Above-Par Personality

The first thing you notice about Nico Bollini is that he’s different.

Maybe it’s the hat. The floppy white fisherman’s hat worn by Bollini, a senior golfer for Servite High, stands out in a scene dominated by baseball caps and visors.

It could be his affable personality, an engaging blend of adult-like maturity and teenage mischievousness that makes him likable to both peers and elders.

Or it might be his golf game, a devastating combination of booming drives and precise ball striking that has had him pegged as a superstar since he emerged on the Southern California scene as a 9-year-old.

Bollini, 18, will put that game on display today as he attempts to defend his title in the Southern Section Individual Championships at Canyon Country Club in Palm Springs.

But while success in golf is the ultimate goal for Bollini, he is most unique from others at the elite level of his sport because he stands out off the course as much as he does on.

Bollini, a two-time Junior All-American golfer and winner of the Argentine Amateur championship in March is one of the most popular students at Servite, having been one of six finalists for prom king. He has no shortage of non-golfing friends and regularly participates in the accepted rituals of modern-day teen pop culture.

He tells stories of wrapping a friend’s car in plastic wrap as a practical joke, sliding through the fairways of a local golf club on boogie boards during a rainstorm, equipping his car with the latest stereo equipment and staying out until 5 a.m. on prom night.

“I’m still 18 years old,” Bollini said. “I’ve still got to have fun. There’s nothing wrong with that. You don’t want to go all golf and miss out on stuff and grow up too fast. When I’m not playing golf, I definitely want to get my mind off of golf. You just have to. If you don’t get your mind off it, you’ll get burned out.”

There’s no doubt that Bollini is serious about golf. He has had a goal of making the PGA Tour since he was 10 and has been one of the top junior players in the nation for the last three years, but he even finds time to lighten the mood on the course.

He has become an accomplished trick-shot artist and impersonator of professional golfers with unique swings.

“I always tell him that if he doesn’t become a pro golfer he could become a comedian,” said Armando Bollini, Nico’s father.

Bollini’s tricks include chopping down on a ball so that it pops straight into the air and then hitting it and doing a deep knee bend in the middle of a full swing and hitting the ball with the butt end of the grip.

His best trick shot, however, is when he places a ball in his mouth, spits it out and hits it before it touches the ground.

Bollini has been invited to clinics several times to entertain with his trick shots and impersonations of golfers such as Jim Furyk, Arnold Palmer, Colin Montgomerie and Lee Trevino.

“Sometimes I think I’d like to see him put more time into golf,” Armando Bollini said. “But I realize it’s important for him to see him enjoying other things. He knows every day that passes is not coming back.”

Armando Bollini is comfortable in allowing his only son the freedoms to make decisions. Late nights out, parties and teenage pranks do not cause worry in the Bollini household.

“We trust him a lot,” his father said. “We think he knows how to handle himself when there is peer pressure. He can differentiate if he can stay in a situation or if he should walk away.”

Most people who meet Bollini like him. Among those he has come across in his golf career are Mark Langston, Jaret Wright, Pat Haden, Justin Timberlake of N’Sync and countless top business executives.

He has amassed quite a collection of business cards and has standing invitations to play golf with several of his contacts.

“He’s just a good guy,” said Matt Amen, a junior at Orange Lutheran High who has know Bollini since they were youngsters. “He’s nice to everyone and he’s a natural talent at everything.”

Friends, fun and popularity take a back seat, however, once Bollini puts on his game face. Last summer he traveled so much playing golf that he was home just eight days. He missed parties, lunch outings and trips to the beach. But the sacrifice, he said, was worth it last fall when he signed early with USC.

“I knew when I made the commitment to golf that it would come with sacrifices,” Bollini said. “I’ve missed out on a lot because of golf, but I’ve also gained a lot. I’ve done things that a lot of people will maybe never do. I’ve met people that you might not normally meet.”