A new facility that will serve as headquarters for Elon University’s men’s and women’s golf programs opens this summer on South Campus, where Elon Phoenix athletes will have access to hitting bays, a computerized swing analysis center and an indoor putting areas.
“The golf training and practice facilities on campus will have an immediate impact on the Elon women’s and men’s golf programs, leading to new opportunities in training and the ability to recruit talented student-athletes,” said men’s golf head coach Bill Morningstar.
Made possible by a $250,000 gift to the Ever Elon Campaign from W. Cecil Worsley III, a 1986 Elon graduate and member of the men’s golf team, the facility also includes an outdoor lighted driving range and an area where players can work on their short game, including two large practice greens – one made of Bermuda grass and the other bent grass.
“I saw the need for a superior training center that has state-of-the-art equipment which can help both the men’s and women’s golf teams compete and recruit,” Worsley said.
Worsley is a loyal supporter of Elon athletics and annual giving, and is a member of the Phoenix Club and the Elon Society President’s Circle. He owns a petroleum and convenience store business in Wilmington, N.C., where he lives with his wife, JoAnna Sutton Worsley ’87. The couple’s son, Cecil IV, will be a freshman at Elon this fall.
Elon Director of Athletics Dave Blank said the new facility will provide a major boost to both golf programs.
“We are so excited about the new golf training center and very appreciative of Cecil Worsley and the many other donors who are making a dream become reality,” he said. “With the addition of two putting greens and the golf training facility to our existing driving range, our student-athletes will now have a state-of-the-art practice environment right on our campus that will allow them to develop their golfing skills and compete for championships in a first-class manner.”
