BACK PETER


NINE THE


PRINCIPLE(S)


Kostis talks TV career, cancer recovery, old-school golf swing and U.S. presidents


BY JOHN DAVIS


components of a golf swing. The Valley resident, who is regarded


A


as one of the top golf instructors in the world, has been a fixture with CBS since 1990. An Emmy award winner, he is in demand as a guest speaker and emceed this year’s Arizona Golf Hall of Fame induction dinner. In 1974, Kostis began teaching at Golf


Digest schools, joining Bob Toski and Jim Flick on a legendary staff that later added Davis Love Jr. He has served as swing coach for


Bernhard Langer and Paul Casey, among others, and has helped more than 125 tour pros, including Jack Nicklaus, Tom Kite and Love’s son, Davis Love III. Kostis, 69, also has worked with


numerous celebrities, including Kevin Costner, preparing him for his role in the movie “Tin Cup.” Peter is the first to admit he has


caught some lucky breaks during his career, but none bigger than the one in 2013 when his wife, Sandy, was scheduled for a colonoscopy and suggested that he get one at the same time. Although Kostis wasn’t due for that


procedure for several months, he agreed to have the exam, and it might well have saved his life. The colonoscopy showed malignant polyps, which required six


24 | AZ GOLF Insider | ANNUAL 2016


nyone who has watched live golf telecasts quickly recognizes the voice of Peter Kostis and marvels at his ability to break down the


Peter Kostis


hours of surgery to remove 18 inches of colon.


Six weeks later, doctors found that the


cancer had spread to his lymph nodes, advancing to Stage III, which required chemotherapy. The cancer now is in remission, and


many people have told Kostis that they or loved ones have been diagnosed with colon cancer after his story inspired them to have a colonoscopy. Recently, he talked to AZ Golf Insider


about his life in golf, dealing with cancer and playing golf with a U.S. president:


10 As a kid you were active in team sports and even got a football scholarship.


How did you gravitate to golf?


I blew out my left knee. At that time, you could keep your scholarship if you played another sport and I wanted to stay active in competition. I had always played golf in high school, and once the knee got back to the point where I could play again, I joined the college golf team. So that’s how I made the transition.


11 You were with Golf Digest schools from 1974-87. How did you go from


there to CBS?


In 1989, the PGA of America wanted to charge a rights fee for the Ryder Cup, but the major networks all passed on it and USA Network agreed to pay the rights fee of $225,000. They needed Ryder Cup announcers and I was there (at The Belfry in England) because I was working with some of the guys who were playing in it.


They had Gary McCord, Ben Wright and Jim Simpson lined up and they asked me to join them. That’s how I got started and, luckily, USA had worked with CBS at the Masters and some other shows. CBS liked what I did so they hired me.


12 You have been a colleague and friend of Gary McCord for a long time. What


has that association been like?


Well, our friendship goes all the way back to the PGA Tour Team Championship (which ended in 1972) when we played in it with our students. He is a dear friend, who always manages to help you keep things in perspective. You might be taking something very serious and Gary has a way of making you look at it differently and laugh at it. As far as our relationship on the air, Gary is very important to our telecasts because he is the one who brings the energy. He’s the guy who is off the cuff and will say crazy things, which energizes the telecast, and in that way he is really, really important to us.


13 What is your favorite event to cover? They’re all wonderful in different


ways but the Masters is the one


I would never want to stop doing. I’ve been doing that since 1990 and I don’t want it to end. The most fun might be Pebble Beach because it is a more relaxed atmosphere (with the celebrity pro-am) and there are a lot of star athletes and celebrities, and I enjoy helping them with their golf games.


14 What are the things you enjoy about life in Arizona?


Mostly it’s the people and the


climate. We moved here from south Florida when my wife and I decided we didn’t want to raise our kids there. They were 4 and 6 at the time and it wasn’t the environment and the culture that we wanted for them. I was offered a position to have a golf school with Gary McCord at Grayhawk Golf Club and, once we got here, we just fell in love with it.


15 What approach did you take in dealing with cancer?


I had spent time around people,


like those at St. Jude Hospital in Memphis and other situations, and saw how they go through serious illnesses and injuries,


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