One of the old racquetball rooms in the Lantz Complex has recently taken on a new identity. The EIU golf program has taken a once popular space on campus and turned it into a state-of-the-art golf simulation room.   

After a delay, the simulator is finally up and running as of Monday. This project was supposed to have been completed by the beginning of the year but was held up due to back ordered parts and the overall setup.  

The purchase and installation wouldn’t have been able to happen if it weren’t for donations by former players and alumni as well as the Giving Blue initiative the athletic department puts on to help teams fundraise for their programs.  

Before the completion of the simulator, head coach Craig Toler said the program has been using tarps in the fieldhouse to get their swings in with inclement weather keeping both teams from being able to consistently get outside.  

However, when the panthers have been able to be outside, they’re out at Meadowview Golf Course.  

“We even have some players going back home over the long weekends where they are able to get some time in with simulators they have available,” Toler said. “So finally getting ours set up in our own room is huge.”   

The simulator features a reactive screen that allows the team to play some of their favorite holes. It also provides instant feedback on things like launch angle, club head speed, distance and ball spin rate.  

There’s also an interactive putting green, which can be controlled by a device that can change the angle of the surface to allow golfers to practice putting on different types of greens. The green gives the line that the player should aim for and tracks the path of the ball after it’s been hit.   

All of these features lead Toler to believe that having this new technology can help take the team to new levels.  

As for the team, they wasted no time and started using the simulator immediately. The overall impression from the team seemed like a kid on Christmas but also a sigh of relief as they finally got to step into their own team designated space where they could put in the work to improve the different parts of their game.   

“Yeah, I was able to use it today and it’s pretty awesome,” junior Cole Jaworski said.  

Eastern will continue to use their new simulator as they prepare for their next matches when the men go to the Western Illinois Intercollegiate in Silvis on April 4, and the women are get ready for the Indiana State Spring Invitational in Terre Haute, Indiana, on April 6.  

Braden Boyer can be reached at 581-2812 or at bwboyer@eiu.edu.