Golf fans who have been following the growth of Charlie Woods, the son of Tiger Woods, may have been wondering where and if the golf star-in-the-making would play at the high school level.

The Benjamin School, located in Palm Beach Gardens, was the lucky winner and has reaped benefits from his prowess already.

After clinching the West Coast High School Tournament, hosted by the South Florida PGA Junior Tour, on Saturday afternoon, the Buccaneer boys golf team is well on its way to what it hopes will be a fourth state championship with the 14-year-old freshman prodigy.

Charlie was the two-day tournament’s individual champ at Cypress Woods Golf and Country Club in Naples.

Seniors Aiden Miller and Tyler Bruneau tied for second, as Luke Wise came in fourth. Travis Robertson, another Benjamin senior, shot two over before withdrawing.

Charlie’s performance marks his second low-round outing since the weekend prior at the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship Last Chance Florida Regional, held at the Mission Inn Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills, where Benjamin will head for the high school state championship tournament this fall.

With Tiger caddying and final scores of 71 and 66 − a second round highlighted by nine birdies to tie his career-best − Charlie won the junior regional qualifier in the boys 14-15 age division to advance to the national championship in Coushatta, Louisiana.

The event, set to begin on Nov. 4, will conclude on Nov. 6, which is the same day Florida High School Athletic Association golf state championships kick off before teams and individual champions are determined on Nov. 15.

Last Sunday in a post-match interview, after shaving two strokes from his 2022 tournament scorecard of 68, Charlie only had positive reviews of Mission Inn Resort’s El Campeon course.

Woods told tournament host Ryan Burr: “This course is great for me.”

High school rules and regulations may keep dad off the bag when Charlie’s inaugural run at a varsity state championship comes in November. However, the Bucs can feel confident with a well-tenured “rookie” in the lineup.

At first, Nicki Stricker didn’t tell anyone in the family that she’d signed up for U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur qualifying. She wanted the challenge to be hers for a little while.

Stricker, 54, and her mental coach, Kathy Hart Wood, sister of Dudley Hart, came up with trying to qualify for a USGA Championship as a way to give purpose to her practice.

“Just getting really frustrated because everyone was kicking my butt in my house,” said Stricker, wife to Steve and mom to Bobbi, 25, and 17-year-old Izzi, with a laugh. “I’m a fairly competitive person so was just like, what is happening?”

Caddie Nicki Stricker, caddie for Steve Stricker, of the United States looks on from the 11th hole during the second round of the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island Resort’s Ocean Course on May 21, 2021 in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Needless to say, everyone in the Stricker house is competitive, and Nicki, a former collegiate player, wasn’t having too much fun on the golf course. She also wanted to set a good example for her girls. Nicki didn’t like how she treated herself on the golf course after a bad shot, and with one daughter playing the game professionally and another one playing high-level junior golf, she knew they were watching.

“The shots I hit good or bad, the scores I shoot good or bad, don’t define me,” said Nicki of what she’s learned.

Wood taught Sticker to hit shots from one of the three c’s – calm, confident, certain. Rather than put numbers down on a scorecard, she’d write which “c” she hit from.

Beginning on Saturday at the 61st U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur at Troon Country Club, there will be numbers on the card. It’s the first tournament Stricker has competed in in some 20 years, and the first USGA championship since the 1992 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Kemper Lakes.

With Steve working as a vice captain this week at the Ryder Cup in Rome with eldest daughter Bobbi by his side, and Izzi playing in the postseason for high school golf, Nicki won’t have any family by her side in Arizona, though she will have Wood, who will caddie.

Nicki, of course, has caddied for Steve throughout his career. Bobbi played tennis through high school and didn’t take up golf until college. Izzi, a high school senior, won a Wisconsin state golf title last year. It’s not uncommon for the two sisters to take on their parents in a match.

“The game keeps us together,” Bobbi told Golfweek last year. “We travel with (dad), we practice with him.”

Steve was getting a lesson from Nicki’s father Dennis Tiziani at Cherokee Country Club (now TPC Wisconsin) the day they met. Nicki, who was a lifeguard at the club, went over after her shift ended to see her dad and there was Steve.

“My dad had said something after,” she recalled. “ ‘You know the guy you met? He asked for your number.’ ”

After waiting for three days, Nicki finally decided to call Steve and ask him out. Nicki was going into her freshman year of college at Wisconsin and Steve was a junior at Illinois.

The couple married in 1993.

Stricker family: Nicki, Steve, Bobbi and Izzi (courtesy Bobbi Stricker)

Steve, now a 12-time winner on the PGA Tour and a 17-time winner on the PGA Tour Champions, including six titles this season, won the 2019 U.S. Senior Open with Nicki on the bag.

All that time caddying for Steve changed Nicki’s approach to a golf course, how she looks at green complexes and how she views the importance of short game. She shot 7-over 77 at Glenview Park Golf Club in Illinois to secure her spot in this week’s field of 132. She’d love to advance to match play and see what happens.

“They’re super proud of me,” said Nicki of what her kids think of mom back in a USGA Championship. “Which to have your child say that they’re proud of you for something obviously warms my heart … makes me choke up a little bit.”

On the eve of the 44th Ryder Cup, another trophy was handed out on the grounds that the golf world will focus on the next three days.

Team Europe ran away with the Junior Ryder Cup title, ending a streak of six straight losses to the Americans, winning 20½-9½ at Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome, Italy. The Europeans dominated singles, winning seven of the 12 singles matches and tying three others to claim 8.5 points on the final day.

Europe took a commanding 12-6 lead after winning all six fourball matches on Wednesday. The teams were tied at 6 after the first day of competition.

A 2014 Ryder Cup player, Stephen Gallacher, led the European squad while PGA past president Paul Levy captained the U.S.

European captain Stephen Gallacher holds up the trophy as European players celebrate on the 18th green after winning the Junior Ryder Cup ahead the 44th Ryder Cup at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome on September 28, 2023. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP)

Nicholas Gross and Billy Davis were the lone Americans to win their singles matches on Thursday. Anna Davis, Billy’s twin sister, halved her match, as did Leigh Chien and Kylie Chong.

The first two rounds were held at Golf Nazionale in Rome before moving to Marco Simone for the final round. This was the first year the singles matches were held on a third day and at the site of the current Ryder Cup.

The U.S. now owns a 7-4-1 all-time record in the biennial competition. The team features six boys and six girls who are U.S. citizens and members of the high school graduating class of 2024 or younger.

The 2023 Golfweek Pacific Northwest Senior Amateur had everything you could ask for as a golf fan. A winner chasing records; a sweaty, down-to-the-wire finish; and four new champions were crowned this week at Wine Valley Golf in Walla Walla, Washington.

Seniors (55-64)

Bradley Karns began Wednesday’s final round three shots back of the leader, Jon Lindstrom.

With over 275 rounds recorded, a 2016 Washington State Senior Amateur win and a runner-up finish in last year’s event all at Wine Valley, Karns felt confident in his abilities to get the job done.

“When you get to this age and you’re kind of in the mix a little bit, playing in tournaments,” Karns told Golfweek. “You just kind of [put your] head down and continue to grind.”

Lindstrom struggled towards the back half of the front nine, carding a front nine 38 and dropping two strokes to Karns as they made the turn. With a birdie on the par 3 11th, Karns moved his way into a tie for the lead, setting up a shootout over the final seven holes.

Lindstrom regained the lead with a birdie on No. 13 only to relinquish the lead on No. 16 with a bogey.

Karns would get his first solo lead of the tournament on No. 17 thanks to another bogey from Lindstrom. Using his local knowledge, the three-time U.S. Senior Am qualifier made easy work of the par 5 18th, taking his first Golfweek Senior Amateur win by one stroke over Lindstrom.

“I’ve played enough and competed against high-level players, that I feel very comfortable when I go tee it up,” he said. “So, I just try to put my head down and keep grinding away… There’s some really good players around the Pacific Northwest and I’m just trying to fit in is all I’m trying to do.”

For Lindstrom, his runner-up finish will move him inside the top 5 of the Golfweek Senior Amateur rankings. Previously 6th in the rankings coming into the week, Lindstrom benefits two-fold as the top 5 players were not in the field.

Super Seniors (65-69)

With a 16-stroke lead heading into the final round, the only question remaining for Scott Masingill was not if he was going to win, but by how many.

“Yesterday, we talked about confidence,” Masingill told Golfweek. “You know, you can be too confident and think ‘I don’t really have to concentrate.”

No matter how experienced you are or how well you may be playing, golf has a funny way of humbling you.

Masingill had a tap in left for par on the par-4 9th. Sweeping it into the hole, it lipped out and resulted in a bogey for the 1971 Pac-8 conference champion (1971, Oregon State). Closing the championship with a 3-over 75, Masingill had wise words that everyone can benefit from:

“There’s the right amount of confidence and there’s the right amount of intensity. You can’t try too hard and you can’t assume that you’re such a good player that you can just go out and play and everything will work out, because it won’t.”

Despite the uncharacteristic day, Masingill closes the week at Wine Valley with the best score to par across the entire field at 7 under 209 and a 17-stroke win in the Super Senior division. Not too shabby for the 72-year-old Idaho legend.

Dan Parkinson (10 over) and Frank Maxwell (12 over) rounded out the podium spots.

Legends (70-74)

Michael Jonson retained his 36-hole lead, taking the Legend division crown with a 10 over 226. Greg Tatham (12 over) takes runner-up honors.

Super Legends (75+)

Oklahoma’s Craig Collins (10 over) takes the 75-and-up division crown. Three straight sub-80 rounds of golf gave him a one-shot victory over No. 2 ranked Bill Engel. Tightly contested, the top six finishers in the Super Legends bracket were separated by just six shots.

The Golfweek Senior Amateur Series tees off yet again next week, this time just outside of Atlanta, Georgia for the Golfweek International Senior Invitational at Cartersville Country Club in Cartersville, Georgia.

Coverage for the event will begin on Tuesday, October 3.

Round 1 Super Senior division leader Scott Masingill came into the week just looking to post three rounds around 70. The 72-year-old from Idaho made the quick trip to Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Washington, to test his game. He didn’t think he would dominate the way he has.

“Every once in a while you’ll hit a streak where you just don’t put a lot of pressure on yourself,” Masingilll said. “And that’s where I am right now.”

A 2004 Pacific NW Golf Association Hall of Fame inductee, Masingill has not only lapped the field. He has lapped them nearly three times.

Following his opening round 65 with a 3-under 69 on Tuesday, Masingill holds a commanding 16-stroke lead on the rest of the Super Senior age bracket, currently sitting at 10 under.

“The confidence has built,” he said. “I’ve been able to clear my mind and build on that confidence. It was a good day, and I didn’t get everything out of my round today like I did yesterday. There was no stress and I could’ve been lower, but anyway, it’s great.”

With just one bogey through 36 holes of play, Masingill has only his game and the course between him and the trophy. 

Utah’s Dan Parkinson and Louisiana’s Frank Maxwell round out the podium through two rounds at 6 over and 7 over, respectively.

Seniors (55-64)

Trailing overnight leader Jerry Gunthorpe by one shot heading into Tuesday’s second round, Jon Lindstrom set out to make a move on moving day.

Executing his plan to near perfection, Lindstrom followed up his Monday 68 with a 3-under 69 on Tuesday. Starting his day on the back nine, Lindstrom made the turn at 1 under before lighting up hole Nos. 1-4 with a trio of birdies.

A bogey on the par-3 sixth ended his 27-hole bogey-free streak, but nonetheless, the Denver native takes a three-shot advantage into Wednesday’s final round. 

Bradley Karns stayed stagnant with an even-par 72 to remain in second place at 4 under. Jon Brown lurks in third place at 2 under with a pair of 71s. Kevin VandenBerg, Kevin Sullivan, Tom Brandes and Jerry Gunthorpe share fourth place at 1 under.

Legends (70-74)

Michael Jonson (6 over) vaulted first-round leader Kerry Booth (9 over) with a second-round 73. Greg Tatham (10 over) and Bruce Meyer (18 over) round out the division.

Super Legends (75+)

Greg Mokler (2 over) overtakes the top spot in the Super Legends division with a 72. Wayne Peddy (5 over), Craig Collins (6 over), Henry Cole (7 over), Bill Engel and Larry Dodds (8 over) all look to apply pressure in Wednesday’s final round.

Michael Bonallack, a giant figure in amateur golf both as a player and later as an administrator, died on Tuesday in St. Andrews, Scotland. He was 88.

To run down a list of Bonallack’s wins and awards is like reading a catalog of the available prizes in British amateur golf. Bonallack won the British Amateur Championship five times between 1951 and 1970,  second only to John Ball for the most victories in the championship, and featured a hat-trick of titles from 1968–1970. He also won the English Amateur Championship title five times and was a four-time English stroke-play champion. Twice the leading amateur in the British Open (winning the silver medal in 1968, ’71), Bonallack also represented GB&I in six World Amateur Team Golf Championships, for the Eisenhower Trophy, the last three as playing Captain (1960, ’62, ’64, ’66, ’68, ’70 and ’72). In 1968 he tied for the Individual title with American Vinny Giles.

Sir Michael Bonallack drives off the seventh hole during the first round of The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at The Old Course on October 2, 2008 in St.Andrews, Scotland. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

He was a member of the Walker Cup team in nine straight matches from 1957 to 1973. In 1971, he was playing captain of the home team that won the Cup at St. Andrews, the first time GB&I had lifted the trophy since 1938.

“It does not get, cannot get, any better than that,” he said.

His list of playing achievements at the amateur level is unlikely to ever be matched again, and he is arguably the best amateur golfer to represent Great Britain and Ireland.

Born in Chigwell, Essex, in 1934, Bonallack first showed an aptitude for golf on a family holiday to Devon when, at the age of 10, his parents spotted his skill while playing around on the beach. He was given membership at Chigwell Golf Club and began to receive coaching from the club pro. He won the Essex Boys Championship in 1950, before retaining the title in 1951. A year later, Bonallack won his first significant amateur title – the British Boys.

We pay tribute to Sir Michael Bonallack, Britain’s most decorated amateur golfer, who has died aged 88.

Our thoughts are with the Bonallack family and his many friends in the world of golf at this time.https://t.co/K46DgNMsGg pic.twitter.com/02NZSj0kpU

— The R&A (@RandA) September 27, 2023

Despite his bonafides at the amateur level, Bonallack chose to make his living working in his family coach-building business. “I didn’t think I was good enough until I was too old,” he once explained. “When I saw how good Jack Nicklaus was and compared that to how good I thought I was, there was a big difference. I thought, ‘I might starve if I turn professional.’”

Bonallack’s lifelong love affair with golf and service to the game continued past his championship years. Bonallack was chairman of the European Tour between 1976 and 1982, chairman of the Golf Foundation from 1977-1982 and president of the EGU in 1982. He was appointed Secretary of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in 1983, succeeding Keith Mackenzie. As Secretary of the R&A, Bonallack helped to guide the game into the 21st Century.

“I’m extremely proud,” he said. “I feel privileged to have been so closely involved with the Club for so much of my life and both it and the town of St Andrews are incredibly dear to me. It has been an honour to serve the Club.”

He received the USGA’s Bob Jones Award for sportsmanship in 1972, the Donald Ross Award in 1991 and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2000. In 1971, he was awarded an OBE and, in 1998, was made a knight. In 1999, he was captain of the R&A. His legacy lives on as teams of 12 amateur golfers from Europe and the Asia-Pacific play for the Sir Michael Bonallack Trophy every two years.

Bonallack, who appeared in a wheelchair, was a guest at the opening ceremony of the 49th Walker Cup match played earlier this month at St. Andrews and received a standing ovation. In a life well lived in the game, he played simply for the love of golf. When secretary of the R&A he was once asked: “Most people play golf to escape work. What do you do to relax?”

“I play golf,” he replied without hesitation.

The Golfweek senior amateur circuit has made its annual stop in Wine Country.

Wine Valley Golf Club in Walla Walla, Washington is a stunning Dan Hixson design that perfectly uses the natural features of southeastern Washington in the shadow of the Blue Mountains. With open fairways and rarely a tree in sight, the course plays tough thanks to wild grasses, undulating greens and strategic bunkering, Wine Valley is one of the best tests of golf in the Pacific Northwest.

Two men were able to use those features to their advantage to take leads in their respective age divisions. 

Super Seniors (65-69)

72-year-old Scott Masingill had the round of the day, posting a bogey-free 7-under 65 to take an eight-stroke lead in the Super Senior age bracket.

“I’ve played this golf course quite a bit,” Masingell said. “And it’s really one of my favorite courses of anywhere that I’ve played. In about the past two months, my game has come around, and it’s really just about confidence now.”

The Idaho native has plenty to be confident about. Starting his scoring early, Masingell carded four birdies through his first seven holes. Keeping it on cruise control, he parred the next seven holes before adding three consecutive birdies on hole Nos. 15-17. Needing to knock home a 4-footer on 18 for par to keep his bogey-free round in check, Masingell found the bottom of the cup.

“I got a little nervous and sweaty on the last hole,” he said. “I was proud of the fact that feeling some stress on that last putt, I just knocked it in the middle of the hole. I’m real pleased with the way I played, I’ve been working on my fitness and my game, and I got a result.”

Masingill is not a stranger to playing with the best. With a U.S. Open, two Senior Opens, a U.S. Am and two U.S. Mid-Ams under his belt, he’s no stranger to being in the mix with elite golfers.

As for how he’ll take on the next 36 holes?

“With a big lead like this, I’m really just competing with myself at the moment. So, just not getting distracted by that and [focus] on the cliche of all time, playing one shot at a time. That’s the only way to do it.”

George Walker (No. 1 in the Golfweek Super Senior rankings) and Frank Maxwell are in a two-way tie for second at 1 over.

Seniors (55-64)

In the senior division, Michigan’s Jerry Gunthrope leads the way thanks to his opening round of 5-under 65.  His week began on the wrong foot, as his driver shaft was snapped on his flight out to the West Coast.

Finding a similar shaft at a store 45 minutes from the course, Gunthorpe was able to put the driver in play Monday but still didn’t feel 100 percent comfortable with it throughout the day. Relying on a driving iron and his woods for the most part, Gunthorpe’s wedges made up for the rest.

“I had a lot of wedges,” Gunthorpe said. “I hit a lot of really good wedges so that’s where I made a lot of birdies.”

Not completely satisfied with his game, Gunthorpe looks to improve on his par 5 scoring as well as his tee and approach shots. If the Michigander can get those facets of his game to lock in, it could be a long week for the rest of the field.

He takes a one-shot lead into Tuesday’s round, as Bradley Karns and Jon Lindstrom look to keep their play rolling with matching 68s. Seven more golfers are at par or better.

Legends (70-74)

Kerry Booth (+4) holds a two-stroke lead over Greg Tatham.

Super Legends (75+)

Bill Engel posted an even par round and commands a two-shot lead over Greg Mokler.

PINE VALLEY, N.J. – Stewart Hagestad is having a September to remember.

Hagestad added the prestigious Crump Memorial Tournament to his recent haul of trophies Saturday, defeating defending champion Stephen Behr Jr. in a playoff at Pine Valley Golf Club.

Hagestad, 32, was a member of the U.S. side that won the 49^th Walker Cup at the Old Course in St. Andrews on Sept. 3. Then he claimed the U.S. Mid-Amateur championship on Sept. 13, at Sleepy Hollow in N.Y., winning the title for a third time, 3 and 2 over Evan Beck.

Stewart Hagestad kisses the Robert T. Jones, Jr. Memorial Trophy after winning the 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Scarborough, N.Y. on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)

Hagestad’s Crump Memorial began in dramatic fashion with a hole-in-one at Pine Valley’s famed par-3 10^th hole (known as the Devil’s Asshole) as he posted rounds of 71-72 and tied for third in 36-hole stroke-play qualifying. (Beck earned medalist honors with a pair of 68s and a 36-hole total of 4-under 136.) Tropical Storm Ophelia forced the tournament committee to shorten the weekend match play to 18 holes of stroke play to determine the champion.  All non-championship flights were canceled.

Hagestad shot 3-over 73 in difficult conditions at Pine Valley, ranked No. 1 on Golfweek’s Best Classic Courses list. He made par at the first hole, the first playoff hole, to secure the win over Behr of Alpharetta, Georgia, and claim the 98^th Crump Cup.

Matthew Sughrue of Arlington, Virginia, shot a 1-under 69 to win the Senior Crump Cup. Bob Royak of Alpharetta, Georgia, finished second with a 74.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The First Tee Phoenix celebrated its 20th year with a “green” carpet fundraising bash Monday night.

PGA Tour golfers Joel Dahmen and James Hahn were among those who walked the celebrity green carpet at Ocean 44, a high-end seafood restaurant in Scottsdale, where guests paid $1,500 a plate to raise money for the First Tee program, first established in 2003. There are now 14 golf courses hosting First Tee-Phoenix programs, including TPC Scottsdale, home of the PGA Tour’s WM Phoenix Open.

Other famous faces who showed up Monday included ESPN commentator Michael Wilbon, golf trick shot artist Tania Tare, PXG founder Bob Parsons, former Arizona governor Doug Ducey and former vice president Dan Quayle.

Joel Dahmen is interviewed by a local TV station during a fundraising event for the First Tee Phoenix in Scottsdale. (Photo: Todd Kelly/Golfweek)

The First Tee has 150 chapters nationwide with a goal of connecting the game of golf with junior golfers ages 4 to 18 in underserved communities. First Tee-Phoenix reports that there are now more than 120,000 young golfers involved in the program statewide.

Jeff Mastro, owner and founder of Ocean 44 as well as popular Scottsdale steak restaurants Steak 44 and Dominick’s Steakhouse, hosted the event and underwrote the entire cost of the evening.

There were about 180 attendees in all and the night raised close to $1 million.

GILBERT, Ariz. — A couple of years ago, when Williams Field High School built a field house next to the football stadium, Rick Miles, the only boys golf coach the school has had since it opened, kept asking athletic director Darrell Stangle, “Where’s the golf room?”

Miles was given the field house’s storage room, where golf carts were going to be stationed.

“He showed it to me and I was like, ‘Done, we’ll take it,’ ” Miles said.

Once just concrete flooring and brick walls, Miles got help from players and parents to paint the room the school colors opf red and black. A student painted the Black Hawks logo on the wall. Turf was added with the big screen that features Torrey Pines for the simulator.

“I did some serious fundraising,” Miles said. “Here we are. It’s only one day. But it’s a start.”

Every Monday, this is Williams Field’s golfers’ practice facility. The 10 boys golfers get out of class, walk over to the field house, pull out their clubs, and go to work, driving shots into the screen. There also is a big hitting net outside into which they rocket shots. A putting green was added this summer behind the field house.

Groups of three, three and four golfers alternate from station to station, including the weight room. This has been helpful during a season in which Williams Field’s home golf course isn’t available due to overseeding.

“It’s fun to know how far you hit it,” Carr said. “It’s very accurate. You’re getting right numbers. It’s also fun to take a driver and hit it and know the exact distance it will go.”

Williams Field’s boys golf team captured its first Division II state golf championship in 2021. This year, unable to use its home course due to overseeding, the school has been helped by Ocotillo Golf Club in Chandler and Toka Sticks Golf Club in Mesa a couple of days a week.

Miles isn’t a certified teaching pro, but he does the best he can with technology to give kids what they need to be the best they can be. Top golfers have their own swing coaches. Carr calls Miles a great “strategist.”

Miles also knows how to fundraise. He said winning state two years ago helped. It gave people more incentive to donate. The simulator room with all the bells and whistles, Miles said, ended up costing about $16,000.

Williams Field isn’t the only high school that has a golf simulator room. Brophy Prep, a private Jesuit school in central Phoenix, has two golf rooms. But it doesn’t have a putting green. Miles believes Williams Field might be the only high school in Arizona with its own putting green.

An outdoor practice putting green at Williams Field High School in Gilbert, Arizona. (Photo: Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic)

By raising funds for the putting green, Miles said he was able to get a couple of hitting nets. But only one is being used on this particular Monday.

“One of the coaches parked in the other area where he we would set up the other one, so I don’t think he wants golf balls peppered on the windshield,” Miles said. “We’re going to let that one go today.”

In the sim room, Miles can only have one golfer inside at a time because of space limitations. It still is used for storage. There also is a mini refrigerator to store water for the golfers during their workout.

“All we need is a couch back there,” Miles said.

Before entering the sim room for the first time this season, Miles asked his newer players how far they thought they hit a 7-iron. When they get to the simulator, they quickly find out how far they actually hit it.

Freshman Benjamin Bui, one of the team’s top golfers, said he still is getting used to high school competition. But the sim room helps. He’s worked with it before with his private coach.

“It’s like a good practice day,” Bui said. “You work out. You go to the putting green. And you go hit. It’s kind of nice.”

Miles said his next fund-raising project will be to add three more courses to the simulator, including Pebble Beach and St. Andrews.

“They like coming in here,” Miles said. “I toyed with putting a bunker out here to get some sand work in. But I was afraid of the liability.”