Final Shot

Camaraderie on the course

Long before

the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted him in 2002, LeVar Glover was playing golf. He traces his love for the game to his grandfather who taught him to play when he was six or seven years old. . Growing up, Glover played golf at Dayton?s Madden Golf Course. The staff let him and his older brother play for free, and later established the Greater Dayton Youth Golf Academy, which provides free golf lessons and organizes tournaments for inner-city kids. . The BC Lions cornerback has been with the Vancouver-based team for the past three seasons and was a member of the 2006 Grey Cup champion team. In the off-season he heads home to Dayton, Ohio, where he spends time with his two boys, Caleb (4) and Matthew (7). Recently he?s been putting together a program for teen foster kids in the Dayton area, smoothing their transition out of state custody by helping them with everything from grocery shopping and cooking to landing jobs and college placement.

LeVar Glover

reminisces about golfi ng with Jon Kitna, dreams of playing with Tiger Woods and muses on why golf and football require the same mental preparation

by Joel Bentley

How many rounds do you play a year? At a minimum, I?d say I play once a week during the season: about 24 rounds. What is the distance of your longest drive? I?m not a long driver, man [laughs]. My longest drive is maybe 260. I don?t hit a driver off the tee, either; I use a three-wood. And I play to my fade. What?s your handicap? Between 12 and 13. What is your favourite club in your bag? When I was younger I always wanted a set of Ping i2s. They were the hot thing back then. I traded with this guy when I was playing ball for the Orlando Predators. He wanted my Nikes and I wanted his Ping i2s. I?ve been playing with them ever since. What do you love most about the game? It?s challenging, yet relaxing. And it can be different at any point. One day you can come out and shoot even par, and the next day you come out and shoot 10 over. I also like going to different courses and seeing the landscape. That?s one of the biggest reasons I love playing when I?m abroad or out of town. The courses are sweet. Do you have a favourite course? In B.C., I love playing Westwood Plateau. It?s up in the mountains. It?s so nice. What?s the most expensive green fee you?ve ever paid? Probably around $85 at Redwoods. Was it worth it? Yeah. They had the carts that show the distance and all that stuff. Do you normally use a cart? When I was younger I would walk around. But shoot, now that I?m older ? and I?m not even that old, I?m still young: I play professional ball for a living ? I can?t even play without a cart. It?s crazy. Who is the best golfer you?ve ever played with? I played with Jon Kitna [QB for the Detroit Lions]. At that time we both played with the Cincinnati Bengals. I remember one time we played; I was doing pretty good but kept saying, ?Man, Continued on page 61 62 REAL GOLF | MARCH. APRIL 2009 Michael McKinnell

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