Because it is essentially an 18-hole competition on a lifeless course, golf is considered the most individualistic sport of all.
Not for University of Regina golfer Carter Bell.
Bell, 19, has a long list of teachers, friends, family and teammates who have helped him get to the Canada West championships, scheduled for October. 2-3 in Abbotsford, British Columbia The list starts with Eric Brandle, a local friend and hockey teammate in North Battleford, who helped them decide they should pursue their post-secondary education in Regina.
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“Most kids from Battleford go to school in Saskatoon,” Bell said. “Eric and I wanted to meet new people. My grandparents are here, so being close to them was very important to me.
“And golf was kind of appealing because I could take it up as a competitive sport at the college level.”
The friends lived in the university dorms during their first year at the University of Regina, but for his second year of psychology, Bell moved into his grandparents’ cottage just north of Regina, where he will be the only occupant while they are winter snowbirds.
Jerry and Cindy Bell, his grandparents, will watch Carter’s exploits on the course from afar, as will the rest of his family who frequently send him notes and phone calls of encouragement – Alvin and Susan Knibbs, his other greats -parents who are “big golfers” and took Carter on a golf trip to British Columbia after he graduated from high school; parents Steve and Rebecca; and siblings Matthew, Josh and Abbey.
Oddly enough, not everyone in the family plays golf. Josh recently got into it and Jerry is helping to develop a golf course and driving range near their cottage. Carter’s girlfriend, Brooke Turner, is also learning to play as they plan to visit her family next summer for another golf trip to Nova Scotia.
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“I’m relatively new to the game,” Carter said. “About four or five years ago, my friends all had a great time at the class and it was what they did to pass time. So I said to myself, why not join them?
“I have a family connection to the game. My great-grandfather, Darwin Lackey, is a great golfer and baseball fan who always pesters me about both sports every chance I get. to see him. So keeping golf in the family has been really special and making him proud means everything to me.
Carter Bell has proven to be a quick learner. Two weeks ago, he shot 76 and 75 for a two-round total of 151, nine over par, and finished second at the raucous Lethbridge Invitational while the Regina team placed third. Last week at the Calgary Dinos Invitational, he placed 20th while teammates Morgan McKay, on the women’s side, and Micah Tangjerd each placed seventh.
“The winds were absolutely crazy in Lethbridge,” Bell said. “Another guy I grew up with in North Battleford, Colby Friedrich, always advocated playing in bad weather and asked me to join him on bad days to take on the tough days. You realize how much those days helped when you were playing Lethbridge in 90km events.
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Bell, Tangjerd, Jackson Wingerter, Jaxon Eberts and Reece Hodson will represent Regina in the two-round, two-day stroke event in Abbotsford, which determines the singles and team champions. McKay is the only female representative on the team, which competes in varsity sports as a self-funded club.
The university maintains a working relationship with neighboring Wascana Country Club, where the instruction of head professional Todd Zado and assistant Brad Lovett has been appreciated by Bell and his teammates.
“A big thank you to the other guys who helped me with my scores and to my sports psychologist, Dean Beattie from Lloydminster,” Bell said. “I am interested in sports psychology. Dean and I have improved my mental game and that has allowed me to play well the last few weeks.
