Application to Big Break

I really want to first thank Mark Carroll, my in-law cousin via marriage!! LOL!! 

He took time to help me articulate my story. Thank you for your help and support! If I get to the interview phase I owe you a steak dinner ;-)

I have submitted my application for a TV reality golf show on the Golf Channel. 

• http://www.thegolfchannel.com/bigbreak/
  

I have been watching this for years. Every year when I watch, I say to myself, OMG! I can hit that better than him! I Should be on that show!

So I am filling out the application.  I know that they want a story, that makes for good TV, so I believe I have captured something good here!  I have so many stories from my life as a golf professional and growing up on the Monterey Peninsula that if I can get to the interview I believe I can take it to the next level.  Let me know what you think?

What is your primary motivation to be on Big Break and how will being on the show make a positive impact on your career?

The motivation for me can really be summed up in the name of the show itself. You see, this show is really my last chance—I am looking to fulfill a dream. Back in the early 90s, I was an assistant professional for the Pebble Beach company and during that time I also played the mini-tours.

I would teach, work the shop and whenever I could, find a tournament I would go play in along the coast of California. As you can imagine, being in my early 20s, many nights were spent with three or four of us players in a Motel 6 room for $36 bucks a night. The bed was considered the prize of the day—whoever had the low round got one of the beds, the others got the floor in a sleeping bag. Needless to say, my competition also became some of my closest friends. Even today, we share many fond memories of those times.

Of course, I didn't have much else to share at the time. My briefcase was my golf bag. But inevitably as I got older, new priorities came along like a family and I had to trade my golf clubs for an office. I can rationalize all I want that this was the right thing to do for where I was in my life. After all, my golf skills have served me well in the business world as I've developed a career in the high-tech industry.

But the hunger to play professionally still drives me. I applied for reinstatement of my amateur status in 1999. And with the support of my wife, I play competitive amateur golf in the hopes of possibly winning a USGA title and getting an exemption to a PGA event (she even caddies for me).

To me, Big Break is more than just another avenue to fulfill a life dream, it's really my last chance to see if I have what it takes. It's also my chance to show my children that living life is really about chasing your dreams, and as long as you have the support of family and friends, and a core belief in yourself, anything can be accomplished. Big Break is this opportunity!


What obstacles if any have you overcome in your life or in the game of golf?

Not only was I the smallest in my class, but I also grew up with a stuttering problem and Dyslexia. Having a speech impediment brought a lot of teasing from my peers in grade-school. The Dyslexia made learning difficult (I was not diagnosis until much later in life). While I tried to remained positive and outgoing as a child, my learning disability and speech impediment were big blows to my self-confidence.

Then at age 12, my stepfather was hired as Head of Security in Pebble Beach. This job came with a house in 17-mile drive. I was introduced to the game I love by borrowing my stepfather's old rusty Walter Haggan clubs and sneaking on the Par 3 Peter Hay golf course. We couldn't afford for me to belong to any club, so this practice of "walking on" was only way I could play. As I got better I would sneak on, and be chased by, the marshals at Pebble Beach and Monterey Peninsula Country Club on a regular basis.

Soon after, I joined the tourists staying at the lodge for rounds at the Par 3. By the end of that summer I would play these guys for a couple of bucks using my lunch money that my mom gave me. Steadily, I "earned" enough money so I could buy my own used clubs. Golf was more than just a sport—it was freedom from the things that held me back. I never had to say too much, except “nice shot,” thanks to golf game etiquette. So no one ever noticed my stuttering. And playing against the adults gave me a level of confidence I had never experienced. Golf became a place of refuge for me. Daily practice taught me focus and commitment. And the view from every tee box to the distant green filled me with a serenity I'd never known before.

I somehow managed to graduate from high school with sub-standard grades. I never made it in college, so once again I turned to golf and tried my shot at becoming a professional. After five years of playing mini-tours and working to become a Class “A,” I still felt that I was always going to be held back because of my lack of education.

Then it happened; I was having dinner with a successful CEO during a Pebble Beach tournaments and, like something straight out of Caddyshack, I found myself like Danny Noonan discussing my desires to go to school but feeling that I was going backwards. Plus, I had a fear of school and the failure I'd always associated with it. That's when this Ty Webb of sorts shared something that I'll never forget. He said, ”Going to school is not taking a step back. When Joe Montana wants to throw a touchdown, he takes three steps back to see the whole field. From there he makes a decision on what to do. Going to school allows you to make that decision.” That very night, I made the decision to go back to school.

I graduated from Monterey Peninsula College with an Associates degree in 1998. I had gone from a C-minus student to an Honors student and a school Senator that helped write a bill to lower the tuition for Community Colleges in the state of California.

School was always difficult for me. The game of golf provided me the tools to overcome this challenge by applying focus and commitment, while trusting in myself!

What has been your greatest accomplishment in golf?

I truly believe my greatest accomplishment is yet to come. I have played in hundreds of golf tournaments as an amateur and a professional. I've taught some of the biggest CEOs in America and I've had the privilege of working with Jim Flick in the Nicklaus/Flick schools during the early 90's. In 1992, I was responsible for all the corporate golf tournaments for the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, running daily double shotguns and making sure that the corporate sponsors were happy and having fun. And most recently, I won the Player of the Year and State Championship for the Keller Williams Golf Tour in 2004.

But, let me reiterate, my greatest accomplishment in golf is yet to come. I have two beautiful boys in my life. I want them to receive the same rewards in their lives that this game has provided me. I want them to experience that moment when they make their first birdie. I want them to feel the satisfaction that comes with hard-work and dedication. And above all else, I want them to understand the meaning of sportsmanship that I believe only golf still maintains.

Every day, I try to lead by example and show my boys firsthand that dreams can be achieved. In fact, I've even created a blog to chronicle my chasing of these dreams and how to balance this with family, career and life's other challenges: http://ventisworld.blogspot.com.

If I get on the Big Break and win, it will open doors that have always been locked to me. And while this will be a great accomplishment, I'm proud to say the greatest accomplishment will be how I share this with my boys. It will inspire them to achieve their dreams and overcome the challenges that life throws at all of us.


Tell us who is your hero, and why:

Fellow Northern Californian Ken Venturi. He is one of my heroes because the game of golf also helped him overcome all of his personal challenges in life. As a child, he too was a stutterer and golf became a place of solace for him. He went on to become one of the best amateurs in the country and was compared to Bobby Jones at the time. He took 2nd at the Masters as an amateur when Palmer came storming back on the last four holes to overtake him.

Unfortunately, Venturi had struggles when he turned professional and turned to alcohol. He fought back from the clutches of alcoholism to win his first Open fighting heat exhaustion. I'll always admire his commitment, drive and passion for the game.

Growing up in the 80s and 90s, he was the voice of golf for me! His tales of the Masters and the history of the game resonated with me as a young golfer. And his life story of challenges, success, heartbreak and, in the end, real personal and professional success gives me hope and determination to fight for my dreams.