He has been described as colorful, entertaining, and a bit outrageous. His personality and popularity transcend his record as a player, which includes seven PGA Tour victories and two Champions Tour major championships spanning three decades. When you talk to Peter Jacobsen, you don’t think about the 65 that he shot in ’95 to hold off a young David Duval and win the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Or that he won the Buick Invitational the next week.

What stands out most is Jacobsen’s place as an ambassador for the game of golf. As an entertainer and storyteller, he conveys a deep passion not only for golf but also for life, family, and fun. Jacobsen and fellow golfers Mark Lye and the late Payne Stewart played as Jake Trout and the Flounders, a rock ’n’ roll band that entertained at pro-am parties and cut a few albums in the late ’80s and ’90s. Jacobsen’s voice is heard on the popular video game Golden Tee, and he has hosted shows on the Golf Channel.

Jacobsen has parlayed his playing success and popularity into Peter Jacobsen Sports. For 20 years, PJS has marketed and produced major golf events including the CVS Charity Classic and the JELD-WEN Tradition, a major event on the Champions Tour. I caught up with him the day after he competed in his 29th Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

1. After 30 years of pro golf, what’s the biggest change you’ve seen in the game?
That’s easy — the explosion in its popularity. When we first came out on Tour, it was popular thanks to Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, and all the great players of that time. But back in those days it was basically the player, a caddy, and some ropes. There may have been a couple of concession stands at the turn. Now it has exploded to the point that we have corporate sponsors in sky suites, spectator mounds, and all kinds of hospitality with parties and other events. And I think that’s going to grow even larger.

2. And Peter Jacobsen Sports has been at the forefront of that growth as well.
We are growing, too, in our scope. We started out in events management. Now we also do marketing. We go in before events and facilitate relationships with corporations. We’ve managed players in the past, and we may be growing in that area. Really I just love the game and every aspect of professional golf. When you think that each city that has a tournament is its own 501(c)(3) organization and the dollars that they are able to generate for charity, it’s just amazing. PJS is a great vehicle, and I enjoy being a part of that.

3. Isn’t it unusual for a pro player to start a business that’s essentially another full-time job?
I like being involved in all aspects of the game. I started out as a caddy for my dad and his friends. Later I worked on grounds crews with my brother. We knew how to run all the turf equipment. I play professionally and now I’m involved in the event marketing and planning end of it. For me it has been an all-encompassing life inside the game of golf.

4. Looking back, what are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of getting my Tour card and that I’ve played for over thirty years. Coming out of Portland, Oregon, that doesn’t happen often compared to the volume of players from Florida, Arizona, and other warm-weather places. And then I’m proud of the fact that I competed at the highest level and was able to win several tournaments.

5. How much of the game is entertainment, and what can be done now to enhance the entertainment aspect?
We’ve always had great entertainers in the game. From the obvious ones like Fuzzy and Chi Chi and Lee Trevino to the performance entertainers like Tiger and Jack Nicklaus. Certainly Ben Hogan and Tom Watson fall into that category as well. The latter group are the players who staged great comebacks and won frequently in dramatic fashion. In the previous category though, the pure entertainers were all great players, but their popularity was more defined by their personalities. What we need to remember is that golf is entertainment. We compete with everything — the ballet, movies, football, basketball, and hockey. Players need to remember that we have to entertain through our performances and our personalities. Each player has to find that balance.

6. Can the Tour help in that regard?
Sure. We throw these younger players out into pro-ams on Mondays and Wednesdays, and we expect them to know how to entertain CEOs and sponsors. For a twenty-five or even thirty-year-old, it can be pretty daunting to be thrown into a foursome with these guys who are running big corporations. We need to do a little better job of teaching these young players how to handle themselves, because those relationships are what keep the Tour going.

7. What kind of advice do you offer young players?
When you get to the Tour, the easiest part of your career is playing from the first tee to the eighteenth green. Playing the game is what they know. It’s what they do best, and that’s why they’re out on the Tour. The hard part comes after they leave the eighteenth green until tee-off the next day. I implore them to try to make the right choices and know how to handle themselves. The other thing that I tell them is that when they meet sponsors, fans, or whoever, treat each one as if they’ll be a potential father-in-law or mother-in-law. When you’re meeting the parents while you’re dating, you’re always on your best behavior. That’s how they need to treat everyone when they’re in public.

8. What’s the hardest part about maintaining personal relationships while playing pro golf?
My family is very important to me, and they know that. I received some great advice when I first came out on tour. Bruce Cudd, from Portland, who played on a Walker Cup Team, said, “Remember, be sure you get the game, don’t let the game get you.” We all know people who the game has gotten the better of and destroyed them. What that advice taught me was that my game was not me as a person. I never let it get me, and closeness to my family constantly reminds me why.

9. Finally, what are you going to be when you “grow up”?
You can’t avoid getting older, but you can certainly avoid growing up. That’s a philosophy I adhere to.

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John Maginnes is a former PGA Tour player. He currently covers live Tour events for XM Radio.