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Reflections |
Ryan Longwell
Professional football player
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Ryan Longwell, kicker for the Minnesota Vikings, has been one of the premier kickers in the NFL since his 1997 rookie season. Currently he’s the seventh all-time most accurate kicker with an 81.8 percent field goal success rate. And as far as pressure kicks go, he’s currently on a streak of converting 21 out of his last 22 field goals in the fourth quarter and overtime.
The son of a golf professional, Longwell has been golfing “since day one.” He carries a handicap of +0.9 and plays in as many golf tournaments as his off-season can handle. “It’s a pretty relaxing way to train your mind without having to kick footballs all day,” Longwell says.
Longwell also appreciates fine turf. He considers mowing his yard as one of his hobbies, proud of the stripes he cuts into his lawn. He has an artificial putting green at his Orlando-area home, but as for trying to grow the real thing, he quickly declines, stating that that would take “too much maintenance for me.”
— Seth Jones,
senior associate editor
Great conditions are instrumental in the enjoyment process. I get to play some great manicured courses and (they’re) a treat to play on, that’s for sure. The best-conditioned course I’ve ever seen is the Club at Pronghorn in Central Oregon — chiseled edges around the tee boxes and it’s just in immaculate shape. I know John Anderson (25-year Class A member), the superintendent there. (Superintendents) are legit. They know exactly what they’re doing and they have a skill that not many people have to make these courses grow and make them green and make them look good year-round — it’s pretty impressive. |
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