World's Worst Avid Golfer Story--Inspiring

[Flv02]

Hey Golfers,

 

My uncle uses a golf application on his smartphone, and I when I signed up for it to show him how it works, they started sending me cool little e-mails every week. This week, it was a story that aired on the Golf Channel. It is an inspiring video that really shows us what the game means to us, even when we are not playing that well. Here is the description from the e-mail:

 

"In 1986, Golf Digest held its "Worst Avid Golfer" competition.

 

They grouped up four terrible golfers and had them play one of

the toughest courses in the World - TPC Sawgrass.

 

A golfer by the name of Angelo Spagnolo made history during that

round...

 

He shot a 66... on ONE hole!

 

Hole 17 at Sawgrass is the famous par-3 that sits in the middle of

a lake. Golfers have to hit the ball over the pond and directly on

to the green - otherwise it ends up in the water.

 

Well, Spagnolo landed in the water alright - over 25 times. The

PGA commissioner even named part of the hole "Angelo's Alley".

He ended up shooting a round total of 257. OUCH!

 

Twenty-five years later, Golf Channel invited Spagnolo to play the

hole again. Think he beat his original score?"

 

Here is the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=i_3G8_VNfPw

 

I personally enjoyed it. Tell me what you golfers think.

[GolfSpy Tim]

I've watched this video twice. Good stuff.

 

But geez... golf channel, quite featuring him without giving the poor guy lessons.

 

Someone really should offer him a lesson!!!!

[RoverRick]

When he was told to pick up and replay I thought that was wrong. Because he took an illegal drop but had played the ball, he received a penalty. But he determined he had an unplayable lie and redropped. I do not expect the Golf Channel to know about the finer points of Cricket or the winning stratogy of Curling but the basics of golf really falls under my expectations.

 

Yesterday, two of us were on the green in two and two were about 20 yards short but in a line about 5 feet apart. The furtherest guy chili dips and lands a few feet in front of the other. The now furtherest does the same thing. Then they both repeat it. And repeat it again. I asked the Iguy standing next to me if they were playing golf or checkers. Both these guys were better than that but were so mad they were not thinking. Finally one guy was 10 feet off the green with his wedge in his hand and I yelled "Just putt the damned ball onto the green.". Which he did. The second guy,still pissed now turned his anger to me and asked what club he should use. I told him to use his wedge left handed at least he could hit down on it better than scooping it. They both got 7's with 4 chips each and we laugh real hard about it in the bar.

[Flv02]

I've watched this video twice. Good stuff.

 

But geez... golf channel, quite featuring him without giving the poor guy lessons.

 

Someone really should offer him a lesson!!!!

 

I watched it twice when I first saw it too. The fact that no one gave him lessons or offered it to him was the one thing that bothered me the most. I mean, the false penalty was upsetting. But the fact that Golf Channel did not offer him lessons when he would really benefit from it was just terrible. Who knows, maybe they did give him lessons afterwards and did not say anything (even though if they did, I feel like they would say something). All of that aside, Angelo represents the great side of golf that we experience when we play. His love for the game and the fact that even when he shot a 30 on one hole, he said that it is better than a day at work. That's why I loved this video so much.

[Tyk]

I find it kind of sad that in 20 years the guy has not gotten any better. I guess I just can't really comprehend that mindset, the willingness to be utterly incompetent at something. I mean, it does not appear to me that the man is incapable of playing the game. I play with people that are in worse physical shape than Angelo. In our golf association of almost 90 guys, with handicaps ranging from scratch to 30, there is not a single one of them that is not capable of par on 17 at Sawgrass. None of us would par it every time, all of us could rinse the ball many times, but I also think all of us would get a par in I'd guess 25 attempts. My 11 year old daughter would hit that green given 50 attempts. My wife who has played casually for 3 years would hit that green one out of 15 times. I think you could take a physically capable person who had never held a golf club and in one day teach them to hit the ball well enough to hit that green in 50 tries.

 

To me, this is a celebration of failure and I just don't get it. I don't understand how Angelo can enjoy the game of golf when in my opinion, he really doesn't seem to me to be attempting to PLAY golf. Why pick up a club and a ball if you do not intend to try to hit it well? I just don't get the point. He truly is just ruining a good walk outdoors. I mean, if he gets pleasure in it, who am I to say he shouldn't, but I can't understand it.

[Shambles]

I sometimes envy new guys on the fairway. They are almost always in good humor and come off the fairway happy at the one good shot they made. Experienced players come off grumpy at the one bad shot they made.

 

 

Shambles

[Tyk]

Don't get me wrong Shambles, I love beginning golfers. One of my favorite things is to watch someone get hooked on the game of golf!

[Shambles]

Don't get me wrong Shambles, I love beginning golfers. One of my favorite things is to watch someone get hooked on the game of golf!

 

Apologies Tyk. Never even thought of you. It was just a mention, not even a comment, on one of the differences between new and old. We sometimes take ourselves too seriously when the whole idea was actually just to find a pleasant day outdoors.

 

 

Shambles

[JMiller]

If they wanted to be really 'by the letter of the rules of golf' there was also repeated violations of rule 20-2, in terms of dropping the ball. The rule states that the ball most be dropped at an erect position and be held at least shoulder high. If the error is not corrected it is a one shot penalty stroke.

http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules-of-Golf/Rule-20/#20-2

 

20-2. Dropping and Re-Dropping

a. By Whom and How

 

A ball to be dropped under the Rules must be dropped by the player himself. He must stand erect, hold the ball at shoulder height and arm's length and drop it. If a ball is dropped by any other person or in any other manner and the error is not corrected as provided in Rule 20-6, the player incurs a penalty of one stroke.

 

So the question is... did he really beat the 66 or not?

 

 

I agree he handled himself with class but dang maybe read the rules and get some lessons that was hard to watch someone that avid about golf play so terribly.