A technology systems sales rep stands over a 20-yard pitch from the heavy rough. Only the top third of the ball is visible from any angle in the thick grass, and the sales rep sets up with a mid-iron. He waggles once before I stop him.
“What club are you using for this shot?” I ask.
“Um, a 9-iron,” he replies.
“Are you sure about that?” I ask.
“Yes. This doesn’t look like a 9-iron to you?” he replies.
“Let’s just check to make sure,” I say.
The salesman lifts the club and looks at the bottom. It’s a 6-iron.
I play a handful of pro-am tournaments every year and in each, beyond making sure everyone has fun, I try to impart new ideas for improvement to each player. Sometimes, however, the job is as simple as saving players from themselves.
Seven-time PGA Tour winner and one of golf’s great personalities, Peter Jacobsen, told me the advice Arnold Palmer gave him as a young pro.
“When you have the chance to win, your focus needs to be on your game,” says Jacobsen. “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.” This is what Palmer told Jacobsen and they were words he would live by. I try to keep them close when playing in pro-ams.
