Golfer's
Agenda
Physical Therapy
Globetrotting With Greg
Traveling is
great, but there's no doubt about it...I love the U.S.A.!
by Pete Draovitch
I recently got back from a golf trip around the world with Greg
Norman, making three stops - in Madrid, Spain; Nagoya, Japan; and
Atlanta, Georgia. This trip exposed me to tournaments sponsored by
different tours throughout the world.
The first leg of the trip had us landing in Madrid on Tuesday
morning for the Spanish Open. Following check-in at the hotel and a
quick breakfast, we were off to the golf course. Players on the
European Tour are treated quite differently from those on the US PGA
Tour. The first and last days of tournament week, the locker room is
full of luggage and clubs. No courtesy cars awaited and familiar
clubhouse amenities just didn't exist. Refreshment stand foods were
totally foreign (no pun intended!) to us, the American golf patrons.
As a matter of fact, the most familiar thing about the Spanish Open
was the fact that the tournament was played on a Jack Nicklaus
designed course!
During the daytime, you might want to take in a soccer game or
a bullfight, two favorite sporting pastimes in Spain. In the evening,
the city of Madrid gets a late start. Dinner isn't served before 9
pm, and night life starts around 1 am.
Following Sunday's final round, we were off to Nagoya, Japan.
The 13 hour flight landed on Monday evening at 6 pm. I've never been
to a country where communicating was so difficult The hotel was about
an hour's drive from the golf course, taking you through narrow, busy
streets. In fact, you could make it to the course via the underground
train in the same amount of time. The cost of golf here is extremely
high, yet it is quite popular. Memberships at private clubs cost as
much as $500 million. That's compared to $50,000 - $100,000 at most
of the finest, exclusive clubs in the United States.
Many roof-top driving ranges exist for those who are not
fortunate enough to be able to play at a course. Roof-top driving
ranges are popular, since land in Japan is in such short supply.
Just as I got over my jet-lag, it was time to move on...back
to the good ol' U.S.A. We headed first to Florida (but only for a
day); then on to the outskirts of Atlanta to Sugarloaf Country Club.
We were met at the airport by tournament volunteers who directed us
to the course. We arrived at the 70,000 square foot clubhouse with
magnificent locker room facilities. Players received courtesy cars
and first class hospitality.
Greg was excited, since this was the first PGA Tour event
staged at a course he had designed. The course received rave reviews
from players all week long. Ken Venturi, CBS Sports Golf Analyst said
that, of all the courses he has seen on the tour, this course was
worthy of hosting a major tournament.
Concession stands were filled with hamburgers, hot dogs,
grilled chicken sandwiches...food that I hadn't seen for the past two
weeks. When we returned to our hotel rooms at the end of the day, we
could turn the TV on and watch ESPN or the NBA playoffs, not
bullfights or sumo wrestling.
Finally...3 time zones later, we headed back home to Florida
for a short break before we do it all again!
Traveling should always be a great learning experience. Meeting
the people and experiencing their culture is an exciting opportunity
for personal growth. But, while it's a great experience, it also
serves as a reminder to me as to what a privilege it is to live here
in the United States.
Pete Draovitch, M.S.,
A.T.C., P.T., C.S.C.S., is the founding President of PD Sports
Medicine Services. He's Greg Norman's Personal Physical Therapist and
works with other touring pros. Pete can be reached at 561-744-3177.
PD@floridagolfing.com
