Golf in Memorial Stadium is the next announcement in a string of creative ways to generate revenue for Nebraska Athletics

What will college athletic departments do to generate revenue in this new age of collegiate sports? They will turn a century-old football stadium into a public driving range, of course.

University of Nebraska Athletics announced Tuesday that it will offer public bookings for Upper Deck Golf, which tours around the globe by setting up tee boxes in the upper deck of stadiums and placing custom greens to aim for below. Tee times will be available from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Oct. 16-17 this fall. Two players are booked per time. The cost varies by location but is typically $80 a person, according to Upper Deck’s website. It will be the first time Memorial Stadium has been converted into a temporary golf course.

This is the latest novelty use of Memorial Stadium for Nebraska Athletics. The athletic department has gotten more creative in offering up the historic venue to help generate more revenue for the school in the era of Name, Image and Likeness payments to college athletes.

It started with a concert by Garth Brooks in 2021. That was the first concert in 34 years at Memorial Stadium. Then in 2023, it was Volleyball Day in Nebraska. This year, the stadium has hosted a Zach Bryan concert and the Savannah Bananas baseball club. More concerts and events are on the way, too, and people can even rent out Memorial Stadium for weddings.

Registration for Upper Deck Golf will open in September, Husker Athletics said in a news release. Early access registration is available now to bypass the public offerings. Upper Deck also supports the charity Stand Up To Cancer, which also has a longstanding partnership with Major League Baseball.