Mike Moore always made sure that Ryan, who loved playing all sports, never thought of golf as something his father was making him do. Ryan remembers, when he was young, watching his dad leave home to play a round on the short local course at old Meridian Greens.
“I used to beg him to take me with him,” Ryan said. “You know, ‘Please, can I go?’ I loved it. But he always made it a treat. A fun thing. I was never parented into playing golf. Never forced into it. He always encouraged me to play baseball and basketball, and I loved them, too. But golf became just a part of me at an early age.”
Gary Gove was on his son’s bag in 1994 in Florida, the first time Jeff attempted to qualify at Q School. Jeff missed by two strokes. He was also at LaQuinta the first time Jeff made it through Q School.
“That was incredible for me,” said Jeff, “because my dream was his dream, too. That was so much fun.”
Mike Moore, meanwhile, was on the bag when Ryan won the Sahalee Players Championship, and caddied for Ryan at the U.S. Open at Bethpage. But like all good parents of pro golfers, he understands the importance of keeping his distance and simply being a fan.
“He’s always been my biggest fan,” Ryan said. “He’s always going to encourage me and he’s always been the one to keep me motivated. I’ve never had a swing coach. He’s been the guy I could go to, to bounce ideas off of. He’s intelligent and I trust him. There’s a cause and effect to the things he tells me.”
And in those rare times when Ryan gets down and his game goes slightly sideways, Mike makes sure his son remembers the advice he gave his dad on that rare sunny day in January.
“I definitely hear from him,” Ryan said. “He reminds me that golf is something I love and enjoy. It’s like I told him … Golf is meant to be fun.”
Steve Kelley recently retired after more than three decades covering sports for The Seattle Times. This is his first contribution to Cascade Golfer.