Jacket Golf has been an entertaining fixture on Howard Payne University’s campus for 20 years, and the university recently took steps to ensure that it will continue well into the future. The game, played with tennis balls and golf clubs, now has an official home on HPU’s campus, complete with a 10-hole course, tee boxes and targets.
The university recently held a dedication ceremony and ribbon-cutting for the new course. Buzzsaw, the university mascot, presented Dr. Bill Ellis, HPU president, with his own Jacket Golf club before the president led students in an inaugural tournament.
Dr. Ellis thanked a variety of people who played a role in the creation of the course including alumni and current students who created the game and kept it going; staff members who designed and built the course, tee boxes and sign posts; and an advisory committee to HPU administration consisting of students and staff. Mike Jones, HPU’s athletic director, and his wife, Jayne, were also thanked for their generous financial contribution to the course.
“Last fall during a question-and-answer session with students, Dr. Ellis was posed a question about when the Jacket Golf course would be developed,” reported Dr. Brent Marsh, vice president for student life and dean of students. “Students had heard about this possibility and wondered when it would become a reality. Dr. Ellis took that seriously, and he delivered.”
The course runs throughout HPU’s campus, with tee locations including Old Main Tower and the H Pond.
Pictured above: Dr. Bill Ellis, HPU president, prepares to take the first swing on the university’s new Jacket Golf course.
