Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
If you go to Evan Gossett’s profile on YouTube ( youtube.com/user/gsrpower2000), you can watch his character in the video-golf game Golden Tee nail some clutch putts and holes-in-one on the virtual links. Gossett, a St. Peters resident, not only is ranked among the very best in the world at Golden Tee, but also makes a respectable living playing the game full-time.
• I started playing Golden Tee with friends a few years ago, and I got to the point where I was pretty much breaking even, money-wise. I kept on playing till the point where I was making more money at the game than at my old job as a bartender.
• People don’t know you can win money playing the game. I tell them it’s my job, and they look at me like “What?” I’ve been doing it full-time since ’09. You get to make your own hours, and you don’t have to deal with a boss. It’s a good deal.
• The object is to finish in the top four of a 50-man contest. Everybody puts in $1. First place is $10; second is $8; third is $6; fourth is $4. Of the 30 games I play almost every day, I’m in the top four for 25 games or so, and I win about half of those. Last month, I played 770 rounds of 18 holes and 700 games of closest-to-the-pin. I clear about $50,000 a year.
• I play at a place called the Powercade in St. Peters. I opened up a little Golden Tee arcade a few months ago, and a lot of the locals play here. We have six machines, plus a TV for sports stuff. It’s always more fun to play with other people, but sometimes you gotta get back home to the wife and so forth. You get a maximum number of 30 games of 18 holes per day, plus 30 more games of closest-to-the-pin.
• I wake up, get the kids ready for school and on the bus at 7:45, eat breakfast, and head in about 9:30 or 10 a.m. It’s like a normal 9-to-5 job. My kids think it’s funny. When I say I gotta go to work, they say, “No, you’re just gonna play games.” They don’t understand the whole concept, but they think it’s cool.
• At one point, I started attending national tournaments. My wife is the co-owner of the vending company at Powercade. Her company runs the nationwide tournaments; that’s how I met her. They hold six tournaments every year. One is in St. Louis in April. This year I’ll also go to Orlando, Minneapolis, Richmond, Houston, and Chicago for tournaments.
• Right now, I’m ranked No. 2 in the world. I’ve been No. 1 before, too. The ranking changes each month. There are five courses you play online, and your best score on a course is your ranking. I shot a 28-under-par last month. I shot a 28-under-par last month. I’m usually in the top five. I’m always trying to be No. 1 at the end of the month, for sure. It’s bragging rights. There are probably about 20 guys nationally that do this full-time, for a living. It’s a fine line between first and 25th. Anybody can have a really good game and knock you off.
• At first, when I started attending national tournaments, it was intimidating. But eventually, you see it’s nice to get to know the other guys, and it’s fun to get together. It’s a good camaraderie, and it’s fun to play with the best in the world. On the last day of each tournament, Sunday, it turns from fun zone to serious mode; it gets real intense. The Golf Channel came down to cover the last Houston tournament.
• My greatest moments in the game are probably the national tournaments I’ve won. Last year in Chicago, I won in a pretty large field of about 70 guys—that was great. You can win as much as $5,000 to $6,000 at a tournament.
• The hardest part of the game is probably the mental aspect. You can’t get discouraged if you hit a bad shot or miss a putt or a chip. You’ve got to stay on top of it and hold in your mental frustration and keep your focus.
• I did once have a small injury playing Golden Tee. It was nothing serious. I broke a blood vessel in my hand and had to take a little time off.
• I played real golf in high school and pretty much my whole life. I’ve really always loved the game. When I play real golf, I imagine it’s a video game—but it’s a lot easier in the video game.
• The game designers sneaked some funny things in there. You’ll see golf carts flipped over, some guys along the tree line trying to take a pee, and aliens on some of the courses.
• I wouldn’t try to hustle somebody at Golden Tee, but if somebody was running their mouth, I might put them in their place.
