The Orange and Blue Golf Courses

Men's and Women's Cross Country
The University of Illinois Blue course is located on the Blue Golf Course in Savoy. The 5,000-meter course is made up of a series of four loops, one 2,000-meter and three 1,000-meter, which interchange at the starting point, making it an excellent spectator course.

For the 8K, the men run one 2,000-meter and three 1,000-meter loops, repeating the three 1,000-meter loops. For the 10K, the four loops are each run twice. The course is relatively flat, providing excellent footing.

The Blue Golf Course, which was opened in 1965, was preceded by the University's connnecting Orange Course, which was completed in 1949. In the past, the Illinois cross country team had competed on both the Blue and Orange courses.

Illinois also uses the Dowell Property, a forest preserve near Lake of the Woods State Park in Mahomet, Ill. The course is a 5,000-meter loop of mowed trails. The terrain is rolling to hilly with very few flat areas.

Men's and Women's Golf
Situated approximately six miles south of the campus, the two University of Illinois Golf Courses serve not only the UI golf teams, but also students, faculty, staff and the general public.

The Orange Course, conceived in 1948-49 by Chicago-area golf course designer C.W. Wagstaff, was completed in the fall of 1949 on land just south of the village of Savoy. The land had been acquired by the University for the purpose of building an airport. When it was determined that the northern portion of land was too close to the Savoy grain elevator to accommodate all of the runways safely, U of I officials decided to build the University of Illinois Willard Airport on its present site. The land on which the golf course now stands was turned over to the athletic department.

The UI Division of Intercollegiate Athletics still operates the course. It is the site of the Fighting Illini men's and women's home tournaments, as well as many golf events for both University of Illinois personnel and the general public.

The UI Orange Course, one of the area's most demanding, measures 6,890 yards from the men's tee for tournaments. The Orange Course is known for the variety and placement of its sand bunkers and water hazards. Landscaped over a gently rolling terrain, the Orange Course is packed with unusually deep sand bunkers on every hole. Major bodies of water enter into play on the second, fourth, fifth, eighth, 11th and 18th holes. The greens break sharply from back to front, featuring hilly terrain, a small target area and creative pin placements.

The Orange Course was the site of the Fighting Illini men's victory in the 1988 Big Ten Championship Tournament; it was also the site of the 1991 Big Ten Women's Championship Tournament.

The Blue Course was built in 1964-65, and opened late in 1965 on adjacent land (to the south) donated by Hartwell Howard. The shorter Blue Course measures 6,423 yards from the standard men's tee. It features large, flat sand bunkers dotting a rolling terrain. Water lies alongside the 14th and 17th holes, but players only cross water on the par-4 11th hole. The greens are medium-sized and relatively flat.

Mike Wallner manages the pro shop and John Donahoe is the course superintendent.

* - The Orange and Blue Golf Course is located in Savoy, IL