About Joey Lamielle 


By Joey Lamielle 


 When I was five years old my dad gave me a cut down 5 iron to practice with. I would hit balls in the backyard, and go to the golf course with him and play a few holes. Over time, I added more golf clubs to my bag. When I was seven we moved to Florida. And at eight, I got my first complete set of golf clubs for Christmas. I was so excited. My parents researched different golf opportunities, and we found the Greater Sarasota Junior Golf Association. This is where my story begins.

     I was signed up for the instructional clinic for an hour per week. I quickly went on to three hole play, six hole play, and finally nine hole tournament play. That was really awesome. During the summer, my mom would drop me off at tournaments, or walk along to watch. We played our tournaments in the Sarasota area. I quickly progressed into the 18 hole division of tournament play. I had much success in my early tournament experiences. I then was asked to join the GSJGA as a junior board member. Every other Tuesday I would attend the board meeting and discuss the latest direction of where the program was heading.

    My parents then widened the search for more competitive junior golf associations in the state. When I was 12 years old I made the decision that I wanted to become a professional golfer. I then became a member of the Florida Junior Golf Association and later earned the title “Player of the Year.” I also played tournaments with the Southwest Junior Golf Association and the American Junior Golf Association tournaments. As a family we would sit at the kitchen table and map out my summers. We decided what tournaments I would play in and where they were played. After that, my mom would type out my schedule and away we would go. She took care of all the details of the trips. It was a lot of fun traveling all over Florida. I have a younger sister, Julie, who at the time was around 9 years old. One of my parents stayed behind with her and they would take turns going on “The Road Trips”. I have so many great memories with my parents during those years.

    At 13 years old I started planning for college. I knew I didn’t want to have a job during those years because it would distract me from my dream. I then starting mowing my neighbors yard for some extra cash. After a month of that I found out I liked to play with power tools, so I printed out a bunch of fliers that said “Joey’s Lawn Care Service”. I mowed 12 lawns a week by hand and when my customer list reached 16, I had saved enough money (with my parents help) to purchase a riding lawn mower. That made things much easier for me!! In 6 years I grew the business to over 25 lawns a week and sold most of it off before I left for college.

    At 16 I knew I needed a great practice facility to fine tune my game. I started working at TPC Prestancia Golf Club in the cart barn 3 days a week and worked there until I went to college. All through out high school I stayed on the honor roll, held down my lawn care business, and worked at the golf club. In between that, I played golf as much as I could, which was almost everyday. One summer at the age of 16, I competed in a life changing event. I was finally old enough to enter the Sarasota Men’s City Championship and I made history by being the youngest player to win the tournament. I was ecstatic! That is when I got the taste of being a real winner. When I drained the putt on the last hole of competition and saw all the people clapping and cheering, I felt as though all my hard work and many hours of practice finally paid off. After that tournament, I knew that some day I would be on the PGA Tour. I continued in a variety of tournaments and acquired over 110 medals and trophies to confirm my success.

    I began my college career on a partial schol-arship including an academic, an athletic, and a local golf scholarship. After my first year at college I received a full ride. It was at Florida Gulf Coast University where I really elevated my level of play. I was the only college golfer to win 5 tournaments in a row. I felt unstoppable. At the end of four years I earned my Business Degree and was ready to play professionally. I started out my professional career in Septe-mber, 2005 playing the Tarheel Tour in North Carolina. After 3 months of that I won the Qualifying School for the South American Tour. I traveled all over South America playing golf--which was an experience all its own. I have made steady progress on the Hooter’s Tour, and this year I finished 9th on the money list. My most memorable accomplishment this year was competing in the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course.

    When I’m not on the golf course playing or practicing, I love to spend my time fishing and hanging out with my family and friends. Just recently I started serving on the Greater Sarasota Junior Golf Association as a board member. I really enjoy going back to where it all started for me and giving back to this wonderful game. I see a lot of young kids starting to play and wonder sometimes which story I will be reading about someday.