The Wolfpacker

72 ■ THE WOLFPACKER coach can't think of much more that either could need. "It's a great source of pride for us," he said. "If you stop and think about it, at first we had no course and no clubhouse. If it had not been for the clubs in Raleigh that gave us a chance to use their facilities, we probably wouldn't have been able to have a program. I'd be remiss if I didn't thank all of those people that allowed us to play and helped us out all of those years." The clubhouse will also service anybody who plays on the public course, which pro- vides some breathtaking views of down- town Raleigh's skyline and will host an NCAA regional this spring. It also affords the Pack a true home course advantage for the first time. "It's a pretty special building when you step out on the veranda and overlook the city of Raleigh," Yow said. "It has a lot of punch to it. "The first time I saw it completed was at night with the lights on. It's on a hill, and you can see it well from far away, and it's just beautiful. Actually, my main thought about it before it opened was what it would be like for our competition to drive up to it and realize that this belongs to NC State. That made me very proud." Perhaps the most unique advantage for the Pack is the proximity of a state-of-the- art clubhouse and course to its main cam- pus. When the distances are greater, driving time can impede a program in its quest for compliance with NCAA practice time lim- its, but that's not a concern anymore with an extremely short drive separating the two now. Players can even take the school's Wolfline bus to their new home. "We're so fortunate to have a golf course which is adjacent to campus," Marsh explained. "When new golf courses are added, they're often quite a distance away from campus, so for us in recruiting, it's a tremendous tool. "I think that's one of the things that I hear often from recruits. Other places may have nice facilities, but they're a good 20-30 minutes from campus, which takes away from the limited time they have as a student-athlete. To have a new golf course, and for it to still be on campus and so close to downtown, that's what is really unique. "The girls feel very fortunate — it's something they haven't had, so they're ap- preciative. Feeling that support and know- ing they have a home means a lot to my players, and it's great. We're lucky and we'll enjoy it every moment that we have it." ■ The close proximity of the golf course to campus will allow the Wolfpack's men's and women's players more practice time and create a competitive advantage. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS A lounge (inset) offers a place to rest before or after a round of golf, while the Players' Retreat provides dining services in the Carol Johnson Poole Clubhouse with the restaurant The PR @ The Poole. PHOTOS COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS 68-70,72.Golf Clubhouse.indd 72 4/29/14 2:38 PM

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