In the topic of golf, some often classify it as a rather boring sport to watch and an easy one to play. Through the eyes of senior golfer Thomas Bell, who’s played the sport for around 10 years and has competed in numerous matches and tournaments, this couldn’t be any more inaccurate. After playing the game for such a long duration of time, Bell has learned to appreciate the sport for its’ true colors.

“I think a lot of people see golf as boring, or non-athletic but it can be really fun once you learn how to do it and how the game works,” Bell said. “When playing golf, every shot has a different challenge to it and it might not seem very difficult to do, but it takes a lot of skill and a lot of time. It’s very enjoyable when you want to learn about what you were doing.”

Bell has been a member of Howell North’s golf team ever since is freshman year at FHN. In his junior year, he shot the lowest score of his career in any match, shooting under-par with a 35 on the day. However, this wasn’t Bell’s top performance in his opinion, nor was it his fondest memory. His top outing came in a tournament just last summer.

“I shot 54 in a tournament over the summer which was probably the best I’ve ever played in a tournament setting and is my lowest score on 18 holes as well,” Bell said.

Reflecting on just this season alone, Bell was left unsatisfied after the opening of the season. He had hoped to get off to a bit of a better start, but believes he has kicked it into an extra gear entering the most important time of his senior season.

“The season started off not as well as I had hoped, as I had wanted to start off better but it was still a good season,”  Bell said. “I’ve come into form in the more important tournaments of the season and played my best golf of the season when I needed to.”

With it being his senior year, Bell has been asked to step into a leadership role on the varsity team amongst some of the younger players. During the fall, he was asked to do the same on the varsity soccer team. Bell has embraced both roles and emerged as one of the top leaders on both teams.

“I’ve tried to encourage other players to play more outside of school, like in the summer while we’re not in season, and also try to help them as much as I can when we’re actually playing,” Bell said. “If they need help with their swing, they don’t know what to do, or if it’s a certain shot, I try to give them different options and try to determine what’s best for them to do in the situation.”

Over his four years at Howell North, Bell has been heavily involved in the school’s athletics. He started his high school career off by lacing the cleats on the Knights’ soccer team, and concluded it on the course for the golf team. The memories made during this journey will last a lifetime, and the impact Bell made on his two teams will only help both going forward. But it’s not just Bell who’s left an impact but vice-versa as well.

“I feel like it [golf] has made me a better person,” Bell said, “and I’ve been able to make connections with different people through the game in playing different schools and meeting different people, whether that’d be opponents or coaches. As a whole, it’s helped me mature as a person.”