Kelley Hester Golf Academy - University of Georgia

Kelley Hester Golf Academy

Boyd Golf Center

Campers will have full access to the Boyd Golf Center. The Boyd Center is adjacent to the golf practice facility and the UGA Golf Course. The center houses spacious locker rooms, coaches’ offices, club repair room and an entertainment lounge (top left picture).

Boyd Golf Center

Perhaps no one is prouder of Georgia’s golfing renaissance than one of its favorite sons, David Boyd.

Boyd, a native of Atlanta and a former Georgia All-American, has personified the notion of giving back to the program that invested so much in him as a collegian.

In the summer of 1996, Boyd spearheaded a major fund-raising drive — launching it with a major gift of his own — and Georgia’s golfers are reaping the rewards. In the fall of 1998, the Bulldogs and the Lady Bulldogs started honing their games on a state-of-the-art practice facility. A few months later, both teams moved into the $600,000 center, which includes posh locker rooms, spacious coaches offices, a lounge with a panoramic view of the UGA Golf Course’s 18th green, club storage and repair areas, computer work stations and a kitchen.

Since the opening of the Boyd Center, both the Bulldogs (1999) and the Lady Bulldogs (2001) have won national championships while combining for four Southeastern Conference championships.

Adjacent to the Boyd Center are the practice facility and the UGA Golf Course. The $1.2 million practice area was christened in 1997 and features multiple tee boxes overlooking a range with numerous target greens, putting and wedge play areas and three practice bunkers.

Last fall, Georgia broke ground on a new indoor practice facility. The center allows the players to work on their games away from the elements. The facility also features video capabilities to help the players and coaches analyze swings. The facility also includes plenty of storage space.

“I realized that nearly all of my closest friends are people I grew up playing golf with,” Boyd said. “My teammates at Georgia are still some of my best friends, and we had always maintained an interest in the program. We all wanted to see the program reach the status that it once had, and a world-class practice facility was one big thing it needed. I truly believe that we have the best facility in the country right now.”

Boyd enjoyed a stellar career as a collegiate golfer. He originally accepted a scholarship offer to play football at Georgia but decided instead to concentrate on golf. In his three seasons he won the SEC individual title (1962) and garnered All-America honors in both 1961 and 1962. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs captured the SEC team crown in each of Boyd’s three years.

Boyd earned his BBA degree and began a successful career that has covered all aspects of the insurance industry. He has served a number of special appointments, including as a Trustee for the Westminster Schools in Atlanta; chairmanship of the Committee of 100 at the Candler School of Theology at Emory; the UGA Insurance Department Advisory Board; and as director for the Farmers and Merchants Bank in Washington, Ga.