The Fabulous Biker Boys The Teutul brothers love to squeeze golf into a typical workweek at Orange County Choppers — much to the chagrin of the boss BY BILL GIERING

ons always remember moments like this. Maybe you’re about 12 years old play- ing on the front yard and you realize you can run faster than your Dad. Or maybe the two of you are playing a ping pong match or a round of golf in your teens Sand you finally beat him. Finally you are almost an adult when the biggest moment comes, usually in a heated argument when you are both wrong but he holds the final card — it’s his way or the highway. You look at your Dad, your heart pounding, and the moment comes, the thought flashes: I wonder if I can kick his butt? Teutul brothers Paul Jr. (far right) and Mike (left) are golfers, unlike their dad. PHOTOGRAPHYWEINER JEFF BY Play like a pro

on greens where the pros play.

Davis Love III received a That’s the moment that Paul Teutul Jr. Paul Jr. started making motorcycles in the cel- Chopper as a birthday walks away from his dad and his work at lar of the family home. Their first few bikes present prior to the 2004 Orange County Choppers (OCC) and goes got positive reactions at important motorcy- Buick Classic at to play golf just up the street at Scotts Cor- cle shows all across the country. One bike led Host of the LPGA tour Westchester Country Club. ners Golf Course in Montgomery, N.Y. to another, and today they have 70 employ- Michelob ULTRA Open Paulie, as he is known, is addicted to golf but ees who produce a new bike every two days May 5–11, 2008 is not your typical golfer. Neither is his (about 150 a year). 757.253.3985 michelobultraopen.com GOLF PACKAGES younger brother, Mike (Mikey). But spend a It’s a true family-run business, with Paul begin at $119 per person, per night few minutes talking to them, and you realize Sr. and his sons in charge. Even so, it has this wonderful aspect of golf: The people grown into a global enterprise. OCC has two who play, the reasons they play and the sto- retail stores, including one at the Palisades ries they tell are all part of the magnetism we Mall in West Nyack, N.Y., books, and a multi- have for this game. And it doesn’t matter if million-dollar bike fashion and accessories the players wear Dockers or Doc Maartens business. They do promotional work and ads Nestled in the lush splendor of historic Williamsburg and bordered when they hit the links. for companies like Intel and HP; they even The Teutul family owns and operates have slot machines with their faces on them by the James River is Kingsmill Resort’s famous championship Orange County Choppers out of a smallish at Las Vegas casinos, and have built a custom River Course, designed and renovated by Pete Dye. For more than shop building in Montgomery (Orange bike for the Vatican! County), New York, about a quarter century, this Anheuser-Busch jewel has challenged PGA an hour north of Manhat- and LPGA pros alike. Our three distinct courses and world-class tan. They are moving to WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA larger quarters in New- It’s a true family-run business, Golf Academy make Kingsmill Virginia’s largest golf resort. And burgh this spring, but you with Paul Sr. and his sons in can bet that the entrepre- our reputation as unmatched as the names who’ve played here. 800.832.5665 • kingsmill.com neurial spirit that perme- charge. Even so, it has grown ates the place will remain into a global enterprise, with no matter how big they OCC retail stores, books and Some restrictions apply. Ask for details. get. Paul Sr. had an iron- ©2008 Busch Entertainment Corporation. All rights reserved. works business in town numerous promotional ads. and, when things got slow about 10 years ago, he and THREE CHAMPIONSHIP COURSES
CONTEMPORARY SPORTS CLUB
RENOWNED GOLF ACADEMY GETTY IMAGES VILLA-STYLE GUESTROOMS
FINE & CASUAL DINING
LUXURIOUS SPA
WORLD-CLASS AMENITIES 20 THE MET GOLFER • FEBRUARY/MARCH 2008 WWW.MGAGOLF.ORG centered around themes. Take the bike they built after September 11, to raise money for First Responders and affected families: It The bike for Davis Love III, resembled a bright-red FDNY truck and was presented to him prior to the partially constructed with debris from the 2004 Buick Classic at World Trade Center site. They also built a The control of cord. sleek pinstriped Chopper for New York Yan- The comfort of polymer. Westchester Country Club, was kees catcher Jorge Posada, which was auc- a 40th birthday gift from his tioned off and brought in considerable money wife and resulted in a surge in for his foundation. Feel the game. But when did the biggest, baddest bikes business for the company. and black muscle tank tops become part of the traditionally genteel game of golf? Many golf viewers started watching “American Chop- pers” when OCC was building a bike for Davis Love III, which it presented to him Oh, and they also have the hottest reality- prior to the 2004 Buick Classic at Westchester TV show on cable TV. “American Choppers” Country Club. The bike was a 40th birthday airs on Tuesday nights on The Learning Chan- gift from Davis’s wife, Robin, and the image nel (TLC), and the show, now in its fifth year, of the quiet, conservative Love on an OCC has turned the Teutul family into overnight Chopper resulted in a surge in business for the international celebrities and put Orange company. County on the map as Chopper Central. The Another soft-spoken Southerner, Scott Ver- show is chock full of testosterone, pressure and plank, has a customized Chopper of his own. tension, with a heavy helping of father-son And just last year, OCC built two bikes in trib- conflict mixed in. The family team at OCC ute to Byron Nelson for the 2007 EDS Byron yell, curse, and slam tools in their passion to Nelson Classic. One can only imagine the look Despite their recent fame, create art, art that comes in the form of con- on Nelson’s face as he gazes down from heav- Mike (below, right) and his temporary custom motorcycles: Choppers. en, watching the winner of his namesake tour- brother Paul most enjoy OCC delights in building Choppers for nament drive off on a custom-made Chopper, crafting bikes in the shop. celebrities and high-end charity events, often with 11 spokes in the wheels to represent

INTRODUCING PCi TECHNOLOGY FROM WINN. Feel the game like never before with revolutionary Polymer Cord Integration (PCi), our firmest grips ever. Discover an unprecedented combination: the control characteristics of cord grips with the legendary comfort of our trademark polymer grips. Feel the control. Feel the comfort. Feel the new Winn PCi. winngrips.com

Winn, the Winn Brand Symbol, “The best grips in golf ” tagline and model names are registered trademarks.© 2007 Winn, Inc. All rights Reserved 22 THE MET GOLFER • FEBRUARY/MARCH 2008 WWW.MGAGOLF.ORG Lord Byron’s 11 straight victories. favorites, Michael Strahan, at the Murray because if I hit a really bad shot I just drop Pure joy! Brothers Caddyshack Charity Golf Tourna- another one in the fairway near the longest Last year in Orlando, in the ment a couple years ago. That was a thrill.” drive in my group. That happens a lot.” center of the biggest golf show in Speaking of Bill Murray, he also received a It’s incredible stuff, and it’s clear that, just the world — the PGA Merchandise customized Chopper from OCC. as no two Choppers are alike, neither are two Show — there was another OCC Paulie has been using great tools at work Teutuls. Says Mike: “Sure I love the game, but Chopper, this time part of a cus- all his life, so it’s natural to wonder what tools I have different goals than Paulie. When I play tomer promotion for AHEAD Golf he uses on the course. “I’m starting to change I’m only looking for that one great shot in a Apparel. What’s this Chopper madness my bag around. I’m in the market for a new round, when I not only hit it well but it goes all about? three wood so I can try and hit more fair- where I want it to. I think that’s true with every- Jim Keenan, Director of Marketing with ways… the game is a lot easier from the fair- body, most golfers just won’t admit it.” AHEAD, had an interesting reply: “We are ways and I don’t really lose that much We stress again that Paul Sr. isn’t into golf. always trying to do something innovative, distance. I also just switched my irons from He is all business, 24/7. and when I thought about Orange County the Titleist blades that I got from Davis Love Plus, he is more of a mus- Choppers we recognized the symmetries. to the Ping Rapture irons. I find them a lot cle shirt guy, and if you Both our companies take something relative- more forgiving and easier to hit.” don’t allow tank-tops then ly straightforward and in turn become wizards Could it be that Paulie is maturing, and his golf he doesn’t want to play. at customization. It didn’t hurt that our Pres- game evolving along with it? Perish the thought! Behind the handle-bar mus- ident, Ken Swartz, loved bikes also. The reac- Bill Murray met with the Teutuls to pick out a Mikey is the more laid-back of the Teutul tache and dark shades is tion at the show was tremendous.” custom-designed frame for his Chopper. brothers, and not as avid a golfer as his broth- a very supportive dad So now you see how a relatively obscure er. With long curly hair and a quick wit, he who recognizes the outfit in the Hudson Valley foothills can get to improve his game. But that’s not what they provides instant comic relief at almost any whirlwind ride he itself intertwined with golf on a variety of lev- all say at Scotts Corners, where he and his moment, and asking him questions about golf and his family have els. And that’s just fine with Mikey and Paulie, brothers play every Wednesday night and on yields some information that he perhaps been on the last few though perhaps less so with the bombastic weekends. When asked about Paulie’s short should keep to himself if he ever tries to join years. That doesn’t boss, Paul Teutul Sr., who, suffice to say, does game, John DiMartino, who owns and runs a fancy country club. mean he likes it when not share his sons’ addiction to the game. Scotts Corners, says “Well, I’m not sure how “Oh, I have a great set of clubs. Most of they skip out on a gor- On TV the dad and sons all keep their emo- he makes such creative and intricate bikes; his them I got when my Granddad passed away. I geous sunny afternoon to tions pretty close to their thin skin. silky smooth touch doesn’t always show up have a couple eight irons with hickory shafts… hit the links, but still, per- If you could imagine Woody Austin around the greens. I hit one of them pretty good, but I keep for- haps every “typical golfer” attempting to paint a delicate water- You need that kind of thick skin to be a getting which one. I have a ‘real’ wood with a out there has something to color after missing five short putts in a regular at Scotts Corners, which makes it ide- persimmon clubhead. And I also have a great learn from this most untypi- row, then you can get the dynamics of ally suited for the Teutul brothers. Here’s pitching wedge I found on the course and did- cal golf family. ■ this show. You are magnetized by it, but another example, courtesy of DiMartino, who n’t turn in. I still feel a little guilty about that. you don’t know why. shares that Paulie was a good football player I should return it.” Bill Giering won a 2007 International Network of Paulie is like a straight-away par at Valley Central High School in Mont- The stream of consciousness continues: “I Golf Award for Golf Journalism. He writes from his four: what you see is what you get. He gomery: “Now he plays golf like he played always carry about 50 golf balls in my bag home in Menands, N.Y. is a tough kid, a good jock and a bright football. He attacks it, he crushes it. Paulie guy who recognizes that the business gets his money’s worth on every shot, he goes What is a Chopper? started taking off way faster than any- after it. Paulie has a little Happy Gilmore in one imagined. He is a somewhat him. He is like a lot of guys here; they think reluctant TV star who would rather that length is everything, so he is pretty long, he official “American Chopper” a bit further. The bike they designed be playing golf, something we can all but mostly wrong. But he loves the game and website tells us that the for Intel, for example, has a relate to. In fact, there have been sure has a good time playing.” TChopper is created by removing fingerprint recognition starter system some tapings of show segments that That stands to reason. Practice is not what or chopping off unnecessary and an on-board computer that were delayed due to Paulie not being Paulie is all about, and even if it were, he components from the bike. Who displays the vitals of the bike, needs a front fender, big headlights, including oil pressure and speed. back yet from the course. would have trouble finding the time. “Work crash bar, or big seats? Chopping Despite all the gadgets, Choppers They say you can’t judge a rider can really become a zoo some days,” he says. them off makes the bike lighter. are serious machines that demand from his helmet, and you might expect “The business has grown so fast, and none of Handle bars are higher than on talent and guts. When you’re cruising Paulie to be exactly what millions of us were prepared for the attention, the stress traditional bikes, and are thus called down a country road at high speed, viewers see on the TV show. You’d be and the work loads we have today. For me, golf ape hangers. The front tire is small you know that the slightest mistake, wrong. He’s a warm, thoughtful, is all about trying to find some balance in my and the rear tire is fat. This makes for the smallest loss of confidence can a bike style that is unique and turn this day from glory to a disaster. and engaging guy with a self-dep- life. It’s all about the fun and hanging out with tailored to the rider. Maybe golfers and easy riders have recating since of humor, con- my friends and meeting interesting people.” But OCC carries this tailoring quite more similarities than differences. stantly reminding his pals not to His celebrity has allowed him to hang out take themselves too seriously, with some very interesting people indeed. especially on the golf course. “I’m a huge New York Giants fan and I had He says he would really like the privilege to play with one of my all time

24 THE MET GOLFER • FEBRUARY/MARCH 2008 WWW.MGAGOLF.ORG WWW.MGAGOLF.ORG