GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Legendary rocker Alice Cooper made some new friends on the greens today.
Before his concert at DeVos Performance Hall on Wednesday, Cooper and several members of his band visited the home of the Grand Rapids Community College golf team at Egypt Valley Country Club in Ada.
There, Cooper was joined by GRCC golf coach John Forton, assistant coach Mark Rasmussen, guitarist Ryan Roxie and bass guitar player Chuck Garric.
The crew played only nine holes so Cooper had enough time to prepare for his Wednesday night show, a press release from GRCC said.
Coach Forton says the 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' singer is surprisingly kind.
“He was one of the most sincere, normal guys you want to meet,” Forton said. “I’ve been rocking to this guy for 45 years! I was a little nervous at first and called him ‘Mr. Cooper.’ And he said, ‘Nah, just call me Alice.’ He was joking around and being just one of the guys.”
Cooper, who is from Detroit, is an avid golfer. He told Forton he plays about 300 rounds a year and tries to line up plenty of golf time while the band is on tour.
He credits the sport for helping him overcome his alcohol addiction, writing a book in 2007 called “Alice Cooper, Golf Monster: A Rock ‘n’ Roller’s Life and 12 Steps to Becoming a Golf Addict.”
“He’s a pretty good player, shooting a 39 for the nine holes,” Forton said as he was headed to the concert. “I tried to recruit him for our GRCC team, but he said he’s a little busy right now.”
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