Tyler Sokolis on his senior golf season

Senior Tyler Sokolis,  a co-captain of the St. Joe’s golf team always displays his gifts as a golfer and a man of pure class on the course. Whether participating in a tournament or going in for a 6 a.m. lift on a Tuesday morning, Sokolis emphasizes  a “take charge” mentality and strives to make his teammates better.

Throughout his life, Sokolis has developed a true passion for the game. He defines how the sport is a one-man operation but also a collaborative effort.

“When you’re playing basketball, you can say how your teammate didn’t give you a good pass,” Sokolis said. “During golf, everyone plays on the same course, everyone plays the same way and every decision you make is on you solely.”

Sokolis’ numerous characteristics have molded him into the exceptional leader he is today. He believes the most important quality of a leader is humility. He emphasizes that to be a true leader, one must set aside their own wants and desires and must work for the betterment of the team.

“You have to know when you are wrong and when to trust someone else to do the job that you want to do,” Sokolis said.

Being captain on any team is not a position to take advantage of. He stressed how a captain holds a position of importance to the team. He is looked up to as a role model to the younger guys, as he is the only senior on the team.  His captainship will mold the future of the team.

“Your leadership is coaching others to become leaders,” Sokolis said. “Just because you’re a leader doesn’t mean you can take advantage of the position.”

Golf head coach Bob Lynch highlighted his significance to the team on a mental and physical level. He discussed how much Sokolis has grown as a leader over his three and half years on Hawk Hill and how he will be dearly missed.

Lynch is impressed with Sokolis’ work ethic in the weight room and the examples he sets for the rest of the team.

“Tyler really takes the bull by the horns during the early lifts and motivates the guys to push themselves to the limit,” Lynch said. “He is a very vocal guy and that rubs off on the rest of the team. He keeps everyone in the loop.”

During his sophomore year, Sokolis went to the trainer so the team could pick up a time slot in the weight room. He strived to make his team better even as an underclassman.

Sokolis’ favorite aspect of the game is putting and chipping, which is commonly known as the “short game.” He depicted how his short game will make or break the round.

Using different putting and chipping routines before a match, he confidently steps out onto the course knowing that he will have a solid feel for the club that day. He discussed the “peace of mind” that putting gives him.

“I love the creativity you can have with the short game,” Sokolis said. “You can hit the driver a thousand different ways to get your ball on the fairway, but the real art of the game comes in when you have to clear a bunker or keep it short of a ridge.”

Sokolis is a leader on the course as well as in the classroom; he enjoys taking initiative on group projects and bringing students together to work toward a common goal, just as he encourages his team to post low scores during tournaments. Once he graduates, he has aspirations of being a salesman or working within the field of food sustainability.

“I just want to help people in life,” Sokolis said.

For now, Sokolis will use his skills on the fairway in his final season as a Hawk. The team’s next tournament is the Kingsmill Intercollegiate in Williamsburg, Virginia from March 25-27.

Correction: An previous version of this story referred to head coach Bob Lynch as Bob Kelly.