PA-PLAYA Yep....Sam was my FIRST golfing hero. You may remember a show called "All Star Golf," back in the early days of televised golf. The format was two players, medal play, and the winner got to come back the next week and play a new opponent. It was my introduction to the game. (BTW, you can still see a couple of episodes on YouTube....it was a low budget affair, with a tv camera mounted on the top of a station wagon bouncing down the fairways!) Snead just kept winning and winning, so he became the first golfer I knew anything about. At age 12, I didn't know anything about his personal life, for good or ill. I just liked that sweet swing, the straw hat, the sense of humor he displayed on camera. It was only as an adult that I read about the other less desirable stuff. Still a helluva player though.....

      Trevino, Chi Chi, Fuzzy. I liked their attitudes. Trevino had a putt in a TV skins game for a bunch of money, maybe 100k. The announcer asked him if he felt under pressure. He said, "No. Pressure is when you are playing for $20 and you have $2 in your pocket." Pound for pound in his prime Chi Chi could pound it off of tee farther than anyone. Fuzzy had a great attitude as well. Too bad he ran his mouth a bit about fried chicken.

      fatshot

      Sammy was just a phenomenal all-around athlete and remarkable player.

      Folks can do their own research and figure it out, but very few players who've played throughout the history of the game could match his athleticism and overall accomplishments, not just during his prime, but into his later years as well.

      The manner in which he lived his life and his 'hillbilly' upbringing are aspects that made him such an interesting character, even if some of those things run contrary to the politically correct standard of today.

        PA-PLAYA I read about golf, but I learned to take what I read with a grain of salt. Writers certain knew about players in the 50', 60's and 70's but refused to write about their peccadillos. What I read about the great players during that time and before was just pap as I later came to find out. If you want to believe everything you read be my guest. Actually I am an avid read and have hundreds of books in my home. Being an avid sports fan back in the 50's I read every thing I could about sports. Had a subscription to the Sporting news for years and read the bios of golfers, football , baseball and tennis players. Your behavior is somewhat boorish in trying to put me down for not being a reader.

            letthebigdogshunt

            Why are we arguing about this shit?

            It’s not worth it. Let’s move on, shall we? For Christ’s sakes - it’s about one’s three favorite all-time golfers.

                I can't choose three, but I will add the name of one golfer from the past that has not yet been mentioned, and that is Billy Casper. I had the opportunity of watching him play multiple times, and then was able to meet him in person at a clinic.

                Billy was a genuinely nice guy. Happy, smiling, and kind. One of the best putters ever to play the game. He had kind of a stabbing/jabbing stroke, but the dude could seriously roll the rock. He put on a putting clinic the time I met him and it was incredible.

                PA-PLAYA
                I could say the same about you. Sometimes I dig my feet in the ground and can't let go. Till we meet again. 😉

                  Too many people not reading the title of the post. It is about who are "YOUR FAVORITE" three golfers. It is not about who you think are the greatest three golfers.

                  9 days later

                  Fred Couples
                  John Daly
                  Phil Mickelson

                  Hard to leave Arnie and Trevino off the list

                  My favorites as a fan of the game - Payne Stewart, Phil Mickelson, Lee Trevino. Not necessarily the best I have seen play over the years, but the players that were always fun to watch, easy to cheer for and hope they would win.

                  10 days later

                  Jack Nicklaus
                  Gary Player
                  Severiano Ballesteros