Golf gifts from the pro's.....

[BritBoy]

We were at the Albertsons Boise Open this weekend watching the Nationwide Tour event, just like I have for the last 3 years. My boys (11 and 13) love to hang out at the score trailer and get autographs etc. as the players walk out. Every now and then they will get a glove or a ball, and sometimes even a sweaty old hat or two, but this year was different.

Steven Bowditch left the score trailer and signed a few hats that the kids were wearing and started to walk away. Then he stopped turned around and whistled at the kids. My oldest looked around (my youngest is deaf so he didn’t hear) and he signaled him to come over. So he climbed under the ropes and went over, at which point Steven Bowditch handed him his PUTTER and said “here you can have this”. Incredible!!!

Later that day Jason Day gave not just one ball but A DOZEN TP Reds to the same son. Needless to say my youngest was a little PO’d that his older brother had scored so well. But the real kicker came on the way home when the oldest gave his brother the dozen balls and said “I got the putter, you can have these”.

Does anyone else have stories of things they have been given at pro events?

[azgreg]

That's awsome!!

[WhiteSoxFan]

Very cool, must've been even cooler than any of us can imagine for your boys.

[Shindig]

  BritBoy said:

We were at the Albertsons Boise Open this weekend watching the Nationwide Tour event, just like I have for the last 3 years. My boys (11 and 13) love to hang out at the score trailer and get autographs etc. as the players walk out. Every now and then they will get a glove or a ball, and sometimes even a sweaty old hat or two, but this year was different.

That's awesome. I didn't really know anything about Bowditch before, but this makes him one of my favorites on the Nationwide Tour this year I hope he finds some more success in the future. And hopefully, when your kid wins a major, he can thank Bowditch for the putter

[c_mack9]

wow thats awesome man, congrats. he will never forget that.

[bwinger79]

Great story. Too bad more pros dont have a giving attitude like that.

I think the only thing I have ever received going to an event was a sunburn.

[play4him]

My story is just about an autograph, but it's about what happened that makes it special. I took my oldest son down to Southern Hills for a 2001 U.S. Open practice round. As different pros went by I would tell him their names, so he could call out to them and possibly get an autograph. Well after awhile he had collected quite a few.

Then out of the blue, Hale Irwin rode by in a golf cart. There were quite a few people standing around and not one even recognized him. I told my son who it was, but by that time Hale was close to clubhouse. My son took off behind the ropes toward the clubhouse. Hale was busy putting some things in his bag when out of nowhere I hear a high pitched voice yell "Hale", "Hale". Hale looked up and pointed toward someone and motioned them to the players entrance to the clubhouse. I looked down the ropes and there goes my son running toward the entrance. The marshalls stop him, but Hale apparently told them to let him in. He proceeded to sign an autograph for my son and spend a little time talking with him.

I had always thought of Hale as a great player, but not very personable. But that day changed my opinion of Hale Irwin. :)

[iacas]

  play4him said:

I had always thought of Hale as a great player, but not very personable. But that day changed my opinion of Hale Irwin. :)

I think Hale Irwin is one of the nicest golfers I've ever met. I'm going to keep the story that leads me to believe this to myself, but suffice to say, he went above and beyond to be inclusive of the gallery during a practice round the day before a major championship (on the Champions Tour).

[Ed_Vaderr]

I wish somehow the Golf Channel can put this story on thier segments ... your older son is awsome that gives him some out of jail free pass I hope... I wish him all the best for the rest of his life. Great JOB !

[The Big Lefty]

This isnt at a tour event but it is about tour pros. The college I went to hosted a fundraiser. Our coach is friends with Fuzzy Zoeller and he convinced Fuzzy, Dana Quigley, and Jim Thorpe to come play in our fundraiser. People paid to play in the pro's foursome. Since I played golf there, I got to walk around with them and meet them all. Thorpe was a massive man. The biggest hand I've ever shaken. Dana was personable as well but Fuzzy could be an entertainer. Fuz cusses more than anyone Ive ever met on a course. It was a great experience and was awesome to meet them. Dana let one of my fellow teammates hit one of his hybrids on a par three and my friend almost holed it out. Dana asked him if he liked it and my friend said hell yeah! Dana told him he would have his people send him a couple with the same prototype shaft! A month later, we get out of class and he has a box at his house with the initials DQ on the box. Thats pretty cool.

[Sowbug2000]

Mine is an autograph story, too....

I was getting some autographs at the (then) FedEX St. Jude Classic in Memphis and I think I got Paul Stankowski, Ernie Els and Tommy Armour III. I asked for a couple of autographed balls from each.....Ernie was super nice....and Tommy III was a di*k. I gave my buddie one of Ernie's autographed balls and I kept one. Still have it.

Maybe I should go home and find it and rub it for luck. I could use some of the Big Easy's magic!! :)

[BritBoy]

  Shindig said:

That's awesome. I didn't really know anything about Bowditch before, but this makes him one of my favorites on the Nationwide Tour this year

Needless to say, I'm a huge fan now

  WhiteSoxFan said:

Very cool, must've been even cooler than any of us can imagine for your boys.

They are still talking about it!!! In fact I am stuck here at work tonight waiting for a phone call from my son who is out right now with a friend and his family playing with the putter for the first time. The best thing is he has been practicing putting every day since he got it....... wish I could say the same for me

  Ed_Vaderr said:

I wish somehow the Golf Channel can put this story on thier segments ... your older son is awsome that gives him some out of jail free pass I hope... I wish him all the best for the rest of his life. Great JOB !

That would be cool. I actually did get hold of the Nationwide Tour Tournament director in CA (their next stop) to get an address to send a thank you too. My son went out and bought a card and a little bag tag thing that says "live your dreams", and is mailing them tomorrow.

[BogeyGolfer19]

That is a great story, I got one of Jason Gore's balls at the Buick Open this year here in Michigan. He's a big boy

Wow that sounds bad.......hahah

[Rynofskie]

I have something really cool....It's not golf related, but still cool. My great grandfather was Allie "SuperChief" Reynolds, he was the pitcher for the New York Yankees from 1947-1954. When he died he left me two baseballs. The final game balls from the 1951 and 1952 World Series and they are signed by the entire Yankees dugout, including the management. I will never sell those balls as long as I live, even though I know they worth a fortune.

[Ben]

That's extremely cool! (your story too rynoskie)

I was a Standard Bearer (the dude that carries the sign of players in the group and their score) a few times at the Nissan LA Open. One year I was with Bo Van Pelt. He tossed me a few Pro-Vs (the newest before they came out) after he made birdies. I've come to find that's pretty common amongst touring pros after birdies. Have your kids wait by the ropes to the next hole.

[Jarno]

The club that I work with is home to the Henrico County Open for the Nationwide Tour, but it's been there ever since Nike was the title sponsor for the Tour.

I've had stuff come through the years, last year I got boxes of Pro V1s from the guys in th e locker room, 3-4 new FJ gloves, and a pair of FJ Classics my size (one of the pros left them he said if I could find someone who wore that size they could have them).

But the best is we had Notah Begay out one year and I'll never forget it he was hanging out one morning I think it was a Friday, and he felt a bit more uppidy(?). In years past he was always nice but that day he was all over the place having a lot of fun, on tour Fridays are the grueling days cuts are made.

So come to find out he's coming up 18, which is a shorter Par-5 our signature lake on the right bottle neck fairway 300ish out from the tips easy birdie/eagle, on pace to shot a 60 with a par. He in the rough off the tee, SMOKES a 3-wood to 20 feet or something, two putts for Birdie shots a 59.

He came in and signed a ball for all the proshop staff. I didn't get one but we did get him to sign a picture and it's up on the wall in the proshop.

The next year we were hanging out with Zach Johnson, after he lost in a play-off. He didn't have a flight until Monday morning.

But those are all my Tour Pro experiences, it's awesome to work at a club especially one that has a Tour stop.

If you have kids, try to get them to work at a golf club Private or Public. They meet TONS of people for later in life, i.e. for after college (me right now). And it's great work, always outside!

[BritBoy]

It was another weekend at the Boise Open this weekend. My oldest, who is now to cool to hang out by the score trailer, followed Bowditch all day and got to talk to him after the round. We got a nice picture of the kids with him too.
But this year I think my youngest got the coolest gift. He got both of Tommy Gainey's gloves LOL He thinks its awesome
What did dad get? A picture of Stephanie Sparks LOL Way hotter in person too

[stealth95]

That's great. I bet your boy's were grinning ear to ear for the rest of the week!