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• Women in Golf Day set at Kane'ohe course • Golf tips Posted on: Thursday, May 10, 2001 Golf Report
By Bill Kwon For Matt Griesser, playing "Sign Boy" in those television commercials for FootJoy golf shoes is the best of all possible worlds. "I'm such a golf fan, and I get to be around some of the top players — guys I would be watching on television anyway, it's a blast for me," said Griesser who played in the Verizon Hall of Fame golf pro-am last Saturday at the Kapalua Resort's Plantation Course. Surely, you've seen those commercials about golf's greatest groupie, that wannabe who likes to hang out with Davis Love III, Phil Mickelson, Jesper Parnevik, David Duval and some of the other top golfers. The guy who thinks those huge, ceremonial checks presented to tournament winners are for real and wants to cash them at the nearest ATM. The guy who's willing to offer tips on how to play the game, flips visor caps with Parnevik and calls Colin Montgomerie on his cellular phone. In a recent commercial, Sign Boy poses with Ryder Cup team captains Curtis Strange and Sam Torrance, trying to get on their good side so that he can carry the sign for either team. He doesn't care which team. He just so badly wants to be at the Ryder Cup this September in England. In the commercial, Strange tells Torrance, "Heads, you get him. Tails, we're stuck with him. Please be heads." It was no problem getting the two Ryder Cup captains together and going along with the gag because they also endorse FootJoy. More than ever now, Griesser wants to go to the scene of what will be a very emotional Ryder Cup return match at The Belfry in England, after what happened at Brookline, Mass., two years ago. He was there for the first day and even then the tension on every shot was amazing, according to Griesser. His other persona, Sign Boy, would probably add fuel to the heated feelings. In the Ryder Cup commercial, Sign Boy calls the British course, "Bell-Fry." So where did the idea of Sign Boy originate? FootJoy wanted an off-beat commercial featuring this golfing wannabe and Griesser, an actor who had bit roles in the television series "Murphy Brown" and the movie "Almost Famous," was one of 100 who auditioned for the part. "Phil Mickelson and Davis Love were there and I knew about FootJoys, so I knew this was a big deal," Griesser recalled. "I really went over the top with the character when it was my turn, and I struck a chord with these guys." Eight actors were called back, and Griesser won the part. That was in late October in 1998. And Sign Boy really took off. He even signs autographs at the nearest FootJoy booth at PGA merchandise shows. Players on the PGA Tour call him "Sign Boy" whenever they see him. He's walked practice rounds with Mickelson, Love, Justin Leonard and Duval. He has been invited to a family dinner by Love at his Sea Island, Ga., home, and watched Tiger Woods win the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. No wannabe golf fan anymore, that Sign Boy. "The ads have taken on a popularity of its own," says Griesser, a Denver native who turned 31 the day of the pro-am tournament. A decent golfer in his own right, Griesser even chipped in for a net eagle-2 to help the team captained by Gary Planos. Planos, Kapalua's vice president of golf operations, first met Griesser two years at a golf show in Orlando, Fla., and thought the Sign Boy would be an added attraction to the pro-am. "Sign Boy has definitely been a career boost for me. As an actor, recognition is important," said Griesser, who feels his early beginnings as an improvisational actor after graduating from California's Chapman University helped to carry off that role. He does commercials solely for FootJoy. But his voice will be heard in major league baseball promos for Fox Sports Net. That, too, is a big deal, according to Griesser, because the baseball spots were directed by Christopher Guest, perhaps most known for his recent comedy movie, "Best in Show." In them, Griesser's unseen character loves talking about baseball, showing baseball cards and giving signs in a place where conversing with strangers isn't comfortable — a restroom stall. So, is there a "Sign Girl" in the future? "That's been asked," Griesser said. "The absence of Sign Girl is a mystery. But there's another year (of commercials) left." Bill Kwon can be reached at bkwon@aloha.net |
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