ive only seen cabrera smokung cigarettes on tv during the us open

are their a lot of cigarette smokers on tour?

or do they just not smoking during their round, or are there rules against it?

just curious

I think it's a T.V. thing. They "prefer" not to show it. I'm only guessing though.

They definitely smoke on the course. I remember seeing a bunch of guys smoking on the #1 at Redstone the year I went to the Shell Houston Open. The only 2 I can remember by name are Tommy Armour III and Daly (of course), but there were others.

Hogan
Palmer
Nicklaus
Daly
Nick Price
Thomas Bjorn
Cabrera - although he quit recently
Jimenez
Darren Clarke
Torrance

I'm sure I'll think of some others.

Sam Torrance likes a roll up. And Barry Lane used to have a permanent blue haze of smouldering Benson & Hedges following him around the course. And I never knew Ben Crenshaw was a smoker until I saw him puffing away at the Masters one year on TV. I followed John Daly for a lot of an Open Championship and almost qualified as a smoker myself, I inhaled so much nicotine.

I'd agree with an above poster that the TV producers tend to avoid overt pictures of players having a crafty fag.* Nick Price, for one, used to puff away on the course in a manner that was remarkably similar to the 'Behind the Bikesheds Secret Smokers' Society' at high school. Very conscious of it, and used to hide his cigarette as he puffed away and walked with it. The last couple or three holes of the Open Championship he won at Turnberry were amazing. The drags per minute rate on his Marlboro was world record standard as he walked to his tee shot on 17, and the cigarette was disappearing faster than Parnevik's chances of winning...


* Note to American readers - a 'fag' has a different meaning in Blighty. It's shorthand for 'a cigarette'

A fact that almost killed Robbie Williams career in the US - "My breath smells of a thousand fags"

Also a lot of the coverage up until the final groups on Sunday normally only shows from pre-shot routines through to the ball landing and the player's reaction, so probably not when they'd be smoking, unless they're Brian Barnes.

One player I was surprised to find out smokes is Nick Dougherty, quite a lot of the young guys are really into squeezing every ounce of performance out of health fitness, as well as psychology, equipment, etc. Plus he must have been to loads of those Faldo Series events where they give lectures on fitness and healthy living for golf.

Add Ben Crenshaw to that list

Ian Woosnam, forgot about him. Mark James too. There's also a bunch of current US players who chew tobacco - Weekley, Duval amongst them.

Daly pounds Diet Cokes and smokes more than a pack of Marlboro Reds during one round.

Was at the Masters watching a practice round --- the fairways there are so clean not even a loose blade of grass is visible --- and Lumpy trundles by flicking his half-smoked ciggy butts onto the pristine fairway.....sacrilege!


A lot of the older players smoked.....smoking was cool back then:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZvHiiWFbBU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwVxuu6Ugmg

We, the consumer, just didn't know how lethal cigarettes are.

i was right next to jason gore as he packed a FAT lip at the barclays lol. im talking he put a whole lotta chew in there on the way to the first tee.

what abot the nimber of players that dip? there must be at least 30.

The genial Italian but-for-the-grace-of-God Open Champion Costantino Rocca also used to regularly spark one up when things got a bit tense.

Ah, I'm not sure I even want to post this but what the heck...

Ever notice the one upper front tooth discoloration of one TIGER WOODS!

Is he a closet smoker? Any guesses?

Say it 'ain't so Tiger!

My missus noticed the slightly yellow front gnasher a couple of years ago... She must be a perceptive type since she also twigged, totally unprompted, that Greg Norman's front 'uns aren't real too.

I can't imagine TW sneaking out back for a crafty burn. More likely to be a dodgy crown.

I wouldn't be too happy to pick up my ball only to find a tobacco loogy clinging to it.
Frazer at the q school was hawking left and right.

As a dentist, and a dork, I felt compelled to note that TW's front tooth is darker than the one next to it because of an injury to it, probably as a child. There's no WAY that dude smokes. No way.

Funny story. Was at the Heritage 4 years ago and hanging out at the bar at the 18th(cannot remember the name). Anyway, saw Darren Clarke hanging with some guys on the back patio, and happened to know one of them. Went over, Darren was dressed in head to toe purple if I might add, and had a beer with the guys. Bummed a smoke from Darren, and left to tell my wife, who proceeded to yell at me for smoking. Completely worth it though.

That is unless you are watching a tournament that Tiger Woods is playing in. The TV Coverage shows everything that he does, even if it is going to port-a-jon for a little alone time.

I assume that we are only talking about TOBACCO here.

Frank Lickliter III is a real smoke stack.

I heard a British coach who was commentating once shot his reputation to pieces in one fell swoop:

Other Announcer: We're going to a commercial
Coach: Thank god for that, I'm dying for a fag.

Oops.

I've seen Tag Ridings, John Rieger smoke as well.

I used to chew cigars on the course. Nicotine is the ultimate performance enhancing drug!!

First tournament my dad took me to when I was a young kid was '68 Doral. We attended both weekend rounds. Gardner Dickinson had the lead and I was shocked he was openly smoking on every hole. He was probably 40ish at the time but he seemed ancient with wrinkled and tanned hard features.

We followed Weiskopf primarily, because my dad said I would be built like him. Sure enough, 6-4. Weiskopf trailed narrowly for the vast majority of the two rounds, then Dickinson double bogeyed the famed 18th on Sunday. Weiskopf proceeded to fly the green into a hot dog stand on the left and failed to get up and down, handing the win back to Dickinson.

Anyone see tigers teeth on the cover of golf digest? Snow white.

Sounds to me smoking intimidated Weiskopf. Maybe I should start smoking again while playing? (just teasing)

Cool story.

Exactly the reason that it should be thrown into the list of banned substances. If I were on tour, why should I be restricted from taking Beta blockers when John Daly(for example) can smoke cigarette after cigarette and it has basically the same calming effect? Ban nicotene and whatever means it takes to use it. Fair is fair.

Although people feel that nicotene helps them relax it actually is a stimulant and creates more jitters. Add that to the caffeine in Diet Coke and you have the exact opposite effect of Beta Blockers.

Haven't paid any attention to Tiger's teeth, but I wouldn't use a magazine cover as the barometer of how they actually look in real life! There's a little program called Photoshop that can alter any imperfection such as crooked or discolored teeth, receeding hairlines, freckles or blemishes, etc. to make anyone look perfect.

This is true to a casual user of nicotene or caffeine, but someone who is addicted (can't go through a round of golf without smoking or chewing certainly falls into that category) may experience the jitters, headaches, lethargy, etc. when they DON'T get their fix - so it works both ways. Same with caffeine, when the body starts craving it, the system can react in the same way, which comes through as nervous energy or uneasiness. The calming effect on the system is another dose.

A prime example, someone who doesn't drink coffee or caffeinated beverages has a double shot of espresso. They will most likely be bouncing off the wall with nervous energy, hypertension, etc. Now take someone who is a coffee addict that hasn't had any coffee all day, then that same double shot will actually have a somewhat calming effect.

i have a very reliable source that says Jesper and Freddy Couples smoke the wacky tobbacy

That certainly explains some of Jesper's outfits, and Couples laid-back demeanour.

Makes sense.

Jesper's outfits, baseball cap excluded, were a lot more sensible when he was on the volcanic dust.

At what point, however, does "fair is fair" become ridiculous? What is "pure"? Shall we ban players from consuming anything during a tournament? A lot of players use (for instance) Advil and Aleve - which, because they ease muscle stiffness, (arguably) enhance actual performance more than nicotine does. A lot of guy eat energy bars, or drink all manner of odd concoctions specifically to enhance performance over the course of their rounds.

Shouldn't it be conditioning alone that gives somene energy at the end of the round? If you're in pain, why should you be able to relieve it?

The line between legal and illegal drugs (in society in general) is often quite arbitrary. Similarly, the choice of which drugs should be considered sanctioned, and which banned (according to standards set by sports governing bodies) also seems arbitrary a lot of the time.

IMO, I actually think society needs to lighten up a little. We've fallen totally in love with outlawing things, and catching people.

AMEN!!!
I think you should be allowed to take whatever you want!
I, for example, prefer a protein shake while playing instead of trying to consume the equivalency of two pounds of chicken.

God that is so hard to believe...........

Daly says that diet coke's and cigarettes are his source of protein. Everyone needs protein.

Steve Lowery - I saw him smoking at the range at the '08 Texas Open. Spent more time smoking than hitting balls....

People smoke cigarettes to calm their nerves. You don't think that helps on the golf course? Unfortunately, nerves, and being nervous are a big part of the game and anything that you take to rid you of these nerves, other than experience, I feel, is wrong.

As far as taking Aleve and Advil to play better, I believe that you've confused the words "enhance" and "relieve". There's a big difference between the two. Relieving muscle pain and enhancing your muscles are two totally different things.

Here Here Simp! Right on!

Not trying to be an a**, it this may have been said already in this post, but nicotene is a stimulant, so the nerve calming that the movies portrays is crap. On the other hand if a player is a heavy smoker, than the effect of having a cig will be "calming". It's really not calming its more of an addict staying even, same as with any drug. If they don't have it they go through withdrawls that will make them feel off or even shake. This holds true with cigs as well. If any of you have had just one butt during a round it will through you way off for a few minuts, making you feel light headed and even jittery.

this was a pic from this past weekend...seriously...what is the deal with that tooth?

Maybe it's a false tooth?