Formerly a budding golf prodigy, Paige Spiranac has gained widespread recognition for her honesty, charm, and skill. Following a brief professional career on the Cactus Tour, during which she earned one victory, Spiranac became a digital superstar, gaining millions of fans on social media sites like YouTube and Instagram. Her unique blend of golf expertise and engaging content has seen her tee off with celebrities like Justin Timberlake, Mark Wahlberg, and the legendary Gary Player.
During a recent “Vanity Index” podcast episode, Spiranac talked about her experiences on the green, revealing stories that ranged from endearing to comically annoying. One particularly moving story was about a pro-am event at the 2021 Berenberg Invitational held at GlenArbor Golf Club in Bedford Hills, New York, with Gary Player, where she broke down in tears after hearing his candid criticism.
Gary Player’s tough love moment with Paige Spiranac
Spiranac talked about a wonderful pro-am tournament experience she had with golf star Gary Player during her interview on the podcast. The player, who is known for being open and honest, wasn’t shy about criticizing Spiranac’s performance. “I had a nasty two-way miss,” she remembered. “You’ll never make it with a two-way miss,” he said. “And I just kept… like, tears in my eyes, and I was like, ‘I know. Gary Player just told the truth,’” Spiranac further narrated. A “two-way miss” is a situation in golf where a golfer consistently misses shots to the left and right of the target. Over her professional career, Spiranac has been candid about her troubles with the two-way miss. Spiranac has put in a lot of effort over the years to fix this issue. Her instructional content aims to assist golfers in fixing common swing mistakes, such as those that result in two-way misses. She may still have sporadic irregularities, but her proactive demeanor and ongoing involvement in the golf community point to substantial progress and a dedication to perfecting her swing.
Despite the direct criticism, Spiranac valued Player’s candor. According to her, he wouldn’t merely give platitudes. “He’s not someone who’s just going to boost you up,” she added. “He’s going to be like, ‘No, you need to do more crunches and you can’t have a two-way miss.’ He’s all about fitness and longevity.” There was more to their relationship than criticism. When Spiranac made a hole-in-one in front of Player, she had a touching moment. “That was like a good 30-second hug that he held on tight,” she continued. “He’s awesome though. I mean, he’s giving me like bunker lessons.” These exchanges show how Player provided a combination of tough love and mentoring, which had a long-lasting effect on Spiranac’s viewpoint on the game.
Even though Gary Player’s frankness was a potent teaching moment, Spiranac has not always had emotional insights from celebrity golf interactions. Instead, some went in the direction of the hilariously annoying. A different round sparked laughs and eye rolls over one Hollywood A-lister’s excruciatingly slow pace, just as the unadulterated passion of the player’s comments called attention to golf’s harsh character. Spiranac’s patience was put to the strain by narration rather than swings or scorecards as the play slowed to a crawl. Her frank description of this round offered viewers yet another look into the erratic and frequently humorous realities of golf tournaments attended by famous people.
Spiranac names Chris Pratt as the slowest golfer
Spiranac also talked about her experience playing with Chris Pratt, a Hollywood A-lister, in the same interview. Spiranac and singer Nick Jonas competed against Pratt at the Genesis Celebrity Ryder Cup. Even though the gathering was full of friendship, Pratt’s slow pace became a topic of conversation. Spiranac said, “He was very slow,” on the podcast. “Might be the slowest golfer I’ve ever played with. Super nice guy, unbelievably slow.”
In a nine-hole round, their group was four holes behind because of the disruption in the game’s tempo. “We were like four holes behind on a nine-hole little thing,” Spiranac recalled in a hilarious manner. “And they were like, ‘You need to speed it up.’ He had all these people around him, and he’d tell like these amazing stories. And we were like, ‘Hit the golf ball.’”
Spiranac handled the situation well in spite of the delays, even laughingly apologizing to Pratt on social media, writing, “One thing about me is that I hate slow play lol sorry Chris.” Spiranac’s unvarnished thoughts provide an insight into the world of celebrity golf, where humorous and mentoring moments coexist on the fairways. From heartfelt criticism from golf greats to amusing recollections of relaxed celebrity matches, Paige Spiranac’s stories provide a distinctive viewpoint on the game. Her experiences serve as a reminder that every swing has a backstory worth sharing and showcase the variety of personalities who comprise the golfing community.
The post ‘You’ll Never Make It’: Gary Player Reduced Paige Spiranac to Tears With Truth Bomb During Golf Pro-Am appeared first on EssentiallySports.
