Don Pooley: Pro Golfer

Don Pooley is a legend, if only for that one million dollar, never in a million years hold in one shot he made 1987 Bay Hill Classic. One of those shots that every golfer dreams about but never really hopes to achieve, Don Pooley’s hole in one netted him a nice chunk of change: $500,000, along with a matching sum donated to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Women. He’s had a long, successful career in golf. Going pro in 1973, Don Pooley did really well, winning the Vardon Trophy, tying for 5th in both the 1987 PGA Championship and the 1988 Masters Tournament, until he began to suffer from a number of debilitating ailments as he aged. It sidelined him for a few years completely, a very dark time in Don Pooley’s life. After all, he couldn’t play the game he loved.

But in 2001, he began a resurgence back to the sport. Turning 50 seemed to give him renewed vigor and enthusiasm, and he came back and won perhaps the biggest tournament of his career: the U.S. Senior Open in 2002. This monumental win came just a year after he joined the senior tour, and doing so meant a lot to him.

He credits his time with Jim Hardy spent working on his swing as the precipitator of his new success. Before being tutored by Jim Hardy, Don Pooley hadn’t quite achieved the perfect swing plane. Jim Hardy’s focus is the swing plane, and on perfecting it. What Pooley realized is that having a bad or flawed swing doesn’t just hurt your game; it can also put your body in danger by continually exposing it to movements that disrupt the way our bodies are meant to move. By moving to the one plane swing espoused by Hardy, Don Pooley was able to revitalize his game and improve his health – and his spirit.