Rochester Hills

New OU golf clubhouse funded by large gift

By Linda Shepard
C & G Staff Writer

» Click on image to view full size « Photo by Linda Shepard A new golf course clubhouse at Oakland University is built high on a hill to provide vistas of the R&S Sharf and Katke-Cousins golf courses. Photo by Linda Shepard A new golf course clubhouse at Oakland University is built high on a hill to provide vistas of the R&S Sharf and Katke-Cousins golf courses.

ROCHESTER HILLS — A brand new $3.5 million golf course clubhouse at Oakland University will be completed by June of this year.

According to Bill Rogers, the R&S Sharf Golf Course and Katke-Cousins Golf Course managing director, the currently under-construction, two-story clubhouse will be 3,200 square feet in size when completed.

“The building is placed high on a hill so as to provide vistas of the golf courses and campus property,” Rogers said. “The clubhouse entrance is nicely placed at the front of the property so as to fully service the golfer constituency and so that both golf courses will have access to facilities at the start and finish of a golf round.”

The new golf clubhouse is funded by a gift from Stephan Sharf, who donated $21 million to Oakland University in January. The gift is the largest combination cash and planned gift from an individual in the university’s history.

“Mr. Sharf has been among the most generous donors Oakland University has had the good fortune to know, and his long legacy of gifts has touched just about every area of the university,” said OU President Gary Russi.

The new golf clubhouse will include a golf pro-shop, kitchen and food service area on the first floor. The building will have covered outdoor porch and patio areas for relaxing. A men’s and women’s locker room area and a conference room will be located on the upper floor.

“The building is designed for golfer use on a daily basis and can be used for golf outing groups as well,” Rogers said.

A golf course was originally part of the estate of Meadow Brook, developed by Matilda and John Dodge. According to Rogers, automobile pioneer John Dodge loved golf, which has been a tradition at the Meadow Brook estate since the early 1900s.

In addition to the golf course clubhouse, funds from Sharf’s gift will be directed to the School of Engineering and Computer Science, the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, the OU women’s golf team, scholarships, research funds and endowed discretionary funds.

“Mr. Sharf’s gift will have a positive impact on the lives of countless students and faculty in the years ahead,” Russi said. “Over the years, (Sharf) has contributed to the success of Oakland in a variety of meaningful ways, including serving as a member of the Board of Trustees, as former director of the OU Foundation, as a former member of the President’s Campaign Council and as a member of the (School of Engineering and Computer Sciences) Advisory Board. He is also the recipient of an honorary doctorate degree of science from Oakland University.”

According to Ted Montgomery, head of public relations at OU, a new engineering building is planned for the OU campus in 2014. The currently under-construction Health and Sciences building at the corner of Walton Boulevard and Squirrel Road is “on schedule and under budget, scheduled to open late this summer,” Montgomery said.
 

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Linda Shepard at lshepard@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1065.