Ozzie Smith explains how he fell in love with golf

With a World Series title, 15 All-Star staff appearances and 13 Gold Glove Awards, Ozzie Smith is an indeniable front-runner for the title of MLB defensive shortstop GOAT.

But nowadays? The now 67-year-old is totally centered on his golf sport.

On this week’s episode of Subpar, Smith defined to hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz how he acquired into the sport — and why it wasn’t till he was an grownup.

“As a kid I never picked up a golf club,” he mentioned. “I grew up in South Central Los Angeles. It was baseball, basketball and football. So golf was never that thing for any of us.”

Smith mentioned that’s was throughout the late ’80s when Whitey Herzog invited Smith to hit the opening tee shot in his golf match. Even although he’d by no means swung a membership earlier than, Smith agreed, and arrived a pair days forward of time to follow.

“As an athlete, I love the process,” Smith mentioned. “And that process continues today, knowing that I will never perfect it, but getting it to a point of consistency, where I know what it is that I’m trying to achieve.”

Smith says he acquired comfy sufficient throughout follow to hit the match’s opening shot.

“I hit it, and it went down the middle,” he mentioned. “That was it. You know, when you hit it good. I’ve been hooked ever since.”

Smith says he’s cherished the problem of getting the clubface extra sq. at impression, and relishes the enjoyment of competitors.

“For anybody who’s played any sport for 15, 20 years, there’s a competitive void in your life after you’re done. Golf fills that competitive void because I’m competing first of all against myself, competing against the course and the people that you play against. I love the process and trying to figure it out.”

Smith has carried out effectively by any customary, and says he’s at the moment a 4 handicap.

For extra from Smith, together with what it’s prefer to play in high-profile pro-ams, his favourite programs and experiences with the professionals, try the complete interview beneath.

Golf.com Photographer

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of feminine varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everybody on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the workplace, too, the place she’s primarily chargeable for producing each print and on-line options, and overseeing main particular tasks, corresponding to GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview sequence, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in each in the journal and in video type on GOLF.com.