Boys golf: Grayslake Central's Bolin one who is always learning

When Grayslake Central senior Thomas Bolin isn't starring on the links, he's still on the course learning the intricacies of the game.

In his spare time, Bolin is a caddie at Merit Club in Libertyville, a job he's held since 2019.

"It gives you a lot of good opportunities to interact with the golf community," he said. "You are able to enjoy the course and do things like read the greens. It's been a help every time I go out there. You learn a lot from the different golfers - some of them are very good, but you always pick up something from somebody."

Bolin is poised to finish his high school career with a bang. He's a two-time Northern Lake County Conference individual champion and helped the Rams to a 10-0 record, the NLCC team title and a regional championship during a COVID-19-truncated season.

"Over the past four years, Thomas has worked on his game continuously," Rams coach Jim Mazzetta said. "He is a team player and a great role model for the other players. He is getting a lot of interest from colleges and plans on competing somewhere once he graduates."

Bolin didn't rest on his laurels during the offseason. He was able to squeeze in a few summer tournaments and won a Prep Tour event at The Rail in Springfield where he went 76-79 to secure a 2-stroke victory.

"I improved my ball striking and became more consistent," he said. "Right now, the best part of my game probably is my ability to get off the tee in many ways. I am comfortable hitting my driver and hitting my other clubs off the tee to get myself into a good position."

As Mazzetta mentioned, Bolin is receiving collegiate interest. Bolin said he has an official offer from Evangel University, an NAIA school, in Springfield, MO. He'd like to study marketing or finance.

But before he turns his attention to the next frontier, Bolin, like all high school golfers, is anxious to get into the rhythm of a normal high school season that will conclude with the reward of possibly qualifying for the state meet.

"Tough isn't the right word," Bolin said in describing last season. "It was interesting. We were playing knowing we would not have a shot to go to state. This year, hopefully we will have something to play for."

Bolin also likes the way things are shaping up for the Rams, who will look for key contributions as well from the likes of sophomore Dom Lucchesi, senior Nolan Bleniss and junior Nolan Mussay.

"Things have been pretty promising the last couple days," he said earlier this week. "We would like to go undefeated in conference and win the conference title again for the third year in a row and hopefully we can make it to state."