PHOTO CAPTIONS: (Above) Shown is an exterior photo of the new Ken Janke Sr. Golf Learning
Center. (Below, second image) Jayson Howell, a junior from Lansing in Ferris State
University’s Professional Golf Association Golf Management program sets up for a shot
on a TrackMan Golf Simulator in the Ken Janke, Sr. Golf Learning Center. The center
is now open for public use, in a new two-story facility adjoining the Katke Golf Course
clubhouse. (Below, third image) Shown is another exterior photo of the Ken Janke Sr.
Golf Learning Center.
A year-round opportunity to develop skills and enjoy golf are now available in West Michigan, with the opening of the Ken Janke Sr. Golf Learning Center at Ferris State University’s Katke Golf Course.
The 9,500 square-foot, two-story, $3.5 million facility was showcased during a Thursday,
Feb. 28 open house for university employees. Associate Vice President for Auxiliary
Enterprises 
Gheretta Harris said with its array of four TrackMan golf simulators, the center is
positioned as one of the top five facilities in the United States, in terms of virtual
play presentation.
“We are excited about entering the process of how best to offer individual, tournament and league play on the TrackMan units,” Harris said. “With 39 choices, simulating authentic gameplay on some of the most famous courses in the world, we are sure that the Janke Golf Learning Center will be a destination for golfers, from local, to social or for the most serious player.”
The facility includes three heated indoor hitting bays, which can be opened to the adjoining practice area of Katke Golf Course, and an indoor putting green is available for player practice and instruction. The center is a resource for the university’s men’s and women’s golf teams, when they return from spring break competitions during March, in Florida and Kentucky.
Ferris’ Professional Golf Association Golf Management program continues its relationship
with the PGA of America, as the association’s 1975 sanctioning of Ferris’ degree program
was 
the first for any school in the nation. Katke employee Jayson Howell, a junior from
Lansing who transferred to Ferris seeking the Bachelor of Science in PGAGM, said that
the top-of-the-line facilities in the Janke Golf Learning Center will be a great asset
for his classmates, and all golfers who take the opportunity to visit.
“No one can top the level of simulation we get to experience here,” Howell said. “The marriage of technology will help us keep our games strong in any season. I believe it helps make the top PGAGM program in the nation even better, and my classmates are looking forward to their chances to make use of this, knowing what we all have available to us in this center.”
The Michigan Golf Hall of Fame, which Janke founded in 1982, found its permanent home at Ferris State University in 2013. The collection of plaques, portraits and memorabilia honoring more than 120 MGHOF inductees will be on display in the Ken Janke Sr. Golf Learning Center. Formal ceremonies to commemorate the center’s opening are being planned during the weekend of June 1-2, when the 2019 MGHOF class will be inducted.
Center hours during the Spring 2019 semester are Monday, 12 to 7 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.