capacity a few years ago, said Pete Hagan, assistant athletic director for finance.

People would come out and have to wait one to two hours to play, he said -- but that is no longer the case.

"In the last seven to 10 years, the popularity of golf has increased dramatically, but also the number of courses in central Ohio has risen," Hagan said.

The course can accommodate 1,200 members (500 student, 300 faculty/staff and 400 alumni). While it currently maintains a waiting list for alumni, overall membership has dipped to 700.

In order to make the course more appealing to Ohio State faculty, staff and students, the course management has instituted a number of incentives. While membership rates for alumni, faculty and staff have increased this year, student rates have been held at last year's rates, as have green fees, Hagan said. New this year is a twilight rate: Green fees -- normally ranging from $18 to $60 -- are reduced to half-price after 6 p.m.

"We thought this twilight rate would help stimulate more play, especially for the faculty, staff and students," Hagan said.

To further encourage course usage, nonmembers can now schedule tee times one day in advance for play during the week (not applicable for weekends), while members can schedule tee times two days in advance for weekdays and five days in advance for weekends.

OSU is hoping the improvements will help it compete with the upscale public courses in central Ohio. The OSU course is considered semi-private, and charges a yearly fee of $550 for students, $1,600 for faculty and staff, and $2,000 for alumni, said Jim Brown, general manager of the golf course and the OSU men's golf coach. That compares favorably to the private courses, which charge, on average, $30,000 to $35,000 initiation fees to join, plus a monthly minimum.

"We're the best deal in America," Brown said.

OSU membership features include unlimited golf (no green fees), priority tee time reservations, use of lockers, first priority for enrollment in golf clinics, and opportunities to join organizations such as the men's and women's golf associations, said Chris Walsh, assistant general manager of the course. The course also sponsors a variety of special tournaments for club members, such as senior events, a club championship and a parent-child tournament, and offers handicaps for members participating in the events.

"The biggest benefit of membership is you can come out and play four or five holes after work and not have to worry about the green fees," Walsh said.

He said an OSU ID is required to play. Membership is open to any full-time student (a minimum of 12 credit hours for undergraduates and 10 hours for graduate students), any retired or current full-time faculty or staff, and alumni.

The OSU golf course is actually two courses -- the Scarlet course and the Gray course. The OSU Scarlet course is rated the best collegiate facility in the country by Golf Digest, and ranked 81st among all golf courses in the United States.

The shorter Gray course "is a little more enjoyable for the casual golfer," Hagan said.

The OSU Golf Course is also home to a pro shop, a restaurant, a driving range, numerous practice greens and the offices for the OSU men's and women's golf coaches.

The Scarlet course continues to generate national recognition and will once again be the site of the men's NCAA golf championships in May 2002.

"Anytime you can host an NCAA tournament, it is a plus for your program," Hagan said. "You get a chance to show off your facilities and it gives your team home-field advantage."

For more information on the OSU Golf Course, call Brown at 459-8893 or Walsh at 459-4653 (ext. 227), or visit the Web at http://ohiostatebuckeyes.fansonly.com/golfcourse/.

Shultz is new student trustee

Shultz, 22, of Degraff, is a member of Alpha Tau Zeta Fraternity and Ohio State's Agricultural Education Society.

Ohio State holds a special place in the heart of the University's newest student trustee, Joe Shultz. For more than 10 years, Shultz, now a sophomore agribusiness and applied economics major, has had a close relationship with the University through his participation in 4-H.

"As a 10-year 4-H member and now as a student at Ohio State, I have had the opportunity to see firsthand how our University can have an impact on people's lives," Shultz said. "It is my hope that as a student trustee I can make a small contribution to the continuation of Ohio State's long-standing tradition of excellence."

Gov. Bob Taft recently announced Shultz's appointment to a two-year term on the board, ending May 13, 2003. He replaces Jaclyn Nowakowski, whose term expired May 13. Student members of university boards serve for two years and have no voting power or admittance to executive sessions, but are encouraged to voice their opinions.

Shultz, 22, of Degraff, is a member of Alpha Tau Zeta Fraternity and Ohio State's Agricultural Education Society. He also is a past vice president of the National FFA (Future Farmers of America) Organization and is a member of Ohio Staters Inc.

Shultz said the year he took off from Ohio State to serve as vice president for the National FFA Organization helped prepare him for the responsibility of being a student trustee.

"This year of voluntary service gave me multiple leadership experiences from which I can draw upon for my work with the Board of Trustees," he said. "During my year of service with the National FFA Organization, I traveled extensively around the country as a spokesperson for FFA and agricultural education. ... In addition, I served on the National FFA Board of Directors, where I worked with leaders in agriculture and agricultural education while guiding the organization."

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