Played my 1st pro-am, and got big leagued by a nobody!

[nitram]

He'll be back, like he always is...

[smashdn]

I doubt there is any disclaimer in the fine print that you may be paired with a doosh either. There is probably a reasonable expectation that a round of golf should be a pleasant experience however.

 

How many practice rounds do they get anyway? Are there any rules about the caddies heading out onto the course first thing in the morning or late in the evening to get yardages and pace greens? My point being that one more lap in the pro-am is probably not needed if you had made good use of your time beforehand. If you did not on Monday and Tuesday then that is on the pro and his caddie and shouldn't be taken out on the guy paying to be in the pro-am. Clearly I am not a pro but I think I would find it a good opportunity to relax just a tad after two days of grinding on a game plan.

[Krt22]

If you are a professional Journeyman, I'm guessing there is never a time where you can say you are 100% prepared. Unless you are consistently the top 100 of the Fedex cup, you are out there grinding non-stop, where 1 shots can mean making it into the weekend and getting a check or mean zilch. Literally feast of famine for some of these guys

[oikos1]

"I have no idea, but is there anything in the printed materials for these things that guarantees a pleasant experience? I'm guessing not."

Call me crazy, but I'm gonna say that is not the "business model" the PGA Tour wants to project.

[CasualLie]

Actually, that story does not give him any excuse. So what if he grew up in a small town population 1000. He went on to Alabama which is not exactly a small population. He played on a Nat'l Championship team....that's a lot of travel. Played on Korn Ferry. Somewhere along the way he didn't learn to talk?

Oh, then there's his teammate who sold him out: “I’m one of his good friends, and I can’t get him to shut up when I’m with him,” Riley says with a laugh. “Once you get to know him, you get to be boys with him, he opens up. He has really been a big help for me this first year (on the Korn Ferry Tour) and that’s just the kind of guy he is.”

Starting to sound like the OP is right, he did get "big leagued". I won't use the term by a "nobody". He's no major winner obviously, but he has won some events and knows how to shake some hands and have a laugh.

[bladehunter]

You picked up on that too ? Tennis pro. This time a media mogul. What’s next ?

 

Id like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the OP.

 

I retract any doubt I’ve cast and welcome you ..... perhaps we where a bit hasty to jump the gun. You’ve brought balance to the force more than you know. Lol.

 

But seriously. Welcome.

[llewol007]

I can see both sides of it. People paying to play in those things are probably expecting instant friendships and it probably is hit or miss on the type of player you get.

[bladehunter]

Not to really argue but. I’m about as introverted as a person gets and still function. And yet I can’t shut up on here. Lol. I totally get feeling comfortable and having a lot to say. And I absolutely get being uncomfortable and having nothing to say. I joke to customers that I said exactly 37 words from age 1-25. And now I’m making up for it at times when I get along with someone and can’t shut up. But I hate crowds of people. And have zero interest in meeting new people. Yet. When I do meet a new person by accident I make friends pretty easy. It’s a weird space to be in. But you don’t just choose out of it. You can choose to fight it. And that’s what he should do. But the feeling stays as far as I can tell forever. I see people I don’t know and watch their actions and feel general disgust. Especially on course when some extrovert feels the need to stay in my back pocket for 18 holes. I want to scream “ get the Ef off me “ so bad. lol.

My point. Him being talkative with his boys is no indicator of anything.

[deadsolid...shank]

Hey that’s me! Introverted, nearsighted, and bald. I’m such a prize!?

[jholz]

You obviously have a point. I'm not necessarily arguing that they don't owe something to people who pony up the cash to play in a pro-am. They have an obligation to do what they can to ensure that people have a good time.

 

Yet, how does one guarantee that everyone has a good time? Simple answer is: you can't.

 

[Irishman1979]

I'm sorry that you experienced this. Its a fact that most tour players are just the same as Robby, they are very selfish and do not care about anything else but themselves. It shows during times such as Pro Ams. He should have acted like a real captain and made you feel nice when you hit a good shot and even better after you hit a bad one with encouragement to do well and focus on the next shot. He should use Tuesday and Wednesday as practice rounds and he could have always flew in Sunday before the tournament started. He's in for a rude awakening if he continues that behavior.

[braincramp52]

I've never met a stranger so I would have talked to him until he punched me in the face. ?

[Singapore Joe]

I'm also sorry the OP had a bad experience. With the social media, the high sponsorship dollars at stake, sponsors expecting the athletes to be brand ambassadors, and so forth athletes are expected to be a lot more than awesome athletes. The pro-am events, and any public appearances, really, are brand building expercises not only for the athletes but also to the brands they represent. To some athletes this comes more naturally than to some others and there is not exactly a shortage of athletes raking in ridiculous amount of $$ from sponsorship deals even if they never really win anything, and examples of athletes struggling to find sponsorships.

I guess we all have had occassions where we have met our favorite athletes and left very underwhelmed. Don't want to mention names but had a really negative encounter with a guy who used to be one of my favorite golfers. Goes without saying that haven't paid attention to him since. But there are positive encounters, too, so better focus on those - which is of course hard if you have just spent a lot of money to play in a pro-am and the experience does not deliver.

There's an interesting short story by David Foster Wallace on the banality of athletes' autobiographies and on what goes on their minds on competitions. We sort of assume (or wish) quite falsely that the physical excellence somehow translates into superiority in other areas of life as well. The conclusion is that there really isn't much of anything going on in the critical monents as any thoughts would lead to overwhelming distractions and to a collapse on the critical moments. Therefore, the mind is sort of empty of any distractions and the physical form operates on an autopilot. This ability to close the mind from all external distractions of course can not be switched on and off but is an ever present characterstic of the top athletes. The more experienced ones may have learned to put on a smile in sponsored events but some will struggle with it.https://www.scribd.com/doc/134106158/How-Tracy-Austin-Broke-My-Heart-David-Foster-Wallace

[Krt22]

lol. What rude awakening?

[Irishman1979]

.Less sponsorship opportunities due to treating people in pro ams like shit.

[Steele47]

lol.. what went on in here?

[Krt22]

 

[GeorgeHWB]

That does explain a lot. He's clearly an introverted person. He's probably miserable playing Pro-Ams. I have a son who seems quite like this pro. My son would rather play in Los Angeles traffic than play golf with three people he'd never met before.

[CasualLie]

As long as I am not liable for errant shots, I would likely prefer to play golf in LA traffic than with three people I have never met. Will probably need a lot of golf balls.

[Golfjack]

Introvert doesn't mean you are slow and hold up the group and survey the greens till the cows come home. This has nothing to do with whether you like to talk to people. Rather a pro who is just doing less than the minimum during a pro am event he clearly wants no part of.

[GeorgeHWB]

I have it on good authority that the pro left the greens before the cows came home.

[Yank8823]

On a lighter note, OP, how was the PRO-AM swag? Any goodies that you were very excited about?

[Hawkeye77]

Sometimes they lie in wait!

[Obee]

Check out my bag!!!

[Obee]

 

[Outlier]

At least you are being honest regarding your preconceptions about the premise. You do realize that the waitress who smiled glowingly whilst serving your meal really didn't care for you at all, her smile and pleasant demeanor was really just a FAKE EXPERIENCE just for PAY....don't you think?

[bladehunter]

Lol. Now that is a philosophical rabbit hole we can go down !!

 

Fake - as it pertains to human interaction.

 

Sure. On one hand he/she may well be completely faking it the first time. And maybe each subsequent time after that. Although. We do tend to get recognized by certain servers or receptionists and whisked away for quick seating etc. genuine or fake ? Well depends on your perception and/or expectations. I tip well. My expectation is simply a full glass and a hot Meal and then to be left alone. That’s it. Easy to provide. I am fine paying up for that. The server takes it upon themselves to give me preferential seating treatment to insure they get me as a guest. Why ? Because I’m easy. So in a way that’s fake too. But. It a way it’s real. That person appreciates my treatment of them after round 1. And in turn I appreciate their treatment of me . It’s reciprocal. So fake in a sense that if I stop paying they will stop snagging me from the waiting area. Or fake In that if they stop serving me well , I’ll stop showing up. But real in that it’s a Give and take relationship based on a real service provided. . Service of a meal at a restaurant.

 

Now back to golf. This scenario has someone paying for a make believe experience on a golf course. A round to pretend the pro is your buddy on Saturday morning. A lot like an escort going to a wedding with you. ( fake girlfriend.).

in short. I agree. Most human interaction can be called fake. But a server is not nearly as fake as a pro am. At least the sever performs a service other than the fake bits of smile and conversation.

[Outlier]

OK- but is it POSSIBLE that if you played frequently enough to have been groupd with Mickelson, Duvalm Love, Leonard and Hallberg you probably either have a lot of cash or corporate stature or both, and as such, the folks you named are INTERESTED or predesposed to chatting you up as much as you are interested in them. The OP may be a nobody himself, and therefore would not have been treated like a prom date, by ANY of the pros.....even FIGJAM.

Point being, nor everybody treats everybody the same. Since the OP appraently had some level of expectations that were not met by this "nobody pro", it seems quite reasonable that "vibe" of dissapointment was noted by the pro and he behaved accordingly. Hard to imagine the holder of a PGA Tour Card / GOLDEN TICKET could ever be a "nobody" unless you are a FED EX or GENESIS Executive.

[BCC1898]

Maybe you missed my point. Yes, I’ve been very fortunate in that I’ve been around a lot of Pros due to a business association. But, the point is the VAST amount of pros, whether well known or not, are great to spend an afternoon with on the golf course...paid for or not!

[Hawkeye77]

Never met Phil, many on here have, and he is a bit of a polarizing figure for some well known reasons, but people I trust on here have reported some good personal experiences (others disagree), so I try to keep that in mind as things come up, and they always seem to with Phil which can be hard to do for someone who really hasn't been a big fan of his (but like most sports figures - never met the guy).

 

BUT, he has a reputation at pro-ams for treating everyone well and making a point of learning and being able to remember their names, etc. Maybe he's genuine, maybe he perceives it as part of his representation of the sport, no idea, but I can't imagine he's always with "somebodys", whatever that means. Seems to have another side as well, but not trying to start anything in that regard.