The House That Ben Built

In 2003, Stow native Ben Curtis became the Cinderella story of the British Open, winning the coveted title in his first try and almost single-handedly raising the awareness of Kent State’s golf program. Curtis wasn’t exactly an overnight sensation in Kent, however, having pounded the links for the university on his way to several school records from 1996-2000. While he is one of the school’s all-time great players, he credits much of what he’s learned to Kent State’s director of golf, Herb “Coach” Page.

Anyone who has ever played golf knows that you never stop learning how to play the game. Golf is a game that takes patience and understanding, and lots of practice. Even professional golfers have to constantly practice and study the game.

Page should know about studying the game of golf, as he has been the head golf coach at Kent State for 30 years. During his career, he has coached 63 All-MAC golfers and 19 All-Americans, and regularly places both teams in the top 25. But when he celebrated his star pupil Ben Curtis’ victory in the British Open, Page said it was the victory that put Kent on the map.

Five years ago, he had a vision to hoist Kent State’s golf program up with some of the biggest golf schools in the country by building a state-of-the-art golf practice facility like those of other top schools. It may be “the house that Ben built,” but there’s more to it than that.

According to Page, it has always been his dream to build a top-notch golf facility like this. And now that it’s built, he probably has to pinch himself every now and again when he goes to work. His office would be the envy of any top executive, peeking out over an expansive indoor putting green.

It may seem hard to believe that a school with its own public golf course wouldn’t have a practice facility, but until last year the team practiced in the Kent State Field House with all the other athletic programs.

“We began the project about five years ago,” Page explains. “Originally we planned to build three garages so we could hit golf balls out of them, and we thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to hit balls out of our own facility?’ We used to drive to Boston Hills and Cuyahoga Falls to hit balls on driving ranges in the area, and then we’d hit balls at the Field House around the corner, which is a really great facility, one of the best in the country, but we share that with baseball and softball and other teams. We would hit balls about 40 yards into a net. We knew we had this land (behind the KSU golf course), and it took off from there.”

Architect and former Kent State golfer Alan Ambuske, who played in the 1960s, heard about the plan to build a golf center, and next thing you know he had drawn up all these plans, Page says.

The new facility, which has been officially named Ferrara and Page Golf Training and Learning Center, was designed to help the school attract top student athletes from around the country (and the world). It features a 350-yard practice range with parallel practice tees, four bent grass target greens with greenside bunkers and swales positioned to simulate different distances, a 10,000-square-foot putting green, short game practice area, a practice fairway and natural grass and AstroTurf tee areas.

Inside the center, where golfers can practice all year no matter what the weather conditions in Northeast Ohio, there are heated hitting bays (the garages Page originally wanted), which allow golfers to hit shots to all of the outdoor target greens, a 3,000-square-foot practice green and chipping area, plus a video room and net area for swing analysis so golfers can work on their game year-round. The facility also features team locker rooms, an exercise area, meeting spaces, academic area with desks, computers and printers. Also located inside are offices for the coaching staff.

The new center has been a hit with student-athletes, showing the potential to attract high-quality student-athletes from all over. The thought was if the players had a place to practice year-round it would help propel Kent’s golf teams up the charts a little further and attract new athletes to the program.

One thing about Kent State golfers: they’re loyal to the program no matter how long ago they graduated. According to Page, every single team since the first team in 1934 has had something to do with building the new golf center. One of the biggest supporters to share Page’s vision was Dr. Emilio Ferrara, who helped start the project with a generous donation.

Page’s vision actually came from visiting several top golf programs to see what they did and how he could take the best parts for Kent’s program. He went to LSU, Georgia, Alabama and East Tennessee State, taking ideas from them all and coming up with what was best for Kent State.

“The original budget for the Golf Learning Center was supposed to be $1.1 million for the outside and inside (actual cost was just over $2 million). The center is all on state property,” says Page, “and it was built with all private money. Not a dime of taxpayer money went to the Learning Center. It came from alumni golfers, boosters, fans of the golf program, basically friends of the Golf Club.”

While the Golf Training and Learning Center is well on its way to proving its worth in the season’s final standings, the facility has received rave reviews by both players and coaching staff, and on a wintry day in February, all agree it's much better than just a couple of heated garages.