Apr 30

A tribute to your club pro

Golf pros aren’t scam artists.

I would define a scam artist as someone who is trying to profit through manipulation. . .i.e. Bank of America, who send me five times more offers for “free” life insurance, “free” credit cards and “free” magazine offers than actual statements stating how much money they are trying to take from me.

Your neighborhood pro is different. Golf pros dedicate their lives to the game. Rather than the ordinary life of any old weekend hack, he spends countless hours on the country club range, going on weekend retreats to Traverse City or Hilton Head, and gabbing in the pro shop about the new Big Bertha demo they just got in. It’s a lonely life of the polo, full of inventory reports and telling the cart boys to stop doing jumps off the 2nd tee box after sunset.

The club pro watches PGA events with a tear in their eye, knowing instead of playing for million-dollar checks, they have a 2 o’clock with old Betty Johnson, who can’t hit the ball 50 yards anyway. He can try and teach knee-kickers the art of putting, but all they want to do is sword fight each other with the shafts. I salute you, club pro.

Okay to be honest, pros are an easy target. It’s easy for writers to shun them or poke fun. But I would like to say in my competitive days, the pro I saw regularly was a giant help, a Mr. Dave Kendall up at Miles of Golf in Ypsilanti. His rates for students were over half off, and he’d always throw in a quick freebie here and there too (are you listening, Bank of America???). Also, what is a bigger waste of money, 400 bucks on a series of lessons or 400 bucks on a bigger, badder titanium weapon that won’t do a damn thing to your score? Give me the lessons and an ol’ persimmon wood.

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4 comments

Comment from: gasp [Visitor]

Shhhhh!

The green helicopters of the golf club manufacturers should be buzzing your house any time now.

2005-05-10 @ 17:26

Comment from: gary wiren [Visitor]

Dave Kendall is truly one of the professional golf teachers who is a big giver. He will do anything he can to try and help a golfer enjoy the game more. He is but one of so many dedicated pros whose efforts fly in the face of comments made by Chris MacDonal and Tim Baldwin. If they only knew men like Harvey Penick and Bill Strausbaugh, two great PGA teachers who were my friends and inspiration, each would sing a different tune. Gary Wiren, PGA Master Professional

2005-05-12 @ 13:15

Comment from: Glen Erickson [Visitor]

Unfortunately, golf professionals are human beings, which means they are prone to many of the unintentional errors we all make.

In the past, I have ripped a few of these clowns for their nonchalant attitudes, but I have also heaped praise on those whose positive efforts I have witnessed.

Any enterprise that seems to require an approach that "pleases everyone" will always be a pretty tough gig.

But I hope the PGA professionals of the world, those who take their responsibilities too lightly, will see the value in opting for a career path thattakes them far, far away from the golf industry.

2005-05-25 @ 20:09

Comment from: Claude Gunter [Visitor]

We don't have many golf professionals now. We have managers who know little about golf. Some of the courses I play don't even have someone with the title golf pro. Consequently we have a lot of things going on on golf courses that would not have been tolerated 50 years ago. Start with walking vs riding. Wasn't golf supposed to be exercise? Play is no faster now than it was then. Yesterday my brother and I played 27 holes in 4 hours walking and carrying out bag. It was uphill all the way on the front and back nines with snow up to...I was tired when done. 50 years ago when I worked in my uncle's pro shop, he bought 50 riding carts and fired all the caddies. None of the clubs I play have a caddy program today and many kids are missing a shot at a free ride at the college of their choice. After I became an adult, he admitted that golf carts took him from an average living to serious money. Today golf pros don't even have the cart concession(The last pro who had a cart concession made $250k/yr. Carts are about money, not faster play or more enjoyment(Maybe you like to drive a cart cross country but..) By the way, my uncle picked me up at 6:30am and I didn't get home until 9:30pm, six days a week for $50/wk. A new titlest cost 90 cents then. My first set of clubs cost $45 new. I still have them(Spaulding Autographs). My latest driver $369. Whoa! Shot 35 on front nine at the district golf meet when I was a freshman with them and blew to a 45 on the back nine. About what I am capable of today. Agony of defeat from softspike marks from a twisted golf shoe(Come on, I know you have had to put thru them and you can't repair a spike mark) are another example of self-centeredness. Who taught you how to conduct yourself on the golf course? No one I bet. You just observed others and imitated their behavior. Golf pros used to do that. In golf, you need to learn three things. 1) How to hit the ball in all circumstances 2) The strategy of golf 3)How to conduct yourself on the course, including the rules. Just thought someone would like to hear about yesteryear vs today.

2005-05-26 @ 23:35

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