It’s unusual to hear the name Sam Saunders without the descriptor, “Arnold Palmer’s grandson,” behind it. And, frankly, that’s kind of a shame.
Because, there’s a whole lot more to this PGA TOUR player than his well-known lineage. Saunders is a husband, a dad and a pretty darn interesting person in his own right; with a classic, old school approach to golf and a sense of perspective that belies his 29 years.
Though descended from golf royalty, Saunders did not emerge from the birth canal with a sterling-silver eight iron in his hand. His parents, Roy and Amy Saunders, believed in keeping things real.
“My parents were careful to raise my three sisters and me as normally as they could,” Saunders said. “My dad was a general contractor who built homes, and made a decent living doing that. We were a middle-class family, living in a nice neighborhood with a minivan and station wagon. We weren’t traveling the world in jets like my granddad.”
Yes, Saunders grew up playing golf, along with myriad other sports, including soccer, baseball and basketball. In fact, basketball was his sport-of-choice until he hit the eighth grade.
ORLANDO, FL – MARCH 17: Sam Saunders of the United States plays his shot from the 11th tee during the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented By MasterCard on March 17, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
“When I was in seventh grade, I was about the same size I am now. I was 5’11 and 170 pounds, and I’m now about 6’ and 180 pounds,” Saunders said. “All of a sudden, I stopped growing and everyone caught up with me, passed me, and I didn’t have the height advantage anymore. I knew I wanted to be a professional athlete, and I was getting pretty good at golf, so I decided to give that a go, instead.”
A Classic Approach to the Game
Saunders’ golf instructor was not his famous grandfather or some heralded swing coach. It was his dad.
“My dad was the one who played with me every day, practiced with me and started teaching me a little bit,” Saunders said. “I think I had one formal lesson with the head pro at Bay Hill when I was a little kid, but that was it. My dad and my granddad gave me tidbits of advice here and there, but they really wanted me to learn how to play the game of golf on my own.”
To this day, Saunders is a big believer in the more classic, non-technical approach to golf, eschewing the simulators and metrics in favor of good, old-fashioned feel.
“It kills me, sometimes, to see these kids coming up who never really learn to play the game. They just play by the numbers and never learn how to feel and hit shots. It’s become a different game for them,” he said. “I remember, when I was growing up, my granddad and Mr. Nicklaus and Mr. Player used to always talk about the golf ball and how technology is ruining the game. And I’m starting to feel that way myself. Kids are growing up with a golf ball that doesn’t curve a lot, so, they learn a power game, which is a very different sport than what I grew up playing.”
Sam and his wife, Kelly. Photo courtesy of Sam Saunders
Saunders gained his competitive chops by doing.
“I learned to compete against other kids my age, shoot low scores and get the ball in the hole,” he said. “That’s what it’s all about. It’s not how it looks, it’s about getting the ball into the hole in the fewest strokes possible.”
Forging His Own Pro Career
Saunders had such a “normal” upbringing that he didn’t actually realize what a big deal Arnold Palmer was until he was in his teens.
“I started playing in some of the big amateur events, like the U.S. Amateur, the Western Am and the Northeast Am—some of those storied events that have been around for hundreds of years—and I saw his name everywhere,” Saunders said. “All of these older gentlemen would come up and tell me stories about my granddad. Obviously, I knew he had a great record in golf, but I honestly wasn’t aware of what a celebrity he was or how admired he was until that point.”
Early in Saunders’ pro career, the Arnie connection made tournament play a little more challenging.
“Early on, I felt this enormous pressure. I would assimilate it to, for instance, Jordan Spieth. A kid comes out like that, wins all of these tournaments and all of a sudden, if he doesn’t win the Masters or U.S. Open every year, he’s tagged as being in a ‘slump,’” Saunders said. “Since I haven’t had that kind of year, my pressure wasn’t about maintaining a high performance level, like Spieth. It was more about the focus and extra attention I got when I didn’t do well—that’s something I struggled with for a long time, since I was in my teens.”
The Saunders’ Family taking time out for some fun. Photo courtesy of Sam Saunders
Eventually, Saunders learned to give himself a break.
“The good news is, I’ve really adapted to it. I enjoy what I do, and I’m proud of my heritage. I also have a family now, and they are the most important people in the world to me,” Saunders said. “I love playing golf, I love competing on the TOUR, but if it all went away, I’d be perfectly fine, because I have a great life, no matter what.”
Husband, Father, and Family Man to the Core
Saunders met his wife, Kelly, in Colorado, when he was playing on the Web.com Tour.
“I was between tournaments in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Omaha, Nebraska, back in the days of the Monday qualifiers. Since I was living in Orlando at the time, I decided to go stay with a buddy of mine in Colorado for the week,” he explained. “Kelly was living in Colorado, working in hospital sales at the time. We met through mutual friends.”
Even though it wasn’t a set up, it was a meeting that was meant to be.
“We just hit it off immediately, dated for about a year and got married. Now, we’ve got two boys (Cohen, age 8 and Ace, age 3) and it’s been wonderful,” Saunders said. “It’s by far the best thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
Although Kelly is a beautiful woman, it was who she was as a person that attracted Saunders the most.
“Kelly is such a strong individual. She is the most honest person I’ve ever met. That was different because I grew up in a world, like a lot of people, where it’s hard to say exactly what you’re thinking all the time,” Saunders said. “I grew to love it, and learned to be completely honest with her, too.”
That honesty and trust is critical to a successful marriage, particularly with the schedule of a PGA TOUR player.
“With what I do, being gone all of the time and traveling, communication is absolutely key,” Saunders said. “More than anybody I’ve ever come across in my life, she has made me a better person.”
Fatherhood changed Saunders, too, both as a human being and as a TOUR player.
“Parenthood is amazing. You instantly love something more than yourself; you realize that you would jump in front of a bus to save your kids’ lives because their existence is far more important than yours,” he said. “It also gives you perspective. If I played poorly in a professional event before kids, it felt like the end of the world. But, now that I have children, I still might get a little down but, when I get home and they look at me, they don’t care that I missed a cut. They still think that I’m the greatest guy in the world. That keeps you focused on what matters in life.”
Photo courtesy of Sam Saunders
Of course, there are frustrations. You can’t play professional golf without them.
“I’m still extremely competitive and I still have a lot of fire to do well. So, when I struggle out there, I get as frustrated as anyone,” Saunders said. “I’ve tried to learn to control my emotions a lot more because I think carrying yourself on the golf course is very important, especially since now, I’m out there representing, of course, my grandfather, but also, my wife and kids. ”
Saunders admits, he still has his moments.
“I’ve definitely slapped down a club or wanted to punch a tree or something like that,” Saunders said with a laugh. “But, you chin up, move on quickly and get over it. I learned the hard way that getting mad and staying mad will really have a negative effect on your performance out there.”
Prepping for his Breakthrough Year
At the time of this writing, Saunders is prepping for a three-tournament stretch, including the AT&T Byron Nelson, and the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational in Texas, followed by the Memorial at Muirfield Village in Ohio. And, he’s ready to compete.
“I’m putting really well, and I don’t know that I’ve been able to say that at any point in my career up until now,” Saunders said. “I’ve always struck the ball pretty consistently throughout my career. So, I do feel like, when everything comes together, I could give myself a chance to win a golf tournament. And that’s what I’m going to try to do before the season is over.”
The big reason for his big improvement in putting? Some new technique or exotic new equipment?
“I’ve just started practicing more, instead of working on my ball striking, which was already good,” he said. “I’m also sticking with the same putter I’ve used most the year, because I’ve developed a feel and a comfort for it. With putters, you can just tell when you find something that’s right for you.”
For the record, that putter Saunders loves so much is a traditional-looking Odyssey, bought off the rack at Bay Hill.
Creating His Own Legacy
No question, none of us will soon forget the moving eulogy Saunders gave for the man he and his sisters affectionately called “Dumpy,” or the images of the little boy on the lap of the man who was larger than life.
Sam and his grandfather. Photo courtesy of Sam Saunders
But, Sam Saunders is far more than Arnie’s grandson. He’s blazing his own trail on golf’s center stage in his natural, down-to-earth way. He’s a guy who’s as enthusiastic about his son Cohen’s baseball games as he is about his own position on the leaderboard; as excited about biking or swimming with the family when he’s back at his Florida home as he is about his next stop on the TOUR.
Yes, Saunders has the fire to win, the talent to compete, and an undeniable love for the game of golf. But, he’s also the kind of person who knows the difference between what he does for a living and who he is as a human being.
“I really want to be successful in golf and do as well as I can. But, by no means am I out there to be famous, because that would take away from my ability to be a husband and dad, which will always be my number one priority,” Saunders said.
No doubt, Sam Saunders’ story is just starting to unfold, and it’s a beautiful one already, on and off the course.
