THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Noonan Golf Facility gives Yellow Jackets a permanent place to practice, close to campus

“You can’t compete and drive to Alpharetta every day. You just can’t.” Coach Bruce Heppler wasn’t describing the despair brought on by a typical Atlanta commute — he was explaining, in a nutshell, why the golf team needed a permanent practice facility close to home.

Bearing the name of lead donors Kim P. Noonan, IMGT 1983, and Tom E. Noonan, ME 1983, Tech’s newest athletics facility is the answer to that need. The Noonan Golf Facility is a modern, multiuse space that will improve team and individual practices, bolster recruiting, and give the players more time to study, instead of driving to The Golf Club of Georgia in Alpharetta.

President G.P. “Bud” Peterson and new Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury, IMGT 1984, welcomed current and former members of the Georgia Tech golf team, alumni, and supporters to the dedication event in February. Guests explored the clubhouse, toured the hitting bays replete with high-tech monitoring devices and video recording and playback equipment, and looked out on seven greens covering 13 acres in Midtown Atlanta.

It was an emotional moment for Coach Heppler, who recalled the efforts of Tech alumni who supported this project when it was first proposed in 1995, and who did not live to see it completed. Mentioning H. Hammond “Buck” Stith Jr., CE 1958, and John P. Imlay Jr., IM 1959, he fought back tears as he thanked them and others for their involvement. “It took a lot of people to do this,” Heppler said. “This is 20 years in the making.”

“What you’re looking at today could have been another mixed-use development,” Tom Noonan told the audience. “But instead it is now the proving ground for the next kid who aspires to win at the Masters, or the Open Championship, or the U.S. Open. And it happened because so many alumni gave back, at every level. This was truly a team effort.”