Family Golf Week Father & Son Team Celebrates Two Decades of Loyal Participation

Jim Maggio:

Family Golf Week is set for July 10 through 16th and being played at eight great golf courses here along the Grand Strand. That’s at Arcadian Shores, the Love Course here at Barefoot Resort, Crow Creek, The Pearl, Pine Lakes, Prestwick, Shaftesbury Glen, and Wachesaw Plantation East. And Family Golf Week is not just a Myrtle Beach golf tournament, but a true celebration of family bonds, whether it’s the Father and Son Team Classic or the Parent and Child Team Classic. And today, we’re joined by a father/son tandem that is celebrating its 20th anniversary of taking part in Family Golf Week. And we’re delighted to have them here with us today.

Checking in from Whiteford, Maryland is Nick Panos, here with his son, Chris. Nick, we’ll start with you as the patriarch of the family. We touched on celebrating family bonds in our opening here, and I wanted to get your first thoughts on what that has meant to you as you’ve taken part in this great event for the past two decades now.

Nick Panos:

Well, I guess Chris and I started when he was 17. We always enjoyed playing golf together, obviously. I mean, he started when he was like six and I started when I was six, so I knew how important golf was for me as a kid growing up, and playing tournaments, and really exposure to a lot of different types of people. Chris got involved when he was young. And when we found out about the tournament in Myrtle, I don’t know if we played in the first or the second one, I think it was probably the second one. And it was a great experience. Obviously playing with your son who’s a good player, it’s a pleasure. We’ve experienced probably playing with 60 different groups, twosomes down there. And almost without fail, everybody is really there for the same reason, to experience with their son and also to compete with good players, so we’ve had that experience and it’s been really a lot of fun.

Chris Panos:

I agree with everything he said. It’s just a fun competition. We’ve met very good players, guys that are now touring pros, and all ages, all types. It’s been a great time.

Jim Maggio:

Chris, I’ll go with you with this next question. What got you guys started with the Father and Son Team Classic and what in particular in your mind has kept you guys coming back year after year?

Chris Panos:

Yeah. Well, my parents own a place down in Myrtle Beach. They’ve been going down, we’ve been going down since I was a little kid and then we like competing. We like competing against good players, so we mark it on the calendar pretty much every year early and we kind of plan around it.

Nick Panos:

Chris and I play probably five or six two man events in the spring and summer. And I mean, I really look forward to all of them. This event is probably our second or third each year and it’s always really… it’s just fun. We enjoy it. As I said, the thing that keeps us coming back is meeting really, really good people. It’s just the people you play with, we’re rooting for each other. I mean, you’re competing obviously against each other, but you’re rooting for… we always root for the team that we play with. Sometimes we’re the better team, sometimes they are. It doesn’t really matter. We’re out there to just have a good time.

Jim Maggio:

Now, you mentioned all the teams you played with over the years. I imagine they’ve come from parts all around the country and all around the globe. Just give us a sense a little bit of where some of your playing partners and the friends that you’ve made over the years have come in from.

Nick Panos:

I remember playing with some fellows from Mexico, terrific father and son. Remembering all the names from 10 and 15 years ago, I won’t, but we played with those fellows. We played with several guys from Maryland, some really good father, son teams that have won the title a few times. We’ve had a lot of fun playing with them.

Jim Maggio:

You guys mention that you guys have a place down here that you come to year after year. Obviously Myrtle Beach, not only this tournament, but Myrtle Beach itself is a big draw for you guys in coming down here year after year. What is it about the Myrtle Beach area in particular, aside from this tournament, that’s played such a big part in you guys coming back so many years?

Chris Panos:

Yeah. It’s a really family-oriented area, good food, good restaurants. We like chilling on the beach. And obviously a lot of golf courses, so you have a lot of variety. Obviously in the tournament a lot of variety, but just in general a lot of variety of golf courses to choose.

Nick Panos:

My wife and I love the shows, the Carolina Opry and the Alabama Theater, all their shows. I mean, they’re really professionally done and we go to them every time we come down. That never gets sold for us. And again, Chris mentioned, the beach is great. The water’s always nice. The fishing’s pretty good. So it’s got a lot of things going for it.

Jim Maggio:

I’m sure you’ve had some pretty unforgettable memories taking part in two decades worth of the Father and Son Team Classic and Family Golf Week. Nick, we’ll start with you. Is there any one or two things in particular that have happened over the years that really stand out in your mind?

Nick Panos:

We did have one. We usually play in the championship flight and we’re kind of middle of that flight because we’re both kind of short hitters. I’m really short and Chris is average length, so we’re always battling against guys that can really bomb it. But there was one day that we did scramble and we were low for the whole tournament. I think we shot 61 that day at Myrtlewood, so that really sticks in my brain. We just putted lights out and we made everything. It was fun.

Chris Panos:

I remember meeting Lou Holtz on the driving range. He was the father of the year one year way back and just hitting balls next to him was kind of cool. Then one year there was a touring pro that played with his, I guess his father, and the guy was on the range. I can’t remember his name right now, but a very, very good player and they just destroyed the field. That was interesting. It just shows you the level of golf that’s out there that people probably aren’t familiar with.

Jim Maggio:

What are you guys looking most forward to this year in particular?

Chris Panos:

Every year we meet new people, also seeing some old faces that we see every year. Guys keep coming back, so guys we’ve seen 15 years in a row, that kind of thing. So that’s always cool. The courses are always in great shape, always looking forward to that. And the challenge. I mean, they got rid of the alternate shot. I don’t know if that’s coming back or not. That was something that was always a beast of a format, but we always liked doing that. So competing and spending time with my dad obviously. That’s what we do it for. So yeah, looking forward to it again.

Nick Panos:

It’s hard to add to that, but I will say that every year has been you guys, I will say this, you guys run a beautifully… it’s a beautifully run tournament every year and you treat the… you obviously aren’t out there trying to beat the players up with the formats. You allow the guys to roll the ball and that sort of thing, and I think that’s wise. Again, we’re out there to have fun and it’s great to hit great shots, but more importantly, I’m out there with Chris and competing and it’s just fun. It’s very memorable every year.

Jim Maggio:

Well, Nick, Chris, we can’t thank you guys enough for taking a few minutes out of your day to share your story with us and your experiences with us. We really appreciate you joining us and we look forward to seeing you guys down here in July in Myrtle Beach. Thank you so much for joining us!

Nick Panos:

Sounds good, Jim.

Chris Panos:

Yeah, thanks for having us.

Nick Panos:

Thanks for having us, man.