The Hamilton College men’s and women’s golf teams recently opened a first-class indoor facility that will enable them to keep competing at a high level in the NESCAC and the Northeast region.
The program was able to purchase a TrackMan golf radar system, and the old squash courts in Alumni Gym were reconstructed so that cameras and a golf simulator screen/projector could be installed, thanks to a generous donation. The facility, completed in late February, gives student-athletes another indoor option when the weather in upstate New York doesn’t allow them to play outside in the winter and spring.
The TrackMan uses radar to pick up trajectory and measures swing speed, attack angle and clubhead speed, which helps to show the trajectory of the ball and the ball flight. Student-athletes can help each other and have meaningful practices by looking at swing parameters and videos of their own swing, and comparing their videos with those of the best golfers on the PGA Tour.
“This world-class indoor golf space will be a huge asset to our men’s and women’s golf teams,” head coach Lauren (Steates) Cupp ’07 said. “Student-athletes will have the ability to capture swings with high-definition cameras, see swing statistics and play some of the world’s best courses at any time of the year. Together we can look at the swing and make it more efficient, resulting in lower scores on the course.”
The campus community can also benefit from the facility as a wealth of analytical data lends itself to math, physics and computer science courses. Library and Information Technology Services (LITS) and Athletics established a new partnership where student learning can occur across traditional classrooms and on playing fields, and the TrackMan is key to this new collaboration.
Under Cupp the Hamilton men qualified for the four-team NESCAC championship in 2019 and 2020. The women also qualified for the championship last year.
