And I Golf … Cory Woron

TSN’S CORY WORON GOES UNTELEPROMPTED

• When and where did you take up the game?

I took up the game in junior high school when I bought a set of clubs with money I made as a newspaper boy. My brother and I each bought a set of left handed Spalding Top Flite clubs from Consumers Distributing and we learned to play at Mapleridge, a local 9 hole muni which has since become an 18 hole course. I took my first formal lesson about 6 years ago.

Cory Woron

• What is your current handicap? (if you keep one)

My current handicap is 5

• In a word, describe your affinity for the game of golf?

Freedom

• Where do you play most of your rounds?

I am a member at Spring Lakes in Stouffville

• Do you have a favorite Ontario golf course?

Wow there are so many great courses in Ontario, where do I begin … Devil’s Paintbrush, Muskoka Bay and Rockycrest immediately come to mind.

• What’s the best golf course you have ever played? Why?

Augusta National. It was the Monday after the Masters and it was in a word magical, surreal … okay that’s two words. But it really defied description. Time literally stood still, it felt like the round took about a half hour to play.

• What is golf doing right? And what is golf doing wrong?

I like some of the environmental initiatives that are guiding the game, whether its new minimalist designs or reclaiming damaged sites like landfills. I think there is great benefit in creating green spaces and preserving wetlands etc.

Pace of play. I don’t know if golf courses are becoming to long to combat technology, or too tough, or people play off the wrong tees, but the game should not kill an entire day when you play. I think education has a bit to do with it, little things like not marking and waiting on those two and three foot putts. Knock it in and move on. Think about it, if everyone in a foursome stops to mark their short putts through an entire round, that’s at least an extra 5 minutes a hole. Do the math, yet you see it all the time. Am I venting? Sorry, but I really think the pace of play is the biggest obstacle to attracting and keeping people excited about the game.

• Where do you see the future of the game and what might be some ways in which the game can grow in participation?

At the professional level, I think golf has a great opportunity right now with Tiger on the sidelines. It sounds weird to say it, but there is an opportunity to sell the game in its entirety and highlight some of the other players and stories involved. I think as good as Tiger has been for golf, his immense popularity has had a polarizing effect. At the grassroots level, there has to be a way to get more kids involved. More fun 9 hole golf courses that are easy to walk yet still challenging enough to present the player with a variety of shots.

• In your position at TSN do you get the opportunity to attend major PGA events and, if so do you have any interesting experiences / anecdotes that you can share with our readers?

I’ve covered two US Opens and Three Masters …

The year Tiger sunk his famous chip on 16 at Augusta I was sitting in the media center with Tom Rinaldi from ESPN. He was working on a story of how sometimes brilliance just happens for the best players in a game. The Jordans, the Gretzkys etc… He asked me to vet a script he was writing and to tell him what I thought. (Tom Rinaldi, asking me?!? That was cool in itself) He was a bit concerned because Tiger appeared to be on the verge of a speed wobble. If you actually see where he ended up off the tee on 16, you can’t believe how bad the shot was. Then, the chip happened. We saw it on the giant screen in the media center and could hear the roar inside from all the way across the golf course. I turned the laptop screen back towards Tom and said “Looks, pretty good to me!” That was the first shot in Tom’s story that night on ESPN and one of the most famous shots in golf.

• As you have a young family will you encourage your kids to take up the game of golf?

My boy’s first word is ball …. He likes to clap when he sees the ball disappear in the cup on TV so there’s
hope!

I once walked on as a single player and got paired with three guys. A grandfather, a father and son/grandson. I thought that was pretty cool. You can only do that in this game.

• How would you go about encouraging more kids to take up the game?

It’s got to be fun and it can’t be a four or five hour thing. I also think a lot of courses are hung up about having kids there. We need shorter courses for one, courses aimed a juniors and beginners that don’t feel like there’s a bunch of holes cut in a field somewhere. They’ve got to feel like a real course, and they need a great practice area good range, putting and short game areas.

• Is golf an important sport for TSN to cover? Does Canadian golf need more Mike Weirs and Stephen Ames to make the sport more attractive to young Canadians?

Golf consistently gets great numbers on TSN and the majors especially are important for us and you can’t
stress how important it is having Weir and Ames there for young fans of the game, especially those who aspire to play golf competitively. When kids in our country see Mike Weir get there from similar circumstances or they see Stephen Ames living in Calgary year round it takes the mystery out of it and shows there are no barriers. Its right there if you want it and are willing to go for it.

• Ultimate 4some?

Bobby Jones | Happy Gilmore | Anna Rawson

… every shot would be memorable.

• Goals yet to be achieved in golf?

I would love to be a golf play by play announcer. Follow a tour and spend the rest of my days working in the sunshine captivated by a little white ball …