The University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics announced the athletic department was given the Stone Creek Golf Club from The Atkins Group.

The Atkins Group is an Urbana-based real estate development firm. They donated it as part of their commitment to the University and their aligning values. The relationship between them goes back 29 years when a lead gift of theirs made possible the construction of the Atkins Tennis Center.

The golf course will be closed for 2020 as it undergoes renovations as the home for Illinois men’s and women’s golf. Pending approval from the Board of Trustees, it will be renamed The Atkins Golf Club at the University of Illinois.

It is expected to reopen in the spring of 2021, and the DIA plans to hire a golf course management company to handle the reopening of all the facilities the club entails, including the restaurant, dining facilities and pro shop.

Men’s and women’s head coaches Mike Small and Renee Slone both applauded TAG’s continued investment with Illinois Athletics, acknowledging the privilege they have had using the newly acquired club for the last couple decades. They also expressed their excitement for the possibilities it gives both teams in the future.

The 18-hole course is in southeast Urbana and covers about 190 acres of land. Alongside the club, the athletic department was also given over 110 acres of real estate full of residential lots and undeveloped acreage, benefitting more than just the DIA.

This gift is the fifth named facility over the past two years: The Susan and Clint Atkins Baseball Training Center, Demirjian Park for Illinois soccer and track and field, Rex and Alice A. Martin Softball Training Center and the Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Center.

The donation was another addition to the DIA’s $300 million fundraising goal and the University’s $2.2 billion “With Illinois” campaign.

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