If not for the local acoustic act playing crowd-pleasers, you could have mistaken the hotel lobby for the captain’s quarters of a ship. A small fire burned, a painting of an octopus danced above, and dark wood paneling framed the room. The guitar man took requests from a dozen or so lively guests. One of the hosts of The Golf Party walked in, practically unnoticed.
Seeing the host moving toward the bar, Monday Q Info’s Ryan French suggested a cover. “Anything Huey Lewis,” I said, handing the man a five. The enthusiastic picker didn’t know the song’s leading man was nearing as he played “Stuck With You,” from the appropriately titled 1986 album Fore!. Somewhere during the second verse, Huey Lewis approached, drink in hand. The entertainer stopped mid-strum. His face lit up, half-shock, half-delight.
Lewis shuffled toward the guitarist, careful not to spill his drink. The man pointed in disbelief, his face beaming, and said a few words to the Grammy winner.
Lewis found a seat nearby with a friend. With a good hit of adrenaline, the guitar player carried on in disbelief.
He must have felt like he was hitting a fade in front of Nicklaus or a flop in front of Seve. The song wasn’t a perfect choice for the man’s voice, and I wondered if he would have chosen a different tune given the chance. Soon, people were shaking Huey’s hand, as I had done hours before when I’d exited an elevator.
“To be Huey Lewis is to live in a constant meet-and-greet,” said a musician at The Golf Party—the Huey Lewis- and Peter Jacobsen-hosted tournament at Monterey Peninsula Country Club in Monterey, Calif.
The idea of the event was simple enough: recreate what had been lost at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. It was Jake’s favorite tournament—it’s where he got his first start, a win in 1995 and where he retired from the PGA Tour.
I played with Jacobsen in his curtain call at Pebble. At 18, with the sun low and water glowing, Peter played his third shot from about 130 yards to a pin cut a few paces from the left edge of the green, not to mention the Pacific. His tempo remained steady, and he hit an unwavering draw that stopped eight feet behind the hole. We waited for Peter to lead the group to the green. We were smiling, laughing, all of us soaking in the moment.
Mike “Fluff” Cowan and Peter agreed to play one cup of left-to-right break. As if it were routine, Peter poured the putt into the heart of the hole. I applauded along with the crowd. A storybook ending at Pebble Beach.
The event has changed since then. It was once the epicenter of networking, raised a significant amount for charity and, for some, was the most fun event on the schedule. Now it’s a Signature Event with a limited field and massive purse. The tournament still exists, of course, but the version Jacobsen loved largely doesn’t.
Lewis was Jacobsen’s longtime partner at Pebble after Jack Lemmon retired from the event. Jacobsen and Lewis aimed to recreate the magic of the old AT&T and created an event in its image, with the competition turned down and the fun turned up.
Jake swung the golf club with perfect timing in his prime. Many kids probably saw a video game rendering of Jake’s swing before they ever saw a pro swing live. When he retired from golf, his impeccable timing and outsized personality served him well on the mic.
Watching him host The Golf Party was like watching him shoot in the mid-60s in his prime: effortless humor, an easy-going attitude and captivating skill.
What struck me most about Jacobsen when I played with him at the AT&T was his generosity. He told me the game is about other people: connecting with and supporting other golfers. It’s what Arnold Palmer passed on to him from the first moment they played together.
It’s easy to forget that as a pro when you’re playing for a living. Your world can become so small; your perspective no greater than your next shot. It doesn’t always translate well to a pro-am setting. But Jake modeled himself after Mr. Palmer, a beloved golf king with his own army, and he carries the spirit of The King wherever he goes. His example is nearly impossible to live up to but serves as a compass when you lose your way.
Jacobsen talks about the impermanence of your best golf. It comes and goes, just like the players on tour. What remains—what can live on through example—is generosity of spirit and connections made through golf. People may or may not remember the eight birdies you made, but they’ll remember how you made them feel. When you leave Jake’s company, you’re better for it. Always. He is one of golf’s truly genuine and unique ambassadors.
The Golf Party is in its infancy. This is year two, and the tournament has raised an impactful amount for local charities, including Jacobsen’s own Golf Diversity Program. The pros and celebrities gathered on stage and around dinner tables, telling stories from the old AT&T, the Ryder Cup and the tour before fitness trailers.
French was on stage for one of the panel discussions the night before the first round. He was there to talk about how independent media is a driving force in the discussion of the game. That he had a seat on the stage was proof enough. When he told the audience about an LPGA player he’d chatted with earlier in the day who had played for the past two years and was $150,000 in debt, the room gasped.
Monterey Peninsula turned the putting green into a mini-golf course, with plants, branches and vegetation lining the holes. Some arched driftwood proved too difficult a challenge for Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young to roll his ball under. Others found themselves outside the hole boundaries often. French teamed up with Old Dominion singer Trevor Rosen and managed to win the putting contest. There was Jacobsen with the mic and encouraging words, his arm around the shoulders of old friends as he watched adults transform into kids.
French and I played together as Team Monday Q with two executives at Jones Sports Company, the title sponsor of The Golf Party. Both were good players. One swung like Chris Kirk and the other could scramble his ball. They helped relaunch Jones Sports when all they had was a logo. The team built a successful scorecard in that spirit and walked off MPCC’s Shore Course satisfied.
Our second group was a competitive duo playing a match against another group. Given the logos on one of our new partners’ clothes, we guessed the stakes might be less friendly than we were used to. Ryan and I thought we’d be able to deliver for the team. But we both made bogey on the first and third. After I made two more bogeys in the opening six, our group started questioning who the pro was.
Fluff would have told me it was time for an attitude adjustment. Fortunately, the last 12 were much better. MPCC’s Dunes Course might have the best par-3s anywhere, with one played right up against the ocean—a longer, flatter version of Pebble’s 7th. I closed with two birdies in the final three, and one of our partners made a vital eight-footer that ultimately tied their match.
No one loses at The Golf Party.
The final act of the tournament was a rollicking concert and charity auction. As the orange sun fell over the Pacific, actor Andy Garcia held a beat on the bongos in a double-breasted blazer that Terry Benedict would have approved of. Ben Rector, who is every bit as kind as he is talented, sang “The Power of Love.” Huey looked on approvingly and Fluff bopped to the beat.
Who knew French was a huge Hannah Ellis and Nick Wayne fan? French knew every word of the two hits they played while their two-year-old son, Huck, stayed up well past his bedtime. It was well worth it, as Huck got to see Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis practically blow the tent away with “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” Golf Channel will never be the same. Jason Scheff played the legendary “Saturday in the Park,” and Jake Owen had some classy ladies letting their hair down to “Trashy Women.”
Jacobsen’s team put in tireless work to make the event a success. His daughter Amy helped organize The Golf Party and blew everyone away with her incredible vocals.
“That was great, honey,” Jacobsen said when she finished singing. “Now get back to work.”
There was so much more. And Huey and Peter outlasted everyone. There until curtain call.
Two great entertainers, bringing golf, music and people together. Making sure the show goes on. Making sure the heart of golf is still beating.
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