Thurman Relives Guest Star Giveaway Experience

Kelly Thurman, decked out in shorts that were neon orange and a couple shades of pink, stepped onto the first tee at Glen Dornoch and was jawing with his playing partners, like he has countless times in the past.

Only this time the Alpharetta, Ga., native was wearing makeup and being followed by a television crew that included cameramen, boom mike operators, and a producer. If the cameras weren’t enough, Thurman’s playing partners were former PGA TOUR player and ESPN personality Charlie Rymer, Hootie & The Blowfish guitarist Mark Bryan, singer-songwriter Josh Kelley, and Duramed Futures Tour player Perry Swenson.

By the time Thurman, the winner of the Road Trip: Myrtle Beach Guest Star Giveaway Contest, got to the course, he knew what to expect in terms of camera presence, because golf was preceded by a three-hour deep sea fishing trip.

But knowing what was coming didn’t make it any less nerve wracking. The fishing trip was nice, but Thurman came to play golf with the cast. He was understandably nervous at the outset but paired with Rymer, he played well, draining a clutch putt on No. 17 to square the match heading into the final hole (you will have to watch to see who won).

“It was a great day,” Thurman said. “It was great to meet everybody, to play golf with everybody and just to ride with Charlie Rymer and absorb some of the knowledge he has of this game. Every time I listen to him, I feel like I become a better golfer.”

Playing with a foursome that mostly lacks a filter, Thurman gave as good as got, something that didn’t escape the cast.

“It’s the first tee and you’ve already found your mouth,” Rymer said after Thurman lobbed a verbal grenade. “You will fit right in with this group.”

Thurman also fit in off the course. A former tennis player at the University of Georgia, he traded insults with Rymer, a Georgia Tech alum, and the banjo he used in compiling the winning Guest Star video accompanied him to the Grand Strand as well.

Thurman has played the instrument for 20 years, and he performed with Kelley and Bryan at Crab Catchers, a restaurant perched along the banks of the Intracoastal Waterway in Little River. While it didn’t make the cut on television, he also played with Bryan’s side band, Occasional Milkshake, at the House of Blues.

“This whole week (was) nothing but an honor to me,” Thurman said. “I’m nothing but an average guy that goes to work everyday, comes home, and has a great marriage with his wife. This whole week has been unbelievable to me, kind of capped off by having the opportunity to play with the Occasional Milkshake. It was a great experience for me.”

If the fishing, filming and onstage performances weren’t enough, Thurman spent the week in Myrtle Beach. Accompanied by his wife, Nancy, he also played Leopard’s Chase, Thistle and Rivers Edge, the courses featured in the other episodes.

“It’s been a great week,” Thurman said.

Tonight at 7:30 on the Golf Channel, the nation will have the opportunity to relive his experience.