Gary McCord, golf celebrity, is an outstanding player, announcer, instructor,
author, speaker and even actor. "Life is full of ups and downs, good and bad,
but it wouldn't be fun any other way", according to Gary. Living his life by
this optimistic philosophy, Gary McCord persisted through years of mediocrity
before finding great success in many aspects of the world of golf.
Gary McCord is well known for enduring 23 years and 422 tournaments on the PGA
Tour without nabbing a single victory. A man of good humor, he boasted a "NO
WINS" license plate for years to poke fun at his own less than glamorous career
as a professional golfer.
"Trapped in the headlights of bankruptcy", as he liked to describe it, McCord
pursued other avenues of golf and found himself launched into the world of
broadcasting. He scored big when a CBS executive tossed him a headset and
asked him to do commentary - giving him only 15 minutes to prepare. A friend
of failure, McCord jumped in with no fear and impressed CBS with his
performance. Eighteen years later, Gary is still providing color commentary
for CBS. Fans and critics alike praise him for his knowledgeable perspective,
refreshing humor and sometimes irreverent wit towards a game that is known for
taking itself too seriously.
In 1998, Gary McCord celebrated his 50th birthday by joining the Champions
Tour. He took the tour by storm with two impressive wins in 1999, including
the Toshiba Senior Classic and Charles Schwab Cup Championship, his first and
last events of the year. Over the past few years, Gary has continued his
excellent play, proving himself to be an extremely accomplished golfer.
Gary has also established himself as a talented author. He recently released a
second edition of the best-selling instructional manual Golf For Dummies and
has delighted fans with his autobiographical collection Just A Range Ball In A
Box of Titleists.
Non-golfers might recognize McCord for his appearance in the Kevin Costner
movie, Tin Cup, in which Gary played himself and served as a technical
director. In preparation for the movie, Gary gave Costner golf lessons along
with Peter Kostis, a friend, fellow CBS announcer and co-founder of the
Kostis-McCord Learning Center. Gary enjoyed his taste of Hollywood so much
that he is now helping write and produce an upcoming film based on the life of
golfer/gambler "Titanic" Thompson and is also working on a pilot for an
upcoming television sitcom.
