Who was your boyhood pro? (no not that kind...)

granters

granters

Q-School Graduate
Joined
May 28, 2010
Messages
952
www.theirvinegolfclub.co.uk
So who was the golfer that really got you to sit up and take notice when you were starting? Who was the one you'd take inspiration from and try and swoosh it round the course like in a tragic attempt to ape them? I'm sure a few of you may show your age here :o

I'm nearly 31 now so mine had to be the great John Daly. In a time of few real golfing personalities in the early 90's , along came Daly and blew the hole thing 10 feet out of the water at the 91 PGA.

Cue me and 5million other boys with 350 degree swings with pitching wedges, and our shirts untucked (crazy stuff eh...)

I even got a Killer Whale for Christmas in 1994, with proper red and black firestick shaft and light grey titanium head. The first "jumbo" driver. At 360cc! Seems crazy now when the smallest driver head i can find is 440cc. Remember Daly wildly smacking it 350 all over the shop?

Happy days
 
I'll be 31 next month and for me it has to be Faldo.

I remember when I first took an interest in the game I thought he was unbeatable.
 
I'll be 49 shortly
And undoubtedly Seve. He captured the imagination and excitement of the game.
At that time (and sometimes now) I'd find myself in trouble on the course and think "how would Seve get out of this?"
Great player and man. :) :)
 
I'll be 49 shortly
And undoubtedly Seve. He captured the imagination and excitement of the game.
At that time (and sometimes now) I'd find myself in trouble on the course and think "how would Seve get out of this?"
Great player and man. :) :)
Click to expand...

Here here- Seve's actually the first golfer i ever remember. He totally transcended sport. Seve was just Seve- not Seve the golfer
 
Ken Brown, the great one.

A tall, skinny lad who played with a fade, and was a demon around the greens with his check wedge chip and run shots.

And he was banned after the 1979 Ryder cup for being a rebel ( I can't remember exactly what he did - but I think I remember it involving Mark James, and insulting the Americans )

:cool:
 
Big Sandy and the moobs man himself. Britains most under rated golfer EVER Monty Montgomerie.
 
52 in a couple of weeks and only been playing the game for 10 years but enjoyed watching Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosman, in fact HID's first husband used to play with both of them for Shropshire.
 
My hero was Nick Faldo after watching him win the 96 Masters. Then 8 years later I did well in the Faldo Series and got to practice with him a couple of times, just me, Nick, Jeremy Bennett and my Dad on the range at Windlesham no one else around just us for a few hours.
 
When I first got into golf the leading players were Nicklaus, Trevino, Player, Jacklin. Not really the kind to get a youngster's imagination fired up. Compare them with the footballers of the time, Pele, Best, Cruyff, Moore. No contest sadly. Miller and Watson were younger and a bit more trendy. But that was what was so special about Seve. He was in a different league. Young and cool and talented and he changed people's perception of golf.

Nowadays there are so many good players with different styles to appeal to and inspire the young kids. It's great.
 
84 Open is my first recollection of watching golf on tv, so Seve Ballesteros made a big impression but I didn't start playing until 1985 so for me I think Greg Norman would have sneaked it as my favourite pro when I played a lot from 1985 to 1989. All those near misses in the Majors in the late 80's when he was robbed by spawny shots by Mize, Tway and the like made an impression.
He was the only player of his day that could fire a 63 or 64 round a really difficult course on the last day of a Major and get a charge going. I respected Faldo greatly but he didn't inspire as much as Norman, Faldo was more of a plodder.
 
My dad is my inspiration,ive been playing only two and a half years.
Whilst i was running and then playing football,i was aware he was playing golf,however it was only when i moved close to a golf club i thought i would give it a go.
He is 67 now and his handicap is the lowest its ever been at 9 so i have a little catching up to do,and more importantly when i play a round with him its most enjoyable game in the world.
I have always watched golf and Seve was just the most amazing,charasmatic and entertaining golfer of his generation,imo, and he made me sit up and notice.
 
I started playing around 1980 and Faldo and Seve were obvious heroes but the name I used to relate to the most was Nickluas. My first clubs were from Argos and the woods were McGregor Golden Bear.

If I or my Dad hit a good shot I'd say "Good shot Jack!" which was a cry you used to hear from the galleries while watching on the TV at the time. (Sad, I know. And even worse, I still have to restrain myself from saying it occasionaly even now :o)
 
Faldo, Norman and Seve, even though I have only recently taken up golf its a sport I have always dabbled in a little and always enjoyed watching, especially the last day of big events.

Love watching Shell's wonderful world of golf and seeing the old boys hitting 1 and 2 irons and using standard putters, none of your fancy stuff back then :)
 
Faldo, Norman and Seve, even though I have only recently taken up golf its a sport I have always dabbled in a little and always enjoyed watching, especially the last day of big events.

Love watching Shell's wonderful world of golf and seeing the old boys hitting 1 and 2 irons and using standard putters, none of your fancy stuff back then :)
Click to expand...

It' been done to death but it makes you think about how much the game has changed. I distinctly remember Faldo having 200 odd yards left on the 18th at Wentworth and pulling out a 2 iron, with a head you could floss your teeth with and knocking it to 10 feet.

Nowadays they have the option of pulling out a hybrid that they only have to make some sort of semblance of a swing to get it moving in the right direction.

I tell thee, these youngters don't know they're born...Right i'm away for my 25 hour shift in the munitions factory
 
Got to be Faldo for me too. Mum & Dad took me to the Open at Muirfield in 1992 and we followed him most of the way round what an experience, still remember it well even though I was only 12.
Dad only ever seemed to wear the Faldo collection of Pringle jumpers...infact think he still wears them!

Having seen the Amazing footage of Seve recently, I wish Id had the chance to see him at his best.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top