Johnny: "Sometimes I wonder how the world would be if there were a million Johnny Millers."

There are many great anecdotes and observations in Jaime Diaz's Golf Digest profile of Johnny Miller, but naturally I'm drawn to the stuff about his passion for picking up highway litter and a third person reference.

Miller also conveys inner strength. His resolve in his beliefs is what has given his 41-year marriage to Linda such stability, his devotion to his Mormon faith (fostered by his late mother, Ida) such depth, and perhaps subliminally, his commentary such authority. As much talking as he does, Miller definitely walks the walk. He is known to stop on highways near his homes in Pebble Beach, Utah and Napa to fill trash bags with litter. Over the years he has refurbished 15 ranches, taking them from disrepair to trophy properties.

"When I was a Boy Scout, I learned that lesson of leaving your campsite better than you found it," he says. "I try to equate that to life, and I wish more people did. Sometimes I wonder how the world would be if there were a million Johnny Millers. I guess some would disagree, but I think it would be a better place."

Comments

[jason]

It'd mean even more 6 hour rounds on your local muni due to guys yipping out 3-footer after 3-footer.

[RickABQ]

I think it would be OK as long as at most one was a golf announcer.

[AK47]

A million Johnnys, each of them believing they were the G.O.A.T

[Elle Gee]

One is enough

[thusgone]

if there were a million johnny millers nobody else could get a word in edgewise.

[Media driven]

When I first saw that quote I thought it one of the most arrogant things i've ever read. In context of the story, it wasn't so bad.

Strange timing for an appreciation of Johnny the golfer? I was expecting him to lay out some of the current players with critical comments, but it was mostly about Miller the player and how good he was at times. I knew that.

[thusgone]

does "refurbishing" 15 ranches involve a lot of brush removal like we always used to see w doing down in crawford?

[titleist38]

I found the most interesting part of the story was how Miller admits to not being able to handle pressure very well and how it affected his career. I wonder if this is the reason why, when he is in the booth, he is so quick to jump on anyone who may be showing signs of "choking" coming down the stretch in a tournament.

[Hawkeye]

One of the things that many of the best announcers who are former players seem to have in common is that they're both analytical and impulsive at the same time. Apart from Miller, that would be a fitting description for David Feherty and Gary McCord as well. Feherty is one of the most talented ball strikers I've ever seen in person, but he, too, was an nervous mess in crunch time. Anyway, this personality combination seems to be a great asset in the booth, but under tournament pressure it's one bad cocktail.

[JSS]

If he picks up litter and rebuilds ranches you would think he would understand golf architecture and know garbage when he sees and builds it. Some of the worst golf architecture is the last 15 years has come from Miller.

Now he has purchased the Silverado resort in Napa, CA with two horrible RTJ2 courses and he is applying lipstick on these pigs to fix them when they really need to be bulldozed.

[digsouth]

I only know JM as an anouncer, and his last PB win. I was not follwing the PGA when he was hot.

I admire his adherance to his principles, and I have noted him modify his commentary in the last year , to soften his criticism, with a balance of praise for good shots, and a general lightening up on his personal strict codes.

You can tell when he is complementing because it is the rght thing to do, not always his deepest feelings. He just doesn't sound as commited.

But he is always entertaining.

[tlavin]

Like titleist38, I was impressed by his comments about his inability to handle pressure during points in his career. In a tournament last year, he referenced this while waiting for somebody to make a stroke on an extremely difficult putt under difficult (pressured) circumstances: "This is the putt that turned me into a broadcaster." Great line.

I'm not the biggest fan of Miller, because of his tendency to talk about himself, but comments like the one above remind me that he is pretty good at the occasional self-deprecating commentary.

[Press Agent]

Are Mormons Polygamists? or are they the ones who believe in some prophet that came down in a spaceship?

[Tommy Naccarato]

"When I was a Boy Scout, I learned that lesson of leaving your campsite better than you found it," he says. "I try to equate that to life, and I wish more people did."

Gee, I wish you could say the same about ALL of your golf course designs!

[Squeaky]

Johny rocks, times a million. Seriously, if you want to know how good he is, just watch a little college football and listen to how AWFUL the commentators are. It's a rare guy who really adds something. Sure, he's full of himself. He's full of insight and knowledge too. It's a three-fer.

BTW, if there were a million Squeakys? You could play Rancho Park in LA in 3 1/2 hours, cuz it would be one Squeaky after another, playing ready golf. But the highways would still be littered with trash.

[F. X. Flinn]

Miller just isn't listened to by a segment of the audience; all they hear is whatever feeds their preconception of the guy. I got cured of this some years ago, when I was working in Gilroy on a consulting gig and spent evenings at a new golf course 'designed' by Miller. One of the striking features of this incredibly penal course were fairway bunkers that rose six to twelve feet tall in the direction of the green. Recovery shots were not possible. However, in the clubhouse, there were gorgeous renditions by the designers showing what the holes would look like. Each of these fairway bunkers were clearly flat, not deep, trumped up versions of the Road Hole. I started asking around, pointing out the discrepancy to the pros and the occasional member. Eyebrows went up. As winter rainy season passed, the rough was allowed to grow very deep. There was no scoring on this version of the course. Miller came to officially open the course. A few weeks later I was back in town. I was told Miller had come off the course making it clear that the situation was to be dealt with. While nothing could be done immediately about the bunkers, most of the rough disappeared, and new shots emerged on many holes, bail out areas in particular. So I chalked up a save for Miller.

[MRP]

A million Tiger's or Johnny's? What would you pick?