The golf team will compete for the fourth time this spring in the Arkansas-Little Rock First Tee Classic.

The tournament will take place on the Chenal Country Club, a private club built in 1990 that includes two golf courses, the Founders course and the Bear Den Mountain Course.

The tournament will take place on the Bear Course which is a 7,326 yard challenge with trees lining the fairways, creeks, and areas specifically placed to protect wildlife. The 72 par course includes four par threes, 10 par fours and four par fives.

Tom Shaw, ACU golf coach, said the course is excellent.

“The greens are in wonderful condition and are very receptive to good shots,” Shaw said. “(The course) is very demanding in all areas of the game.”

Ryan Beatty, transfer from Sam Houston, said this course will be the toughest one the team has faced this year.

“It is both long and demanding off the tee, while also very challenging on and around the greens,” Beatty said. “The most challenging aspect of Chenal country Club is the tight tree lined fairways that can be tough to hit when the wind picks up.”

After a good week of practice and emphasizing better ball striking, Shaw said he would like to see the team take advantage of tee shots and put approach shots closer to the hole.

“I’d like us to minimize our thrown away shots, such as 3-putts, missing the green in the wrong spot and mental mistakes,” Shaw said.

Beatty said the team is very excited to get to compete at a high level on a golf course that is both fun and challenging.

“I feel very confident about our golf games this week,” Beatty said. “Having everyone behind one another is key for us to perform at our highest level as a team because we feed off each other’s energy and confidence.”

The Wildcats will tee off for round one Monday morning.