While most athletes have access to off-season training facilities for sports like basketball, football, wrestling, and track, Brave golfers have always faced obstacles in trying to figure out where to train.
Even in warmer months, golfers have to pay and secure access on a golf course the school does not own or operate, and that golf course is under snow five months a year, forcing golfers to go months without practice. “The new golf simulator is a great addition to the school for the golf team. It has helped me get reps in during the winter and look at my statistics to know what I need to work on,” said senior state champion Jordyn Horsley.
Golf simulators have helped with this problem giving players a genuine, productive way to play and practice inside. High quality graphics and sophisticated technology give players the feeling that they are actually on the course or the range. They can virtually play courses around the world while getting feedback on their shots, a game-changer for golfers. “I have already stayed a lot of nights after school to use the simulator. It’s helping me keep my game sharp over the winter,” said senior Aiden DeCora. DeCora plans on becoming a PGA professional, so understanding and using swing statistics are important to him.
The high cost of golf simulation equipment and the lack of space to use it have made it impossible to set up at SVHS. Until Now. “As the cost for high quality golf simulators has come down, we began looking at purchasing a golf sim for the high school,” said golf coach Kelly Fullmer.
Fullmer explained that they were able to pay for the simulator equipment entirely through donations. “We have had so many generous golfers from around the community give money to help us out,” said Fullmer. He noted that the Star Valley Ranch Mens’ and Woman’s League were especially helpful. In all the cost to set up the facility was over $5000.
Now that they had the equipment, they needed a place to set it up. Unused space at SVHS is a rare commodity, but athletic director Robert Erickson was able to shuffle the sbo supply closet to a location in the commons area and free up just enough real estate between the wrestling room and the gym to accommodate the simulator.
On The Braves in Action service day, golf team members showed up to clean and paint the old storage area to begin its transformation to the SVHS Rave Golf Simulator room. “Finally having a place at the school to store our supplies and shirts as well as practice golf is amazing. I’ve been dreaming about this for years,” said Fullmer. “I can’t thank the donors and Mr. Erickson enough for helping to make it a reality.”
The SVHS golf team has never had access to a school simulator, until now. Students, teachers, and people within the community have came together to raise money. After raising enough, they cleared out the old SBO room to add the simulator. The room where they practice now lies between the gym and wrestling room.
