Montana Fouts
Jonathan Griz’s official visit to The University of Alabama checked all the boxes. The Hilton Head, South Carolina native was impressed by the two-time NCAA champion men’s golf team as well as support from fans and alumni.
Then, UA Director of Athletics Greg Byrne peeled back the curtain on the Crimson Reserve, the ultimate reflection of program support. As Griz discovered, the top-notch golf practice facility would have it all.
Griz was excited but realistic about his chances of training at the Crimson Reserve.
“(Byrne) showed us an impressive video of the facility, and at the time, we thought it would be great,” Griz said. “But in the back of our minds, we knew projects like that usually take longer than expected.”
Now a junior and coming off a successful fall season, Griz is comfortably settled in the nation’s top practice facility.
“(UA) delivered as promised,” he said. “And we were excited to get here.”
The Crimson Reserve opened in fall 2024 and provides world-class amenities, including recovery and nutrition spaces, exercise and warm-up rooms, putting labs, hitting bays with state-of-the-art swing/flight analysis technology and locker rooms. It also features short-game areas for chipping, pitching, bunker practice and putting, along with a challenging nine-hole course with elevation changes, creeks, open areas and holes winding through large pines.
The private practice facility, located just a mile off campus, also offers men’s and women’s golfers convenience and peace of mind to make it to class or practice on time.
“Our last facility took about 15 minutes to get back to campus or the dining hall, so it (the Crimson Reserve) helps a lot because it’s better for our time management and offers privacy,” he said.
A $48 million project when launched in 2023, the Crimson Reserve is part of UA Athletics’ The Crimson Standard – the Passion pillar of The Rising Tide 2.0 Capital Campaign. Griz is amazed by the philanthropic support of UA’s alumni and friends who made the facility a reality.
“It’s shocking and truly incredible,” Griz said.
Griz is grateful to be able to use the facility and golf course for the next year and a half to improve his game.
“The greatest thing on the (practice) course is the difficulty of the tee shots,” he said. “If we can simulate something harder than what we’re going to play, then you’re just going to get better.”
Griz earned his first career medalist honor last spring at the Linger Longer Invitational with a career-best 13-under-par 203, helping lead Alabama to the team title. He returned in fall 2024 as the Crimson Tide’s top golfer, leading the team with a 71.17 stroke average and a +0.42 average versus par.
Upon entering the program, Griz said his wedges were the weakest part of his game. Now, they’re becoming a strength.
“I’ve started to hit more controlled and lower wedge shots because when it gets windy, it’s very easy for a wedge shot to spin up in the air and have too much spin,” he said.
Griz said the transition to top-flight collegiate golf is challenging for players, but he’s continued an upward trajectory of skill and execution year to year, as well as a sharp focus.
“There are many good, talented players on the team, but you can get nervous playing in front of a coach and the upperclassmen on the team,” he said. “You want to prove yourself and do well, but it is not an easy thing to do because it’s a hard game, and that’s what separates the good from the greats.”
The Crimson Standard component of The Rising Tide 2.0 Capital Campaign continues to provide first-class facilities for student-athletes to flourish in athletics competitions and in the classroom, reinforcing UA’s tradition of excellence in college athletics.
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