Golf and Fishing - Yin and Yang?

I have to ask all of you golf enthusiasts…. How many of you are also keen to wet a line?  In all of my travels and years in the golf industry, perhaps one of the most surprising facts I have noticed are the masses who seem to have a mutual spirited admiration for both sports.  What’s more is the amazing connection that those in the golf industry seem to share with fishing.

I have done a little research to attempt to identify the connection:

1. Both are outdoor activities
2. Both can be enjoyed either alone or with partners
3. Both require a great deal of patience and mental fortitude
4. Both require an understanding of strategy in order to be consistently successful
5. Both can be enjoyed just about anywhere in the world
6. Both can be passed on to your children, and to theirs
7. Both are opportunities for unforgettable camaraderie and memory making
8. Both are typically enjoyed in remarkably beautiful settings
9. Both are great releases of tension and anxiety
10. Both require smooth swings/casting motions
11. Both can be enjoyed in small slots of time if you are creative
12. Golf courses have ponds and lakes with some of the best, untouched fishing
13. Our wives prefer that we do neither of them!

I’m sure I’m missing a few more, but you get the point.  In fact, I confess to being a recovering golf-a-holic who also happens to be a golf course architect.  It is also very true that I enjoy a great day on the water as a departure.  For years, I have been a closet bass fishing fanatic, and have even gone so far as to fish in regular tournaments.  I am consumed at times with tackle and gear and finding the latest hot spots.  I absolutely love it.  My secret ambition (outside of my architectural pursuits) is to operate a bait shack and lunch counter where I can listen to all the B.S. that comes in and out each day! Is this the same as wanting to be a starter?!

The truth is…. nearly all of my fellow fishing friends are also rather passionate about golf.  Everywhere I go and work, I seem to find the golf business teeming with people who also share the same passions – golf and fishing.  It is rare to work with a golf course superintendent who does not fancy himself as a part-time fishing guide!  Can you imagine the scenario: “It’s been a hot and grinding week… up to my neck in member complaints about slow greens….gotta get outa here for a few hours. Hey pal, can you meet me at the ramp tomorrow morning?”  It happens A LOT!  I guess it has something to do with our love and appreciation of nature and the outdoors… the solitude… camaraderie…or drinking a few beers?!

The great thing about the fishing connection is how much tighter it seems to bring us all in our working relationships, and the same can be said of golf.  How many business relationships are ignited on the golf course?  We work very hard on the golf courses – it is our greatest passion.  But when we really want a break and want to blow off some steam together, we go running to hook up the boat.  Author Chris Santella has chimed in with books about his two passions, golf and fly-fishing and has gone so far as writing articles and books about his pursuits, including the “Fifty Places to Golf/Fly Fish Before You Die” series.

While growing up as a teenager in Illinois, I recall the great daily double with my pals was 36 holes of golf followed by fishing until dark – and of course it was acceptable to reverse that order on a given day! It just so happens that some of my most memorable fishing trips have been with fellow golf people.  So, today I look forward to each new project – for all of the challenges and rewards that come with my beloved profession.  I’m just really lucky when I also happen to find new fishing partners attached with them.