The Union

The Student Union, located by Harcombe Dining Hall, is another option for on-campus recreation. The Union is like an arcade that offers ping pong, billiards, and bowling. It is very cheap for students to go. There have been several occasions when a few friends and I would eat dinner at Harcombe, and we would decide to bowl a quick game in the Union. It only costs $2 for students to bowl there, yet it is just like a regular bowling alley.

I think that the Union is a recreation option that is often overlooked by students. However, I enjoy the fact that it is often not crowded, because it makes it easy to stop in quickly for a game of bowling.

Twelve Mile Recreation Area

A popular destination that my friends and I recently discovered is Twelve Mile Recreation Area on Lake Hartwell. One of my friends has a boat here at Clemson, and we first went to the park to use its boat ramp. It turns out that the park also offers a large sandy beach area, as well as picnic tables and playgrounds. It is a great place to spend a nice day. Since the boat can only can only hold six people at a time, others can wait on the beach when they aren't tubing or fishing. My friend is able to pull the boat right up to the sand to pick up and drop off his passengers.

I look forward to many more sunny days that we can spend by the water at this park.

Golf

In the spirit of the Master's, I decided to write about some of the golfing options here in Clemson. Of course we have The Walker Golf Course here on campus, but my friends rarely play there because it is too expensive. Instead, they play at the nearby Woodhaven Golf Course in Pendleton.

"Tiger Paw Hole" #17 at Walker Golf Course

While I have yet to go golfing here at Clemson, I have been to a driving range down Route 76 towards Pendleton. Next year, I will be sure to bring my golf clubs down to school, so I can join my friends on some of their many outings.

Fishing

One popular past time of Clemson students is fishing. There are many options nearby in Lake Hartwell, Lake Jocasse, and Lake Keowee. I recently went fishing on my friends boat in Lake Hartwell, which is known for its catfish and bass.

Although we did not catch anything, it is always fun to be out on the water. We did end up seeing a large fish that my friend identified as a gar swim by our boat a few feet beneath the surface.

Gar

We saw this fish lurking in the water only minutes after we were swimming in it! Seeing this picture of it's teeth on our phones made us stay in the boat for the rest of the day.

Club Sports

Another way for students to stay athletically active throughout college in a less serious inter-collegiate environment is club sports. Clemson has many club sports teams that travel to play other colleges nearby. Depending on the sport, they can be laid back or intense.

My freshman year, I played Club Water Polo for Clemson because I had experience from playing in high school. With the water polo team, I got to travel to Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech to play various schools from the southeast in tournaments. It was a great experience. Now, I am busier so I cannot be as involved anymore; however, the team is relaxed, so I am free to come whenever I am available.

I also have friends who have played baseball, soccer, lacrosse, rugby, and crew at the club level. Each team has different schedules and requirements, but they all enjoy their sports.

Intramural Sports

One of my favorite ways to be active on campus is through intramural sports. I have played on my fraternity's flag football team and I am currently the captain of our softball team. The great thing about intramural sports is that there are different leagues for different levels of talent. For example, I am not good enough to play on my fraternity's soccer or basketball team in the Greek league. However, if I wanted to I could create my own team to play for fun in the B league for each sport.

Intramural sports are a great option for athletes who wish to still play competitive sports but did not want to commit to being a varsity athlete in college. For example, I could have played baseball at a small college, but I wanted to go to a big school with big sports programs. So, I decided to retire from baseball and begin my softball career.

At a school like Clemson (#1 Jock School), the intramural sports are very competitive because there are many fantastic athletes. Therefore, winning the intramural championship is very difficult. Students really enjoy intramurals, and they take them very seriously. I think they are the perfect level of competition for students who want to focus on school yet still participate in competition in the sports they have grown up playing.

The Dike

One popular location for exercise and outdoor recreation is the dike located in between the athletic complexes and the YMCA Campus Beach. There is an entrance at the end of a neighborhood just behind the Esso Club. The dike is has a great view of campus on one side and Lake Hartwell on the other. I know many people who include the dike in their running routes just for the scenery. I have also seen many people walking their dogs there.

Recently, my friends and I have gone to the dikes to run sprints up the hill as a workout. There is also a nice sandy beach that people go to for tanning, reading, napping, or campfires. My favorite part of the dike is its location relative to campus. From my dorm, I can jog to the lake at the dike within ten minutes.

View from the Beach at The Dike