The Good, Surprising and the Bad

I have been fortunate to have met many professional golfers and professional athletes through the years. Up until a few years ago, it was a regular occurrence. I have met professional athletes from every major sport. Sometimes, it’s an eye-opening experience and not in a good way. Some are better than expected, and some, well, let’s just say, aren’t great people as they are portrayed in the media.

My favorite athletes in general are hockey players. Many of them truly appreciate being recognized. Many of the hockey players I’ve encountered are down to earth people who are glad to have a conversation with you.

Some athletes are jerks, and the fans know this. The ones which bother me are the ones with good reputations which turn out to be jerks. I can deal with a known jerk. I’m prepared. It’s much harder to deal with a jerk when you are expecting a nice guy.

The best athlete outside of golf I have met is Charles Barkley. The worst and fakest athlete, well, let’s just say he holds a record in baseball which was considered unbreakable until he broke it. It is once again considered unbreakable, and, if it is ever broken again, it will be a long, long time before it happens. My final hint without naming the Hall of Famer; the record is about endurance.

But this is a golf newsletter. I’ve met many professional golfers over the years. Most of them are from the ‘70’s,’80’s and ‘90’s. Here are some of the one’s I’ve met over the years.

Nicest - Joey Sindelar - Joey Sindelar won 7 times on the PGA Tour. Sindelar might have had a better career if not for a sleeping disorder which limited his sleep to a few hours a night. A truly nice man, he lived up to his reputation. Joey currently plays the Champions Tour.

Co-nicest - Larry Mize - I had to place Mize here as co-nicest guy. The Augusta, GA native with the syrupy swing is a true gentleman. Mize won 4 times on tour but is best known for his ‘87 Masters victory. BTW, I sold a ton of those shirts. Another truly nice man who matched his image.

Most memorable and all-time favorite personal experience - Arnold Palmer - I wrote about my experience as young boy with Arnold Palmer in an older newsletter. Besides Charles Barkley, Arnold Palmer was the most self-aware professional athlete I have met. He understood his status and position in the golf world. He understood fans loved him, and, perhaps even more importantly, he understood how important getting to meet him was to every single golf fan fortunate enough to have that moment. He was and will always be “The King.”

Most surprising - Tom Weiskopf - Tom Weiskopf arrived on tour with great expectations. A powerful golf swing led many to conjecture he would challenge Jack Nicklaus. Weiskopf ended up with a Hall of Fame career with 16 wins on the PGA Tour, 2 wins on the European Tour, a win on the Sunshine Tour, 4 wins on the Champions Tour and 1 major championship in ‘73 when he won The Open Championship. He also served as a broadcaster for CBS, ESPN and ABC. Perhaps as notable as his playing career, Weiskopf developed an impressive golf course design business. I disliked him because he had a tendency to speak before thinking often creating controversies with his comments. In meeting him, I found him to be a gentleman, and apologetic for his weakness of speaking before thinking. There will be more on this one for the paid subscribers.

Most entertaining and exactly like the person you see on TV - Gary McCord - Gary McCord never won on the PGA Tour. He became popular when he entered broadcasting for his quick wit and jocular personality. Prior to his broadcast career, he was more known for an embarrassing moment at the ‘84 FedEx St. Jude Classic. As he lined up a putt, he split his pants. While this is an embarrassing occurrence, it was even more embarrassing as McCord wasn’t wearing underwear. He wrapped a towel around his waist and went off to find a pair of replacement pants. Hilariously, Peter Jacobsen offered McCord his rain pants for a $20 rental fee. What you saw and heard on TV during his days as a broadcaster was the real Gary McCord. A funny man with a big, engaging personality.

The Worst - ???? - Just as I didn’t name the worst athlete I met, I won’t name the worst professional golfer I ever met. There are several candidates here. Over the years I have learned not to be disappointed when I meet these people. What we see on TV is often not who they are in real life. My worst experience with a professional golfer came at a PGA Show in Orlando. Tour pros make appearances at the PGA Show and have signing sessions. One particular player I liked because he worked hard and had a nice guy reputation was scheduled for an autograph session. I made sure to get to where he was going to be early and was the fourth person in line. This Hall of Famer won one major, a US Open. and had 19 wins on the PGA Tour. He won the Bob Jones Award, Byron Nelson Award and the Vardon Trophy twice, was PGA Tour Money list winner twice and PGA Tour Player of the Year. As I mentioned, I was fourth in line. His hour-long autograph session was just starting as I stepped up and made a simple request for how I wanted his picture signed. He informed me, not pleasantly, he would sign how he wanted to sign which was just his signature. I took the signed picture and stood off to the side to watch if anyone else was treated in the same manner. I watched about 20 people get signed pictures with no pleasant interactions taking place. I saw him at some tournaments after this encounter and watched how the nice guy image disappeared when the camera turned off. Think David Sims from “Tin Cup.” Any guesses who this Hall of Famer is?

Professional athletes often have public persona which may or may not match the actual person. Professional golfers are no different. Some are the same, some are the opposite of their public image. Just as it is refreshing when an athlete is a good guy, tt can be a jolt to find out a player you like isn’t likeable at all.

As always, be thankful when you play. Be grateful for the privilege and opportunity to play this amazing game. Now, go golf!