A Game of Connection

On the back of the 17th tee at the Bay Hill Invitational stood a delighted golf writer, Michael Bamberger. It's a long, downhill par 3, with water snaking around the right side of the green and treacherous bunkers on the backside. 

The course was playing tough by all accounts. The greens were baked and bouncing. Someone remarked the course conditions resembled that of a US Open. Kurt Kitayama was tied for the lead on the 71st tee. He hit a towering shot over the water, riding the line of courage and danger. The ball landed and stopped 12 feet from the hole. Kitayama poured the putt into the middle of the hole when it mattered most.  

Most viewers watched the elevated play on TV. It was impressive. But to be there and see it with your own eyes, as Bamberger did, must have been transcendent. Professional golfers up close and in person, live shots, no shot tracer. Just him watching The Ball In The Air - the title of Bamberger’s latest book. 

That's what Pro-Ams are all about: getting to see great skill, unfiltered. It's a tried and true business. The PGA Tour hosts at least one Pro-Am every week, and most often, more. Many amateur golfers are willing to pay handsomely for a one-on-one experience playing with a tour pro. You can see what someone does on TV, but to discover how it's done sometimes requires a more personal experience. 

I've played in many Pro-Ams in my career. Every level of pro golf has them. The Monday before last, I traveled to Naples, Florida, to play in one benefitting Immokalee Foundation at the invitation of Peter Jacobsen. It's a fundraising day he has participated in for a long time, and this year, he asked other pros to join. Ernie Els, Bobbi Stricker, Luke Guthrie, and Maude-Aimee Leblanc were among some of the pros leading their teams. Soon after arriving at Tiburon Golf Club, a Waffle House-themed Tour bag caught my eye. I found Brooke Pancake nearby and asked if I could take a picture. I've never seen anything like this, I thought. It must be off the secret menu!

Jacobsen is an ever-gracious host. He never lets any two people he's speaking to go unintroduced. Huey Lewis had recently been to town. He was injured and unable to compete at last year's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, but was feeling better. Peter mentioned Huey asked about me, and I felt the power of love.

My intentions for the day were far from altruistic. I was being paid a generous appearance fee for the day, which was the only reason paying exorbitant prices for travel to Florida in peak season was possible. If I spend carefully, the fee will cover a few weeks worth of tournaments. Maybe an extra bag or two of groceries. For players like me, Guthrie, LeBlanc and Pancake, the fee can be a lifeline. It gives a player another opportunity to invest in themselves. Els and LeBlanc would use the day as a springboard: Els won the following weekend on PGA Tour Champions at the HOAG Classic; LeBlanc finished third on the Epson Tour at the Carlisle Arizona Women’s Golf Classic. 

I put on a good show during Pro-Ams. I'm not sure anyone can be more charming than Peter, but I try. I play aggressively to please the crowd. I'll offer a few simple tips here and there, mainly to the players struggling the most. I've played with CEOs, sports stars and actors in such events, and I'm always amused when they’re nervous. It's usually the competition that causes the nerves, but every now and then, I'll get someone who is mostly worried about embarrassing themselves in front of a pro. Pros don't have high expectations for the skill of their partners, just the hope that their partners are good company (and don’t play too slowly). 

At breakfast, Jacobsen discussed his relationship with Arnold Palmer and how he'd been involved in various capacities with The King's tournament. This year, he helped get Billboard chart-topping musician, Ben Rector, to play a concert at Bay Hill. Ben, whom I met at last year's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am, is a prolific songwriter and performer who played with Joel Dahmen in this year's tournament. While the duo missed the cut, I'd argue no two players put on a better show. There is great chemistry when they take the stage. 

While the paycheck originally motivated my trip to the tournament, my intentions evolved quickly. The Immokalee Foundation is a scholarship organization that helps kids from a migrant agricultural community afford college. Some of the recipients of the scholarships were themselves scattered throughout the course. They speak very highly of the foundation's role in their lives. One, an unassuming club pro named Gerardo, was our team ringer, and a product of the foundation. He’s easy-going, quick to smile, and plays a tight draw. After the round, Gerardo thanked everyone for their support, as his path to a career in golf was anything but typical. 

One of Michael Bamberger's central characters in The Ball in the Air is a charming Nepalese girl named Pratima. Her homeless family moves into a maintenance shed on one of Nepal's only golf courses and works the grass. While tending to the ground, Pratima's father looks up and sees the perfect tree branch. He cuts it down and fashions it into a rudimentary club – a stick, really – and from there, Pratima's life is never the same. The rough stick is upgraded to a real club, and the mentors she meets take her further than she can imagine.  

The Immokalee Foundation organizers spoke of the importance of mentors to the next generations. Jacobsen discussed how Arnold Palmer had mentored him through the years. Palmer had even asked to play with him in a practice round at his first tournament, while he was at the height of fame and glory. Jacobsen passed along the very same advice The King had offered: 

‍“When you have the chance to win, your focus needs to be on your game. But most of the time, being a professional golfer is about the people around you. It’s about helping others to enjoy their own game and relationships.” 

And he has spent his career living by The King’s mantra. 

The importance of mentorships in the game has been on my mind. This game has a unique power to connect people – Michael watching Kurt. The King and Jacobsen. Jacobsen and me. Gerardo and Jake. Pratima and The Ball and the Air readers. Likewise, musicians often discuss feeling a connection with the crowd. Ben Rector and Huey Lewis would know. 

This is a game that gives us hope and a deep connection to others. Watching a pro hit the perfect shot at the perfect moment – or better yet, hitting it yourself – takes each of us higher. 

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