Christenberry Fieldhouse in Augusta, GA

Basic Information

Stadium: Christenberry Fieldhouse

Location: Augusta, GA (33.47198, -82.05930)

Owner: Augusta University

Primary sport: basketball

Year constructed: 1991

Listed capacity: 3026

Review date: March 2023

Arena information: https://augustajags.com/sports/2021/6/16/information-facilities-christenberry-fieldhouse.aspx

Summary Review: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Christenberry Fieldhouse has a well-deserved reputation of being an excellent Division II basketball arena.  The building resonates sound reasonably well, giving Augusta a strong homecourt advantage.  The seats on the sides are plastic chair back seats while the seats on the ends are bleachers.  The seats were a little tight and short for a fat and tall person such as myself, but just having chair back seats in a Division II arena is a plus.  The grade of the stands is low, so a given row of seats is further away from the court than you might expect.  Also, the audio system does quite well for seats close to the court, but it can be hard to hear if you are sitting in the back rows.  The video system consists of two small boards in corners, but just having a video system in a Division II arena is a plus.  A walking/running track around the mezzanine level gives fantastic pedestrian access, and there is free parking literally all around the arena.  In total, while this arena has some shortcomings, it stacks up very well relative to other Division II basketball arenas.

Detailed Review:

Gameday Atmosphere: I came here for a conference tournament, so I didn't get the full experience of an Augusta home game.  Sound seems to resonate well in this building, and I suspect the home court advantage is quite strong.

Seating: plastic chair backs except for bleachers in the ends.

Field View: The stands have a gradual grade, so you feel further from the court than you would expect.  Most seats offer good sight lines relative to their location.

Audio/Video: The audio is a little hard to hear if you are in the outer sections.  There are 2 small video boards in corners, but any video boards in a Division II arena are a plus.

Concessions/Hot Dogs: The concession choices are hot dogs, soda, popcorn, and candy.  The hot dogs have a mild fake smoky taste, and the bun is bigger than the hot dog.  The concession prices are fantastically cheap.

Pedestrian Flow: A walking/running track going around the mezzanine level provides excellent pedestrian flow inside the arena.  There are plenty of walkways around the outside of the building.

Parking: There is plenty of free parking all around the building.  The main entrance is at the northeast corner of the building, a fact that is not obvious as you drive in.

Jaguar Field (Baseball) in Augusta, GA

Basic Information

Stadium: Jaguar Field

Location: Augusta, GA (33.47254, -84.04807)

Owner: Augusta University

Primary sport: baseball

Year constructed: 1994

Listed capacity: N/A

Date last visited: March 2023

Stadium information: https://augustajags.com/sports/2021/6/16/information-facilities-jaguar-field-baseball.aspx

Summary Review: 1.5 stars (out of 5)

Truth be told, I didn't watch a baseball game here.  I came to Augusta to watch some basketball at the arena next door and meandered over to the baseball field.  That said, I don't need to watch a game here to tell you this stadium is awful, even by NCAA Division II baseball's low standards.  The only seating is 2 tiny sets of bleachers.  They are at least 30 feet behind the foul ball netting, so sitting there gives you a good view of nothing except maybe the netting.  I would much rather bring a lawn chair or sit on the grassy hillside near first base.  Other than the seating, the stadium's design is actually quite good.  The huge basketball arena parking lot also serves the baseball stadium, and there is a nice sidewalk giving fans access to the stadium.  Obviously I did not observe the audio system or the concessions, although those aspects of the arena next door were not encouraging.  Overall this would be a decent Division II baseball stadium with better seating, but the seating outweighs any other good aspects of this stadium.

Detailed Review:

Gameday Atmosphere: unknown; see above.

Seating: 2 small sets of bleachers well behind home plate.  I would probably choose to sit on the grassy hillside or bring my own lawnchair rather than sit in these bleachers.

Field View: not good if you are sitting in the bleachers.  They are too far from the field and you have to look through the foul ball net.  But you can see the entire field well from that grassy hillside.

Audio/Video: no video, which is expected for an NCAA Division II baseball stadium.  I did not observe the audio system.

Concessions/Hot Dogs: unknown; concessions were not operating when I came here.

Pedestrian Flow: seems fine, there is a nice concrete walkway from the bleachers to the parking lot.

Parking: the stadium is located right beside the basketball arena, so there is plenty of free parking.