Cigars and Golf

Category_Cigarby Juan Panesso

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If you’re a golfer and a cigar smoker, you probably already know about the apparent match made in heaven when cigars and golf come together. Talk about a perfect pairing….you can’t get one much better than this. There’s something about the two pursuits that naturally go together. An Associated Press writer recently put the pairing on the level of peanut butter and jelly or gin and tonic as some of life’s ideal combinations. We would agree. If you’re a golfer who hasn’t lit up on the course, we have to wonder why you haven’t—unless, of course, you live in one of the communities that have banned smoking on public courses. If this isn’t the case, we recommend taking advantage of the wide-open spaces that golf courses offer and pair a cigar (or two) with your next round. It might improve your score, and it will definitely enhance your day on the links. All this said, smoking on the course does present some challenges, such as which cigar (or cigars) to smoke and what to do with your cigar while you’re attending to your game. There are various schools of thought when it comes to selecting cigars for golf, but experimentation is probably the best way to go. Think about pairing the size of the cigar with the time it takes to play around. Some smokers prefer to keep things on the short side and carry more than one cigar. This approach gives you one for the front nine and one for the back nine. Since you’re not devoting your full attention to the cigar, you might want to go with something a little less expensive than what you’d usually smoke. Doing so also lessens the pain if you happen to leave your cigar behind (it happens, believe us) and you can’t or don’t want to go back for it. Be sure to bring a good lighter, one that performs well in the wind. And, having a back-up cigar or two along isn’t a bad idea either. A cigar case to carry them in is nice, but not a necessity. A good heavy-duty ziplock bag will work just fine. If you’re playing with someone who doesn’t mind minding your cigar when you’re on the tee box or the green, you’re golden. But if you aren’t, you’ll have to figure another way to keep things smoking while you play. The one thing you don’t want to do is lay your cigar on the ground. Doing so subjects it to things like dirt and sand, not to mention weed killer and fertilizer, chemicals that are definitely better left on the ground than anywhere near your lips. A better approach is to invest in a cigar holder. They come in a couple of different configurations—do an Internet search and you’ll find combination cigar rest and divot repair devices and various clip configurations that you can attach to a variety of different surfaces, including golf bags and carts. Finally, if you’re going to smoke on the course, be polite about it. Follow proper etiquette, just like you would in any public place. Don’t leave your ashes behind, and especially not on the green, and don’t use the cup holder in the cart as an ashtray—if you do, empty it out before you return the cart. If someone complains about your cigar, move away, ideally downwind. There are enough hue and cry about smoking in public these days; don’t add to it by giving people a reason to complain.

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