I just have a quick message for 49ers quarterback Tim Rattay:
ditch your hybrid golf club. It did nothing for me on the 17th tee
at Eagle Ridge last Friday.
I just have a quick message for 49ers quarterback Tim Rattay: ditch your hybrid golf club. It did nothing for me on the 17th tee at Eagle Ridge last Friday.
Why was I using one Rattay’s clubs? Contrary to popular belief, I didn’t steal it. 49ers wide receiver P.J. Fleck let me try it out when I had the chance to ride a few holes with him and offensive lineman Norm Katnik at the St. Mary Golf Day. The two second-year players, who were picked up as free agents last fall, traveled down to Gilroy from Santa Clara, post–6am workouts, to participate in the event which benefited St. Mary Parish and the St. Joseph’s Family Center.
I was introduced to Fleck as “also from Illinois.” You see, Fleck is from a northern suburb of Chicago and played at Northern Illinois University.
“Oh, great,” the former USC Trojan Katnik said, rolling his eyes. “Another one from Illinois.” A little later, I find out he has absolutely no room to complain about Illinoisans since he hails from the most ridiculous location in the United States – Orange County.
“P.J. jokes with me about it all the time,” Katnik said.
As we approached the 14th tee, the first of the day in the shotgun start, I was eager to see just what kind of golfers professional football players make. It seems to me most are expected to not only know golf, but be good at it, too. If only for the sake of being able to participate in charity and celebrity outings without embarrassing themselves.
Well, I’m here to tell you that even though the pros have more athleticism, power and better composure than the rest of us do out on the course, the game of golf humbles everyone equally.
But the gridiron teammates had some advantages in their favor. First, Fleck and Katnik, playing a scramble, were two people short of a foursome because quarterback Ken Dorsey and another teammate couldn’t attend at the last minute. Which means each of them got two chances at every shot. Second, their playing styles complimented each other.
“He’s the power,” said the 5–foot–10, 185-pound Fleck, nodding over at Katnik. “I’m the finesse guy.”
And I was about to find out why. The 6–foot–4, 280-pound Katnik, who hits the links about once a week, approached the tee of the 566–yard hole, brandishing his Cleveland Launcher 460 driver, which was roughly the size of my head. The lineman absolutely crushed the ball. And when I say crush, I mean it. Unfortunately, the towering ball sailed left and out of bounds.
Though Katnik is self–admittedly inconsistent, Fleck said he’s seen him drive about 350 yards from tee to green on the 18th hole of The Ranch Golf Club in San Jose.
Fleck was up next. His club of choice? A 5–iron. Yes, even on this par–5. He won’t use anything lower than a 5-iron, his favorite club. He prefers control, which paid off as he put a ball onto the safe left side of the fairway. The leaderboard after one hole? Fleck and Katnik, 1–under.
On the 15th hole, Fleck decided to be daring and try out Rattay’s club, which the quarterback lent the receiver for the day. He shanked his first shot.
“Yeah, nice club, Tim,” Fleck muttered. But the he redeemed himself on the green by sinking a 20–foot putt for birdie.
After four holes, the pair was 3–under. Katnik nailed a chip–in for birdie on the 17th and Fleck got the hang of the tricky hybrid club, nailing two straight drives down the middle of the fairway on the 16th and 17th.
I don’t know how the twosome ultimately finished the round, since I had to leave them when we came around to the 18th hole. But Katnik did purchase a “mulligan” kit from event fundraisers to help them cheat, er, give them an edge on their remaining 13 holes.
So I’m confident they did just fine.
If not, they’ve always got their day jobs. Though Fleck reminded me how fragile even that is. As I departed, I told the guys I would look for them at training camp this summer.
“Hopefully, we’ll still be there,” Fleck replied.
