Broyles, Tyson Introduce UA Golf Practice Facility

John Tyson, CEO and chairman of Tyson Foods Inc., and University of Arkansas Athletic Director Frank Broyles recently unveiled the Razorbacks’ new golf practice facility, the Mary B. and Fred W. Smith Golf Center.

Designed by Marlon Blackwell, a UA architecture professor, the 4,800-SF stone and copper-clad building is located at Clear Creek Golf Course in Johnson, an upscale golf community being developed by Tyson.

Kevin Trainor, the UA’s assistant athletic director, estimated the building cost between $750,000 and $800,000. Broyles said the facility was a gift to the university from the Smith family of Las Vegas.

Fred Smith was CEO of Donrey Media Group and is the chairman of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.

“The facility was made possible by a number of donors, but Fred and Mary Smith were the primary contributors,” Trainor said.

Kinco Constructors LLC of Little Rock was the general contractor.

The facility has six heated practice bays with garage door-type openings. Two bays are for members of the club and the other four are dedicated to the UA squads, with one bay set up as a state-of-the-art video analysis station.