Tipp’s shining star provides leadership for golf squad

Ella Berning, a senior at Tippecanoe, has had a very successful high school golf career so far. 

An early favorite this season for Player of the Year in the Miami Valley League, Berning has brought home two all-conference awards and led the Red Devils to their third straight overall league championship. She also shot an 80 to help her team advance to the districts.  For Berning, it is her final season to put together even more success. This summer has been a successful one for Berning, and she looks for a great finish to her career. “Throughout my off-season during the winter and this summer, I’ve done a lot of work on the range and in my garage, which I have a net in that I use when the weather doesn’t permit me to be outside,” Berning said. “I also have a membership at Cassel Hills golf course in Vandalia, so taking advantage of that has also helped me exponentially.”

“Another thing that I have found to be extremely helpful when it comes to improving my golf game is taking lessons, and I see swing coach Brad Smith at Heatherwoode in Springboro. All of the work I’ve done with him has helped me advance a lot in golf.” With all of her individual work to prepare for this season, she has one thing in mind … winning. And her leadership could be a big part of that. “I would absolutely love to win the league title again, and I would love it if the team could go to state this year. So I will do everything I can to take us as far into tournament play as possible,” she said. “I think this year we can really have a great season. I’m looking to hopefully inspire some of the younger girls to continue playing and to do their best since the girls golf program lies with them in the coming years. I think it’s very important to encourage everyone to play their best, so as a senior, a lot of that responsibility falls to me.” 

She knows that not only does her physical game have to be there when she steps onto the course this season, but her mental game is just as important for her to succeed.  “Some of my mastered strengths are with driving and iron shots, I am very able to hit long shots and cover a lot of distance with those clubs,” Berning said. “My putting has also improved so much over these past four years.”

“But, as many golfers know, the mental part of your game is the most important. I’m still learning to mentally structure myself so that I can set aside bad shots when they inevitably happen, but also so I can remember to celebrate when I have good shots. Scottie Scheffler is a great example for someone like me. He stays so composed and calm when he has bad shots. I really admire his ability to stay mentally focused in the game.” Another big part of her game that was discussed earlier is her leadership she can provide to her teammates. The senior knows how important that will be for the success of this team. 

“I think I tend to be a more quiet leader who leads by example,” she said. “I show leadership by continuously putting in hours of practice every day, encouraging people to do their best and hosting team dinners or times where we can all be together off the course.” “I also think it’s extremely important to encourage them to have fun. To me, leadership doesn’t always mean you have to be a hard and fast ruler, but someone that is approachable and easy to be around, and who also pushes you to be a better version of yourself.” Getting to the districts was nice last year, but she has bigger goals, and that comes with hard work. 

“The only way to advance is through hard work and dedication,” she said. “Everyone has to be willing to put in hours of work in order to achieve this goal. I think that starts with me as a senior to model that, and I think I do. I want the girls to work on improving their score, not necessarily just making par all the time which takes a mindset shift.” “Similarly, breaking some decade long school records last year was very exciting, though I do still have a lot to live up to with coach Murray’s daughters still holding some of those records. It’ll be exciting to see if I can break more records this year.”

Berning has spoken to some college coaches about her future and is looking at all of her options.