Construction ready to start on Furman golf center

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Furman University’s REK Complex will undergo a two-phase expansion and upgrade including an indoor golf training facility funded 100% by $800,000 from donors.

Construction on the facility, called the Davis Faxon Training Facility after Cindy Davis and Brad Faxon, former Paladin golfers and lead donors, will begin this fall, according to a news release. The center, expected to be finished in early spring 2021, will feature six hitting stations in three covered bays, an indoor putting studio, club repair shop and workout area.

The school hopes the center will attract elite talent from across the country.

“We are so grateful for the generosity of Cindy, Brad, and many others who stepped up to ensure that Furman has one of the best facilities in the country,” Jeff Hull, head golf coach for Furman’s women’s team, said in the release.  “Our outdoor training space is regarded as one of the best in the country. The renovation of the existing REK building, as well as the new Davis Faxon Training Facility, will celebrate our great past while creating an environment for continued development well into the future.”

The second phase of the renovation, pending additional donations, will revamp locker rooms and office suites and create a team meeting room with a study space and kitchen for students, the release said.

“This will be a facility that the students will be able to utilize year-round to help reach their potential,” Matt Davidson, head coach for the men’s team, said in the release.  “Our outdoor practice area at the REK Center is already one of the best in the Southeast, and to be able to have an indoor facility and renovated REK team clubhouse to match will benefit both player development and recruiting.  We couldn’t be more excited.  Thank you so much to Cindy and Brad and so many others who generously made this possible.”

Facility namesake Davis won the 1984 Edna Hartness Furman Female Athlete of the Year Award and captured individual medalist honors at the 1983 U.S.-Japan Cup after helping the Paladins reach ninth place at the 1983 National Collegiate Athletic Association Championships where she was an individual runner-up. She formerly served as president of Nike Golf, vice president of the Ladies Professional Golf Association and senior vice president of the Golf Channel.

Faxon won the 1983 Haskins Award, which is granted annually to the country’s “most outstanding male collegiate golfer,” according to the release. Once a professional player, Faxon seized eight tournament victories on the Professional Golf Associate Tour and led the PGA in putting average for three years.