Seattle Mariner broadcaster Brad Adam enjoys his time on the golf course

By Steve Turcotte, Editor Inside Golf
After seeing Brad Adam in action on the golf course and in front of the camera, all I can say is the guy has more patience than I would have. On the course, a bad shot doesn’t rattle him. In front of the camera, high in his centerfield seat for ROOT Sports, Adam is the consummate pro, delivering a solid pre and post game show for the Seattle Mariners, despite heckling from the drunken fans sitting nearby.

In fact, he has the same philosophy for both. “I just pretend not to hear them and pretend I didn’t hit a bad shot,” said Adam. “Usually it works.”

The 44-year-old Adam has one of those faces that sports fans in the Pacific Northwest know. He has handled the pre and post game shows for the Seattle Mariners for years. He joined ROOT Sports, the home of the Mariners, in 2000 and has handled everything from Mariners to high school football to college football. With ROOT Sports beaming across the Pacific Northwest reaching in Alaska, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, Adam has become a familiar face and voice with the Seattle Mariners.

But there was a time when it was a tough job. Baseball fans remember those days. Seattle Mariners wins were few and far between. The team was out of the playoff race in July. That is not the case this year. The 2014 season has been a terrific ride for the team – and for Adam. “It’s great to have meaningful baseball in September,” said Adam. “There were some tough seasons. Some long years. Sometimes you struggled on what to talk about. But this year has been special. It’s a great group of guys and winning always helps.”

Adam admits his timing was lucky when he joined ROOT Sports (then called Fox Sports Northwest) in 2000. The next year the Mariners went on their magical run winning a record 116 games. And the next couple of years were good as well. “I thought that’s the way baseball was around here – sellout crowds and lots of wins,” Adam. “Guess I was wrong.”

Adam is one of those guys who knows of what he speaks. He grew up an athlete having played college basketball and he picked up golf at an early age when his dad would take him to the course the family lived on. He tried to make the high school golf team, but basketball conflicted with the schedule and the coach said he would have to play JV as a senior. He passed.
But he has stuck with the golf. And he has become a solid player. He carries a five handicap and once shot a 71 – his best round.

During a round at Twin Lakes Golf and Country Club in Federal Way, Adam flashed some solid game. He missed one fairway, showed some length off the tee and recovered at time from bad shots. He shot an 80 that should have been lower, missing some short birdie putts.

His swing is shorter than it used to be. “Bad back and getting old,” he cracked. But it’s more accurate and still fairly long. His wife Heidi and kids Halle (9), Haiden (7) and Hutton (6) are all sports types and Halle is slowly getting into golf he said.

What also makes golf fun for Adam is being connected with the Seattle Mariners. Many of the players and manager Lloyd McClendon play golf. They will tee it up on an off day at home and regularly take their sticks on road trips.

Adam said McClendon is a good player and on off days likes to tee it up. In fact during a road trip to Texas this year, Adam said about 20 members of the team got together for a skins game at Las Colinas, home of the Byron Nelson tournament and played the course the way the pros did. Adam shot 79, didn’t win a dime but said he knows how good the pros after seeing where they hit it during the tournament.

Adam has done some stories with former Seattle Mariners players. He played with Ken Griffey Jr. at his home course in Orlando. He did a story with Felix Hernandez and former Mariner pitcher Erik Bedard and Jason Vargas. And he played a round with Ichiro. But the best player he teed it up with may have been former Mariner pitcher Joe Saunders. “He had game,” said Adam. “Probably the best baseball player I’ve played a round of golf with.”

During a round with Hernandez at Overlake, Adam said The King might not have had much game but liked playing golf so much he joined the club on the spot.

“He might bring 24 balls to the course and lose them all, but he loves the game,” Adam said of Hernandez.