My Golf Story
Playing
My dad got me started in golf at age 10 at Riverview G&CC in Redding, CA, and I fell in love with the game by the time I was 13. Despite being left-handed and playing as a righty, I went from 135 in my first round to around par by the time I was 16. From age 14 to 17 I played as much as I could, regularly playing 36 to 45 holes daily when I could get a ride to the course. (The Redding/Anderson gang of young players consisted of John and Chuck Burley, Jeff Claire, Dan Coughlin, Dave Ebersole, Ross Farley, Rob Keys, Bill Malone, Mark Sherman, Eric Tracy, Ace Werner, and Randy Wilborn, Ron Winsell, and others.)
Junior golf through the JGANC was a fantastic time for me, learning from and playing with lots of good northern California players -- Brad Bell, Rob Boldt, Jeff Brehaut, Bobby Clampett, Nathaniel Crosby, John Flannery, Mike Green, Mike Loustalot and Tim Loustalot, Scott McCarron, Robert Meyers, Kevin Orona, Mike Piver, Joby Ross, the Sutherland brothers, Mark Sherman, Stuart Smith and Jeff Wilson, to name a few; all of whom are or were at one-time in the golf business or on the PGA tour -- and having a great time seeing some of the best and most exclusive courses in the north state -- Pebble Beach, Cypress Point, Spyglass, Monterey Peninsula, Ford Ord, Pasatiempo, Stanford, San Francisco GC, Olympic Club, Lake Merced, Meadow Club, and Silverado. By the time I was 17, I had an old Ford van, usually traveling with 2 or 3 others, and we would sleep in it on occasion and "shower" at a local motel pool on the way to the course.
Was I a child prodigy? Hardly. I practiced hard, without a lot of coaching, and shot some good scores once in a while despite funky technique. My dad was always encouraging, saying "you have all the shots," but the truth is I had a lot of trouble shots mastered as I spent way too much time in the woods when I played. Frankly, I do know what the bear does there AND what the fox says . . . In hindsight it's pretty clear that since I wasn't a rare talent I was just spoiled. Spoiled with the opportunity to become, as John Abendroth knows all to well, "hooked on golf."
I played four years in high school and two in college at UOP, before majoring in Economics and fraternity. After nine months of my first "real" job, I became a waiter so I could play during the day and continue chasing my golf dream. I was able to obtain a sponsor in 1985 to play mini-tours, where I learned the nuances between the adjectives good, very good and great. (I also learned the difference between the perception of the "pro lifestyle" and the real thing . . . at least when one is missing cuts and out of cash . . .)
It was not glamorous but it was quite an experience! I played with lots of very good players and even had a private conversation with a great one once about his game during a surreal experience in Florida. One of the guys I played with you may have heard of -- he now stirs the pot on golf controversies for the Golf Channel -- Brandel Chamblee. He was a confident guy even then. His response to a question I asked him just after we completed a round in Tuscon still puts a smile on my face . . .
Teaching
I started my teaching/coaching career in 1986 at John Lotz* Golf Range in Los Gatos, CA, where I provided golf classes for the town's recreation department.
So at the age of 23, after a year of discovering I knew less about teaching than my students about playing the game, I began to develop my skills and also started working with individual students as well. My experienceand philosophies evolved over the years and I now seek to find out what the student is after, then formulate a game plan, cooperatively, to help them achieve it.
After law school at UC Davis School of Law and private practice in San Jose, CA, I spent two years teaching and working with my junior golf pal Mike Green, who had become the Head Golf Professional at Del Paso CC in Sacramento, CA. In 1995 I jumped on-board the SRI Golf team with Rob Frederick as the Director of Instruction at Woodcreek Golf Club in Roseville, CA, where I helped golfers of all ages for more than 10 years before changing my career focus.
During my time coaching, I had the pleasure to collaborate with 1000s of people who love (and sometimes hate!) the game of golf and the process of developing themselves -- their attitudes and skills. I led the junior golf program during that time and collaborated with The First Tee and The First Tee of Greater Sacramento as an affiliate site.
One of my favorite students of all has to be Katie Quinney. She moved to Roseville with her family when she was 12 and I began working with her on her golf soon after. She played at Woodcreek HS in the 1990s before going on to play at Florida State University. She is now the Head Golf Coach at Carolina Coastal University and has taken her team to the NCAA tournament. She was persistent, dedicated and fun to work with. Small in stature, she seemed to defy the laws of nature as I believe her HEART and GUTS outweighed the rest of her body combined!
Since moving into Real Estate full-time, my real estate clients comes first. I still get the chance to help a former student now and again, and I get out to play in a half-dozen charity events every year. Although I would like to play more often, I've found that this schedule really cuts down on the bogeys and others!
*John Lotz was one of my early golf heroes after I caddied for him in a pro-am at my home course. He helped me with my game a bit every summer when I had the chance to spend a couple of weeks at his range from age 14-16. John's idea of a lesson was much different than the "scientific" approach today, or that utilized by the famous instructor from Carmel, Ben Doyle, who was a practitioner of the Golfing Machine and well known as Bobby Clampett's instructor. Of course, John didn't really care to teach. A typical "lesson" would go something like this: I would ask him a question as he was walking by. He would say, "Gimme that club," then hit one or two shots to demonstrate. He'd hand the club back and ask, "Did you see that?" I'd say yes, and he would start walking away and simultaneously say, "Keep hitting it until you can do it!"
What's your golf story? . . . I'd love to hear it. Give me a call or text if you want to share it.