Brendon de Jonge is my neighbor, a member of the PGA Tour, and a hell of a nice guy. A few weeks ago, I put a random letter in his mailbox, with an idea for a magazine article. Though we are neighbors, we had never met, and he could have called the police. Thankfully, he didn't. Quite the opposite, in fact. He invited me in to his home, answered my silly questions and gave me a ticket for the practice round - where I took these pictures.
Obviously, I wish him well out there. It may be the most competitive profession in the sporting world, and the game can sometimes make fools of them too. All frustrated semi-talented amateur golfers will agree that somewhere in the deep recesses of their deluded skulls lurks a small flicker of a dream - if only we had time to practice.
Guess what? You got no shot.
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| My son, Jack. Age 7. |
Brendon de Jonge//Monday, May 2, 2011//by Jon Luther.
To the typical fan, life as a professional golfer looks pretty darn good. And for the top players in the world, it is. They live quite comfortably, are largely adored and they travel in style. Many own private jets, and there are lucrative sponsorship deals and endorsements. And if they are playing extremely well, they can typically craft a schedule that fits their lifestyle.
The kids slugging it out in the middle still live pretty good, but in spite of all the perks, it can be quite a grind. Most of these guys play in 30+ tournaments a year. That’s 120+ days just playing competitive rounds of golf, not to mention travel days, practice rounds, hours on the range and pro-ams. And if the player is making a lot of cuts, it’s not inconceivable for some guys to spend less than 75 nights a year in their own bed. That is a ton of time on the road. And these are family guys, too. At a recent practice round at the Wells Fargo Championship, I overheard many pros talking with patrons about their children in a very proud, yet wistful way. They truly missed their kids.
For pros like Brendon De Jonge, who has a stepson Alex (11), four month old Keaton and two year old Lauren at home, it means that he misses a fair amount of quality time with them and his wife Mary. I was able to sit down with Brendon at his home the Monday before the Wells Fargo Championship to discuss life on tour. I was mostly curious about what his life is like between tournaments, and how he prepares for them. As of this writing, Brendon is 61st on the PGA Tour money list and he is ranked #93 in the World Golf rankings. He is a good young player from Zimbabwe who, after playing at Virginia Tech, turned pro and moved to Charlotte, NC. His best finish was last year at the Wells Fargo, where he finished fourth. This year, he finished 5th at the Traditions, where for the first time he played in the final group on Sunday. It’s only a matter of time before he wins. At least I hope so, because he is a heck of a nice guy – the kind of guy you want to finish first. And in this game, it absolutely happens. Guys like Arnold Palmer, Nick Price, Ernie Els and now Rory Mcilroy and Rickie Fowler. Nice guys really do finish first. So why not Brendon?
Our conversation took place in his tree-lined backyard on a beautiful sunny afternoon. The weather in Charlotte, North Carolina in early May is absolutely perfect. The dogwoods are in bloom, bluebirds and finches are chirping away, and the temperature is a perfect 75 degrees, with a high swirling blue sky up above and honeysuckle in the air. Over the gurgle of his pool fountain, his most excellent English bulldog Gus grunts at a finch.
So I guess I should say welcome to the neighborhood. What brought you to Charlotte from Zimbabwe?
I went to college at Virginia Tech and I’ve always loved the States. Mary and I have lots of friends from college here, plus it’s only two and a half hours from VT, so its an easy drive to get back for Hokie football games. So the choice to move to Charlotte was an easy one. We have some friends here from college, there are good schools, a reasonable cost of living and it has a convenient airport – which for me is essential. And it is pretty laid back, which we like. But really more than that, the city has just a good vibe to it. It’s a pretty big city, but it doesn’t have that big city feel. We love it here.
Did you ever consider playing in Europe?
Well, I think things would have been a little different if I didn’t get through Q school that first year. Then, Europe would have been an option. But I was lucky enough to get through at Q School and I had some Nationwide Tour experience. (He was player of the year in 2008) Plus I really wanted to play on tour here and Mary is from Lexington, Virginia, which is not too far, so it worked out well.
Where do you play in town?
I play out of Piper Glen, but I also play Quail Hollow a good bit, and we are given memberships out at Carolina Golf Club, where they played the qualifier this week. In fact, my buddy Bruce who you met just finished up playing the qualifier.
That’s a great Donald Ross design. How did he play?
I think he was one under.
Will that make it?
(Laughs) Oh, no. You need to shoot 64 or 65 in the qualifier to get in. Every week, there are about 100 or so players competing for just 4 spots.
Let's talk about your schedule. It has to be pretty hectic. How do you manage it both personally and professionally?
Well, I play a lot. I’ll probably play close to 30 tournaments this year. It is tough. Especially when you have little kids. Obviously it takes a special woman to be able to deal with the schedule, so I give a lot of credit to their mother, Mary. She is such a strong, independent woman. But you just deal with it. As best you can, you know?
You break it up some. If you are going to be on the road for a long stretch, they might come out on the road with me for a few weeks. Now that we are on the east coast for a while, it has made a big difference with me getting home Sunday nights, just to sleep in my own bed for a couple nights and see the family. But even so, I’m not complaining. The rewards definitely justify the negatives.
What about preparing for a tournament. How do you get ready?
Well, you really learn over time to manage your schedule. Most guys follow a common theme, but it varies. Monday will be a free day, just to get away from it and spend a little time at home. Tuesday will be a travel day. I’ll get to the course around lunchtime and meet up with my caddy. I’ll hit some balls, practice my short game, hit some putts and maybe play nine holes and use the pro am as another practice round. So that gives you a day, day and a half to get ready for the tournament.
How much preparation goes on with the golf course itself?
Well, all the caddies get yardage books. There’s a guy who does that every week a few weeks before the tournament. And they are incredibly accurate. And depending on how well I know the course, I may go out and play nine holes, or I might just practice and putt. When we are playing in the practice rounds, the caddies may check a few numbers, depending on the changes from last year. Also, the caddy might also walk the course early on the Thursday rounds just to see how the golf course is playing.
(Author's Note - While observing Brendon practice, I watched him (and some other pros) hit chips, pitch shots and sand shots for about an hour. Their deft around the greens is almost unsettling. 8 of 10 shots were inside 5 feet. And I saw his caddie screwing balls down deep into the rough on some short-sided chips. Make no mistake, this (and putting) is what separates goodness from greatness. Brendon's caddy is ex-European Tour looper Phil Lowe. They have been together about 6 mos. Throughout the practice session, I noticed Phil doing more than just carrying Brendon's bag - he was coaching, whispering, cajoling, and keeping his man loose. Finding a caddy you are comfortable working with (and win some tournaments with) is not easy task, and once you find one you get along with and are confident in, you tend to stay together for a while. Time will tell with Phil and Brendon, but I found myself noticing on a few occasions that they looked very comfortable together.)
Does your preparation change from week to week?
Well, obviously if something is not going so well, you will focus on it the next week.
Do you work with a swing coach?
Yes, but I will only call him if I need something specific or I notice something that needs attention. I’m not one of those guys that needs to see him every week.
How do you feel about the Pro-ams?
Pro-am’s are very necessary. There a lot of talk out there about how to change the requirements to play in the Pro-Am’s. It’s based on the money list from the previous year, so the higher on the money list, the more pro-ams you play. So it’s the same guys playing every week, some guys think that’s unfair and they should change around the selection criteria. But most of the guys understand they are necessary. There wouldn’t be a Tour without the sponsors.
Well, the places you guys play are some of the most magnificent pieces of land on the planet.
Yes. Yes, we can be pretty spoiled…
Still, you have sort of earned the right to be. I mean, I’m sitting here, genuinely amazed at the fact that I’m talking to someone who is among the Top 100 golfers on the planet. For a guy like me, it’s staggering to even think about being that good.
Well, thanks, but its more and more competitive week after week. There are a lot of very good players out there. You can't play poorly for long.
And it seems like – even with all the changes to golf courses in recent years, seemingly to make them longer and harder – scores are getting lower.
They absolutely are, yes. But guys are so good at this level, making courses longer just means the difference between hitting a 6 or an 8 iron, which is not really that big of a deal. It starts to get really difficult (like in major set ups) when they let the rough grow, let the course dry out and the greens get fast. For example, last week in New Orleans, they must have been watering the greens just as we were finishing up so they wouldn’t lose them. That's how dry and fast they were.
Do you enjoy playing in the Wells Fargo Championship?
Oh, yes. It’s great to be he home for this week. We always have some fun. I’ll have some people over tonight and tomorrow and relax a little bit. It’s great. And this is a well run tournament. Quail Hollow is one of the nicest tracks on tour. The practice facility is second to none and they treat the players very well. Mercedes courtesy cars for all players, for example. And the golf course is top notch – among the finest we play out there. It is in superb shape.
You have mentioned that your countryman, Nick Price is a mentor and hero. Tell me about that. Is there a personal relationship there?
Oh yes. Well, first of all, he’s a great guy to have as a role model. He’s a humble, very down to earth, nice guy. Genuine as can be. And he’s so very willing to share anything he’s got, you know? I always stay with him at the Honda tournament when we are down in Florida - and I’ll always pick his brain whenever I can. He’s so great about sharing things and giving advice.
That openness. Is that fairly typical with some of the older pros?
Not that typical, I don’t think…there are lots of egos out there. Nick is just a super guy.
What are your favorite courses to play?
Pebble Beach I’ve always liked a lot. And Hilton Head – I’m not usually a Pete Dye fan – but I wish there were more courses like that out there - short and tight. I’ve always liked Quail Hollow and courses like that. I like the old school parkland style golf courses. The older ones with lots of big trees. Like Oakmont and Winged Foot.
What about your personal goals?
For me, it’s pretty simple, actually. Just keep getting better. If you keep improving the rest will take care of itself.
What metrics do you pay attention to? Seems like it can get pretty stat-happy.
Well, scoring average is really the best metric, isn’t it? The lower the score, the better you get. I will sometimes pay attention to some of the specific stats, but overall, scoring average.
Do you feel like you are more of a technician or a feel player.
Definitely feel. Very much so. There are so many ways to play shots. For me, it’s really a feel thing. Also I basically play a fade, but I am really comfortable moving the ball both ways – so really it’s whatever the shot requires.
Is playing in the President’s Cup a goal?
Oh, yes. Nick is going to be the captain next time around, so that would be pretty neat to play with him. Unfortunately, it will never have the cache that the Ryder Cup has due to the history, but it would be great to play for the team.
Is the selection criteria pretty much the same as the Ryder Cup?
Yes, it’s based on world rankings. Very competitive.
Who are some of the guys you hang around with on tour?
A college roommate Johnson Wagner. Brent Snedeker, Kevin Stadler. And Boo Weekly. Some of us are under the same management company, and some I played with in college. When we are traveling around, we will go out for dinner or a drink just to break it up and relax a little bit.
What are your favorite tournaments?
Hilton Head I like. And the new tournament in Sea Island is great. I also have a lot of friends down there. The Wells Fargo tournament is always very popular with all the guys. They just treat us so well here….and the practice facility is as good as it gets on tour. And obviously, the major tournaments. I love to play in those.
Have you played in the Masters yet?
(Laughs) No, but that one is obviously a goal of mine.
Well, Thanks Brendon. And play well this week.
I’ll do my best!
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