Carl’s Golfland’s Tom VanHaaren helped Patrick Kane of the Detroit Red Wings get fitted for new golf clubs at the Bloomfield Hills store last month.
VanHaaren, born in Spring Lake, raised in Rochester and a Central Michigan grad, is also a former ESPN reporter and director of content and engagement at Carl’s.
When Kane wanted a few changes to his TaylorMade equipment, VanHaaren put together a video and posted Kane’s golf swing and their golf discussions on their Instagram and Facebook accounts.
Kane, the highest-scoring, U.S.-born player in NHL history with 1,383 career points, said his golf handicap is 7.3, although he says he often plays more like a 15-handicap player.
“He’s (Kane) a good player who wants to be in the proper equipment,” VanHaaren said. “That’s what Carl’s Golfland wants to do. We want all of our customers to be in the right equipment and that’s a big part of our fitting process. So he got to see that up close and we were happy to do it.”
Here’s the video transcript, edited for brevity and clarity.
VanHaaren: “You’re out here getting some new TailorMade clubs. You’ve got the Qi35 driver. You’ve been looking at the Qi4D. Is there a miss that you’re trying to correct or is there something that you’re trying to gain?”
Kane: “I feel a little bit more comfortable with it. That’s probably the biggest thing so we shortened this one up a little bit. I tend to kind of pull it and draw so I’m just trying to release the club with a little bit more confidence right down the line. I’m trying to hit it straight so if it goes one way or the other hopefully it’s not too far offline.”
VanHaaren: “I saw you were hitting a mini driver with the R7 in the bag. We were tweaking some things but you seem to like the shorter shaft on the driver.”
Kane: “I love the mini driver to be honest with you. It’s kind of what I play off the tee all the time, hitting it about 275 and that’s a good enough distance for me. I’m just trying to keep it as straight as possible.”
VanHaaren: “We look at pro athletes a lot of times and think you’ve got no nerves. When you’re on the course, are you nervous? What are you thinking about when you’re outside of hockey?”
Kane: “Absolutely, 100%, I get nervous. I was coming in to get a fitting today and you’re getting nervous with just one guy watching your swing. All of a sudden there’s two, three, four guys coming to watch it it gets a little nerve-racking. That’s almost more nerve-racking than playing in front of 22,000 people.”
Kane’s golf video was recorded before Dylan Larkin’s trade request.
NHL insider David Pagnotta has reported that Larkin’s departure could lead to Alex DeBrincat and Kane seeking a move elsewhere.
Pagnotta said that the 37-year-old future Hall of Famer would be a perfect fit for his hometown Buffalo Sabres, especially if Alex Tuch departs as a free agent.
Kane hasn’t commented publicly on Larkin’s situation.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Wings’ Patrick Kane trades hockey stick for custom-fit golf clubs
Reporting by The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
