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Facilities

The Colonials have a wealth of facilities at their disposal, from the Charles E. Smith Athletic Center's state-of-the-art weight and fitness rooms to a wide variety of golf courses, the golf team enjoys many first-class facilities.

Smith Center
Charles E. Smith Athletic Center has served as the Department of Athletics and Recreation's home since 1975. A three-level building covering nearly an entire city block, Smith Center serves the University as well as the neighboring Foggy Bottom community.


East Potomac Park Golf Course where
golfers can use the Washington Monument
to line up shots on several holes.
In addition to the main arena, the facility includes two auxiliary gymnasiums, which are used for gymnastics and baseball practice as well as basketball, volleyball, badminton, indoor soccer and many other activities. The facility includes an eight-lane, 25-yard pool, which is also the home of the Colonials swimming, diving and water polo teams. In addition to recreational swimming, the pool is used for scuba diving classes. The main arena of Smith Center seats 5,000 spectators and is the home of GW volleyball, men's and women's basketball, and gymnastics. In 1995, both upper baseline seating areas were renovated and feature chair-back seating. Smith Center underwent a multi-phase renovation in 1996 to further accommodate the needs of GW athletics and special events. The renovations allowed for an expanded fitness center, more space and larger locker rooms for varsity athletics. Smith Center features a new scoreboard system installed in September 2004. In September 2005, the lower season ticket holders section was renovated with new chairback seating.

East Potomac Park
East Potomac Park Golf Course (a.k.a. Haines Point) is a one-of-a-kind golf facilty. Located just a few blocks from the Jefferson Memorial on a peninsula on the Potomac River, EPP offers 36 holes of golf, a three-hole practice course and a 100+ station double-deck driving range. The lower level on the range provides the Colonials one of the top year-round practice facilities in the nation. In the enclosed/heated stations, GW golfers are able to hit balls outdoors even in the coldest conditions. The top level provides some spectacular views of the National Mall and DC's monuments. "Not only does the range give us access to a year-round practice facility," Allen said, "the practice course allows us to really work on the scoring game, hitting 50-yard wedge shots or 60-yard bunker shots onto real greens."


No. 10 at Laurel Hill Golf Club in suburban Lorton, VA.
Laurel Hill Golf Course
The Colonials have added the Bill Love-designed Laurel Hill to their repertoire of courses in 2006. Laurel Hill opened in October of 2005 on ground once covered by the Lorton Federal Penitentiary. The par-71 layout can play long at over 7,000 yards. There are two par 4s that play longer than 480 yards. However, there are also three reachable par 5s and a risk-reward par 4 that some of the longer-hitting Colonials attempt to reach off the tee.

Reston National Golf Course
In Reston National, the Colonials have access to one of the top public golf courses in suburban Virginia. Reston National provides a fair test that forces players to hit all of the shots over the 6,800-yard, par-71 layout. The Billy Casper Golf-managed facility boasts a recently renovated practice area and clubhouse. In addition to these courses GW is fortunate to have access to several other local facilities. In recent years, Allen held practices at Bethesda Country Club, Chevy Chase Country Club, Washington Golf and CC, Evergreen Country Club and the University of Maryland and Naval Academy Golf Courses, and Woodmont C.C..