4- The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, September 20, 1993
m
in athletics in transition
Bradley-Doppes begins fielding women's
soccer concerns before it hits varsity status
a.A e
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44" By RYAN HERRINGTON
DAILY SPORTS EDITOR
While the women's soccer team
'2. doesn't become°a varsity level sport
y until next season, the Michigan athletic
department is already dealing with the
numerous logistical difficulties that
come with adding another team to the
fold.
'You've got to remember that any-
time you add a sport, you add a lot of
overhead," athletic director Jack
.. Weidenbach said. "You have to make
sure you have enough academic advi-
sors because many people have a mis-
conception thatonly basketballandfoot-
ball require academic support services
and that's not true. You need coaches.
You need trainers. You've got to start
paying for travel. You've got to have
locker facilities."
All these concerns are beginning to
be addressed by the associate athletic
" director for women's athletics, Peggy
kA ~Bradley-Doppes. Bradley-Doppes says
that she has been in contact with the
leaders of this year's women's club and
has tried to keep the lines of communi-
cation open with them.
k .:'"I met with the captains of the club
twice last year," Bradley-Doppes said.
After a long fight, the Michgan woman's soccer team has achieved varsity status. "They've kept correspondence over
the summer,just to keep in contact with
me so they could be kept abreast of the
transition process."
Among the more difficult issues that
are in the process of being resolved is
where the team will compete and prac-
tice. This season the club has had its
homes games at Mitchell Field, near
North Campus. The great distance of
Mitchell Field from the rest of the ath-
letic facilities, however, is a concern to
Bradley-Doppes.
'We have looked at Mitchell Field
and although they are wonderful fields,
I would like to see if we have an oppor-
tunity to have a facility here on the
athletic campus," Bradley-Doppes said.
"Which makes more sense to me only
because the support services, from a
liability standpoint, having athletic train-
ing services right here.
"If it's going to be a varsity sport,
these are the things we should provide."
Weidenbach suggested that thefield
inside the track next to the Intramural
Building may temporarily house the
team until more permanent accommo-
dations were made. However, there
might be another alternative near the
athletic campus.
"There is discretion right now be-
cause there is a possibility of some land
I.,,
At.
that has been purchased right off State
Street in the construction of fields (to be
used for soccer)," Bradley-Doppes said.
"It would be premature for me to com-
ment where we are except to tell you
that it certainly isn't in the back of our
mind.
'We're looking at it right now and
we're putting numbers to the cost of
these projects. What we'd like to do is
be very prudent once we make the facil-
ity to stay with it."
Anotherarea that the athletic depart-
ment is working on is finding a head
coach. Michigan has begun to advertise
in the NCAA News and will accept ap-
plications from prospects up until Oct.
15.
'We'll do the search and have a
coach selected by Christmas," Bradley-
Doppes said. "The new coach will be in
house by the second semester. There
will be a seven, eight month acclama-
tion period and then they will be a full-
fledged varsity sport next year."
'I would like to see if we have an opportunity to have a
facility here on the athletic campus.'
-- Peggy Bradley-Doppes
jigan associate athletic director
Bradley-Doppes said that the cur-
rent members of the club will all be
given the opportunity to try out for the
team next year.
"I'll do exactly what I've done with
every coach," Bradley-Doppes said.
"It will be their program. They'll go0
through the tryout process and the se-
lection, but I believe anyone that is
going to be looking at this program as
a head coach, is well aware of the
success of our club and its players."
Despite all the minor headaches
and glitches thatcome with a transition
of this sort, Weidenbach feels the team
will be a great asset to the Michigan
program.
'We probably would have done@
that some time ago, but it comes down
to finances," Weidenbach said. "We're
looking forward to having women's
soccer. We keep track of them and
they've doneaprettygoodjob. They've
always had a good team so we're very
excited."
N
Renaissance of a MacKenzie masterpiece
Athletic department polishes a gem
i
BY ANDY DE KORTE
DAILY SPORTS WRITER
Last winter, the Michigan athletic
department touted seven sports teams
among the nation's top 20 in their
respective sports. In the recent de-
cade both men's and women's swim-
ming have had a stranglehold on the
Big Ten conference. The football team
and men's basketball team have long
been in the national spotlight inMichi-
gan Stadium and Crisler Arena
All that time, on the other side of
Stadium Boulevard, another athletic
gem -the university golf course -
waited. Frozen beneath the snow in
the winter and quietly neglected, yet
still heavily played in the summer.
While time marched unimpeded over
the course, its grandeur faded.
Restoring that grandeur is the ob-
jective behind the multi-million dol-
lar renovation of the golf course. The
key personalities behind the renova-
tion include Alister MacKenzie and
Arthur Hills.
Legendary athletic director Field-
ing Yost brought in Scotsman Alister
MacKenzie to design a golf course
for Michigan.
MacKenzie, a legend in his own
right, was named Golf magazine's
Golf Architect of the Century for the
first 100 years of golf in the U.S.
Among MacKenzie's courses,
AugustaNational, site of the Masters,
and Cypress Point rank third and
fourth among all courses world wide.
He totals10 courses in the top 100.
"His work will stand the test of
time," golf historian and current PGA
playerBen Crenshaw said. "It's there.
And it's there for everyone to see and
play. There is a great artistic element
to his work."
Opened in 1931, the Michigan
course - one of only six MacKenzie's
in the United States - became only the
fourth University-owned course.
However, vast changes have oc-
curredin golf technology and golf course
maintenance since MacKenzie's death
in 1934.
The athletic department understood
this and knew they need a titan in golf
course renovation to cut its rough course
into amulti-faceted gem. Arthur Hills, a
highly-respected golf course architect
and Michigan graduate, (bachelor's
degreeinLandscape Architecture, 1961)
fit the bill.
Hills' 25-year career on the links
includes hundreds of course construc-
tions and reconstructions.
As an admirer of MacKenzie, Hills
understood his focus was not a new
course, but a return to MacKenzie's
intent.
"The University Course is a classic
example of Dr. MacKenzie's design
style with its broad fairways, undulat-
ing, sloped greens and large, visible
bunkering," Hills said. "It can still be
restored to its original grand style."
Over the years, a number of large
fairway bunkers had atrophied, leaving
less obstructions for the golfer
Different superintendents replaced
these with a number of pine trees. The
first nine became the back and vice-
versa. All the changes have been re-
versed.
"(Arthur Hills) has restored the golf
course to its original design," golf course
superintendentBob Chaddick said. "All
of MacKenzie's bunkering has been
restored. All of the bunkers have been
reclaimed. Anumber of trees have been
removed."
The irrigation system remained vir-
tually unchanged since the course's in-
ception. The new double-row irrigation
system offers comprehensive coverage
with 550 sprinklers heads and more
efficient water usage.
The sheer size of the increased play
has demanded some other changes. Tee
boxes have been built up and expanded
to withstand high concentration of play
without hurting the course.
Furthermore, the popularity of golf
carts also necessitated large stretches of
cart paths.
While the path is not continuous it
covers the high traffic areas around the
tees and green. The paths also partition
anumberoflandscapedmedians around
the course.
Before seeing the course, however,
one travels through the clubhouse.
Michigan's clubhouse has seen dramatic
change throughout its walls. The reno-
vation includes both lockerrooms and
the various offices.
A new practice area will also be
added to help Michigan's golf squads.
A practice range, accessible from Main
Street, will be adjacent to what used to
be hole No. 3, the new No. 12. A num-
ber ofapractice greens with sand traps
will accompany the range.
While fans of the course had antici-
pated playing the renovated course late
this season they were turned away.
Although Chaddick had planned on
allowing public usage August 1, the
course was not ready.
By keeping the course closed, the
greens and tee boxes were allowed to
mature.
The golf teams represent the only
significant traffic the course has seen all
season. Their practice schedules have
probably been aided by getting on as
early and as often as they liked.
The rest of the students will be forced
to wait until spring arrives before test-
ing out the refurbished course.
DOUGLAS KANTER/Dily
The golf clubhouse shown here has gone under major renovations during the rebuilding process. The golf coaches as well as the
golf course officials have refurbished offices.
The hole show has changed; bring
your pail and shovel next time out
01
BY ANDY DE KORTE
DAILY SPORTS WRITER
So you showed your parents around
campus when you moved in afew weeks
ago. Maybe yourmother wasimpressed
by how distinguished the buildings
looked. Perhaps she was simply over-
whelmed by how large everything
seemed.Every new twistmadehermore
pleased with you for coming to such a
grand institution.
Your father, on the other hand, said
everything was "nice." He was cordial
but since he was leaving in a few hours,
the surroundings had little effect on
him. He did not have any tickets to a
football game, so what did he care if the
- stadium seated 106,000-plus.
If you want to impress him when he
comes back to pick you up in the spring,
tell him to bring his clubs and take him
to the Michigan golf course.
After spending better than 3.5 mil-
lion dollars on a course renovation, the
course will be playing at a new level.
The restored layout stands to garner
some of the praise that has been lav-
ished on the five other Alister
MacKenzie-designed courses in the
United States.
Among MacKenzie's courses are
Augusta National in Augusta, GA, and
Crystal Downs in Frankfort, MI.
If you were familiar with the layout
of the course before the renovation,
make sure you check the back of the
scorecard before heading out on the
slope. However, worm burners still will
not fair well on this hole - handi-
capped the toughest hole on the course.
Hole No. 3, 526-yard par 5: An-
other target of major tee box construc-
tion. Those of you used to the adjusted
tee can forget it. The hole now plays
from behind a dip rather than in front of
it, making it play much longer.
Adventurous players can still try
their luck by cutting to the left early,
rather playing the late dogleg left,
thereby taking a lot of sand traps out of
play.
Hole No. 4,404-yard par 4: Fairly
straight away, a steep incline also af-
fects the tee shoton this hole. Big hitters
could find a new bunker on the right
side of the fairway.
Hole No. 5, 161-yard par 3: The
first par three, the traps on this hole have
not lost their bite.
Hole No. 6, 296-yard par 4: The
first of the two-tiered greens. This dog-
leg left is also protected by sand.
Holes No. 7 and 8 remain largely
unchanged. Par 4,349 yards, and 145-
yard par 3, respectively.
Hole No. 9, 395-yard par 4: The
old No. 18 has a new flair. A large trap
just off to the left of the fairway where
average drives will land is certain to
grab its share of hooks and mis-hits.
After getting out in 3,136 yards, par
36, be sure to stop in the newly-reno-
vated clubhouse for food and drink be-
fore making the turn for the secon nine.
LT-I. AT.. IA l P . .J __ A A
Hole No.12,225-yard par 3: The
downhill hole plays straight-away.
Veering one way or the other is asking
for trouble.
Hole No.13,297-yard par 4: The
pine grove on the left side of the fair-
way is gone - one pine remains,
nearly out of play. In place of the forest
is a mammoth sand trap complete with
a grass patch.
Hole No.14,142-yard par 3: An-
other two-tiered green, pin placement
can make this hole a great challenge.
Sand nearly surrounds the green.
Holes No. 15, 16 and 17, all par
fours, had changed little over the years.
At 380, 390 and 357 yards, respec-
tively, the final stretch challenges the
golfer. With a large dip in front of the
green on the 16th hole,.reaching the
green in two shots will take a strong
second shot.
Hole No.18,436-yard par 4: The
only water hole on the course,
MacKenzie uses it well. By cutting the
pond closer to the hole as MacKenzie
didoriginally, thecourserestorer Arthur
Mills really makes for a grand finish.
'To me, the pond on the 18th will
be like the 15th at Augusta," Mills
said. "The player can go for the green
and if he hits a good shot he will have
a chance for a three. If he misses left
(going into the pond) he might shoot a
six."
With a new bunker on the right side
of the fairwayonly the mostproficient
0
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