In my exclusive conversation with LeMoyne College Athletics Director Bob Beretta, he shared with me of a project that the school is currently working on.
"We are working very closely with our folks here on campus to implement and install a golf simulator that we've been talking about for many, many years," Beretta shared with me.
"We're close," said Beretta. "Perhaps this summer," speaking of 2024.
This plan has been in the works for awhile, according to Beretta. "It's something that our golf stakeholders have talked about for a long time, really as soon as I arrived on campus."
"It was priority one in the golf program."
As far as raising funds to make this dream a reality, Beretta expressed, "We had donors step up to a very significant tune in terms of an investment level."
So with a desire to invest already on the table, what was the next step?
"We just needed to identify some space on campus in our athletic department, in our athletic building where we could potentially house that area," Beretta offered.
Though Beretta did not give the exact area, he shared, "It's here in our building," speaking from inside the Sports and Recreation Center.
As far as a timetable goes for the golf simulator being on campus, Beretta views this happening potentially sooner rather than later, stating, "I feel confident that we will be able to execute. Hopefully within the next six months we'll have this in place."
He sees this addition as having an immediate impact in recruiting. "It will be a tremendous asset to our golfers, to our golf program because in the recruiting world when you're talking to top-flight golfers, top-level elite golfers, they want to know what type of on-campus resources you have."
Beretta has identified the golf simulator as "taking that next step toward excellence".
Currently, the Dolphins go offsite when practicing golf simulations.
"I think the golf simulator is going to be a tremendous addition to our portfolio of athletic facilities here at LeMoyne."
He expressed that LeMoyne Dolphins Men's and Women's Golf Head Coach Joe Tesori has been actively attending to this project.
"Coach [Joe] Tesori is working right now closely with our physical plant folks to make sure our infrastructure can work in terms of the IT needed."
"Hopefully by the time our academic year starts in 2024-25, which is in September, hopefully there'll be a simulator there to welcome our new recruits when they arrive on campus in August/September of 2024."
Beretta also stated that the golf simulator does not factor into the price ($40 million) of the reimagining of the Sports and Recreation Center.
"The simulator could be there in a temporary space and then we could potentially move it... as we begin construction on this building," Beretta shared with me from inside the Sports and Recreation Center.
This move, like many others taken by LeMoyne, shows their willingness to tee-up with the rest of NCAA Division I and drive home their commitment to excellence and opportunity for those who choose to find their home "On the Heights".
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