With golf season in full swing, I thought it would be a good time to touch on something close to home. Joseph McDavid Miller was a young professional golfer from our area who passed away in his sleep on March 18, 2015. David’s golf achievements were quite impressive before he succumbed to an inherited disease called Myotonic Dystrophy at age 36.

Myotonic Dystrophy is a genetic, multi-symptom disorder causing progressive muscle wasting and the inability to relax muscles. It is the most common adult-onset muscular dystrophy, for which there is no cure, so treatments focus on managing symptoms. The disease is a genetic mutation inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern, meaning a child has a 50% chance of inheriting the disease from one affected parent.

David was the youngest child of Peggy and Pokey Miller of Daphne. Pokey, so named because he was late on arrival at birth, was an avid golfer and tried to encourage each of his four children to pick up the sport. He finally struck gold with the youngest, David. Visiting with our close friend and David’s sister, Jeanie Miller, she told me that David played on Bayside Academy’s Junior Varsity team before transferring to UMS in Mobile to play varsity golf in high school. “So I transferred, too. I was his ride to school.”

“This was Dad’s decision. Dad played golf one year at Georgia Tech when he was in college, and could see that David had potential. Eddie Holmes was the golf coach at U.M.S. and really helped David become a competitive golfer.” Jeanie says David was her baby brother, and she likened him to “my doll” when he was born. She also tells me that Myotonic Dystrophy resides on her father’s side of the family, and was first diagnosed in her aunt and two cousins in 2013.

David’s career at UMS resulted in four consecutive high school state championships before earning All-SEC honors three times at the University of Georgia, and All-American recognition twice. In 2001, he was one of five All-Americans on the Georgia team, and that didn’t even include their sixth man, two-time Masters Champion, Bubba Watson. 

Watson, who grew up in the Pensacola area, played golf at what was then Faulkner State Community College before transferring to Georgia. He withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill to attend David’s funeral in Fairhope. 

“I am sad to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational,” he said in a statement. “A close childhood friend of mine passed away unexpectedly last night. My thoughts and prayers are with his young family at this sad time. I have chosen to withdraw so I can attend the funeral and pay respects to my friend and his family.”

Jeanie recalls how meticulous David was with his clubs and how disciplined and dedicated he was about the game. “He would take his clubs into the bathroom after playing and clean them with a toothbrush. One time, I asked if I could borrow them. He said, ‘Sure,’ and cleaned them up for me. When I brought the clubs home, he asked, “How were my clubs?” I said, “They really dig up the dirt!” He told me, “You will never use my clubs again.”

Jeanie tells me that David was a man of few words. “He was authentic. I don’t know anyone like him. He only said what he needed to say, never more, and never talked badly about anyone.” She goes on, “He was a natural. I feel like golf is a meticulous game, and his approach to golf was meticulous.”

Marian Miller, David’s older sister by ten years, tells the story that at their annual Bayside Academy end-of- the-year party, when she was 13, the class went to Wet Lightning, an amusement park in Gulf Shores. Her mother, Peggy, was one of the chaperones and brought David along. He was 3 years old at the time. “All my friends loved David. We played putt-putt, and Dave joined in. The putter was taller than he was, and he was wearing a little suit that boys wear and beat us all. We all told Mom, "David is really good!”

Referring to David’s fastidiousness, she remembers when she came home from college, and he asked Marian if he could detail her car. He spent hours cleaning and polishing, and it was sparkling when he was done. Being perfect was an obsession. “He was such a positive guy, and loved by everyone,” she continues.

Austin Hynson, who was a teammate and close friend of David’s at UMS, says he was the ideal teammate. “He always wanted to be the best and be the man, but he always wanted to be the best for his teammates. The thing that really separated David from everyone else was his passion and work ethic for the game of golf. That’s what made him so good.”

Like many parents, Pokey Miller lived vicariously through David. He followed his son closely and “Whatever David needed, Dad made it happen,” says Jeanie. When college coaches came to recruit David, including UNLV among them, David chose Georgia. “He was a local hero. He tied the course record at Lakewood Golf Club. John Ricciatti, an avid local golfer and family friend who was close to David, saw the player who previously held the low score course record and told him, “Hey, David tied your record, and he hits from the tips!” 

In 1997, David was the first recruit for Georgia Golf Coach Chris Haack. “David was the consummate teammate and friend. Our program is where it is today because guys like David bought into what we wanted to do and helped lay a strong foundation.” Bubba Watson donated the funds to name the golf equipment room at Georgia in memory of David. “They call it the 'Fix-It' room because David was obsessed with his equipment,” says Jeanie.

The David Miller Award at UMS was established to remember David and recognize a member of the UMS Boys Varsity Golf Team who displays the same competitive nature and unwavering team spirit that made David a championship-caliber golfer and a loyal, supportive teammate. After leading his high school and college teams to become powerhouses, he played professionally on the Hooter’s Tour, but eventually chose to leave professional golf to dedicate himself to being a father and husband.

Truth be told, Myotonic Dystrophy had begun to appear, affecting David’s ability to compete at the highest level. At age 36, David passed away in his sleep. The David Miller Memorial Scholarship was established in 2017, and every February, a tournament is held to remember David and to raise funds for the scholarship. 

“Dad was asked to help establish the scholarship that is awarded for one year each. When it first started, Bubba asked Coach Haack to play. David was the only one Coach Haack would allow to use the torch in the equipment room. “Heck yeah, I’ll play,” he told Bubba. 

Several of David’s former teammates and other close friends of the family play in the tournament each year. The tournament has been played at both the Lakewood Golf Club in Pt. Clear, and Magnolia Grove in Mobile. If you would like to contribute to the David Miller Memorial Scholarship Fund, you can do so here: (link).

Thank you Jeanie, mom Peggy, sister Marian, and brother Shaw for letting us remember and honor a local legend who left us way too soon.