Township’s Sbarra hopes to fire it up on pro fairways

By: Dick Brinster
   EAST WINDSOR — Guys like Tony Sbarra are not a whole lot different than Roy McAvoy, the wannabe golf champion portrayed by Kevin Costner in the 1996 movie "Tin Cup."
   And Mr. Sbarra, a former Hightstown High School player, would gladly accept the scenario under which Costner’s fairy-tale pursuit of a U.S. Open title ended with the wrong kind of a splash. Needing a par to send the tournament to a playoff, Mr. McAvoy gambled on a birdie that would have won it — and found a water hazard again and again and again, until he took a 12.
   That’s where Mr. Sbarra — deputy chief of East Windsor Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, for which he is helping to organize a fundraising golf outing July 9 — would have abandoned the route pursued by Mr. McAvoy, a washed-up pro working at a driving range.
   "I would have pulled out my 5-iron and laid it up to give myself a short wedge," Mr. Sbarra said.
   The lesson of Mr. Costner’s character was driven home in a similar fashion for Mr. Sbarra, who played last summer on the New England Professional Golf Tour. He tried to carry a bunker on the right side of a fairway at Red Trail in Devens, Mass., hoping to set up a short wedge to the green that would have given him an excellent birdie opportunity.
   "Well, I didn’t carry the corner and landed it in the bunker, and when I got down to my ball I could not see the green because the bunker was about 7 feet deep," Mr. Sbarra said. "I ended up making double bogey.
   "The next day, I did it a little different. I hit my 3-iron off the tee, that left me about 160 yards. I took out my 8-iron, hit it to 4 feet and made birdie."
   The 46-year-old Mr. Sbarra, who last year took a leave of absence from his handyman business to play on the tour, knows positive scores — not spectacular gambles — will pay the bills as he follows his dream. But Mr. Sbarra, seeking $40,000 in sponsorship money to play on the now-renamed North American Pro Golf Tour, has to put out a few fires with his putter.
   "I played well tee to green, but struggled on the greens," he said of his rookie season of 2006, during which he missed the cut in all six appearances.
   But he’s determined to prove he can adjust to the pressure of tournament golf, and hopes to make a good showing when the NAPGT starts its 10-event season June 6 in Atkinson, N.H.
   "I have been working on my course management and swing with a little help from Jim Hallet," Mr. Sbarra said of the former PGA Tour pro who, along with former New England tour boss Brian Hebb, is helping Mr. Sbarra refine his game. "The change has been hard, but I feel that I am improving and I am rolling the ball better.
   "I also changed my driver and am now hitting more fairways. I feel very confident about this year, and I have learned to think positively about the shot I am facing."
   In a letter of reference Mr. Sbarra offers to prospective investors, Mr. Hebb predicts massive improvement, the kind usually derived from added experience in tournament play.
   "He has the tools to become a successful, competitive golf professional," Mr. Hebb wrote earlier this year of Mr. Sbarra. "I feel that with a few more years of tournament golf, and with his excellent physical condition, he can look forward towards the Senior Tour."
   The 6-foot-1, 170-pound Mr. Sbarra, the father of a 9-year-old son, says he has been very encouraged by the words of Mr. Hallet.
   "He told me I simply need more tour experience," Mr. Sbarra said.
   He also maintains that age is no factor, something he learned from senior tour player Walter Morgan.
   "Mr. Morgan did not turn pro until he was 50," Mr. Sbarra said.
   Mr. Sbarra, whose ultimate golf fantasy is to hang a green Masters jacket next to his white fire hat, also will be busy in the next six weeks organizing the Fire Department’s third annual golf outing — for skilled players and duffers alike — at the Peddie School course. The outing is open to players of all ages, and that serves as a reminder to Mr. Sbarra of the origin of his passion for the game.
   "I started playing golf at the age of 9 when my father took me to The Gator Hole, a par-3 course in North Myrtle Beach, S.C.," he recalled. "That’s where I developed my interest and love of the game.
   "Since the first time I held a club in my hands, I dreamed of becoming a professional golfer. I know this because every time I go to the golf course and stand on the first tee I feel this is where I belong."
   That’s true whether he’s playing or helping others learn the game. Ms. Sbarra has been teaching golf for the past 13 years in the East Windsor Community Adult Education Program.
   While he’s offering a few tips, Mr. Sbarra is hoping his offering to potential investors will net enough money to allow him to play all season through "Anthony’s Golf Venture," a program he says will pay investors 80 percent of any earnings from tournament purses, pro-ams, exhibitions and promotional fees. After each investor has recouped 100 percent of the original contribution, their payoff will be 50 percent.
   Last year, he played on a "shoestring" without backing.
   "I am looking for sponsors so I can concentrate all my time on golf," he said as he awaited word on contributions from a golf contract firm in North Carolina.
   Regardless of what progress he might achieve on the tour this summer, Mr. Sbarra says he’s dedicated to the success of the local golf venture for his "second love," the Fire Department.
   The pressure can’t approach that of touring golf, but there are purses of a sort for the participants. A car donated by Windsor Nissan on Route 130 will be won for a hole in one, and other prizes will be offered for longest drive and closest to the pin.
   Proceeds from the outing, for which additional sponsors also are being sought, will be used for firefighting equipment and supplies.
   So, pass the tin cup.
   Sponsors for Anthony’s Golf Venture, can write to P.O. Box 61, Hightstown, NJ, 08520, or email [email protected]. Those seeking to provide sponsorship or get entry information for the East Windsor Volunteer Fire Co. 1 golf outing can call 448-5487, or go to www.ewvfc1.org for info.