Sea Island Life Magazine Spring/Summer 2014 | Page 16

DAMON TARVER

in the swing

Brannen Veal, director of golf at Sea Island, and
his favorite club: the Nike Covert driver

second PGA TOUR victory in November 2013
at The McGladrey Classic on Sea Island’s
Chris Kirk trains
often at the
Sea Island Golf
Learning Center.

PROS
PICK

SOME OF SEA ISLAND’S
SAVVIEST GOLFERS
DESCRIBE THEIR FAVORITE
TOOLS OF THE TRADE.
BY DALE LEATHERMAN

e

very sport involves critical equipment that can mean the difference
between winning and losing: Track
stars have their favorite set of
spikes; baseball players have gloves molded
to their hands; and cyclists have bikes they
guard with their lives.
It’s understandable that athletes become
attached to their gear—and with a full arsenal of equipment for any situation, golfers
aren’t any different. They carry up to 14 clubs
in their bags, each of which has a distinct purpose. Yet one club may carry special sentiments
over another. Here, Sea Island golfers share
their preferences.
Chris Kirk, who trains frequently at the
Sea Island Golf Learning Center, scored his

Mack Daddy 58-degree wedge, which is a
great help around the greens,” Kirk says. “I
switched to Callaway clubs in 2013 and it was
Sea Island Director of Golf Brannen Veal
picks a driver as his favorite tool of the trade.
“The most important club in my bag is my
Nike Covert driver,” Veal says. “The ability to
hit it long and control the shape of the shot
on the tee—and knowing I can hit whatever
shot is called for—makes every part of my
game better.”
Likewise, Todd Anderson, Sea Island’s
director of instruction, says his driver is
his go-to club. “It’s the one you hit 14 times
during a round and the one that sets up the
rest of your game,” he explains. “You can
be a great wedge player and great putter,
but if your tee shot is short or not in play, it
As the PGA of America’s 2010 Teacher
of the Year—and No. 8 on Golf Digest’s

16 SEA ISL AND LIFE | SPRING/SUMMER 2014

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