The Stanford men’s and women’s golf teams have long been dominant, and looking at the Cardinal facilities, it’s easy to see why.
The Siebel Varsity Training Complex debuted in April of 2008. The 20-acre site is adjacent to the second hole at Stanford Golf Course and was a collaboration between Stanford and Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects.
The complex features bent grass hitting areas for golfers and donors, five custom green complexes that include bunkers, chipping and pitching areas able to accommodate full to half wedges and a 20,000-square foot putting green situated in front of the Varsity Golf Clubhouse.
Each putting complex is fashioned with characteristics of prominent golf course architects that team members will face in competition. Design features by Alistair MacKenzie, A.W. Tillinghast, Robert Trent Jones Sr., Pete Dye and Tom Fazio are presented. All five practice greens can be played to from a variety of locations on the property.
All greens are bent grass, although four strains were used on the large putting green and three smaller greens. Three types of sand were used in the bunkers, ranging from fine, medium and coarse. As a result, players can adapt to many specific conditions while preparing for tournaments.