Where college students go for golf

Two years since the club’s founding, Liberty University Club Golf will be heading to their first NCCGA National Championship after a strong performance in the Colonial Region this semester.

A bid to the NCCGA National Championship has been a long time coming for the Notre Dame Club Golf team. In a highly competitive region, and with a team in Indiana-Bloomington dominating the past few semesters, Notre Dame had their eye set on a Nationals bid but knew they would have to earn it.

In only their 2nd year of existence, the Depaul Blue Demons will be making their second trip to the NCCGA National Championship. However, this time around they will be doing so as the Great Lakes Regional Champions.

Oklahoma State Club Golf knew that just to make it to this season's NCCGA National Championship at Hot Springs Country Club, they would have to make it through one of the toughest regions in the country, The Ozark Region has a very deep, and talented, lineup that include Arkansas, Arkansas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and defending regional champion Tulsa.

In the fall of 2015, Joe Knight transferred to Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. Upon his arrival he founded the school's club golf team. In their first semester as a club they performed above expectations, placing 4th at Regional #1 while breaking 400 both days. Zachary Capel made his debut at the second regional, taking home medalist honors and leading GCU to their first ever NCCGA tournament victory.

 A teammate coming down with food poisoning the night before Round 1 of the NCCGA National Championship wasn't the start the Georgia club golf team drew up.

The UGA club golf team has always been solid, but never quite the perennial powerhouse team that everyone in the region feared. Joe Reichard came in as club president and decided that needed to change.

“UGA is growing with all of its educational programs." Reichard said. "With so many students here, you know there has to be some great golfers on campus”.

Golf in Minnesota has had it’s fair share of excitement over the past few months. Between the Ryder Cup madness that was bestowed upon Hazeltine and the surrounding communities, there has been no shortage of excitement for the game in and around Minneapolis. That includes the NCCGA Twin Cities Region.

Oregon club golf is back at the NCCGA National Championship for the 3rd time in only four semesters of existence.

The team has been perennial champions of the Northwest Region since the team formed, and they always maintain high expectations. Kevin Mackin is the co-founder and Regional Coordinator for the Northwest Region while CJ Sitton is the co-founder and current club president of the team.

For Tulsa, no dream is too small when it comes to playing golf. After the University of Tulsa decided to cut its long time men’s varsity team, some students who played golf were left with nowhere to play.

Luckily, sophomore Matt Wells stepped in this summer and founded the club golf team on campus.

The Northern Colorado team turned two years old this fall, and to celebrate they are heading to their first ever NCCGA National Championship.

Tanner Brown is the club team’s president and co-founder. Brown made the decision to give up his pursuit of playing collegiate baseball, and not long afterwards he found an old set of lefty golf clubs in his grandma’s basement.

Michigan club golf has already had a storybook season. Now they are just hoping for the Cinderella finish.

Playing varsity college golf can sometimes mean compromising on academics. After all, there's less time to dedicate to studying and lots of missed class time traveling to tournaments. As with many students that choose to play club golf over varsity, UCLA's Claire Malley chose academics but didn't want to give up on competitive golf.