Episode 136: Erik Compton - Inspiration to All

Mill House Podcast

Mill House

Wilderness, Sports, Leisure, Education, Hobbies

5 • 973 Ratings

🗓️ 9 April 2025

⏱️ 74 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Erik Compton is truly an extraordinary individual and a dear friend! Diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy at just 9 years old, a condition that weakens the heart muscle and impairs its ability to pump effectively, Erik’s journey has been one of incredible resilience. This condition led him to undergo two heart transplants—one at the age of 12 and another at 29. Yet, despite these challenges, Erik has spent 24 years playing professional golf. He’s competed in six major tournaments, even finishing second in the 2014 U.S. Open. In 2009, during the Masters, Erik was honored with the prestigious Ben Hogan Award, which is given each year to a golfer who has overcome a significant illness or physical challenge. As a long-time golf fan, I followed Erik’s career for years before finally meeting him on a driving range—a truly lucky day for me! We hit it off immediately, bonding over our shared love for golf and fishing. Despite his heart condition, Erik’s zest for life is infectious. His eyes light up when he talks about catching a big snook or that giant tarpon we landed together, or when he shares stories about his daughter Petra and her impressive golf skills. For years, we’ve been trying to get an interview with Erik, and we’re thrilled to finally have him with us. Here he is, Erik Compton—an absolute hero!

Transcript

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0:00.0	Starting from a 90-year-old family recipe, wickles are wickedly delicious pickles packed with garlic and peppers, a staple in our skiff in all shoreline lunches.
0:12.7	Originating from Sim's grandmother's kitchen to a pantry near yours.
0:17.1	From pickles, okra, relishes, and spreads, check them out to elevate all of your meals to the next level.
0:29.4	Whether on the boat, on the river, or in the woods, Yeti products are by our side.
0:35.6	There are many innovative first-class companies in the outdoor market today, but none more so than Yeti.
0:42.3	In 2006, they took the industry by storm, when they produced their first rotomolded cooler that was reliable and built for the wild.
0:51.3	17 years later, with a multitude of new products, they continue to raise the bar and be the
0:57.7	gold standard for all outdoor brands.
1:00.8	We couldn't be more proud to have them as a millhouse sponsor and a family member.
1:10.8	We broke everything. We broke lines. We broke hooks. We broke everything, we broke lines, we broke hooks, we broke rods, we broke our minds, we broke
1:18.8	marriages, we broke the whole thing. We came up with the idea of going out that night and chasing
1:26.2	girls and whoever had the biggest pair of peonies went to pot.
1:30.0	I knocked another arrow, and he turned around the other way,
1:32.6	and I shot him going through the other way, so I double lunged them both ways.
1:36.9	But it was nothing for us to paddle an air mattress out into government cut.
1:41.8	I got him on. All right, now.
1:45.4	We're going to teach him a lot.
1:48.7	I'm just an old guy that likes to fish.
1:49.7	I'm not quitting yet.
1:53.8	And he said, well, who the hell do you think you are, Sue App?
1:56.4	And I said, that's exactly who I am.
2:02.8	Life's journey to the grave should not be one arriving with a pretty well-preserved body, but rather skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly torn out, thoroughly used up, proclaiming wildly.
	...

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