Creation & Impact of UMGC's Student Pass
“Starting college was a strange, new experience back in my freshman year. One of the biggest things besides leaving home for the first time was learning to make a budget. In theory, that is fine, but in practice, it can be difficult to make a plan and stick to it. One of my budget challenges was finding a way to fit golf into the equation, as it can be prohibitively expensive over time if you don’t go about it in a budget-conscious way. Now, we are going to very quickly gloss over my circuitous freshman year of golf. Basically, after a couple of setbacks, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to join the Club Golf Team. Now that team in the fall of 2013 was in the middle of a historic run. After playing as a sub in the first regional victory, I qualified as a starter for the Midwest-clinching second regional win. We had earned a place in the NCCGA National Championship in Myrtle Beach. I again qualified for the starting lineup and was the only freshman on our team to make the trip. We ended up winning the title in convincing fashion over the likes of Virginia, Florida, and Pittsburg among many others. One thing that bummed me out about that freshman year (both in the fall and in the spring season where we didn’t even field a team), is that I burned through my golf budget so quickly. After only a few rounds at UMGC, I had to switch to playing Leslie Park or Huron Hills to get my practice in. That was sad, because I really liked the university course and was excited to be in a school with such a great, historical golf course. Heading into my sophomore year, I had put in a lot of work to help out with publicizing the team. We really wanted to get our name out there to attract some more good players to our tryouts and make another run at a title. About a month before classes started, I was brought on as co-president to Geoff Welsher and Mason Wagner (both upper classmen at the time). After the fall season which saw another nationals berth, but not another title, I was ready to tackle our “golf course problem”. Part of what bummed me out so much was not having a home course, was the occasional lack of team unity and the utter lack of a place to consistently practice together. I decided to reach out to the team out at UMGC to see if we could put together some sort of a team membership to the course. Everyone was very inviting, and we made quick moves towards putting something together. What we wanted for the team, a place to come together and be able to practice and play on a consistent basis, was exactly the same thing that UMGC was envisioning for a Student Pass. After just a couple of weeks, we all got together for a second meeting. As it turned out, the team membership and the student pass were both approved and would go live for the beginning of the spring golf season. I was excited to see how it would work. Turns out, it would work even better than anyone could have expected. I cannot overstate how important the pass has been for the team after the first year and a half of its existence. We have been able to play so much more good golf and have solid, quality practices during the week. Plus, it makes it more economical for my teammates and I to just come out and play nine (or even six) holes after morning classes or even between classes. We have open lines of communication with people like Andrew and Chantel in the operations of the course, which has been great. It makes it so much easier to organize things like tryouts with their help along the way. Plus, many of us have gotten to know the top-notch staff in the clubhouse as well, which makes the experience of coming to the course all that much more relaxing and enjoyable. Some of our teammates have even joined the team at the course (looking at you Pete Torres). With the addition of events like the 2-Person Scrambles and Student Club Championship hosted by UMGC, we are even able to pursue competitive options outside the realm of our club tournaments. Just for me personally, the option to play UMGC on a regular basis has made me a much better player. I have improved my game significantly in the last year, especially my short game, playing the challenging MacKenzie design. The fact that the pass is valid in the summer has also helped draw me back to visit Ann Arbor more than I otherwise would have done. Not to mention, knowing the fee for the whole year ahead of time has made my golf budgeting issue practically disappear. The deal we have the opportunity to be a part of will continue to inspire more and more Michigan students to continue to foster their passion for the game of golf. I really feel at home playing UMGC and am glad that, with the help of the leadership at the course, we were able to find such a great home for the Club Golf Team. I can’t wait to see what another season will bring.”
Note: This post is adapted from the UMGC by UMGC blog.