Playing with the pros

Ryan D. McCoy was a golfer who had never golfed. The 35-year-old Cardinal Health sales representative from Portland signed on three weeks ago to play in the first day of the Rosauers Open Invitational Sponsor Pro-Am, which grouped players representing the event’s sponsors with one of the pros who would be playing in the main tournament later in the week. McCoy said he jumped at the chance to come to Spokane and play at Indian Canyon Golf Course, but he had never actually played a round of 18 holes before. Minutes before teeing off Wednesday, he said, “If I get through this without getting kicked off the course or without someone getting hurt, I will feel like it’s a success.” Starting on a par 3, McCoy hit the ball out of bounds twice, then finished the hole with a score of 8, five above par. Guy Ask, the pro in McCoy’s group for Deer Lodge (Mont.) Country Club, gave him a few tips before teeing off at the next hole. “He’s going to give me some advice,” McCoy said. “That should help.” Of course, most of the amateurs playing in the pro-am have more experience than McCoy, but hitting the links with a pro gives golfers of all experience levels a chance to see how an expert approaches the game—and allows them to get a few tips along the way. Gary Lindeblad, head pro at Indian Canyon, said that’s what it’s all about. “The amateurs are there to have a good time and get a few pointers, and the pros are there to take care of them,” he said. Mike Sampson, a 30-year-old Liberty Lake resident who is McCoy’s co-worker and his cart mate for the tournament, said he plays 10 to 15 rounds of golf a year. This is his second time at the pro-am. Last year, he said, the professional he was paired with gave him a few pointers on his arm positioning when swinging the club, a tip that helped him hit more consistently. Sometimes, the advice goes beyond a few simple tips. Jeff Philipps, president and CEO of Rosauers Supermarkets Inc., came off the course after the morning round Wednesday with a smile on his face. Playing for the ninth straight year in the tournament his company sponsors, Philipps said the course is in great shape, and the pro he played with, Bob Scott of Meadow Wood Golf Course in Liberty Lake, gave him some great tips. “The pro I’m playing with is giving me a little lesson tomorrow,” Philipps said. Jason Pitt, the head pro at Chewelah Golf and Country Club, said the skill level of the amateurs can vary widely. One year, he was helping players look for lost balls on every hole. The next year, the entire team stayed on or near the fairway the entire round. He says he’s happy to give advice when asked, but he doesn’t give unsolicited tips. Many golfers don’t want anybody monkeying with their swing. While the pro-am is established essentially as an expression of gratitude to sponsors, there are benefits for the pros as well. Brent Walsh, of Twin Lakes Village Golf Course, says playing the pro-am gives pros an opportunity to reacquaint themselves with the course in preparation for the main tournament. “It gets us familiar with the greens,” said Walsh, who worked a shift at Twin Lakes that morning before coming to the tournament for the afternoon round. “Some of us don’t get to come out here and play this course a lot.” Pitt concurred, saying, “I use it as a practice round, figuring what clubs I’m going to use off what tee.” Walsh said the rounds take longer with less experience golfers than they do when playing in a professional tournament, and one needs to stay focused when on the course for five or six hours. Still, he said, it’s a good opportunity to prepare for the tournament, something some golfers coming in from out of town don’t have the luxury of doing. “The locals (pros) need to take advantage of this,” he said.