Treat the pro-ams like meeting the parents

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The putting green at Pebble Beach on Saturday morning of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am just may be the most expensive piece of real estate in the world for a few hours. CEOs and Hollywood elite share the mossy carpet with the best players in the world. It is because of this confluence of talent and wealth that Peter Jacobsen calls the tournament the most important tournament of the year on the PGA TOUR.

Peter Jacobsen (Miller/Getty Images)

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Since the late 1970s, Peter has been a staple at the event. Although the 1995 champion has passed his playing prime, perhaps at no time in his more than 30 years of service to the tournament has Peter fit in more appropriately with those captains of industry than today. Two decades ago, he founded Peter Jacobsen Sports -- a marketing and event management firm that runs events like the CVS Charity Classic in Rhode Island and the JELD-WEN Tradition, a Champions Tour major. It only takes a few moments of conversation to realize that Peter has crafted his niche in the business through insight and passion.

Peter, ever the entertainer, has capitalized on his own energetic personality and popularity to fashion this second career that is designed to enhance the entertainment quality of professional golf. It only takes a few moments of conversation to realize that Peter has spent his entire career learning and figuring out where golf fits into the crowded landscape of American entertainment.

"There are two types of entertainers in the game," he says. "There are the performance entertainers like Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan and, to some extent, Tiger. There is also the long tradition of pure entertainers like Chi Chi (Rodriguez) and Fuzzy (Zoeller). What Tiger does so well is give people the sense of inclusion after the work inside the ropes is done."

Peter goes on to say that every player has to find his own balance and ways to express his own personality. During his career, Peter certainly was able to do that. The question this all brings to light is who is there to take the torch and carry on that aspect of the game? Certainly there are players on the TOUR today whose personalities and popularity are greater than the sum of their wins and losses.

While there will always be performance entertainers finding those players who embrace the gallery and capture their imagination is a little tougher. And perhaps it is just as unfair to compare previous generations of players in terms of records as it is previous generations of playing entertainers.

And while there may not be the overwhelming personalities of yesteryear at the top of the game right now, there are certainly players whose personality has transcended their games. Certainly Chris DiMarco is far more popular than his three career wins. He is perhaps best known for the tournaments that he hasn't won and his fiery efforts in defeat. Jerry Kelly is another player who has embraced the galleries later in his career. At the raucous 16th hole at the FBR Open this year, Jerry hit his tee shot while the gallery chanted "Jerry. Jerry." Unfortunately, the television coverage had not started Friday morning when Jerry hit the shot. Regardless of where the ball went, it would certainly have made the highlights.

Chris DiMarco (Franklin/Getty Images)

And the cameras were rolling last year when Woody Austin donned the snorkeling mask at The Presidents Cup. His image and profile will forever be raised because of it.

It is interesting that the players who seem to understand that they are on stage as they play are the very players who have cut their teeth on the lower levels and then climbed to the top of their profession over time. More importantly, these players -- like Peter, Fuzzy and Chi Chi before them -- have taken it upon themselves to extend a hand to the younger generation.

One advantage the younger generation has is that some of them are ready made -- if not reluctant -- stars. Adam Scott with the over abundance of talent and matinee-idol looks is constantly gaining popularity worldwide. J.B. Holmes and Bubba Watson both drive the ball so far that spectators stand in awe when their tee shots take flight. Of these young people, Bubba seems to have the fun-loving personality that will continue to make him a popular fixture at corporate outings and pro-ams.

For other players, it is not so much the limelight that is daunting but the atmosphere. Imagine being a player just out of college who is playing on the PGA TOUR. Here you are in your early or mid-20s, and you are playing in pro-ams with company presidents. Obviously, some are going to be better at it than others. More importantly, it falls upon the older generation to explain just how important pro-ams are -- not only to the tournaments and the purses but to the relationships on the TOUR.

Peter Jacobsen tells younger players to treat every person you meet -- whether fans, pro-am partners or volunteers -- as though they are future in-laws. Obviously, there is a punch line here somewhere, but, on this point, Peter is very serious. The point he adds is that when you meet the parents, you are always on your best behavior.

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