PNW golf has gone high-tech. 

In January, the golf team unveiled a new, state-of-the-art golf simulator that will enable team

members to work on their games year-round, in good weather and bad.

“Before getting this simulator, we only had a putting green in our golf room, meaning in cold months we can only practice our putting,” said junior Business major Catherine Brzycki, who has played on the women’s team for three years. 

“The updated golf room now has two bays with a screen in front of them,” she said. “And that’s how we can see how far our ball goes, play different courses, or just hit on the driving range,” 

Brzycki, a Griffith native has played golf for over 10 years and said she had never experienced anything quite like the golf simulator before. 

“Practicing is really hard in the winter, so for us to be able to see accurate results and growth, even when it’s cold, is really beneficial,” said Brzycki.

The simulator has eliminated the travel time golfers needed to drive to an indoor driving facility, which is located almost 30 minutes away.  

“With the simulator being so close, it fits in with all of our busy schedules,” she said.

Before the simulator, golfers would not only drive themselves but would often pay out of pocket for their practice space. Now that it is located on campus, players find themselves practicing more often. 

“If I ever have time in between classes I’ll usually go hit,” said Brzycki. “You’re really able to see a difference in your swing when you can hit twice a week outside of your practice time.” 

Her teammate, junior Miriah Gabel, is equally ecstatic about the new simulator. 

“We’re able to not only see the stats for our swing but [also] how we can improve our golf swing altogether,“ said the Biology major. 

But there’s one feature the simulator offers that has Gabel especiallyexpecially excited to practice: Players can experience different courses, each designed to help work on different skills. 

“The courses available on the simulator not only give us an opportunity to practice in the winter, but we get real results on how we’re playing without actually being out there,” she said. “Now that we have a free practice area so close, it’s much more accessible to college athletes . … We all practice a lot more.,”

The first tournament for women’s golf is March 17, while the men’s team starts March 13.