The Southern Miss men’s and women’s golf teams now have what officials believe is “one of the premier facilities in all of Division I” after the ribbon was cut last Friday at the Giddis Golf Center.
Located at the Hattiesburg Country Club, the 3,500 square-foot center features an indoor putting lab, teaching bays with video swing analysis software, a nutrition center, and full club repair and regripping capabilities. The addition of a new tee box on the west side of the center will take place at a later date, expanding the driving range distance to 340 yards.
The technology included in the Giddis Golf Center is commonly used by national championship-contending programs. Called TrackMan 4, the dual radar system tracks and records not only a player’s swing but also the ball’s characteristics after contact. It also provides the opportunity to record every shot to see the swing correlated with the data.
The new home of the Golden Eagles #SMTTT pic.twitter.com/UunZFo4rbT
— Southern Miss Golf (@SouthernMissMG) September 14, 2024
The facility is named after lead donors Kevin and Sareh Giddis. Kevin, who signed to play golf at Southern Miss in 1979 before his career was hampered by injury, is a retired financial service professional and 1983 graduate of the university. While giving credit to those who came up with the idea and design of the new center, Kevin said his main goal is for the facility and all its features to help in recruiting and building an even stronger program.
“This really got started by John Miller and Brian Morrison asking me to get involved,” Kevin said. “This was one way for me to give back to a school I care so much about. This is going to help from a recruiting perspective and take the program to a higher level.”
In the last decade, the men’s and women’s golf programs at Southern Miss have tallied 11 team tournament wins, 11 individual tournament wins, 15 All-Conference selections, and 35 Academic All-Americans.
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