The UConn Golf program has operated on campus for decades, winning two Big East Championships (1994, 2021) and drawing talented student athletes who train and compete under the guidance of a coach who has been with the program for almost 20 years. The team and its coaches currently practice in a simulator room inside Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on campus, which will be renovated into a different programmed space for generating revenue beginning in fall 2026. The team also relies on other practice facilities across the state, indoors, and outdoors, to meet its needs and schedules.  A dedicated university-managed practice facility would reduce travel costs, centralize activities and decrease travel time for student-athletes, while increasing levels of competition and recruitment.

The university assessed several potential locations for the practice facility and plans to redevelop a small portion of property along Weaver Road at its Depot campus, about 2 miles northwest from the main campus in Storrs. The proposal is currently in review through scoping processes required under the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act (CEPA), and UConn will publish a Cancelation Notice or a Post Scoping Notice in the Environmental Monitor. When a Post Scoping Notice is posted, it will include responses to questions and comments received during the CEPA Scoping Notice phase and next steps for the project.

We have established the following answers to the most frequently asked questions in advance of the Post-Scoping Notice:

Frequently Asked Questions

What is envisioned?

The conceptual site plan composes about approximately 6.5 acres to develop a golf practice facility at its Depot campus along Weaver Road, an institutional road also owned by UConn. The edges of the property would remain as woodland and farmland, out of view from neighboring properties.

The project will involve site clearing, earthwork, utilities and other site activities to accommodate construction of a new building, a single unlit driving range, a chipping and putting area, and a small shed for maintenance. The proposed building will be approximately 6,000 gross square feet with office space, lockers, restrooms and showers, equipment storage and repair space, a flex space / team room, and indoor putting and simulation areas. The parking area would accommodate no more than 24 vehicles, and its security lighting will be dark-sky compliant.

It would not be a golf course. Golf courses typically require 50 to 200 acres of land for a nine- or eighteen-hole course; that has never been envisioned or planned for any of the sites that were assessed. The facility will not be open to the public and therefore would not generate the vehicle traffic or other impacts associated golf courses.

The driving range will not be irrigated and is not intended to be maintained as a fairway like those common to golf courses. Irrigation would be confined to areas immediately surrounding the building, including the practice green that will be comparable in size to many small residential lawns in the area.

Why now?

UConn’s team and coaches practice in a golf simulator room inside Gampel Pavilion, where a renovation project will soon make that space unavailable for this use. The team also practices at other facilities in the region. Centralizing the practice operations at a single site with dedicated indoor and outdoor amenities would support the program by replacing the lost space in Gampel, reducing travel time for student athletes, and increasing levels of competition and recruitment.

The need for a golf practice facility is well-established. While funding was not identified until late 2025 to substantiate a project, pre-planning activities for identifying potential study sites began in 2023.

Why here, instead of the previously proposed site?

A significant amount of disinformation was circulated about the project's proposed development on Storrs/East Road. That site is comparable to the Weaver Road site in that it was also previously developed, similar in size, and advantageous for low impact development, however, it didn't require demolition of buildings first. There are four small wood-framed structures on the Weaver Road site that are in poor condition and now planned for abatement and demolition in early 2027 as a separate project. While the Storrs/East Road site remains viable for future redevelopment, the building demolitions, combined with direct access to all UConn utilities and less clearing and earthwork associated with the driving range, made the Weaver Road site a better candidate at this time.

What work would occur there to build the facility?

The proposed action would involve site preparation activities such as minimal earthwork limited mostly to the building, utility connections for power, sanitary, stormwater, telecom, and potable water, and related work to support construction of the building, parking lot, driving range, and a practice green. There will be no clear-cutting or bulldozing of woodland or disturbance to wetlands, no installation of large or intrusive lighting, no public access that could generate traffic and trash, or other disruptive activities.

How would this work impact existing farm operations?

UConn recognizes its agricultural heritage and proud history as Connecticut's land-grant college. UConn is working internally with the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources on addressing a portion of the site that is cut twice a year for hay production.

How would the project be funded?

The project would be fully funded by philanthropic gifts to UConn Athletics.

The university is immensely grateful for donor funding to support projects such as this. However, it is important to note that, the presence of such gifts does not compel the university to develop a facility it otherwise might not have considered. This proposal responds to a specific and well-documented need.

Would pesticides be used on the site and if so, how would the university prevent hazards to nearby homes, trees, and wildlife?

The use of any herbicides or pesticides would be subject to review and limited to a practice green smaller than most single-family residential lawns.

The driving range will not be treated as a fairway, and the tee box will be made of artificial turf. All turfgrass applications would be in accordance with Connecticut and federal requirements and limits.

The Natural Diversity Database of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will be reviewed for any known State or federally listed species.

The site's subsurface hydrology, drainage and runoff considerations will be reviewed in more detail during the design phase. Proposals would follow the Connecticut Stormwater Quality Manual and Connecticut Guidelines for soil erosion and sediment control, as well as the general permit for the discharge of stormwater and dewatering wastewaters from construction activities, which collectively accounts for stormwater affects before, during and after construction. The engineering design would be scrutinized to avoid or mitigate any potential hydrological impacts.

The surrounding woodland would not be cleared as part of the facility's development.

What comes next?

UConn is assessing design-build proposals and will receive questions and comments during the Scoping Notice period per CEPA.

The university will issue a Post-Scoping Notice in the Environmental Monitor during Fall 2026 with its decision and responses to questions received, with the options being:

• The project would not go forward.
• Or, an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) would be needed, to be conducted under provisions of the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act. If an EIE is developed, the public would have an opportunity to comment on the EIE at a later date.
• Or, an EIE is not needed, and the university would continue to pursue the project.