What Pro Golfer Got You Interested in Playing the Game?

[k-troop]

My first TV golf memory was the 86 Masters when I was 11 years old. Started playing the next year with my dad. I really liked Curtis Strange at the time.

[dfreuter415]

My first TV golf memory was the 86 Masters when I was 11 years old. Started playing the next year with my dad. I really liked Curtis Strange at the time.

I, too, watched Jack Nicklaus shoot 30 on the back nine at Augusta to beat Tom Kite & Greg Norman by 1, and Seve by 2 strokes. One of the all-time best finishes in golf history.

[JetFan1983]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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

LOL. At least I maintained some flying wedge at impact with the Wii controller. Too bad that didn't translate to the real thing.

[Patch]

I might have to say Arnold Palmer gave me my first glimpse of the game. Then, Tommy Watson finished me off, and gave me my obsession of the game. .

My Dad worked with Palmer, in a non golf capacity, and I met him a few times as youngster. Although at the time I knew he was golfer, my earliest memory was how many cigarettes he could smoke in short period of time. That, and that he was in the dry cleaning/laundry business.

When I was  older, I met and chatted with  Watson  after one of his tournaments. It was the first of a few short meetings over the years. He was Tom Watson, multiple major winner, and I was a total stranger who's name he would always remember when we would meet up. Chatting  with him is what put me over the top with wanting to play the game.

[dbuck]

The first golfer's name I remember was Arnold Palmer.  Even as a kid, I knew who he was. After that, Lee Trevino and Jack Nicklaus. It was after I started playing that I became a fan of professional golf.

As far as playing, a buddy got me started playing in my teens, and the game itself hooked me in.

[NJpatbee]

It was my father, uncles, and friends that eventually got me to take golf seriously.  My father tried when I was young and even bought me a set of lessons after I graduated college.  But it wasn't until I was 40 that I started taking the game seriously and at that time it was Norman, Faldo, and Couples that I watched.  As much as I admire the ability of many of the tour pros they have not been my inspiration to keep at it, even if only for 15 - 20 rounds/year.   I just enjoyed the game and allowed the obsession to occur.

[Moppy]

Tiger got me watching golf. I might have watched the Masters before him, but not a regular Sunday tournament finish.

[phan52]

Sam Penecale

[MSchott]

No single player. I first started golfing in the early 1970's and of course at that time Jack Nicklaus was the most dominant player as well as captivating to watch. A few basic principles of my setup are text book Nicklaus from reading Golf My Way. But the true influence on my interest in the game was the opportunity to golf with my best friends on a fine Saturday.

[Lihu]

No one.

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

It still is. . .

Quote:

Originally Posted by k-troop

My first TV golf memory was the 86 Masters when I was 11 years old. Started playing the next year with my dad. I really liked Curtis Strange at the time.

I, too, watched Jack Nicklaus shoot 30 on the back nine at Augusta to beat Tom Kite & Greg Norman by 1, and Seve by 2 strokes. One of the all-time best finishes in golf history.

I would have to say Jack Nicklaus and having to accompany my kids to First Tee, but I didn't start really picking it up seriously until 2 years ago.

It was frustrating to me that making par was so hard. Seems like it should be easier than it is.

[RickK]

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.

You and I are probably quite a bit older than most who have posted on this thread.  What actually tweaked my interest in golf way back in the late 60s was the fact that my wife's uncles all played golf and their families congregated at my home for most holidays.  Couple of birthdays always coincided with Masters weekend and they would all be at my house watching The Masters after going out to play that morning.  They got me interested in playing.  But, watching Palmer and Nicklaus is probably what got me most inspired.  I played industrial league baseball into my middle 20s and when I first started playing my common phrase was "I can hit a 95mph fastball.  He!!, I can hit even hit a curve ball.  Yet, here I stand struggling to hit this stupid little white ball that is sitting dead still."

I too so love this game.  Greatest game ever.

[No Mulligans]

For me there was no PGA player that got me interested.  Rather, Brookside golf course (Pasadena California) was on the other side of the back fence of a friends back yard back when I was pretty young, maybe around 12 to 16 years old.  We use to hop the fence around sunset and play a hole or two.

[Lihu]

For me there was no PGA player that got me interested.  Rather, Brookside golf course (Pasadena California) was on the other side of the back fence of a friends back yard back when I was pretty young, maybe around 12 to 16 years old.  We use to hop the fence around sunset and play a hole or two.

Off topic, but you should join me one of these mornings. It's still a really fun course to play.

I've never actually watched Nicklaus play, but his influence was pretty strong amongst all the First Tee instructors we knew.

[mcat12]

[IProbably Freddy Couples. Excellenct and smoth swing.

[Golfingdad]

My first TV golf memory was the 86 Masters when I was 11 years old. Started playing the next year with my dad. I really liked Curtis Strange at the time.

For some reason this made me chuckle.  "My first TV hockey memory was the 1980 Olympics.  My favorite team is Italy."

[Moppy]

For some reason this made me chuckle.  "My first TV hockey memory was the 1980 Olympics.  My favorite team is Italy."

"Mike Eruzione!"

[saevel25]

No professional golfer got me interested in golf. It was my dad taking me out to play that got me started in this horribly addictive game.

If I had to name an early favorite though, Nick Price. Don't know why, but I just liked watching him play when I was younger.

[ghalfaire]

No one in particular.  My starting to play was just an accident of faith.  I called a good buddy up to see if he would go riding our dirt bikes through the desert and he said "Can't I am playing golf with another buddy, you want to come along?".  And so it began.