Golf Outing With Doug Hollandsworth

by John Kim

Well, I can say I've seen it all on the golf course. You think David Duval's 59 at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic was good? I watched Doug Hollandsworth shoot a 57! He was unbelievable! He was phenomenal off the tee, knocking long irons to "gimme" range, and draining putts from different counties. He may have the most complete golf game of anyone I've ever seen not named "Tiger." Well um…on second thought, maybe that's not what happened - but even if Doug's not the best golfer in Atlanta, he may be the most important in some regards, so I'm not gonna say anything bad about him. Well, okay…maybe just a few words.

First of all, let me say, "thank you" to Cherokee Run Golf Club; which was nice enough to host our round. I bet they won't make that mistake again. Anyway, the day was unbelievable for January, as short sleeves were called for and had I known what the temperature would actually be, might have even worn shorts. The course was in good condition, other than the 3 inches of rain that fell less than 48 hours before. There were some wet spots in the fairways, which might be the only reason I didn't break the course record. That and a bad swing.

Doug and I tee off right at 10:30am. Of course, a guy with a successful golf publication and highly rated golf radio program should have top of the line equipment and in that regard, Doug did not disappoint. He plays one driver (a King Cobra) two five woods (a Callaway steelhead and Mizuno T-zoid; more on these clubs later) and Mizuno T-zoid Pro irons. He also carries two putters (an Odyssey and Never Compromise). Yes, I think this makes his bag illegal so I officially won the round.

The early going of the round was tough on both of us, as we adjust to the wet conditions. Doug's swing is long and maybe a bit too loose, but he shows good power off the tee and some nice touch around the greens. He readily admits he's pretty much a bogey golfer, but he honestly has the talent to be a good bit better. It's one of the great ironies of golf that those who work in the profession hardly ever have time to play, much less practice.

On the second hole, after duffing a drive, he takes out one of his 5 woods and nails the ball 250 yds almost to the green. It's a trick I would see repeatedly. Still, scoring is at a premium and after 4 holes, neither of us has made a par. Finally, on the fifth hole, I break the drought. I lip out an eagle putt and tap in for birdie. So we still don't have a par between us technically, but the bleeding has stopped for the time being.

Doug Hollandsworth not only knows Atlanta golf but also knows Atlanta as well. He has lived in this city all of his life, a product of Marist High School and graduate of Mercer University. He did not intend to make golf a profession - having even attended law school - but soon became active in tournament outings with his corporate job (he was a sales manager for Home Center industry) and that spun off into a separate career setting up company outings and charity events. Eventually, that evolved into his media conglomerate now, though the love of charity work has carried over, as he remains active to this day in many charities.

As we continue our round, we talk about golf (duh!), our respective media outlets (his radio and print publication….me with AtlantaGolfer.com) and even some personal history. It strikes me how relaxed Doug is on the course. Whether he hits a good shot or a bad shot, his demeanor doesn't seem to change much. He takes his job and career very seriously, but when he's on the course, it seems fun is a bigger priority than score. You can't help but enjoy that.

Doug continues to battle through some tough breaks and tougher conditions. At the turn, as we are both bemoaning our scores, he is smiling and laughing as much as he was on the first tee. I'm not going to mention how he putted a ball off the green (15 yards off!) on hole #10, but if I did mention it, I'd also mention how he laughed about it rather than threw a club like some golfers we all know.

Doug has made his mark in the Atlanta golf community with a highly successful print publication (Atlanta GolfLife) and an even more successful radio program (The Golf Show which airs every Saturday from 7am - 10am on WCNN 680am). The show is starting it's fifth year and his three hours a week makes it the longest running golf show in terms of elapsed on air time in the United States. Recent guests on his show include Eli Callaway (founder of Callaway golf) and avid golfer John Smoltz. Doug is also developing plans to syndicate his radio program as well as take his print publication to other cities.

We continue to trudge along through the round. We alternate good shots with bad ones, good stories with bad ones. This is actually the first time I've ever met Doug, but we speak easily with one another and share a lot of common goals. It's honestly like golfing with an old friend as opposed to some media collaboration. The par 5 17th hole is one of the best and quirkiest holes around. Only an ideal shot off the tee (not necessarily a driver either) will put you in a position to traffic two separate hazards and go for the green in two. I hit driver off the tee, lay-up, and make a very conventional par. That's all that happened on this hole.

Thanks for reading, have a nice day. No, just kidding Doug…I'll tell people about your heroics. Doug tees off with one of his 5 woods and hits his patented soft fade into position "A" in the fairway. He has a slight wind in his face and 250 to the middle of the green, at least 230 to carry the second water hazard. I urge him to "go for it" (cause I want to win). He tells me "of course" he will, and drills his other 5 wood toward the green. The ball ends up 25 feet away from the flag. A serious golf feat to reach this green in two, and Mr. Golf Show did it. I think I can easily predict what takes up two hours of his next three hour show. "Well Bob, thanks for calling - but before we get to your question, let me again tell you how I nailed that 5 wood on 17…"

Doug leaves his eagle putt just short (which you should NEVER do) but taps in for a very impressive birdie. Be ready to hear about this for awhile Atlanta. Actually, if it sounds like I'm bitter - I am, because he beat me on hole #18 also. We mutually decide not to announce scores publicly, but Doug asks that I tell the world he shot 74. Which he did….on the front nine.

Okay, all kidding aside, Doug was a great golf partner and a pretty good golfer to boot. His enthusiasm for golf and his golf projects manifest themselves in his sheer joy while playing, whether he is celebrating a good shot he hit or one hit by anyone else in the group. I think he's tough to drag away from the office because he takes his craft so seriously, but he then never regrets going out and playing a round once out there. I'm sure Doug will be a fixture in the Atlanta golf community for a long time. I hope all of you get a chance to say hello to him at some point while he's visiting your local course. I hope I'm there with him….beating him by one stroke.