Kaitlyn Hanna likes to go into The Swede Center before basketball games to work on her putting. Said it helps with her nerves.
She can also get a few clubs out of her locker during lunch or after her homework is complete at Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska, and go to work on one of the school’s simulators.
“They’re definitely jealous,” said Hanna of friends who play at rival high schools. “Every once in a while they’ll be like ‘Oh I want to transfer to Westside.’ ”
Inside Westside’s The Swede Center (Photo by Tom Kessler)
And who could blame them? Modeled after what’s often seen on college campuses, Westside is now home to what’s surely one of the finest – if not the finest – public high school indoor golf practice facilities in the country.
“We’re big on just giving every kid opportunities to try new passions,” said Terry Hanna, development director for the Westside Community Schools Foundation and Hanna’s father.
The facility, which was officially dedicated last February, features putting and chipping areas, two hitting bays, a players’ lounge and locker room. It’s situated behind the gym in what was once considered an unusable space. Because so much of the electrical was already in place, the total cost of the project was $350,000.
Kaitlyn, a two-time state champion who has committed to play college golf at Iowa, enjoys reading about the history of the program that lines the walls of the Swede Center. For her part, she constructed a piece of wall art in the shape of a “W” made out of 9,300 golf tees.
30 hours, 9 bottles of glue and 9,300 golf tees later!! The 6ft by 6ft “W” is complete! @Westside66 @TheSwedeCenter #golfart pic.twitter.com/yEdsbQiFqW
— Kaitlyn Hanna (@sportsgirlkait) August 13, 2021
The facility was funded entirely by donations – 61 donors in all – and the lead gift came from the Carlson family. Scott Carlson said one of the main reasons they wanted to get involved with the center was to connect an endowed scholarship in their father’s name. That and Merrill “Swede” Carlson loved golf, shooting his age every year from age 69 to 84 at the Field Club.
“When this opportunity came by it just seemed to be a perfect fit for my dad,” said Scott, who attended Westside along with his siblings.
One aspect of the facility that his father would appreciate the most, Scott said, is the way it involves the entire community.
Inside Westside’s The Swede Center (Photo by Tom Kessler)
There are 6,000 students within the district – one high school, one middle school and 10 elementary schools. Youth clinics hosted by members of the girls and boys golf teams at Westside are at the heart of the project’s mission.