Boys golf: Busch well-prepared for lead role at Prospect

Charlie Busch wants to keep the tradition going.

Not only of stellar play on the golf course, but also in the leadership department for Prospect.

There's been no shortage of success for the Knights junior, who helped his team forge a conference championship season last year, when he was a sophomore.

Busch's sterling effort led him to be one of a very few local competitors to advance to the state tournament in Bloomington in 2016, where he acquitted himself admirably.

Over the summer, Busch played regularly to get himself ready for his junior campaign, and more accolades came his way, including winning an IJGA event in Palatine.

There's more to it this season, however, than just drives, pitches and putts.

Busch has been appointed one of the Prospect team captains this year, and takes the honor very seriously, knowing full well how much influence a captain can have on his team, especially on the younger players.

Robert Garmoe and Nick Tenuta, two outstanding Prospect players who graduated this year and have moved on to play in college, were role models for Busch last season.

"They were great guys," said Busch. "They influenced me in all aspects of my game, and they were always there to lend a helping hand."

"We were really close as a team last year, Robert, Nick, myself and the other guys. We had a good camaraderie on the course and we hung out together outside of school as well.

"They were also great leaders and two-year captains, and I know I'll try to copy what they did - but our personalities are a little different, so I'll try to put my own twist on it (the leadership role) and try to have a little fun with it."

Busch played "a ton of sports" growing up, as he put it, but decided to concentrate solely on the links in high school.

Great decision, according to Knights coach Tom Martindale.

"I believe Charlie is the only returning player in our conference (the Mid-Suburban League) who was a state qualifier last year," said Martindale. "Charlie had a final average of 39.8 as a sophomore, good for 11th place in conference, and is a very good ball striker. He has excellent knowledge of his own golf skills and is well prepared for every event. I truly believe he learned so much from Robert and Nick last year - they helped him every single day."

Busch excels not only on the course but also in the classroom. He has his sights set on possibly becoming a history or education major when the time for college comes along (with also a goal of playing competitive golf in college.)

That Busch will be able to achieve his objectives is something that Jay Renaud, his sophomore World History teacher, has no doubt about.

"Charlie is a great kid, a funny kid with a great personality," said Renaud. "He always participated, volunteered and gave his opinion. I know he works hard on the golf course, but he works just as hard in class."

"Hewas a fun teacher," said Busch of Renaud. "He was a little younger and he kind of understood us and let us have fun. I'm actually very interested in history and after college I hope to return to the area to become a teacher in high school or middle school, and also hope to coach golf along with other sports."

Busch also counted a fine arts acting class he had last year as one of his favorites.

"I don't know if I'd call it hobby," said Busch of his acting chops, "but I really enjoyed the class, especially the skits where our teacher would let us put a little bit of a spin on traditional plots."

As mentioned earlier, Busch points to last year's trip to the state tourney as one of the highlights of his career thus far.

In an emphatic postseason run, first Busch got out of regionals along with his team, then headed for the Loyola sectional in Wilmette.

And in what could only be described as karma, Busch qualified for state by firing a sparkling 76 at Loyola - as did teammates Garmoe and Tenuta, who shot the very same score to move on to the "Den" in Bloomington for the state finals.

Now that he's a junior, could another state trip be in the cards?

"I'd love to get back to state, along with my team," said the junior, "but that's not the uppermost thing in my mind right now.

"To be named captain - well, that's a very humbling experience. I want to do my best, especially to help out the younger kids."

Busch knows that in any year it can be difficult to get out of regionals and sectionals, but has a good idea of what he needs to do to succeed.

"I am a good ball striker, so that helps a lot, keeping the ball in play. I just want to get a little stronger in the mental game, because that comes into play a lot, and work on my putting."