Category: Media

New Caddie Program at Lake Forest Country Club

Bobby BolinLeave a comment

Lake Forest Country Club is making an investment to establish a caddie program at the club. 

Well established caddie programs have at their core a solid training program, caddies who love the game, and players who understand that walking is a better golf experience.  In addition to being a great way for a teen to earn money, they also learn responsibility, make connections in their community, and gain a deeper appreciation for the game of golf.

Lake Forest Country Club has partnered with ClubUp, a leading provider of caddie solutions, to establish a caddie program at the club.  We are looking for prospective caddies who would like to participate in a formal training program to develop the skills needed to be an effective caddie and to provide caddying services at the club this summer.  Interested participants will be expected to attend training the evenings of May 9-10 at Lake Forest (100 Lake Forest Drive, Hudson.)  Training will include some classroom style learning as well as outdoors, on-course training.  Participants will learn the finer points of caddying and the basics of the course to prepare them to caddie.  Caddies will be certified after completing training and passing a test. 

After certification, caddies will have access to an app where they can be hired by golfers to provide caddying services.  Members will request a caddie when they make a tee time (typically a week ahead of the date of play.)  The tee time system will automatically notify all certified caddies that the loop is available.  Caddies can review the date and time and decide if they want to accept the offer.  After the round, caddies will receive feedback on their performance via the app.

Caddies are considered independent contractors and are not employees of Lake Forest.  The caddie fees are negotiated between the caddie and the golfer prior to the round.  Suggested ranges of fees are provided to both the caddy and the golfer and are based on relative experience and skill of the caddie.

Please pass this note along to anyone who may be interested in caddying this summer.  Anyone interested in attending training is asked to email LFCCCaddie@gmail.com to notify us of your interest.  Further information will be sent to anyone interested.

Sincerely

Gary Grant

Golf Committee Chair

Lake Forest Country Club

NEO Futures Tour Expects Junior, High School, and College Girls’ Memberships to Grow Again in 2023

Bobby BolinLeave a comment

The NEO Futures Tour expects another increase in female memberships in 2023 as the Tour has now expanded to include a total of 19 events at 19 outstanding golf courses covering Lake, Geauga, Cuyahoga, Medina, Portage, and Summit Counties. The mission statement remains the same, “To make junior golf accessible to all the youth of Northeast Ohio.”


In addition, the NEO Futures Tour is proud to be partnering with OhioHSGolf.com, the preeminent source for information regarding and showcasing girls golf in Northeast, Ohio. “We are delighted to be partnering with a media source focused on highlighting the great things our female youth are doing on the golf course and in the community.”


Membership grew to over 50 female members in 2022 representing over 20 high schools and colleges. The expectation is that we will exceed 75 female golfers for the 2023 season with over 30 high schools and colleges represented.


The tour is available to both male and female junior golfers from 4th grade through college age. Divisions are created based on skill level. We utilize modified tees for the younger golfers who play nine-hole tournaments and we have 18-hole tournaments for the High School and College players. There are both male and female divisions as well as A & B flights.


Membership registration is available at www.neofuturestour.com through 2/28/23 for $35. Post 2/28/23 membership registration is $60. Additional information regarding the NEO Futures Tour is available on our website.


Our 2023 tournament schedule is listed below with costs. Individual tournament registration will be live and available for registration by the end of February.

Questions: Please email neofuturestour@gmail.com

Welcome to Ohio HS Golf!

Bobby BolinLeave a comment

My name is Bobby Bolin, and I am the Girls Varsity Golf Coach at Hudson High School. If someone would have told me when I took this position four years ago that I would be publishing a website promoting girls golf, I would have told them they were certifiably insane. My wife, Dr. Megan Bolin, still does say that I’m crazy, yet her support for me and my cause is uplifting and inspiring. My passion for this sport has grown immensely due to several factors that I have experienced while coaching.

The first and most important factor is the people who I have encountered on this journey. Some of the most amazing student-athletes, coaches, and parents spend much of their fall season on the golf course. The stories, advice, and interactions I get while coaching are unmatched in anything else I do.

These athletes are unbelievably talented on the course, in the classroom, and in the community. For example, Dixon Hill from Hathaway Brown School is not only their top golfer, but she is nationally ranked as a squash player. I have had the pleasure of meeting players who participate in Academic Challenge, act in theatre programs, play a variety of varsity sports, and speak multiple foreign languages, just to list a few accomplishments. On top of that, the pure skill of these golfers is so fun to witness. I strongly believe that female athletes possess better technical skills and fundamentals than their male counterparts. This is on display all over interscholastic, college, and professional athletics for those who pay attention.

Saying that girls’ and women’s sports are underrepresented is nothing groundbreaking or earth-shattering. Seeing how girls and women are sometimes treated on the golf course can be, at times, downright appalling. We have become much more inclusive of female golfers over the past couple decades, but there is still some work to do. The purpose of this website is to give recognition to a sport, especially on the female side, that is often overlooked by the general population. These athletes deserve to be honored for their achievements and accomplishments. This website is designed to give them the space they should rightfully have.

I have always been fascinated by the sport of golf. I grew up playing as much as my family would allow me and spent a great deal of time watching golf on television. I played at Buckeye High School in Medina and continued to play casually after that. I started my coaching career as the girls coach at Padua Franciscan High School and coached the boys JV team at Hudson before taking over the girls program. The funny part is that my biggest passion for the sport has not been the game itself, but golf course architecture. In other words, I’m a huge nerd. As my coaching career has evolved, I have become more and more interested in the instruction aspect of golf. Coaching has made me both a better instructor but also a better (but still not great) player.

The relationships that are built through this sport are deep and lifelong. My assistant coaches, Marc Zustin and Brian Mangol, are two of my best friends. Our now-retired team booster representative (team mom), Kristen Grant, along with her husband Gary and two daughters, Lizzy and Meaghan, are like an extended family for me. Our players and their families have made me a better person and have become a huge part of my life. All this is because people have been given access to and the chance to embrace this sport.

To end my rambling, here is the mission of this website. I am not a journalist, so do not expect any Pulitzer Prize-winning writing. I’m not here to make any profit, to promote my team over others, or to disparage any other team, coach, or player. The purpose of this website is to showcase girls high school golf in Northeast Ohio by highlighting the teams, coaches, and players who make a positive impact on their school and community. Please join me in shedding light on our sport and the people who make it what it is.

If anyone would like to contribute in any way, please feel free to contact me at bolinr@hudson.k12.oh.us. We are always open to suggestions, ideas, and any kind of help.

Thank you to all who are here for promoting girls high school golf in Northeast Ohio. Also a huge thanks to Tim Naujoks for his dedication to creating a logo for the site and to Allison Noga for her proofreading skills.

Bobby Bolin