MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University Director of Athletics Oliver Luck announced Tuesday that the Mountaineer golf team will practice and, starting next season, compete at eight different home courses. Lakeview Golf Course, Mountainview Golf Course, The Links at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Mystic Rock, Nemacolin Golf Academy, Pete Dye Golf Club, The Pines Country Club and the Arnold Palmer Signature Course at Stonewall Resort will serve as WVU's home courses.
"WVU is blessed with many great golf courses in Morgantown and the surrounding area,” said coach Sean Covich. “We are very appreciative of the many golf courses who have welcomed Mountaineer golf at their course. Because of their support, we will be able to play and practice at some of the best facilities in the country which will help us train and recruit at a high level."
Located at nearby Cheat Lake, Lakeview Golf Course is a par-72, 6,760-yard course designed by James Harrison at the Lakeview Golf Resort. Selected as one of the Top 100 public courses in the U.S., Lakeview boasts a four-star rating by Golf Digest and a pair of signature holes. The first is the 564-yard seventh hole that features a 180-foot vertical drop from tee to green, while the par-5, 620-yard 18th hole features a green that has never been reached in two.
Also at Lakeview Golf Resort, the par-72, 6,447-yard Mountainview Course was designed in 1985 by Bryan Ault. Situated at the foot of the Allegheny Mountains, its challenging design received a three-and-a-half star rating by Golf Digest.
The Links at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort is a par-70, 6,658-yard course known for its challenging greens. Both water and rocks come into play on the first of three locations the Mountaineers will see at the resort. A Pete Dye design, Mystic Rock has received a number of accolades and was rated by Golf Week as the No. 1 Public Course in Pennsylvania and No. 2 Best Course You Can Play in Pennsylvania. Golf Digest considers it the No. 14 Public Course in Pennsylvania, No. 58 on America’s 100 Best Resort Golf Courses and No. 75 on America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses. Mystic Rock is a 7,526-yard, par-72 with a slope of 149 and rating of 77. It was previously the home of the PGA Tour’s 84 Lumber Classic.
In addition to The Links and Mystic Rock, the Mountaineers will also use the resort’s Nemacolin Golf Academy, a practice facility featuring instruction and club fitting among other things. The academy boasts the TrackMan Golf Radar Solution, a diagnostic tool that measures every aspect of the swing in order to improve a player’s game.
“Nemacolin Golf Academy provides us with a world-class practice facility which includes indoor hitting bays, large putting greens, a short game area, and a double-ended driving range,” said Covich. “We will be able to simulate any situation we need to practice thanks to this facility.”
Located in Bridgeport, West Virginia, the Pete Dye Golf Club is a par-72, 7,353-yard course that spans 250 acres located in the Appalachian Mountains. Built upon a former coal mine, the course ranks ninth on the GolfWeek list of Best Modern Courses and is No. 46 on Golf Digest’s ranking of America’s 100 Greatest Modern Courses. It has previously been honored as a “Hidden Gem” by Golf Magazine while it’s par-4, 435-yard second hole was rated one of the top-500 golf holes in the world by the publication. The club hosted the Nationwide Tour Players Cup from 2004-09 and featured winners such as D.A. Points and Jimmy Walker.
The Pines Country Club in Morgantown will be a local practice and competition course for the Mountaineers. Boasting a 6,700-yard layout, the par-71 course has hosted numerous LPGA and WVGA Championship events. Its location less than six miles from campus will make it a crucial part of WVU’s practice regiment.
The Arnold Palmer Signature Course at the Stonewall Jackson Resort in Roanoke, West Virginia, rounds out the list of home courses for the Mountaineers. The course has received numerous accolades from golf publications, and ranks No. 57 on Golfweek’s 2014 Top Resort Courses, No. 72 on the 2013 Top Resort Courses and No. 2 on 2011 and 2012 Best You Can Play in West Virginia. It has previously been ranked as one of Golf Magazine’s Best Courses to Play in West Virginia and is among America’s Best Top Resort Courses as chosen by Golf Digest. It is a par-72, 7,149-yard course from the Palmer tees that is surrounded by wetlands, hills and Stonewall Jackson Lake.
“Sean Covich has done an excellent job of recruiting and organizing, in this transition year, to get our golf program ready for its official start in July,” said Luck. “While we don’t have a home course on campus, these eight golf courses will provide a great practice center and a different challenge at each one. The reintroduction of our men’s golf team has created a lot of excitement for our department, and the Mountaineers will have no shortages of options when it comes to preparation in the area.”
