There’s no match for the knowledge that come from practice rounds at a tournament site, but the ISU men’s golf team has what it hopes is a serviceable back-up plan.

Before making the trek to Independence, Minn. for the Gopher Invitational on Sept. 13-14, the Cyclones have worn out a path between Rhodes, Iowa, and Ames in practicing at The Harvester Golf Club.

With only one allowed practice round at Windsong Farm Golf Club, Iowa State has utilized The Harvester, ranked by Golf.com as the No. 1 public course in Iowa, to emulate the type of course it will see this weekend.

Both parkland-style tracks play to over 7,100 yards where fast greens and high winds are commonplace.

“It can certainly play long, if it’s windy that’s when the course gets really difficult,” Tank said in 2013 of Windsong Farm. “It’s a similar course to The Harvester where we’ve been playing at this weekend; it’s the same kind of style. I feel that’s a nice advantage for us going in.”

The team’s practice facility, with several different types of green complexes, also has some that strongly resemble what will be seen in Minnesota.

Redshirt senior Collin Foster did not compete in Iowa State’s previous appearance at this event and course in 2013, but from what he has heard, he expects to be comfortable.

“I’ve heard it’s a lot like The Harvester and The Harvester is my favorite track,” Foster said. “So I’m pretty excited for that.”

Juniors Ruben Sondjaja and Nick Voke have competed at Windsong Farm, both tallying strong finishes, particularly since it was their collegiate debuts.

Sondjaja tied for 30th out of 64 golfers. Voke tied for eighth place.

Just like Sondjaja and Voke made their debut as Cyclones at the Gopher Invitational, freshman Jon Hudson will do the same.

Hailing from Western Springs, Ill., Hudson was ranked the top junior golfer in Illinois prior to enrolling at Iowa State.

In his amateur career, Hudson has three top-10 finishes in his AJGA career and three top-20 finishes in the Illinois high school state tournament.

Voke compared Hudson’s skill set to 2013 PGA Champion, Jason Dufner, who is known for his ball-striking on the PGA Tour.

Hudson, along with freshman Conner Koberg of Cedar Rapids, are already receiving the praises of their elder teammates.

“They’re both really good players,” Sondjaja said. “Conner had a great summer and Jon played well, and they have good records in the past. They’re both definitely great golfers and a good addition for our program.”

Junior Jack Carter joins Foster, Hudson, Sondjaja and Voke to compose Iowa State’s starting lineup that will compete against a field filled with several top-50 programs.

Southern Methodist is an intriguing name in the field, but its superstar Bryson DeChambeau will not be teeing it up for the Mustangs in Minnesota. Instead, the 2015 NCAA individual champion and 2015 U.S. Amateur champion will compete for team USA in the Walker Cup.

DeChambeau’s absence puts a damper on the field’s potential, though perennial NCAA championship teams like California, Oklahoma and Baylor make for a formidable test at season’s beginning.

As for Tank’s evaluation of how the Cyclones will stack up in this weekend and beyond, he is uncertain, yet optimistic on his relatively inexperienced bunch.

“I really don’t know what to expect yet this year, but it’s definitely an excited group of guys, they’re hungry, they’re going to work hard. We’ll see what we can accomplish.”