This Thursday, the University’s golf course, Forest Creason, will be full of University faculty and staff.

Well Aware and the Department of Recreation and Wellness are teaming up to put on the first faculty and staff golf league.

The league’s first round tees off at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, and participants will compete by playing nine holes every Thursday for the next 16 weeks.

Caitlin Spontelli, Health Services’ interim heath educator, is heading up the league. She said the league will be coed and for teams of two.

Spontelli said the league will cost $13 per participant per week for those who walk and $19 per participant per week for those who use a cart, which is a slight discount off of the course’s typical prices.

However, Spontelli said, walking has benefits other than price.

“Walking a round of golf is very good exercise,” she said. “You can burn up to 250 or 300 calories walking nine holes of golf.”

Spontelli said the league is more about exercise and fun than anything else.

“You don’t have to be Tiger Woods to come out and play,” she said “It’s for fun, so we’re hoping everyone comes out to burn some calories after work and burn off some steam too.”

To further encourage people to sign up, only one member of each team has to be a faculty or staff member of the University.

“We’re hoping more people will sign up because they can play with a spouse or family or a friend,” Spontelli said.

Sylvia Chandler, an employee in the Human Resources department, has signed up to play with her boyfriend. Chandler has been playing weekly for the past 15 years and she and her boyfriend compete in another league called Par-Breakers as well.

“It just gives us another opportunity to play and get some practice,” she said.

Chandler is a big promoter of the sport and encourages everyone to sign up.

“Anybody that even thinks that they might be interested should get out and take a lesson,” she said. “See if you catch the bug, it can be a lot of fun.”

However, while the emphasis will be on fun and exercise, there will be a competitive side of the league as well.

Scores will be kept each week, and based on the scores, prizes will be awarded at the end of the 16 weeks.

In order to keep from discouraging less experienced players from signing up, the scores will be based on each player’s individual handicaps.

Kurt Thomas, the director of golf at Forest Creason, will be in charge of running the league and figuring out handicaps.

“The first night will be more of an orientation and everyone will play a round to figure out their handicap,” he said. “The players in the league are at various skill levels, so a handicap is a way to make every team competitive.”

 Each week, every team will turn in their score and a running score sheet will be kept in the clubhouse.

“This is our first year, so it’s a trial effort,” Thomas said. “But we’re really excited about everything.”

Although sign ups are technically over, the league is still accepting more teams. For more information go to www.bgsu.edu/recwell or e-mail Caitlin Spontelli at [email protected].