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In the past 18 months, Tony Frabizzio's golf journey has taken him to North Carolina, Thailand, South Africa, Fairfield, Florida, Costa Rica and finally, Norwalk. That's a lot of planes, unusual beds and annoying travel fees. Frabizzio, 29, recently joined Silvermine Golf Club as an assistant professional and can put his suitcase down.
"I've been known to do crazy things, like drive cross country in my Jeep,'' Frabizzio says. "This will be good. I'll be able to get organized and get focused."
Many assistant golf professionals live a nomadic life, but Frabizzio's ride was particularly wild. After a nine-year stint at the Golf Club of Purchase, the Fairfield Prep grad left his position in November 2008 to try his hand on the professional circuit. He started out in Thailand, where he tried to qualify for the Asian Tour. He didn't qualify, but traveled to South Africa in January 2009. He competed in events there until April, when he took a 42-hour plane trip to West Palm Beach to try his hand in Florida events. He moved on in July, when he returned to Fairfield and played in New England, New York and Connecticut events last summer. Then it was back to Florida in the fall and finally to Costa Rica, where he put his clubs down for a few months and tried surfing. "I was putting too much pressure on myself,'' Frabizzio says.
Silvermine head professional Stuart Waack interviewed Frabizzio over Skype, and Waack offered him the position in February. Frabizzio drove to Connecticut with his belongings, including a Jet Ski and surfboards, crammed into his car. The position at Silvermine appealed to him because he'll be able to play frequently against top competition in addition to his instructional duties.
"After traveling as much as I did, I've come to realize the (Metropolitan) section is the best mini-Tour in the world,'' Frabizzio says. "It's a comfortable place for me to be."
Frabizzio figures to be at Silvermine until the winter, but afterwards even he can't say. "I'm spontaneous,'' he says. "You never know where I'll end up."
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