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Pipe Dream

fossil123 said:
The only thing I took from the entire season of this show is that at least my golf swing doesn't look anything like the swing from the psychologist lol.

I unfortunatley stuck through the whole season and I am still left with many lingering thoughts. I must preface this with saying I am not poking fun at the homeless, more of the way the show tried to portray this guy as being homeless:


1. For a guy that has so many golfing buddies from various leagues around the world, the only person he could get to help him out is a starving artist.

2. He says the reason he was homeless is because he was falsly accused. The cops made him leave the girlfriend's residence right away and he has been homeless ever since. So let me get this straight....................the cops ask you to leave and the only two things you manage to take with you are your golf clubs AND a 10 speed bicycle.

3. If you had played golf all your life and that is all you knew how to do, wouldn't being a golf instructor or working at a golf course be the FIRST thing that came to mind when you had no money? It took him almost 5 or 6 episodes to come to this revelation.

4. (this is more funny than a lingering question) During the 2nd or 3rd episode he went to the dog groomer's to get his hair cut to save money. Then 10 minutes later it shows one of his homeless shelter friends and he said he got his hair cut for FREE at the haircut school down the street. WTF? Wouldn't you think to go there first instead of Pet Smart?

5. How did he manage to have high quality hats (that changed throughout the show) if he was living in a pipe? Did he have a separate pipe just for his golf attire?

6. At one point he was considering hiring one of his homeless friends as his caddie. Then all the sudden that friend has some issues pop up and we never hear from him again EXCEPT when Mark goes to his trailer to talk to him. So, is he homeless and living in a shelter or is he living in the trailer?

7. During the episode where he fired his golfing buddy as his caddie, Mark said he invited the friend out to dinner afterwards to discuss the situation......and how exactly did he pay for that expensive meal? Or did he make the friend foot the bill afterwards. And on that note, how the hell could he even contemplate firing the friend after that guy drove him 5 or 6 hours upstate in his own truck so that Mark could attempt to qualify for Q-school.

8. During the episode where he played the pro golfer for $5,000 and LOST, the golfing friends conveniently give him $2,500 anyway.

9. Mark decides he wants to travel the country and chase the tour for which he needs a motor home. He looks in the want ads and all of the motor homes are priced way too high. EXCEPT, it conveniently works out that the previous homeower has one that he wants to sell. When the bargaining takes place, the owner says he is looking for $7,000 but Mark says he only has $5,000. There must have been some serious arm wringing going on behind the scenes because the next thing you know, Mark is driving the thing away for $5,000 and only having to pay half up front.

10. Number 9 leads me to the next point of how the hec can Mark afford to travel with the motor home. Just the initial costs alone would bankrupt him: Gas, insurance, food for the road. Oh and lets not forget entry fees into all of the tournys he's entering.

11. I have mentioned this in a previous post but a) if the show is paying him, where is that money? Did GC say we'll pay you X amount but you can't have it until after the show and in the meantime, have fun in the pipes?

12. Finally, how does it end? Just showing this guy driving off in the sunset isn't good enough. I need to see how he actually plays in the tournys.

To summarize, I am mad because I got sucked into this show at the beginning and it was all a manufactured story. This guy was a 50 something guy that has ridden the coat tails of other people his whole life. He was convicted of terroristic threats against his girlfriend and quite frankly isn't good enough to make the tour. For people that are truly homeless, getting a job and surviving are the top priorities. Yet Mark was only concerned with his hooks and slices (and getting a reality show).
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The guy on the show (Mark) is a real shady character. He came in to the store I work at and bought a pair of pants for an interview he had with the golf channel that day as well as to play a round of golf in on the show. The very next day he returned the pants he had bought the day before and exchanged them for a new pair. It is the stores policy but some real shady stuff going on. He also wanted us to give him free merchandise and said he would "represent" us. What a joke! We would not benefit from it one bit other than giving him free stuff.
 
Bourne2103 said:
The guy on the show (Mark) is a real shady character. He came in to the store I work at and bought a pair of pants for an interview he had with the golf channel that day as well as to play a round of golf in on the show. The very next day he returned the pants he had bought the day before and exchanged them for a new pair. It is the stores policy but some real shady stuff going on. He also wanted us to give him free merchandise and said he would "represent" us. What a joke! We would not benefit from it one bit other than giving him free stuff.
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When the show was on I actually went to the GC forums and you would not believe the things people were saying about him. There were several posts defending Mark but they were all misspelled and had bad language in them. Based on Mark's use of languange on the golf course and on the show, there was a sneaking suspicion that it was actually Mark defending himself lol.

I can't say for sure but I thought it was humorous.

There were several reports from people very similiar to this though. About how he would get stuff and return it, how he would treat people badly etc.

I'm just glad its over. But I will keep my eyes open to see if he's made it to the Master's yet :D
 
i was sucked in too, i wish i had the friends he had, and if i did, i would certainly treat them alot better!!! what a tool!!
 
So I just realized that Mark Burke is right down the bar from me. I'm in Vegas (Henderson) for work, staying at Green Valley Ranch Hotel & Casino (actually to my surprise a gorgeous resort off the strip). I'm here with some colleagues at a bar near the pool & hotel lobby.

He's wearing his bluetooth headset (perhpas the one his buddy gave him?) yet talking to other bar patrons so I don't think he's on the phone.

What do you guys think of people wearing Bluetooths in public? Personally I want to grab it off their ear, set it up on a Zero Friction Tee and blast it into smithereens with my brand new SuperFast 2.0.

Should I tell him how I feel about his Bluetooth?
 
I'm glad its over, I saw a few episodes in rerun. I did not see him "fire" his caddy, but I agree, how do you fire someone who has given you so much time and spent their own money to help you out. What a tool!!!!
 
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