VIRGINIA TECH Golf Guide | 2018 Edition

40 T he Willis and Mary Blackwood Indoor Golf Facility, located on the bottom floor of Cassell Coliseum, is a $600,000 improvement to the already spectacular resources available to the men’s and women’s golf teams at Virginia Tech. Thanks to a generous donation from the Blackwoods, this 2,600 square- foot new facility includes offices for the coaches, a conference room, private restrooms and locker rooms for the men and women, and a small lounge area. More importantly, the facility includes a chipping and putting area and two state-of-the-art golf simulators that allow for skill instruction and practice during inclement weather and also at night. The simulators are Foresight Sports’ GCQuad launch monitors. These top-flight simulators are more accurate indoors and allow for better evaluation of players’ games. Players also will be able to play simulated games on a wide variety of prominent courses nationwide to sharpen their games. The indoor golf facility’s convenience to Tech’s main campus means that student-athletes will not have to travel to the Pete Dye River Course during winter months to work on their games. It also is located in close proximity to nutrition, sports medicine and strength and conditioning areas, thus adding to the convenience of the facility for student-athletes. The indoor facility opened in January 2017 and has been helping the Hokies’ golfers prepare for the upcoming spring season. The short game area in the new indoor golf facility allows Virginia Tech’s players to work on their putting and chipping during inclement weather or at night. Two GCQuad golf simulators provide analytical information designed to enhance a golfer’s game.