‘I knew what I needed to do’: the mental game of Olentangy Orange’s Amelia Buettner, Amelia Ricker
Thursday, September 10, 2026
By Michael Rich
mrichnotwealthy@gmail.com
Olentangy Orange sophomore Amelia Buettner shot a 61 at the Golf Club of Dublin in August. She has become a leader for the Pioneers. Photo: Kevin Rouch
Amelia Buettner’s hands were shaking when she got the 16th hole at the Golf Club of Dublin on Aug. 25. She was having the kind of round that she’ll be chasing the rest of her career.
Her hands were shaking. It was a feeling that stayed with the Olentangy Orange sophomore for the final three holes.
Something else happened.
“I kind of went on autopilot those last three holes,” she said. “I mean, I went 2-under through my last three, so that speaks for itself.”
Hands still shaking, Buettner buried a 4-foot putt on 18 to finish of a career-best 61, finishing 11-under par to win the Dublin Coffman Lady Rocks Invitational.
“It was cool to be able to handle being that much under par and be able to finish the round that way instead of playing (too) conservative,” Buettner said. “I felt like (I was) in my own bubble. (I) just played my own game. I knew what I needed to do.”
Teammate and fellow sophomore Amelia Ricker watched Buettner on the last hole. Buettner and Ricker are the top two golfers for the Pioneers in a young lineup that includes junior Ellie Bach, freshman Olivia Huffman and senior Maddie Patton.
Ricker and Buettner help center each other during a round. Both of them try to avoid checking their scores on iWanamaker, a widely used electronic scoring system.
If the two see each other on the course, they’ll signal how things are going with a thumbs up or an O.K. hand gesture.
Orange sophomore Amelia Ricker lines up a putt at Oakhaven Golf Club Tuesday during a tournament hosted by Olentangy High School. Photo: Kevin Rouch
Ricker needed no such thumbs up in Dublin.
“I try not to look at the leaderboard as much as I can – especially individually,” Ricker said. “But you kind of know when somebody is going really low. I watched her last three shots and it was amazing. When she got off the hole, we all ran up to her and gave her a big hug.”
The OHSAA does not track state records for the regular season. But the round was behind another local golfer, Kary Hollenbach of New Albany, who shot a 60 at the Centerville Lady Elk Invitational at the Golf Club at Yankee Trace on Aug. 16, 2021.
“(Buettner) has the most incredible knowledge of the game at a young age that I’ve ever seen,” said Pioneers coach Todd Helline, who is in his seventh season. “She’s very much like a mental coach for the other girls. She’s always willing to help whether it’s a swing or if it’s a mental block or the girls are struggling somewhere. She’s trying to coach them up or help them out.”
The beauty of golf is there is always a way to improve, Buettner said. Looking back at her performance in Dublin, she pointed out her score could have been even better.
“I missed a 5-footer that was not that hard of a 5-footer – I just pushed it,” she said. “I had a penalty stroke on the third hole and still made par. But there’s always shots that you can look back on.
“I had a lot of good putts and some putts that I was like, ‘Ohh, I got away with that.’ I had a chip and eagle on one of the holes. I was not expecting that to go in … that was a little lucky.”
Orange junior Ellie Bach watches her tee shot on the par-three ninth hole at Oakhaven Golf Club Tuesday. Photo: Kevin Rouch
Buettner’s strengths lie in the technical aspect of golf. But she’s always working on the mental aspect.
The Pioneers are 10-0 through two rounds of OCC-Central Division play heading into the third of four rounds Sept. 16 at Blacklick Woods.
Buettner won the first two rounds with a 69 at Raymond Memorial on Aug. 26 and a 66 at Oakhaven on Aug. 31 where the top four finishers were from Orange.
“I’m really hard on myself,” Ricker said. “I try to improve my golf game and my mindset as much as I can. I don’t necessarily go (into a round) thinking about what I shot last time. I go in thinking about the shots I’m going to have. The quality of shots is a big one for me. Just how I can control myself on the golf course the best so I can try to get that low number.”
Orange is a true team in that everyone offers something. If Buettner is the technical mastermind for the Pioneers, Ricker is the team’s stabilizer.
“(Ricker) always works very hard,” Buettner said. “Ellie Bach is like the team’s mom. She’s always making sure we don’t get into any mischief. Olivia is more on the quiet side, but she leads by example. Maddy is very funny and makes a lot of jokes. We all play our specific roles.”
The Pioneers are in the mix of being one of two central Ohio teams to advance to state, which is Oct. 12-13 at NCR Country Club in Kettering.
Dublin Jerome is the top-ranked team in the state according to iWanamaker. Orange is sixth behind fifth-place New Albany before action on Sept. 10.
Related Article:
“‘Too much Taylor Swift’: Dublin Jerome golf comfortable being uncomfortable”
By Michael Rich (August 10, 2026)