Hustled by the most unlikely of characters... Let's hear your stories

Titleist983K · December 7, 2016

I made a topic similar to this last year around this time and really enjoyed the responses. Let's hear your stories of pairing up with unbelievable golfers who you hadn't seen before or since, had older clubs, dressed in old clothes/ hats, had old beat up bags, large sums of cash looking for a sucker, etc.... Any good stories out there from some of your local courses? I had a good one from earlier this year. I play as a single a lot and know the guys in the pro shop and the starters at this one particular course. I'm never opposed to a little action with some money on the line. Story starts on a random Tuesday afternoon that I had taken off of work early to play some golf. Old Town Car of some kind comes rolling slowly into the parking lot. Out steps a man I'm guessing to be about 50 years old dressed in an old faded cotton polo and dingy khaki shorts. We both end up close to the first tee about the same time and decide to pair up and play as the course was completely deserted. I look over and he is playing x14 irons, reg 588 wedges, v-steel fairway woood, and a 905t driver. All clubs completely caked in mud and hardly the latest and greatest. Before I can even think It he is asking to bet! He mentions $100 a 9 and if either of us wins both 9's $250 total. Just caught me completely off guard. I ask for a more friendly sum of $20 for the full 18 holes to keep it interesting. He agrees to this with a small chuckle like it was a joke and a burden to play for pennies. He proceeds to shoot 4 under on the front, gets torn up drunk on the back and shoots one over or so. Never looked like he was trying or really cared. Get back to the parking lot and pay up only to find him shuffling through $100 bills in the center console of the town car lol. This guy was a shark and looking for a sucker he could take some real cash from! No idea who this guy was and no one I know at the course has seen him since. Had a great time with the guy and it just goes to show there is a lot of raw talent out there. Would love to hear some similar stories you guys have whether a bet was on the line or not!

teevons · December 7, 2016

Damn,have to sell the town car now

SteveNZ · December 7, 2016

Paging Stu...

Juice__25 · December 8, 2016

I never bet, but I play single a lot. I was out first one morning so I played multiple balls. I usually do this, at least until someone gets within 1.5 holes to me, then I just switch back to 1 ball. No one ever catches me this way. I play fast and I normally tee off in the dark. Well a guy catches me after 9. He's late 50's, maybe even 60's.

I offer to let him pass, but he insists on playing together. He casually mentions a bet, but I decline. 10 is an easy par 4, I bring out driver, he brings out 4 wood. I get my typical bogey, he gets a par, missing his birdie putt by a lip. Every time I pull out driver, he's pulling out 4 wood. Consistently hitting the 4w, 230 (My driver is 250+ usually). Long par 5, I'm thinking, he's finally bringing out driver, nope, 4 wood (230), 4 wood (off deck 220), and then wedge to green.

Finally, I glance over to his bag, and the 4 wood is his only wood. The rest are irons, wedges, and a putter. 5 wedges. No driver, no hybrids. 5 wedges. Lol.

Anything within 175 he's money. On the last hole I ask, why no driver? And his only reply was, what did that extra 20 yards get you?

9 holes Juice 44, Mr. 4 Wood 35.

Practice the "money" clubs.

Lesson learned Mr. 4 Wood. Lesson learned.

Wriggles · December 8, 2016

I've been playing golf for over 50 years. Every so often, I've run into guys that want to play for $20-50-100 and up. Never played for more than $10 a nine, and lost much of the time. Good rule of thumb, as in the OP's case, beware a guy that drives an older car, plays older clubs, and wears shabby clothes, but wants to play for big (at least for me) money. Decline with thanks, and go about your way.

A couple dollar bet is fine, makes things interesting.

BIG STU · December 10, 2016

OK Steve you requested so here goes

When my old man ran the course he had a big time friend from Atlanta that was in the poultry processing big time and was a multi millionare. Now he sent his grand son up to hopefully take over the plant in our town. Now his grand son had a bunch of drug,alcohol and mental problems. He showed up unshaved and with a taped together pair of glasses driving a pale blue beat to hell and back Ford Torino. He dressed like he came from the Salvation Army and his clubs were as equal a mess. My old man called his Grand Dad with WTH? Grand Dad told the old man I told you he has several screws loose. This guy was a mess. His clubs were in a beat to heck canvas bag and were as mismatched as one could get. He never wore golf shoes and always played in worn out brown loafers and never ever wore socks. My old man filled me in on him and at age 14 I became a babysitter so to speak. Damn he could play though. I told the old man I did not see how he did not bust his butt with no golf shoes. My old man who was a very observent person told me watch his balance. Now his Grand Dad told my old man to run a tab and he would pay it weekly just send him the bill. My old man tried to sell him clothes, shoes balls, and clubs but he would have none of it. Now he would play all day whether he had someone to play with or not. I have seen him play when it was cold as heck carrying that bag and a 6 pack of Budweiser and NO SOCKS. But man could he play. I saw him play in the snow one day and no socks. He ended up that summer cleaning everybody's clock professional golf hustlers and weekend gamblers too. He would play everyday. He was sharper than everyone thought he was. He questioned the old man on the bill one week told him that he was not charged for the two rounds he played in the snow. My old man told him he was not going to charge him for that. He would just assume to play for $1000 as he would by himself just so he was playing golf. He did tell me one time after shooting -8 (62) not to tell anyone but my old man.

Come to find out it was mostly an act and my old man was in on it--- Now the guy did have problems in the past and was recovering and this was part of the deal to straighten him out--- He ended going back to Atlanta 2 years later and i ended up going into service so I never saw him again. I told the old man one time I expected to see him on the big tour and the old man snorted and said "Why would he want to do that? He is worth more money than anyone on the tour at the time including Nicklaus and Palmer. Come to find out he was the only heir to the poultry fortune because his parents were killed in an airplane crash in the early 60s. According to my old man when his Grand Dad passed that the estate with 5 processing plants was worth somewhere between 300 to 500 million in 1970s money and he got it all. But by God he could play!

BIG STU · December 10, 2016

I made a topic similar to this last year around this time and really enjoyed the responses. Let's hear your stories of pairing up with unbelievable golfers who you hadn't seen before or since, had older clubs, dressed in old clothes/ hats, had old beat up bags, large sums of cash looking for a sucker, etc.... Any good stories out there from some of your local courses? I had a good one from earlier this year. I play as a single a lot and know the guys in the pro shop and the starters at this one particular course. I'm never opposed to a little action with some money on the line. Story starts on a random Tuesday afternoon that I had taken off of work early to play some golf. Old Town Car of some kind comes rolling slowly into the parking lot. Out steps a man I'm guessing to be about 50 years old dressed in an old faded cotton polo and dingy khaki shorts. We both end up close to the first tee about the same time and decide to pair up and play as the course was completely deserted. I look over and he is playing x14 irons, reg 588 wedges, v-steel fairway woood, and a 905t driver. All clubs completely caked in mud and hardly the latest and greatest. Before I can even think It he is asking to bet! He mentions $100 a 9 and if either of us wins both 9's $250 total. Just caught me completely off guard. I ask for a more friendly sum of $20 for the full 18 holes to keep it interesting. He agrees to this with a small chuckle like it was a joke and a burden to play for pennies. He proceeds to shoot 4 under on the front, gets torn up drunk on the back and shoots one over or so. Never looked like he was trying or really cared. Get back to the parking lot and pay up only to find him shuffling through $100 bills in the center console of the town car lol. This guy was a shark and looking for a sucker he could take some real cash from! No idea who this guy was and no one I know at the course has seen him since. Had a great time with the guy and it just goes to show there is a lot of raw talent out there. Would love to hear some similar stories you guys have whether a bet was on the line or not!

Back in the day most of the sleeper hustlers were not flashy. My old man taught me to beware of a man who shows up with a canvas bad with an old Spalding or Macgregor driver with no head covers . Also look at the irons if you see rust and a dime sized wear mark in the center do not mess with him he will clean your clock. And especially if the guy had a set or 52 or 53 Top Flite irons he was a ball striker. He also told me beware of the guy that had a well worn Bull's Eye or 8802 putter. Now that was not always the case. Some of the guys especially from Florida showed up in the spring with staff bags and new stuff and they could play too. Most of the Florida guys were hustlers or seasonal club pros stopping through on the way back up North for the season. My old man had several friends that held 2 positions usually with the same owner or owner group. They would go to Florida and be the club pro during the winter and then go back up North for the summer and be a club pro there. One guy was a trip-- At the club in Florida he was a Spalding staffer and in Michigan he was a Wilson staffer but when the money was on the line he played Macgregor clubs. He told the old man his Macs were the traveling gamer set. He had them in a Hogan Sun Jet bag because he flew back and forth. Most of those transient pros hung around about 3 weeks or so in the spring and a couple of weeks in October

Mitchell · December 10, 2016

My former club was a tree-lined Donald Ross design with the typical green complexes associated with his designs and was well-known in the area for wagers. One of the best players at the club was about 5'4" and we all referred to him as "Yo" for his resemblance to Yosemite Sam both in appearance and disposition if a shot did not come off as intended, which was very infrequent.

His bag- A well-worn Taylormade System 2 tour spoon with x flextwist shaft (and appropriate Looney Tunes headcover), a Ping Eye2 becu 2 iron, 3-pw Nancy Lopez irons with the hosel fin and x100, staff JPII sw, and a dinged-up copy of a Bobby Grace fat lady swings putter.?

At least once a month, a new story would go around grillroom of "Yo" demolishing a traveling player that thought he would be an easy mark in a match.?

golfmj228 · December 10, 2016

Mitchell, I absolutely loved those flextwist shafts back in the day, wonder what the specs were?? I remember pulling several to put in other branded drivers, some for me and some for customers. Really was a sweet shaft!

Mitchell · December 10, 2016

Mitchell, I absolutely loved those flextwist shafts back in the day, wonder what the specs were?? I remember pulling several to put in other branded drivers, some for me and some for customers. Really was a sweet shaft!

Vaguely recall Nick Price switching to one of the old Aldila tour gold variants as a close match after exhausting his available stash of flextwist shafts- don't recall which model?

jmcorr4 · December 31, 2016

I moved to Cincinnati, OH in the early 90's and went to play at this public track as a single. I was ok at that time, 4 hdcp. This dude shows up on first tee, wife beater, jean shorts, tube socks jacked to the knees, worn out 70's shoes with the floppy thing, big 70's shades. Old crappy Spaulding bag, head covers on each club irons too. Shakes my hand and asks if I'd like to bet, I'm like sure why not. Guy pulls out 3 wood, from 40's maybe 50's, perfect finish, looked brand new. Hits about 265 low draw and pulls cover off the irons, MacGregor's with the super nice inserts on face, fancy ferrels, again old old but in perfect shape. Guy shoots 68 no problem, I shot 76 lost $20 bucks. So were having a beer, he insisted and he tells me he has rebuilt and finished each club in his bag to perfection. There may or may not have been a mustard stain on wife beater but man could that dude play, crazy good.