The latest addition to N.C. State’s family of athletic facilities is finally complete.
The Carol Johnson Poole Clubhouse, located at the Lonnie Poole Golf Course, cost $5 million to construct, according to the University’s sustainability website. A slideshow of the two-story, 30,000 square foot facility is available online at TechnicianOnline.com/Sports.
The Clubhouse offers a full-service restaurant and bar, along with a golf shop, classrooms and teaching areas for both the PGA Golf Management and Turfgrass Science programs. Raleigh-based restaurant Players’ Retreat recently opened its second location inside the Clubhouse, which senior Logan Harrell said is convenient for State’s student-athletes.
“It’s really nice to have a place where we can get out of class at 12, have a tee time at 1 and have somewhere at the course where we can get something to eat and not be rushed,” Harrell said. “We used to not have anywhere on-site to eat, and we were always rushing to get to the tee box. Having a place to eat there really does make things a lot easier for us.”
The facility also houses club maintenance rooms, coaches’ offices and a players-only area, where Wolfpack golfers have 24-hour access to study rooms, private lockers and a players lounge.
“Our team room is just awesome,” Harrell said. “In fact, there were five of us out there last night doing homework together until midnight. It gives us a place where we can meet up and play golf, do homework or watch the Masters or the NCAA Tournament.”
Chip Watson, assistant men’s golf coach and general manager of Lonnie Poole Golf Course, said the Clubhouse is a game-changer on the recruiting front.
“When I started seven years ago, we only had two players on the team from North Carolina,” Watson said. “We didn’t have a facility where they could play, a clubhouse or locker rooms. We had access to lots of nice places, but it was access at someone else’s place. We lost a lot of North Carolina recruits because of that and had to recruit elsewhere.”
According to Watson the new facility is paying instant dividends.
“Now that the golf course is here with the clubhouse and team areas like lounges and locker rooms, it’s amazing how it’s come full circle. Now 10 of our 12 players are from North Carolina, and North Carolina is always in the top three in the country of states with top junior golfers. So you don’t have to go far to get really good players, and it’s nice to have a facility like this to offer to them.”
Watson said the Clubhouse, which has already hosted numerous wedding receptions, was built with flexibility in mind.
“The whole building is unique because it blends a lot of groups together,” Watson said. “It houses athletics with the golf teams, the PGA Golf Management program with their area and the Turf Management program has classrooms and space in the building too. Then we also have golf operations for the course and full service dining for events, banquets and meals.”
Harrell said head men’s golf coach Richard Sykes played a huge role in the Clubhouse’s construction and completion.
“Without Coach Sykes, none of this would have happened,” Harrell said. “He did an incredible job fundraising and finding sponsors for the building.”
The Clubhouse will host the Wolfpack Spring Invitational this weekend, along with the NCAA Tournament’s Regional round from May 15-17. Watson is excited to see how the facility will used in the coming weeks.
“The Invitational is the first collegiate event that we’ve hosted since the building opened,” Watson said. “So we’re looking forward to seeing how the logistics work.”
“It’s the little things we haven’t previously been able to offer like a coaches’ room, hospitality room, rules official area, meeting areas and dining. It’s going to be so much better than it was before.”
