Marian freshman Brandon Heffner watches the flight of his ball during a match this past fall.
Submitted photo
Playing collegiate golf in Indiana involves adapting to the great indoors to hone one’s skills.
Former Center Grove teammates Brandon Heffner and Sam Slaughter are familiar with the drill, though as freshmen at Marian University, the transition was recently made easier.
They are among the Knights who benefited from the new golf studio inside the school’s PE Center to better prepare for spring competition.
Sometimes, timing is everything.
On Thursday, the Knights open the second half of their season at the two-day Spring Break Invitational in Opelika, Alabama, located near Auburn University.
Heffner and Slaughter, best friends and roommates at Marian who helped lead the Trojans to the 2021 boys golf state championship, used the frigid-weather months inside to work on parts of their game most requiring attention.
Marian’s new indoor studio was dedicated in January. It features two GCQuad golf simulators, some chipping areas and an eight-hole putting green.
Heffner was part of Marian’s lineup for all five events during the fall, including the Huntington Invite in October in which he carded a career-low of 67 in the opening round at Chariot Run Golf Course in Laconia. That served as the Knights’ low score in the fall season.
“I started as our team’s No. 3 player for one event, and was in the 5 spot most the rest of the tournaments. I thought I played well and was able to help the team out at a lot of events,” Heffner said. “We have a facility that’s brand new, and I was there quite a bit.
“I worked on getting comfortable with my swing and making sure it’s consistent through the spring season.”
Slaughter, too, sought to tweak parts of his overall game.
He played in two of Marian’s fall competitions, placing 37th individually in the Music City Invite near Nashville, Tennessee, and 28th at the Indiana Wesleyan Fall Invite at Purgatory Golf Club in Noblesville.
Heffner will again be in Marian’s lineup for this week’s spring opener. Slaughter continues to put in the work in an effort to join his close pal for future Knights events this spring and in seasons ahead.
“College golf was a big change for me competitively. Coming here, you know everyone is pretty good,” Slaughter said. “I worked on improving my consistency and getting those numbers down so I can get in the lineup.
“I mainly focused on the low- to mid-irons. We’ve been able to practice some outside lately, and I can see the different level of confidence I have.”
Other upcoming tournaments on Marian’s schedule include the Heritage Hill Collegiate (March 26-27) in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, and the Garn Championship (March 28-29) at Keens Trace Golf Club in Lexington.
