Sam Snead, after hitting three beautiful 3-irons, was asked a question about them. So he hit again, but again he was asked.
He then hit a fifth time — and was asked a third time.
This response received just 10 words.
Peter Kostis is telling the story on the most recent episode of the “Kostis & McCord – Off Their Rockers” podcast, a GOLF production, and you can listen to the full episode here, or watch it here. It came to mind as Kostis and co-host Gary McCord hosted a clinic, and an audience member asked Kostis how to hit a draw — to which he responded by just hitting a draw himself.
Snead, a seven-time major winner, had once answered a question in similar fashion, as Kostis told it.
“Years ago, when I was working with Golf Digest Golf Schools, we had these VIP schools, which was a reduced number of students, low handicap, they paid a lot of cash, and we would go out and help them,” Kostis said on the podcast. “And my cart partner for three days a week during these golf schools was a guy — the name you possibly would remember — his name is Sam Snead.
“And so we’re out there with low-handicap school and the guy asks Sam — Sam is talking with a 3-iron, we’re at Pinehurst, and he said, ‘Look, all your clubs just don’t go one yardage; you can make them go different yardages. And he’s got a 3-iron, and we were about 200 yards from the middle of the green, and says, ‘Watch.’ And he hits a high fade with a 3-iron and it lands short, right, on the right-front part of the green. And then he hits a big, high draw, lands on the back corner, goes to the back of the green. And then he hits the high, straight 3-iron and it lands flag-high, in the middle of the green. He goes, ‘See, I made my 3-iron go 25 yards difference in distance by shaping my shot.’”
But there was a question, Kostis said on the podcast.
“This one guy goes, ‘But how did you get the ball to stop? I can’t get my ball to stop like that,’” he said. “And so Sam goes, ‘Well, I’m going to show you one more time.’ So Sam hits one more 3-iron, up on the green, one hop, stop.”
The man asked again, Kostis said on the podcast.
“The guy goes, ‘I know you can do it. But how can I do it?’” he said. “Sam goes, ‘Pay attention. I’m going to show you one last time.’ He hits the fifth 3-iron, up on the green.”
There was still confusion, Kostis said on the podcast.
“The guy goes, ‘That doesn’t help me. I know you can do it. You’re one of the greatest players ever. I want to know how I can do it,’” he said. “Now Sam is getting visibly frustrated because Sam is an artist — he demonstrates; he doesn’t talk a lot. So he says to the guy, he goes, ‘How far do you hit your 3-iron anyway?’ And the guy goes, ‘About 150.’”
