Two weeks after the LSU men’s and women’s golf teams each received top-12 preseason rankings, plans were announced Friday to push the program to an elite level.Athletic Department and University Club officials, along with former LSU All-American golfer David Toms, announced plans for a complete renovation of the University Club, beginning in early December.The University Club, which houses both the men’s and women’s golf programs, will undergo a 10-month renovation process,  expected to be finished by the fall 2010 semester.Toms and golf architect Jim Lipe, scrutinized the entire course and created a plan to redesign it to provide a more challenging experience for LSU golfers. The current 7,274-yard, par 72 course, which opened in 1998, will be stretched to some 7,500 yards. “You not only want to recruit the best players, but when you get here you want them to improve,” said Toms, who turned pro in 1992 after a stellar career as a Tiger. “You want them to be able to play a golf course that’s going to challenge their game.” Some of the new challenges include shrinkage of the driving areas, as well as new bunkers and expanded water hazards. Additional trees, with sand dunes and native grasses, will help give the University Club a more PGA Tour-type feel. LSU Vice Chancellor and Athletic Director Joe Alleva said the renovation is a “perfect project.” “We’re not going to have any debt, and we’re not going to use any state money,” he said. All the funds for the project have been provided by Tiger Athletic Foundation and private donors, Alleva said. LSU men’s golf coach and Toms’ former teammate Chuck Winstead vocalized the positive impact Toms has had on the golf programs.”You won’t go to any university and find the level of player of David Toms give as much back to his university as David has with his,” said Winstead, whose Tigers begin their season Sunday at the PING/Golfweek Invitational in Bremerton, Wash.  Winstead said the improvements will not only give the University Club the distinction of being one of the best courses in the South but will give the program the opportunity to host major tournaments.He hopes one day LSU will be able to host the NCAA tournament, something he considers a definitive advantage. “Look at the baseball team. They play the super regional at Alex Box Stadium — do they get beat there? No way,” he said. “If LSU football played the national championship game in Tiger Stadium, who’s going to win?” —-Contact Sean Isabella at [email protected]