Catching Up With Tyler Brand '23

8/9/2025

No matter how much golf Tyler Brand plays in his life, he’ll always remember his performance in the Columbia Autumn Invitational Sept. 28-29, 2024, at the Lake Placid Country Club.

To say that the 2023 Collegiate graduate was in his zone is an understatement. Every shot, it seemed, was pure and magical. All phases of his game clicked. He was locked in and rocking steady.

On the scenic par-71 layout in New York State’s Adirondack Mountains, the Dartmouth College sophomore recorded rounds of 64, 66, and 66 for a 17-under 196 to break the tournament record, score a nine-stroke victory over the runner-up, lead his team to a second-place finish, and earn Ivy League golfer of the month honors.

“I just felt so in control of everything,” he said. “I felt so free. My mind was clear. I felt as if I could point and shoot, almost. I was out there just looking around at nature and the fall foliage. It’s so beautiful up there. I was just so grateful that I could even play in that tournament.”

While the Lake Placid experience was singularly memorable, it wasn’t the only highlight of Brand’s golf career at Dartmouth and Collegiate.

This past spring, he won the Columbia Spring Invitational (Springfield, Pennsylvania) and the ROAR-EE Invitational (Kingston, New York) and was named team most valuable performer and first-team All-Ivy League.

As a freshman, he played in eight matches, tied for second (out of 75) in the Cleveland Golf Palmetto Invitational (Aiken, South Carolina), tied for third (out of 90) at the ECU Intercollegiate, shot a course record 61 (eight birdies and an eagle) in the Princeton Invitational, and placed sixth (out of 35) in the Ivy League championship.

During his three years on Collegiate’s golf team, the Cougars won two Prep League and two VISAA titles, and Brand earned one All-Prep and two All-State citations and was the co-medalist (2-under 69 at the Meadowbrook Country Club) when the Cougars won the 2022 state title. In the 2023 High School Nationals at Fields Ranch in Frisco, Texas, he finished third (out of 312) to help Collegiate to a fourth place finish out of 50 teams.

One recent afternoon, Brand, an economics major, spoke of both the successes and the challenges he’s encountered during his athletic journey.

Has it been a challenge to mix golf with the academic rigors of Dartmouth?

College was definitely an adjustment. I’ve learned to be proactive with my work and plan out my days. You don’t get as much time to practice as in high school. There’s always something else you have to be doing. You can’t just go to the range and be out there for six hours a day, so you don’t get the same reps in practice.

In what areas have you improved since you arrived at Dartmouth?

Every bit of my game has become more consistent because I’ve gotten stronger and I’ve been playing for more years now, so I know what to expect. Mentally, I’ve definitely grown, which also comes from playing more. In college golf, you might have a tournament you don’t get to warm up in. There could be weather [challenges]. You’re there sometimes before sunrise and after sunset playing 36 holes. You’re traveling six-and-a-half hours. So I try to stay mentally present. That’s something I wouldn’t have had the patience for in high school.

In what areas do you need to improve?

You can always work to improve every area of your game. The one that’s most important for me is my mental game. There was a very clear distinction between my good tournaments and bad tournaments with whether or not I would stay positive and keep going after I hit a bad shot or if I would let that bad shot frustrate me more. It seemed like it happened every other tournament. One tournament I would be very determined to trust my game and trust that good shots would come. I did well in those. There were other tournaments where maybe I was putting too much pressure on myself, and it would be like one bad shot was the end of the world, and they would slowly add up, and I would just mentally beat myself. So being [more mentally consistent] makes a big difference. In all these moments, I have to take a step back and realize what a privilege it is to play a sport I love at such a great school.

Is golf more mental or physical?

One hundred percent mental. This year was good. It gave me a lot of confidence. I know I can win. I can be this good, but my takeaway was how important the mental game is.

What do you enjoy most about the game of golf?

When I first started playing, I really liked the aspect of being outside in nature. It’s peaceful. It’s an escape. It still definitely an escape from what’s going on in the rest of my life. Golf is a game, but the lessons you learn from it, like facing the challenges and dealing with the ups and downs, parallel life very well. It’s you versus yourself. You’re challenging yourself to be the best version of yourself you can be. How can I maximize my potential? You never feel satisfied with how good you are. No matter how well I play now, I know I can get better.

Is your goal perfection or excellence?

Excellence. I wouldn’t say I’m trying to be perfect. I think sometimes I fall into that spell of trying to hit perfect shots, and mentally you can get upset with yourself if you don’t. If I know what kind of shot I’m trying to hit, then I’m able to commit to it and try to execute it. If I execute it, that’s the best I can do.

~Weldon Bradshaw

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