From time to time, we get asked about the whereabouts of certain people we’ve featured or storylines that we’ve highlighted during our 12 years of existence.
OK, so most of those inquiries are about cart girls, but it’s really quite amazing that some people remember certain profiles that we did from years back. In fact, as we were working on this cover story, one gentleman asked about former cover girl and junior golf sensation Lauren Espinosa, and what she did after college. Well kind sir, we’ve got your answer.
And we’ve got the answers to the whereabouts of some other fascinating personalities that we have featured. Remember Robert Landers and his Senior Tour stint? Amy Lepard and her music career? Craig and his two sons? Our Cart Girl of the Years?
Like an old friend or distant relative at a reunion, let’s catch up with these intriguing personalities and see how their lives have changed … and remained the same.
ROBERT LANDERS
Every decent golfer, or those who think they are decent, talks about making a run at the Champions Tour when they turn 50. Guaranteed money. No cuts. Playing from a shorter distance.
Robert Landers really didn’t have those thoughts in mind back in 1994. Back then, the 51-year-old Landers wanted to give the Senior Tour a shot for a different reason.
“The only reason why I tried in the first place was so I could get something put on an application to get a job in golf somewhere,” he said. “What were the odds of something happening?”
Unlike those dreamers, who either fail to act upon their words or who quickly get put in their place because of the strength of competition, Landers secured his Senior Tour card for the 1995 season after finishing tied for sixth during the Q-School finals.
You remember him. The cattle farmer from Azle with the unorthodox swing. The guy who played homemade clubs and hit balls on his farm. The “Moo Crew”. The Dickies sponsorship.
His story made him an instant celebrity and a media darling. Senior Tour veterans Chi Chi Rodriguez, Lee Trevino and Raymond Floyd befriended Landers. Magazines and television shows wanted to know his story. Everywhere he teed it up, fans would show up dressed as cows. Yet, all the ballyhoo surrounding Landers confused him.
“Everything was happening too fast,” he said. “[Wife Freddie and I] tried to answer every phone call and letter. We did our best to keep up.”
Landers played in 33 events during that 1995 season, making $77,378. Unfortunately that wasn’t enough to secure his card. He played on the Senior Tour again in 1996, but lost his card at the end of the season. He tried once more to qualify for the Senior Tour the following season, but didn’t finish high enough in the Q-School finals.
Today, Landers is still raising cattle, and many other animals, on his farm in Azle. And he’s still playing golf on a regular basis at his home club, Cross Timbers Golf Course. Now 66, Landers has aspirations for another accomplishment.
“I haven’t shot my age yet,” he joked. “I’ve shot 68 twice, though. And both rounds started with a bogey on the first hole.”
When he’s not playing at Cross Timbers, Landers is working there doing a variety of things. On any given day he could be the assistant superintendent, course designer, pro emeritus. What he enjoys the most is teaching juniors all about the great game of golf. And even though the kids don’t know about the “Moo Crew” or his stints on the Senior Tour, Landers does enjoy seeing the joy the sport brings to them.
“I try to introduce the game to as many as possible,” he said. “We’ve had free clinics and I’ve been giving away free clubs to any and all juniors.”
Landers vividly recalls all the wonderful courses he got to play on the Senior Tour, and how they were always in pristine condition whenever the Tour rolled into town. Yet, it’s his home course that’ll forever be in his heart.
“I’m proud of Cross Timbers,” he said. “This golf course has come a long way.”
LAUREN ESPINOSA
To hear the story of Lauren Espinosa, you would think it has a sad ending.
An amazing junior career. A scholarship to an elite college golf program. A severe case of homesickness. A professional career that fizzled after a couple of years. Personal problems. A dying passion for a sport she loved.
However, the Lauren Espinosa story actually has a joyful conclusion, one that makes you realize what’s really important in life. The 23-year-old is now a mother, as her daughter, Jayden Paige Johnson, was born this past June 21.
“I can’t wait to be a Mom,” Espinosa said just days before Jayden was born. “It’ll be a whole new chapter in my life.”
Espinosa was our cover girl in June 2004, and tabbed as “The Golf Princess of North Texas”. Back then, she was a junior at Lake Dallas High School, the top girls junior golfer in the state, and a University of Arizona commit. She also qualified and played in the 2006 U.S. Women’s Open at Newport Country Club in Rhode Island.
It seemed like everything was going perfectly for Espinosa when she left for Arizona. Except she didn’t know anyone other than her golf teammates, and her dad wasn’t there to cheer her on.
“I got homesick really quickly,” she said. “Tucson was a lot different than Dallas. It was really hard because it was such a different environment.”
During her freshman year, Espinosa was on the varsity team and played in every tournament. In her eyes, she played OK, but not as good as she would have liked. The loneliness was too much and Espinosa returned home.
“I wanted to transfer to the University of North Texas, but they didn’t have a scholarship available,” she said. “So I turned pro.”
Espinosa spent a year on the Duramed FUTURES Tour, but life as a pro got to her quickly. She tried to play in every event she could in hopes of repaying her sponsors and making a decent living. However, Espinosa realized that instead of showing up the day prior and dominating like she did during her junior golf days, she had to spend six days a week on the course.
“Your travel day was the only day of rest,” she said. “Even then, your rest day was spent traveling to another city. That made the week much longer and golf a lot more stressful. I got burned out.”
Espinosa took some time off before deciding to give professional golf another try. Unfortunately, her parents, Tony and Carol, got divorced. That personal heartache was enough for Espinosa to stow the clubs away once again.
“It was a weird time for me,” she said. “I was at home a lot. That’s when I took a break from the game and told myself I would get back when I rekindled that passion for competitive golf.”
She tried one last time to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open in May 2009, but just missed earning a spot in the national championship. A few months later, Espinosa and her fiancé, Langley Johnson, found out they were having a baby. Asked if she is going to get her daughter into golf, Espinosa quickly responded.
“Of course!” she said.
Jayden will have a wonderful storyteller and teacher, both on and off the course, in her mom.
BARNEY ADAMS
Every golfer who enjoys the game should be indebted to Barney Adams.
After all, it was his Tight Lies club that transformed an industry and a sport like few have ever done. So when Adams praises another worthy innovation, it might be wise to listen … and invest.
“The hybrid,” the 71-year-old Adams said. “If you can come up with something that makes it a little easier to hit the ball or make the ball go a little bit further, every golfer is going to like them. The hybrid is the biggest innovation in golf over the past 5-10 years.”
Don’t let his age fool you – Adams is still as sharp as a tack at 71. He’s still the Chairman of the Board at the company he founded, Adams Golf, although he knows his place in the company.
“The only thing that I can bring to the party is reference what we’ve done in the past and the results we had,” he said. “The quality of people that Adams has, the equipment that they use, the CAD programs and systems that they use are infinitely beyond anything of my capabilities. It would be disingenuous for me to get involved.”
Back in 2008, Adams wrote a book, The Wow Factor, which recounted some of his business philosophies and his trials and successes as an entrepreneur. The book wasn’t a commercial success, but it was well-received.
“I don’t blame the publisher for putting zero marketing dollars into the book,” said Adams, who was on our February 2001 cover. “I wouldn’t be too sure of putting any dollars into me either. But I got letters from business people and writers that I’ve known over the years. When they found out I wrote it myself, they were very complimentary. That was rewarding.”
An avid reader, Adams has started writing a mystery novel.
“Whether or not it will go anywhere, I don’t know,” he said. “I find writing fiction is impotently more challenging than writing my own story because now I have to create all the environments and so on. It’s something I enjoy doing and is a good exercise.”
Besides being an avid reader, he’s an avid golfer who plays regularly at Preston Trail Golf Club. Yet, those finish second to fishing for Adams. “They each have their place,” he said. “But there’s just something about being on the water that I really like.”
One passion that Adams has recently been involved in is The Folds of Honor Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization with a mission to empower deserving military families with educational support and opportunities. The Folds of Honor Foundation also provides post-secondary educational scholarships to the spouses and children of service members disabled or killed as a result of their military service to our great nation.
“Sgt. Dan Rooney, a golf pro in Tulsa, Okla., started this,” Adams said. “I fundraise for him, but I wish I could do more. I’m trying to find ways to do more.”
Once again, Adams is lending a helping hand.
AMY LEPARD CAMPBELL
If life is a highway, then Amy Lepard Campbell took the HOV lane to motherhood.
Three kids – all boys – in 22 months. Seems like a handful, and she’ll tell you that it is. Yet, that has not stopped the fun-loving gal with the west Texas drawl from doing what she’s been doing since we featured her on our May 2005 cover – singing music and being her husband’s (PGA Tour player Chad Campbell) No. 1 fan.
“I was doing my own thing with my career and Chad was doing his thing,” she said. “Now there is a happy sense with our family – me still doing what I love on the side, and Chad’s career being the focus. It’s good now.”
The Campbells’ three boys – Dax, Grayson and Cannon – make their worlds go round. “We knew life was going to change,” Amy said about having kids. “It’s definitely changed a lot of things … in a good way of course.”
Doing the math, it seems almost impossible to have three kids in 22 months. When Amy was pregnant with Dax in 2008, the Campbells decided to adopt Grayson. Amy had taught middle school for a couple of years and was babysitting Grayson, who was her assistant principal’s step-daughter’s son. The mom was going through some things and didn’t have a bond with the child. Yet, Chad and Amy did.
“We just talked to her and thought it would be good for him to have a mom and a dad,” she said.
The adoption was finalized two weeks before the birth of Cannon, who is three months old. “He fits in perfectly,” Amy said of 2½-year-old Grayson. “He even looks like us; you wouldn’t think that he was adopted.”
Being a mom has done wonders for Amy, but she also has seen a side of her husband that’s been moving. He’s altered his playing schedule so he can be with the boys. And more often than not, instead of changing clubs and reading putts, he’s changing diapers and reading Thomas the Train books.
“He feels guilty when he leaves,” Amy said of Chad. “It took him awhile to realize he could act silly and play on the floor with them. That just wasn’t his personality. But now he enjoys it. It’s awesome to watch him with the kids.”
Amy still dabbles into music whenever she can. She still plays the guitar, only she’s belting out country songs instead of Pop/R&B music. She sings with one of her best friends from home in a group called The Jennies. They finished an album six months ago and hope to shop it around Nashville soon.
Even with the kids and the music, Amy is still there standing by her man – no matter if he’s missed a cut or in contention. That was clearly evident at the 2009 Masters.
“That was a heartbreaker,” Amy said of her husband’s distressing playoff loss to Kenny Perry and eventual champion Angel Cabrera. “Even still when the Masters comes around I get sick to my stomach. I know he will get there [in contention again] and he always plays well at Augusta National. It was gut-wrenching, though.”
Sounds like lyrics to a future country hit. And Amy would love to have her song on Chad’s iPod one day … if he would allow it.
“I’m still not on his iPod,” Amy joked. “There’s not any females on his iPod except for a Tanya Tucker song – ‘Texas (When I Die)’ – and that’s because I cover it and it’s his favorite song. I’m not taking it personally; I don’t watch golf all day long. It doesn’t hurt my feelings, but it is a goal of mine.”
KRISTI KEMP
It makes us shed a tear when we think about it.
Our first ever Cart Girl of the Month, Kristi Kemp, is all grown up now.
Kemp, who set the standard for our most popular feature in October 2003 as Kristi Thetford, is happily married, has a great job and is loving life.
“I’ve got no complaints about anything,” she said. “Things are good.”
Kemp, who drove the cart at Z. Boaz Golf Course in Fort Worth and also graced our cover in August 2005, graduated from Tarleton State University and currently works for Forest Laboratories as a regional sales trainer for the Dallas region. She’s been married for nearly six years, and the couple recently celebrated their five-year anniversary with a trip to Australia.
“My husband and I don’t travel much and really don’t leave the state,” Kemp said. “But we decided to go all out and take a big trip. It was rough, rugged and adventurous just like we had envisioned.”
One hobby that Kemp has taken a liking to is golf. She even played in a golf tournament … and fared well.
“I actually did pretty good in the scramble,” she said. “I can hit it pretty straight and far, so my team did use some of my drives. My only problem is my putting.”
Kemp never had an interest in golf when she worked at Z. Boaz, mostly because she was too busy trying to do her best. That work ethic paved the way for her to have a blessed life.
“One of the best jobs I had during my college days was working as a cart girl at Z. Boaz,” she said. “Being a cart girl was the beginning of all this because the reason why I worked there was to pay for my education. I knew coming out of high school that I wanted to go to college. Yet, I didn’t want my parents paying for it. And it never crossed my mind to borrow money or take out a loan for schooling. I just knew I had this much to pay and had to figure out a way to earn that money.
“Because of it, I was able to graduate in four years debt-free.”
Not only did Kemp blaze a trail for future cart girls, she also is giving them something to strive for.
Yup, our baby is all grown up now.
BRITTANY WARREN
Brittany Warren is living the fabulous life.
The sultry brunette, who first graced our pages in August 2005 and was our Cart Girl of the Year shortly thereafter, has a college degree, a kick-ass job, and is living in the Turtle Creek area of Dallas.
Oh, and she’s “happily dating.”
Yet, those might not be Warren’s best attributes; her outlook on life might trump them all.
“I’m a driven girl and excited about life,” the former Bear Creek cart girl said. “My biggest thing in life is that as long as you’re passionate about something and give it your all, then you’re going to be successful in whatever you do.”
Warren was pretty successful after her appearance in AVIDGOLFER. She graduated from University of Texas-Dallas with an advertising and graphics art design degree and traveled a bunch after graduation. “I did this to find out what was important to me,” she said.
She returned to Dallas and worked for Love Hope Strength Foundation, an international, music-centric cancer charity dedicated to providing support for cancer centers, and inspiration to those affected, throughout the world. She truly loved her job with LHS, yet the crumbling economy made working for a non-profit very tough. Still, she devotes a lot of her free time to the organization.
Currently, she’s in sales and marketing for The Heights at Park Lane, a residential community development set inside a thriving and fun commercial district that is next to The Art Institute of Dallas. The job definitely suits her career-driven personality and allows her to showcase her infectious smile.
As for her Bear Creek days, Warren loved her time there, and made a lot of great friends and some good tips. However, she has yet to catch on to golf.
“I like the sport,” Warren said. “It just doesn’t work for me because I’m so competitive and if I’m not playing good than it gets frustrating.”
Instead, Warren prefers the bliss that yoga or listening to a live band brings to her. And that’s good for the mind and soul … especially if you’re happily dating.
“I want to be sure things are good with me before I move into any sort of commitment of marriage,” she said. “I do want a family and I do want to get married soon, but it’s not a priority at the moment. I’ve just thrown my passions into me – my career and
my personal life.”
Simply fabulous.
KELSEY MANSHEIM
Kelsey Mansheim is still a cart girl.
Before you snicker, you might want to know that Mansheim has a biology degree from Southern Methodist University, will graduate this May with a master’s degree, and will apply for medical school next year.
Who’s laughing now?
Mansheim, who was our Cart Girl of the Year in 2006, is working on her master’s in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth. Next year, she hopes to be in med school.
“I said I wanted to be a doctor, and that’s what I still want to do,” Mansheim said. “I did a lot of work with a OBGYN, and I’m kind of thinking about that or pediatrics. Or maybe geriatrics or primary care. I don’t know; that’s something I’ll figure out in medical school.”
On the weekends, she’s still driving the cart at Great Southwest Golf Club in Grand Prairie.
“It’s the perfect job,” Mansheim said. “The schedule is so flexible and everyone there has been so supportive of everything that I’ve been doing. There’s really no other job that I could have and still do the things that I’m doing.”
Before Mansheim started working on her master’s, she finished her studies at Northlake College and transferred to SMU, where she was a cheerleader.
“My junior year the football team was 1-11, and it was the same story my senior year,” she said. “The year after I graduated they went to a bowl game in Hawaii and won it. I kind of missed out on that one.”
Mansheim graduated from SMU with a degree in Biology. Yet, she didn’t feel like she was totally finished with school. She wanted to get into medical school, but she was uncomfortable about applying. So she went back to Northlake for another year and volunteered at Children’s Medical Center, before working on her master’s.
It hasn’t been all work and no play for Mansheim, though. She took a trip with her boyfriend to South Africa, and also spent a day in Germany.
“That was my first trip out of the country,” she said. “We flew into Johannesburg and went to Durban for his brother’s wedding. We also went to Cape Town. It was awesome! It definitely opened my eyes to other cultures.”
And where did Mansheim meet her boyfriend? At the golf club. And where did she meet the OBGYN that she later worked for? The golf club. It seems being a cart girl has paid off royally for Mansheim.
Now she’s the one who’s laughing.
MEGGIE MILLER
Of all the Cart Girl of the Years that we have showcased, perhaps no one is more proud of that honor than Meggie Miller.
The 2006 CGOY will be the first to tell you about all the doors that opened because of it. And she will share with you how grateful she is to have received that award.
“I run into people all the time who recognize me from the photos in AVIDGOLFER or they remember me from working at the Trails of Frisco Golf Club,” Miller said.
Today, the 24-year-old is the training director for Frontburner Restaurants. You might not know the company, but you’ve probably heard of their three restaurants – Twin Peaks, The Ranch at Las Colinas and Ojos Locos. Miller helps with store openings, training, costume designs, promotions, golf tournaments and other marketing campaigns. Yet, her biggest responsibility is developing training teams for the new locations, both in the Metroplex and across the Southwest region.
Miller also can be seen behind the bar at The Ranch from time to time. Unfortunately, her jobs make her susceptible to hearing more awful pick-up lines.
“I was checking out the bar at the Twin Peaks in Mesquite for quality assurance and cleanliness, and I was bending over to look underneath a liquor holder,” she said. “Then I heard a guy say ‘She can audit me anytime.’ All I could do was laugh. Normally I would have a comeback for that, but not that time.”
A hockey buff, Miller was a Dallas Stars Ice Girl up until the 2009-10 season. Perhaps that’s why the team missed the playoffs.
“It would be kind of fun to do a comeback,” she said. “I just don’t know if I could handle it with all my time commitments. But I do miss my girlfriends.”
Miller’s time on the links did peak her interest in golf. She understands how important the sport can be for business … and for personal pleasure.
“I spend a lot of time trying to golf,” she said. “I haven’t broken 100 yet, but I’m working on it. There’s no better feeling than being out there on the golf course, in the sun, with a drink.”
.jpg)
KATY FINK
While you’re reading this, Katy Fink is probably watching a corrida de toros. Or perhaps she’s eating a tapa, dancing the Flamenco or visiting La Sagrada Familia.
Sure beats hearing another horrible pick-up line or dodging errant Titleists.
This summer, Fink is studying in Barcelona, Spain, taking classes in religion and history. The 2008 Cart Girl of the Year will be a senior at the University of Arkansas, and is on track to graduate with a communications degree.
“I was deciding what to do this summer and my Mom thought this would be a good time to go,” she said.
This time a year ago, Fink was back on the golf cart, offering drinks and snacks with a smile. Only, she was at Indian Creek Golf Club, not at Lake Park Golf Course where we discovered her in August of 2008.
Now she’s got an opportunity to watch a bullfight, eat a Spanish cuisine, do a traditional dance or visit the city’s main attraction. Yet, studying abroad is just part of a manic summer on tap for Fink. Before she left for Barcelona, she returned to Indian Creek for a month.
“Thankfully they let me come back so I could make some money,” she said. “That was fun to go back and see all the girls and golfers again.”
Fink also will be at a cheerleading camp in Wisconsin before she returns to school and helps lead 70,000-plus fans to chant “Woo Pig Sooie!” at football games.
Sounds like she is going to need a long siesta after this summer.
ASHLEY KOSTERS
A chapter in her life recently ended for Ashley Kosters, our 2009 Cart Girl of the Year. Now, she’s ready to embark on a new and exciting adventure.
Or is she?
Kosters graduated from Texas Tech University this past May, with a degree in public relations. She’s currently looking for a job in her field, and has set a target date for her to fill out a W-2. “I’m hoping by August or September that I will have something,” she said.
Yet, she doesn’t mind spending this summer relaxing and recharging her batteries. “I gotta take a little time off,” she joked.
Kosters’ dream job is to do PR for a sports franchise or work with firm that represents athletes. She also wouldn’t mind being involved in fashion and entertainment, even if that means leaving her down-home Texas roots for the bright lights and big dreams of New York City or Los Angeles.
“That would be a blast,” Kosters said of working in the fashion and entertainment industry. “Setting up fashion events, meeting and greeting celebrities, all that.”
For now, there’s a chance Kosters and her beautiful smile might re-appear at Mansfield National Golf Club. She likes the money and being out on the course, plus there would be better opportunities to revisit Tech during the football season.
“I miss Texas Tech and being close with my friends and roommates,” she said. “Now we’re all graduated and spread out. But I’m glad to be done with school. I think four years in Lubbock was enough.”
Her friends still bring up Kosters’ Cart Girl of the Year honor, especially because their parents play golf. Hopefully, one of those friends has benefits for Kosters … as in a high-paying job in the public relations field.
THE ROSENGARDENS
“They were so small in that picture. So innocent. So cute.”
Moms always get a bit emotional when they look at old pictures and see their children all grown up. And Amy Rosengarden is no different, especially when she sees our June/July 1999 cover.
The cover was perfect for the ‘Special Father’s Day Edition’ – son Phillip, dad Craig and son Sam. The kids each holding a golf club, and dad carrying their golf bag on the golf course.
In some ways, that’s still the case today. And in some ways, it’s not.
For one, Sam and Phillip will probably never wear the same outfit ever again. Phillip prefers orange shirts and untied shoes; Sam likes the T-shirt and jeans relaxed look. And Craig?
“That might have been the last time I wore khaki pants,” Craig said.
Phillip, the oldest son, will be a senior at Dallas Jesuit College Preparatory School. He’s on the golf team at Jesuit, and during the summers his dad caddies for him in junior golf tournaments.
Meanwhile, Sam will be a sophomore at Jesuit. He plays on the lacrosse team, and Craig also helps him out because he played lacrosse in college.
As for Craig, he’s still grinding away with the magazine. He doesn’t play as much golf as he did back in 1999. Yet, he’s OK with that as long as the magazine and Teebox radio show are thriving. He’s become an influential person on the local golf scene and an icon when it comes to Ticket drops.
To see Phillip and Sam grow from pint-size boys to full-blown teens is quite amazing. Mom might not think they’re so small these days … or even innocent.
But she’ll admit that they’re still cute. |
