Opinion & Analysis
In defense of adult autograph seekers and vendors
Recently, Jordan Spieth put adult autograph seekers at the 2017 Pebble Beach Pro-Am in their place by telling them to “get a job” and to stop profiting from his success. Fair enough. It’s his autograph to either give or not to give.
It’s easy to see where he’s coming from, but before we praise Spieth for standing up against these losers, creeps, vultures, or whatever else you want to call them, let’s take a look at the autograph industry and who suffers from Spieth’s stance.
Essentially, you can put autograph seekers into five different buckets. I’ll go through each category with the perceptions and reality of each before ultimately getting to the point.
1) Kids
No one in their right mind is going to argue with kids who want an autograph. In the world of autographs, it really is all about the kids. Have you ever seen a kid get an autograph from their favorite athlete? Then you know what I’m talking about.
2) Adults getting the autograph for their kid
This one is also tough to take a stand against. There’s a number of reasons why a parent is at a sporting event without their child, but still wants to provide them with an awesome souvenir. Let’s say an 8-year-old had school and couldn’t miss, but the father went to the practice round at Pebble Beach and had the opportunity to get a Jordan Spieth autograph for him. Any concerns here? Not from me, but maybe you disagree.
3) Adults who want the autograph for themselves
OK. I see your point. Maybe this is a little weird. Especially when the adult is years, if not decades older than the athlete. But let’s say a middle-aged man wants a John Daly autograph for his man cave, or a middle-aged woman wants an Adam Scott autograph. Still as weird? There are certainly stranger things for adults to collect than autographs, so maybe we shouldn’t judge too heavily.
4) Those seeking autographs to sell at charity events
This one could be sticky for some to rationalize, and easier for others. Let’s say you’re running a charity event to raise money for ALS Research. At the event, you’re giving away a number of different items to raffle off and the profit goes to the research fund. Among those gifts is a Jordan Spieth autograph that was obtained at the AT&T Pebble Beach practice round by an adult. So yes, the autograph was obtained and sold, but the money went to charity. Hmm….
5) Adults with the intent to sell the product on Ebay
This is far and away the easiest group of people at which to point the finger and tell them they’re morons. Specifically, Spieth’s case against this group of people is that they have no intent to give the autograph to a kid or a good cause. They’re simply profiting off of his name…literally, and Spieth has a point. But what if we think about this group in a different light?
Imagine yourself as the parent of a 10-year-old kid who idolizes Jordan Spieth. You can’t afford to fly the family out to Pebble Beach to see Spieth play and hopefully get an autograph, but your child’s birthday is coming up and you really want to give him a signed Pebble Beach golf flag. So what do you do? You go straight to eBay and see if anyone is selling a Jordan Spieth-signed Pebble Beach flag.
You buy it.
It was $125, but hey, not that bad for an awesome gift. It comes in the mail five days later, just in time for the birthday party. And when your child opens up that gift, his eyes light up. He hangs the flag on his wall and looks at it everyday. Maybe he even starts to play golf every weekend because the autograph got him so excited.
Now, is it really that big of a deal that the person who provided the kid with the autograph made a few too many dollars off of it? Would you rather the 10-year-old Jordan Spieth fan never get the autograph?
The point is, there’s a demand for Jordan Spieth autographs. Whether it’s kids, adults, grandparents or dentists who want it for their waiting room, there’s a market. And there’s a short supply. Jordan Spieth is the only person in the world who can provide a Jordan Spieth autograph, and someone somewhere down the line is going to make money off of selling that autograph to the parent of the 10-year-old kid who wants it.
If it wasn’t for the autograph-selling adults, some children would never have access to their idol’s autograph.
What would you do?
As the editor-in-chief of this website and an observer of the GolfWRX forums and other online golf equipment discourse for over a decade, I’m pretty well attuned to the grunts and grumbles of a significant portion of the golf equipment purchasing spectrum. And before you accuse me of lording above all in some digital ivory tower, I’d like to offer that I worked at golf courses (public and private) for years prior to picking up my pen, so I’m well-versed in the non-degenerate golf equipment consumers out there. I touched (green)grass (retail)!
Complaints about the ills of and related to the OEMs usually follow some version of: Product cycles are too short for real innovation, tour equipment isn’t the same as retail (which is largely not true, by the way), too much is invested in marketing and not enough in R&D, top staffer X hasn’t even put the new driver in play, so it’s obviously not superior to the previous generation, prices are too high, and on and on.
Without digging into the merits of any of these claims, which I believe are mostly red herrings, I’d like to bring into view of our rangefinder what I believe to be the two primary difficulties golf equipment companies face.
One: As Terry Koehler, back when he was the CEO of Ben Hogan, told me at the time of the Ft Worth irons launch, if you can’t regularly hit the golf ball in a coin-sized area in the middle of the face, there’s not a ton that iron technology can do for you. Now, this is less true now with respect to irons than when he said it, and is less and less true by degrees as the clubs get larger (utilities, fairways, hybrids, drivers), but there remains a great deal of golf equipment truth in that statement. Think about it — which is to say, in TL;DR fashion, get lessons from a qualified instructor who will teach you about the fundamentals of repeatable impact and how the golf swing works, not just offer band-aid fixes. If you can’t repeatably deliver the golf club to the golf ball in something resembling the manner it was designed for, how can you expect to be getting the most out of the club — put another way, the maximum value from your investment?
Similarly, game improvement equipment can only improve your game if you game it. In other words, get fit for the clubs you ought to be playing rather than filling the bag with the ones you wish you could hit or used to be able to hit. Of course, don’t do this if you don’t care about performance and just want to hit a forged blade while playing off an 18 handicap. That’s absolutely fine. There were plenty of members in clubs back in the day playing Hogan Apex or Mizuno MP-32 irons who had no business doing so from a ballstriking standpoint, but they enjoyed their look, feel, and complementary qualities to their Gatsby hats and cashmere sweaters. Do what brings you a measure of joy in this maddening game.
Now, the second issue. This is not a plea for non-conforming equipment; rather, it is a statement of fact. USGA/R&A limits on every facet of golf equipment are detrimental to golf equipment manufacturers. Sure, you know this, but do you think about it as it applies to almost every element of equipment? A 500cc driver would be inherently more forgiving than a 460cc, as one with a COR measurement in excess of 0.83. 50-inch shafts. Box grooves. And on and on.
Would fewer regulations be objectively bad for the game? Would this erode its soul? Fortunately, that’s beside the point of this exercise, which is merely to point out the facts. The fact, in this case, is that equipment restrictions and regulations are the slaughterbench of an abundance of innovation in the golf equipment space. Is this for the best? Well, now I’ve asked the question twice and might as well give a partial response, I guess my answer to that would be, “It depends on what type of golf you’re playing and who you’re playing it with.”
For my part, I don’t mind embarrassing myself with vintage blades and persimmons chasing after the quasi-spiritual elevation of a well-struck shot, but that’s just me. Plenty of folks don’t give a damn if their grooves are conforming. Plenty of folks think the folks in Liberty Corner ought to add a prison to the museum for such offences. And those are just a few of the considerations for the amateur game — which doesn’t get inside the gallery ropes of the pro game…
Different strokes in the game of golf, in my humble opinion.
Anyway, I believe equipment company engineers are genuinely trying to build better equipment year over year. The marketing departments are trying to find ways to make this equipment appeal to the broadest segment of the golf market possible. All of this against (1) the backdrop of — at least for now — firm product cycles. And golfers who, with their ~15 average handicap (men), for the most part, are not striping the golf ball like Tiger in his prime and seem to have less and less time year over year to practice and improve. (2) Regulations that massively restrict what they’re able to do…
That’s the landscape as I see it and the real headwinds for golf equipment companies. No doubt, there’s more I haven’t considered, but I think the previous is a better — and better faith — point of departure when formulating any serious commentary on the golf equipment world than some of the more cynical and conspiratorial takes I hear.
Agree? Disagree? Think I’m worthy of an Adam Hadwin-esque security guard tackle? Let me know in the comments.
@golfoncbs The infamous Adam Hadwin tackle ? #golf #fyp #canada #pgatour #adamhadwin ? Ghibli-style nostalgic waltz – MaSssuguMusic
Episode #16 brings us Cliff McKinney. Cliff is the founder of Old Charlie Golf Club, a new club, and concept, to be built in the Florida panhandle. The model is quite interesting and aims to make great, private golf more affordable. We hope you enjoy the show!
Last week, I came across a reel from BBC Sport on Instagram featuring Scottie Scheffler speaking to the media ahead of The Open at Royal Portrush. In it, he shared that he often wonders what the point is of wanting to win tournaments so badly — especially when he knows, deep down, that it doesn’t lead to a truly fulfilling life.
View this post on Instagram
“Is it great to be able to win tournaments and to accomplish the things I have in the game of golf? Yeah, it brings tears to my eyes just to think about it because I’ve literally worked my entire life to be good at this sport,” Scheffler said. “To have that kind of sense of accomplishment, I think, is a pretty cool feeling. To get to live out your dreams is very special, but at the end of the day, I’m not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers. I’m not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world, because what’s the point?”
Ironically — or perhaps perfectly — he went on to win the claret jug.
That question — what’s the point of winning? — cuts straight to the heart of the human journey.
As someone who’s spent over two decades in the trenches of professional golf, and in deep study of the mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of the game, I see Scottie’s inner conflict as a sign of soul evolution in motion.
I came to golf late. I wasn’t a junior standout or college All-American. At 27, I left a steady corporate job to see if I could be on the PGA Tour starting as a 14-handicap, average-length hitter. Over the years, my journey has been defined less by trophies and more by the relentless effort to navigate the deeply inequitable and gated system of professional golf — an effort that ultimately turned inward and helped me evolve as both a golfer and a person.
One perspective that helped me make sense of this inner dissonance around competition and our culture’s tendency to overvalue winning is the idea of soul evolution.
The University of Virginia’s Division of Perceptual Studies has done extensive research on reincarnation, and Netflix’s Surviving Death (Episode 6) explores the topic, too. Whether you take it literally or metaphorically, the idea that we’re on a long arc of growth — from beginner to sage elder — offers a profound perspective.
If you accept the premise literally, then terms like “young soul” and “old soul” start to hold meaning. However, even if we set the word “soul” aside, it’s easy to see that different levels of life experience produce different worldviews.
Newer souls — or people in earlier stages of their development — may be curious and kind but still lack discernment or depth. There is a naivety, and they don’t yet question as deeply, tending to see things in black and white, partly because certainty feels safer than confronting the unknown.
As we gain more experience, we begin to experiment. We test limits. We chase extreme external goals — sometimes at the expense of health, relationships, or inner peace — still operating from hunger, ambition, and the fragility of the ego.
It’s a necessary stage, but often a turbulent and unfulfilling one.
David Duval fell off the map after reaching World No. 1. Bubba Watson had his own “Is this it?” moment with his caddie, Ted Scott, after winning the Masters.
In Aaron Rodgers: Enigma, reflecting on his 2011 Super Bowl win, Rodgers said:
“Now I’ve accomplished the only thing that I really, really wanted to do in my life. Now what? I was like, ‘Did I aim at the wrong thing? Did I spend too much time thinking about stuff that ultimately doesn’t give you true happiness?’”
Jim Carrey once said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”
Eventually, though, something shifts.
We begin to see in shades of gray. Winning, dominating, accumulating—these pursuits lose their shine. The rewards feel more fleeting. Living in a constant state of fight-or-flight makes us feel alive, yes, but not happy and joyful.
Compassion begins to replace ambition. Love, presence, and gratitude become more fulfilling than status, profits, or trophies. We crave balance over burnout. Collaboration over competition. Meaning over metrics.
Interestingly, if we zoom out, we can apply this same model to nations and cultures. Countries, like people, have a collective “soul stage” made up of the individuals within them.
Take the United States, for example. I’d place it as a mid-level soul: highly competitive and deeply driven, but still learning emotional maturity. Still uncomfortable with nuance. Still believing that more is always better. Despite its global wins, the U.S. currently ranks just 23rd in happiness (as of 2025). You might liken it to a gifted teenager—bold, eager, and ambitious, but angsty and still figuring out how to live well and in balance. As much as a parent wants to protect their child, sometimes the child has to make their own mistakes to truly grow.
So when Scottie Scheffler wonders what the point of winning is, I don’t see someone losing strength.
I see someone evolving.
He’s beginning to look beyond the leaderboard. Beyond metrics of success that carry a lower vibration. And yet, in a poetic twist, Scheffler did go on to win The Open. But that only reinforces the point: even at the pinnacle, the question remains. And if more of us in the golf and sports world — and in U.S. culture at large — started asking similar questions, we might discover that the more meaningful trophy isn’t about accumulating or beating others at all costs.
It’s about awakening and evolving to something more than winning could ever promise.
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JThunder
Feb 17, 2017 at 2:30 am
Having something autographed by an athlete (or celebrity) who didn’t autograph it for you is like having a love letter from a beautiful girl (or guy) that wasn’t written to you. As a kid, I didn’t see the point, and I certainly don’t now. That $125 spent on some piece of junk for a kid could surely have been spent better (for one thing, waiting for a chance to obtain a personalized autograph, if that’s the ultimate goal.) The autograph hounding – and the ludicrous high-fiving – is the relatively harmless but still ugly side of our worship of celebrity. The income and adulation they receive is entirely disproportionate to their comparative value. But then, the same is true for most corporate CEOs, and in essence part of that same culture.
Seriously, though, stop high-fiving players too. I cringe every time – one ill-timed move could end a career, especially with all the drunks at the tournaments.
jc
Feb 13, 2017 at 7:00 pm
I get them to sign their book…that way, they know I spent some money that they got…I have Jack, Phil, Leadbetter….Chick Evans…(old golfer)….
Bob
Feb 13, 2017 at 4:44 pm
There was only one autograph I ever wanted…Arnie’s. And that was just to get close enough to shake his hand…
KoreanSlumLord
Feb 13, 2017 at 11:01 am
Kids only. The athletes should ignore the adults and the problem is fixed. I dont understand a lot of United States culture. The one thing that confuses me is adults who wear NFL/MLB/NHL jerseys with another guys name on it. In Korea and Japan, this is for the guys who have certain feelings for other guys. I think of same thing when I see grown azz men waving a piece of paraphanalia to another man to sign. Maybe they want the sex with that guy. Spieth is right on this one.
Ronald Montesano
Feb 12, 2017 at 5:34 am
The sheer number of comments is astonishing…I want Andrew Tursky’s autograph now!
If a professional athlete sees the same people at multiple events, she/he certainly might suspect that a profit-maker is in attendance. In a case like that, I see no problem with not granting an autograph. If the athlete gets a bad vibe (these are superhumans, after all, with powers of sensitivity beyond my own) from the autograph seeker, again, deny the scribble.
If Jordan Spieth moves the needle, then his moves need to be considered for an article. This is newsworthy, as it involved an interaction with the gallery and a subsequent, public statement (in an interview.) I like how Tursky laid out a hierarchy of seekers, and gave each a level of ethical justification. I wouldn’t give him a shank on this one, lads.
moses
Feb 11, 2017 at 12:51 am
LOL look at the Like to Shank ratio. It’s EPIC.
James Wallace
Feb 10, 2017 at 11:16 pm
I forged Jordan’s signature to give to my dad for Father’s Day, when the US Open was at Chambers. All to get revenge for when I was young, I got an “autographed” JT Snow baseball that was done by the guy at the gas station they bought the baseball from.
Sure, it was 15 years ago, and sure I’m now a grown man, but that taught him.
Someone
Feb 10, 2017 at 4:05 pm
Also, you don’t stop people from buying stuff cheap and fixing it up and selling it for more. Just like an autograph seeker, they gotta do the leg work to get that autograph like travel, tickets, and hotel. It’s just ridiculous. You don’t sell your car to someone and then dictate how they are to use it. Payment was made by the seeker in the form of ticket to the event at a minimum, not to mention other costs. Reward is seeing the event and possibly getting an autograph.
Someone
Feb 10, 2017 at 4:02 pm
The fans paid to watch and paid to get in. They are ultimately responsible for people becoming famous and making all the money that they do. Arnow signed for adults all the time. Even had conferences where people stood in line and waited. He sat there knowing full well that without them he wouldn’t be who he is or where he is. What’s the difference? You know jordan signed a full beer bottle for a “guy” and everyone posted that he was cool for doing it. That beer isn’t for a kid for sure. And also, you don’t sign and then get to tell people what to do with your autograph. It’s just like giving a homeless person money. You don’t control what they do with it because you have the money to them because they don’t have any. If you want them to buy food or clothes, give them food or clothes instead. Your good deed ends with what you handed off. Celebrities do not need to sign anything, but for their reputation and livelihood, it would behoove them to reconsider any stance against signatures. Regardless of intention, someone paid, watches them, follows them, and does the legwork to wait in line to get that signature. America is the world’s symbol of capitalism, in that people can find almost any way to make money or succeed or be whatever you want to be. A person who puts in the legwork to chase after autographs, can do what they please with their collected autographs, just like how a kid keeps a signed player’s card and may end up selling it in the future for money when it’s of more value. Who are we to judge other people ? It’s ridiculous for a celebrity to think that giving an autograph is unreasonable. Asking for autographs has been a long time way for celebrities to show appreciation to their fans. Doesn’t matter if they plan to sell it or not, that autograph belongs to that fan. They did the legwork to follow and such, why shouldn’t they be rewarded? That’s how you build up a fan base. Tin cup anyone? The other player was a douche…not many douchebags make it far and eventually they lose it all one way or another “no friends, loss of respect in community, loss of status, gambling, bills, etc.”
ooffa
Feb 10, 2017 at 3:34 pm
Stop being an entitled doofus and sign the autographs. You should be thrilled to have the opportunity to do so. And BTW speed up the play a bit will ya.
Brian
Feb 10, 2017 at 1:53 pm
Great, you can get autographed gifts for your kids on Ebay. However, those profiteers are doing so using someone else’s name/likeness. Just like any other marketed product using someone’s name/likeness, the athlete should get a cut of those proceeds.
If these leeches want to profit from someone else’s name, they should pay the athlete for the autograph in the first place.
Shanks for the Memories
Feb 10, 2017 at 12:23 pm
Whoops. Used a real name instead of the pen name that goes on all the obviously satirical articles that aren’t funny.
Shanks for the Memories
Feb 10, 2017 at 12:13 pm
Crap. They accidentally put a real name on this obviously satirical article instead of the pen name for all the other satirical articles that aren’t funny.
Grizz01
Feb 10, 2017 at 11:29 am
I wonder what Arnold Palmer would say to Jordan Spieth?
Bwall
Feb 10, 2017 at 10:07 am
Unless it’s on a check, there is no need for a grown man to have another grown man’s autograph.
Brian
Feb 10, 2017 at 1:51 pm
What about a grown man that has another grown man’s autograph….that he still has from when he was a kid?
Otherwise, I agree. As an adult, I find it incredibly lame to seek autographs, wear sports jerseys or any other clothing with another man’s name/likeness on it.
mr b
Feb 10, 2017 at 9:51 am
if you’re truly getting it for a kid that’s okay.
but I firmly stand by the ideas that NO grown man should EVER 1. wear another grown man’s sports jersey. 2. Ask for another grown man’s autograph.
i don’t judge others that do this but these are my personal beliefs
Ryan
Feb 10, 2017 at 6:03 pm
“I don’t judge others that do this, but I’m gonna go ahead and judge others that do this.”
Patricknorm
Feb 10, 2017 at 9:13 am
My son played in the NHL, AHL, KHL and on the Canadian national junior team. It’s scary how people are drawn to a relatively famous athlete. What’s off putting at least for a Canadian from a small town, the lengths people will go to get an autograph from an athlete. Often I’ve seen autograph hounds thrust binders in front of my son to sign pages of cards. Seriously?
He’s good at signing to a point. He always signs for children or fans that want him to sign his jersey. As parents we don’t especially take the time to collect memorabilia about him, just stuff where he’s played in the Worlds or a playoff finals.
Maybe it’s me but I’ve never felt the urge to get something signed by a famous person. It doesn’t reflect anything expensive to me and besides , if an athlete is signing say 25 autographs it can’t be worth much. What I treasure is the conversation I’ve had with a prominent person. Personally I can’t fathom a person’s zeal to obtain a signature. Besides, it eventually fades.
birdie
Feb 10, 2017 at 9:10 am
simple solution….the athlete ONLY signs for kids…and they make it personal. they ask the kids name and they sign it to him. this way, everything he signs is ” to jimmy, from Jordan”. cuts down on resale.
I'mNotTigerWoods
Feb 10, 2017 at 12:51 am
Agree completely with Jordan… I’m sure he’s privey to all that stuff going on, which the average person isn’t. It’s his autograph and if he only wants to sign for juniors so be it.
cgasucks
Feb 10, 2017 at 9:28 am
Yep…if I was in position, I would only sign for kids and people who really appreciate it.
cgasucks
Feb 9, 2017 at 10:36 pm
Many many years ago (early 90s) I was an autograph hound chasing hockey players for their signatures not for profit, but for myself. During that time there where a close community of people like me chasing signatures, some like myself were doing it for fun, but some where doing it for profit by selling it to their local sports memorabilia store. The people I knew that did it for profit where mostly respectable to the athletes and some even developed a good relationship with them. If you’re going to chase John Hancocks for profit, be respectful to them and don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
Usher1
Feb 9, 2017 at 9:50 pm
I had a first hand account of dealing with the group of individuals collecting autographs for profit. I was an usher for a season while in University for the Blue Jays. I was usually given the seat section that had the visiting team dugout. After batting practice, visiting players would come over and sign for a few minutes. The majority of these individuals are simply ridiculous and would do whatever to get that star players autograph. I dealt with 20 to 30 of these individuals every home game. I could tell you many stories and traits of the autograph seekers but I will sum it up with one incident. The San Francisco Giants were in town…the big autograph was Mr. Barry Bonds. He did not come over and sign the first 2 games of the series. Final game there was about 20 autograph for profit seekers. Everyone went into the dugout so the autograph hounds left. 4 or 5 very young kids were still along the first row seats and Bonds came back out to sign for these few kids. Well the autograph hounds came rushing back. They were crushing, knocking over, and stepping on these children. I was right there and started grabbing these grown men by shirt/jacket collars or their backpack and pulled them over the row of seats and off the kids. Then security staff came and cleared them out of the section. Not sure if they got ejected from the stadium or not.
My advice like mentioned previously is personalize all your autographs. Then the autograph hounds will not want them but the kid who wants it will be ecstatic or the parent who wants it for their child or the person who wants it for their office or man cave.
Dill Pickleson
Feb 9, 2017 at 8:56 pm
from the article link this is my favorite:
adult males who a) wear professional sports jerseys unironically
i had a girlfriend where my jersey in high school. but, that’s a little different.
Joey5Picks
Feb 10, 2017 at 12:39 am
No one over the age of 30 should wear a jersey…and if you do, don’t tuck it in.
RHJazz
Feb 9, 2017 at 8:55 pm
The “what if” example about the kid’s cherished memory could just easily be, kids memory is of getting shoved aside by some overgrown man-made child so he can stock his memorabilia “store.”
Mad-Mex
Feb 9, 2017 at 8:14 pm
As a former baseball/football card/autograph collector, the simplest way to drop the value of an autograph is to personalize it and sign it something like this “To (name) , Jordan Spieth”.
A TRUE fan will cherish this, an autograph hound will be quickly disappointed.
RAT
Feb 9, 2017 at 8:01 pm
My son played Pro baseball and he always signed for everyone. I got in line for him when he was young because some adults and hounds would push him away not waiting their turn and then by the time he got to the front the STAR would move on or just pass on by. Pros get paid plenty and to give their time to sign things is part of that star package. I would say sign one thing per person and make sure all get what they came after an autograph ! Arnie always did it that way. Besides without fans there would be no BIG MONEY for the stars.
Lob Wedge
Feb 9, 2017 at 7:12 pm
Wait..
So you’re saying that professional athletes don’t sign memorabelia to be sold by businesses agglutinate with them? That the only way we get an autograph without showing up is through autograph stalkers? That autograph stalkers are really doing it for the kids?
Golly gee..
Jack
Feb 9, 2017 at 10:38 pm
LOL yeah, good job justifying that. Honestly I’m not sure what an autograph does vs a picture to inspire. I have a few autographed basketballs that I bought, but that’s only cuz I like those players. If it was personalized then it would have been awesome but it was just a generic signature.
Matt
Feb 9, 2017 at 7:03 pm
I always applaud Spieth’s honesty but often he comes across as a whiner. I think adults who obtain autographs to sell on eBay or other market is pretty crappy.
Randy
Feb 9, 2017 at 5:50 pm
I think Spieth is a crya**, I wouldn’t sell a autograph on ebay but what about the rising cost of golf equipment, largely due to manufacturer’s signing guys like Spieth . We’re spending $1,200 for a set of irons and $500 for drivers!! I don’t think it’s a big deal if someone sells their autograph for a $100
The dude
Feb 9, 2017 at 7:30 pm
Haha….buy your sticks on eBay
Steve
Feb 9, 2017 at 9:44 pm
Manufacturers aren’t charging $1,200 for a set of irons and $500 for a driver because they have to pay players like Spieth. They’re able to charge that because we’re willing to pay it. If people stopped spending $1,200 on new irons, prices would drop until people started buying again.
ZQ RascalZ
Feb 9, 2017 at 5:35 pm
Completely pointless article. WRX scraping the bin with this one
Tom
Feb 10, 2017 at 9:00 am
did it hit a nerve ?
Philip
Feb 9, 2017 at 5:27 pm
Where do you draw the line – I’ve seen these adult autograph hounds plow through children. You give someone an inch and they will take your arm. Total fail for an article!
JustTrying2BAwesome
Feb 9, 2017 at 5:12 pm
What would I do? I’d kick the professional autograph-selling adults right square in the balls. That’s what I’d do. Should be perfectly acceptable, and in some cases encouraged, for the kids to kick the professional autograph-selling adults right square in the balls.
blake
Feb 9, 2017 at 7:19 pm
I think you’re living up to your name, but punches would also be acceptable.
Jack
Feb 9, 2017 at 10:39 pm
I’d recommend a sharp elbow.
Brian
Feb 10, 2017 at 1:59 pm
Trying2Hard2BAwesome is more appropriate. When will humanity evolve past the point of prescribing violence as the answer to their slights?
Hans
Feb 9, 2017 at 5:12 pm
These autograph hounds are asking players to give up their time (for free!) so that they can make money off the players. What person wouldn’t find that annoying in the same situation? Not to mention some of these hounds the players see can be pretty obnoxious to boot.
Players don’t mind giving back some attention to fans that come see them. But to give up their own time so someone else can make money off their name and even worse to spoil the atmosphere for the kids – good on Jordan for saying something.
Double Mocha Man
Feb 9, 2017 at 4:57 pm
I’d be careful telling someone to “Get a job” if they already have one. Sounds conservative/Republican/Tea Party to me. Did Jordan vet each of those requesting his signature to make sure they were unemployed?
Mad-Mex
Feb 9, 2017 at 6:41 pm
Seriously? You that brainwashed you cant keep your political views off a golf site? Your a cult leader’s wet dream.
Double Mocha Man
Feb 9, 2017 at 8:10 pm
Sorry pal, when the issue becomes “Get a job” it does become political. I will be watching Speith closely from now on…
Mad-Mex
Feb 9, 2017 at 8:18 pm
So, Speith be concerned because your “watching” him? Your not that important “pal”.
Tom
Feb 10, 2017 at 12:22 am
roflmao…. BAZINGA!
Tom
Feb 9, 2017 at 7:42 pm
Nohny Noct is that you? Poor taste in a post
Sheriff
Feb 9, 2017 at 10:28 pm
Lol! You’re an idiot
Tom
Feb 10, 2017 at 12:16 am
Ur a high strung y a p
not having it
Feb 10, 2017 at 11:39 am
So are you inferring that the stereotype of liberals not having jobs is correct? Why else would you immediately label Spieth “conservative/Republican/Tea Party”? Obviously, Spieth’s comment is a common cliche’ used in similar context to phrases like “f*** off”. Also obvious, is the fact that you are just trolling, and if you are going to insist on being a troll then at least try to do so with a more intelligent response than, “Sounds blah, blah, blah, political jab because Trump is POTUS and the world is going to end blah, blah, blah, and more nonsense”…
TR1PTIK
Feb 9, 2017 at 4:56 pm
I like that you’re trying to provide a different perspective and your opinion is certainly objective. However, the caveat here is that the adult autograph seeker/eBay seller is still profiting off of someone else’s success. More importantly, they are profiting off of kids. You give a great example wherein a mom or dad wants to do something awesome for their kid and get an autographed collectible from their favorite sports icon. What happens when the kid asks how they got it? Doesn’t that completely cheapen the gift? Meanwhile, the guy who sold it on eBay is back on the course stepping over or on top of more kids to get another autograph. I have zero problem with an adult wanting an autograph from someone they admire. It’s perhaps a little weird in some scenarios, but in most cases nothing to be concerned about as long as they are respectable about it. If I were in Spieth’s shoes, I’d absolutely do the same thing.
Fred
Feb 9, 2017 at 4:45 pm
You forgot adult autograph dealers who use kids to get the signatures. Yes, they do this, and it is horrible.
Matt K
Feb 9, 2017 at 4:39 pm
Not a big autograph guy. They’re for kids… not dentists or Adam Scott loving soccer moms. If I walk into some dude’s mancave and he’s got a bunch of autographed memorabilia, my opinion of him goes down a few notches. Get a kegerator and some pennants maybe, a Bobby Orr superman photo if you’re a Bruins fan or ‘insert your teams iconic photos’. I had a great time getting a cap signed at the 1997 PGA championship at Winged Foot. I was in Denver earlier in the summer and my Dad brought me over to Cherry Hills, he bought me a hat that I later got all signed up at the PGA. Still have it… few good ones on there Ernie, Duval, Vijay, think JD signed it. Remember I ran into Nick Price – not in the autograph line, he was just walking from point A to B – he gave me the Heisman, said he’d catch me later lol. Didn’t happen, I still like him, it wasn’t the time for him to sign. Anyway… I was 13! It was fun, the hat isn’t in a special place or anything, but I wouldn’t ever discard it, its a great reminder of that trip. I never really did it again, the autograph thing, once was enough. Adults who do… get a job!