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By Sharron Hannon
Representatives of the university’s National Alumni Association accepted a ceremonial $1 million  check from alumnus Stan Coley to mark the formal announcement of the Georgia Club, a 1,000-acre property that Coley plans to develop into a golf resort for the use of alumni association members.
The master plan for the mixed-use development, set along the University Parkway corridor between Athens and Atlanta, includes two 18-hole golf courses, a gated members’ club, a swim and tennis club, guest cottages, a hotel and tailgating fields, plus single-family homes and villa residences. A 66-acre business park is also on the drawing board.
Coley, who holds three degrees from UGA, is a pioneer in the field of bovine embryology. He is the founder, owner and operator of Coley Ranch and Embryological Sciences, a commercial embryo-transfer facility located in Statham.
At the Nov. 13 announcement of the Georgia Club, Coley said he believes the new development will offer added value to UGA’s National Alumni Association. “Golf is not the main purpose,” Coley said. “Our purpose is to offer the highest-quality education that can be attained to the children of this state. We feel our relationship with the National Alumni Association will enhance this process.”
The alumni association was founded in 1996 as a dues-paying organization open to alumni and friends of the university. Dues are $35 per year for a single membership and $50 for a joint membership. Currently, some 17,000 of UGA’s 200,000 alumni have joined.
One of the alumni association’s first projects was to explore the possibilities of developing a golf resort for alumni. Sonny Seiler, then-president of the association, appointed a committee to look into such a project. “Sonny got this off the ground,” says current NAA president Hilton Young. “But what we were searching for was someone behind the contract with the same goals as the university. That’s who we have in Stan Coley.”
Coley is joined in the venture by partners Donal Geaney and Derek Quinlan. Day-to-day club operations will be directed by Mike Bishop, a 23-year member of the PGA of America who served as director of golf at Chateau Elan Winery and Resort for 10 years.
Groundbreaking has begun for the first 18-hole golf course, designed by Denis Griffiths, whose firm has built courses throughout the world. A past president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, Griffiths has been active in various issues related to golf-course design, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and environmental compatibility. The Georgia Club course is scheduled to formally open in spring 2001. Memberships will be offered to NAA members beginning in the spring of 2000.
“This is truly a milestone for our association,” says alumni relations executive director Dave Muia. “We applaud the efforts of Dr. Coley and his partners in bringing this landmark development to fruition. It will be an enormous asset to our membership.”
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