Aug. 18, 2005
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame’s Warren Golf Course has been chosen as one of the top 15 college courses in the nation, according to a feature article in the September 2005 issue of Golf Digest. The magazine used a variety of criteria in rating the various layouts, including shot values, resistance to scoring, design variety, memorability, aesthetics, conditioning, ambience and bonus walking points. The Warren Golf Course was ranked 15th in the country and is one of the newest courses on the 2005 Golf Digest list. Oklahoma State’s Karsten Creek Golf Club, the site of the 2003 NCAA Men’s Golf Championships, was rated first by the publication, followed by Mount Holyoke’s Orchards Golf Club.
(Editor’s note: The complete list featuring Notre Dame’s Warren Golf Course can be found through the Golf Digest web site.)
Co-designed by Bill Coore and PGA Tour veteran Ben Crenshaw, the Warren Golf Course opened on May 1, 2000 and has played host to a 2004 U.S. Amateur Championship sectional qualifier, the 2005 NCAA Central Regional, a 2005 Western Amateur Championship qualifier and four BIG EAST Conference Championships. In addition, the par-70, 7,011-yard tree-lined layout has welcomed numerous junior golf tournaments and serves as the home course for the Notre Dame men’s and women’s golf teams.
“This is a remarkable honor for us when you consider the age of this course,” said John Foster, General Manager and Head PGA Professional at the Warren Golf Course. “The emergence of our course is due in no small part to the commitment shown by Bill Warren to make this the nation’s premier golf facility. We’re also extremely fortunate to have a talented and dedicated staff that have helped make this course what it is today, led by our assistant PGA pro, Brady Wilson, and our course superintendent, Matt Cielen.”
“I am very pleased with, and appreciative of, Golf Digest for recognizing our Warren Golf Course as one of the top 15 college golf courses in the country,” Notre Dame head men’s golf coach Jim Kubinski said. “To be recognized with other top courses after having opened just five years ago is a tremendous honor. Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw did a fantastic job of creating and routing a golf course that looks as if it has been here forever. It’s a great test of golf for all players, and I know our team feels the course tests every facet of their games.”
“The ranking is totally true and deserved,” Irish head women’s golf coach Debby King said. “Our golf course is sneaky tough. I always say that if you can putt here, you can putt anywhere. Our superintendent, Matt Cielen, has done an excellent job at upgrading the course to perfection.”
The ranking from Golf Digest is only the latest in a series of honors for the Warren Golf Course in its brief history. Here’s a partial list of the accolades the Notre Dame layout has received since opening in 2000:
• Golf Digest, 2002 “Places to Play”
• Golfweek, Special Edition: America’s Best Courses: State-by-State Ranking of Best Public Access Courses, No. 2 course in Indiana
• Golf Digest, Best New Courses of 2000: No. 5 in Affordable Public Division
• Golf and Travel Magazine, August 2001: 40 Best Daily Fee Courses: No. 33 in United States (only course in the state of Indiana ranked)
• Chicagoland Golf Magazine: Five-star rating (highest)
• Golf Magazine, March 2001: “Top 10 You Can Play” — honorable mention selection (one of only 35 courses in the country chosen)
— ND —