I am writing today about one of the most dedicated, giving, talented people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. Of this gentleman Bob Hope said, “Thanks for the Memory- the classic memory…a great hit…I’ve just about seen everything, but I could watch you perform daily and still laugh and be impressed by your amazing stunts…you make hitting the ball nearly 300 yards while riding a unicycle look easy! We’ve been friends for over 20 years and I have to tell you, you are the most determined and imaginative entertainer I’ve ever seen- and a great one at that!!” Joey “O” popped into my life in the early 1980’s while I was the Head Golf Professional at Yuma Golf and Country Club www.joeyogolf.com/ . I don’t recall whether Joey was a friend of a friend or if he just showed up out of the blue but my life has definitely been enriched by the time I have spent with Joey. Joey "O” is simply the most amazing golf performer of all time. He has appeared on the Tonight Show, performed at major PGA tour events, written five books and entertained millions of people over the past thirty years and chances are that you have never heard of him! Joey is a humble man who aggressively chases his dream but is otherwise not a self promoter. When Joey showed up in Yuma he was in the early stages of developing his show. He came to me and said “ Mr. McNee, I need a place where I can hit about 1000 balls a day. I don’t have money to pay for the balls but I will do anything you ask in trade for this opportunity. Now, I was only 27 years old at the time but I had heard this type of thing before…hit a 1000 balls(too lazy)….trade(no skills)…no money(true story). Joey was so sincere and I was so intrigued by what he said he could do that I agreed to let him hit balls as long as he did not bother any of the members. Joey did not hit 1000 balls a day, it had to be more like 1500. He started hitting balls at first light, took a short break for a sandwich in the middle of the day and continued mastering his craft until the sun went down. At the end of every day Joey’s hands were bleeding and he was visibly exhausted but the next day he was right back at it 100% ready to go. The shots he developed are so spectacular that it is hard to describe them. As Bob Hope mentioned Joey hits 300 yard drives while riding a unicycle. Hope failed to mention that the unicycle was six feet tall and Joey used clubs up to 5 feet long hitting off of tees of various heights. Hope also failed to mention that Joey doesn’t just make contact, he hits every shot with a perfect crispness that produces a trajectory like a bullet shot out of a rifle. Paul Azinger says, “On a scale from 1-10, Joey “O”, your show is a 50! You are the best in the world! The most solid ball striking I have ever seen!” I just called Joey to make sure that my memories of him were not just my imagination and he confirmed that he used to practice 14 hours a day and that he truly believed it took 10,000 hours to truly master a task and become a world class expert. The amazing thing about Joey is the number of tasks he had to master. Among the shots that Joey “O” has mastered are: Hitting a ball while doing a one arm hand stand on an iron(the kind you iron clothes with), balancing on a circus ball and hitting shots with various length clubs off of various height tees both right and left handed, balancing on a balance board doing all of the above again both right and left handed. For added danger Joey also puts the ball or balance board on a table and performs the shots from there. Every shot is perfect contact and did I mention that he also keeps the crowd entertained with a great comedy show as he performs the shots. I am writing this story not to idolize Joey “O” as a performer although I do. I am writing because for all that Joey has accomplished as a performer his greatest accomplishment is as the author of “The Dream Seed”. The Dream Seed is what Joey had at the age of 4 when he was at the circus and realized that he wanted to bring happiness to other people. From that point, Joey had to water and fertilize the seed to make this dream seed what is was supposed to be. Watering the dream seed is what drove Joey to hit balls for 10,000++++ hours to master his craft. Fertilizing the seed was what drove Joey to sneak into the Tonight Show offices and meet producer Freddy de Cordava to ask what it would take to be on the Tonight Show. The meeting failed but Joey wrote letter after letter detailing his accomplishments until he was invited to appear on the show. With Jay Leno hosting, Joey appeared on the show with Tiger Woods. Joey is also a motivational speaker and will speak or perform for any audience. 10,000 hours to become a world class expert. If you hit balls 7 days a week for 8 hours a day that is only three years to master one facet of the game of golf. Joey had to add the acrobatics involved, master the shots both right and left handed and lift weights in order to have the strength and stamina to perform these amazing feats. Check out Joey “O” on this you tube video.
While Joey “O” is great at what he does the true greatness lies in the story of how one can achieve world class mastery of a task by planting a Dream Seed. Your job as a human,” says Joey, “is to plant the seed and focus on the seed every day and believe your dream is already yours. Do you have a Dream Seed that needs watering?
