My First Time - Brief Article

Golf Digest, Feb, 2000

Editor's note: Few things in golf are better than the first time you break a scoring barrier. As inspiration, we'll print stories of such "First Times." This month we hear from Jim McLean and reader Alan Torbet.

Prize pupil

The best thing for me as a teacher is to see one of my students break a scoring barrier. One of my favorite memories came when student Roger Smith broke 80 for the first time.

Roger was a member at Westchester Country Club in New York. Every instinct Roger had as a golfer was wrong. Often he barely made contact, and when he did hit the ball solidly, it resulted in a large, weak slice.

When I began to work with Roger, I convinced him to start back at square one. To break his longtime habits, I had him practice just chipping for one month. Using a 7-iron, he had to keep the clubface square and hit from the inside, plus hold his finish. For a whole month, he didn't hit one practice shot over 20 yards.

Slowly we broke his worst swing faults, and by season's end Roger could occasionally break 85. In the club-championship qualifying, he shot his all-time low of 82 to barely qualify for the first flight. This meant he would get no strokes in his matches.

Roger somehow got to the final, where he met a solid 5-handicapper. Playing the back tees at Westchester (a PGA Tour site), Roger shot an incredible 79 to win, 1 up. He was so happy that he wrote a very large bonus check to a young Jim McLean 24 years ago. I'll never forget the smile on his face and the pride I felt in his accomplishment.

Jim McLean

(Jim McLean is owner and president of the Jim McLean Golf Schools and Academies at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami, and at five other locations.)

Best bet

Soon after college, almost broke and just starting a career, I attended a conference at Pebble Beach. Even back then, Pebble's green fee was sizeable enough that I had to scrape together the cash to play. I checked the golf shop for a starting time and was added to a threesome. These fellows said they usually played a nassau "for five," and they asked if that was OK with me. I'd never played for more than a dollar nassau, but since this was the big time at Pebble, and not wanting them to change their usual game just for me, I said, "Yeah, five's fine." But I knew it would strain my budget if I lost $5 or more.

As it turned out, my partner and I won three ways. In the 19th hole having a drink after the round, our two opponents took out a wad of bills and peeled off $1,500 for each of us. Good grief, they meant a $500 nassau! I didn't have $500 to my name.

It was only then I learned that my new "friends" were in a business that I best not know much about. Their idea of "five" and mine were worlds apart.

Since then, whenever I'm faced with a tough shot, I think of that game and my shot seems a bit easier.

Alan Torbet

Highland Beach, Fla.