University of Minnesota Athletics
Men's Golf
Robert Bell
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- bbell@umn.edu
- Phone:
- 612-395-4682
A native of Pierz, Minnesota, Robert Bell was hired by Head Coach Justin Smith in January 2022. He returns to the Gophers where he was a four-year letter winner playing from 2009-2013.
"Robert will bring a passion and energy that will impact our program and student-athletes in many ways," Smith said. "Robert's playing and teaching experience will be such an asset for all of us to learn from. I am thrilled to welcome Robert back to Gopher golf to elevate our program back to a national power."
Most recently, Bell served as an Assistant Golf Professional at Tonto Verde Golf Club in Rio Verde, Arizona. He was responsible for the execution of men’s golf events along with private club fittings. In addition, he provided elite golf lessons as the Director of Instruction at Eagle's Landing Golf Club in Fort Ripley, Minnesota.
An honor student at Pierz Healy High School, Bell allocated seven high school letters, five in golf and two in basketball. Bell was a decorative junior golfer in the state of Minnesota. He was named all-conference five times (three titles), a two-time section champion, and was named all-state following his junior and senior seasons. A runner up finish in his junior season at the Class A State Championship left Bell hungry for more during his senior campaign. Over the span of his junior summer, Bell earned Minnesota Junior PGA Player of the Year honors heading into his final season. Entering his senior year, Bell medaled in 12 of his 14 events before capping off an illustrious high school career winning the State Class AA Championship by 3 strokes. Following his victory, he kept the ball rolling by adding two more victories at the MGA State Junior Boys Championship and the Minnesota PGA Junior Boys Championship. Bell finished off his senior summer with a Top-5 finish in the Minnesota State Amateur before beginning his career as a Gopher.
At the University of Minnesota, Bell graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Management paired with a minor in Business Management through the Carlson School of Business. Bell appeared in 26 tournaments in his career for a total of 78 rounds. He recorded a career-low round of 68 and a career-low 54-hole score of 212 at the 2013 U.S. Intercollegiate. He finished in a tie for fifth place at the 2011 Fighting Irish Classic, the top finish of his career that earned him BIG Ten Athlete of the Week honors. Over his final two-seasons as a Gopher, Bell played in 21 events recording a scoring average of 74.92, which was second best on the team behind Erik Van Rooyen. Bell was also a two-time BIG Ten Sportsmanship Award winner.
After graduating from the University of Minnesota in 2013, Bell moved to sunny Scottsdale, Arizona with the promise of playing professional golf. As a professional, Bell competed in over 100 events with 12 wins to date. He was a PGA Tour member on the Canada Mackenzie Tour in 2015 and competed in two PGA Tour Korn Ferry events via Monday qualifying. He is a three-time U.S. Open local qualifier, two-time U.S. Open Sectional top-10 finisher, and a two-time Korn Ferry Q-School Stage Two participant. Bell missed getting to Final Stage of Korn Ferry Q-School by 1 stroke in 2019.
“Playing professional golf for eight years has taught me a great deal of knowledge that I wish I could have understood when I was a younger player. As a result, I know precisely what a student-athlete needs mentally and emotionally when they experience the never-ending turbulence that is golf. I understand how paramount it is to create the right learning environment for students and to instill sportsmanship, goal setting, self-discipline, teamwork, and confidence onto players. I look forward to working alongside Coach Smith and the rest of our staff to become the greatest asset to this team I can possibly be.”
During the summer months, Bell would migrate back to the Midwest to beat the Arizona heat and play on the Dakotas Tour to prepare him for the rigors of Q-School. Over his last three seasons, Bell competed in 15 events holding a scoring average of 69.13 and accumulated seven Top-5 finishes. He holds course records at the Forest Highlands - Meadow Course (Flagstaff, AZ), Camelback Golf Club - Padre Course (Paradise Valley, AZ), Spencer Golf and Country Club (Spencer, IA), Eagle's Landing Golf Club (Fort Ripley, MN) and the Pierz Municipal Golf Course (Pierz, MN).
"I am overjoyed to be back to the University of Minnesota,” Bell said. "It's been a vision of mine to get into coaching and now being able to return full circle to my alma mater feels like a dream and a perfect fit with Coach Smith. I look forward to helping enrich the lives and skills of future Gopher golfers the same way mine was."
"Robert will bring a passion and energy that will impact our program and student-athletes in many ways," Smith said. "Robert's playing and teaching experience will be such an asset for all of us to learn from. I am thrilled to welcome Robert back to Gopher golf to elevate our program back to a national power."
Most recently, Bell served as an Assistant Golf Professional at Tonto Verde Golf Club in Rio Verde, Arizona. He was responsible for the execution of men’s golf events along with private club fittings. In addition, he provided elite golf lessons as the Director of Instruction at Eagle's Landing Golf Club in Fort Ripley, Minnesota.
An honor student at Pierz Healy High School, Bell allocated seven high school letters, five in golf and two in basketball. Bell was a decorative junior golfer in the state of Minnesota. He was named all-conference five times (three titles), a two-time section champion, and was named all-state following his junior and senior seasons. A runner up finish in his junior season at the Class A State Championship left Bell hungry for more during his senior campaign. Over the span of his junior summer, Bell earned Minnesota Junior PGA Player of the Year honors heading into his final season. Entering his senior year, Bell medaled in 12 of his 14 events before capping off an illustrious high school career winning the State Class AA Championship by 3 strokes. Following his victory, he kept the ball rolling by adding two more victories at the MGA State Junior Boys Championship and the Minnesota PGA Junior Boys Championship. Bell finished off his senior summer with a Top-5 finish in the Minnesota State Amateur before beginning his career as a Gopher.
At the University of Minnesota, Bell graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Management paired with a minor in Business Management through the Carlson School of Business. Bell appeared in 26 tournaments in his career for a total of 78 rounds. He recorded a career-low round of 68 and a career-low 54-hole score of 212 at the 2013 U.S. Intercollegiate. He finished in a tie for fifth place at the 2011 Fighting Irish Classic, the top finish of his career that earned him BIG Ten Athlete of the Week honors. Over his final two-seasons as a Gopher, Bell played in 21 events recording a scoring average of 74.92, which was second best on the team behind Erik Van Rooyen. Bell was also a two-time BIG Ten Sportsmanship Award winner.
After graduating from the University of Minnesota in 2013, Bell moved to sunny Scottsdale, Arizona with the promise of playing professional golf. As a professional, Bell competed in over 100 events with 12 wins to date. He was a PGA Tour member on the Canada Mackenzie Tour in 2015 and competed in two PGA Tour Korn Ferry events via Monday qualifying. He is a three-time U.S. Open local qualifier, two-time U.S. Open Sectional top-10 finisher, and a two-time Korn Ferry Q-School Stage Two participant. Bell missed getting to Final Stage of Korn Ferry Q-School by 1 stroke in 2019.
“Playing professional golf for eight years has taught me a great deal of knowledge that I wish I could have understood when I was a younger player. As a result, I know precisely what a student-athlete needs mentally and emotionally when they experience the never-ending turbulence that is golf. I understand how paramount it is to create the right learning environment for students and to instill sportsmanship, goal setting, self-discipline, teamwork, and confidence onto players. I look forward to working alongside Coach Smith and the rest of our staff to become the greatest asset to this team I can possibly be.”
During the summer months, Bell would migrate back to the Midwest to beat the Arizona heat and play on the Dakotas Tour to prepare him for the rigors of Q-School. Over his last three seasons, Bell competed in 15 events holding a scoring average of 69.13 and accumulated seven Top-5 finishes. He holds course records at the Forest Highlands - Meadow Course (Flagstaff, AZ), Camelback Golf Club - Padre Course (Paradise Valley, AZ), Spencer Golf and Country Club (Spencer, IA), Eagle's Landing Golf Club (Fort Ripley, MN) and the Pierz Municipal Golf Course (Pierz, MN).
"I am overjoyed to be back to the University of Minnesota,” Bell said. "It's been a vision of mine to get into coaching and now being able to return full circle to my alma mater feels like a dream and a perfect fit with Coach Smith. I look forward to helping enrich the lives and skills of future Gopher golfers the same way mine was."
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