Ever played with a touring pro?

[BrianMcG]

Ive played with two:

 

Played with Matt Gogel when we were in high scool. He was a senior and won State that year.

Played with Tag Ridings a bunch in high school. The first time we played together was the 2nd day of a tournament. We had both shot 83 the first round.

 

LOL. I know, not what you were hoping for story wise.

[Bomber_11]

I've played 9 holes with Dustin Johnson, his brother, and another guy from Myrtle beach. Been a huge fan and proponent of his ever since.

 

Austin is a surprisingly good golfer

[JiBlanc]

I've played 9 holes with Dustin Johnson, his brother, and another guy from Myrtle beach. Been a huge fan and proponent of his ever since.

 

Austin is a surprisingly good golfer

 

Any cool or interesting DJ stories from the round? Could be special shots or how he is as a person

[DRGJR72]

Was fortunate to have played a practice round with Shaun Micheel at Doral in 2001 and in the event with Jeff Hart and Brent Schwarzrock.

 

When I was working in South Florida I played with Briny Baird, Mike Sposa, Adam Armagost, and Brett Wetterich.

 

Doing some work with Bobby Clampett currently.

[Bomber_11]

I've played 9 holes with Dustin Johnson, his brother, and another guy from Myrtle beach. Been a huge fan and proponent of his ever since.

 

Austin is a surprisingly good golfer

 

Any cool or interesting DJ stories from the round? Could be special shots or how he is as a person

 

Besides that the guy hits it as far and accurate as anyone I've ever seen - he's incredibly pinpoint accurate with irons. Even long irons he can flight up/down/left/right and still drop them on the green like a PW.

 

And he's really tall and really lean.

 

It sounds weird, but he almost doesn't make any sound when he's moving. He's super graceful and athletic and almost on the prowl when he walks lol.

 

Yeah that kinda sounded weird.

[egr2teup]

Never have played with a tour pro but did play with someone ( RIP Mike Taylor ) that qualified for the PGA Championship and a couple of other tour events.

 

His ball-striking was a sight to behold.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

I've played 9 holes with Dustin Johnson, his brother, and another guy from Myrtle beach. Been a huge fan and proponent of his ever since.

 

Austin is a surprisingly good golfer

 

Any cool or interesting DJ stories from the round? Could be special shots or how he is as a person

 

Besides that the guy hits it as far and accurate as anyone I've ever seen - he's incredibly pinpoint accurate with irons. Even long irons he can flight up/down/left/right and still drop them on the green like a PW.

 

And he's really tall and really lean.

 

It sounds weird, but he almost doesn't make any sound when he's moving. He's super graceful and athletic and almost on the prowl when he walks lol.

 

Yeah that kinda sounded weird.

 

Hah, that's exactly the impression I get from watching him on TV. The way he walks looks like a puma on the prowl.

[BluehoseGolf]

I played with Lanto Griffin a couple of times a few years ago. The experience was humbling to say the least. No matter how well I play, I couldn't do what he does. I have followed his career ever since. He made it to second stage of Q-school this season after winning the first stage event in Kannapolis, NC at Irish Creek. He won an event earlier this year on the PGA Tour LatinoAmerica.

 

I played with Lanto last year at Duke for local US Open qual. He hit it a ton and very very straight. All the winter rot from winter 2014-15 made the course even more difficult than normal. I shot 75 and he finished (played front 9 last) birdie birdie eagle I think to shoot 68....

 

Thought I would update this. Lanto was medalist in second stage of Q-School to advance to the finals next month.

 

https://pgatq.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/pgatq16/event/pgatq1631/contest/1/leaderboard.htm

 

I've played a bunch of golf with Lanto. He has always had the length but his short game and wedge play has gotten solid. I'll tell that another VCU guy who also is my best friend, Adam Ball, will be better than him. That kid flat out gets it done.

[creasy54]

I've played with a few, most before they were big names....

Billy horschel- determined, nice guy. Always had a strong belief in himself

Rickie fowler- great kid, we all knew he would be great.

Gary woodland- some people think he's too cocky. Really enjoyed the few times I've played with him. Likes to have a good time.

Harris English- great player and even better guy.

Hudson Swaford- same as Harris, probably why they are such good friends.

Brian Harman- similar to Woodland and Fowler. Strong belief in himself.

Tom Watson- nice man, very opinionated on things but fun to play with.

Anthony Kim- not a fan at all

Brandt snedeker- seems to have humbled with age. Was always nice to me but some thought he was too cocky

Kirk triplet- really nice guy

 

I'll try to remember a few others. Great topic

 

What happened with AK?

Got to hit balls next to AK. Freakish talent. His life must be one of the biggest wastes of talent ever. Had dinner with him too. Complete egotistical juvenile idiot. Kept shouting c**t in a family restaurant because he found it amusing how it would bother tables (with kids) next to us. Eventually told him to shut it. Tons of drinking. Disrespectful to waiters, his girlfriend, and others at dinner. This was some years ago. I really wanted to like the guy, I wanted to believe that he could get to no1, because he had the ability. The next day he withdrew because there was a rumour going around that if he played he was going to get tested after the round because people reported seeing him do coke the night before. Man, I hope he's changed, and wish he would come back to golf and prove me (and everyone who has said something negative about him) wrong. Whatever he's doing with his time and life now...he should be on tour.

[ani5009]

Played against Morgan Hoffman in high school, and was a caddy at the course that his family belonged to, although I never got to carry his bag just other people in his group occasionally. He had the reputation of being a real d-nozzle in our high school matches, but to be honest he was really nice and was a hell of a player. At the course I caddied at, he would tee it up about 15-20 yards behind the last group of tee markers (if possible depending on the hole) and would just absolutely bomb it out there.

 

Good to see him having some success on tour.

[Sixcat]

I played with Lanto Griffin a couple of times a few years ago. The experience was humbling to say the least. No matter how well I play, I couldn't do what he does. I have followed his career ever since. He made it to second stage of Q-school this season after winning the first stage event in Kannapolis, NC at Irish Creek. He won an event earlier this year on the PGA Tour LatinoAmerica.

 

I played with Lanto last year at Duke for local US Open qual. He hit it a ton and very very straight. All the winter rot from winter 2014-15 made the course even more difficult than normal. I shot 75 and he finished (played front 9 last) birdie birdie eagle I think to shoot 68....

 

Thought I would update this. Lanto was medalist in second stage of Q-School to advance to the finals next month.

 

https://pgatq.bluego...leaderboard.htm

 

I've played a bunch of golf with Lanto. He has always had the length but his short game and wedge play has gotten solid. I'll tell that another VCU guy who also is my best friend, Adam Ball, will be better than him. That kid flat out gets it done.

 

Watched Adam play a bunch. Adam beat my "nephew" (long story-just easier to call him nephew) 3&2 in the VSGA match-play semifinals a few years ago. He definitely has the talent to be as good as he wants to be.

[Hanuman108]

I can't say that I've played with any big-name, marquee tour players but I have played with a few pros:

 

• As a kid in the early 70s I once tagged along during a friendly round with Gary Wiren and his friends at Annandale CC in Pasadena. I was frustrated that I didn't get to play but that was made up for somewhat by seeing one of the players hole out from a bunker. I'd never witnessed anyone doing that before.

• In the early 90s I did marketing at Semiahmoo Resort in Washington State and played a few holes with Jeff Coston who was their teaching pro at the time. His control over his shots was phenomenal.

• I occasionally play with my local pro here in the Coachella Valley, Erik Wolf, who has played in the 2007 PGA Championship and the Hope among others. He's pretty much down the middle and putting for birdie on virtually every hole.

• Last year I ended up playing Oak Valley in Beaumont, CA with Michelle Piyapattra who plays on the Symetra Tour. We hit it about the same distance so it was very helpful for me to observe her club selection and course management.

[titleistgolf_nirvana]

Back in High School I played in a Monday Qualifier for the Nationwide Tour (now the Web.com) the summer between my junior and senior year...was lucky enough to get paired with Manuel Villegas who at the time had been playing on and off the nationwide tour and a few other not as well known tours I believe...was extremely nervous the night before with all sorts of ridiculous thoughts wondering if Camillo would be following and watching or caddying for him, obviously no chance he would be as he was doing his own thing at the time on the pga tour but the mind can play funny tricks on you if you let it haha...he was a real nice dude, chatted with me most of the round and really made an effort to come over and talk to me anytime we had a long wait which was basically every par 5 and one drive-able par 4...I don't think he was a super long hitter in comparison to alot of other guys but I remember him being a solid 25 to 30 yards longer than me on virtually every tee shot, so he was probably averaging 280 to 290 off the tee, he didn't start as hot as he needed to in order to qualify but he made quite a few birdies coming home which really impressed me...not really a big name player but was definitely an experience I won't forget.

[kjdoherty78]

Had the pleasure of playing with Len Mattiace in a charity event back in 2007. Great guy. But the story of how the day unfolded is even better. So I was fortunate enough to play in the Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation golf tournament at Trump National in Westchester, NY. My fathers cousin had bought a foursome but wasn't able to play so he gave the foursome to my father. We get there and find out that all foursomes get paired up with a celebrity. Being a huge Yankee fan, I was hoping to get an ex-Yankee player. But I look at the pairing and see we got Len. Being a decent golfer, I played in college and a US Amateur, I was pumped to play with a tour player. We meet Len, have lunch with him, great guy. Right before we tee off our President elect Mr. Trump gets up to give a speech and welcome everyone to his course. The end of his speech was the best when he claimed that Trump Westchester had just been named the best golf course in Westchester County. I'm guessing the magazine had never heard of Winged Foot, Westchester CC, Quaker Ridge, etc. Thought that was pretty funny. The format was a shamble (pick best drive, everyone plays own ball from there), only one score counting for the team score. I liked our chances with Len, myself, my father (an 8 handicap), my aunt (a 25, but can hit it far) and a family friend (a 15 handicap, but really straight off the tee and great putter). Len was awesome, giving pointers, talking strategy, reading putts. Watching him play was awesome. Hit it high, worked it both ways, great wedge game, solid putter. I was slightly longer off the tee and maybe a club longer with the irons, but no where near as consistent. He hit almost every fairway and green that day. Was incredible to watch. We got off to a slow start, bunch of pars on our first 3-4 holes. But then we started lighting it up. In fact we had a 5 hole stretch with 3 eagles and 2 birdies, I kid you not. Each group was given a blackberry to record scores on. And it had an updated leader board so you could see where you stood. Like I said, we started slow but got on a roll. But every time we posted a birdie or eagle, Trumps team would do the same. Long story short we ended up shooting 15 under par. Which should have won the tournament going away. But we get done and see that Trumps team, shoots 16 under. Now his team consisted of Trump (solid player), Billy Crystal (25 handicap), Mike Bloomberg (maybe a 20 handicap), Joe Torre (not sure, watching him hit a few shots, probably a 15-18) and their fifth was an older hedge fund guy that was maybe a 15 handicap. Our caddie said to me afterward "Mr. Trump doesn't lose charity events at his own course." Even after getting robbed, it was a great event and awesome to play with Len. Always root for him, I know he has had some injury issues over the years. The best ending to the story was in Page Six the next day "We hear that Mayor Bloomberg, Donald Trump, Joe Torre and Billy Crystal had a 9-stroke margin of victory over 26 other teams in Joe Torre’s Safe at Home Foundation charity golf tournament at Trump National Golf Club in Westchester." http://pagesix.com/2007/08/01/we-hear-137/ I wish I had taken a picture of the scoreboard showing them "winning" by one shot and a BS one shot win at that! I attached a pic, that's me on the right.

[JOEL714]

WHEN I WAS EMPLOYED I PLAYED IN SEVERAL PRO AMS, SENIOR TOUR-PLAYED WITH SAM SNEAD AT NEWPORT CC, SNEAD WAS SNEAD. A GREAT PLAYER BUT A MEN S.O.B., THAT HAD SOMETHING NASTY TO SAY ABOUT EVERY RACE, RELIGION, ETHNICITY, COUNTERED BY LEE TREVINO, WHO SEEMED TO LOVE EVERYONE AND LIFE ITSELF.

ON THE REGULAR PGA TOUR I PLAYED THE GGO FOR YEARS AND HAD NUMEROUS DELIGHTFUL PARTNERS-JOEY SINDELAR WAS FANTASTIC, TOM WAtson WAS DELIGHTFUL, ONLY SCOTT SIMPSON WAS A PAIN IN THE #$%$#@, HE SAID MAYBE 4 WORDS ALL THROUGH THE ROUND AND WHEN OUR PARTNER PROFESSIONAL AND HIS AM PARTNER SUGGESTED WE GO IN FOR A DRINK AFTER THE ROUND, SIMPSON'S REPLY WAS "I'M A CHRISTIAN AND DON'T DRINK" AND HE WALKED AWAY. WHAT A JERK. HE COULD DRINK A COKE OR A TEA OR EVEN WATER AND BEEN A GENTLEMAN. I PLAYED THE ROCHESTER INTERNATIONAL LPGA TOURNEY FOR 15 YEARS AND HAD TERRIFIC PARTNERS. NOBODY ON ANY TOUR HAS THE JUST DOWNRIGHT "NICENESS" OF NANCY LOPEZ. SHE WAS A POSITIVE DOLL. GREAT FUN TO BE WITH, GAVE TIPS , AND DID EVERYTHING ONE WOULD HOPE FOR IN A PRO AM PARTNER. I HAVE MANY GREAT MEMORIES FROM LOCUST HILL GC AND THE ROCHESTER TOURNEY-WHICH IS NO MORE, SADLY. I NEGLECTED TO MENTION THE MOST EXCITING DAY I HAD WITH KATHY WHITWORTH. SHE WAS LIKE MY BEST PAL, COACH AND MENTOR FROM THE FIRST TEE UNTIL WE SAID GOODBYE. WHAT A GREAT LADY AND GOLF LEGEND.

I THINK I HAVE PLAYED IN ABOUT 30 PRO AMS AND HAD ONLY 2 BAD EXPERIENCES, BUT MANY THAT WERE WORTH EVERY DIME IT COST.

AFTER BEING RETIRED FOR 20+ YEARS, I CANNOT AFFORD THIS LUXURY ANYMORE AND JUST WATCH ON TV AND PLAY WITH MY OLD PALS 3 DAYS A WEEK AND TWICE A WEEK WITH MY WIFE.

I HAVE REACHED THAT ?ENVIABLE ? STAGE IN LIFE ,THAT I CAN SHOOT MY AGE ON MOST DAYS.

[Theryanlaf]

@kjdoherty78

That's such an awesome story! Huge list of big names at that charity event too! Im sure there were more you didn't mention.

[chetstokes]

Ive been fortunate enough to play with several well known and not so well known golfers.

 

Gary Player was an absolute gentleman. I got to ride in the cart with him, he drove. Was so nervous on the first tee i topped the ball! Couldnt have been a nicer guy and gave me some tips I still think about to this day. He even had lunch with us after the round. Truly a memorable experience.

David Gosset - He was in the round with Player, Player was mentoring him on his "return" to the tour that never played out. Was amazing to watch him strike the ball and he shot a smooth 63 that day that looked like an 80!

Len Mattice is a fantastic guy that if had won the Masters might have had a totally different career. Didnt play that great the day we played but his ball striking was just surreal to watch.

Russel Knox - I worked with him at a local country club while he was in college at JU. We played a lot of afternoon or morning 9's and hit a lot of balls on the range at the same time. Really a great kid with a heart of gold. Still consider him a good friend even though his stardom has gone through the roof.

Jim Furyk - Ive never played with him but have watched him hit balls countless times and had a few conversations with him and his dad. Hes as nice as a guy as they come.

Tyler McCumber is an old friend of mine playing some web.com and latinamerica tournaments. Really consistent golfer even since high school. I remeber watching him hit drivers off the deck further than people could hit them off a tee. His dad is a great guy and player too.

 

I have stories about all these guys and rounds and some more pros i know/ have played with but kept it short.

[chetstokes]

Ive been fortunate enough to play with several well known and not so well known golfers.

 

Gary Player was an absolute gentleman. I got to ride in the cart with him, he drove. Was so nervous on the first tee i topped the ball! Couldnt have been a nicer guy and gave me some tips I still think about to this day. He even had lunch with us after the round. Truly a memorable experience.

David Gosset - He was in the round with Player, Player was mentoring him on his "return" to the tour that never played out. Was amazing to watch him strike the ball and he shot a smooth 63 that day that looked like an 80!

Len Mattice is a fantastic guy that if had won the Masters might have had a totally different career. Didnt play that great the day we played but his ball striking was just surreal to watch.

Russel Knox - I worked with him at a local country club while he was in college at JU. We played a lot of afternoon or morning 9's and hit a lot of balls on the range at the same time. Really a great kid with a heart of gold. Still consider him a good friend even though his stardom has gone through the roof.

Jim Furyk - Ive never played with him but have watched him hit balls countless times and had a few conversations with him and his dad. Hes as nice as a guy as they come.

Tyler McCumber is an old friend of mine playing some web.com and latinamerica tournaments. Really consistent golfer even since high school. I remeber watching him hit drivers off the deck further than people could hit them off a tee. His dad is a great guy and player too.

 

I have stories about all these guys and rounds and some more pros i know/ have played with but kept it short.

 

forgot to mention my mom played with Sam Saunders, Arnies grandson. She said he was an incredibly nice young man who was very humble and did not expect any special treatment bc of his grandfather.

[premazipp]

One afternoon I went out as a single at the Ranches in Lehi Utah. I caught a group on hole 3 and was invited to join them. Turns out it was Tony Finau, his brother and a friend of theirs. Tony was quiet and very humble. Till this day I've never played with anyone as long as he is. It was silly.

[Oliver Klozoff]

Played some mini tour golf back in the 90s. Played with Duval, Furyk, and others. Was paired with Michelson in college tourney. I lost a lot of confidence in that one round with Phil. I think he shot 64. He had a graphite maybe Yonex driver while we were all still playing persimmon. He flew it so far past us. He was a good guy, he was just way better than I had ever thought someone could be. No holes in his game. I was shell shocked for a while after that. Played with Allen Doyle quite a bit. Not really a fun talkative guy back then, but he could flat out play and was tough as nails. Inside 150 yards he's probably still the best talent I've ever seen. Lots of middling unknown pros too. I remember my first event down there playing with a guy that I can't even remember his name, and he shot 63-60 with persimmon/balata on a 7000+ yards course. I was like...YIKES.

 

One of my most funs events later on back as an amateur was playing with Fred Funk for some charity deal. Awesome guy. I outdrove him by 30 yards. He shot -9.

 

Everyone has their own way of doing it successfully. But one thing stands out in the best - They are supremely confident in their abilities. There is no doubt in their minds at all. None. They know they have the game, they know they belong, and they are surprised when they don't play well.

[augustgolf]

Never gave much of a thought about this thread, because when I had a chance to play a few holes with Sam Snead, late in his life...I didn't consider him a "touring pro".

 

One of the very first TPC golf courses was built in Fort Pierce, FL....actually to say it was built "in" Fort Pierce was a great misnomer. It was relatively near Ft. Pierce, but wasn't really "near" anything....one reason that it folded up early, changed hands multiple times, etc.

 

When the first developers got the ball rolling, they signed up some very big names, and gave them free lots, lifetime memberships, etc. This was circa 1986

I'm including a link to a great story that happened at this course during that time frame

 

http://articles.sun-...tour-money-list

 

http://www.meadowoodgolfandtennis.com/index.cfm?ID=72

 

Fast forward to when I was working in So Fla, and an acquaintance of ours got the head pro's job at this course, now called "Meadowood". Snead was usually there everyday, practicing, and we never bothered him, but hit balls ourselves, and played, since this course, being so far away from "things" wasn't ever busy in the afternoon, and we could usually get 18 holes in well before dark.

 

Well....while we all can say that we have watched this player or that player practice...I never thought much about somebody like Snead watching us....but, we finished hitting balls to warm up, were headed to the first tee, when Slammin' Sammy himself asked if we minded his joining us.

 

Talk about $hilling a brick.....but, contrary to all those who say that Snead was a miserable old man....the 9 holes that we played were actually pretty pleasant, and was an experience that I had forgotten til I read a post on this thread say what an obnoxious SOB he was.

 

I would guess that he could be....can't we all???

 

I suppose that he respected the fact that we never bothered him when we saw him, and he might have thought that we actually could play a reasonably good game of golf.

 

So, we played 9 holes....can't say that I remember all that much, except I thought it was pretty cool, and that we were all around par...we really didn't keep score, but just tried to hit good golf shots.

[Jwin323]

I've played with several. My uncle, the late great Dutch Harrison. My cousins from another branch of the family, the Byrum brothers. Former Bruins at various UCLA alumni events-- Pavin, Delsing, Pate,Waldorf,Pernice, Merrick, Cantlay, Chappell, Johnson. Tiger and Kevin Na when they were high schoolers.

[Mulligan26]

Never have played with a tour pro but did play with someone ( RIP Mike Taylor ) that qualified for the PGA Championship and a couple of other tour events.

 

His ball-striking was a sight to behold.

 

He was a pro at Kiawah island right? If we're talking about the same guy my best friend was friends and teammates with him at Methodist during their PGM days. Small fu**** world man.

[00ogopogo]

Sure. Played many rounds with him over the course of 15 years mostly as an amateur and maybe 6 or 8 after becoming a professional.

 

Tipped LPGA course, I watched him score back to back 61's with a +6 or 7 handicap. I always enjoyed taking the strokes.

 

As an amateur every shot looked like the last one. After 5 years touring his driver distance was 20% longer, he was 270 in the late 90s . Possibly the last time we played he out drove a par four that generally was a 60-100 yard approach. HIs drive flew a front bunker 335ish using early 2000 ball technology, might have been a Titleist Professional. It was that day I realized how his game had changed and he had become a detail guy who took 3 times more preparation before each shot than anyone else I had ever seen Putter pressure got to him shortly after his first days of qualifying and watching guys who didn't have a beautiful swing but could score consistently.

 

Golf is a tough game.

 

I respect touring pros.

[EKELLY]

Was fortunate to have played a practice round with Shaun Micheel at Doral in 2001 and in the event with Jeff Hart and Brent Schwarzrock.

 

When I was working in South Florida I played with Briny Baird, Mike Sposa, Adam Armagost, and Brett Wetterich.

 

Doing some work with Bobby Clampett currently.

I played with Adam in the Florida Open many years ago, the year he almost won.......Good player for a short hitter, with a ridiculous short game.....

[SurfDuffer]

No PGA players but about a dozen LPGA players and as many Symetra players over the years thanks to working for a longtime sponsor of an LPGA event.

[UstaCouldPlay]

Grew up in Ohio and our High School home course was Muirfield Village. Between that and having a friend who played for Ohio State I was able to play quite a bit with John Cook, Joey Sindelar and Greg Ladehoff. Also played some with Walker Inman Sr.

[manku]

Played with Tommy Armour III about 20 years ago at LA Open proam...hit it a ton, but not a particularly pleasant or friendly fellow. Seemed more interested in his cigarettes than his pro am partners, and I don't think spoke more than a word or two to any of us.

 

Still was fun urinating next to Fuzzy in the locker room, and walking up the stairs next to Tiger!

[egr2teup]

Never have played with a tour pro but did play with someone ( RIP Mike Taylor ) that qualified for the PGA Championship and a couple of other tour events.

 

His ball-striking was a sight to behold.

 

He was a pro at Kiawah island right? If we're talking about the same guy my best friend was friends and teammates with him at Methodist during their PGM days. Small fu**** world man.

 

Apologies for not seeing this earlier.

 

We're talking about two different Mike Taylor's. The one I know went to Clemson, eventually becoming the Golf Director at Gaston Country Club.

[moegolfer11]

Grew up in Ohio and our High School home course was Muirfield Village. Between that and having a friend who played for Ohio State I was able to play quite a bit with John Cook, Joey Sindelar and Greg Ladehoff. Also played some with Walker Inman Sr.

 

Upper Arlington or Dublin Coffman/Jerome? Played in a high school tournament there and Scioto. Never played with a pro but Jack was there for both tournaments.

 

Have hit balls next to Daniel Burger, Azahara Munoz, Steve Merino. Also have been caddied by a guy who caddied for numerous tour pros at The Bears Club and The Dye Preserve. Got tons of knowledge from him.

 

Also random tidbit was two mini golf groups behind Michelle Wie once. Putting stance and Purple hair were dead give aways.