Gleacher Golf Center: A Putt Above

The Northwestern golf community celebrated the generosity of University Trustee Eric Gleacher ’62 and his wife, Paula, at the November 2019 dedication of the newly renovated Gleacher Golf Center — a premier player development facility for student-athletes.

“Providing a world-class experience to our student-athletes academically, socially and athletically is the core of our daily mission, and the complete renovation of the Gleacher Golf Center will help us deliver on this commitment,” said Jim Phillips, the Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation.

Reflecting on the golf program’s success and looking toward the future, Gleacher told dedication attendees, “Northwestern’s stature in intercollegiate golf has been significantly enhanced, as is indicated by the results our coaches and student-athletes have earned. I have no doubt that our achievements over the next 20 years will be even more outstanding.”

Two decades ago, also with Gleacher’s support, Northwestern built the first-ever collegiate golf indoor training center, which helped take the men’s and women’s teams to new heights — including 50 tournament victories, seven Big Ten Conference titles and 10 Top 20 finishes at the NCAA Championships.

Gleacher attended Northwestern on a golf scholarship and earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. After graduating, he served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. He has continued to golf competitively and has won 25 club championships over the years. Gleacher began his career at Lehman Brothers in 1968 and retired as chairman of Gleacher & Co. in 2013. He is a platinum member of NU Loyal — with 40 consecutive years of giving to Athletics, the Bienen School of Music and other areas — and received the Northwestern Alumni Medal in 2004. Two of his six children, Sarah Gleacher ’91 and Patricia Pitcairn ’12, are alumni.

The Gleacher Golf Center is located within Patten Gymnasium, which also has undergone a renovation and is the world-class home to Northwestern fencing.