Back-to-School So...You Want to be a Pro Golfer? Life on the Nike Tour by Adrian Davies Life on the road as a Nike Tour player sounds fun, challenging, even glamorous. Many dream of playing golf for a living. The Nike Tour is one stop from the PGA Tour. Let me tell you &endash; good luck...it's no Hollywood lifestyle! Players on the Nike Tour drive thousands of miles and stay in cheap hotels to save money. The front desk clerk often loses your reservation, setting you off after a ten-hour drive. The broken elevator means a four-flight walk to your room to find that your key card doesn't work! The waitress at the cheap restaurant is short on patience and manners when you ask for directions to the host golf club. The incorrect directions mean a chance at missing your tee time. Are you sure you want to do this for a living? I attended the Nike Fort Smith Classic to see many of my players and caddy for the World's Longest Hitter on Tour, Stiles Mitchell from Baton Rouge. Yes, he is longer than Tiger...by an average of 30 yards! Don't take my word for it, the stats speak for themselves. Stiles and I first got together at the Nike event in Austin. He made the cut, felt good about his game, but his putting was poor (I knew that would come around). Weeks passed and his game was solid, but he missed five cuts by one shot. He made the cut at the Nike Shreveport Open, then missed the next four, made one, then missed five in a row. By now, Stiles' confidence was at its lowest. Stiles is a player that one day will be on the PGA Tour as the biggest character since Lee Trevino and the longest hitter since John Daly. He is a crowd puller and pleaser. He has more game than Milton Bradley. Stiles asked me to caddy for him at Fort Smith. Three caddies deserted him this season, believing they brought him bad luck. He was thinking of quitting if this week didn't work out. The bad breaks, bounces, and luck experienced since the first tournament of the year were getting to him. Perhaps tour life was not his destiny. I assured him to trust me, things would come around. We met at the Budgetel Inn, Monday afternoon in Downtown Fort Smith. The temperature was in the low 100's. Stiles and Rob McKelvey of Atlanta had just driven the six hours from the Ozarks Open. We putted and pitched for three hours. When we finished at 7 p.m. it was 101° with 95% humidity. That was the forecast for the week. Tuesday was an early 7 a.m. start since it was expected to hit 108° by noon. Stiles injured his back while warming up. Was this the bad luck I heard about? I told him to stop and after ten minutes, it eased. Concerned it would stiffen up, we played 9 holes. Stiles felt awkward. He stopped for a massage in the trailer, but the pain returned and we went to the hospital. After a set of x-rays, we left with tablets, cream, and a back support. "You see AD, its been like this all year..." Stiles lamented. I felt so sorry for him. He's one of the nicest and most talented guys I've had the pleasure to meet. "Well, it has to change Big Daddy. Be patient and it will," I told him. In my heart I knew it would. I just hoped Stiles would be patient enough to see his luck turn. Stiles practiced his short game, withdrew from the Pro-Am and decided on an early start in the morning. I got to see some of my other players that I hadn't seen for a month. It felt good to be a part of the Nike Tour again! Ryan Howison, Gene Sauers, and David Bergano wanted me to look at their putting. Jay Williamson, Dave Schreyer, Paul Claxton, and Ty Armstrong required a look at their long game. Several of my players were away, which made things easier. Before a tournament, basics, simplicity and words of encouragement are key. Stiles felt better the next morning. We practiced on and off all day, working on rhythm and the path the club head took on the way back. It was way inside, resulting in a looping hook. His frustration led to a quicker rhythm. Gradually his smile returned, with a solid strike. The hook disappeared. WE WERE BACK ON TRACK! I told him if his putting was on, he'd be close this week. Stiles smiled. "You're right! I feel like I did when I won on the Hooters Tour last year." By evening a string of Nike players and a large crowd had gathered to watch Stiles and me work at the range. They wanted to see him hit 100% drivers. I asked about his back. He smiled and said, "Watch this..." At the bottom of the range at Hardscrabble C.C., which is well over 350 yards long, there is a house with a tile roof. Many of his drives bounced off the roof...on the fly! HE WAS BACK! Finally, his luck had changed. His confidence was back, and I liked that! Thursday, Round One: A late tee time and the worst of the greens. Stiles hit 16 of 18 greens and shot 71. He was down again. I told him to be patient and more aggressive. His game was back. He was quietly pleased with his form. Friday, Round Two: Early tee time and a 67, with three dropped shots coming in. It hurt, but he made the cut! Saturday, Round Three: A 68, with 33 putts. Sunday, Round Four: His game was magnificent, hitting fairways and greens. Stiles was ranked #1 for distance at 328 yards and third for greens in regulation at 88.8%. His putting was mediocre (51st). Most important, his confidence and humor were back. He hit a drive down the 3rd, a 531 yard par 5 and had a 93 yard lob wedge for his second shot! After that drive, a gallery member remarked that he enjoyed a "Religious Experience" at impact. Big Daddy was back! He shot a 67, tied for 22nd. That afternoon, after a week together, we parted. I told him to do exactly what we did this week. Be aggressive and keep going! He had a 14- hour drive back home to Louisiana, arriving at 10 a.m. Monday to leave 8 a.m. Tuesday for the Nike Permian Basin Open in Odessa. For those of you who like happy endings, Stiles "Big Daddy" Mitchell won that event in a playoff with Woody Austin and Jeff Barlow, 69-69-67-71! Keep your eyes on Stiles Mitchell, he's a player to follow!     Adrian Davies is a professional golf coach to PGA, European, Nike, LPGA, Asian, Japanese, Australian, South African, and Golden Bear Tour players. He can be contacted at 800-670-3922 or e-mail him at pgacoach@aol.com