CEDAR CITY, Utah - Southern Utah University Golf and the City of Cedar City have announced plans for the John L. Evans Golf Center, a brand new, state-of-the-art golf facility to be built at Cedar Ridge Golf Course.
"SUU Athletics is immensely grateful to Jon Christy for his generous gift that planted the seed to provide facilities for our men's and women's golf teams. Once this project is completed, both teams will have a place to leave their equipment and uniforms and, with the simulator, they will have a place to practice during inclement weather," Director of Athletics Debbie Corum said. "This facility will make a positive impact on the daily lives of the men and women on these teams, while also providing another space for the Cedar City community to host events. This is a win, win, win, and we are excited for Coach Church to complete this much-needed project."
The John L. Evans Golf Center will be a two-story, 5,000 square foot facility built on the west side of the current driving range at Cedar Ridge. The building will serve both the Southern Utah men's and women's golf programs and the Cedar City community as it will have benefits for both. The main floor of the building will contain separate locker rooms for both the men's and women's programs, offices for the coaching staff, and a covered driving range/putting green area.
The facility will be named after John Evans, a current volunteer assistant coach and former head coach of the Thunderbird golf programs. Evans coached the Thunderbirds for nine seasons, coached at Cedar High School for 10 seasons, and was the Director of Golf at Cedar Ridge Golf Course for 30 years.
"The completion of the John L. Evans Golf Center will mark the fulfillment of a long-term goal to provide our student-athletes a first class winter golfing practice facility, as well providing Cedar Ridge and Cedar City a place to host banquets and tournaments," Director of Golf Richard Church said. "With the support of my good friend Jon Christy as well as many others, the facility will be completed using 100% donor funds. We are very proud of our relationship with Cedar City, and are truly thankful for the support of Mayor Maile Wilson-Edwards and the Cedar City Council throughout this process."
The building will also house the Jonathon L. Christy Golf Simulator, a state-of-the-art golf simulator that will allow the teams to train in the winter time in Cedar City while also giving them access to analytics about their swings.
Jon Christy graduated from Southern Utah in 1985 with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and has been an outstanding supporter of Southern Utah University and Southern Utah Golf ever since.
The bottom floor of the building will be a banquet space, giving both the athletic department and the community a space to hold events. The teams will also be able to exit the building and walk right out onto either the driving range or the putting green from that floor.
"We are really excited about the new John L. Evans Golf Center here at Cedar Ridge Golf Course. It will be a tremendous asset to both SUU as well as our facility," Cedar Ridge Golf Pro Jared Barnes said. "We have always had a great relationship with the Southern Utah Golf program and are looking forward to working with them on this project."
The building will be built by the City of Cedar City, with Southern Utah University leasing the building for the use of the athletic department. Funding for the building will be provided by various donors of Southern Utah University Golf.
"Cedar City is excited to once again partner with Southern Utah University. Through this unique public/private partnership, the John L. Evans Golf Center will enhance the Cedar Ridge Golf Course's ability to host tournaments and provide a first class golf experience to our customers," Cedar City Mayor Maile Wilson-Edwards said. "Cedar City and Southern Utah University have been long-time community partners and once again it is a pleasure to work together to enhance what we both offer to the community."
Construction for the John L. Evans Golf Center is set to break ground at the conclusion of a $700,000 capital campaign of which more than half has already been raised. Those interested in participating in the capital project can contact Director of Golf Richard Church for more details.
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