Today we’d like to introduce you to Clay Myers II.
Clay, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started playing golf at eight years old. After attempts at basketball and baseball, I picked up a golf club and six months later, I got my first hole in one. My dad got me started with golf and I would mostly go out with him on the weekends. I grew up in Memphis, TN and participated in a junior golf program at Pine Hills Golf Course called Mid-South Junior Golf. I was amazed at how many good golfers in the program, and everybody was black. I was the youngest in the group, so I had a lot of guys I could look up to. I was competitive in junior golf and won a couple of tournaments but it all seemed like a hobby, I never thought about being a professional golfer in those early years.
Through the Mid-South Junior Golf Program, later known as The First Tee of Memphis, I learned a lot of valuable life skills I still use today. One great opportunity I had in junior golf was to play in the Wal-Mart Pebble Beach First Tee Open. I played with a Memphis native and Senior Tour player Loren Roberts. Since then, Loren has played such a big role in my professional golf career.
After high school, I had a big decision to make. I was an All-State tuba player and was offered a scholarship to the University of Tennessee. I really loved playing the tuba and dreamed of playing on Broadway one day, but I was offered more scholarship money to play golf, so I chose that.
In 2008 I set out to Jackson State on a full golf scholarship. I didn’t know what to expect. I was excited to be on a team with guys who all loved golf as much as I did, and to experience the “college life.” The first three years seemed to fly by. I won a tournament my freshman year but didn’t do much my sophomore and junior year. After a long talk with my coach on what I needed to do to get better, I came back my senior year determined. I won our first tournament back and lead our team to a winning season, becoming Conference Player of the Year, received a degree in Accounting with a 4.0 GPA.
I knew I was a good golfer but I still didn’t think I was good enough to play professionally. It wasn’t until I qualified for the U. S. Amateur tournament in 2012 that I decided to turn pro. I did not play well in the tournament but I did notice out of the 300 participants that I was the only black golfer. That inspired me because I thought, ” if not me then who?” The Head Golf Professional at Cherry Hills also noticed the same thing and wanted to help. He reached out to a golf course in Florida where I could work and get started on my professional career. So I moved to Florida with a promise of a job and $3,000. I stayed in motels until I found a roommate and practiced and played golf everyday. One great opportunity I got shortly after I am moving to Orlando is that I was casted in a Dicks Sporting Goods commercial with Arnold Palmer! That was my first time doing anything like that and it paid really well! For the next three years, I worked on my craft, perfecting my golf swing, short game, putting, course management, fitness, and traveling the world. I lived in Dubai for three months playing a golf tour, and I also played golf in China and Argentina.
With all the experience I was getting, I felt that I wasn’t progressing like, I saw with some of my peers. I got a call from a childhood friend that was playing on a professional women’s tour and she needed a caddie. Thinking that it would help my golf game with a different perspective, I spent the next season caddying full time. It was a great experience that was cut short when I got a call from the Golf Channel saying that I had been casted on their golf reality show, “Big Break- The Palm Beaches, FL.” I knew I liked the camera but I was unsure how my golf game would hold up against other professional golfers that all wanted to win. To my surprise, I survived longer than I thought on the show and made it to the final four out of the 12 contestants. It was fun to watch the episodes with my friends and family once they started airing. Of course, I couldn’t tell anybody how I did. I had my parents nervous about every episode!
With that exposure, I got the opportunity to play in my first PGA Tour tournament. I had never been so nervous in my life! All of my friends and family came out to support but they shortly dwindled away as I made bogey after bogey after double bogey to shoot 81, 85 and miss the cut. I felt humiliated. I couldn’t believe at how awful I played in my biggest moment. After a couple more satisfactory years as a professional golfer, I moved to Dallas, Texas as a coach for the First Tee. I coached hundreds of kids around 18 different golf courses in the DFW area. Mentored kids, gave away a lot of my old golf clubs and clothes. The main thing I wanted to show the kids whether they wanted to have a career in golf or not is that golf made me a better person and it can do the same for you.
I was offered a job as an Assistant Golf Professional at a course in Dallas and I was excited about the opportunity to make a living in golf. I was recently married and wanted something steady. I began working in a pro shop and teaching golf lessons. I was actually a better golf instructor than I thought and got a lot of clients every quickly. I started on my PGA membership and set a goal to finish it in three years. I am still on track for that!
Recently, I was casted on another golf game show on ABC called “Holey Moley” that aires every Thursday night. Over the years, I’ve done golf commercials for Titleist, Golf Galaxy, Samsung, Garmin Golf, and American Century Investments. I’ve played celebrity golf tournaments in Los Angeles, and even met Tiger Woods at his house!
Golf has taken me on a crazy journey over the years, and I am grateful for all the opportunities and people I’ve met along the way.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I have definitely had some challenges along the way. Golf is an expensive sport on the professional level. Most people don’t realize that we pay all our expenses and entry fees into tournaments that can range from $400 to $6000. Having a golf course membership so you can practice everyday, having a golf coach, and your everyday expenses add up. There has been times in qualifying tournaments that I would be afraid to qualify because I couldn’t afford the next tournament. When I was younger, I struggled with time management and discipline. I’ve also struggled with being the only black golfer in most of the tournaments I play in, and feeling not apart of.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am an Assistant Golf Professional at Irving Golf Club in Irving, TX. Here I run the day to day golf course operations as well as teach about 10-20 golf lessons a week. I also caddy part-time at Dallas National. I still compete professionally in the North Texas PGA Section, and volunteer with The First Tee. I am most proud of what I have done in the golf industry as being one of the few black professional golfers. I am still chasing my dream of playing on the PGA Tour and that serves as a great story for me to tell about never giving up.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck has been my friend when it comes to getting into golf commercials and TV shows. I couldn’t tell you how I got in half of them. Friends would send me random castings because they knew I played golf, or I would get a call asking if I could be in Boston next week for a Titleist commercial. I was paid $15,000 for hitting four golf shots on camera once. It has been crazy and fun!
Pricing:
- Golf Lessons Package $350
- Playing Lesson $150
- Single Hour Lesson $65
Contact Info:
- Address: 2000 E Shady Grove
- Website: www.irvinggolfclub.org
- Phone: 972-457-0772
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: __claydough
- Facebook: clay_myers1
- Twitter: clay_myersii
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