Teeing off for a new residential college?

Springdale Golf Course officials are planning to relocate the clubhouse and redesign parts of the golf course following a meeting with University officials, Club Manager Donna Dilorenzo said yesterday.

University trustees have identified the location of some of these course renovations as one of three possible construction sites for the sixth residential college.

The other sites include the area south of Dillon Gym and the area north of McCarter Theater.

Trustees and University officials are hoping to begin construction on the new college within the next few years to provide housing for the 500-student increase outlined in the Wythes proposal, which was approved last April.

University Vice President and Secretary Thomas Wright '62 said yesterday he was aware University administrators had met with country club officials to discuss possible renovations, but said the construction was not necessarily proposed to provide space for a new residential college.

"I believe this discussion of construction in the area north of Forbes has led Springdale to determine that they should relocate the clubhouse and several holes," Wright said. "Whether or not the sixth residential college is put there is still uncertain."

The University owns the land on which the Springdale Golf Course is constructed, according to Wright. The club holds a long-term lease on the land from the University.

University Board of Trustees President Robert Rawson '66 said last night that no trustees had met with country club officials, to his knowledge. At present, he said the future location of the college remains uncertain.

He said trustees were shown possible locations for the new residential college at their meeting last weekend. But the board of trustees has not ordered any reorganization or landscaping changes — either on campus or at the golf club, according to Rawson.

Wright added that, as far as he knows, the area behind Dillon is the most likely location for the new facility.

Rawson said, at this time, the trustees do not have a clear favorite site for the construction.

The trustees still hope to begin implementing the 500-student increase as soon as adequate housing is available.

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The Springdale clubhouse and the 18th hole — one of the holes slated to be redesigned — sit adjacent to a vacant University-owned lot north of Forbes.

The possibility of University expansion onto the course was not the only reason for the renovations, according to Dilorenzo, though she declined to elaborate.

University trustee Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk '72 — who chairs the trustees' grounds and buildings committee — said Springdale has been considering changing its layout for several years. But she said she did not believe the possible renovations were being considered to provide space for the sixth residential college.

"Since I've joined the board, there have been discussions on renovating the club. There are a lot of [automotive] traffic issues in the area," she said. "The renovations will allow for better access to the club."

Wright said the University likely will expand further onto the golf course eventually, though he said such expansion is decades away.

"The University does have long-term planning — I mean 30, 40 or 50 years — to connect the Graduate College to the rest of campus though that area," he said. "There could be short-term improvements there without regard to a sixth residential college."

University construction onto the golf course is not unprecedented, having drastically affected Springdale's more than 100-year history. During the early 1900s, the University's construction plans for the graduate school forced the golf club to change its layout, according to the Historical Society of Princeton.

In 1913, the clubhouse — which was less than two decades old — was relocated to its present position on College Road to clear space for the Graduate College.