Pandemic Fallout Puts College Golf Programs In Peril

Many of us are rummaging through each nook and cranny of our lives for some optimism right now. In the case of college golf and the entire athletics model upon which universities across the country are reliant, finding hope or hopelessness depends on which perspective you choose.

A fascinating case study of mixed emotions comes from the University of Connecticut, a top-25 public academic institution with a proud athletic tradition to match. UConn's men’s and women’s basketball programs have combined for 15 NCAA championships and their once-respectable football team played in a Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma a decade ago. The name and the logo are among the most recognizable in college sports, making them an outlier in the nationwide bloodletting of non-revenue collegiate sports being cut.

UConn’s financial strains were being felt well before the coronavirus pandemic exacerbated the problem. One of the main issues on the athletic side is what happened a handful of years ago as the Huskies were burned by conference realignment. When...