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Editor's Note

Untitled Page

Why I love golf

It’s the people - from the scratch player to the weekend duffer.

by Brian LichtermanPublished: February, 2012

Golf is a passion of mine. Since the late 1990s, I have played it, worked in the industry and now I am reporting and writing about this grand game in print and online. If you have spent any time around a driving range, putting green or pro shop, you’ll agree that one of the lures of this sport of Hogan, Palmer, Nicklaus, and Woods is the everyday enthusiasts who tee it up. It is indeed a wonderful game that draws and hooks all types. I witnessed them all at the Lake Forest Golf & Practice Center, where I worked for years and where my infatuation with the sport was truly ignited.

There’s the businessman on his lunch break hammering out 100 balls with his dress shirt un-tucked and tie hanging around his 3-iron because he knows it’s not coming out of the bag. There’s the guy desperately trying to interest his girlfriend or wife in the game by hovering over her and teaching her swing mechanics. (Note to anyone contemplating a personal lesson with their significant other – don’t). Then there are the extreme swingers: in-to-out, out-to-in and the overly aggressive. Mix in the reverse-grip guy, the “bobble head doll” and the Elvis Presley-style weight shifter and you have the guidebook on how not to swing a club.

The ones I like best are the parents with their children enjoying a beautiful afternoon, the after school youngsters getting in practice before dinner, and the person who comes to the range with a purpose. He’s there to work on his game and nothing else. He has the determination and focus of a prizefighter about to step into the ring. I always loved watching those players hit balls.

Southern California’s magnificent weather lets us play golf year-round so just about anybody can pick up a golf club and take up the game. Golf isn’t merely about putting a ball in a hole to some of us. To us, it’s life therapy. The game has taught me how to control my emotions in tense and stressful situations – perfect for those high-octane arguments. It’s taught me that you can’t always be perfect, that minimizing mistakes is the best approach – perfect for a writer.

There’s universality to it. Golfers rejoice in a perfect shot and loathe the bad ones, but the beauty is that either way, they come back for more. Whether it’s the cigar-smoking, phone-talking, suit-wearing businessman at the range firing off two buckets in under an hour, or the seasoned veteran working on his short game because he knows that’s where he can make up strokes, we’re all golfers. I can’t wait to meet the people behind those swings in the months ahead as editor of the most widely read and followed golf media brand in Southern California.

Readers Feedback:

Enjoyed your article. Had fun playing with you and John at Black Gold last week. By the way, Al parred #17, the one your friend said he'd give you $100 if you parred it!
Comment at 2/15/2012