Elon University leaders on Friday dedicated the W. Cecil Worsley III Golf Training Center in a reception attended by the family whose gift made it possible to build the new headquarters for the men’s and women’s golf programs.
Hailed as one of the premier training resources for collegiate golfers, Elon Phoenix athletes will have access to hitting bays, a computerized swing analysis center and an indoor putting area. Coaches and athletics officials believe the South Campus center will boost both golf programs while serving as a recruitment tool for future generations of team members.
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, allowed plans for the center to move forward last year. The facility 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’m excited and proud to be a part of this,” Worsley said. “And I’m proud to be a part of Elon.”
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, is a freshman at Elon.
The couple’s daughters, Rebecca and Susanna, were also in attendance.
Elon University President Leo M. Lambert and Director of Athletics Dave Blank addressed the crowd. Lambert shared how the development of Elon’s athletics programs is one of eight principles included in the draft of the university’s next strategic plan.
“Today is one of the building blocks of that vision,” Lambert said. “We want to thank this wonderful and beautiful family for your generosity.”
Blank offered his own praise for Worsley’s gift.
“Cecil, you did it. You drove it. It was your vision,” he said in his remarks. “To our golfers, enjoy the heck out of this. This has to be one of the premier golf facilities on a college campus on the East Coast and possibly in the nation.”
In addition to the Worsleys, the following alumni, parents and friends made gifts in support of the golf center:
Doug ’67 and Beverly Amick
Dewey ’63 and Susan Andrew
Chris ’86 and Terry ’87 Dockrill
Ken and Marilee Ezell
Mike and Christy Garnett
Jim ’63 and Virginia Griggs
Lisa Luxenburg
Eric Mills and Nicole Raymond
Bill Morningstar ’64
Jerry ’71 and Jodi Richardson
Richard ’60 and Eva Sneed
Raymond and Ronnie Von Drehle
Alan and Daina Wasserstrom
Ray and Debbie Womack
Craig and Margaret Wood
