July 12, 2020
BY AAGD STAFF
The rolling effects of the coronavirus pandemic continue to negatively impact college golf programs. Thursday, Dartmouth College announced it was cutting their men’s and women’s golf teams from its athletics department.
Founded in 1769, Dartmouth is a member of the Ivy League and consistently ranks among the world’s greatest academic institutions.
The move to remove the golf program comes about six weeks after Brown University cut its men’s and women’s golf teams, and as the Ivy League announced it would not host fall sports in 2020. Considering other similar statements across the country, it is increasingly plausible other golf programs are in danger as well.
Philip Hanlon, President of Dartmouth, the school is known as the “Big Green,” shared the decision that was made as a part of an enrollment/admissions decision, one which eliminated 10 percent of recruited athletes from incoming classes. Golf was joined by men’s and women’s swimming and diving as well as men’s lightweight rowing. In total, 110 student-athletes were on those teams.
As disheartening as it may be, the Dartmouth golf teams were already limited in their facilities this year. The future for the golf team is also in jeopardy as Hanover Country Club, a semi-private course owned by the college, was closed in late April for the remainder of 2020. The course had been on the brink of shutting down in the past, so now that it’s gone, if the Dartmouth golf team does revive, there is the problem of where they will practice and play.
RELATED: SOS! Save Our Schools: Hampton Cuts Golf Program
RELATED: SOS! Looking at this college golf elimination, is it a sign of what other colleges across the country may be facing? In April, St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas cut its golf program. A long list of colleges have made similar cuts.
Both men’s and women’s college golf, while having fall seasons, do not host championship competition until the spring. The various athletics cuts happening at universities across the country could very well extend into golf. Stanford, one of the best golf programs in the country — both men’s and women’s — decided to maintain its golf programs while cutting 11 others. The men’s golf team at the University of Akron was not spared the same fate as its program was eliminated back in May.
