What Golfers Can Do When They Hang Up The Clubs

IT IS an oddity that many people who play golf decide to take up the game when they retire from full-time work. Men and women who may have played the occasional game during their working lives suddenly find themselves with time on their hands and decide it would be a good idea to pick up a set of golf clubs - and immediately become hooked on this incredible game.

But what on earth do professional golfers do when the time comes to call it a day as a competitive player?

The likes of Bernhard Langer defy the years by continuing to make bucketloads of cash on the Champions Tour, also winning the recent PNC Championship for a sixth time, at an age when they could be forgiven for staying at home with their feet up. And, of course, there is a lucrative living to be made on the seniors circuit.

But it is not for everybody.

Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography

The most obvious route is to carve out a career as a TV commentator, analyst or pundit.

Ewen Murray was a teenage prodigy who never fully lived up to his enormous potential and whose playing career came to an end when he was afflicted with the yips. But he turned out to be a natural with a microphone in his hand. Peter Alliss followed the same path and arguably turned himself into the best golf commentator who ever drew breath. But had he been able to putt he might never have gone anywhere near a commentary booth.

Just take a look at the Sky Sports Golf team - Richard Boxall, Robert Lee, Wayne Riley, Anthony Wall, Jamie Spence, John Morgan, Nick Dougherty, Laura Davies, Nick Faldo, Ken Brown, Sam Torrance all achieved various levels of success on the golf course and found second careers behind the scenes.

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Then there is course design. Alliss, Dave Thomas, Faldo, Colin Montgomerie, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman, Gary Player, Tom Weiskopf. The list goes on and on. These men are responsible for designing some of the best golf courses on the planet.

Some were designing courses while still in their playing prime, while others waited until their best days were behind them.

Nicklaus is the most successful golfer of all time when it comes to majors and he turned out to be something of a genius when it came to course design.

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He has also spent much of his retirement with a fishing rod in his hands. And he is not alone. Faldo is also known to be a keen angler.

Boo Weekley famously said that he only played golf to be able to earn enough money to go hunting in his spare time. And since leaving the game it is something he now does on a full-time basis.

Paul Lawrie used his fame and money to set up a golf academy that has gone on to produce some of the brightest young talents on the DP World Tour, while the former Open champion continues to ply his trade on the seniors circuit. But his academy is his pride and joy and he devotes a huge amount of time and effort to it.

Marc-Pierre Campos spent much of his life touring the world as a pro golfer but he and his wife, Anastasiya, who he met in Portugal, swapped his clubs for the kitchen and opened a restaurant, Marc-Pierre’s Kitchen overlooking Ramsgate harbour. His father, Pierre, ran the Flight Deck restaurant in Pegwell Bay and then opened Pierre’s in Cliftonville in 1976. Determined to see his son follow in his footsteps, the restaurateur and his cheffing business partner Herman taught Marc all he needed to know about catering. But he instead spent 35 years as a touring pro before returning to his roots.

Does anybody have a more diverse portfolio than Bubba Watson? Clearly preparing for the day when he hangs up his clubs for good, the American former Masters champion owns Bubba’s Sweet Spot, a candy shop in Pensacola, a car dealership, an apartment complex that he helped to build, and has a share in a minor league baseball team.

Unsurprisingly perhaps, the most popular sideline for many golfers is wine. Luke Donald, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player all have their own wine labels. And although he may be the most divisive character in the world of golf, Greg Norman’s Norman Estates has won many prestigious awards for its amazing wines.

Bizarrely, Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth have a stake in Leeds United Football Club. They approached Rory McIlroy to see if he wanted to join them but, as a Manchester United fan, the Northern Irishman politely turned them down. Instead, he has invested in the BWT Alpine Formula One team.

Countless top golfers also vote huge amounts of time to charity when their playing days come to an end. Many set up charitable trusts while still playing and then devote even more time as their careers come to an end. Annika Sorenstam’s  Annika aFoundation was set up in 2007 with the goal of developing women’s golf around the world and encouraging children to lead healthy, active lifestyles and she is actively involved in promoting it.

Karrie Webb, Matt Kuchar, Spieth and Marc Leishman have raised millions to help various causes.

And then there is Robert Allenby. The Australian has worked with the Challenge  cancer charity since 1992, helping to raise in excess of $20m. He became heavily involved after his close friend, the late Jarrod Lyle, was diagnosed with cancer. Allenby said: “He fought it for so many years, it was hard to fathom when he did pass away. He was an inspiration for me. Realistically, I was his hero when he started off and he was mine when he left us."

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