My Week As A Korn Ferry Tour Host Family
Grit. A word commonly defined as courage and resolve. Similar to many other adjectives that describe a person’s character in a story, the real meaning is often diluted by its overuse.
However, during my week as Korn Ferry Tour host family the word GRIT took a completely different meaning. Getting an up-close view of Emmanuel Kountakis and his journey in golf’s minor leagues made me realize that GRIT stood for more than just a definition.
Guts Reside In Tribulation.
If anyone awoke each morning with the unwavering belief that the events of today had the potential to reverse the trials of the past, it was Emmanuel.
I spent five days being a host family to a Korn Ferry Tour player. Those five days felt like five minutes. The KFT returns to Knoxville this week for the first time since the pandemic and I find myself remembering the experience more vividly than I would have anticipated. What I learned from Emmanuel Kountakis taught me a very important lesson about the importance of our collective infatuation with the game we call golf.
A friend reached out to me asking me if I would be interested in hosting a Korn Ferry Tour player for the week. His family normally hosted but they were spending the week out of town and knew of a player who needed somewhere to stay. My first thought was absolutely not. Why would I sign up for two strangers to sit on my couch all week? I debated for a while until I landed on the truth that I had been presented with a great opportunity. I had the opportunity to pay it forward. To give back to the game that I love. To put my money where my mouth was. So I called my friend back and say said , “ fuck it, I’m in.”
Within thirty minutes my phone rang and on the other line was Emmanuel. “ Hey is this Anthony? My name is Emmanuel and I am in town for the Knoxville Open and I was directed to you for housing for the week. I got here this morning, we are about to leave the course, is it cool if we head your way?”
Can’t back out now. After the quick call with Emmanuel, I scrambled to get my house ready to host two complete strangers. My house at the time served as a parallel to my golf game; tidy but not without the well placed mess. ( Don’t worry, me wife quickly fixed the house once we got married.) Once the beds were made and the fridge was stocked with beer, I anxiously awaited their arrival. Emmanuel and his college teammate turned caddie for the week, Sean Smothers, walked in to my house with the same angst that I was feeling. “What the hell is this going to be like?” “Is this dude going to be a total weirdo?”
A few quick introductions and showing them around my 1,300 square foot mansion, we cracked open a couple Yuengling’s and sat down hoping to get past the awkward small talk. Arguably the best part of the week came when Emmanuel asked me which of the two bedrooms had the more comfortable bed. Emmanuel knew he was the more important part of the team and Sean understood the importance of Emmanuel getting a good nights rest. They were both exhausted from the travel and practice session that a few cold beers were a nice treat after a long day so I didn’t press with questions. However, I couldn’t shake the urge and eventually caved in to asking the biggest question on my mind, “ how did you end up playing golf professionally?”
Emmanuel was kind enough to indulge me and began to tell me about his journey. After turning pro. After turning pro, Emmanuel passed his Q-school requirements and mentioned he was guaranteed four starts on the KFT. Coming into the Knoxville Open he had missed the previous 3 cuts on tour. He quickly let me know, this might be his last opportunity for a while and he needed to right the ship. To really understand what pressure he was feeling, I took notice of his demeanor. Calm, cool and collected. He and Sean understood what they needed to do, but that also meant not letting the moment control their mindset. They began to show me the yardage books and pin sheets. Describing the course as “scrappy” and laying out their game plan for the week. I was fascinated. To be around people in full pursuit of their dream is something so intoxicating that it cannot be described. It was full steam ahead.
As the week went on, and the cold beers in the living room added up, I had to know more about what life was like for a golfer in the minor leagues. The entire week was worth it to learn about Emmanuel’s past few weeks.
Two weeks prior, the KFT made its stop in Nashville, TN. Emmanuel was not exempt for this event so he was required to try and make it in the field through the Monday Qualifier. After his round on Monday, Emmanuel was the seventh alternate. Meaning that he had missed the field and most likely was not going to be able to get into the event.
Guts Reside In Tribulations
Disappointed, but resilient, Emmanuel took on the next challenge. Monday after the round, he drove through the night to Charlotte, NC, a seven hour drive, to a Mini Tour Event. He knew that he had a chance to make some money and play golf. Any opportunity for a KFT player to better their game and their bank account is something that needs to be taken advantage of. But that doesn’t mean it is easy. After arriving and playing a round on Tuesday and Wednesday, he received a call at 3 P.M. from the tournament director. Emmanuel was informed that he was now the 3rd alternate. Meaning that four players had dropped out of the tournament and he was now third in line to get into the field. Knowing that an opportunity to play in the Nashville Open was vital, Emmanuel drove through the night, all the way back to Nashville. Without a guarantee to play, he relied on his faith and his hope that his name would be called. He arrived late in the evening in Nashville, and without a spot in the field, he slept in his car in the parking lot.
Thursday morning arrives. Still without a spot in the field, he wakes up and heads to the range. He is not sure what will happen, but he knows that he needs to prepare as though he is going to play that day. After his warm-up session he heads to the clubhouse to grab breakfast, still not in the field. As he sits with his breakfast and coffee, anxiously waiting, he receives a phone call that someone had withdrawn from the tournament and he was to take their place. The bad news, the tee time was in twelve minutes. Panicked and rushed, Emmanuel had to scramble to borrow the caddie of the player who had just withdrawn. With a brand new looper, last minute prep, a belly full of eggs and hope, Emmanuel made it to the tee box with 90 seconds to spare.
And it gets better.
After his opening round at, his temporary caddie had to leave. So Emmanuel, in an unfamiliar place, had to ask a young man working at the course to carry his bag. Emmanuel went on to miss the cut. How could you not after the fiasco that got you in the tournament? But he did enjoy the services of the young man in his early twenties as his caddie. The following week, he was in the field at the KC Golf Classic in Kansas City. He was again, in need of a caddie, so he called the young man from Nashville Athletic Club and asked if he could do it. The guy said he couldn’t get off work and didn’t think he could make it. A short while after, he called Emmanuel back. The young man had quit his job at Nashville Athletic Club, and was driving himself to Kansas City to caddie for Emmanuel. A welcomed bright spot to the otherwise dark and gloomy adventure of trying to make it out of golf’s minor leagues.
The plot thickens.
During the first round of the KC Classic, Emmanuel quickly learned that his new caddie was wildly unqualified. He had no knowledge of how to read a yardage book as well as many of the basic functions of being a looper. Emmanuel had to teach him how to measure his paces from sprinkler heads, how to read a pin sheet, when and where to set the bag as to not disturb other players, and the list goes on. Frustrated and confused, Emmanuel went on to miss the cut. His new caddie, embarrassed and disappointed, quickly relieved himself of his duties and promptly returned to his employment at Nashville Athletic Club.
A tough two week stretch for Emmanuel was far from over.
Following the KC Classic, Emmanuel returned to his home in Augusta, GA. Knowing that he was not in the field for the Knoxville Open, he received a call Sunday evening saying that he had gotten into the tournament in the second reorder category. How that whole process works is beyond my knowledge, but he made it in. Monday morning comes, without a caddie or a place to stay, Emmanuel gets in his truck and heads to Knoxville, TN at 5:30 A.M.
His next phone call was one to his former college teammate and friend Sean Smothers. He asked Sean if he could make it Knoxville to be his caddie for the week. Sean, as all good friends do, dropped what he was doing and made it way to Knoxville to meet Emmanuel at the course.
Emmanuel went on to miss the cut at the Knoxville Open. But his story, like many others, goes much deeper than his scorecard. From overnight drives, to twelve minute windows, to brand new caddies, Emmanuel is chasing his dream. And he is not doing it alone. With a supportive wife, good friends and cold beer, the journey presses on.
“It is a GRIND.”
A phrase that all sports fans are used to hearing from their favorite athletes and coaches. This is particularly true with golfers. But what does that actually mean? It is a grind to fold laundry at the end of the day. It is a grind to drink enough water everyday because your wife tells you that it will make you healthier. All things can easily be described as a grind. But for Emmanuel Kountakis, and the majority of Korn Ferry Tour (KFT) players, “the grind” has an entirely different meaning. Despite Emmanuel not playing much golf anymore these days and celebrating the birth on new baby, his impact on golf made an impact on me. That is all any of us can ask for, to make an impact.
One particular memory will always stick with me.
When Emmanuel and Sean finished a long day, they would treat themselves with ice cream from a local stand not far from my home. One day Sean came into the house and asked me if I had a solo cup, so he could save the rest of his ice cream. While I thought that was the strangest thing I had ever seen, it also served as a metaphor. Golfers in the minor leagues are trying to savor every moment. Nothing in life could be sweeter than playing professional golf. And while the time you have playing might be short-lived, the taste of its pleasure is unlike any other. Having Emmanuel and Sean in my home for a week opened my eyes to what it means to relentlessly pursue your dream.
As the Korn Ferry Tour returns to Knoxville this week, I am reminded that while the dream is free, the grind is paid for in sweat. Like Emmanuel, there are countless stories like this all around the Korn Ferry Tour. The journeys’ that belong to the players are the same ones that belong to all of us. Nothing comes easy. It will test you to your limits. It will challenge your heart above all else. So when you see the final putt on the 72nd hole this week on the Korn Ferry Tour, remember that there is more to the story.
If you ever get the opportunity to host a player in your town during an event, you should leap at the opportunity without hesitation. You are an integral part to these men chasing their dream. The old saying will always hold true, that teamwork makes the dream work.
