Bethel-Tate senior golfer Nick Millen and coach Brian Carter. Photo courtesy Evan Shepherd.
One of the best golf careers in Bethel-Tate High School history ended earlier this month a long drive from campus – 55 miles north, give or take a well-hit three-iron.
Senior Nick Mullen represented Bethel-Tate in the Division II district tournament at Heatherwoode Golf Club in Springboro after placing third in the sectional at The Mill Course in Springfield Township Sept. 27. Earlier, he won the Southern Buckeye Conference National Division championship at Eagle’s Nest Golf Course in Goshen. That was his third SBAAC National title in four seasons (2020, 2022), making him a three-time Player of the Year and a top-five all-time Tiger, his coach said.
“It has been an unbelievable pleasure to get to coach Nick. Absolutely he is an incredible golfer, but that doesn’t hold a candle to who he is as a person.,” Brian Carter said. Carter has some sense of that history. He is in his seventh season as Bethel-Tate coach (2016-2018 and 2020-present), and an alumnus of the school.
Mullen lowered his nine-hole stroke average by five shots over four years, from 41 to 36, an improvement Carter described as “crazy” and which he credits to both Mullen’s physical talents as well as his mental approach.
“It is quite amazing to walk into any competition and know you are one of the guys everyone else is trying to beat,” Carter said. “He keeps a cool head, and is a gamer. One of his strengths is his ability to adapt to his competition. He thrives in a competitive environment.
“Another is his ability to commit to any shot. When he walks up to take the swing, he knows that is what he wants to do. A lot of shots I see that end up awry are because someone is not committed to that swing. He knows what he wants to do before he approaches the ball.”
His 38-36 – 74 score at the sectional was a “decent round,” Mullen said, and the experience at Heatherwoode a nice way to go out.
“Competing in districts … was a very cool experience, getting to play a practice round and then the actual tournament there. I did not play well whatsoever, but I did have fun with my playing partners,” he said. Mullen tied for 43rd. It was his second district tournament berth, having tied for 43rd in the 2021 tournament at Glenview Golf Course in Glendale, shooting a 40-44 – 84.
Such success could be expected from a player born with clubs in their hands. But that is not the case for Mullen. He began playing golf seriously at the age of “7 or 8,” with his dad, and would also go on outings with friends.
“I think his biggest improvement is his ability to not be afraid of playing a safe shot. He had moments of wanting to be a hero too early and found himself in a hole. As he got older, he got much better about taking a safe shot,” Carter said.
That approach spread to the entire team, which placed second to Williamsburg in the SBAAC National, 21 shots behind the Wildcats. Bethel-Tate scored 12 shots better than it did in winning the 2022 tournament, but lost to a strong Williamsburg team that qualified the entire squad to the Division III district tournament.
Carter praised Williamsburg, as well as his team.
“Coming off our first league title since 2015 I had very high expectations this year. We only graduated one golfer last season,” Carter said. “All around I am still unbelievably proud of how they played. We scored far better than last year, we just were put up against a very tough Williamsburg team that made us fight every round.”
Fighting every round is something the Tigers did from the time the season began in early August. Carter said one of his team’s strengths was the ability to recover from a bad position, or a bad hole
“The whole team did a great job when they found themselves in a hole, to get their mind right and power through. That is something that will benefit them in their golf careers,” Carter said. “Another strength is their team bond. They are all great friends. They are going above and beyond to play an extra nine holes, hit a bucket, or even just get together to watch events like The Masters.”
Juniors A.J. Johnson and Chase Sandker, and senior Colin Nickell were other leaders for the Tigers. Johnson and Sandker were named second-team All-SBAAC National, and Nickell lowered his average seven shots while keeping the team loose. “He always had the team laughing and having fun,” Carter said.
Two other players also drew recognition from Carter. Senior C.J. Stober improved his sectional score by more than 60 strokes from freshman season, and junior Caleb Guy “improved in silence and broke into the 40s for the first time in his career,” Carter said.
“There is also a freshman trio in Ashton Cook, Will Chafin and Hayden Hehemann that make the future of the program look very, very bright,” he said.
I would like to add that I was the lucky one to get to coach so many great young golfers,” Carter said.”They make the job more enjoyable than they even understand. I also could not have done it without my assistant coach, and girls coach, Brianne Mullen (Nick’s mother)..
Mullen, who is also a member of Bethel-Tate’s chapter of the National Honor Society, also has a bright future. He plans to enlist in the United States Navy and become a nuclear engineer.