MOSCOW, Idaho – Idaho Vandal Golf made significant upgrades to the Hall Vandal Golf Performance Center (HPC) after a generous donation from Dave and Robin Thomas.
 
The Vandals added a Trackman Launch monitor to add simulator capabilities to the second hitting bay, replaced a 15-year old flat putting green with state of the art dynamic green with slopes from 0.0 to 3.2 percent and added a PuttView projection system that is fully compatible and integrated with the new putting green.
 
"The generosity of Thomases has allowed Vandal golf the fully realize the vision created and embarked upon nearly 10 years ago when Jess and Kathleen Hall told Coach Lisa Johnson, they wanted to help create an Indoor training space for our teams," men's coach David Nuhn said.  
 
The upgrades continue to improve a facility that is among the best in the region and the Big Sky Conference and helps the Vandals practice during the North Idaho winters.
 
"Our team is so grateful to Dave and Robin and their investment in the upgrades to our Hall Vandal Golf Performance Center," women's coach Stephanie Young said. "It's made such an impact to have their trust and support towards our vision of providing all our golfers with the best indoor training environment possible here during the winter months in Moscow. These enhancements are something our alumni can be proud of, it is a game changer for our current student-athletes and will impact future Vandals for years to come."
 
The new putting green and Puttview system is state of the art and turns the surface into a dynamic digital screen. The ball can be tracked, and players can get digital contour lines, putt guidance and even ramp up the competition with games and head-to-head contests.
 
The Trackman system is the leading name in launch monitors. The system is portable and can be used on the driving range to track velocity, trajectory, spin and ball speed. Inside the HPC, it turned a hitting bay into a full simulator.
 
"We have already seen an increase in efficiency during our indoor training sessions," Nuhn said. "To have two fully operational Trackman bays as well as a multi sloped putting green with Puttview, it will change not only our teams practice possibilities, but also our ability to continue recruiting elite golfers to Moscow. I can't thank Dave and Robin enough for their generosity and support of Vandal Golf."
 
The Trackman was purchased last summer and the Puttview was installed over winter break.
 
The proof is already in the pudding for Vandal golf. In just four tournaments on the men's side this season, Idaho has deceased its individual round scoring average by more than two strokes compared to last year and picked up the team title at the SIUE Dolenc Invitational. The Vandal women have cut more than a stroke and a half off last season's individual round average and tallied a second-place finish earlier this week at the Falcon Florida Classic.
 
"We know how Amazing it is to have something like this," senior Colt Sherrell said. "We love this place treat it with care because we know how important it is to have an environment where we can come in and get in the work that needs to be done so the moment we are back on grass, we can play like we never left it."
 
The donation is the latest for the Thomas family who previously donated to Vandal golf to purchase a van for team travel to competitions and practice rounds in Lewiston in early spring.