“It doesn’t matter what the weather is, we’re going to practice,” Bermel said. “We never miss a day. That’s so important for these kids. And it’s a huge selling point for the program.”
CSU’s new 3,000-square-foot facility, located at the back of the driving range at Harmony, features heated practice bays — one with video capability — that can be used either for hitting into nets indoors or onto the driving range outdoors. There’s also an indoor putting green, locker rooms, a team room and coaches’ offices. Outside, surrounding the facility, is a short-game practice area.
And it’s solely for the use of the CSU men’s and women’s golf teams.
“There are very few buildings of this magnitude in the country,” said Bermel, who put the number at 12-15 for college programs nationwide.
And that’s to say nothing of the 18-hole course, which members share with the teams. It was designed by renowned architect Jim Engh, a CSU graduate. Another CSU alum, Byron Collins, who owns the Harmony Club, helped make it all possible for the Rams by donating the facility, with funding assistance from CSU boosters.
Between the team’s new home at the Harmony Club, and some talented players making some big strides, the CSU men have made considerable inroads this season. The Rams finished the fall portion of their schedule with back-to-back team titles, marking only the second time in the last 11 seasons that CSU has won more than one event in a single school year. (In 2003-04, current PGA Tour player Martin Laird led the Rams to five team championships.) Overall, CSU has finished in the top half of the team field in all but one tournament this season.
Two CSU sophomores rank among the top eight players in the Mountain West Conference. Bryce Hanstad stands fourth individually with a 71.57 stroke average. Dustin Morris is eighth, at 72.1, and wrapped up the fall with an individual victory at the Agua-Caliente Collegiate Invitational, where he tied the school record by shooting a 63 in the final round.
“We definitely have potential,” said Morris, the 2006 Class 4A state champion in Texas. “We’re a young team, with four sophomores and a junior going to the tournaments, and we just keep on playing and get more experience. We’ve pretty much come together and now we’re all starting to play good every tournament.”
While Hanstad hasn’t yet won a college event, his stroke average this season is more than two strokes better than it was in 2006-07, and he’s placed in the top 13 individually in six of seven tournaments this season, including a second- and a third-place showing. This all coming after winning the state amateur in his home state of Minnesota.
“I’ve definitely made a jump,” Hanstad said. “A big part of it is getting experience last year. And I had a good summer behind me.”
Said Bermel of Hanstad: “He’s just taken his game to a whole other level. It’s been a huge step for him.”
Hanstad and Morris are roommates and “we definitely feed off of each other,” Hanstad said. “It helps us both keep that competitive edge. ... We’re pretty young as a team, and we’re excited about that. We know we’re going to be together for a few years.”
Other regulars for the Rams are junior Zen Brown (73.24 stroke average) and sophomores Sean McNamara (74.5) and Fort Collins’ Riley Arp (74.72).
“I didn’t know what to expect from this team because we’re real young,” Bermel said. “But the team just keeps getting better and better. We still need to be more consistent and get more confidence. But am I surprised? A little bit.”
