Updated plans for the proposed two-tiered, 23,000-sq. ft. facility in Iowa City, Iowa will be presented to the Board of Regents during the first week of August for approval. The clubhouse, which would be funded by Athletics Department gifts without any taxpayer cost, would be four times larger than the facility it’s replacing, with the hope that it could help establish UI as a championship-level site for NCAA events.
A proposed new University of Iowa (UI) Finkbine Golf Course clubhouse in Iowa City, Iowa would more than quadruple the size of the facility it’s replacing, The Gazette of Cedar Rapids, Iowa reported, bringing the venue on par with its peers and establishing the university as a championship-level tournament site capable of hosting NCAA collegiate golf events.
Updated plans for a new nearly $10 million clubhouse, which the Board of Regents will consider approving during the first week of August, also include larger and more equitable men’s and women’s locker rooms, a retail pro shop, full kitchen, dining, banquet event space, and an administrative office, The Gazette reported.
The proposed two-tiered, 23,000-sq.-ft. facility will house the university’s golf cart fleet on the lower level. It also would provide improved shelter and safety for players, The Gazette reported, according to board documents that were made public on July 25th.
“Safety is a major concern for golf in the Midwest, due to weather-related conditions like severe storms, lightning, and tornadoes,” the project proposal stressed..
A new clubhouse, which would be funded by UI Athletics Department gifts and involve no taxpayer dollars, could increase revenue options, office, The Gazette reported, and enable the school to land more lucrative state and national amateur tournaments, fundraisers, and social events—putting it on the map within the golfing, NCAA, and alumni communities, officials said.
“It would provide an exceptional venue for UI relationship-building, including recruiting activities, donor interactions, and alumni activities,” UI officials reported in their proposal to the Board.
The new clubhouse would sit south and slightly west of the existing Finkbine Golf Course clubhouse, which would be razed upon completion of the project, office, The Gazette reported. The old, 5,400-sq.-ft. clubhouse dates back to 1965 and is “functionally obsolete,” according to Board documents.
Although the 60-year golf course it supports hosts 25,000 rounds a year on a green renowned for its quality, speed, and tournament-style layout, earning it a place in Golfweek magazine’s “Top 25 College Golf Courses,” the clubhouse “has not kept pace,” the proposal said.
The current clubhouse is plagued by deficiencies, including issues with basic accessibility, safety, and outdated infrastructure, that limit the university’s ability to host events and appropriately serve its visitors, the proposal continued.
“These inadequacies, along with the lack of dining/event space and kitchen operations, contribute to the loss of NCAA events, large-revenue golf events, fundraisers, and social functions,” Board documents said.
To proceed with the clubhouse replacement, office, The Gazette reported, the university is asking the Board of Regents to approve the project’s schematic design, description, and budget at its next meeting. Approval would authorize the university to move forward with construction.
The updated clubhouse designs were produced after the Board last fall gave the university the nod to proceed with planning, The Gazette reported. That planning led UI officials to consider possible future uses of its nearby University Club, a 57-year-old social and events center it bought in 2008.
The university, following that review, decided it will close the club in September 2018, with officials announcing the news to members in a June letter. UI Vice President for Finance and Operations Rod Lehnertz said his staff is studying potential uses of the University Club property in conjunction with the Finkbine project, office, The Gazette reported, but new details for that site haven’t been made public.
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