How Bent Pine Golf Club brought pro golfers Emma Talley, Nick Lendheim to Vero Beach

The tee sheet at Bent Pine Golf Club includes top amateurs, longtime members and, occasionally, a pair of players on the major tours: Emma Talley of the LPGA Tour and Nick Lindheim of the Korn Ferry Tour.

Talley and Lindheim play at Bent Pine in Vero Beach because the members invited them to their private club. It’s a unique arrangement that’s part of the club’s Tour Hopeful program that started three years ago.

Talley, who grew up in Kentucky and played collegiately at Alabama, where she became the fifth golfer to win the NCAA Individual Championship and the U.S. Women’s Amateur, started visiting Vero Beach in the winters after turning pro in 2016.

“It’s a little easier to get ready for the season in Vero Beach than it is Kentucky,” she said Tuesday. “We had a family friend who owned a house in Vero Beach and worked at Bent Pine, so I had a chance to play the course. I didn’t realize how many people from Kentucky go to Vero Beach.”

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Pat Gorman, Bent Pine’s longtime director of golf, said the Tour Hopeful program is different than when the members provide financial assistance to young players starting their careers. This program provides something just as essential for players already on a tour: access to a high-end club.

“They are treated like members,” Gorman said. “They can work on their game and utilize our course and practice facilities. We don’t ask much in return; last year they gave a clinic the members really enjoyed. Emma and Nick are both very personable, so it works out great.”

The arrangement has helped Talley, who has earned more than $1 million on the LPGA Tour. She’s 66th on the money list entering this week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, one of the LPGA Tour’s majors, at Congressional Country Club in Maryland.

Talley doesn’t have to find a place to stay in Vero Beach during the winters anymore – her parents bought a place at Bent Pine last year.

“Bent Pine has become my go-to place in the winter,” Talley said. “I’m there from January to March, except when the Tour is playing. Bent Pine is absolutely amazing and the members are awesome. I’m very appreciative of what the club has done for me.”

So is Lindheim. He lives about an hour away in Satellite Beach, and appreciates the opportunity to play a quality course such as Bent Pine.

“Bent Pine has been a great getaway for me,” Lindheim said. “It’s got a great driving range and short-game facility. I can hit a bunch of different shots there. The membership has been great. Anytime I want to come out, they are overly accommodating. It’s a good way for me to release some steam when I’m off the road.”

Lindheim has earned more than $1 million on the PGA Tour in 65 starts and more than $900,000 in 114 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour. He’s 56th on this year’s KFT money list as he waits for his putter – in his words – “to get hot.”

Lindheim was a late bloomer – he didn’t pick up the game until he was out of high school and didn’t make it to the PGA Tour until he was 32. He knows how fortunate this arrangement is for him.

“I wasn’t a country club kid growing up,” Lindheim said. “The folks at Bent Pine are grateful to have me and I’m more grateful to have them.”

Chip shots: Andie Smith of Hobe Sound shot a 3-over 75 Tuesday and is tied for 19th after the first round of the AJGA Rolex Girls Championship at the Loxahatchee Club in Jupiter. Gloria Nip of Port St. Lucie is 25th after a 76. The 72-hole event concludes Friday.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Emma Talley, Nick Lindheim find 'go-to' course at Bent Pine in Vero Beach