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Nice article on Alice Cooper the golfer

trob

Well-Known Member
Apr 2, 2006
112
0
Thought some of you might enjoy this..


Cooper
The Original Shock Rocker Sports a Four Handicap
23_article_logo

By STEPHEN GROCER, The Wall Street Journal


Alice Cooper, the original shock rocker, was also one of the first rock stars to take to the links. He began golfing seriously almost 25 years ago as a way to cope with alcohol addiction, and has yet to put his clubs down.
"When I started playing, there were no rockers playing the game," Mr. Cooper says. "And when I got good at it, everyone said, 'You don't want everyone to know you play -- this is the establishment game.'"

Today, despite averaging more than 80 shows a year and recording four albums in the past six years, Mr. Cooper plays six days a week and carries a 4 handicap. He recently talked to The Wall Street Journal Online from Belgium, where he was touring, about how he got hooked on the game and some of his memorable moments on the links. (Questions and answers have been edited.)
WSJ: Why did you start playing golf and why are you so passionate about the game?
Mr. Cooper: Everyone I know who started playing golf in rock 'n' roll was addicted at some point. All of us who went through the '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s, and survived, were addicted to something at some point. For me it was alcohol. An alcoholic's worst enemy is really having too much time on his hands.

My day usually was drinking beer, and drinking beer and drinking beer. So when I got out of the hospital, there was this huge hole. I said to myself "I have to waste this time. I will do something that takes four hours." I went out and told the pro that I had never played before. He handed me a seven iron and I hit it right down the middle. I was a natural.
WSJ: With your tour and recording schedule how do find time to play six days a week?
Mr. Cooper: It's all set up. I work with [golf-equipment maker] Callaway. Our tour cities are usually about 200 to 300 miles apart. We finish a show around 11 p.m.; do our aftershow; eat and then get on the bus. It's about six hours to the next stop. So we play some poker and then we sleep for a couple of hours. And by the time we wake up we are at the hotel and the Callaway guy is there. He picks us up and takes us to whatever course he wants and we are on the tee by 7:30 every morning. We play with the pro or a top client of Callaway. That night they go to the show. It is a really nice setup because it helps Callaway out and it helps me out.
WSJ: So you have other members of your band playing?
Mr. Cooper: I've got three of them playing now. My band used to laugh at me for getting up at 6 o'clock every morning, which was about the time they were coming in. Now I go down to the lobby and they are already there. They're absolutely addicted. They are putting in their rooms. They have been playing for a year and they're 14 or 15 handicappers.
WSJ: What have been some of the more memorable places that you have played golf while on tour?
Mr. Cooper: We played Iceland last year. We got into Reykjavik around midnight and it was [as light as] noon. So we said, 'What time do we tee off?' and the guy said 1:30. We went out and played at 1:30 in the morning. Same thing in Oulu, Finland, where we teed off at 2 o'clock in the morning.
I played the Moscow Country Club. Now this is when the party had just broken up and it was still pretty heavy, so I had two KGB goons with me. They take me to the golf course, and it is a pretty good little nine holes. And I was like, 'Wow, this is Moscow. I am playing just outside of Moscow.' I had to get everyone shirts. They made me an honorary member. I was No. 9. All their members were celebrities. So I go to the locker room and the locker 007 was Sean Connery's. They said that when they gave him his membership they said, 'Please, be a member of the Moscow Country Club, from Russia with love.' I have a higher kill number than he does, though.
WSJ: What have been some of your favorite moments on the golf course?
Mr. Cooper: The moments that you always remember are the first hole-in-ones. On a par three in Hawaii, I get up to the tee, and I just shank the ball. Of course, it hits the lava, goes straight up, lands on the green, takes two bounces and goes in the hole. I still have the ball and it has a big chunk missing.
WSJ: You play a lot of celebrity golf tournaments now. Was it difficult getting accustomed to playing in front of large crowds?
Mr. Cooper: At the Phoenix Open, there are 100,000 people there during the Silver Pro-Am. Now, you are either going to totally collapse or you are really going to play good. With me, I just saw an audience and turned it up. I always thought in situations like that you either get super focused or just fall apart.
Two years ago, I played with Pat Perez and shot a 71. I was on fire. Two days later I went out on that course and shot a 79 with no one watching.
If you play a lot of golf, just put your head down and pretend you're at the driving range, because we all hit 68 at the driving range.
WSJ: Tiger Woods once said that you are one of the better celebrity golfers. What did it feel like to get a compliment like that from Tiger?
Mr. Cooper: I have had three or four compliments in my life that were my favorite. John Lennon thought that "Elected" was his favorite song; Groucho Marx said I was the last hope for Vaudeville; Salvador Dali said our shows were like one of his paintings come to life; Bob Dylan said I was one of his favorite lyricist; and then I'm reading this article and they are rating all the celebrity golfers and Tiger comes out and says he wouldn't give Alice Cooper two a side. That was a really nice compliment.
WSJ: Have you ever considered becoming a professional golfer?
Mr. Cooper: When I was playing really, really well and had a two handicap, a couple of guys on the Senior Tour told me that if I took a year off and worked with a [David] Leadbetter or a [Jim] McLean or a [Jim] Flick, I could probably come out to the senior tour and not embarrass myself. I might not win a tournament. But I would certainly not embarrass myself. I kept thinking about it. But there was never really a time when I could take a year off from music.
WSJ: Who are some of your favorite professional golfers or celebrities to play with?
Mr. Cooper: I don't think I have been with a pro I didn't like. I play with John Daly and Rocco Mediate a lot. And of course, I play with Phil [Mickelson] because he is an Arizona boy. I have been paired with Sergio [Garcia]. There are a lot of celebrities who are really good. Dennis Quaid is a great golfer. Kenny G and I have an ongoing battle.
WSJ: At the Bob Hope Classic this spring, you were paired for the second round with Chad Campbell. What did you think of his game heading into the U.S. Open?
Mr. Cooper: Chad Campbell is a quiet giant. He will hit this four iron that is low and mean and then when you get up there the ball is sitting on the green five feet away from the hole. And you wonder how he ever got it to stop. But he does. He's got some deal with that ball. He gets the ball near the hole all the time. And he's very quiet. You really don't know he is playing as well as he is.
WSJ: Who would be in your dream foursome?
Mr. Cooper: It would be a fivesome, but I have always said that in their prime, [Bob] Hope and [Bing] Crosby and [Dean] Martin and [Jerry] Lewis. Hope was 4 handicapper. I believe Crosby was a scratch player and Martin and Lewis were 4 or 5 handicappers. That's four pretty good golfers. Can you imagine the lines for that match? I mean, that would have been the funniest fivesome of all time.
 

Rockford35

Shark skin shoes
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Aug 30, 2004
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My barber won an Alice Cooper look-a-like contest a few years back. Got to play golf with him.

He shot one over on a course he had never played.

R35
 

gwlee7

Ho's from Rocky Mount, NC
Supporting Member
Jun 15, 2005
1,402
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Being a teacher, my favorite Alice Cooper album is School's Out. I get to play golf all I want to from now until late August. Come to think of it though, I get to play golf everyday already. It's just that now I can in the mornings instaed of after 3:00 pm.
 

Bravo

Well-Known Member
Aug 27, 2004
5,822
15
One of my best friends was out in Arizona on a 'working-vacation' a few years ago and he had a threesome. It was summer and they were teeing off very very early because of the heat...

The starter comes up and asks if Alice Cooper can play with them.

My buddy (who has no clue that Alice Cooper even plays golf) thinks its a joke.

Then, about 30 seconds later, up comes a golf cart with the man himself behind the wheel. Of course, my friend says, " hey sure".

He then told me that Coop beat the crap out of everyone, was extremely well-mannered and a blast to play with. Even came into the bar afterward but hadn't a drop to drink. Told them he was a recovering alcoholic and hadn't the slightest interest in the booze.

And the way Perry told it, "He's so crazy anyway he seemed like the was loaded the whole time. That's one guy who needs no alcohol to be the life of the party"....

I've seen him play some charity events on TV. The man has game.
 

15andlife

Pulaski Golf Rocks!!
May 20, 2006
696
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I am a HUGE Alice Cooper fan I went to one of his shows in Milwaukee and not only is he an amazing artist and golfer but he is an excellent performer as well. All I have to say is that if you ever get the chance to see him in concert do it.
 

Rockford35

Shark skin shoes
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Apparently, he has a Callaway sponsorship. He carries his custom clubs on his tour van.

Rock star and golfer. Imagine the chicks! (from the rock star status only....lol)

R35
 

WelshGolfer

aka Grand-Master-Duff
Jun 7, 2005
153
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The last time is saw Alice Cooper he was in an infomercial touting Leadbetters Swing Setter training tool on Golf Channel UK.
He was like, "Click Click, Click Click....to a musician, its like a BEAT man!!"
Made me chuckle...and instantly want to purchase the Swing Setter!!:D
 

ualtim

Carrollton, TX
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Aug 20, 2005
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How weird is it that Alice Cooper and Kenny G hang out and play golf together? Golf does amazing things.

I remember several years ago Callaway had both of them along with some other celebs on their TV ads. Thats got to be a sweet set up, show up to your hotel and a Callaway rep picks you up and brings to the local course for some golf.
 

Canadriver

Well-Known Member
Nov 26, 2005
159
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Another report on Alice Cooper:

Alice Cooper goes with God
[SIZE=+1]'Shock-rock' pioneer now 'dedicated to follow Christ'[/SIZE]


[SIZE=-1]Posted: March 1, 2002
1:00 a.m. Eastern

[/SIZE][FONT=Palatino, Book Antiqua, Times New Roman, Georgia, Times]

[FONT=Palatino, Times New Roman, Georgia, Times, serif]
[SIZE=-1]© 2002 Charisma News Service [/SIZE][/FONT]

Alice Cooper says he loves God but doesn't want to become a 'celebrity' believer.
The father of shock rock whose music and stage antics have outraged parents for more than 30 years told how the fear of hell turned him to God.
Alice Cooper, who sang about necrophilia and chopped up baby dolls during his concerts, said that although he continues to record and tour with a theatrical horror-style show, "My life is dedicated to follow Christ."
Although he became a Christian in the 1980s, apart from brief comments in some interviews the 54-year-old singer has always been guarded about his faith – until now. But in a frank interview with a Christian music magazine, he spoke at length publicly for the first time about his love for God and reluctance to become a "Christian celebrity."
A chart-topper with the teen anthem "School's Out," Cooper – who legally changed his name from Vince Furnier – has been credited with paving the way for the likes of today's outrageous performers such as Marilyn Manson.
awww.worldnetdaily.com_images2_acooper.jpg

Cover of Cooper's latest album, DragonTown
But he maintains that his act was never political or religious and always had "a sense of humor." He told HM: The Hard Music Magazine that he was always insulted whenever he was accused of being satanic. Raised in a Christian home, he still believed in God, although he was not committed.
That changed when alcoholism threatened his marriage. He and his wife, Sheryl, attended a church with a "hellfire pastor." Cooper said he became a Christian "initially more out of the fear of God, rather than the love of God ... I did not want to go to hell." Interviewed for HM's March/April issue, Cooper views his faith as "an ongoing thing."
"Being a Christian is something you just progress in. You learn. You go to your Bible studies. You pray," he said.
He has avoided "celebrity Christianity," because "it's really easy to focus on Alice Cooper and not on Christ. I'm a rock singer. I'm nothing more than that. I'm not a philosopher. I consider myself low on the totem pole of knowledgeable Christians. So, don't look for answers from me."
Yet he has been able to speak to others in the music scene about his faith.
"I've had a couple of people that were friends of mine that I've talked to that have vocally said they have [accepted Christ]. I have talked to some big stars about this, some really horrific characters ... and you'd be surprised. The ones that you would think are the furthest gone are the ones that are more apt to listen."
Songs on Cooper's more recent recordings have hinted at his change of heart. He sees his stage persona now as "the prophet of doom," telling people: "'Be careful! Satan is not a myth. Don't sit around pretending like Satan is just a joke.' I think my job is to warn about Satan."
He no longer performs some of his older repertoire. Any song promoting promiscuous sex and drinking "gets the axe," he said. "I'm very careful about what the lyrics are. I tried to write songs that were equally as good, only with a better message." Cooper told HM he answers his critics: "'I was one thing at one time, and I'm something new. I'm a new creature now. Don't judge Alice by what he used to be. Praise God for what I am now.'"
[/FONT]
 

Bama Duffer

Well-Known Member
Mar 14, 2005
447
0
It's been years since I've been to a rock concert, but one of my biggest regrets from my music days was that I never saw Alice Cooper in concert. He was always a favorite of mine.

And thanks for posting the info about his Christianity. I didn't know that aspect of his life. Glad to hear it.

I wonder if he and Kenny G have ever considered a collaboration. What would that sound like, anyway?
 

Eracer

No more triple bogies!!
Oct 31, 2005
12,405
8
Bama Duffer said:
I wonder if he and Kenny G have ever considered a collaboration. What would that sound like, anyway?

"Cool's out for summer"?
 

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