golf

Tennis Legends on the Golf Course: Exploring Their Passion for Golf

July 18, 2024 by Admin

While golf and tennis are quite different sports, there are a number of tennis players who have found their place on the golf course, hitting golf balls instead of tennis balls. It might be a golf ball and a tennis ball in appearance, but the skill and focus needed to play the games are almost the same. This article explores the lives of famous tennis players who have taken up golf as the other sport they love and shows how they manage to develop this beautiful sport and still play tennis.

Roger Federer’s Golfing Journey

Tennis ace Roger Federer, commonly referred to as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, has a weakness for golf. This was his way of finding an interest in the sport other than the usual stress relieving and challenging activities he had to engage in besides tennis. Federer likes the tactical part of golf as it is different from that of tennis while playing it. His contribution in charity golf tournaments and pro-am events shows how much he loves the game. Thus, Federer can maintain his mental and physical conditions while playing tennis and golf at the same time.

Serena Williams: From Tennis Court to Fairway

Another example might be Serena Williams, a powerful and successful athlete in women’s tennis, who has a true love towards golf. Williams gets comfort in the peaceful environment of the golf course which is quite different from professional tennis. Her foray into golf not only gives her fun but also a part of her brain-teasing exercise which is a perfect fit for her competitiveness. This shows that Williams is one of the most versatile and hard working athletes of her time.

Rafael Nadal’s Love for the Links

Perhaps it would not be a surprise that Rafael Nadal, whose off-the-court energy is as high as his on-court determination to win, also plays golf. It was therefore discovered that Nadal got involved in golf in order to have another form of exercise and as a way of having fun. He likes the spirit of brotherhood and fair play that comes with the game of golf and most of the time he plays with other athletes. Nadal’s dedication to the golf is his way of encompassing the philosophy of sports – health, harmony, and happiness are as valuable as championships.

Novak Djokovic: Swinging for Balance

Tennis legend Novak Djokovic has taken his talent to the greens and is now playing golf. For Djokovic, golf is the ideal activity as it complements his grueling tennis schedule. He has always enjoyed the strategy that comes with the game because it requires precision and a lot of patience. Playing golf is beneficial to Djokovic in a way that he is able to clear his mind and focus on his tennis game. They are engaged in golf tournaments which show how he is committed to balancing his sports activities.

Andy Murray’s Fairway Escapades

One of the most famous British tennis players, Andy Murray, knows that golf can be a great way to relax and take a break from the tennis court. Murray enjoys the game plan of golf as it is quite different from the fast game of tennis and he finds it quite interesting to play. Such participation in charity golf events show that he is passionate in the game and in giving back to society. Murray’s involvement in golf cross-training not only helps in developing his mental toughness but also in improving his general health; thus, cross-training is very crucial in transitioning from one sport to another.

Maria Sharapova: A Swing into Serenity

Maria Sharapova, a stunning powerhouse on the tennis court, discovers a different kind of serenity on the greens. Sharapova’s transition to golf helps her experience a slower and more thoughtful rhythm in her life. The level of accuracy that is needed in golf is similar to the manner in which she plays tennis, where such aspects are very important. Maria Sharapova is as versatile as she is a tennis player; her love for golf only proves that she is not afraid to try her hand at other sports and in achieving the same level of success.

Tennis legends embracing golf exemplifies the versatility and adaptability required to excel in multiple sports. Their passion for golf, combined with their dedication to tennis, demonstrates a holistic approach to athleticism. By balancing these two pursuits, they continue to inspire fans and fellow athletes, proving that the love for the game knows no bounds.

Jack Nicklaus Encourages Mardy Fish To Pursue Pro Golf Career, Calls Him “The Best Non-Professional Golfer I’ve Ever Seen Play”

December 14, 2018 by Admin

Jack Nicklaus, the greatest golfer and golfing mind who ever lived and holder of a record 18 major championships, has encouraged former U.S. Davis Cup star Mardy Fish to pursue a professional golf career.

Speaking to tennis historian and “Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time” author Steve Flink on Tennis.com, Nicklaus called Fish “the best non-professional golfer that I have ever seen play“ and said he was “flabbergasted” at how good Fish was.

The two played golf in early December at the Fore Love charity event in South Florida that is hosted by Nicklaus and the Bryan Brothers Mike and Bob and told Flink that he encouraged Fish to pursue a pro golf career. Flink wrote that Nicklaus said to the 37-year-old Fish “you are not getting any younger, and you have got 10 years if you want to play competitive golf professionally.”

“We played nine holes and he drove the ball on every single hole in the middle of the fairway, further than I have seen anybody hit it who is not a professional,” Nicklaus told Flink. “He shot 31 for nine holes. I said, ‘Mardy, what are you doing? You have got a talent and you are young enough to take advantage of it. You need to go play golf.’”

In addition to still playing competitive tennis events on the Invesco Series QQQ champions tour, Fish plays on the Celebrity Golf Tour and has won the Diamond Resorts Invitational in Orlando in 2016 and 2018. He also plays events for charities, including hosting his own Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Golf Fundraiser on Monday, January 14, 2019 at the prestigious Windsor Club in Vero Beach, Florida. (Interested parties can sign up to play or sponsor and get more information here: http://www.tennisgrandstand.com/2018/12/14/mardy-fish-praised-by-jack-nicklaus-to-host-foundation-golf-fundraiser-in-vero-beach-florida-january-14-2019/

Fish, who reached a career-high ATP ranking of No. 7 and won the silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, ended his professional ATP tennis career at the 2015 U.S. Open. He has also been close to joining Ellsworth Vines and Frank Conner as the only men to play in the both U.S. Open in tennis and golf as he was a first alternate after U.S. Open golf qualifying in 2014 and 2015. At the tennis U.S. Open, he reached the quarterfinals in 2008.

Read the full Steve Flink story here: http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2018/12/jack-nicklaus-tennis/78331/

Arnold Palmer’s Tennis Connection

September 26, 2016 by Admin

Arnold Palmer did more for golf than perhaps any other person in the sports history. He did, also, have a slight connection to the sport of tennis. Palmer was known as one of the best corporate spokespeople in sports marketing and was one of the first athletes to be used in using sports to market products. One of his early associations with in a partnership in a laundry business with 1931 Wimbledon champion Sidney Wood. In his biography “The Wimbledon Final That Never Was” ($15.95, New Chapter Press, available for sale here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0942257847/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_x_yNv6xbA0ER7MQ writes of his association with Palmer in this excerpt below.

In 1939, I thought I’d like to try something where the value of a name in sport could be exploited in a competitive business, where the name would have a greater value than “Mr. Smith.” I looked into different businesses that were essential to people’s lives and I picked the laundry business.

I started it with Frank Shields because I thought it would be nothing but a laughingstock, so I said, “Frank, let’s get laughed at together,” and it was an instant success. Frank was otherwise involved in the insurance business and was asked by his bosses to drop the laundry pursuits, so he dropped out and Don Budge came in. Don was a great friend of mine and somewhat a protegé in a sense. I believe Don would have confirmed that it was I who got him to change from a Western forehand to an Eastern forehand. I was the one who actually initiated with the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association that Don should travel with the U.S. Davis Cup team that first year when they weren’t going to take him. Don actually replaced me on the team, so maybe I shouldn’t have been so generous!

Anyway, we went into business with the idea that Don would open us in California, but Don got much more involved in professional tennis after winning the Grand Slam in 1938 and really didn’t have an opportunity to do this. However, it turned into a terrific success (one of our slogans was “Rub-adub-dub, Budge-Wood have a tub”) and subsequently I introduced the idea to golfing legend Arnold Palmer and his camp.

The first time I met up with Arnie was in the bar of a Philadelphia Marriott Inn near the Whitemarch Club where he was playing in a tournament. It was essentially a business meeting, but undoubtedly there would be sporting overtones. My wife Pat was there, as was Arnie’s Winnie and his chum, super-agent head of International Management Group, Mark McCormack.

When I dreamed up the idea of setting up a marquee name, national franchise laundry and dry cleaning chain, there was no question that Arnie’s name was far and away the one that would sell the best. So I called Mark, who was interested and asked me to meet with him. A couple of days later when I knocked on the hotel door, it flung open and this guy points his finger at me and hollers, “I saw you beat Frankie Parker in Chicago!” That was my introduction to Mark McCormack, and you can say I liked his style!

I asked Arnie if he ever hoisted one during a tournament, and he said, “One after a good round; and two if it was a lousy day.” That afternoon it was just the pro-am, and Arnie, a Pennsylvanian to the core, asked for a boilermaker and looked at me. I nodded, and after another round there was little talk of business and much comparing of golf and tennis play and players. We ended up founding the Arnold Palmer Cleaning Centers, which was an immediate success and was subsequently sold out among some of Arnold’s other enterprises.

Wrote McCormack in Sports Illustrated in 1967, “What Sidney Wood knew, and we all learned, was that if two dry cleaning shops are going to open in the same block and one is called Arnold Palmer and the other is Jack Smith’s, it is the Palmer shop that a new customer is more likely to try.”

1931 Wimbledon champion Sidney Wood with Arnold Palmer

Mardy Fish Wins First Career Pro-Celebrity Golf Tournament at Diamond Resorts Invitational

January 16, 2016 by Admin

By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

Mardy Fish’s ATP Tour tennis career may be over, but his pro golf career is just beginning.

Just over four months after ending his pro tennis career, Fish won his first career golf tournament on the pro-celebrity tour Saturday with a win at the Diamond Resorts Invitational in Orlando, Florida. Fish, with his father Tom as his caddie, won the Stableford scoring event with 79 points – 14 points better than former Major League Baseball pitcher Rick Rhoden.

The 34-year-old Fish, who plays golf left-handed (stroking the golf ball as smoothly as he does his two-handed backhand), told Golf Channel’s Tripp Isenhour that he drew from his tennis-playing experience in closing out his victory on the golf course.

“I had some jitters this morning and in the middle of the night last night,” Fish said. “It’s a while since I have won a tennis tournament… in 2012.”

Fish’s golf game was praised during the television broadcast by Golf Channel commentators Lanny Wadkins, the 1977 winner of the PGA Championship, as well as Isenhour, also a former PGA Tour pro.

“He hit it long and straight on every hole and his short iron game was spectacular and he putted extremely solid,” said Wadkins after Fish closed with a birdie on the final hole for the win. Earlier in the round, after making a clutch three-foot putt for par, Wadkins said of Fish and his putting, “He always treats those three foot putts like a second serve…he’s always going to get them in.”

“I like a lot of his game,” said Isenhour of Fish’s game and if he could become a PGA pro. “If he ever wanted to do it, I think the opportunity is there.”

Isenhour’s comments prompted a response from Wadkins, who said, “I do too from what I have seen this week. I agree. It would take a lot of work and whole lot of commitment which may be the toughest thing for him after he’s committed almost his entire life so far to tennis to turn around and do it for golf. It would be huge commitment time wise.”

Fish closed out his win with a birdie on the final hole – his approach shot to the final hole can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7yvbsz-cho

Fish, who has tried to qualify for the U.S. Open in the past – and would earn a rare feat by doing so as explained here: http://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/12210 – said after the win that he loves to play competitive golf but that money and free time would prohibit him for full-on pursuing a PGA career.

Fish will be hosting and competing in a golf fund-raising event for his Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation at the prestigious Windsor Club in Vero Beach, Florida (where is father Tom is the head tennis pro) on Tuesday, Feb. 23 with an 8:45 am shot-gun start for a $500 tax-deductible contribution per player. Interested parties should email Michelle@MFFKids.org for more information. For more information on the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation, go to www.mffkids.org

Fish will also still be competing in tennis on the PowerShares Series tennis circuit for champion players. His first event will be April 9 in Charleston, S.C., playing alongside Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and James Blake. For more info, go to www.PowerSharesSeries.com

Mardy Fish – Will He Become The Next Ellsworth Vines?

August 28, 2015 by Admin

By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

As Mardy Fish winds down his professional tennis career at the 2015 US Open, it’s a perfect time to take of his legacy and career.

“He’s had a solid career,” said Paul Annacone on Tennis Channel, citing the Vero Beach, Fla., native’s Olympic silver medal in singles won at the 2004 Olympics, six singles titles and being a stalwart on the U.S. Davis Cup team from 2002 to 2012.

My assessment is he could become the modern-day incarnation of Ellsworth Vines.

While Fish didn’t win two U.S. singles titles and a Wimbledon men’s singles title – as Vines did in the 1930s (but did have a comparable cannonball serve as Vines), Fish’s comparison to Vines lies not as much in tennis as it might be in golf.

Vines holds the distinction – along with a man named Frank Conner – of being the only men to play in the modern-day U.S. Open (or the U.S. Nationals pre-1968) and the golf U.S. Open. Althea Gibson also played on the LPGA Tour following her tennis career.

Vines abandoned his tennis career in 1940 to turn his attention to competitive golf. He not only was a competitor at the golf U.S. Open, but in the Masters and the PGA Championship as well. His best finish in the golf majors being a tie for third at the 1951 PGA (he was a losing semifinalist in the match-play format.) In stroke-play majors, his best finish was a tie for 14th at the U.S. Open in 1948 and 1949. His best finish at the Masters was a tie for 24th in 1947.

Fish has been playing at such a high level in golf that he has exploring his options on the pro golf tour. He has played events in lower-level pro tours – the All-American Gateway Tour and the Golden State Tour with mixed success, but became the first alternate in U.S. Open local qualifying in 2014 and 2015.

Frank Conner was a standout American tennis player in the amateur era, competing in the U.S. National in 1965, 1966 and 1967, reaching the second round in 1967. He went on to become a tennis All-American at Trinity University in Texas, one of the top tennis schools at the time. However, he had also picked up and excelled at golf as well and, realizing he could make more money in pro golf than tennis, turned into a golf professional, qualifying for the PGA Tour in 1975. His best finish at a major came at the 1981 U.S. Open at Merion where he finished tied for sixth. He never won an official PGA Tour title, but lost in a playoff to Tom Watson at the 1982 Heritage Classic on Hilton Head Island, S.C. and to Dave Barr at the 1981 Quad Cities Open.

So while you might not be seeing Fish compete on the Tennis Channel anymore, hopefully, fans will be able to see him compete on the Golf Channel.

DONATE: Tom Fish, Mardy’s father, is running in the New York City Marathon on November 1 to raise money for The Mardy Fish Kids Foundation. To donate, click here: http://mffkids.org/runforthekids.html

We All Have The Power Of Choice

February 26, 2015 by Admin

By Cliff Richey

Cliff Richey is a two-time US Open semifinalist, former No. 1-ranked U.S. professional player and a member of two U.S. Davis Cup title-winning teams. He is the author of the book “Acing Depression: A Tennis Champion’s Toughest Match” (for sale here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0942257669/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_tkO7ub12ZR5W7 ) that documents his life with clinical depression and his constant fight to overcome it.

I met Eric in Fresno, Calif., during one of my golf practice sessions. I was on a big empty ball field in a bad part of town.

Midway through my bag of balls a young fellow came walking toward me. He stopped and watched me hit a shot and then said, “The ball went a long way.” He walked on and I kept hitting my shots. He watched me from a distance and I was glad he kept himself out of the line of my ball flight.

He then walked over to where my shots were landing and started to pick up several balls. I yelled out to him to just leave them alone and move out of the way. He started walking toward me. Was he upset I yelled at him? Was I suddenly in a threatening situation?

As he came near he said that he just wanted to bring some of them back to me. I wasn’t comfortable that he was still hanging around. He looked to be in his thirties with quite a few tattoos. I tried not to show some of the uneasiness I was feeling.

I hit a few more balls. He began to ask me about my golf clubs. Eric told me that he and his brother used to shoot archery. I sensed pretty quickly as we talked that he was a sharp guy. I also got the feeling from him that he wanted to just talk with someone. We all need that sometimes. I know I do. And we talked.

I told him that I had been a pro tennis player and I gave him a couple of my trading cards. I told him about my battle with clinical depression and becoming an advocate for mental health. He said his Dad fought depression. His brother who he used to play archery with committed suicide after serving in Iraq. Eric told me that he had had a 3.8 grade average his first and only year in college. He was studying Psychology and Religion. His desire was to help others following the tragedy of his brother and the suffering of his Dad.

He admitted to running with a bad crowd and making some bad choices. He was arrested for accessory to murder. Eric spent five years in prison. He had recently gotten released. He said his marriage broke up and his young daughter died in a car crash while he was in prison. As a Christian, I don’t always think that every person I run into is arranged by the Almighty, but this day on a lonely ball field in Fresno I felt a need to give Eric encouragement and hopefully good advice to be able to use.

I told him he could use his life’s resume to either defeat him or as a base to jump up and improve himself. I told him that we all have the power of choice. Choose that correct path God wants us to go down and the built in GPS that he has given us.

I encouraged him to give thanks everyday for what you do have–People who love you. The bed slept in last night. The freedom to walk to the ball field that morning. We were the only two people on the entire piece of property. He helped me pick up the 200 balls I had hit. I had only met Eric 40 minutes before but we were now friends. I said to him a lot of the advice I was sharing with him my Dad taught me.

I took a twenty dollar bill out of my wallet and gave it to him. He reached into his pocket and I saw a pink ribbon bow in his hand. He was crying and began to write something on the pink bow. He wrote the date, Feb. 6, 2015 and his name and his daughter’s name, Erica, who had been killed in the wreck.

On the bow he wrote, “Daddy loves you.” Eric gave it to me. It was the bow his daughter used to wear. He said he wanted me to have it and that he didn’t need it anymore. I showed him a keepsake from my Dad and that the pink bow would be kept in the same pocket of my golf bag. My keepsake is the handle that was on the gate to our families tennis court. It somehow seemed appropriate that his little girl’s pink bow that he wanted me to have be kept in the same pocket of my golf bag with the handle of our tennis court because my Dad taught me many “handles” on life that I was sharing with Eric.

I reached out and we hugged each other and his hug was the strongest that I’ve ever felt. Tears flowed. Eric helped me with my large bag of golf balls, golf clubs and my dog, Rocket, up the hill to my van. He asked me for my contact info. I gave it to him. As I drove away, Eric was on the sidewalk crying and waving goodbye to me. I hope my friend, Eric, contacts me and tells me about the good choices he’s been making. I know you can do it pal. Never, ever, ever give up!

Cliff Richey - Chipping — Cliff Richey – Chipping

Who Is The Guan Tianlang Of Tennis?

April 11, 2013 by Admin

By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

At the age of 14, Guan Tianlang of China became the youngest player to ever compete at the Masters golf tournament.

The success of this young man on the grandest stage in golf brings to mind of similar circumstance on the grandest stage in tennis.

Browsing at THE BUD COLLINS HISTORY OF TENNIS record book and tennis encyclopedia, one will find that the youngest player to compete at Wimbledon was Jennifer Capriati, who made her debut in 1990 at the grandest tournament in tennis at the age of 14 years, 90 days, just one day younger than Kathy Rinaldi, who debuted in 1981.

The youngest “man” to compete at Wimbledon came a generation earlier in 1927 when Sidney Wood debuted at the age of 15 years, 234 days.

Wood, who passed away at age 97 in 2009, was one of the most charismatic and interesting characters in the history of the sport. Among his many fascinating life stories, including winning the Wimbledon title in a defaulted final, Wood describes when he became the youngest man to compete at Wimbledon in his posthumously published memoir THE WIMBLEDON FINAL THAT NEVER WAS… AND OTHER TENNIS TALES FROM A BYGONE ERA, available here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0942257847/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=tennisgrancom-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0942257847&adid=0113H5XY9AVE1Y16RW7S&&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennisgrandstand.com%2F

The exclusive excerpt is found below.

I finally went to school in New York one winter, when I was 14. I suffered so much that I lost 14 pounds in the space of three months and was immediately rushed to Arizona because I developed some problems with my lungs.

For four months, I rested and played checkers with some older people in Memorial Park in Tucson. I always wondered why these people would always have colds and be coughing a lot (nobody told me they were there because of tuberculosis).

I learned to play checkers with a passion, but continued to keep up with my tennis. I went off to Phoenix to play in the Arizona State Men’s Tennis Championship at the age of 14 and weighing well under 90 pounds. To some surprise, I won the title, beating in the final a young guy who was very frightened because all of my friends from my checkers games came over to watch me play. And I got a headline in the Tucson paper about four inches high “Tucson Boy Genius Returns.”

The win got me an invitation to play in the French Championships and Wimbledon. In Paris, I won my first round match 0-6, 8-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 over Paul Barrelet de Ricou of France, but I lost in the second round to Jack Condon of South Africa 6-3, 6-1, 6-4.

From there, I played my first Wimbledon. I met the great Frenchman Rene Lacoste, the No. 1 seed, in the first round. (They probably wanted to get this over-precocious American out of the tournament.) One of my nicest memories is that I have a picture of the scoreboard and it shows me leading 3-1 in the second set, either because of his kindness, or carelessness. I lost the match 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 but entered the record books as the youngest man to ever compete at The Championships at age 15 years, 231 days.

The next year, at the age of 16, I returned to Wimbledon and got to the third round where I lost to Pierre Henri Landry of France in four sets. The next day, Landry lost to Bill Tilden in five sets.

Wood would famously win the Wimbledon title in 1931 at age 19, becoming the youngest man to win the singles title at the All England Club until an 17-year-old Boris Becker broke his record in 1985.