From Small Town Star to NDSU Golf: Avery Bartels on Trusting the Process

Being the second girl to ever win four high school state championships in North Dakota, NDSU women’s golf sophomore Avery Bartels has had a standout season, bringing her major golf experience and skill to the team.

With inspiration from her older brother, Bartels started golfing around the age of eight. She saw her brother winning medals, which encouraged her to start competing. She comes from a golf-heavy family, with her brother having golfed at Saint John’s University and her father golfing at Mayville State University. Bartels grew up in Kindred, North Dakota, being coached by her father and surrounded by some of the top golf courses in the state.

With five All-State mentions, Bartels won Miss Golf 2024 as well as Senior Athlete of the Year during her senior year of high school. She ended her high school career winning 43 out of 50 tournaments.

It was just after winning her first tournament when Bartels realized she could go somewhere with golf beyond high school. With the goal of taking the next step in golf, she started reaching out to coaches around the country during her sophomore year of high school.

“A lot of kids don’t realize they have to be the ones who reach out to colleges, especially if you’re from a small school. They don’t know who you are or if you even have an interest in competing in college. So, it’s important to take that next step and reach out yourself,” Bartels said.

Wanting to stay close to home, she visited North Dakota State University and immediately fell in love with it. Bartels described her coach, Matt Johnson, as the most phenomenal guy you could ever meet, being a big reason why she went here. She also loved the team environment on campus. However, the transition from high school to college was a struggle at first for Bartels.

“I knew the adjustment would be hard, playing from high school to college based on the yardage difference. But the biggest thing for me was playing golf all year round without getting burnt out. The mental part of freshman year was the hardest,” she said

She also added that the high self-expectations she had for herself took a toll on her performance.

“I stressed myself out because I felt like I had to perform. I needed to just take a step back and play my game, and then everything was fine,” she said.

For Bartels, leaning on her family and coach was what got her through the slump. Their positivity and constant support fueled her.

“They believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself,” she said.

Bartels also stays on top of her academics throughout her career, making the WGCA All-American Scholar Team.

She said, “Academics are something we value, with the women’s golf team having the highest GPA in all of athletics for the past eight years. It can be hard at times, but we have so many resources at the Shack. They really care about us.”

For Bartels, the friendships and connections made throughout her career are what make the sport so worth it. She works at numerous girls’ camps throughout the summer to help teach the next generation of golfers.

She said, “It’s so fun to work with them. I don’t think a lot of athletes understand how many younger kids look up to them. It’s truly so special.”

Bartels described the team environment here at North Dakota State University as super positive, with the balance between casual relationships and professionalism. She believes that the ability to switch is what makes the team so successful.

The team’s biggest slump has been dealing with the North Dakota spring weather. To combat this problem, the team has a golf simulator and facility in the Shack to use while the weather is poor.

The team is currently ranked second in the Summit League and 135th nationally. The biggest goal for the team is to win the Summit League Championship this season and beat the Denver Pioneers.

“We’re practicing hard every day and there to do our job. We do drills in practice to challenge ourselves to the point where we can’t finish them. As a team, we are all focused and set on our one end goal,” Bartels said.