Elon rededicates renovated Holland House for golf programs

Elon University rededicated Holland House on South Campus as the new clubhouse for its men’s and women’s golf programs, unveiling a $3 million expansion built to give Phoenix golfers a centralized base for training, study and team operations.

University leaders, Trustees, donors and athletes gathered April 10 for the ribbon-cutting, with President Connie Ledoux Book and Athletics Director Jenn Strawley among those who cut the ribbon. Elon said the project was funded by $3 million from alumni, parents and friends, a spend aimed squarely at raising the profile and competitiveness of the golf programs.

The renovated complex now includes locker rooms, coaches’ offices, quiet spaces for academic study, team engagement spaces and player meeting rooms. It also adds a 17,000-square-foot tee box, a renovated short-game area with rebuilt bunkers and Trackman Range technology that lets every shot be tracked for immediate data.

The expansion also incorporates the W. Cecil Worsley III Golf Training Center, which opened in 2009 and already includes heated hitting bays, a computerized swing analysis center, an indoor putting facility and an outdoor lighted driving range. Elon has described the finished complex as placing its training facilities among the best in collegiate golf, a claim that could matter in recruiting as the Phoenix men’s and women’s programs compete for prospects in the Coastal Athletic Association and beyond.

The rededication also signals a broader institutional play. By investing in a high-end golf home base on South Campus, Elon is betting that facilities can help attract athletes, strengthen team culture and underscore the university’s commitment to student-athlete support. The project does not read as a community recreation venue; its design is centered on team use, academic support and golf-specific performance work.

Holland House itself carries a long Elon history. Built in 1963, it first served as the home of presidents J. Earl Danieley and J. Fred Young. It was renamed in 1985 after a gift from the family of Shirley Thomas Holland, then moved about a half-mile to South Campus in 2009 to make room for Phi Beta Kappa Commons. The building later housed the Catholic Newman Center.

Its 2009 move drew more than 100 spectators, and the front portion rolled across the tracks under a banner that read “Elon University Recycles.” The latest renovation received site-plan approval from the Town of Elon on June 26, 2024, and university officials said in August 2025 that the work was expected to wrap in fall 2025. With the clubhouse now open, Elon has turned one of its most historic buildings into a more modern recruiting tool and a visible marker of continued investment on the edge of town.