The Wolfpacker

MAY 2014 ■ 69 BY RYAN TICE E xcuse NC State men's golf head coach Richard Sykes for still not being able to believe what he sees when he goes to work every day at the Carol Johnson Poole Clubhouse, the Wolfpack's new 25,000-square-foot, two- story clubhouse that serves as a full-service golf facility for the men's and women's teams. Sykes, who is in his 43rd year at the helm, admits that what used to be his typi- cal morning routine still takes over on oc- casion when his car heads toward main campus, when it should be headed toward his squad's new home on Centennial Cam- pus. The course was designed by Arnold Palmer and opened in 2009, while the club- house was completed early this year. "Sometimes you don't even dare to dream because it's so far away," he said. "I think about how many people have worked so hard to get this done, and all I can say is thank you to the ones that did it. "Everybody had to come together and do a lot of work just to get this golf course to become a dream. It's an insurmountable task when you stop and think about it. It was always a dream — but it never seemed to be a realistic one. Then certain people came along and said, 'We're going to make it happen.' It did, and it's pretty special." "I literally pinch myself because it's so fantastic," women's golf head coach Page Marsh added. "It's first-class and says a lot about what's being done for our programs and how we're really going about every- thing within our department." In addition to locker rooms and lounges for both squads, the clubhouse boasts a golf shop, a bar and restaurant, coaches' offices, hitting bays and bags, golf simulators and swing analysis areas, among other things. "I'm not even sure we know how to use our clubhouse and golf course yet because it's so new to us," Sykes joked. "We've never had a locker room before. It's quite a treat, just trying to get used to what we've 68-70,72.Golf Clubhouse.indd 69 4/29/14 2:38 PM

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