Kinzy Welstad

MINOT – Kinzy Welstad’s summer-on-the-go doesn’t leave as much time to be on the golf course as she would prefer. Playing on a travel fastpitch softball team and attending summer basketball camps and games, takes a lot of time and energy. 

 “Balancing golf with basketball and softball is challenging, but I try to make sure to find time for golf,’’ Welstad said. “Whether that be going out and playing or just hitting a quick bucket of balls on the range.”

Knowing Kinzy’s hectic summer schedule makes her impressive start to the girls’ golf season all the more impressive. The Minot North senior has already medaled three times (TMCHS Invite, Watford City Invite and Bismarck Century Invite).

“Basketball and softball help me in golf as they make me a competitor year-round,’’ Welstad said. “They give me the skills that I can carry over into golf like a good work ethic; a drive for self- improvement and just appreciating being an athlete.”

There is a common thread in all three of Kinzy’s sports. Precision. Golf requires accurate ball striking. As a guard on the basketball court, she is responsible for handling the ball and making good passes. During the softball season, she is in the pitching circle and has to concentrate on hitting her spots with her pitches. 

Welstad benefited from growing up in a golf family. Her mother (Molly Anderson) was a talented high school golfer, winning a Class B medalist title for Watford City in 1996. Kinzy first started out playing the short Par 3 Wee Links course in Minot before moving on to playing rounds of golf at Vardon Golf Club.

“I’ve never taken many lessons as I just learned from family members who love the game and are knowledgeable,’’ she said.

Her all-around game has been consistent. She’s finding the fairways off the tee and getting to the green with her approach shots regularly. And her putting has been solid.

 “The biggest difference in Kinzy’s game from where she started to now is her maturity on the course,’’ says Sentinels coach Michael Delorme. “Early on, she sometimes pressed too much, trying to force birdies and other low scores if she made a mistake. Now, she’s learned to let the game come to her. She’s more patient, more composed and perfectly content to make par.”

Kinzy has posted the top scoring average among WDA golfers. Of her five rounds of competitive golf, she has posted four of them in the mid-70s. She leads the WDA in pars made which reveals how steady her play has been. 

“Winning a tournament was definitely one of my goals going into the season,’’ she said. “Winning the Turtle Mountain Invite gave me the confidence boost and I proved to myself that I was capable of doing so. I could not have asked for a better start to my senior season.”

Her success has been a big part of Minot North’s success. The squad has posted a pair of runner-up finishes so far in conference meets only to Mandan. The Sentinels nearly won last year’s West Region Tournament title, falling just one stroke behind the aforementioned Braves. With an experienced squad that includes fellow all-conference teammate, Emersyn Kopp, North will challenge for the title again. “Our team strives to get better every day with the emphasis on our short game to help us to this goal,’’ Welstad said. 

Kinzy has the distinction of being one of the first athletes in Minot North school history to qualify for a state tournament. She played three years of varsity golf with Minot High before the formation of the Sentinel program three seasons ago. Kinzy’s a player that is well respected by her teammates. “As competitive as she is, she really doesn’t care who gets the credit as long as the team is finding success,’’ Delorme said. “She isn’t the most vocal voice in the room, but she is one of the hardest workers we have. Her work ethic is unmatched and the way she carries herself on and off the course sets the tone for everyone else.”

When her final competitive rounds of golf are played in September, the focus will quickly turn to basketball and eventually softball. College is in her plans, but a decision on where she will attend, will be made at a later date, Welstad said.

She’s got plenty to keep her busy for now. And sights set on continuing her stellar play on the golf course.