Photo by: Rey Del Rio/MSU Athletic Communications
Transition to Michigan State Has Helped Bond Become Leader for Men’s Golf Program
10/6/2025 1:22:00 PM | Men's Golf
By Emily Martin
For msuspartans.com
When a teammate's injury led to a shuffle in the Michigan State men's golf lineup last January, senior economics major Caleb Bond had to take on an unexpected leadership role.
He was ready and handled the pressure during one of the biggest tournaments of the season. Bond, a Williamston native, delivered, leading the Spartans to a third-place finish at the Big Ten Championships.
He started his career starring at Ferris State for two seasons, and transferred to MSU ahead of his junior year.
"My freshman year at Ferris, I played the one spot most of the year, so I had to pick up on that pretty quick from the start," Bond said. "I think I was used to that role… so it came pretty easy, but it was definitely unexpected."
Bond made his way to MSU at the start of last season after two impressive years at Ferris State. As a freshman, he placed in the top-20 in 10 straight tournaments.
By the conclusion of his second season at Ferris, he carried a 71.40 scoring average, and wanted the challenge of playing at the Division I level.
His success with the Bulldogs would carry over to MSU, as he posted the sixth-lowest single-season average in Michigan State's history (71.69) in his first season as a Spartan.
Now, with one year of competing at MSU under his belt, Bond has had ample opportunity to build up his momentum, and adjust to any differences between Division II matchplay and Division I.
"The tournaments are always going to be good on this level," Bond said. "Even the players who are on teams that are lower in rankings or compete in the four or five spot, are still kids who want to win the tournament, it's just deeper and more competitive."
Bond mentioned the difficulties he and the rest of the team experienced from the unanticipated lineup changes. Being next up in seniority and experience, he approached the role as a quiet leader, according to Head Coach Casey Lubahn.
"It was definitely tough on everybody, but I think we also had nothing to lose," Bond said. "I think we all knew we had a pretty good team coming out of the fall, and everybody stepped up at the right time."
Bond explained golf as an independent and "nonlinear" sport, so it's up to each individual athlete to put in the work during the offseason. Going into this fall, Bond used his experiences during the Big Ten tournament, as well as his successes over summer as fuel to set himself up for a strong senior season.
During the summer, Bond won the 2025 Michigan Amateur, as well as reached the Round of 16 in the U.S. Amateur.
"I think those were all great experiences," Bond said. "I played almost every day in the summer to prepare for these tournaments and my senior season."
On top of participating in tournaments across the country and practicing at the Spartans home course, Bond also consistently met with Lubahn and studied some of the courses he could be playing on.
"He's the easiest kid in the world to coach, it's almost annoying because he never needs anything," Lubahn said. "He's just pleasant, hard-working, and competitive. He's everything you want in a player."
Bond's quiet determination and successful summer have proven to be long-lasting, as he has already had two top-10 finishes, two top-20 finishes, as well as a new record-low scoring-average of 70.33, just three weeks into the 2025 season. Bond is also optimistic about where the season is headed, and says he has a lot to look forward to as a senior.
"This team is very deep and has so many great players… combining that with our competitive schedule coming up is exciting to think about," Bond said. "Playing a tournament internationally at St. Andrew's will be very special to me."
Bond also highlighted the importance of goal setting, and having his family support him as he works toward his professional golf career.
"I definitely want to play professionally, and you have to set pretty high goals to get there," Bond said. "Talking to my mom and dad a lot has been great, they kind of understand how physically and mentally straining it can be, so they bring me back to center sometimes."
For msuspartans.com
When a teammate's injury led to a shuffle in the Michigan State men's golf lineup last January, senior economics major Caleb Bond had to take on an unexpected leadership role.
He was ready and handled the pressure during one of the biggest tournaments of the season. Bond, a Williamston native, delivered, leading the Spartans to a third-place finish at the Big Ten Championships.
He started his career starring at Ferris State for two seasons, and transferred to MSU ahead of his junior year.
"My freshman year at Ferris, I played the one spot most of the year, so I had to pick up on that pretty quick from the start," Bond said. "I think I was used to that role… so it came pretty easy, but it was definitely unexpected."
Bond made his way to MSU at the start of last season after two impressive years at Ferris State. As a freshman, he placed in the top-20 in 10 straight tournaments.
By the conclusion of his second season at Ferris, he carried a 71.40 scoring average, and wanted the challenge of playing at the Division I level.
His success with the Bulldogs would carry over to MSU, as he posted the sixth-lowest single-season average in Michigan State's history (71.69) in his first season as a Spartan.
Now, with one year of competing at MSU under his belt, Bond has had ample opportunity to build up his momentum, and adjust to any differences between Division II matchplay and Division I.
"The tournaments are always going to be good on this level," Bond said. "Even the players who are on teams that are lower in rankings or compete in the four or five spot, are still kids who want to win the tournament, it's just deeper and more competitive."
Bond mentioned the difficulties he and the rest of the team experienced from the unanticipated lineup changes. Being next up in seniority and experience, he approached the role as a quiet leader, according to Head Coach Casey Lubahn.
"It was definitely tough on everybody, but I think we also had nothing to lose," Bond said. "I think we all knew we had a pretty good team coming out of the fall, and everybody stepped up at the right time."
Bond explained golf as an independent and "nonlinear" sport, so it's up to each individual athlete to put in the work during the offseason. Going into this fall, Bond used his experiences during the Big Ten tournament, as well as his successes over summer as fuel to set himself up for a strong senior season.
During the summer, Bond won the 2025 Michigan Amateur, as well as reached the Round of 16 in the U.S. Amateur.
"I think those were all great experiences," Bond said. "I played almost every day in the summer to prepare for these tournaments and my senior season."
On top of participating in tournaments across the country and practicing at the Spartans home course, Bond also consistently met with Lubahn and studied some of the courses he could be playing on.
"He's the easiest kid in the world to coach, it's almost annoying because he never needs anything," Lubahn said. "He's just pleasant, hard-working, and competitive. He's everything you want in a player."
Bond's quiet determination and successful summer have proven to be long-lasting, as he has already had two top-10 finishes, two top-20 finishes, as well as a new record-low scoring-average of 70.33, just three weeks into the 2025 season. Bond is also optimistic about where the season is headed, and says he has a lot to look forward to as a senior.
"This team is very deep and has so many great players… combining that with our competitive schedule coming up is exciting to think about," Bond said. "Playing a tournament internationally at St. Andrew's will be very special to me."
Bond also highlighted the importance of goal setting, and having his family support him as he works toward his professional golf career.
"I definitely want to play professionally, and you have to set pretty high goals to get there," Bond said. "Talking to my mom and dad a lot has been great, they kind of understand how physically and mentally straining it can be, so they bring me back to center sometimes."
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/ Men's Golf
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