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While we gear up for our Mexican Meetup next week, we’ve asked our friend Lanto Griffin to take a break from Tour life to fill in as this month’s Swing Thoughts editor. When he’s not playing in his first Masters or fighting to crack the world’s top-50, he’s the type of guy we’d all want to hang with. But don’t take it from us…
FIRST OFF
Yo TGJ, Lanto here. Overall I’m a pretty simple guy, but there’s a few things you need to know up front. First off, I wish I would have made it on the PGA Tour right out of college, but I was nowhere near ready. So falling on my face year after year made me who I am today. I’ve made plenty of mistakes in life and in my golf career, but none of which I really knew I was making at the time. The journey really is what it’s all about. I spent so many nights early in my career asking myself what I need to do to keep my dream alive. That makes me appreciate the success I’m having now that much more.
Aside from golf, I love old Lil Wayne, I hate long dinners, and I can’t stop quoting Dumb & Dumber. Most importantly, I hope you guys enjoy the rest of my Swing Thoughts.
NO RESERVATIONS
The Safeway Open in Napa, CA is the best food stop on tour. Oenotri is an Italian spot downtown and has incredible homemade pasta and pizza. Oxbow market has a variety of great little restaurants and stores. Gotts has amazing food and milkshakes and is fast and cheap. I despise long sit down dinners during tournament weeks.
MUSCLE MEMORY
Dumb and Dumber is a classic and has always been one of my favorite comedies. Hard to pick one line, but: “So you got fired again?” “Yeah, they always freak out when you leave the scene of an accident, ya know.” “Yeah, I lost my job too.” “Man, You are one pathetic loser. No offense.” “No, none taken.”
GRAILS
Pebble Beach and Augusta National are hard to beat. The natural beauty of Pebble is unmatched and the feeling of walking around Augusta National is hard to put into words. Ballyhack in Roanoke, TPC Old White and Shadow Creek are high up on my list as well.
A fable about fulfilling your dreams and reaching your destiny. Basically a lawyer who was miserable and sold his Ferrari and spent time in the Himalayas searching for a life of greater meaning and significance. I had been buried in credit card debt for almost seven years until winning the Nashville Open in 2017, which made me really believe I could make it on the PGA Tour. I read this book five or so times a few years ago and it helped me get there.
This basically teaches you how destructive your ego can be and how to overcome it and achieve true greatness. I don’t read a ton but when I do I like to read books that will help me with golf and life. Playing on the PGA Tour is my absolute dream job but does come with its own challenges.
Lil Wayne’s The Carter IImight be my favorite older album, but I tend to listen to country or classic rock while playing or practicing now. “One Man Band” by Old Dominion has been on repeat for almost two years now and hasn’t gotten old yet. It always puts me in a good mood if I’m feeling down or anxious during tournaments.
