SE: Topgolf Event Another Memorable Bowl Experience for Wildcats

By Corbin McGuire

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — Bowl trips always bring lifelong memories. Some of the best experiences occur well away from the field, too.

K-State's players, especially the seniors on their fourth postseason trip, can attest to this. For instance, before K-State topped Texas A&M in last year's Texas Bowl, the Wildcats won a rodeo-themed competition as well — an experience that mentally lingers as vividly as the game.

After Friday's practice for K-State's Cactus Bowl game against UCLA on Tuesday at 8 p.m. (CT), the Wildcats put their athletic abilities to a much different test: Golf. Specifically, they spent a few hours at Topgolf. The outing gave some of them a newfound respect for the game of golf and all of them another lasting bowl memory.

"I'm not that good of a golfer but it was a fun experience," senior defensive back Cre Moore said. "I like being here with my teammates the whole week. I like hanging out with all my teammates, spending time with them and getting to know everybody better. It's always nice to be able to split time between preparation and having fun."

"I definitely think it builds more team chemistry," added senior defensive end Davis Clark. "Being a senior, I think all the events over the years definitely helps the younger guys heading into next season and helps the older guys get to do something fun before they leave. It builds memories."

For the seniors who have now been to half of the program's current eight-straight bowls, events like Friday's mean even more. They know after Tuesday's battle with UCLA, their K-State football careers will be over.

"You come out here and, especially for us seniors, you get to enjoy your teammates one last time and get some good camaraderie out of it," senior linebacker Jayd Kirby said. "That's what it's all about right now is just enjoying the team, enjoying all of your boys and soaking up all of that as much as you can."

12 o'clock practice ??
3 o'clock tee time ??#EMAW #KStateFB pic.twitter.com/3aZJBFGBrw
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) December 23, 2017

"I'm soaking it up a lot," Moore added of his final bowl experience, where many of his teammates discovered the difficulty of golf firsthand.

Numerous Wildcats who can lift hundreds of pounds and make eye-popping plays at full speed struggled to move a tiny white ball, sitting still, more than a few feet and, in some cases, at all.

"It's definitely not as easy as it looks," said Kirby.

To no surprise, there was a wide range of golf backgrounds amongst the team.

Before Friday, Kirby's golf background included mostly being a caddy for friends. Senior defensive tackle Will Geary can count on one hand the number of times he's played. Moore, whose brother played golf at Oklahoma Christian, stopped playing at age 11 because the sport became so frustrating.

"One day on the golf course I got a little angry and that was the end of my golf career," laughed Moore.

Then there's Clark, an avid golfer whose grandfather was a course pro in South Dakota and whose father, Todd Clark, designs golf courses professionally.

"It's been fun. It was a nice little break from football and we got to do something that's still competitive," Clark said, before adding, with a smile, of his less-experienced teammates: "It was fun watching them struggle."

On Saturday, the Wildcats will return to their preferred sport to continue preparing for their main focus: UCLA.

"We're pretty excited. It's going to be here before we know it," Geary said. "We just have to have a good game. I'm feeling good about it."

Added Kirby: "We're ready for it."

K-State at the Cactus Bowl News & Notes

Kansas State University Athletics

SE: Topgolf Event Another Memorable Bowl Experience for Wildcats

Players Mentioned

Davis Clark

Will Geary

Jayd Kirby

Cre Moore

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