I’m sure most of you are familiar with former pro golfer, Andy Bean — winner of 11 PGA titles, with two Ryder Cup appearances. His accomplishments in the game of golf were many. But what you may not know is that Andy was also an outstanding angler — both in fresh and saltwater. And he was a life member of B.A.S.S.
Sadly, Andy passed away a couple of weeks ago — due to complications from a lung transplant stemming from a terrible bout with COVID. His death came as a shock to his many friends and industry contacts. None of us saw it coming.
I first met Andy during the 1993 Bass’n Golf Classic, a celebrity pro event held at Disney World in Kissimmee, Fla. Produced by ESPN, the concept was simple: Pair 10 PGA pros with 10 B.A.S.S. pros in a two-day competition, both on the water and the fairway. The winners were determined by combining each team’s best five-bass total weight with their golf score — the most pounds with the lowest golf score won.
As luck would have it, I drew Andy Bean, a fellow alumnus from the University of Florida. And little did I know it at the time, that meeting would kindle a friendship that would last until his untimely death.
Andy the golfer
Born on March 13, 1953 in LaFayette, Ga., Andy’s golf career began when his family moved to Jekyll Island. There, his dad had an affiliation with the local golf course.
When he turned 15, the family moved to Lakeland, Fla., at which point his father purchased his own course. And that is where Andy developed the skills that would earn him a scholarship to the University of Florida, in 1973.
In three consecutive seasons as a collegiate competitor, Andy was named an All American — leading his team to both SEC and NCAA Championship titles. That success catapulted him onto the PGA tour, where he won 11 times, including the 1986 Byron Nelson Classic. When he turned 50, he joined the PGA Champions Tour and won three events there — including a record-setting, nine-stroke victory in the 2008Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
Unfortunately, a wrist injury suffered in a car wreck ended Andy’s golf career.
He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a ‘Gator Great’ in 1978, and the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.
Andy the angler
Throughout his career, Andy was frequently observed carrying a rod and reel in his golf bag during the practice rounds — to fish the lakes and ponds of the championship courses he competed on.
I remember him telling me about angling for snook and juvenile tarpon at Doral Country Club in Miami, and the big bass he caught at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra. Wherever the tour took him, if those courses had water, Andy was sure to test them.
Think about that for a second. That would be like an Elite Series pro beaching his boat to hit a few balls during the practice round of a tour event! I don’t know about you, but I find it fascinating that a golfer who’s competing for hundreds-of-thousands of dollars, would take time out to make a few casts on the golf course.
When we drew each other in the Disney event, nearly all we talked about was fishing in the Everglades. Like me, Andy loved the backcountry — fishing super shallow for snook and tarpon. So, we scheduled a trip together. And as soon as we entered the mangrove maze outside of Chokoloskee, I could tell he was on his game. Andy knew those waters like the back of his hand. And he learned them well before any navigational aids, like GPS.
We caught so many snook that day. But what impressed me more than his ability at finding fish, was his casting accuracy at a distance. Andy was a big man, known for his crushing drives in golf. And he used that same power in fishing, yet landed his lures with stealth, as if he were making a delicate putt on a steep green. He could cast well beyond my reach, always placing his lure with pinpoint accuracy. He knew keeping a safe distance from shallow fish was the key to fooling the bigger ones.
That trip led to others, and eventually we were bass fishing on his private quarry in Lakeland — a special place he frequented with our mutual friends, Bryan and Greg Watts.
Keeping contact
Over the years, we would try to meet whenever possible — whether it was for lunch down the street from Power-Pole headquarters (where the Watts brothers worked) or at the Shimano booth during ICAST. He even attended vintage tackle shows sanctioned by the Florida Antique Tackle Collectors (FATC).
Andy was close friends with Jim Bagley, of Bagley Bait Company. And that relationship provided Andy with countless prototype and one-off lures — which, in turn, made him a celebrity of a different sort at our FATC shows.
Once, while fishing in the Everglades, we met with Jim Bagley to share a shore lunch. That’s when Jim presented me with one of his special snook baits — a chrome and chartreuse Balsa Pinfish Shiner. When I stowed the prized gift in my tackle box, Jim asked why I wasn’t tying it on. Quick to respond, Andy explained that I was a collector, and that that lure would likely never see water.
I’m not sure how that sat with Jim, but Andy’s comment ended the conversation.
On several occasions, Andy invited me to attend the practices of the Florida Gators football team, where I got to watch Kyle Trask and other Gator greats hone their skills. Being a Gator Hall of Famer, Andy was granted access to countless sporting events. And he often shared those opportunities with friends.
Andy was kind and generous. To many, he was like a big brother. And despite all of his success and fame, he was down-to-earth — never too big or too busy to share his time.
Thanks Andy, for the many experiences we shared. You’re among the very best people I’ve known, and I’m so thankful our paths crossed. Rest in peace, sir.
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