Traveling with a full set of clubs isn’t much of a hassle for Anthony Griggs.
One of the newer members of the Golfweek Amateur Tour, Griggs posted a round of 84 to capture the D Flight during a recent event played at Whirlwind Golf Club at Wild Horse Pass in Chandler, Arizona.
But that’s just half the story.
After the round, a member of Griggs’ group insisted he’d just seen the most incredible thing he’d ever witnessed on a golf course.
Griggs, who will turn 61 on May 19, played the entire round with just a putter. Tees, fairways, bunkers and, of course, greens — Griggs only used one trusty club.
An Army veteran originally from Gary, Indiana, Griggs moved to Arizona in 2001 and now makes his home in Mesa. He has played throughout Arizona, including at the Waste Management Pre-Qualifier and the 2018 Kadima Ventures Pro-Am.
And Griggs, who drives the ball more than 200 yards off the tee, does it all with just the one club.
After becoming a pretty good traditional player, Griggs got bored with the game and an acquaintance suggested that if he wanted to challenge himself again, he should play with just a putter. While practicing on the range, he decided to give it a try and found that with some trial and error he could hit the ball pretty well.
He’s been using only a putter on the course ever since.
Originally, Griggs used a Scotty Cameron putter, but it broke while he was preparing for the tournament.
No problem — he went to a nearby Goodwill and bought an old Wilson Staff putter for $2.99. That’s the lone club he used to win the Phoenix-area event as he beat Angelo Faux by six strokes to claim the crown.
Along with his do-it-all partner, friend, sometimes caddie and manager Larry Vinson, Griggs has been working to improve on this incredible idea for roughly four years.
His reward for winning the D Flight at Wild Horse Pass? Griggs will be promoted to B Flight for the next event.
Gabe Garcia is the director of Phoenix and Tucson tours for the Golfweek Amateur Tour.
[jwplayer NQCeXJUj-9JtFt04J]