Celebrity Golfers

Celebrity Golfers

For hard-rocker Alice Cooper, it was a way to get off a drug addiction. For Dennis Quaid, it’s a way to escape from the rest of the world.

In this case, “it” refers to golf. Just as regular people do, celebrities get physical and psychological benefits from playing the game. Some of them are pretty darn good at it, too. The Celebrity Players Tour was a way for some of these stars to test their skills on the links and make some real cash. In fact, former pitcher Rick Rhoden made about $2 million on the tour.

We’ll look at the top 10 celebrity golfers from the world of showbiz (read TV, music, movies), leaving athletes off the list because, if included, they would dominate.

Number 10
Larry Gatlin
Handicap: 3.8
In 2008, Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater in the popular Ozark Mountain resort town of Branson, Missouri, will feature Larry and the Gatlin Brothers.

“Every year, we’ve enjoyed performing in Branson for our fans who travel here from across America,” the group’s lead singer and songwriter said in a news release. “Being in Branson is a natural for us because our fans love visiting here and we love performing for them.  Besides, this a great place to get in some quality golf time.”

In addition to serving as recreation, the game helped Larry Gatlin’s career. Years ago, he was playing golf with his buddy, Frank Gifford, when the long-time sportscaster suggested Gatlin would be perfect as the replacement for Keith Carradine in the musical The Will Rogers Follies. Gifford made a call to the show’s producer on Gatlin’s behalf.

Number 9
Rudy Gatlin
Handicap: 2.4
The youngest Gatlin brother also likes to play golf while taking a break from his musical activities; Rudy is involved with a number of charity golf events across America.

“I’m always happy to do whatever I can for these great causes, especially if there is a little golf associated with it,” Rudy said on his website.