Arizona State is dreaming big.
And, why not?
The Sun Devils are coming off an 11-win, Big 12-Championship, College Football Playoff-appearance season in which Kenny Dillingham positioned himself among the next generation of top, young college head football coaches.
Oh, yeah. Dillingham's an ASU grad, a before-his-time prep coaching legend in the region who grew up mere miles from the Sun Devils's Mountain America Stadium in Phoenix.
He's liked. He's charismatic. He's selfless (see him forgoing his conference title bonus last season to reward his support staff).
Now, he's pushing for Arizona State to recreate one of sport's greatest spectacles -- the raucous, rowdy 16th hole of Phoenix's Waste Management Open -- as part of a tailgate experience/indoor practice facility for Sun Devils football.
"One thing, I don't know if people know this ... we're in the process of trying to build an indoor (practice) facility," ASU's 35-year-old, third-year head coach told reporters Wednesday. "That's our big project, we want to get it fund-raised here in the next five months. To get a shovel in the ground here in the next six months so that it's here in two years from today, which is the goal.
"We want to move it over by the football field. We want to use that indoor facility for tailgating in the future so we have an indoor tailgating location for fans to come and make it an awesome tailgate experience."
Like, how awesome?
"Like the 16th hole of the Waste Management Open [held annually at TPC Scottsdale]. We want to create the 16th hole of the Waste Management Open or as close as we can to it in our indoor facility by our stadium here," Dillingham said. "We've just got to fundraise enough money to do it, so it's good for us. It will be good for our football team. It will be good for the fans if we can get it done."
The WMO erects temporary bleachers around its famed par-3 16th hole. Dillingham wants permanence in his program and also in his team's projected new practice home. The Sun Devils presently do not practice immediately adjacent to their football digs.
"Permanent structure that's over by our facility so that we don't have to travel to be more efficient with our time," Dillingham said. "Then, one that can be used on gamedays, like I said, for an awesome, awesome tailgating experience.
"That way people don't have to be out there in the scorching heat."
Arizona State opens its 2025 season and defense of its first-ever Big 12 title Aug. 30 at home against Northern Arizona.
Dillingham's tailgating point resonates. The average high temperature in Tempe, Arizona, annually on August 30? Around 105 degrees Fahrenheit, with 110 not uncommon, according to AccuWeather.
Huge development: Kenny Dillingham said ASU is raising money for a new indoor practice facility that will also be used for fan tailgating:
— Jakob Brooks (@Jakobrooks) July 30, 2025
"We want to create the 16th hole of the Waste Management Open in our indoor facility by our stadium."@SunDevilSource pic.twitter.com/TzJwSxsCaA