Story photography provided by Brian Hurlburt
When Butch Harmon, the world’s best golf instructor, can’t stop raving about something, you know it’s the real deal. Harmon has worked with Tiger Woods, Greg Norman, Phil Mickelson, Natalie Gulbis, and many of the world’s top players, plus having seen some of the best training facilities in the world.
These days, Harmon is heaping the praise and seeing the future when it comes to the new, state-of-the-art UNLV Women’s Golf Excellence Center at The Las Vegas Country Club.
“They have great support from the university now and great support from the Las Vegas Country Club and the Las Vegas community,” says Harmon at the official grand opening of the Center. “It not only is going to help the players that are on the team improve, but it is going to help recruiting. This is a huge moment for UNLV Women’s Golf, the players, and the coaches.”
Housed at Las Vegas Country Club – just 2.5 miles from the campus of UNLV – the 2,000-square-foot cutting-edge facility is designed to provide the Rebel student-athletes unparalleled resources and technology to help them hone their skills and achieve academic success. It boasts a wide array of amenities that includes:
Two state-of-the-art indoor hitting bays with
Foresight launch monitors
A Well-Putt Putting Platform
A player lounge for relaxation and team building
A study center to support academic excellence
“This facility is a game-changer for our program,” says UNLV Head Coach Amy Bush-Herzer. “It provides our student-athletes with everything they need to excel both on the course and in the classroom. We are incredibly grateful to our generous donors for their belief in our vision, and we are excited to see the impact this center will have on the future of UNLV women’s golf.” According to Bush-Herzer, the Center is already helping recruiting, as the program recently landed two oral commitments in one day, a first in program history.
While it may be difficult to prove the Center is paying off on the course already, the results make a dramatic statement. Since the official opening of the Center in January 2025, the Rebels have finished as runner-up in two tournaments and the players are racking up the accolades.
Toa Yokoyama was named Golfer of the Week and Amber Chen received Freshman of the Week, the league office announced on February 27. This marks Yokoyama’s second consecutive week earning the weekly honor and third time on the season, while Chen’s freshman recognition was her first.
The duo guided the Rebels to a second-place finish in record-setting fashion at Wisconsin’s Westbrook Invitational. They also helped the Scarlet & Gray set the program and the tournament’s single-round record with a 20-under 268 and their team’s season-best tournament score of 30-under 834.
Originally from Tokyo, Yokoyama finished the tournament in a tie for second with a career-low 12-under 204. Ranked the No. 45 collegiate player in the nation after her performance, Yokoyama also matched her career-low round with a 6-under 66 in both the second round and her squad’s historic final 18 holes.
A native of Taipei, Taiwan, Chen posted a tied-for-11th finish with a season-best score of 6-under 210 at the event. After opening the tournament with an even-par 72, she fired season-low tallies with a 3-under 69 in back-to-back rounds, including a bogey-free second round.
The construction of the Excellence Center was made possible through the generous support of numerous donors, whose contributions have transformed the landscape of UNLV women’s golf. A special thank you is extended to the Madrigrano family, the Zelbst family, the Bush family, the Bianco family, Murphy Electric, and Las Vegas Country Club for their visionary leadership and commitment to the program. “This Excellence Center gives the women’s golf team a home that will provide them an opportunity to get in work in all types of weather, to relax and to enjoy the game of golf at a level like never before,” says UNLV Director of Athletics Erick Harper. “It is also a great testament to all the work and energy the program’s alumni and supporters have poured into the program over the years. For our current and future student-athletes, this will really enhance their experience here at UNLV.”
The Excellence Center represents a significant investment in the future of UNLV women’s golf and underscores the university’s commitment to providing its student-athletes with the best possible resources. This facility will not only enhance player development, but also serve as a powerful recruiting tool to attract top talent from around the world and make UNLV a premier destination for women’s golf.
The Las Vegas Country Club setting is not only convenient, it is one of the most iconic and historic clubs in Las Vegas. It is a previous host of the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, and LIV Golf League, and has been a longtime supporter of UNLV Women’s Golf and Men’s Golf. The Club has also hosted celebrity tournaments and other big events.
The club opened in 1967 when it was created by Boston Celtics owner Marvin Kratter. In the early 1970s, the club was purchased by its members, who were led by Las Vegas legendary business men Irwin Molasky, Moe Dalitz, Merv Adelson, and Allard Roen. Ever since, the Club has been the place to be for Las Vegas dignitaries. The tagline of the book, The Las Vegas Country Club: Chronicle of an Icon, is most appropriate—Vegas Happens Here.
Now UNLV Women’s Golf Happens Here, and the story is just beginning to be told.
