Texas Tech University Athletics
Golfweek Ranks The Rawls Course Among Top Collegiate Venues
September 16, 2004 | Men's Golf
Sept. 16, 2004
LUBBOCK, Texas - The Rawls Course celebrated its first birthday earlier this week and received a gift from Golfweek magazine - a No. 3 ranking among all university-owned golf courses across the country. The Rawls Course officially opened Sept. 14, 2003.
The Tom Doak-designed course was listed third behind courses at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., and Yale University in New Haven, Conn., and ahead of the Ohio State University Golf Club, host of the 2002 NCAA Men's Golf Championship. The Rawls Course was the only course affiliated with a Big 12 Conference institution to make the list. Kansas State's Colbert Hills was mentioned among 15 "other" top collegiate courses.
"It took me by surprise," Tech head men's coach Greg Sands said. "I think it's a great honor for a course this young to be ranked third, and with more maturity, I hope it can become No.1. Obviously, it gives the course a lot of positive publicity that will assist in recruiting, and we hope to take advantage of that."
"We're thrilled that the course has been recognized as one of the best in country," Tech head women's coach Stacey Totman said. "The Rawls Course is very deserving of this honor and it will only get better in the future."
The collegiate course ratings were pulled directly from Golfweek's overall list, which was derived from a 10-point criteria system including: ease and intimacy of routing; integrity of original design (classic) and quality of feature shaping (modern); natural setting and overall land plan; interest of greens and surrounding contours; shot-making demands on and around the putting surfaces; variety and memorability of par 3s, par 4s and par 5s; basic quality of conditioning; landscape and tree management; and the "walk in the park" test to see if players think it is worth spending a half-day on as a compelling outdoor experience.
The Rawls Course is named for Texas Tech alum Jerry S. Rawls, who donated $8.6 million for the project. The course features an 18-hole championship level course with a 60-acre driving range as well as pitching and chipping areas. There also is a five-acre lake that comes into play on three holes. Doak's company, Renaissance Golf Design, Inc., designed the 7,100-yard course.
Top 15 Collegiate Course (Golfweek, 9/4/04) 1. Taconic Golf Club (Williams College, Williamstown, Mass.) 2. Yale Golf Club (Yale University, New Haven, Conn.) 3. The Rawls Course (Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas) 4. The Orchards (Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Mass.) 5. Ohio State University Golf Club (Columbus, Ohio) 6. Stanford University Golf Course (Palo Alto, Calif.) 7. University of New Mexico - Championship Course (Albuquerque, N.M.) 8. University Ridge Golf Course (University of Wisconsin, Verona, Wis.) 9. University of Michigan Golf Course (Ann Arbor, Mich.) 10. Duke University Golf Club (Durham, N.C.) 11. University of North Carolina Finley Golf Course (Chapel Hill, N.C.) 12. Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame (South Bend, Ind.) 13. Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex - Kampen Course (Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.) 14. University of Florida Course (Gainesville, Fla.) 15. Eisenhower Golf Club - Blue Course (Air Force, Colorado Springs, Colo.)