"Golfing really turned my life around. It exposed me to some really positive influences and gave me a deeper respect for people and the game." -- Josh Warthen

Last summer, I was browsing through a new issue of SCGA's FORE Magazine and ran across an article by Katie Denbo about a young golfer from my own town of Arroyo Grande. I was impressed to learn that Josh Warthen, now 27, had already had so much success after only starting the game 8 years ago at the age of 19.


Josh Warthen, Arroyo Grande, CA

The article also mentioned the names of his parents. I was surprised to learn that Josh's mother happened to be the first person I met when I moved to the Central Coast from San Diego in 1995! Just months before leaving San Diego for a new job here on the Central Coast, a young couple named Daryl and Janet moved in across the street from us in Carlsbad. They happened to be from Arroyo Grande. When we told them we were moving to that area, Daryl told us to contact his mother, a property manager, to help us find a home to rent. It turned out Daryl's mother's name is Merrilee and that she had remarried a man named Rick (Josh's parents). With my name being Richard (my family calls me Rick) and my wife's name being Merrily, I found this rather odd! At the time, I had serious reservations about taking the new job and moving away from family, but I decided to interpret this coincidence as a "sign" to go for it. We contacted Merrilee and she lined up a nice rental for us. Our first stop when we arrived in Arroyo Grande was at her office to pick up the keys to our new home. Moving here turned out to be one of the better decisions I've made.

Josh entered his first SCGA qualifier less than three years after picking up a club and played his first SCGA Amateur Championship in 2002 at El Caballero CC in Tarzana, where he finished tied for ninth. He has qualified for every SCGA championship since and recorded several top 10 finishes including a tie for first in the 2005 SCGA Mid-Am Championship. His amateur titles include the 2002, 2003 and 2004 San Luis Obispo County Championships, the 2003 La Purisma Amateur Championship, the 2004 Paso Robles City Championship, the 2003 Atascadero City Championship, and the 2004 San Joaquin Valley Match Play Championship. In 2003 he was the Southern California Community College Champion, and was a co-medalist at Pepperdine's tournament in 2005. Josh played college golf at San Diego State where he graduated in 2005.

Last year, Josh turned pro and began competing in the newly formed California Player's Tour, set up by Zack King in order to benefit and promote the talented up and coming professional and amateur golfers of the west coast. The Tour's inaugural "Coastal Series" offers 12 events playing on the best courses in the Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties.

After winning last month's event at Monarch Dunes Golf Club, Josh is currently leading the tour's points cup race and is second on the money list. At the end of the season the player who accumulates the most points will receive a $5,000 sponsorship to put the player through PGA Tour Q-School.

But Josh now has a chance to play on the PGA Tour with or without Q-School! Earlier this year, Josh was selected for the Golf Channel's "The Big Break VIII" series which recently took place in Mesquite, NV. This new season begins airing on October 2nd and includes 12 men competing for an exemption into a PGA Tour event. If the rest of the competition is as good at Josh, Big Break VIII will prove to have the best talent of any season so far.



Josh can't, and won't, tell a soul how he did in the event (even his mother doesn't know), but I'm betting he made the top three. There's an excellent chance he won. Not only does Josh crush his drives, like so many of these rising young stars, but the guy can putt like nobody I've seen. He's so smooth and relaxed with his Scotty Cameron putter that he's as confident he'll make a 20 footer as he is a 2 footer. He spends a lot of time on the practice green, and I've seen him drop some amazing putts.

A couple days after reading the SGCA article last year, I was hitting balls on the range at Cypress Ridge Golf Course, and looked over and recognized Josh next to me. I introduced myself and told him I enjoyed the article, and shared the story about his mother and half-brother. Since meeting Josh, I've had the pleasure of a few casual competitions with him on the putting green, which I've lost each time, and gotten some very helpful insights from him regarding my swing. Thanks to Josh, I'm much better about staying behind the ball with my driver now!

A couple weeks ago, after his return from "The Big Break VIII", I ran into Josh, along with a friend and his younger brother Justin, in the parking lot at Monarch Dunes Golf Club. We were all there for a weekly skins game. They asked if I wanted to join them, which of course I did.

A growing number of local pros and amateurs show up every Monday at noon for this gross skins event to try to win a portion of the $1000+ pot. The very first time I played, I was paired with the club pro, and I got my one and only ace on the 140 yard 5th! That, and a skin on 13, earned me enough cash to buy the entire field 2 rounds of drinks! I haven't won a skin since, but I mostly show up just to get some practice from the back tees and to simply enjoy observing some great golf.

On this particular day, it was a pleasure playing 18 holes with Josh, his friend, and brother. Our birdies were rare that day and we failed to win any skins, but I got to observe the great attitude and demeanor, and golf game, that Josh is known for.

Katie Denbo closed her article illustrating his artful attitude, "With interests including music, writing, and spirituality, Josh carries his values off the course to his game. "I think about my mom," Warthen says. "She always had the best attitude when I was growing up. I'd rather play bad and have a good attitude than vice versa. I think the way you see life dictates the way you see the things around you. I am constantly trying to become a better person. We're always learning and trying to become better people."

Enjoy getting to know Josh starting October 2nd on "The Big Break: Mesquite". Here in SLO, we'll all be routing for him!

Beachin' Golfer
FORE Magazine, July/August 2006, Katie Denbo

Blog following Josh's Big Break experience

Labels: Golfers, Josh Warthen, The Big Break