Starting Wed., 11/18 - Get To Know John Moore

[George Pazin]

Let me start with a little apology for not putting up a GTK thread in the last couple weeks - a combination of a busy work schedule (good for me, bad for you - or maybe good for you, depending on your opinion of me ) and an empty cupboard of volunteers meant I couldn't introduce the latest...victim.

Anyway, John Moore was kind enough to agree to do a thread. I will try to add some details about John shortly - off the top of my head, I believe he has been based primarily out of North Carolina, working as a golf professional at one or more clubs, though recently that has taken an interesting turn that John may or may not choose to share!

Start thinking up questions, I'll start digging up dirt!

-----

On deck: I have a few feelers out, no one has committed yet

Most recent participants:

Jason Topp

Brian Phillips

Kyle Henderson

Martin Bonnar

Rich Goodale

Full list of participants is located in this thread:

Get To Know Bookkeeping thread

[George Pazin]

From John's post in the Who Are You Guys? thread:

John Moore
25
Southern Pines, NC
Work-Assistant Golf Professional
Course- Mid South Club

I live in Southern Pines, on Mid South Club. I've played only one course in this area I do not like, but I won't tell since I do not want to offend any of my peers who may read this. If anyone wants to play anywhere within reason around Pinehurst, just let me know, I will see what I can do.

[Eric Smith]

JKM:

You're not around here much these days.  Are you still in the golf biz?  Are you a PGA apprentice or PGA member?  How many times did you take the PAT?

Why did you change your log in name on here to Lick My Love Pump late at night a year or so ago??? Booze? Girlfriend dared you to?? It was pretty funny reading that line in the 'forum members online' listing.  Right there beside Ran Please Delete Me and himynameisdaveschmidt.

Has anyone on here ever contacted you off list to claim that you are not John K. Moore?  (Someone once told me that you were somebody else, and I don't know why!)

You've met and played with Kalen.  How often does he really say Dude in conversation?

Did you ever sell any of those custom clubs on your ebay site?

Thanks for your time.

Eric

[John Moore II]

OK, so I said I was going to start this on Wednesday, but I'll go ahead and start now. I'll type a short bio of myself probably on Wednesday, but for now, I'll answer these questions and any others that may be posted tonight if I get to them.

JKM:

You're not around here much these days.  Are you still in the golf biz?  Are you a PGA apprentice or PGA member?  How many times did you take the PAT? Took the PAT once, passed the first time. I was an apprentice when I got out of the business full time a few months ago. I only needed to take my Level 3 test to get my membership. No, I am not still in the business. I haven't been around much lately because I went active duty in the Coast Guard. So, 2 months of training and 1 month of off-shore deployment on my ship puts us to now. So, thats why I'm not on the site much anymore, limited access to a computer

Why did you change your log in name on here to Lick My Love Pump late at night a year or so ago??? Booze? Girlfriend dared you to?? It was pretty funny reading that line in the 'forum members online' listing.  Right there beside Ran Please Delete Me and himynameisdaveschmidt.

I forget exactly why I changed my name that time. I think at the time a lot of threads had been getting taken down, off-topic threads of course. But it was also because John Kavanaugh tended to say something real out of line and that sort of thing. It kind of irritated me that they took the whole thread down rather than just deleting John's post. I seem to remember a few other things involved, there was a thread with that same title out on the site at the time, and maybe some other stuff. But mostly I was just irritated

Has anyone on here ever contacted you off list to claim that you are not John K. Moore?  (Someone once told me that you were somebody else, and I don't know why!)

Yeah, been John Moore for almost 27 years now. Though I did use a couple of different names on the site before I actually started using my real name, because I wanted to be able to comment on the golf business without stepping on any toes in the area. But yeah, I'm John K. Moore, so my birth certificate says.
You've met and played with Kalen.  How often does he really say Dude in conversation?

I seem to remember him saying Dude fairly often. Its just his word instead of 'bro,' 'man,' or whatever people use.

Did you ever sell any of those custom clubs on your ebay site?

Yeah, I sold some clubs off Ebay. Enough to make it worthwhile. But I sold far more clubs through the courses and the range I worked for.

Thanks for your time.

Eric

[George Pazin]

John, how do you feel about Stack and Tilt?

Thanks for participating.

[Jim_Kennedy]

JKM,
Congratulations on joining the Coast Guard. My oldest did five, a couple on a ship out of New Bedford, Ma. and 3 in helicopters down at Ellington AFB in Houston.

What will you be looking to do while in?

What helped you make the choice?

Good luck, stay dry, and thanks for getting involved.

 

[Kalen Braley]

John is right... You can take the boy out of cali, but not cali out of the boy. I apologize in advance to anyone who hasn't met me for saying dude alot...I do work on it!  (Hey at least I can recognize less than desireable behavor, unlike someone else whose names starts with T)

A few questions for John:

1)  Outside of Spaulding you are the 2nd longest hitter of the golf ball among any GCA'ers I've played with.  Is it really true that chicks dig the long ball? 

2)  How did you 1st find out about GCA.com and what interested you in being a participant?

3)  Who would be in your dream 4-some?

4)  In your opinion, what is the biggest threat to the game?

5)  When you are out working in your new profession, do you ever spot Anthony in his can't miss Highway-saftey Bright Orange knickers and Pull-over? 

[John Moore II]

John, how do you feel about Stack and Tilt?

You're trying to bait me into something, you must remember what I've said before.  

But honestly, I think its a good swing for someone with an artificial leg or some other disability that prevents them from shifting their weight from one side to the other. Other than that, I think it takes an incredibly athletic and skilled person to pull the swing off. Thats why the guys on Tour are able to use it fairly well. But I think the average golfer has a hard time grasping the swing mechanics because as a rule they aren't athletic enough. Its a good idea, but you have to be a real good athlete to score as well using Stack and Tilt as you would with a regular swing (baring a disability), I think.

[John Moore II]

JKM,
Congratulations on joining the Coast Guard. My oldest did five, a couple on a ship out of New Bedford, Ma. and 3 in helicopters down at Ellington AFB in Houston.

What will you be looking to do while in?

I will probably be a Gunner's Mate, but I am not 100% sure. I had thought about being a Rescue Swimmer (yeah, yeah, Ashton Kutcher, I know), but I'm simply not in that good of physical condition, those boys are animals.

What helped you make the choice?
I had been Marine Corps ROTC while I was in college, messed up my knee and was kicked out of the program. Just didn't work out. I had considered going in the Coast Guard pretty much since the day I left the Marines, but waited until now to do it. The golf business was just too unstable, up and down.
Good luck, stay dry, and thanks for getting involved.

 

[John Moore II]

John is right... You can take the boy out of cali, but not cali out of the boy. I apologize in advance to anyone who hasn't met me for saying dude alot...I do work on it!  (Hey at least I can recognize less than desireable behavor, unlike someone else whose names starts with T)

A few questions for John:

1)  Outside of Spaulding you are the 2nd longest hitter of the golf ball among any GCA'ers I've played with.  Is it really true that chicks dig the long ball? 

You're incorrigible my man. Yuck 

2)  How did you 1st find out about GCA.com and what interested you in being a participant?

I was working for Avestra Golf Management at the time and a thread came up about renovations and such at Southern Pines Golf Club. I asked Ran if I could chime in on that thread and then I just became a regular poster. I had looked at the course reviews a bunch and at the DG a bit, but not seriously. Once I joined though, I started being on here a lot.

3)  Who would be in your dream 4-some?

All alive participants: my dad, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger. Dead: Ben Hogan, Chesty Puller and Smedley Butler

4)  In your opinion, what is the biggest threat to the game?

The biggest threat is probably public expectations for golf course conditioning. I think many within the public hold expectations that are way too high overall and way too expensive to maintain. That, to me, is the biggest threat to the health of the game.

5)  When you are out working in your new profession, do you ever spot Anthony in his can't miss Highway-saftey Bright Orange knickers and Pull-over? 

No, haven't seen him yet, but I'll be on the lookout. I need to know where to get some of those pants though, right classy I think

[Anthony Gray]

  John,

  What are you up to know?

  How far do you hit your driver?

 David Allen Coe or Waylon?

  The most you have won betting on 18 holes?

  Thanks....Anthony

 

[Bill_McBride]

John, I admire you for your decision to serve in the Coast Guard.  I only wish that many more of our youngsters served some time in the military, I don't think my generation (born in WW II) is any the worse for it.

I also hope you enjoy your time at sea.  I spent 18 months on a very small destroyer during Vietnam, and loved almost every moment of it.  Gunner's mate sound a lot cooler than supply officer, which was my job.

My questions:

Is there room for your clubs on the ship you'll be living aboard?

(I took mine but it was a tight fit, and I think I played 3 rounds while we were away from home port.)

Where will your Coast Guard travels take you?  Where will the ship be based?

Good luck and have fun!

[John Moore II]

  John,

  What are you up to know?

At this very instant, I am sitting on my couch. But in general I am taking some time to relax from duty, I am currently in the middle of a 10 day leave to be used for house hunting. And I am trying to get some stuff in order for my next CG patrol. Playing golf as much as I can, which isn't much these days.

  How far do you hit your driver?

A long way. I can get it out in the 300 yard range regularly, given the proper course conditions 325-350 is not really a huge surprise and I have hit drives in the neighborhood of 400 before. Longest drive that I have a witness for here was at Thanksgiving Point, I had about 150 yards left into the par 5 14th, I can't remember what tees we played from, but that drive was 350+ either way. Let Kalen tell you what I did on the second shot

 David Allen Coe or Waylon?

Probably Waylon, but David Allen Coe has a few good songs.

  The most you have won betting on 18 holes?

I honestly don't remember. Well over $100 though, maybe $200, but never anything really insane. I've also lost that much on a round. I remember this one time me and this other guy went to a club that he had played before and he went inside to get us some games. When he came out, I asked him what he got us, he said 'a few games, lets go play.' Well, we get to 13, short par 5, I think we were 3 or 4 under as a team, and I have this 5 footer for eagle. He says to me, 'John, you really need to make this putt.' What? I really need to make it? How many games did you get us? 'Don't worry, just make it.' Well, I actually made it. Turns out he had made us like 95 different bets, 2 on 2, 2 against 3, all kinds of crazy stuff. We wound up shooting like 7 or 8 under and walked out of there making like $100 each, but I never let him make a bet again. That could have been a really, really nasty day.

  Thanks....Anthony

 

[John Moore II]

John, I admire you for your decision to serve in the Coast Guard.  I only wish that many more of our youngsters served some time in the military, I don't think my generation (born in WW II) is any the worse for it.

I also hope you enjoy your time at sea.  I spent 18 months on a very small destroyer during Vietnam, and loved almost every moment of it.  Gunner's mate sound a lot cooler than supply officer, which was my job.

My questions:

Is there room for your clubs on the ship you'll be living aboard?

Yes. I can store them in our back steering compartment or some other places. Depending on the length of deployment, 8-10 guys bring clubs on board. But our guys pretty much play golf everywhere we go. On our patrol that starts in April, I may have chance to play golf in a place that likely very few on this site have played, the great nation of Cuba.

(I took mine but it was a tight fit, and I think I played 3 rounds while we were away from home port.)

Where will your Coast Guard travels take you?  Where will the ship be based?

On this most recent patrol, we did a migrant/drug patrol down near Haiti, Cuba and the Key's. On our next one, starting at the end of December, we are doing a commercial fisheries patrol from between NYC and Charleston, SC; maybe making a trip out to Bermuda for a port call. My current ship is based in Portsmouth, VA. But our ships go all over. One of the guys I went to school with, his ship just got back from a 6 month worldwide cruise. Another guy got assigned to a ship out of Hawaii, they flew him to Manilla to meet his ship and he'll see Hong Kong, Tokyo and any number of other places before they put back into port in Mid-January. And of course there are Coast Guard guys stationed in the Persian Gulf. So, there's really no knowing where I may end up going at the end of it all.

Oh, yes I do intend to play golf in Bermuda if we go out there.

Good luck and have fun!

[Jason Topp]

What was your thought process that led you to the Coast Guard?

Do they have a boot camp type introduction?  If so, what was it like?

How long are you committed to the Coast Guard?

Do they have base golf courses like other branches of the service?

Your golf teaching style - are (were) you more of a hands guy (Like Toski/Flick) or a connection type (Ballard) or something else?

If someone is watching their dollars and visiting Pinehurst, where should that person play?

Where are you from in California?  Where did you play as a kid?

What are your five favorite courses?

Is Southern Pines a fun course for you with your length off the tee?

Who is the most memorable person you have played golf with?



Your favorite food?

[Scott Warren]

John,

What is the rudest shock you got in your pursuit to play the game for a living?

What advice would you give a 16yo 2hcp who dreams of turning pro?

Which "good" course you've played most surprised you?

Which "good" course you've played most disappointed you?

[Kalen Braley]

How far do you hit your driver?

A long way. I can get it out in the 300 yard range regularly, given the proper course conditions 325-350 is not really a huge surprise and I have hit drives in the neighborhood of 400 before. Longest drive that I have a witness for here was at Thanksgiving Point, I had about 150 yards left into the par 5 14th, I can't remember what tees we played from, but that drive was 350+ either way. Let Kalen tell you what I did on the second shot

Anthony,

The hole in question is actually one of the neatest holes on the course.  Its a bite-off-as-much-as-you-can-chew dogleg right par 5.  We played from the blues as I recall, something in the range of 550-560, but plays shorter with the more direct line one takes.  Anyways John picked an absolutly crazy line off the tee in terms of how much he bit off and was only left with a wedge approach, my jaw literally dropped!!

P.S. If memory serves me right he chunked his next shot but did manage to save par!!   

[Anthony Gray]

  John,

  Do you know how to swim?

  How many holes in one have you had?

 What would you shoott from 8000 yards?

  Do chicks really did the guy in uniform?

  Thanks........Anthony

l

[John Moore II]

What was your thought process that led you to the Coast Guard?

I had been USMC ROTC while I was in college. I had thought about the Coast Guard since I was medically disenrolled from that program. It just took me a while to do it. I really liked the golf business, but the money was too unstable.

Do they have a boot camp type introduction?  If so, what was it like?
Yes they do. 8 weeks long. As far as what its like, its a lot of academics and classes, a lot of hands on stuff like firefighting, how to handle mooring lines (the ropes that secure the ship to the pier), pistol shooting, first aid, etc. Its fairly demanding, but not exceptionally so. (Now, take what I say about it being demanding with the knowledge that I went to Marine Corps Officer Candidates School twice)

How long are you committed to the Coast Guard?

Committed for 4 years active duty, but I have every intention of staying until retirement.

Do they have base golf courses like other branches of the service?

No, we don't. The base I am at in Portsmouth is one of the largest in the Coast Guard and the entire base probably isn't big enough to put 9 holes on.

Your golf teaching style - are (were) you more of a hands guy (Like Toski/Flick) or a connection type (Ballard) or something else?

I am a very fundamental based teacher. Posture, grip, alignment, balance, that sort of thing. I can tell you that I've never seen someone with perfect grip, perfect posture, perfect alignment and perfect balance hit poor golf shots; of course I've never seen anyone who I felt was perfect in those areas at all. Posture, Grip, Alignment, those are the things I stress, work on those, you'll be a better golfer.

If someone is watching their dollars and visiting Pinehurst, where should that person play?

Very difficult question. If you wanted to play in December, you could play just about everywhere for less than $100; I think Pine Needles offers deals to play for like $75 during the week. But in April, you'll struggle to find any course that charges less than $75. It all depends on the total budget and when you want to play. But having taken a quick look at off season rates, I'd play Tobacco Road, Tot Hill Farm, Southern Pines, Legacy and Foxfire (only if you could play the 'Old Course') But you can find coupons all over during off-season times.

Where are you from in California?  Where did you play as a kid?

Well, I'm not actually from California. I'm from North Carolina, little town called Cedar Point about 20 miles east of Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base. Played my golf at two courses, Star Hill and Silver Creek, both un-fantastic places, but fun.

What are your five favorite courses?

In no order:Tobacco Road, #2, Pine Needles, Dye Course at PGA, new NCSU golf course.

Is Southern Pines a fun course for you with your length off the tee?

Yes, with the doglegs they have there and the rolls in the fairways, any advantage that length has is negated for the most part. There are very few holes out there where you don't have to think about position and not ending up with some horrible lie on a hill. Southern Pines is a very fun golf course

Who is the most memorable person you have played golf with?

John Derr. He's been to every Masters Tournament but 2, former VP of CBS Sports, friend of Ben Hogan; actually owns the golf ball that Hogan used to hole out for birdie on the 15th at Carnoustie in 1953 for his last birdie of the tournament during his Open win. More stories than you can possibly imagine. He'll tell you about getting Jim Nantz his first job with CBS or sitting in the Augusta National Club House with Ben Hogan and President Eisenhower the same as I'd talk about hiring some cart staffer or eating dinner with friends. Unbelievable guy.



Your favorite food?

Spaghetti with red sauce and meat. Nothing too fancy. Preferably home made; freaking restaurants use too much oil in their sauces.

[John Moore II]

John,

What is the rudest shock you got in your pursuit to play the game for a living?

Never actually tried to play for a living really. I was on the club/instructor side of the business.

What advice would you give a 16yo 2hcp who dreams of turning pro?

He needs to play and practice a lot,  A LOT. He needs to get out of school at whatever time in the afternoon and go to the course for at least 2 hours a day during the week. And play and practice all day long on Saturday.

I think Hank Haney said it best when he described Tiger's average day to Charles Barkley: Wake up, eat breakfast, be to the course by 8am. Hit on the range until about 10, go play 9 holes. Eat lunch. Back on the putting green by about 1230-1245. Putt, chip, pitch, etc until about 3pm. Go play 9 more holes. Go home eat dinner, relax, sleep. Repeat the next day.

Certainly the 16yo can't do that every day, but he needs to do as much as he can. When they say in the commercials 'these guys are good' they mean it.

Contact me off the main board and I'll tell you a little more

Which "good" course you've played most surprised you?

Moose Run in Alaska. Yeah, it was #1 in the state, but it was a real top notch design, certainly not what I expected to find in Alaska.

Which "good" course you've played most disappointed you?

The Pit. This place was at one time rated like #12 in the state of NC, supposedly some real jewel; I can't stand the place. Went there once, said I'd never return. Was convinced to return, against my better judgement, by guys I worked with, saw nothing to change my first opinion.

[John Moore II]

  John,

  Do you know how to swim?

Yes, not exceptionally well, not like Kevin Costner from The Guardian good, but yeah, I can swim ok.

  How many holes in one have you had?

1, when I was like 17. Come close a few other times, holed out fairway shots for eagle and such, but only one Ace.

 What would you shoott from 8000 yards?

Depends on the course. Moose Run in Alaska was like 7800 from the tips and I think if I was playing really well I could shoot par or better there (I think I shot like 82 or something with rental clubs, horrible weather, and not having played in about 2 months). 8000 is just a number, it can be made easy or hard, same as 6500 can be easy or hard, just ask the normal 15-20 handicapper who plays Tobacco Road or Tot Hill Farm.

  Do chicks really did the guy in uniform?

Its not so much the uniform. Chicks like guys with confidence. How often do you see a police office come knock on your car window after he pulled you over acting all timid and crap? Same thing with military guys, for the most part.

  Thanks........Anthony

l

[Mike Benham]

 I'm John K. Moore, so my birth certificate says.[/red]

What does the "K" stand for, if anything?   

I'll take my answer on Wednesday ...

[John Moore II]

 I'm John K. Moore, so my birth certificate says.[/red]

What does the "K" stand for, if anything?   

I'll take my answer on Wednesday ...

Kenneth. Actually used to be part of my posting name on here when I was worried about employers finding out the things I was saying. Now I don't care, so I used my full real name.

[George Pazin]

How do you learn balance in a golf swing? My balance has been terrible since I blew out my left (forward) knee.

Please share more about the new NCSU course.

Please tell me the 350-400 yard drives were at altitude...

[John Moore II]

How do you learn balance in a golf swing? My balance has been terrible since I blew out my left (forward) knee.

Balance is a tough thing, especially in your case. Its fairly difficult for someone with a bad knee like that to transfer weight forward on the down swing. Best thing I can say without seeing you swing is to pivot your left toe out 45ish degrees from parallel. That should take some of the strain off your knee on the downswing.

Please share more about the new NCSU course.

I posted a photo tour on here back in July, I'll try to find it and put the link up

Please tell me the 350-400 yard drives were at altitude...

Some were, but I have hit drives of 375+ at near sea level when the ground was very, very firm, like major drought firm on a course with no fairway irrigation.

info about NC State golf course:
http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40594.msg854844/#msg854844
http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40605.msg855378/#msg855378