The golf craze: health and networking benefits attract more than a million players - Health & Fitness

Ebony, July, 2003 by Margaret Williams

IT'S a craze. It's a sensation. In some cases, it's an obsession, Whatever it is, golf is sweeping Black America off its feet.

No major social gathering is complete without a golf outing.

No major convention is complete without a golf tournament. And some major weddings schedule prenuptial tee-off times for the bride and groom and their guests.

Interestingly and surprisingly, certain NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball stars spend almostas much time on the golf course as on the playing field. Some, in fact make contract decisions based on the golf facilities of competing cities. NBA superstar Jason Kidd, who will be a free agent this summer, told Golf Digest that he would not rule out golf as a factor in his decision about where to play next season.

The same or even greater passion is found in Hollywood, where some movie stars put into their contracts that location sites must provide easy access to major golf courses. There are even stars like Johnny Mathis, who spend more time on the golf course than on their night jobs.

"It's pretty much a daily routine for me," Mathis told the Chicago Sun-Times. "I'm finally at the point where I can work it out financially, golf-wise," he said, laughing.

Traditionally known as "the White man's game," despite the fact that a Black man, Dr. George Grant, invented the golf tee, golf is increasingly becoming less male and less White, in part because of the Tiger Woods phenomenon, in part because of networking possibilities, in part because it is a fun way to stay in shape.

Experts say that golfers who walk 18 holes once or twice a week improve their health, and golf is the game of choice for a number of African-American physicians and health care professionals. "Usually when I walk and play a round" teaching pro Marvin Childress says, "I lose about four pounds."

According to the National Golf Foundation, 10 percent or 2.4 million of today's golfers are minorities, and nearly 1 million are Black, representing an 18.7 percent increase from 1995 to 2001.

Apart from the fact that the game is fun and challenging, some Blacks are turning to it for more practical reasons, particularly because golf provides a great deal of access and networking opportunities that are not always readily available in the boardroom.

Jeffrey Pina, now a senior vice president of Nova Chemicals in Pittsburgh, learned this the hard way when he was invited to play golf with his boss and had to turn him down because he didn't know how to play. Pina made sure that never happened again. After a crash course, he hit the links and discovered the real world. "I saw how business was conducted on golf courses. I saw how relationships and trusts were built." What surprised him was how much business is conducted on the course. "The account executives delivered all the news they needed to deliver instead of having a business meeting, and it was done in an environment that was more cordial and far more supportive, because you're playing a game as well as conducting business."

Renee Powell, a PGA professional at Clearview Golf Club in East Canton, Ohio, the first course completely designed and built by a Black, her father, William Powell, says "It's not so much that business deals are made on the golf course but that it's one of the best places for bonding. Once you're on a golf course for four or five hours and not panting and running like in other' sports, you have time to and talk business."

Black women are among the most passionate supporters of the game. John David, president and founder of the Multicultural Golf Association of America, says, "There is a tremendous request from females to get involved in this sport and to learn the game and its attributes and how it can empower them."

The game is increasingly becoming "the predominant form of recreation" at the annual meetings and national conventions of major Black organizations. From the Jackie Robinson Foundation to the United Negro College Fund, golf is the activity of choice for participants. If you're not participating, participants say, you're missing out on "a wealth of networking possibilities. And if you don't know how to play, you should take some lessons."

But you shouldn't feel any pressure to become the next Tiger Woods. Barbara Douglas, president of the National Minority Golf Foundation, says, "You don't have to be a good golfer to participate. You need a good understanding of the game and the etiquette of the game."

Another golf plus, according to Delbert Cook, publisher of the African-American Golfers Digest, is that the game gives you a personal edge. Since golf is such an expensive sport to play--the average golfer spends $700 a month--golf can act as a major personal selling point. There is, moreover, a fraternity or sorority of golfers and once you meet another golfer--a client or CEO or potential date you have an instant rapport. Although corporate executives and celebrities spend relatively large amounts of money on club fees-and green fees, many golfers spend relatively modest amounts playing municipal courses.