Furman Boosters Trying to Save Golf Program from Death Sentence

[TexasTerror]

We've seen Cal and Towson folks step up in the past, will Furman be the next?

Golf is a strange sport, IMO as far as the college game goes. It is not a high profile, high visibility sport and certainly not a costly one - but golf provides a fundraising function (you can make some good $$$ on golf fundraisers and having a golf team enables it to some degree) and its alums probably have a higher rate of success, so more likely to give back, albeit the numbers are smaller.

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Shocked and saddened at the news that Furman University is planning to kill off its storied men's golf program (http://www.pga.com/news/golf-buzz/furman-will-drop-mens-golf-after-spring) at the end of the school year, a number of prominent alumni have begun exploring ways to keep the team alive.



More than 50 former golfers – including Brad Faxon, the team's most prominent graduate – held a teleconference on Monday with Athletic Director Gary Clark and Interim President Karl Kohrt, according to The Chattanooga Times Free Press newspaper (http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2014/feb/18/alumni-try-to-save-paladins-golf/). Among the topics of discussion were ways to salvage the program for at least one more season and secure its long-term future.

Kohrt suggested that the group create an outline and send it to him immediately because the time available to reverse the decision is short, according to the newspaper. He also explained the thought process that went into the Feb. 7 decision to kill the men's golf team as part of a schoolwide plan to save $2 million in costs.

And while the situation is dire, a successful rescue isn't unprecedented. The University of California at Berkeley dropped its men's golf team a few years ago, but its alumni banded together and raised enough money to keep the program alive. And now the team's entire budget – for scholarships, coaching salaries, travel and recruiting – is funded entirely through private fundraising efforts.


http://www.pga.com/news/golf-buzz/furman-alums-try-save-golf-team-death-sentence

[dgtw]

What exactly are the big costs to a golf program other than the coach's salary? Aren't most golfers on partial scholarships anyway? If all they get is free tuition, that really doesn't cost the school anything to let a few people go to class for free. I suppose you have to get them to tournaments, but throw the guys on a van being driven by the coach isn't a big expense, either.

[AshevilleApp2]

What exactly are the big costs to a golf program other than the coach's salary? Aren't most golfers on partial scholarships anyway? If all they get is free tuition, that really doesn't cost the school anything to let a few people go to class for free. I suppose you have to get them to tournaments, but throw the guys on a van being driven by the coach isn't a big expense, either.

Title IX?

[PaladinFan]

What exactly are the big costs to a golf program other than the coach's salary? Aren't most golfers on partial scholarships anyway? If all they get is free tuition, that really doesn't cost the school anything to let a few people go to class for free. I suppose you have to get them to tournaments, but throw the guys on a van being driven by the coach isn't a big expense, either.

I think the total cost to the University was about $450k a year.

No one really seems to know the backstory. I believe the decision was a surprise even to the head coach. Whatever ends of it, it certainly seems like an awful example of communication between the trustees and the Furman community.

I understand universities cut programs all of the time. Few probably cut a program as old as Furman's men's golf team (especially after sinking a lot of money into lacrosse), but it is not as if this has never happened.

[citdog]

I think the total cost to the University was about $450k a year.

No one really seems to know the backstory. I believe the decision was a surprise even to the head coach. Whatever ends of it, it certainly seems like an awful example of communication between the trustees and the Furman community.

I understand universities cut programs all of the time. Few probably cut a program as old as Furman's men's golf team (especially after sinking a lot of money into lacrosse), but it is not as if this has never happened.

Take a page from this guy......you Baptists are into this kind of stuff!



http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/088/f/3/false_preacher__oral_roberts_by_artngame215-d4udrhb.jpg

[PaladinFan]

It does beg the question - if Furman can take away the golf team and immediately raise a few million from boosters to save it, why didn't you just go ask that crowd in the first place?

[ngineer]

I heard the a number of Paladin alums who are on the PGA have put together enough bucks to save the program.

[clenz]

What exactly are the big costs to a golf program other than the coach's salary? Aren't most golfers on partial scholarships anyway? If all they get is free tuition, that really doesn't cost the school anything to let a few people go to class for free. I suppose you have to get them to tournaments, but throw the guys on a van being driven by the coach isn't a big expense, either.
This doesn't really affect Furman...but for every school north of the mason dixon line (yes I know that line is kind of screwy in parts of the country but you know what I"m talking about) they spend 80% of the season flying from Arizona to Florida, to Texas to Alabama, to SC, etc...

Golf, softball, baseball, tennis and even outdoor track are very low cost to run but very expensive in the north due to travel and taking kids away from school.

The UNI softball team hasn't been in CF for more than a day or two in over a month. So far their OCC has been/will be Feb 6-10 in Lafayette, LA, Feb 13-17 in Denton, TX, Feb 20-24 in Tallahassee, FL, Feb 27-Mar 3 in Bowling Green, KY, Mar 6-10 they will be in Cape Girardeau, MO. I highly doubt they are flying back to CF between tournaments. Once the team hits conference play they open on the road spending 3 days in Carbondale Illinois. The first home game isn't until March 22nd...and the expected temp is around 30 degrees. The team then hits the road again from April 2nd through the 14th and 2nd through the 30th with the conference tournament in Normal, IL for 4 days in May. There are just 15 home games for UNI softball this season...and most years close to half, or more, of those games are cancelled/moved to be made up at the other teams as a really big series.


To fly 18ish athletes, a couple athletic trainers, and 4 coaches around the south and get them food and lodging probably isn't cheap.

[clenz]

It does beg the question - if Furman can take away the golf team and immediately raise a few million from boosters to save it, why didn't you just go ask that crowd in the first place?
This was my big issue with a lot of these - and UNI back when baseball was dropped in 2008.

Everyone was outraged....UNI told the team, fans, boosters, this is how much we need to save the program for a couple years...and that need isn't going to change so you need to continually bring that number in. Then there was a ton of out cry about dropping because of money, etc... and a ton of donations came in at that point - still finished less than half way to the needed number.

If you are a booster with that kind of money why not donate from the start? Why wait until it's going to be dropped and try to make the school look like the bad "person"

[clenz]

This is the UNI mens golf schedule this fall...only by state and no days


Airzona (the Big 4 class of the 4 Iowa schools...yep in Arizona), Nevada, Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Arkansas, Illinois. They are are each location 3-4 days and the tournaments are 2-4 days apart. To fly all of the golfers, staff, and luggage around the country has to cost a **** ton.

However, golf in the Cedar Falls area is huge...and golf outings bring in TONS of money for the alumni association, football, basketball, volleyball, and whatever other teams host them.....

Golf isn't going anywhere at UNI.

[PaladinFan]

This was my big issue with a lot of these - and UNI back when baseball was dropped in 2008.

Everyone was outraged....UNI told the team, fans, boosters, this is how much we need to save the program for a couple years...and that need isn't going to change so you need to continually bring that number in. Then there was a ton of out cry about dropping because of money, etc... and a ton of donations came in at that point - still finished less than half way to the needed number.

If you are a booster with that kind of money why not donate from the start? Why wait until it's going to be dropped and try to make the school look like the bad "person"

Well, I mean, I think there's a difference.

Brad Faxon might be content to give money to the university, but might be compelled to give a lot more if he knew the men's golf program was discontinued. People will reach goals. I mean, people aren't going to reach those goals if they don't know what they are.

[clenz]

Well, I mean, I think there's a difference.

Brad Faxon might be content to give money to the university, but might be compelled to give a lot more if he knew the men's golf program was discontinued. People will reach goals. I mean, people aren't going to reach those goals if they don't know what they are.
The meets for Furman this spring are FL, SC, GA, HOME, NC...

Still not "cheap" to send a team there..but...even with reasonable donations the burden should be GREATLY eased each year.

Does Furman do golf outings as fund raisers?

[citdog]

less time handling serpents and drinking rat poison and more time fundraising paladins!

[PaladinFan]

The meets for Furman this spring are FL, SC, GA, HOME, NC...

Still not "cheap" to send a team there..but...even with reasonable donations the burden should be GREATLY eased each year.

Does Furman do golf outings as fund raisers?

I'm not sure many people (including me) have any idea what the golf team does. I think that was part of the problem.

Again, I think there was a massive failure in communication. Furman has a lot of deep pocket donors. There was never (to my knowledge) any effort to "save the golf team." One day it was there, the next day it wasn't. I think even the head coach had one day notice of the board's decision.

[dgtw]

It does beg the question - if Furman can take away the golf team and immediately raise a few million from boosters to save it, why didn't you just go ask that crowd in the first place?

Here's my guess. The school says they need donations for the golf team. People say they'll think about it. But if they say they need money or no more golf team, then people get off their butts and do something.