News & Events
Washington and Lee University and Lexington Golf and Country Club (LGCC) are collaborating to undertake a complete renovation of the club’s golf course and ancillary facilities, which will support W&L’s top-performing golf teams and revitalize LGCC — Virginia’s second-oldest country club — to benefit the Lexington-Rockbridge community.
Part of the Leading Lives of Consequence campaign, this partnership is unique, not only within the university’s strategic priorities, but also within the world of golf course development and renovation. W&L and LGCC representatives formed a new board of managers to oversee the project as well as ensure its ongoing success.
“It’s great that the university embraced the vision of revitalizing this valuable community and university resource,” said board member and Senior Advisor to University Advancement Beau Dudley ’74, ‘79L. “Our very fine golf teams need an appropriate, high-quality golf course and practice facilities, and our alumni will have a great venue when they come back to Lexington.”
Leading golf course architect Lester George designed the renovation plan, which will extend the course to 7,000 yards for collegiate play suitable for NCAA Division III competition. A new irrigation system will be installed, and the pond embankment will be lowered to promote efficient drainage. Priorities also include rebuilding greens and bunkers and constructing full-length practice facilities and three indoor hitting bays. The existing clubhouse will be replaced, and a covered event pavilion will be added. The club hired Landscapes Golf Management, a firm specializing in golf courses, to promote sustained viability.
Tom Wall ’80 has been devoted to the project from its inception and is a lead donor. Wall has a long history of supporting W&L’s golf program, having endowed the men’s head coach position and created the Jack Vardaman ’62 Memorial Golf Endowment to support team tournament travel opportunities. Wall and his father, Tom Wall III ’54, were both members of the W&L golf team during their respective undergraduate experiences.
“I have learned a lot of lessons from playing golf and have gotten to know people better from four hours of the game than in most other settings,” Wall said. “I gravitate toward supporting athletics because I learned as much on the athletic fields as I did in the classroom, and there is a clear need. We are fortunate to be working with some of the best firms in the country to enrich this vital community asset and serve our phenomenally successful golf program.”
Thomas R. Wall IV Head Men’s Golf Coach Pete Gyscek, who is in his 10th season at W&L, said the current course is too short for collegiate competition, the greens and bunkers have degraded and the driving range only accommodates practicing with irons — not woods or tee shots. During the fall, the teams travel to the Homestead for practice on the weekends. “We have had challenges with the LGCC course since day one, and I am proud of what our players have achieved,” Gyscek said.
The men’s golf team ended the 2024-25 season ranked second nationally and with a fourth-place finish in the NCAA Division III Championship. Gyscek was named ODAC Coach of the Year — the second time he has earned the honor — and was named the 2025 Dave Williams Division III National Coach of the Year by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA). Jonathan McEwen ’27 garnered accolades as ODAC Golfer of the Year, All-Tournament Team and All-ODAC First Team. And he was named the 2025 NCAA Division III Player of the Year by GCAA, receiving the Jack Nicklaus Award. The men’s team shot 17 of 22 rounds under par during the 2024-25 season. The women’s team, which was formed in 2011, ranked 14th, won its seventh consecutive ODAC Championship in April and competed in the NCAA Championship in May. Both teams maintain collective GPAs above 3.5 and are among the highest-achieving Division III student-athletes in the nation.
Like Wall, golf team member Turner Edwards ’26 has gained much from W&L athletics. “It has helped me tremendously, especially in academics,” he said. “I have learned important time management skills, how to operate under pressure and how to be part of a team.”
Although golf student-athletes miss the most course instruction time of any varsity team, they are among W&L’s highest achievers on and off the field. “We have a really strong team culture at W&L. My teammates have been a support system in building my confidence and helping me find my path,” Edwards said. “They have helped shape my perspective so that I can see beyond the leaderboard to how I can support the team overall.”
Head Women’s Golf Coach Jane Hopkinson-Wood recently finished her second season leading W&L’s team and continues to be impressed with the student-athletes. “They are just good people who exceed our high standards and embrace what the trident represents — they do an excellent job in leaving it better than they found it,” she said.
Alex Crews ’28, who was named a top-18 finisher at the ODAC Championship, said that joining the golf team helped significantly with her transition to college. The Nashville, Tennessee, native was anxious about being far from home, but her teammates offered a constant support system.
“The women’s team is a built-in sisterhood — we are a family, and being part of a group of strong women has been an inspiration,” Crews said. “It’s given me a sense of who I want to be on the women’s golf team going forward.”
With the course renovation planned for completion in May 2027, Crews will have the opportunity to enjoy it and is looking forward to taking advantage of the dedicated practice facility — something available to only a few Division III teams.
“We will have a place where we can really sharpen our game,” Crews said. “The world of women’s golf is changing at a rapid speed, and we have the capacity to be a consistent top-10, even top-five, team — to be that team our alumni are pulling for.”
Wall and fellow alumnus and member of the Washington and Lee University Board of Trustees Geordy Johnson ’05 co-hosted a golf event for alumni and the W&L golf teams at Yeamans Hall Club in Charleston, South Carolina, in February. Johnson started playing golf as an adult and has developed a love for the game and a deep admiration for W&L’s program. He also considers Wall a mentor and friend whose enthusiasm is contagious. Johnson first hosted W&L golf at Yeamans in 2016 and was so impressed with the students that he has continued to follow the teams’ success.
“These young people outperform the student body at large in addition to their athletic prowess competing at the highest level of Division III, and yet they don’t have real greens they can practice on, they don’t have a driving range, and they can’t host a tournament,” Johnson said. “We have the talent to be a perennial top-five program in the future, but we need the facilities to nurture it.”
Matt Goodwin ’94 was happy to attend the February affinity event at Yeamans. Goodwin played soccer rather than golf at W&L, and, like Johnson, his interest in the sport picked up speed as an adult. In addition to loving the game, he and his family own several golf resorts in South Carolina, and Goodwin is chairman of the Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head. In his role, he has overseen several golf course renovations.
“At Yeamans, I met so many nice people, all who love golf and love W&L,” said Goodwin, who was paired with W&L standout sophomore McEwen during the event. “I love how golf connects people and helps you get to know them.”
A fellow lead donor for the golf course renovation, Goodwin has enjoyed getting to know Wall through the process and is excited for the future. “We share a passion for golf and for W&L, and we want to do the right thing,” he said. “It has the potential to be one of the best courses in the state of Virginia, and it will be a place that W&L alumni, parents and the entire community can enjoy.”
Johnson agreed the potential benefits for this project reach far and wide. “I think this project is a triple win — it will allow our golf team to hone their skills and host tournaments, it helps the Lexington community, and it will benefit all students as well as alumni,” he said.
"It has the potential to be one of the best courses in the state of Virginia, and it will be a place that W&L alumni, parents and the entire community can enjoy." - Matt Goodwin ’94