What Pro Golfer Got You Interested in Playing the Game?

[dfreuter415]

Just curious:  When you started playing golf, was there a pro golfer that helped to stir your interest?

Living in Western Pennsylvania in the '60's and '70's, it isn't hard to guess that Arnold Palmer had a lot to do with my early interest in the game of golf.

I can pinpoint the moment to the 1960 Masters Tournament, watching on my vacuum tubed, black-and-white TV, the swashbuckling pro from Latrobe, Pennsylvania, make birdies on #17 and #18 to beat Ken Venturi by one stroke.

Later that year Arnie won the United States Open at Cherry Hills. He started the final round seven stroke behind Mike Souchak, but Palmer drove the 346-yard first hole and made birdie. Birdies followed on the second, third and fourth holes, and Palmer fashioned a front-nine 30. Palmer wound up winning by two over the amateur, Jack Nicklaus.

I was 10 years old in 1960, and the next four years were the best four years in Arnie's storied career. This was also the time of Arnie's Army, Big Three Golf, and Challenge Golf.

Arnie won 8 tournaments in 1960, 6 in 1961, 8 in 1962, and 7 in 1963. That's 29 PGA titles in 4 years. Just as a comparison, Ben Hogan had 35 tour titles from 1945-48, Byron Nelson had 35 PGA wins from 1942-45, Tiger Woods best four year stretch was 27 PGA wins from 1999-2002, Sam Snead had 24 titles from 1949-52, Jack Nicklaus had 22 PGA wins from 1970-73, and Tom Watson had 22 PGA wins from 1977-80.

This was also the time that I got my first set of golf clubs and played my first 18 holes. It's now more than 50 years later, I'm still a single single digit handicap, and Arnie is still called the King. It's been a great ride.

I love this game.

[colin007]

Eldrick Mother-effing Woods

[Jakester23]

Eldrick Mother-effing Woods

I don't think I could put it better so all I'm going to add is Fershizzel.

[iacas]

Just curious:  When you started playing golf, was there a pro golfer that helped to stir your interest?

No.

[14ledo81]

[quote name="colin007" url="/t/78693/what-pro-golfer-got-you-interested-in-playing-the-game#post_1086159"]Eldrick Mother-effing Woods

I don't think I could put it better so all I'm going to add is Fershizzel.[/quote] My nizzle........................ Wait... Am I allowed to say that?

[Jakester23]

My nizzle........................

Wait... Am I allowed to say that?

What I said was  from the Chappelle show. So I'm going to go ahead and say no your not.

[9424tm]

There was not a particular golfer that was necessarily responsible for my interest in golf but I followed Fred Couples before I started golfing. He is from the Northwest as well and I loved his easy swagger. Just made the golf swing look like syrup.

[colin007]

I don't think I could put it better so all I'm going to add is Fershizzel.

[quote name="14ledo81" url="/t/78693/what-pro-golfer-got-you-interested-in-playing-the-game#post_1086168"] My nizzle........................ Wait... Am I allowed to say that?[/quote] [quote name="Jakester23" url="/t/78693/what-pro-golfer-got-you-interested-in-playing-the-game#post_1086174"] What I said was  from the Chappelle show. So I'm going to go ahead and say no your not. [/quote] Lol!! It's like playing "Is It Racist?" If you have to ask, it prolly is...

[ditchparrot19]

None for me. I became somewhat of a Craig Stadler fan after I started because we had similar body types and I liked his seemingly irreverent demeanor, but that's as close as it got for me.

[mvmac]

No player in particular. I started playing in '96 when I was 13 but the '97 Masters certainly had an impact on me as well as watching Fred Couples in person at Olympic the year after.

[Yukari]

No one.

It was my parents who introduced me to the game.  Before then, I thought golf was only for old retired guys.

[Hammer 4]

Back in 95, my boss got me started. Davis Love III was by far the player I tried to copy, so to speak.

[TimS65]

Lee Trevino and Tony Jacklin on Pro Celebrity Golf on the BBC (UK) in the 70's/80's. Trevino was SO funny!

[boogielicious]

None really, but there are many I liked to watch.

[David in FL]

None.

[scorpion12]

No professional player got me to start playing. Since I first played in 1993 or so, I didn't really follow professional golf. I still don't but will occasionally watch a tournament on tv every now and again. If I were to say I followed any pros on tour it would be the lefties. Phil even though he's not truly lefty, that old guy on the Senior tour in the 90's Bob what's his name. Bubba maybe... that's about it.

[JetFan1983]

Tiger for me, but my biggest influence was his video game on the Wii. Without that game, I never think about trying golf for real.

[Ernest Jones]

Tiger for me, but my biggest influence was his video game on the Wii. Without that game, I never think about trying golf for real.

And you been working on undoing your Wii swing ever since.