The 1996 Adam Sandler film “Happy Gilmore”, which featured hockey and golf, was the first time that many people saw them as being intertwined. This happened again last week when six Coachella Valley Firebirds were challenged by the golf YouTube channel Good Good to play a round of golf in the Coachella Valley.
Within the first 11-hour period, the video of the round posted on has received more than 114,000 views. It now exceeds more than 294,000.
The six Good Good Golfers, with more than 1.4 millions followers, took on the Firebirds Andrew Poturalski (with more than 1.4million followers), Kole Lind (with more than 1.2 million followers), Shane Wright (with more than 1.2 million), Logan Morrison, Luke Henman, and Jacob Melanson in one evening, at The Lights of Indio Golf Course, the only course that is lit at night among the more than 120 courses available in the valley.
Henman sank a putt at a playoff hole to give the Firebirds a one-stroke victory. The round was filmed early in November. The Firebirds trailed the round by two strokes before making a comeback.
Henman, who spoke to The Desert Sun by phone, said, “I have been watching their videos since the beginning, so it was really cool to meet them and that I got the chance to play against them.”
Garrett Clark, cofounder of Good Good Golf and Shane Wright are both on social media. Henman stated that Clark invited Wright to the round, while Wright organized it on behalf of the Firebirds.
Several Firebirds players enjoy playing golf together in their free time between games. Poturalski, team captain Max McCormick, and rookie Ryan Winterton joked about taking money off each other while playing golf on social media.
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Poturalski said that the team plays a round of golf together on Christmas Eve at Stone Eagle Golf Club, Palm Desert.
Henman stated that for the match against the Good Good Guys, the six Firebirds weren’t necessarily the best players on the team. Instead, they were the avid golfers and YouTube subscribers who closely follow the Good Good guy on YouTube.
Henman is a Nova Scotian native and has been playing golf for over 10 years. “But we only wanted to invite the players who had watched the videos of the Good Good Guys and knew about them.”
This segment, which lasted about 40 minutes, was the very first time that the public had seen Firebirds players use a club. Highlights included:
Melanson swings with an absurdity
Melanson is a 20 year old rookie from Nova Scotia who might have the most powerful (or best) swing in the team. Melanson’s swing was impressive even though it was only a small glimpse of the team and six players.
One of the guys heard Melanson say, “Dude, I think you have a good swing!” after Melanson drove. The Firebirds forward who scored two goals and fought in the biggest fight of the season on the ice spent the entire round driving the ball straight down the fairway almost every time. One Good Good guy suggested he enter a competition for long-balls.
Wright is still a teenager. Really?
Wright’s birth certificate is a must-have for anyone who spends any time with him. It’s hard to believe that he is still a teenager. He will still be a teenager for a few days. This surreal reality was reaffirmed during this round.
Wright was selected as the fourth-best player in the NHL Draft 2022. It is one thing to see his incredible talent on the ice. When you talk to him, he has a mature and intelligent air about him. You can’t stop wondering how he has the time to do so many different things after watching his golf swing on YouTube.
Wright’s tee-shot on the sixth hole was drilled straight down the fairway, and the ball fell about six feet away from a hole-in one. Unreal.
Wright shrugged it off and smiled, “I suppose I like that 8 iron.”
Poturalski and Henman play a great short game
Both players displayed a high level of skill on the green during the round. Poturalski made a putt that kept the Firebirds in the game going into the final hole. Henman then made another putt, forcing a playoff. Henman then made another to win for the Firebirds.
This makes sense too, as both “Potsy”, and “Henny”, are known for having a good shooting touch on the ice around the goal. Poturalski’s shots have also been powerful, but he has used a different technique at short distances.
Henman’s performance in the final moments was no surprise. Henman has been able to do this a number of times, including scoring the only goal in 2022 Teddy Bear Toss inside Acrisure Arena.
Henman stated that he is a good player on the green. He added, however, that he putted particularly well that night in Indio.
Henman, speaking of the Firebirds, said: “We have some very good golfers and we’re all competitive.” “Did I already know we would win?” No. “But I knew that we would be competitive.”
Andrew John is a sports reporter for The Desert Sun, and USA TODAY Network. Email him at [email protected].
