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 British Open Champion Darren Clarke and friend. (photo: Mark Susson) When cigar mania reached its apogee in the 1990s, stogie lovers found camaraderie and contentment, at a price, at black-tie cigar dinners and in the clubby leather-covered back rooms of exclusive cigar lounges. Cigars became imbued with an almost magical cachet and, largely because of shrewd marketing and the emergence of thick, glossy magazines devoted to cigars and the good life they supposedly represented, newly minted smokers stampeded to their local tobacconists and filled their humidors to bursting with $20-a-stick Havana knockoffs. The tuxedoed dinner guests and the lounge sophisticates discovered, however, that when they inevitably emerged into the outside world, the outside world had little tolerance for their pastime. Anti-smoking crusaders recognized little or no difference between huffing unfiltered Camels by the carton and gently drawing on the occasional Macanudo. The result was ostracization so severe that cigar smokers were barred from lighting up at baseball parks, football stadiums and even beaches. The number of true believers dwindled. But there was, and is, still one place where a guy (and an occasional gal) could go to light up in peace, far from the madding crowd: the golf course. Today, on any weekend, on courses that range from the superb to the scroungy, golfing smokers (or, if you like, smoking golfers) continue blissfully to puff away between shots. That’s not to say that there’s an inversion layer of expensive smoke hovering over every muni and country club in the land. The dilettantes and faddists of the ‘90s have mostly moved on to other acquisitive pursuits, leaving a nice selection of cigars reposing in the humidors of the tobacconists who managed to stay the course after the frenzy died. The smokers on the course today likely have been devotees of fine cigars for years and have been forced by legislation, popular convention or just plain scorn to confine their indulgence to one of the most open of open-air places. For them, golfing means an opportunity to pack a couple of precious Churchills in the bag and combine two of their favorite pursuits. Their numbers are difficult to quantify but, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2009 nearly one adult American man in 10 and about one in 50 women regularly smoked cigars. It’s a pretty safe bet to say those numbers are multiplied several times on the golf course. Touring pros who smoke cigars are fewer in number, making those who do indulge that much more conspicuous. The first PGA touring pro to be indelibly associated with cigar smoking was Charlie Sifford, the PGA Tour’s first African American player, who was seldom seen on the course without one of his favorite sticks. Perhaps the best remembered smoking pro of the last quarter century is Larry Laoretti, who won the 1992 U.S. Senior Open trailing clouds of smoke from his ubiquitous Te-Amo, of which he smoked as many as 10 a day. (The Altadis Cigar Co., which makes Te-Amos, sponsored Laoretti and provided him with 4,000 of the big cigars each year.) Other players who light up occasionally or regularly include Miguel Angel Jimenez, Nick Price, Hubert Green, Davis Love III and Rocco Mediate. The latest poster boy for puffing players is the current British Open champion Darren Clarke (above), who, it seems, is seldom photographed on the links without a hefty stogie clamped in his teeth. Merchandising feeds this mini-mania. It takes only one visit to the local golf emporium, or a quick scan of websites that sell golfing accessories, to discover that a significant number of the featured gadgets involve cigars—storing them, protecting them, humidifying them, cutting them, lighting them, keeping them handy and keeping them out of the way. The essentials: The cigars. What to smoke? Anything you want. Remember, however, that you’re going to be lighting up on the golf course and not in an overstuffed leather wingback chair in the clubhouse. Yes, you can fire up that Cohiba Esplendido your buddy smuggled in from London that cost more than anything ought to cost that you’re going to set fire to, but a cigar like that deserves your undivided attention. So—because you can pretty much count on your game to distract you—why not opt for something a bit less grand? And if you’re a true lover of the leaf, bring two, one for each side. The container. Your beautifully polished birds-eye maple tabletop humidor in the den should stay there. You can still keep your cigars properly hydrated and protected with a travel humidor. These handy items, which are fitted with a small humidifying element, usually are a little larger than a paperback book and often can hold several cigars. They can be made of anything from plastic to luggage-grade aluminum. Only bringing one or two cigars to the course? Individual cigar tubes are available, as are stylish leather cigar cases. The humidors and tubes generally are fairly inexpensive (single tubes go for about $15; small humidors usually cost a few dollars more) but, depending on the maker and the craftsmanship, the leather cases can cost as much as a new driver. The cutter. Cheap cigars already have a hole in the non-burning end, and the less said about them the better. Worthy cigars require you to snip the end off in order to draw the smoke properly. The most popular method involves a cutter—commonly a one- or two-blade guillotine style. It should be sharp enough to make a clean cut without mangling the wrapper, or outer layer, of the cigar. Cigar punches also are available; they cut a round hole in the end of the cigar. Serviceable cutters and punches usually cost only a few dollars. The flame. Many cigar lovers swear by simple wooden stick matches. Wind, however, thwarts them. The ol’ Zippo will do the job, but it’s a slow and somewhat uneven process if there’s a breeze. The best bet: a butane “torch” lighter. These powerful little devices concentrate a very hot, very steady and directed blue flame and can light a cigar properly in seconds. A durable and reliable one can be had for around $50. When you’re not actively smoking. The market is awash in gadgets that are, essentially, nothing more than a place to park your cigar while you’re occupied with the physical aspects of golf. They snap on, clip on, stick on or stick in everything from your golf cart to your golf bag to the ground. There’s even a telescoping cigar stand called TUGA (it stands for The Ultimate Golf Accessory) that doubles as a club stand and a ball retriever. The idea that drives all this invention has to do with fastidiousness—keeping the cigar pristine and, above all, off the grass, where it can get soggy or be tainted with fertilizer and chemicals. What about breaking out a celebratory cigar at the 19th hole? Sorry, smokers, but if you light up in a clubhouse bar in California, you’re legally persona non grata. Either the cigar goes out or you do. Which is a pretty decent excuse to play another 18. |
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RSS SubscribeReaders Feedback:
I find that a big puff of cigar smoke while I am putting or hitting a shot is disgusting. And, the smokers who treat the course as their own personal ashtray
are also disgusting and inconsiderate.
| Comment at 11/3/2011 |
Cigars I can tolerate, even enjoy one myself from time to time. Women's perfumes and some men's aftershaves are another story altogether. Some women leave a trail behind them you can smell even if they're two holes ahead of you.
| Comment at 11/3/2011 |
Guys smoke cigars at the driving range, 0n putting greens or on the course either because they think they are MJ, their wives won't let them do it at home or because they are totally inconsiderate of others.
| Comment at 11/3/2011 |
The golf course is the last area not yet affected by rules and regs on tobacco or alcohol. Why do facists want to guide others to better habits according to their own likes or dislikes? You don't want me to enjoy my round of golf?? Don't play with me! I may not like your little idiotsyncrasys.
| Comment at 11/4/2011 |
