(By Lillian Gleeson ’25, staff writer)
Golf has been a part of Olivia Bartal’s life for as long as she can remember. She picked up a club for the first time when she was nine years old after watching professional golf on television. With her father’s encouragement, she began practicing by hitting wiffle balls into a small pool in her backyard. Soon after, she began taking lessons at her local golf course and even participated in the Drive, Chip, & Putt competition, which focuses on junior golf development.
By her sophomore year of high school, Bartal was competing on Lebanon High School’s golf team. Her team practiced at Lebanon Country Club, which is also the course where LVC’s golf team practiced. Through this connection, she was eventually recruited to LVC, where she is pursuing a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s in clinical mental health counseling.
As Bartal prepares for her spring season, she reflected on her journey in golf and in her education at LVC.
“LVC fell perfectly in my lap, for everything,” she said. “Not only did they do an accredited 3+2 program, which was exactly what I wanted. But, it was close to home. It’s familiar. It just happened that LVC had everything that I wanted. A really cool, matched–my-vibe girls’ golf team, my major was everything I wanted. It just all made sense.”
Throughout the past three years, Bartal’s impact on the golf team has been immeasurable. She has remained a dedicated player on the team, always bringing her best to golf practice, and is a positive influence on her teammates.
“Olivia has a great attitude and always has a positive energy about her that lifts the team up,” Emma Dissinger, graduate student and women’s golf team captain, said. “I am very grateful to have her as a teammate and friend for the past three years. I look up to her in many ways and can’t wait to see all she accomplishes in the future.”
Bartal shared about how having a supportive women’s golf team has helped her grow in confidence. In high school, she only had one other female teammate and was excited to find community in the sport that she loves.
“Coming here, there was just always something so nice about having like a group of girls who genuinely support each other,” she said. “We have a really special dynamic.”
One of the unique ways that the team supports each other is known as the golf cart key. After each match, the team decides to recognize a teammate by giving them a key to a golf cart. The chosen player signs their initials onto the keychain and keeps the key until the next match.
“I love the idea of the cart key,” Bartal said. “We never gave it based on ‘Oh, you performed so well today’ or ‘Oh, you won every single time.’ Sometimes, if someone was going through something emotional, it was just like, ‘Hey girl, we support you. We are so proud of you for going out there and pushing through.’”
Bartal often finds a sense of calm on the course.
“Golf is a very mental sport,” she said. “It just gives you a really good time and space to slow down and ground yourself.”
Golf has also helped Bartal remain connected with her friends and family. Her favorite rounds of golf are those played with her father.
“I prefer playing golf with my dad over anything else,” she said. “It’s my favorite way to spend quality time with my dad.”
Bartal makes an impact, both on the course and off. She is involved in many other extracurriculars, including theater, orchestra and vocal lessons. She is currently performing as part of the choir in Lebanon High School’s production of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” She also volunteers to help create costumes and assemble set pieces for her former high school.
“Helping people has always just been something that that I’ve grown up surrounded by,” she said. “I’m a very firm believer in giving back to places that took such great care of you.”
As Bartal looks towards her future, she envisions remaining in the local area and working in adolescent therapy, perhaps with the Milton Hershey School or PA Counseling Services. And as for golf — she just couldn’t imagine her life without it.