FOR THE LOVE con't from p. 6 FOR THE LOVE continued FOR THE LOVE continued
than most people realize; truly it’s not a onesided
conversation. No one has ever become
Mozart after one piano lesson; they have to put
in the time and effort. Golf is no different."
The hardest skill for golfers to master is to be
patient and let the game come to them. “And to
get away from the idea that every shot has to be
perfect!” Dale continues, “Everybody needs to
set the bar high, but the reality is that the best
golfer on the PGA tour doesn’t win every week.
They have their ups and downs; the average
golfer needs to relax, do their part, and they will
get better. A parallel to life in many ways, golf
requires you to figure out solutions, pick up your
pieces, and move on.”
Many do not understand the value of a
club fitting. Simply put, a club fitting provides
equipment that fits who you are. Some people
are tall; some are short; some are strong; others
are not. Dale explains, “If I told you to run a 30
yard sprint in a pair of shoes that were too big
for you, then you could run, but you would run
more awkwardly! It doesn’t matter how good
you are—you will run better in a pair of shoes
that fit. Golf equipment is the same way; if you
use a club that’s too heavy, too long, too short—
you might be able to make the ball move, but
you could do so much better with the right
equipment.” Important to note is that it doesn’t
cost any more to purchase custom fit clubs than
it does to buy a set from the sale’s floor.
Fitting customers with the right set of
clubs is what the team at Knollwood does
best! Honored from among 5,000 other Ping
accounts worldwide, Knollwood in 2010 ranked
#1 amongst all Ping National Fitters. “We didn’t
even know the award existed,” Dale remembers.
“We were just doing what we do for our
customers every day—just doing our job."
Honored to receive the award, they didn’t
know anything about the privilege until a phone
call announced, “You guys won!” Fred and Dale
made a special trip to San Antonio to receive the
award.
Being Ping fitters, Dale acknowledges, “Our
goal is not to sell golf clubs; rather our goal is to
help people play better golf. Clubs just happen to
be a big part of that equation along with the golf
instruction. By providing a practice facility, our
goal is to help people play better golf because
when you play better golf, then you play more
golf; you enjoy more golf!”
Enjoying golf comes natural for Dale as
golf runs in the family. His grandfather Robert
Barrett worked in Pinehurst for the Tufts family,
predominately with Richard and Peter Tufts,
for over 30 years. He retired as a caddy master
from Pinehurst Country Club, and his youngest
brother Myron, a PGA member, apprenticed
under Donald Ross. Pretty much Dale’s earliest
FOR THE LOVE con't. next column
FOR THE LOVE con't. next column
memories include golf.
Born in the Pinehurst hospital, Dale lived
in Southern Pines for a while before moving
to the Cameron / Vass area. Beatrice Barrett
Briggs, Dale’s mother is a native as well as a
school teacher. Just so happens Dale’s wife is
also a school teacher; they share two daughters.
Barrett, named after Dale’s grandfather, is a
freshman in college, and Emi is a junior in
high school. Always his biggest supporters,
Dale’s parents provided the inspiration to
flourish by enabling the golfing atmosphere,
the membership at a club, and the opportunity
to attend college—they became the first step
towards many other steps.
As golf runs in his veins, “Golf is what I do;
it’s who I am. It is my life,” exclaims Dale. “I
love the people at the golf course; I love the
atmosphere at the golf course; I love the game;
I love the conversations. Through the game of
golf, I’ve met many people who have influenced
my life.” And the hardest skill for Dale to master?
“Patience! I want to run up there and hit the next
shot! I play better golf when I walk rather than
ride because the tempo enables the patience.
You have no other choice but to adapt to the
bad shot and cool down before you swing again.
When you’re in the cart, you get there too quick
—cooler heads prevail in life, so too on golf
courses.”
Why should locals choose Knollwood or
Midland? Without hesitation, Dale smiles,
“Because we want you to. We are here to help
people enjoy the game of golf. They should
choose us because that’s our goal! Just like
with the National Ping award—we didn’t know
we were vying for an award, we just went to
work and did what we always do.” The team at
Knollwood comes to work everyday so that a
gentleman can improve his game, a lady can
perfect her swing, and a child can find a good
clean place to hang out. Come visit Knollwood
Fairways and Midland Country Club where
everything is above par and all for the love of
golf.
For more info, see ad details p. 34.
Knollwood-Midland.com.
Fred VanSteen, lead club fitter at Knollwood.
Dale Briggs, Director of Golf at Knollwood.
Free Consultations
Call 910-684-1588
p.8 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. No. 130
/Knollwood-Midland.com