With Ohio’s weather preventing golfers’ ability to play during the five winter months, the Board of Trustee’s proposal of a varsity indoor golf facility would allow Ohio State athletes the opportunity to develop and work on skills.

The $6.1 million facility will give the OSU golf teams a permanent, dedicated space to train and practice their short game.

“The department’s expectation is to give the golf teams an indoor practice facility for the winter months, which should make a big difference for them,” said Mary Lynn Readey, associate vice president of Facilities Operations and Development.

It became a priority for the athletic department as a result of a facility-needs assessment, Readey said.

In addition to the Scarlet and Gray Courses, the indoor golf facility would be approximately 19,250 square feet and would be located at the OSU golf course, on the corner of Kenny Road and Tremont Road. The project would also include hitting bays on the western portion of the existing driving range, as well as a house office and student-athlete space.

The elements of the new facility include three practice greens, two sand traps, a grass bunker, flat putting area with filming capability, tee boxes with filming capability, a four-corner net system and a fitness room. Coaches will also receive new office space, and there will be other features such as a conference room, team locker rooms, a video analysis room, a team lounge, a trophy lounge for recruits and parents and space for club storage and repairs.

According to Trustee’s, one goal of the new facility is to attract the most talented young golfers in the nation, which Rachel Rohanna, a third-year in agribusiness and applied economics and member of the women’s golf team, feels is a key element missing when top-tier recruits and their parents come to check out Ohio State.

“It would play a huge role in attracting top recruits in the world. We strive to be the best team in the nation every year and to achieve this, it is vital that we have the best players with the most talent, dedication and work ethic,” Rohanna said.

Currently, the men’s and women’s golf teams practice in the French Field House and the Woody Hayes Athletic Center during winter months.

“It would be very beneficial to our team and the men’s team to have a indoor facility,” Rohanna said. “Although we have some areas on campus to practice in now, it would be very efficient for us to meet at one place all the time and to have our own area. It would be beneficial to the other teams as well, allowing them more practice time and space at the other facilities.”

Michael Kinkopf, a third-year in operations management and member of the men’s golf team, said having a good short game is everything in golf.

“Having a place to work on it in the off season would help us be ready when we start up again,” Kinkopf said. “It would make a huge difference for our team because we have to compete against a lot of southern schools and teams out west that get to play year round.”

Although the project idea and amount still need to go to the Board of Trustees for approval, the hope and expectation is that it can be completed in 2012, Readey said.

Readey said the project construction will begin once all funding is in place.