Scottsdale, Arizona, United States: Troon has been selected to manage Atkins Golf Club at the University of Illinois.

Troon Golf, the resort and daily-fee club operations division of Troon, will oversee all operations, including golf, agronomy and sales and marketing.

“We are excited to partner with Troon for the management of the golf course operation at Atkins Golf Club at the University of Illinois,” said Jackie Szymoniak, Assistant Athletic Director, University of Illinois Athletics.

Szymoniak added: “Troon is recognised as a leader in golf management and particularly for delivering premium golf course conditions and exceptional customer service, which is pivotal as we renovate and enhance the Atkins Golf Club.

“As progress continues with the golf course and clubhouse renovations, we feel confident that Troon will ensure our vision is upheld and that the club is an asset to the Fighting Illini golf teams and the overall community.”

Atkins Golf Club, located in Urbana, is an 18-hole public golf course on approximately 190 acres. Formerly known as Stone Creek and designed by Tim and Dick Nugent, the course has served as the home course of the Fighting Illini men’s and women’s golf programmes for many years.

In June of 2020, The University of Illinois Division of Inter-collegiate Athletics announced that The Atkins Group donated more than 300 acres of real estate in southeast Urbana, highlighted by Stone Creek Golf Club and its associated buildings and equipment, to the University of Illinois and the University of Illinois Foundation.

In recognition of The Atkins Group’s generosity, the golf course was renamed The Atkins Golf Club at the University of Illinois.

The U of I’s Division of Inter-collegiate Athletics owns the golf club, which was closed during the 2020 season while undergoing improvements. The new Atkins Golf Club is expected to reopen for public play this fall with a newly renovated golf course.

In November of 2020, golf course architect J. Drew Rogers was selected to help transform the course into a nationally recognised collegiate facility, while also providing the local community with a first-class golf experience.

During the course refinement project, which is expected to take five to six months to complete, Rogers will add length to the course with new tees, while creating enhanced playing strategies through turf reduction and fairway realignments as well as improved presentation of the bunkering.

“The University of Illinois’ golf programme has a tradition of excellence, and its home course should be representative of that,” said Phillip Martin, Senior Vice President and Head of Operations for the new Chicago office of Troon, an Executive Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.

“Troon is excited to be on board at Atkins Golf Club and looks forward to enhancing the club, the university and the local Champaign-Urbana community,” added Martin.