The men’s and women’s golf teams will each play in a pair of tournaments in Florida next week during Eastern’s spring break.

The North/South Spring Invitational at the Jacksonville Beach Golf Club in Jacksonville, Fla. will be the first tournament played by either team since the fall semester. After the Invitational concludes on Tuesday, both teams will compete in the Butler Spring Break Invitational at Windsor Parke Golf Club, which is also in Jacksonville, Fla.

The teams will leave Friday, each in their own van, for the 12 hour trip to Florida.

The cold, wet Illinois weather kept women’s junior golfer Kathryn Koester off of the golf course for all of winter break. Koester said she was confined to practicing inside, which has benefits but is no substitute for being able to play outside.

“It’s good for you to get back into the swing of things,” Koester said of playing indoors. “But it’s hard to judge because you can’t see where your actual ball goes. Once you can actually get out and hit the ball outdoors and see where your ball’s going and you can adjust your swing more to that.”

Since returning to Eastern, both teams have been practicing in the Lantz Fieldhouse, a space that they share with other teams.

Senior Veronica Bernier said not every team member can make it to the indoor practices because of their class schedules. It was only last week, the seventh of the semester, that the weather allowed the teams to begin practicing outside.

The less than ideal practice conditions are among the reasons Bernier said she doesn’t feel fully ready for the tournaments.

“I wish I could say I think we are fully prepared,” Bernier said. “We’ve only gotten about a week of practice in outside so it’s a disadvantage for us.”

Starting their spring season in a warmer climate is something of a tradition for the golf teams. Two years ago, both teams played in the Samford Invitational in Oneonta, Ala. and last year the women’s team played a pair of tournaments in Florida.

Bernier said last year the weather was even worse and the team didn’t get to play outside even once before going to Florida, where they placed fifth of 13 at the Northern Illinois Snowbird at Peeblebrook Golf Course in Tampa, Fla. and first of 3 at the Spring Fling at the Mission Hill Resort in Howey in the Hills Fla.

So far, neither team has placed as well in tournaments compared to the 2009-2010 campaign.

The men’s team’s best finish was a tie for seventh out of 17 at the Austin Peay Fall Invitational at The Links at Novadell in Hopkinsville, Tenn. Last year they had a better fall, finishing fourth of 10 at the Morehead State Fall Kickoff in Pineville, Ky.

They have yet to top their third place finish out of 13 at the Western Illinois Invitational at Harry Mussato Golf Course in Macomb Ill. last March. They hope to do better in the OVC Conference Championship, which is in late April. Last year they finished ninth of nine in the championship, which determines one’s seeding in sectional and regional tournaments beyond the season.

The woman’s fall featured a top three finish when they were 3rd of 9 in the SIU-Edwardsville Fall Intercolligiate at Sunset Hills Golf Course in Edwardsville, Ill. So far they’ve yet to top their performance in the 2009-2010 campaign when they finished 1st of 14 at the Butler Invitational in Indianapolis, Ind.

Koester said she hopes the team will have a better season in the spring.

Doug Graham can be reached at 581-7944 or at dtgraham@eiu.edu