MORE THAN A GAME
Two Friends Who Live for Golf, Through Thick and Thin
For Paul Devore and Dave Dobo, golf is more than a game. In Paul’s own words, “Playing golf is a quest.” And like all quests, there are highs, and there are lows. For Paul and Dave, there has been no shortage of either.
The two colleagues and friends started playing golf together in the summer of 2002. Paul was working for Dave at the time, and understandably so, wanted to “impress the boss” in their inaugural round. Firing a front-nine 41 with his Nicklaus CG1800 irons and circa-1989 TaylorMade Burner Plus driver, Paul figured he was “in” despite his shaky back nine.
He turned out to be right. Paul and Dave have been teeing it up together ever since.
To put it mildly, the two friends take the game seriously. Paul reminisced, “I remember saying to Dave one time (when he was struggling), ‘Well, at least golf doesn’t define you as a person.’” Looking up at him, expressionless, Dave bluntly replied, “Yes, it does.”
In the summer of 2003, one year after first playing together, Paul and Dave started taking lessons from a local PGA professional. Shortly after, the teacher moved out of town. Dave had improved and was playing solid golf at the time. He didn’t see the need to continue lessons.
Paul, on the other hand, knew he wanted to continue working on his game. It was simply a question of where to go next. There happened to be a GolfTEC (Galleria in Houston, TX) right behind their office. So Paul decided to stop in one day to see what GolfTEC could do for his game. He mentioned to Dave that he was starting lessons at GolfTEC, but again, Dave didn’t see the need at the time.
For Paul, GolfTEC was the perfect fit. “I had a club in my hand every day and took full advantage of GolfTEC’s practice package,” Paul said. While he was steadily improving—eventually becoming a 70s shooter—Dave’s game was heading south. “I was trapped in no man’s land,” remarked Dave. “I didn’t own my new swing, and there was no going back to my old swing.” Paul would occasionally suggest that Dave go see his GolfTEC Coach, Darren Smith, but Dave couldn’t bring himself to undergo the swing change process again.
So Dave continued to fight his swing. And Paul grew closer to the point of stepping in to help his friend.
Perhaps the last straw was when, in Paul’s own words, “Dave had gotten to the point where he couldn’t hit a driver 100 yards off the tee. (Sorry, Dave.)” But it wasn’t like Dave was unaware of the situation. At his low point, Dave felt like all he was doing was, “hoping ‘Bagger Vance’ would show up and magically show me the way.”
So Paul told him point blank, “Look, you love the game. You don’t deserve to play badly.” He continued, “Frankly, your game couldn’t get any worse than it is right now. You should take lessons.” But Dave had a different take, responding, “The worst thing I ever did was take lessons.”
Dave eventually came around and decided to give lessons another shot—this time at GolfTEC Houston with Coach Kevin West. Despite the “death moves” Dave had developed in his time away from lessons, Kevin was able to patiently guide him through the improvement process, both physically and mentally.
When asked if his friend’s struggles impacted his own game, Paul replied, “I can’t say Dave’s struggles prior to GolfTEC had a negative effect on my game. After all, I shot 74 with Dave playing right beside me. However, I know there were times when I was more worried about how Dave was playing than what I was doing.”
Today, that’s all in the past. Dave is hitting solid shots again and playing with confidence. “I am actually at the point now that I have the confidence to pick out my target, set up and pull the trigger,” Dave said.
Paul continues to play well, though not at the level he was at while taking weekly lessons and practice sessions. In fact, Paul remarked, “Dave’s improvement has inspired me to get back on ‘the treadmill’ and get back in the 70s. I can see our best golf together in the very near future.”
“We always refer to ourselves as Jack and Arnie,” laughed Paul. “Maybe we can stage our own version of the ’62 US Open… I’m Jack, of course.”
For both friends, their experience at GolfTEC extends far beyond the golf course. “Going through the process of improving my game has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my adult life,” Paul said. “I’m glad Dave made the decision to go to GolfTEC. He deserves to play well and enjoy the game. I guess we all do, don’t we?”
Our thanks to both Paul and Dave for sharing their story. Remember, our Swing Evaluation is only $79 through May 15. If you, like Paul Devore, know someone who could benefit from GolfTEC lessons, now is the best time for them to get started. And don’t forget, for every friend who takes a Swing Evaluation, you receive a free lesson.
Click Here to sign into your account and invite a friend.
Details on the $79 Swing Evaluation Session at www.ChangeMyGame.com
