BLOOMING PRAIRIE — It’s a frosty cold day in Blooming Prairie with temperatures dropping below zero degrees. Every golf course within a reasonable driving distance is caked in ice and snow. But Blooming Prairie seniors Tommy Braaten and Taylor Christianson aren’t about to let that stop them from working on their golf game.

Just like they have since it was installed three years ago, the two BP standout golfers are hacking away on the Trackman golf simulator in the warm comfort of Bunkie’s Grille and Lanes. Braaten has competed in two Minnesota Class A boys state golf meets and he took fourth in state in 2016.

He visits Bunkies about once a week during the offseason and it helps him keep his swing sharp.

“If you have a problem on the course that would take over a week to fix, you can come in here and fix it in 25 minutes,” Braaten said. “Getting swings in is huge. [The trackman simulator] is state of the art and I don’t think [Christianson and I] would be where we are if we didn’t have this in town.”

Christianson has competed at the Class A girls state meet three times and she took sixth last season. She also comes into Bunkies once a week to keep her golf game sharp. She likes to put in work on her swing and she also enjoys the tutelage that Aaron Ressler, a PGA Director of Instruction who owns Bunkies, offers.

“[Coming here] helps with my swing a lot. You make sure your swing plan stays on track and it really keeps you square. It helps during the actual season,” Christianson said. “Aaron’s super fun. He can be your best friend and your mentor at the same time.”

Ressler enjoys working with golfers who want to put in extra time and he welcomes any area golfers to come in to Bunkies to work on their game. He has seen the offseason work pay off big time over the past few years for Braaten and Christianson.

Braaten said the trackman offers a good chance for golfers to challenge themselves by competing in games that require high accuracy.

“You can see the transition with any kid that’s willing to practice,” Ressler said. “I’ve had a chance the last three years to see both of them go from good, to getting better, to continually better. They understand what the game is about and how the club works. [The trackman] helps them coach themselves, which is a huge advantage.”

Although they both have high hopes for their senior golf seasons with the Awesome Blossoms this spring, Christianson and Braaten also have made plans to continue to play golf after high school. Christianson has committed to play golf at Grand View State University, an NAIA school in Des Moines, Iowa, where she will study nursing.

“They’re coach contacted me and offered me a spot on the team. She said I could be a top two player for them,” Christianson said. “I was super excited. To be able to play in college is a little different. I’ll get to meet a lot of different people and it will help me get through schooling too. When I get upset I go out to the course and I take all of my anger out on that ball and come back just fine. It’s kind of a stress reliever for me and I have fun while doing it.”

Braaten plans on going to school in Colorado Springs and he’s going to play in as may golf tournaments as he can while he’s out there. He eventually hopes to become a golf pro.

“I just love competing. That’s one of my favorite things about the sport,” Braaten said. “Doing well last at state year, did motivate me, because you always want to get better.”

The BP boys golf team made history last season as it went to the Class A state meet, one year after it didn’t have a team. Ressler was glad to see the sport grow in numbers, but he’d also like to see it grow across southeast Minnesota.

“It’s not just for these kids. I’d love to see kids from other towns come in with their coaches and get some work in here,” he said. “If you don’t get kids excited about the sport, a lot of these small towns are not going to have a sport.”
GOLFING WITH THE BEST

2014

Braaten took 14th in the Class A state golf meet and Christianson finished 40th.

2015

Christianson took 12th at the Class A state meet and Braaten missed out on state when he lost on a play-off at the Section 1A meet.

2016

Braaten took fourth at the Class A state golf meet and Christianson took sixth at state.