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After teaming with Artie Fink Jr. in early August to win the Summit Invitational and following up with a stellar, 6-under par (74-72-68-68) performance to win the Sinking Valley club championship, Altoona native Nick Helsley has risen to the top ranks of our local golf scene quicker than nearly any golfer in recent memory.
"Nick has absolutely no weaknesses in his golf game," Fink said. "From his driver, to his irons and around the greens, he's got it all."
At 20 years old, Helsley is studying kinesiology at Penn State Altoona, where he's just begun his junior year. He's also a key member of coach Tom Koehle's golf squad despite the fact that golf wasn't his first love as a child.
"My favorite sport for the longest time was baseball," Helsley said. "However ,when Covid hit in 2020, all the baseball leagues were shut down and my dad ended up handing me a golf club and said 'figure it out.'''
With some tips and encouragement from his father (Doug), Helsley was introduced to the game and played his first rounds at Park Hills Country Club. Only 14 years old at the time, Helsley struggled to break 110.
When he entered ninth grade at Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic High Schooll, Helsley began focusing on golf and decided to join the school's golf team. At the time, he was fortunate to be tutored by the school's late golf coach, Mark Scalice, who placed a large emphasis on sportsmanship and proper etiquette.
Helsley also gained plenty of insight from assistant coach Chad Krawczyk, who excelled at teaching the fundamentals of the golf swing.
By the time Helsley was a senior at Bishop Guilfoyle, he was able to consistently post scores in the mid-70s. Upon graduation, choosing a college was easy. Since he grew up nearby, Penn State Altoona was always high on his list, but the fact that the school offered his desired field of study, kinesiology, made it a slam dunk.
Golf was also a drawing card, and Helsley quickly enjoyed success on the course. The Penn State Altoona team would win its conference championship during Helsley's freshman year, qualifying the squad to compete in the Division III national championship tournament in Rochester, N.Y.
"Being part of Penn State Altoona team has been huge," Helsley said. "Coach Koehle does such a great job with our golf schedule and the facility here on campus is top notch. Our assistant coach, Adam Landolfi, has also been great to work with. He's helped me tremendously with so many technical aspects of my swing."
All of this, in addition to Helsley's penchant for intense practice sessions, has led to tremendous improvement in his game.
"Nick is a workaholic," Fink said. "You'll see him spending hours on the practice tee at Sinking Valley or working on his chipping and putting. He's also the most down-to-earth, polite kid you'll ever meet."
In addition to practice, Helsley credits his recent success to physical training. Including what Penn State Altoona provides, Helsley has also worked closely with Ambrose Aquadro, a trainer at Next Level Performance in Altoona, to improve and strengthen the mechanics of his swing. Amazingly, Helsley has been clocked at a swing speed that maxes out at 144 mph and a ball speed that reaches 204 mph (levels that far exceed the average on PGA Tour).
With all this momentum on his side, Helsley began showing signs of reaching the top levels among area golfers this summer.
Teaming with Fink to win the Summit Invitational earlier this month was a breakthrough moment, but his win in the recent Sinking Valley club championship was even more impressive.
Opening rounds of 74 and 72 over the first weekend left Helsley trailing 19-time champ Fink by just two shots. He followed that performance with an amazing 10 birdies against just two bogeys over the final two days to record a 68-68 finish and a three-stroke victory.
"There is still a lot of work I have to do to improve my game," Helsley said. "It's exciting waking up each morning and thinking, 'if I put enough effort into it, I can only get better.'''