By MARTY JAMES martyjames.sports@gmail.com
AMERICAN CANYON – Nick DeBellis was looking forward to starting a new chapter in his life. He was looking forward to going away to college, to attending San Jose State. He wasn't thinking about playing sports anymore.
"I wanted to experience that college atmosphere," said DeBellis, who is from El Cerrito. "I went there, thinking it would be a fun time."
At some point last fall, something changed for DeBellis.
"There were some great moments and some not so great moments," he said. "I'm glad I experienced it. I wouldn't call it being homesick. I didn't have as much fun as I thought I was going to have."
He talked about it with his dad, Mike DeBellis, realizing that he wanted to make a change, to transfer and to try and continue with sports, either in baseball or golf.
He decided on golf, that he wanted to put all he could into the game. And so, he got in contact with Bob Freschi, the head coach for the men's team at Napa Valley College.
"I thought this would provide me a lot more happiness than what I was feeling in San Jose. And that's what ultimately led me to leave San Jose, and come here," said DeBellis, a 2023 El Cerrito High School graduate. "I'm playing the game that I love to play. I want to play golf."
DeBellis met with Freschi in the athletic department offices. As a mid-year transfer, he joined the NVC team at the start of its spring season in January.
"I was like, I'm going to do this. This sounds like a fun atmosphere. I have to compete, of course, to make this spot, because I wasn't here in the fall," said DeBellis. "And I was just like, I was ready for that.
"I came back here knowing I want to play golf, and I love playing golf. And so that's why I think, ultimately, I chose to come back here."
One of the first players to greet and welcome DeBellis to the NVC program was Tyler Momono, who went to Pinole Valley High School. The two played for their respective golf teams in the Tri-County-Rock League. They are both freshmen for Napa Valley, which has won six Big 8 Conference North Division tournaments so far and is looking to clinch the title when it returns to tournament play on April 22 at Elkhorn Golf Club in Stockton. It's the Big 8 Conference's 11th North Division tournament.
"We had that connection," said DeBellis, 18. "And that was really cool, showing up at the first practice. He saw me and came right over. It's been cool, to have that connection with him, because it made me feel more comfortable quick. He has helped me a lot.
"It's been wonderful having him on the team, introducing me to the team."
Napa Valley is one of the top teams, not only in Northern California, but the state as well.
The Storm finished in fifth place at the State Preview Invitational on March 18 at Sandpiper Golf Club, in Goleta (Santa Barbara County). Playing in a field of 18 teams, Napa Valley posted a 394-team score.
"All these guys have been great. It's been really fun," said DeBellis. "I'm really excited to see where this season goes. I'm ready for NorCals. I played pretty good at Yolo Fliers. It was the first time seeing the course. I'm really excited to go back there for NorCals."
Yolo Fliers Club in Woodland will host the Northern California Regional, a two-day, 36-hole event, May 5 and 6. It's a qualifier for the California Community College Athletic Association State Championships, May 12-13, at Sandpiper Golf Club.
DeBellis, a freshman who is a left-handed player, has been solid all season in the Storm's lineup. He practices and plays with the NVC team at its home course, Chardonnay Golf Club & Vineyards, in American Canyon. He also plays at Berkeley Country Club, in El Cerrito.
"Nick is a great talent, a wonderful young man, a real physical talent, a great sense of humor. I'm so glad to have him in our program," Freschi said at a practice last week at Chardonnay. "He just needs to be a little bit more disciplined on the course."
DeBellis was the co-individual low medalist, firing an even-par 72 at Wildhorse Golf Club in Davis, and leading the Storm to a second-place finish in a Big 8 Conference-North Division tournament on April 10. He chipped in for an eagle during his round.
It was the 10th tournament of the Big 8 Conference-North Division spring season.
"He stripes the ball really well, and he gets it out there with anybody in our conference," said Freschi. "With approach shots, it's just course management that he needs to do a better job of.
"He's got the physical talent. Now he has to have the mental game to catch up to his physical game, and that just takes time to develop and that's what he's going through. I'm really proud of him for doing what he's doing and how he's contributing to our team."
DeBellis has been a big-time contributor for the Storm. Other low-scoring rounds turned in by DeBellis include:
* 4-over-par 75, at Woodbridge Golf and Country Club in San Joaquin County, the Big 8 Conference's first tournament.
* 7-over-par 79, at Silverado Resort and Spa's North Course, the Big 8 Conference's third tournament of the season.
* 6-over-par 78, at Chardonnay Golf Club & Vineyards, the fourth tournament of the Big 8 Conference season.
* 5-over-par 77, at Yolo Fliers Club in Woodland, the Big 8 Conference North Division's seventh tournament of the spring season.
* 6-over-par 78, at The Ridge Golf Club in Auburn, the Big 8 Conference's eighth North Division tournament.
DeBellis has taken some big steps with his game by playing for Napa Valley – putting in all the work on the range and in practice rounds, learning so much about the mental game, traveling to so many courses and competing in tournaments.
It's been a learning experience, he said.
"Tournament golf is such a learning experience. It's so different than just going out there and playing a normal round. It's been a mental process. And it's also been a process as I've been trying to get myself, once I leave the golf course, not to think about golf as much. It's hard when you're playing in all these tournaments and it consumes so much of your life. I'm doing this every day. I will say it's definitely been a learning experience," said DeBellis.
"There's been a lot of ups and downs. Golf is like a game where you get on that plateau. You kind of just get stuck there for a while and you try and like figure it out, trying to get back up on that climb. I'm just trying to find that next gear to get going again. But it's been fun. I enjoy the process. It's frustrating, but fun."
DeBellis said the mental part of his game has improved so much by playing for NVC.
"I feel like I've really tried to work on that part of my game," he said.
"I drive the golf ball really well. I would say there's a lot to work on in the short game. I struggle a little bit there. It's coming here every day and practicing with a plan. Every swing counts. When I'm on the range, it's just being focused, taking good swings every time and working on the fundamentals."
DeBellis is also learning about the different courses that Napa Valley plays at in tournaments during its spring season.
"They all are different. That's also part of the learning process – playing them for the first time and learning all these courses, how to hit different shots, how to land the ball softer, how to put more spin on it," he said. "I haven't really struggled off the tee that much this year. Putting yourself in a good spot
off the tee is a huge start to playing these courses you've never played before. It's just putting yourself in the right spot on these courses."
DeBellis also works with Brandon Gazdar, an instructor at East Bay Golf Lab in Walnut Creek.
DeBellis and his uncle, Dominic DeBellis, played in a Northern California Golf Association four-ball qualifying, on April 11 at Rancho Solano Golf Course, in Fairfield. They tied for 28th place.
* Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016, the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Napa High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.