Would you believe that some of your favorite musicians have somewhat mastered the game of golf? Learn more about who puts the guitar down in place of a golf club from time to time.
Real Quotes
“What other people may find in poetry or art museums, I find in the flight of a good drive.”
-Arnold Palmer
“The only time my prayers are never answered is on the golf course.”
-Billy Graham
What causes a rock ‘n’ roller adored by millions to go from Marshall stacks to handicaps, stretch limos to golf carts, superstar to over par? The thrill of the game, of course.
Rock stars, doctors, lawyers, presidents, movie stars, CEOs, and regular schlubs like you and me would more than likely sell our souls just to lose a few strokes or gain a couple more yards. Well, perhaps not sell it, but I’d be happy to rent it out for a few hours if I could learn to use a driver efficiently.
Alice Cooper Handicap 5.3
Alice Cooper immediately comes to mind when I think of rockin’ golfers. In 2007, he even put his pen where his mouth was and wrote an autobiography, Golf Monster: A Rock ‘N’ Roller’s 12 Steps to Becoming a Golf Addict, about his life and the role golf played in his rehabilitation from alcoholism.
Fellow friend and golfer, actor Pat Boone, was quoted as saying Alice was close to becoming a pro. Not bad for a guy who is known (rock ‘n’ roll fable) to tear chickens apart on stage.
The athletic Cooper has been into sports all his life, but only began golfing in 1982. Upon completing aforementioned rehab program, he began to play almost every day, sometimes 36 holes. He continues playing when at home or on tour to maintain healthy habits.
Wanting to give back to a sport so dear to him, in 1997 he began hosting the Alice Cooper Celebrity AM Golf Tournament. All the proceeds from this annual event go to his charity, the Solid Rock Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping troubled teenagers and children.
Eddie Van Halen Handicap 18
In a world where guitarists sprout like weeds from every crack in the sidewalk, the name Eddie Van Halen stands heads and shoulders above the rest. In February 1978, Van Halen’s first album was released and guitarists everywhere, once they picked their jaws up off the floor, began a hero worship of his guitar acrobatic prowess that continues to this very day.
But does the king of the stadiums translate to the king of the greens?
In a recent 2019 interview with Golf Magazine, the six-string slinger confesses his game, like most of us, could use a little tuning up (no pun intended).
“I’ll hit a good ball and then two bad ones. I don’t even keep score. What’s the point? I know it’s going to be in the hundreds. The worst thing is my putting. The thing is: I never practice.”
As a member of LA’s Lakeside Golf Club for 30 years, he’s frequently seen in the company of comedian George Lopez, who he became friends with after a chance meeting at the club.
Eddie admits that three decades ago Lakeside wasn’t keen on allowing long-haired rockers into their ranks. He stated in the interview that at first, they refused to let him in. Fortunately, Joe Pesci and other high-profile members spoke up for him.
Eddie does seem to have a firm grip (pun intended) on what it takes to become a good golfer. In the same interview he went on to say, “If you really want to be good, you have to spend the time like I did learning to play the guitar. You got to go out there and hit buckets and buckets of balls.”
Huey Lewis Handicap 6
Singer Huey Lewis is no stranger to the world of golf. As of 2017, the Back to the Future singer/actor has been getting ready to compete in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am. More amazing still, it’s his 27th appearance golfing at the tournament. That’s quite a record for anyone, let alone a rock star.
He’s quoted as saying, “I’ll do anything for attention or money, usually in that order.”
With a handicap of 7, he’s obviously been paying attention to his golf game. A late golfing bloomer, like most rockers, he didn’t set cleats to green until the age of 33.
Kingdom Magazine Interview
He was asked what golf meant to him. His reply? “Golf to me is not a game or sport, it’s a pastime. It’s America’s pastime, not baseball. The object is to enjoy yourself while passing the time.”
Huey got his start when he visited Hawaii back in 1983. While his now ex-wife and mother-in law sat on the beach, he went to Kapalua, grabbed some rented clubs and was bitten by the bug.
Because his touring schedule takes him near all the best course locations, Orlando, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, mentioned as standouts around the world, he went on to say, “If you’re in places like that and don’t play golf, it’s a drag. But if you do, wow.”
The rest of the band (who have been together for 32 years) has been recruited by Lewis into his pastime. Fellow golfer and drummer, Bill Gibson, who Lewis met in the seventh grade, have been sharing the cart for 18 years. “We beat each other’s brains out for $5 a game.”
Darius Rucker Handicap 5.6
As a former front man for pop-rock band Hootie and the Blowfish (turned solo country artist) singer Darius Rucker’s passions run deeper than music. Though serving two mistresses may be challenging, while he’s not touring, he’s hitting his hometown links in Charleston, South Carolina three to four times a week. This obviously does wonders for his game.
In a 2016 interview with USGA, he not only talked music, but golf, of course: “Right now, my handicap is 5.6. I can shoot either a 73 or an 84. I am serious about maintaining my handicap.”
What Got Him Hooked?
When asked how golf hooked him, he explained that when he was 14 years old, a close friend’s family invited him to Wrenwoods Golf Course on the North Charleston naval base.
He was encouraged to just, “Hit it hard and hit it far.” Simple, but sage advice, which has not only become his golfing mantra, but served him very well as an artist.
There are many more rockers that love the sport of golf. I guess with thousands of fans screaming at you night after night, the silence of the green is just what the doctor ordered.
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