GolfTalkCentral

Notre Dame joining ACC in all sports but football

By Jason Sobel
Sep 12, 2012 6:00 PM ET

It was announced on Wednesday that Notre Dame will be joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in all sports but football, a move which obviously affects the golf program.

"As exciting as the new challenge will be in the ACC, it’s bittersweet in some ways," said men's head coach Jim Kubinski. "All the relationships we’ve developed over the years with the coaches, the schools, and a lot of great kids in golf. It’s a new horizon, new challenges. I think the one thing we remember, going back to my first year here we hosted the Big East Championship at the Warren Golf Course. That will always stick with me over the years."

Moving to the ACC means the Fighting Irish, a perennial top-50 program, can still pick and choose its seasonal tournaments, but will now also compete in the ACC Championship each year.

"ACC golf, they’ve had some of the top players," Kubinski added. "You look at the PGA Tour, whether it’s David Duval from several years ago, or Matt Kuchar, some of the great players out on the tour now. There’s really a high commitment level to golf in the conference, and I think they expect to have success as a group of teams."