Thanks to Jerry West, Golf Is No Longer a Pain for Vic Wilke

Vic Wilke was often inspired by Jerry West’s athletic artistry on the basketball court, but he never dreamed West would one day admire his smooth and powerful golf swing.

It happened a year ago in a pro-am tournament at the Bel-Air Country Club. Wilke looked so good, West couldn’t believe he wasn’t on the PGA Tour. In fact, neither could Wilke.

Wilke, 27, was an athletic prodigy by age 4, winning his first tournament with a sawed-off club. He later became a three-time Junior World Champion, the 1982 NCAA Division II champion and a four-time All-American at Cal State Northridge. Some expected him to be the left-handed equivalent of Jack Nicklaus.

“I was born and raised to play golf,” Wilke said. “I’ve always wanted to be the top player in the world and be a champ.”

For a time, his desire to excel was tested by a negative attitude, injuries and the pressure to win. After his early success, Wilke quit golf while a senior at Birmingham High. He was tired of the stress.

“I had a bad attitude,” he said. “I was a cynical smart-ass and made wisecracks about how bad my life was.”

In 1978, he attended CSUN because it was close to his Sepulveda home. Former CSUN golf coach Bill Cullum heard about Wilke and recruited him for the team.

“Coach Cullum restored my desire to play,” Wilke said. “I was still feisty and had that competitive desire to win.”

Said Cullum: “Vic didn’t have that star attitude when I first met him, but he stayed because he wanted to be a star again.”

Wilke qualified for a coveted PGA Tour card--but he was not among the top 50--after his senior season at CSUN and was therefore eligible to play only on the PGA alternate tour, the forerunner of the Tournament Players Assn. Tour. He earned a check in each of the first six mini-tour events in 1983. Success seemed imminent.

“I was buzzing,” Wilke said, “It was a big high and I rode it for quite a while.”

But Wilke’s world crumbled in 1983 when he tore tendons in his right thumb while teeing off during one of the mini-tour stops. It was an injury that kept him off the course for over a year.

“I came so close but it was just out of my grasp,” he said. “I was sick, stuck and just unable to play.”

Disaster struck Wilke again in 1985 in a bizarre accident in another mini-tour event. He sneezed while swinging a golf club and injured a rib. Convinced that fate had conspired against his golf career, Wilke put his driver away and became a driver--for a parcel delivery service. Later, he worked as a clerk in the Los Angeles Country Club golf shop.

“Vic was a sincere gentleman and helped our golf program,” said Bill LaFever, Los Angeles Country Club’s teaching professional. “He might be emotionally volatile (on the course) but he is a great competitor. Every good golfer plays with some emotion.”

LaFever promoted Wilke to assistant professional and the new duties included time on the course with club members. Despite injuries that refused to heal, Wilke was determined to play through the pain.

It was during this time that he met West, the Lakers’ general manager, who set up an appointment with the Lakers’ orthopedic consultant, Dr. Robert Kerlan.

“He (Kerlan) gave me an injection and I haven’t had pain since,” Wilke said. “I used to wear a brace but I don’t have to any more.”

Wilke also met his PGA Tour sponsor, Los Angeles businessman John Anderson, and Michael Anthony, a Los Angeles sports counselor.

“Everything happened for a reason,” Wilke said. “John gave me the chance to play the tour and Michael taught me I had to heal my mind as well as my body.”

In 1986, Wilke entered the PGA Tour School but was eliminated in the final cut. He was only strokes away from earning his second PGA Tour card--a potential ticket to the top. Currently he is playing on the Tournament Players Assn. Tour.

“I gained knowledge and experience that I’ll put to use next year,” Wilke said. “I’ve learned to throw results out the window and play with guts. Now I’ve got that tiger-look in my eye and I’ll make it to the top of this pressure cooker yet.”