Edwin L. Hoopes III
Alum ensures golf team stays the course.
Golf is a challenging sport to play on a perfect summer day. When the New England winter hits, forget about it. As coach Bob “Beetle” Bailey says, “Mother Nature is tough to beat.”
To keep Exonians swinging through every season, Bailey assembled an indoor training room on the second floor of Love Gym. “We commandeered an old squash court about 10 years ago,” he says, “and jury-rigged the space together.” Slowly, but surely, they added simulators, hitting nets and a putting surface. When the new Downer Family Fitness Center opened in 2015, Bailey repurposed the old lockers for golf-bag storage.
Despite all of his efforts, the room never quite matched the quality of the players, Bailey says. That changed this academic year thanks to a generous donation from Edwin L. Hoopes III ’61. The Hoopes ’61 Golf Fund supported a complete renovation of the team’s “clubhouse” and will continue to help provide for golfers’ supplemental needs — think greens fees, travel, meals, uniforms and coaching staff professional development — for years to come.
