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The Art of Giving, Not Taking
The Art of Giving, Not Taking
Weisfeld Family Golf Center (June 2017). Photo courtesy: University of Michigan Athletics.
by Logan Roth
Golfers worldwide compete to call the University of Michigan home. UM has a prestigious golf program. This season the women's golf team was ranked 43rd overall and came in sixth at the 2023 Big Ten Championships, while the men's team finished ninth of nine teams in their last regular season tourney (Wywrot). Both teams share a home on campus at the UM's first geothermal campus building, an elite, state-of-the-art practice facility known as the Weisfeld Family Golf Center (WFGC) ("Weisfeld Family Golf").
Map courtesy Google Maps.
Located south of Michigan Stadium just off of South Main Street, this $2.5 million golf practice facility was ready for use in the fall of 2011. The WFGC provides the teams with "a V1 coaching and camera system, the TrackMan golf radar system, and an aboutGolf simulator" plus "five indoor hitting bays and an expansive bentgrass teeing ground both use the existing driving range, which was flattened and re-sculpted for better sight lines as part of the project," which provide year-round practice capabilities ("Weisfeld Family Golf").
It should also be noted that the WFGC is "cutting edge in terms of sustainability," according to UM's facility website, which says the building was "was constructed with a majority of regional and recycled construction materials" and the first on campus to use geothermal energy "providing heating and cooling for 4,000 square feet of the 9,750-square-foot building with an estimated energy savings of 30 percent."
A year after UM varsity golfer David Weisfeld graduated in 2010, the newly completed golf practice facility was named in honor of his family (“UM Golf") after a "a leadership gift from Barry A. Weisfeld and the Weisfeld Family Foundation" (“Building Naming"). A Board of Regents memo from September 2011 added Barry and his wife Susan were "generous supporters of the University through annual gifts to the Athletic Department and contributions to the Weisfeld Family Endowed Fund and the New York Family Scholarship Fund" (“Building Naming"). Barry was also a Kinesiology Campaign Steering Committee member during the Michigan Difference campaign ("Weisfeld Family Golf"). The couple's daughter Danielle also is a UM grad (2007) ("Weisfeld Family Golf").
"David Weisfeld Men's Golf." University of Michigan Athletics, 2008, https://mgoblue.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/david-weisfeld/3548. April 7th, 2023.
The Weisfeld family name has apropos origins. According to Ancestry.com, the name Weisfeld is a "compound name" of German descent from the words weis, meaning white, and feld, meaning field and generally is translated to mean "open country." It is interesting to note that the Weisfeld name translates to "open country," which describes the experience playing on a beautiful golf course.
Works Cited
“Building Naming.” University of Michigan Board of Regents Action Request memo. 15 Sept. 2011. https://regents.umich.edu/files/meetings/09-11/2011-09-IX-5.pdf
“David Weisfeld." University of Michigan Athletics - Men's Golf, 2008-09 Men's Golf Roster, https://mgoblue.com/sports/mens-golf/roster/david-weisfeld/3548 .
“UM Golf Facility Named for Weisfelds.” The Ann Arbor Chronicle. 15 Sept. 2011. https://annarborchronicle.com/2011/09/15/um-golf-facility-named-for-weisfelds/index.html.
“Weisfeld Family Golf Center.” University of Michigan Athletics, https://mgoblue.com/sports/2017/6/16/facilities-golf-center-html.aspx.
“Weisfeld Family Golf Practice Center.” University of Michigan Athletics. 16 June 2017. https://mgoblue.com/sports/2017/6/16/sustainability-initiatives-golf-center-html.aspx.
“Weisfeld Family History.” Ancestry.com https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=weisfeld#:~:text=Weisfeld%20Family%20History-,Weisfeld%20Name%20Meaning,'%20%2B%20Feld%20'field.
Wywrot, Tom. "Dy, Chun Help Wolverines Finish Tied for Sixth at Big Ten Championships." Michigan Athletics Headlines. 23 April 2023. https://mgoblue.com/news/2023/4/23/womens-golf-dy-chun-help-wolverines-finish-tied-for-sixth-at-big-ten-championships.aspx. Accessed 26 April 2023.
Wywrot, Tom. "O'Donnell Posts First Career Top-20 Finish; U-M Ninth at Illini Spring Collegiate." Michigan Athletics Headlines. 23 April 2023. https://mgoblue.com/news/2023/4/23/mens-golf-o-donnell-posts-first-career-top-20-finish-u-m-ninth-at-illini-spring-collegiate.aspx. Accessed 26 April 2023.
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