Interview With Rick Callies, Kettle Moraine Golf Club

Below is an interview with Rick Callies, PGA Professional at Kettle Moraine Golf Club. The following are a few traditional and non traditional golf centric questions that I love to ask influential people in the golf industry.

When did you start golfing and who introduced you do the game?
I tried golf twice at the age of 14, before ever being asked to play with my friends. The first time I swung my dad's clubs in the yard and ended up wrapping one of them around the basketball pole. My dad took his clubs and said I was never allowed to use his clubs again. To me this didn't mean I couldn't use my mom's clubs. So a few days later I took her clubs out in the back yard and ended up hitting my dog in between the eyes and caused her to receive a few stitches. My parents told me I was never allowed to play golf again.

What is your current home course?
Kettle Moraine Golf Club

To date, what is your proudest golf accomplishment?
First and only hole in one.

What is your biggest golf pet peeve on or off the course?
Ball marks left on the greens.

What is your favorite golf destination?
Whistling Straits

What course is on your bucket list that you have not played yet?
Sawgrass

If you woke up tomorrow and could play one course you played before, where would you play?
Straits course

If you could change one aspect, rule or thing about golf, what would it be and why?
Having to play out of a divot in the fairway. I feel it is unfair to be penalized for hitting to an area you are supposed to be. It would be like if you were required to putt through unfit areas on the green. A divot can be a very unpredictable lie and it always seems to happen at the most key times in a round.

Dream foursome (living)?
Me, Woods, Ogilvy, Mickelson

Dream foursome (living or dead)?
Me, Woods, Hogan, Payne Stewart

18 Rapid Fire, Off The Cuff Questions

1) Hitting Long Drive OR Sinking Long Putt?
Long Putt --- Long drives usually come after a ball out of bounds

2) Having Round of Life OR Hole in One?
Round of Life

3) Golfing at the crack of dawn OR twilight?
Twilight

4) Hit a power fade OR power draw?
Power fade

5) Beverage cart OR halfway house?
Beverage cart

6) Bathroom OR bushes?
Bushes as long as the beverage cart already passed

7) Hot dog OR wrap?
Wrap

8) Around the green, being in sand OR thick rough?
Sand

9) Walking OR riding?
Walking

10) Do you carry traditional 3 iron OR hybrid?
2 and 3 iron

11) Do you prefer long par 3 OR long par 5?
Par 5

12) Pants OR Shorts?
Pants

13) Palmer OR Nicklaus?
Nicklaus

14) Beatles OR Elvis?
Beatles

15) Play for fun OR play for money?
Its only fun if you play for money

16) Bump and run OR flop shot?
Flop

17) Lay up OR gamble?
gamble

18) 18 holes OR 36?
18 to sandbag the next 18 to win the cash