Changing of the Guard

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Lakewood Ranch approached Jon Bullas last year about taking over the Mustangs boys golf program, but the timing just wasn’t right. 

Over the course of the past year, Bullas, who coaches six of Lakewood’s golfers through his golf academy, kept in contact with longtime Lakewood coach Dave Frantz about the possibility of stepping into the role this season. 

With his schedule better suited for the travel and time commitment associated with the high school season, Bullas, the director of instruction for the Golf Academy at Lakewood Ranch, a position he has held for the past four-and-a-half years, agreed to take over the Mustangs program.

A native of England, Bullas competed for Florida Atlantic from 1996 to 2000 before turning professional. Bullas spent the next six years touring around the world, competing in the PGA South America, European Pro Tour and the Mini Tour, among others, before moving to Florida in 2006. 

In his first season at the helm, Bullas has coached the Mustangs to a 33-5 record, including a first-place finish at the nine-team Baker Invitational Sept. 18. 

I never thought about coaching high school golf until the opportunity came up. They kept encouraging me, and it’s been a good fit for me. I enjoy being around the kids. Six of the eight guys are students of mine, so I already know the kids and their families and have had personal relationships with them since they were 7 or 8 years old.

Dave’s an organizer. He still helps me out, which is great. There’s a lot involved in high school golf. It’s not just hands-on golf coaching at tournaments. This has been his baby for so long, and I couldn’t do it without his help. He’s obviously the link to the school, and he’s really been helpful.

I want to bring the program back to championship form. They’ve been very successful previously. They were blessed with a strong incoming class at one time, and as a result were so successful. I want to re-create that. We have three freshmen, who are all capable of starting on the team, which is great for the future. This year is sort of a building year for us, but next year we should be a very strong high school team that’s capable of competing at states the next couple of years. 

The biggest thing I try to teach them is how to prepare for different courses and different conditions, and how to control their emotions when they compete. I try to teach them about themselves, so they can find the answers to guide them in the right direction. 

So much coaching is done around teaching swings, chipping and putting, but high school coaching is centered more around the course. We spend a lot of time on the course talking about the good, the bad and the ugly. It’s all about seeing the kids competing and having a good time out there. 

ONE FOR THE GIRLS

Jon Bullas isn't the only new golf coach at Lakewood Ranch. David Lamm is also coaching his inaugural season at the school, guiding the girls golf team. 

Lamm, who spent about six years playing on tour before turning to teaching and coaching in 1984, spend the past two years coaching at ODA. 

Lamm replaces Vito Bavaro, who spent the past few years coaching the girls golf team in addition to coaching the boys soccer team. 

Lamm is also the head golf professional at the River Club Golf Course, which means he was a familiar face for some of the girls on the team.  "A few of the girls work for me picking up range balls, so I knew them already. That made it an easier transition," he said. "It’s a great mix of girls."

Lakewood opened the season with a victory in the Mustang Cup, marking the first time the girls team had beaten the boys team. 

Since then, Lamm has coached the Lady Mustangs to a 13-2 record with their two losses coming at the Barron Collier Invitational Sept. 16. Lakewood finished third in the six-team event. 

"We’re doing better than I thought we would be doing," Lamm said. "I don’t know where we stand when it comes to the whole state, but if we can (to state), it’ll definitely help us for next year."

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].