BOND SECURITY
How basketball helped Collin Bond break out as a Cowboys golf recruit
High School Insider Hallie Hart, The Oklahoman USA TODAY NETWORK
NORMAN — Collin Bond watched in astonishment as he sank the 45-foot putt for the win at Shirkey Golf Course.
From the gallery, a voice rang out with the unbridled gusto of a radio announcer.
“Boom, baby!” yelled his father, Dr. James Bond.
Forgive the orthopedic surgeon if his triumphant catchphrase sounded more like it belonged in a rocking fieldhouse than on a serene golf course. Collin built his athletic career on a basketball court, so the elder Bond was accustomed to pumping up lively gym crowds.
Plus, who could blame him for showing pure enthusiasm when his son’s debut on the juniors tour ended with a first-place finish?
Collin, a Community Christian junior, didn’t expect this breakout. In his family of proud basketball tradition, no one enjoyed golf — the Bonds didn’t tune in to PGA tournaments on TV, let alone spend hours on a course.
But in a whirlwind turn of events, the kid who took up golf on a whim is planning to join one of the most decorated programs in the country.
His parents are gladly learning to be fans.
Collin, who is No. 4 in the American Junior Golf Association’s in-state boys rankings, committed to Oklahoma State in January. This school year, he sacrificed basketball to focus on the key to his future, but his first athletic love has undeniably shaped his approach to his new passion.
“On the basketball court, he will get nose to nose with you,” Collin’s father said. “You don’t push him around. He’s a scrapper. And on the golf course, you can see how he scraps for these strokes and never gives up. Might have a few bad holes, but (he) thinks about the next shot, or next-play mentality.”
Community Christian golf coach Jerry Stephens said he noticed Collin’s competitive juice when he joined the program as a freshman.
This quality bonds the Bonds, and it’s rooted in fast-paced basketball environments. Both parents played college hoops. So have two of Collin’s older siblings. And grandmother Carol Lane Tiger, is, in the words of Collin’s dad, a “vibrant personality” who won a couple of state championships playing for Bill Self Sr.
Fittingly, when Collin reached the turning point of his golf career, it happened not on the green, but on the hardwood. As a sophomore, he and his basketball team surged into the Class 3A state finals, turning around from a demoralizing, early-season 42-point loss to Heritage Hall.
Although the Royals fell to Millwood on a buzzer-beater in the championship, their run gave Collin more confidence as a golfer.
“I just think the fact that we had so much belief in each other and belief in ourselves really made me say, ‘Hey, I just gotta keep my head down working,’” Collin said. “‘I’m gonna see some results. I don’t have to worry about colleges. I’m gonna get there. I just have to make myself believe; it will all follow from there.’” The golf journey started with a serendipitous encounter during his seventh-grade year at Community Christian. And he wouldn’t have gone to school there if it weren’t for Bai Jobe, who moved from Senegal to live with the Bonds.
The now-Michigan State football signee wanted to study and play sports in the United States, and Community Christian was the school that would sponsor his student visa. So Collin, whose older siblings attended Mount St. Mary, went to school with Jobe.
There, Collin made a friend who suggested he try golf, using a middle-school salesman pitch.
He could miss school for tournaments, and what kid wouldn’t rather spend time outside than in the classroom?
Boom – Collin was on board. At first, his parents figured it was a phase. Some teenagers start punk rock bands and smash guitars to stand out from their families; others wake up for early tee times and swing 9-irons.
Then they realized Collin seriously cared. He wanted to be good, so his dad made a deal.
“I said, ‘We’re not buying clubs until you show me you can break 80,’” James recalled. “‘We’re not just horsing around.’
“I wanted him to be all in. We support anything any of our kids have done, but you use the same energy that we use in basketball, the same principles, and go after it.”
When he was staying home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Collin mowed his family’s field and hit wedge shots on the close-cut grass. He borrowed clubs from a family friend. And his random hobby turned into a passion.
The scores dropped, dipping below 100 and then matching the milestone his dad set.
During the past juniors season, Collin recorded a stroke average of 69.4.
Although his career was taking off with help from golf pro Johnny Johnson, who is from his dad’s hometown of Stroud, Collin had to deal with a tough decision. When he attended the Royals’ basketball season opener, he immediately wished he was playing. Sometimes, he still has the itch to rejoin his teammates.
But instead of trying to balance two sports, Collin stuck with his dad’s message: “Be all in.”
“I just want to kind of make a name for myself and go down my own path,” Collin said, “and show how far I can go with this sport I like to do.'
That approach is working. His first juniors event brought him a win at Shirkey Golf Course in Missouri, and college programs noticed Collin’s rapid progress. Notre Dame jumped in first, but Collin chose OSU because of the proximity to home and the academic scholarships that could supplement his golf offer — and coach Alan Bratton’s down-to-earth nature helped.
In school, Collin is chasing an individual state title. He took his latest step Thursday, winning the Hefner Tournament.
As for his parents? They’re adjusting to the smaller audiences on golf courses instead of the huge postseason crowds at State Fair Arena, but the excitement for their son is as strong as ever.
It’s there when Collin makes a winning putt.
For James, it’s like the thrill of sinking a deep 3-pointer.
Boom, baby.
How basketball helped Collin Bond break out as a Cowboys golf recruit
High School Insider Hallie Hart, The Oklahoman USA TODAY NETWORK
NORMAN — Collin Bond watched in astonishment as he sank the 45-foot putt for the win at Shirkey Golf Course.
From the gallery, a voice rang out with the unbridled gusto of a radio announcer.
“Boom, baby!” yelled his father, Dr. James Bond.
Forgive the orthopedic surgeon if his triumphant catchphrase sounded more like it belonged in a rocking fieldhouse than on a serene golf course. Collin built his athletic career on a basketball court, so the elder Bond was accustomed to pumping up lively gym crowds.
Plus, who could blame him for showing pure enthusiasm when his son’s debut on the juniors tour ended with a first-place finish?
Collin, a Community Christian junior, didn’t expect this breakout. In his family of proud basketball tradition, no one enjoyed golf — the Bonds didn’t tune in to PGA tournaments on TV, let alone spend hours on a course.
But in a whirlwind turn of events, the kid who took up golf on a whim is planning to join one of the most decorated programs in the country.
His parents are gladly learning to be fans.
Collin, who is No. 4 in the American Junior Golf Association’s in-state boys rankings, committed to Oklahoma State in January. This school year, he sacrificed basketball to focus on the key to his future, but his first athletic love has undeniably shaped his approach to his new passion.
“On the basketball court, he will get nose to nose with you,” Collin’s father said. “You don’t push him around. He’s a scrapper. And on the golf course, you can see how he scraps for these strokes and never gives up. Might have a few bad holes, but (he) thinks about the next shot, or next-play mentality.”
Community Christian golf coach Jerry Stephens said he noticed Collin’s competitive juice when he joined the program as a freshman.
This quality bonds the Bonds, and it’s rooted in fast-paced basketball environments. Both parents played college hoops. So have two of Collin’s older siblings. And grandmother Carol Lane Tiger, is, in the words of Collin’s dad, a “vibrant personality” who won a couple of state championships playing for Bill Self Sr.
Fittingly, when Collin reached the turning point of his golf career, it happened not on the green, but on the hardwood. As a sophomore, he and his basketball team surged into the Class 3A state finals, turning around from a demoralizing, early-season 42-point loss to Heritage Hall.
Although the Royals fell to Millwood on a buzzer-beater in the championship, their run gave Collin more confidence as a golfer.
“I just think the fact that we had so much belief in each other and belief in ourselves really made me say, ‘Hey, I just gotta keep my head down working,’” Collin said. “‘I’m gonna see some results. I don’t have to worry about colleges. I’m gonna get there. I just have to make myself believe; it will all follow from there.’” The golf journey started with a serendipitous encounter during his seventh-grade year at Community Christian. And he wouldn’t have gone to school there if it weren’t for Bai Jobe, who moved from Senegal to live with the Bonds.
The now-Michigan State football signee wanted to study and play sports in the United States, and Community Christian was the school that would sponsor his student visa. So Collin, whose older siblings attended Mount St. Mary, went to school with Jobe.
There, Collin made a friend who suggested he try golf, using a middle-school salesman pitch.
He could miss school for tournaments, and what kid wouldn’t rather spend time outside than in the classroom?
Boom – Collin was on board. At first, his parents figured it was a phase. Some teenagers start punk rock bands and smash guitars to stand out from their families; others wake up for early tee times and swing 9-irons.
Then they realized Collin seriously cared. He wanted to be good, so his dad made a deal.
“I said, ‘We’re not buying clubs until you show me you can break 80,’” James recalled. “‘We’re not just horsing around.’
“I wanted him to be all in. We support anything any of our kids have done, but you use the same energy that we use in basketball, the same principles, and go after it.”
When he was staying home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Collin mowed his family’s field and hit wedge shots on the close-cut grass. He borrowed clubs from a family friend. And his random hobby turned into a passion.
The scores dropped, dipping below 100 and then matching the milestone his dad set.
During the past juniors season, Collin recorded a stroke average of 69.4.
Although his career was taking off with help from golf pro Johnny Johnson, who is from his dad’s hometown of Stroud, Collin had to deal with a tough decision. When he attended the Royals’ basketball season opener, he immediately wished he was playing. Sometimes, he still has the itch to rejoin his teammates.
But instead of trying to balance two sports, Collin stuck with his dad’s message: “Be all in.”
“I just want to kind of make a name for myself and go down my own path,” Collin said, “and show how far I can go with this sport I like to do.'
That approach is working. His first juniors event brought him a win at Shirkey Golf Course in Missouri, and college programs noticed Collin’s rapid progress. Notre Dame jumped in first, but Collin chose OSU because of the proximity to home and the academic scholarships that could supplement his golf offer — and coach Alan Bratton’s down-to-earth nature helped.
In school, Collin is chasing an individual state title. He took his latest step Thursday, winning the Hefner Tournament.
As for his parents? They’re adjusting to the smaller audiences on golf courses instead of the huge postseason crowds at State Fair Arena, but the excitement for their son is as strong as ever.
It’s there when Collin makes a winning putt.
For James, it’s like the thrill of sinking a deep 3-pointer.
Boom, baby.
