Gerry Dee is a successful actor, writer, interviewer and comedian.

And he’s also one heck of a golfer.

Dee, who created and starred in the successful comedy series Mr. D (it wrapped up after eight seasons in 2018), holds a sparkling 4.2 handicap. He’s competed on the Korn Ferry Tour and the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada, and in the past has played in national amateur and junior events as well.

Dee, who was named the host of Family Feud Canada (it just wrapped up shooting its first season) is staying home like most of us, but still managing to keep his golf game active with his family.

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Gerry spent a few minutes with us to chat about how he got into the game, the most fun he’s had on the course, and who he’d love to tee it up with one day.

How did you get into golf?

I was 12 years old. I was at a buddy’s house, my best friend at the time. He and his older brother were going golfing the next day at Don Valley (in Toronto) and I had hit a ball before… I think my Dad took me to the range when I was three or something, but I called my Dad and he wouldn’t let me go. He was a police officer in Scotland in the 1950’s and 60’s and a boy was murdered on a golf course so he was like, ‘No, no, no, you’re not going there’. I kind of laughed and I said ‘no I’m going.’ It was the first time I talked back to my father and I went and the rest is history. I never looked back. I shot 136 my first round. I probably had 100 mulligans. I cheated as much as I could. I look at my daughter now – who’s the same age – and I got to be a pretty decent golfer, and I see how far ahead she is at her age compared to me.

Don Valley is a municipal course in Toronto – how much did you play there?

I loved that course. I grew up on that course. I golfed there for a couple of years and then I got into Bayview (Golf and Country Club) as a sponsored junior. When I was 14 I got in there and did that until I was 18 and that’s when I started getting good. Even now, I look at my daughter and we can hit balls in the winter! My dad was working… I never got any push from him, I didn’t touch a ball from October until April. I didn’t hit anything! My kids have a much better opportunity. I remember playing 130 rounds a summer at Bayview. We’d play twice a day. I’d walk with these big leather bags and I probably have bad posture because of that (laughs).

Your daughters have had some pretty good inspiration over the last couple of years with the women on the LPGA Tour.

Oh yeah. Nelly (Korda). Brooke (Henderson). Brittany Marchand. They were wonderful. My daughters met them and they left a wonderful impression on them. The Korda sisters… my two daughters admire that these two sisters have made the Tour. They look up to them for that reason. But, Brooke was awesome. They admire all those girls.

What’s in your bag these days?

I’m a Callaway guy. I’m all Callaway. I’m probably looking for more forgiving clubs soon (laughs) I’m hitting these quasi-blades right now. I’ll probably need something a little softer to make things easier.

Out of all the athletes who you interviewed, non-golfers, who was the best golfer of the bunch?

You hear rumours – guys like John-Michael Liles, when I did the Leafs, he apparently was a scratch. Right now it’s Tyler Bozak. I got to play with him a few times when he was with the Leafs and I’ve heard now that he’s like a +2 (handicap). He’s just tearing it up. I saw it in his game, like, there’s a guy who dabbles in golf. He’d be one of the guys. There weren’t a lot that I would look at and say, “that guy is good” because I’m a decent player. Tyler, to me, was a guy that I bet he’s one of the better players in the NHL right now.

You got to play Augusta National in 2013 after winning the Masters media draw. How was that experience?

I went to Augusta when I was with theScore. It was my only time ever going. Bob Weeks (from TSN) had told me about this media thing, so my whole weekend was going up to the desk and asking how it worked. I made sure my name was in. I only had a Wednesday to Friday media pass, so I flew home. I called Sunday morning. We had a newborn then. My one daughter was six, the other was three, and my son was just born. It was a bad time for me. I remember I was in the living room and I phoned Sunday morning and they said I got drawn. I let out this big yell and my wife was like, ‘What now?’ and I said, ‘I’m going back!’ and it was the worst time, with three little kids. I had just been there for three days. She couldn’t wrap her head around it; I don’t think she ever could. It was an argument I was prepared to lose and I didn’t really care, I was like, ‘I’m going’ (laughs). I flew back.

But I hadn’t hit a ball in months… It was April. I found it really short from how close we played it (the members tees at Augusta are just about 6,300 yards). I shot 82, I had a quad on 12 after I hit it into the back bunker and then I couldn’t get it on. I hit it in the water. I putted well; it was the same pin placements as they had (on Sunday). I thought I played well, but I wanted to play from where they played from. It was still awesome.  

If you could play with just one other person where would you play and who would that be?

Cypress Point would probably be next on the bucket list. Cabot, I love, but I can get onto Cabot. With one other person? I love playing with my daughter, but outside the family it might be Jack Nicklaus, because that’s who I grew up idolizing – just to hear his stories. Tiger would be great. I really like Jordan Spieth; I think he really carries himself well. I know he’s struggled a bit of late but the things he does off the course I really admire. Any of those guys. Nelly Korda, Brooke Henderson… it would be fun to share that story with my daughter although they would be pretty angry it was me, not them (laughs). But if I had to pick one, I’d pick Jack.

What’s been the most fun day you’ve had on a golf course? 

The most fun for me is when I’m competing. The most fun for me is when they had that Wayne Gretzky Korn Ferry Tour event (the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic presented by Samsung was contested on the then-Nationwide Tour from 2008 to 2010 in Muskoka, Ont.). I got to play with two PGA Tour-level guys. They both were the two greatest players I’ve ever played with in a tournament that I was trying to compete in too. That was the most fun I had… waking up and feeling like I was part of it. The Mackenzie Tour event (Dee got to play as a sponsor exemption at the 2019 The Osprey Valley Open presented by Votorantim Cimentos – CBM Aggregates) was awesome, but there was a lot of pressure I felt. The Gretzky event, I had a chance to win a car (Dee was in second place with Blake Adams going into the final round in 2009). It was a four-round event. There were galleries. It was probably the most fun, but, anytime I can compete and I have a chance to win… I love it.