Griffin is thankful for his golf mentor
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Steve Prater can recall only one time in more than 30 years as a PGA professional that he refused payment for a golf lesson.
Lanto Griffin doesn’t know where he would be without it.
He certainly would not be spending six hours Tuesday scrolling through 475 text messages of congratulations in between a dozen interviews as the Houston Open champion. He would not be looking out the window at the TPC Sawgrass and realizing he’ll be part of the field next March at The Players Championship, followed by his debut a month later at Augusta National for the Masters.
It explains why Griffin, not long after he rolled in a 6-foot par putt with eerie calm to win on the PGA Tour, fought back tears when asked how he got to this point.
A mile from their home in Blacksburg, Virginia, was a nine-hole course called “The Hill” where he could spend all day for $9. And then one day, Griffin was invited to Blacksburg Country Club, where he noticed Prater, the head pro, conducting a clinic for a small group of kids.
Prater took it from there.
“I wouldn’t be here without him,” Griffin said. “He opened every door in golf that I ever had – teaching me for free, giving me a membership. He’s had my back my entire journey.”
Prater, who now works at Roanoke Country Club, remembers a young boy who asked if he could come to the clinic.
He didn’t know much about the family’s financial situation except it was clear Griffin could use the help and that he had a passion for the game.
When Griffin’s father died of a brain tumor, Prater called the house that day and offered the 12-year-old boy a free membership to Blacksburg Country Club. Prater’s son is five years younger, and he and Griffin became friends.
“He stayed at my house quite a bit because he could walk to the course,” Prater said. “I took him on as another son. He was sad, and I think him coming down and staying with me some and getting away from things that reminded him of his father … he pulled from playing golf. That was his way of getting away.”
Griffin says he would leave the house at 7 a.m. and stay at the course until 7 p.m.
“That’s what made me fall in love with the game at a young age,” Griffin said. “If Steve didn’t bring me in at that real vulnerable part of my life, then there’s no chance that I would be playing golf in college – or winning the Houston Open.”
Griffin shot 51 for nine holes in his first junior event at the club.
By the time he finished high school, he was good enough to play four years at Virginia Commonwealth and told Prater he wanted to try playing for a living.
Struggles on mini-tours finals led to his PGA Tour shot.
“He hasn’t charged me in 17 years,” Griffin said of Prater. “He would never let me pay. I gave him a bonus at the end of last year, and at the beginning of this season, I put him on the payroll – 1% of everything, and I put in a $25,000 bonus for a PGA Tour victory.
“It’s going to be the easiest check I write.”