Who Is Your All-time Favorite Golfer?

[Gunther]

I didn't start the thread so I may be overstepping here but the name of the thread is All-Time Favorite Golfer.

We've all liked and followed many but I challenged myself to pick one of the many I've favorited over the years, and he's not even my current favorite.  I wonder if it might be more a more interesting read to have us pick just the one.  

I went with Phil, FYI.

[Lihu]

Never seen him play, but I like Lee Trevino.

[isukgolf]

Tiger ... I started playing late in life, but it was while Tiger was tearing it up.  When I watched golf on TV, it was all Tiger.

[jbishop15]

This is a hard one for me. My top three favorites are Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, and Harry Vardon. There is so much about all three that I love that I vacillate between the three whenever I think about it. 

But, when it comes down to it, I think Tiger gets the nod. Perhaps had I been alive during the playing careers of Vardon and Hogan I would pick them, but watching Tiger over the past twenty years has been a real, real joy. I can say that, without Tiger Woods, I probably don't get into golf like I have. 

[pganapathy]

Forgot to add this in my previous post. From the ladies side it always will be Annika Sorenstam. For me she also fits into the discussion of GOAT thanks to her amazing skill set. She may not have as many majors as Tiger or Jack but was a force in her own right

[chilepepper]

Has to be my grandfather who got me started in the game. Caddied at Gulf Mills CC outside philly, had some great stories. So far as pro's go......it changes tournament to tournament. I'm usually happy to see one of the many journeymen on the tour who slog along week after week get a win. 

[Vinsk]

Brandel Chamblee.

[Club Rat]

I'm a fan of Payne Stewart. He's always had a "touch of class" in his unique golf attire.

Also on another note, can anyone name the other six golfers in the TST -  "Home Photo" with Jack and Arnie?

[parman]

Arnold Palmer and Fred Couples. 

[taxgolf]

What a difficult question it is. I might answer it differently years to come. 

Mr. Palmer did undoubtely so much for golf, it is hard to pass on his greatness. Unfortunately, I have never seen him play, only watched him on the tube and from recent years on the TV. A great, great golfer and person. 

In Holland, golf was a relative unknown sport, for the happy few. I saw Nicklaus play on the BBC, without satelite. I saw his yellow garment, walking over the bridge at St Andrews and had tears in my eyes. I knew then instinvtively, this man was great, a sporting hero. Yet his achievements were relative unknown to me.

Along came Tiger, never saw that epic year in 2000. He is the reason I watch golf. Without him, golf is boring. mr. Palmer set golf up, Tiger made it great and built on it. To me, it's Tiger, nothing, nothing, nothing and then the rest of the field. 

I saw wild baby John Daly win the Open. What a player! I always like to watch him. He is different, a camp. 

I didn't recognize what Seve B. did for the game. Slowly it creeps in. 

Hogan, can't do without him. I spend evenings watching him on youtube.

Rory? Might be. Speith, mmm. Phil? No, I am putting my chips on young Bryson D. He is gonna change the game of golf. For sure. He thinks out of the box! But he will be always behind Tiger.

 

 

[Natural Patrick]

Bryson  has the ugliest swing in golf. I like his interviews though.

[NJpatbee]

I was not a golfer during Arnold Palmer's prime days but in studying his past, his aggressive attitude on the course and everyman persona helped open this country up for many more golfers of my parent's generation and as a result for myself.  That makes Arnie my favorite all-time golfer.  The best golfer of all time is a different question.

 

 

 

[Wally Fairway]

There are so many ways to answer this question:
- my brother, with whom I've played the most golf in my life
- some close friends with whom I've gone on a number of golf trips
- a couple of uncles who helped me develop my game at a young age
- my dad who introduced me to the game, although he only has a passing interest himself
 

- favorite pros would be in different eras (of my life) - Jack, Freddie, Tiger, and most recently Jordan

I can't pick one all-time, so I'm calling it a tie between my brother & my uncle

[gatsby47]

I have always liked the flamboyant type of golfer.  If I could play in a foursome with my favourites, it would be Walter Hagen, Jimmie Demaret, and Lee Trevino.  The stories and the gambling would be legendary.  They all had swings designed in the circumstances needed to get the job done. They lived each day for the joy of it. Not the greatest, but certainly hall of fame worthy.  It is one more reason why golf is unique among sports.  There are not many modern day golfers with the same joie de vivre.

[hammerboy]

On 07/03/2013 at 8:11 PM, dfreuter415 said:

We all know that when the all-time greatest golfer conversation starts, inevitably the conversation comes down to Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. I've seen them both and would have a hard time deciding, only because Jack's career is over, and Tiger is only 37. To me, right now Jack is number one, but in the end, it could be Tiger.  Enough said.

 

What I would like to start is a conversation about is who is your all-time favorite golfer, and why. As we know from every other sport, being the best does not always translate to popularity. For instance, my all-time favorite NFL player is Bobby Lane. He is in the Hall of Fame, but in no way has ever been considered the best at his position. What I loved was his Errol Flynn, "swashbuckling" style, and charismatic nature.

 

So, in the replies to this post, could you just let us know who was you favorite golfer and why.

 

For me, my all-time favorite is Arnie Palmer. I was 10 years old when Arnie birdied 17 & 18 at Augusta to win his second green jacket in 1960. After that I was hooked. Not only was he from Western Pennsylvania, (as am I), but he won 62 tour events and 7 major championships. On the course he had that "go for broke" mentality that we saw in Tin Cup...

 

During the Los Angeles Open at Rancho Park in 1961, Arnold Palmer teed it up on the par-five eighteenth hole. He hit a good drive but hit his next four shots out of bounds. Finally he hit his 10th shot over the green, chipped on for 11 and putted out for a 12. When he was later asked how he made 12, he reportedly quipped,  "I missed a 15-footer for an 11."

 

The manner in which Arnie interacted with his army of fans is still unsurpassed. I have personally witnessed him signing autographs for well over an hour after practicing at the range until everyone present had been taken care of. Arnold Palmer is widely known for his unfailing sense of kindness and thoughtfulness, and his philanthropic outreach is one of the best examples of this. The Arnold Palmer Charities are wide ranging and include cancer research and treatment, hospitals for women and babies, and the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve is an environmental, educational and recreational area near his hometown of Latrobe, PA.

Originally it was Jack Nicklaus,but I would now go for an unusual choice :

Seve Ballesteros

I had the pleasure of seeing him in the Ryder Cup and his charisma,happiness and great golf are his main qualities.

Sadly taken from us too early

[GordonRamsay]

Total opposites, but its a tie between Gary Player and John Daly.  Gary because he is a stand up guy, and John because he didn't give a $hit what others thought of him.

[Jim Bloodworth]

Jack Nicklaus has to be my favorite. He has to be the best golfer ever and is a great ambassador to the game. 

[Natural Patrick]

1 hour ago, GordonRamsay said:

Total opposites, but its a tie between Gary Player and John Daly.  Gary because he is a stand up guy, and John because he didn't give a $hit what others thought of him.

Yeah, of all the favorites I have had throughout my life time, and there have been many. Daly was the one I could relate with the most.