Top 250 Golfer Doctors in America

Ranked by handicap

Compiled By Lisa Furlong and Colin S. Barry

August 2006

To take the temperature of our nation's golfer doctors, we wanted to track down 100 of the best. It was a long and difficult operation, but we managed to find them. Here they are--just a fraction of the roughly 100,000 golfers among America's 885,000 physicians.

RANKING/ NAME	FIELD	LOCATION	INDEX	COMMENT
1. Douglas Hanzel	Pulmonary Medicine	Savannah, Ga.	+ 2.3	Lives and plays at The Landings on Skidaway Island
2. Cris Barnthouse	Orthopedic Surgery	Kansas City, Mo.	+ 1.6	Kansas City Chiefs team doc is former Kansas basketball player
3. Edward Vomastek	Anesthesiology	Traverse City, Mich.	+ 1.3	Has qualified for U.S. Mid-Amateur
T-4. Hap Pocras	Anesthesiology	Omaha	+ 1.0	Won Little People's Golf Championship at age 13
T-4. Steve Samuelson	Ophthalmology	Fremont, Neb.	+ 1.0	2003 Nebraska Mid-Am champ
6. Jonathan Valuck	Cardiology	Oklahoma City	+ 0.5	North American Medical Golf Assoc. champ in '00 and '04
7. Patricia Cornett	Hematology/Oncology	San Francisco	0	Curtis Cupper ('78, '88) named her dogs Troon, Ballybunion and Ailsa
T-8. Matt Weresh	Orthopedic Surgery	West Des Moines, Iowa	0.2	Three-time Des Moines C C. champ; played in 1982 U. S. Junior
T-8. Dan Whipple	Ophthalmology	Avon,Ind.	0.2	Built network of expert consultants through golf
10. Peter Parker	General Surgery	Winston-Salem, N.C.	0.3	Runner-up in '05 N C. Super Senior
T-11. Joseph Andriole	Radiology	Orlando	0.4	Has played in U.S., British and Canadian Amateurs
T-11. George Pipoly	Medical Oncology	Toledo, Ohio	0.4	Top doc at Sylvania (Ohio) Country Club
T-11. Philip Zambos	Radiology	Flatwoods, Ky.	0.4	Reigning club champ at Guyan G. &C C. in Huntington, W .Va.
14. Bradley Kropp	Pediatric Urology	Oklahoma City	0.5	Two-time All-American at Ohio Wesleyan; neighbor of Bob Tway
15. David Jude	Obstetrics and Gynecology	Huntington, W.Va.	0.6	Runner-up in '06 W.Va. Mid-Am; seventh in '04 W.Va. Open
T-16. Richard Ruffin	Orthopedic Surgery	Oklahoma City	0.7	Recommends many patients switch from steel to graphite
T-16. Joe Frank Terrell	General Medicine	Brewton, Ala.	0.7	Played golf for the University of Alabama in the 1960s
18. Luke Knox	Neurosurgery	Fayetteville, Ark.	1.1	Dad steered him away from a pro golf career
T-19. Mary Budke	Emergency Medicine	Eugene, Ore.	1.3	1972 U.S. Women's Amateur champion
T-19. W. Clark Hargrove III	Cardiac Surgery	Philadelphia	1.3	Clinical Dir., Cardiothoracic Surgery, Presbyterian Med. Center
T-19. John Winston Siebert	Plastic Surgery	New York City	1.3	Pioneered microsurgery on facial deformities, aesthetic surgery
22. Sally Voss Krueger	Anesthesiology	Walnut Creek, Calif.	1.4	Perennial San Francisco City champ; played in AT&T at Pebble
23. Terrell Coffield	Radiology	Bennington, Vt.	1.5	Uses cross-country skiing to stay in shape for golf
T-24. Joe Lewis	Cardiology	West Chester, Pa.	1.7	Son and grandson of golf professionals
T-24. Pem Rosal	Internal Medicine	Smyrna, Del.	1.7	Had a hole cut into his office carpet for daily putting practice
T-26. Richard Rink	Pediatric Urology	Indianapolis	1.9	Teaches at Indiana University School of Medicine
T-26. Robert Weaver	Urology	Orlando	1.9	Specializes in urologic cancer and robotic surgery
T-28. Craig Hopple	Internal Medicine	Toledo, Ohio	2	Has won Toledo Golf Assoc. Husband/Wife and Father/Son
T-28. Mark McBride	Orthopedic Surgery	Morristown, N.J.	2	Played on Stanford's golf team in the 1970s
T-28. John Van Natta	Psychiatry	Palo Alto, Calif.	2	Played for Case Western Reserve; won '02 Stanford Seniors
T-28. Thomas Win	Radiology	Toledo, Ohio	2	Often plays solo but made hole-in-one at a health-care event
32 Grant Liu	Neurology	Philadelpia	2.1	Writing a book on brain-eye coordination in golf
33. Carl Sanfelippo	Urology	Birmingham, Ala.	2.3	Ex-caddie attended Univ. of Wisconsin on an Evans Scholarship
T-34. Alan Graham	Vascular Surgery	New Brunswick, N.J.	2.4	Chair, Vascular Surgery, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
T-34. Ed Lewis	Orthopedic Surgery	Austin	2.4	Works on game with Chuck Cook; treats PGA Tour players
T-34. Chris Lombardozzi	Emergency Medicine	Spartan burg, S.C.	2.4	All-Ivy at Columbia; mo ved to S. C. with golf in mind
T-34. Ed Reidy	Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation	Pittsburgh	2.4	All-Ivy at Cornell; son of former N Y. State Golf Assoc. director
38. Paul Wuthrich	Ophthalmology	Bryan, Tex.	2.5	Urges use of sunglasses to prevent macular degeneration
T-39. Stan Smazal	Radiology	Englewood, Colo.	2.6	Twice club champ at Cherry Hills, three times at Castle Pines
T-39. John Valade	Internal Medicine	Toledo, Ohio	2.6	Credits club pros at Sylvania C C. for his improvement
41. Robert Wharen	Neurosurgery	Jacksonville	2.7	Co-investigator, Mayo Clinic Study of the yips
42. Craig Aronchick	Gastroenterology	Philadelphia	2.8	Helped develop pre-colonoscopy pill Visicol
43. David Sibley	Cardiology	Birmingham, Ala.	2.9	Worked with Bob Toski at Ocean Reef, on range at Miami Lakes
44. Doug Willhoite	Cardiology	Kansas City, Kan.	3.2	Frequent golf partner of medical partner Harbrecht (No. T-66)
45. Gary Ramage	Family Medicine	Watford City, N.D.	3.3	Helped improve home course by designing new tees, hazards
T-46. Mike Graham	Orthopedic Surgery	Houston	3.4	Specializes in spine surgery
T-46. Robert Sutherland	Orthopedic Surgery	Wyomissing, Pa.	3.4	Club champ at Oakmont C C. ('96) and Saucon Valley C C. ('88)
T-48. Mark David Lorenze	Orthopedic Surgery/Sports Medicine	Essex, Conn.	3.5	1983 Connecticut Junior runner-up; 1988 Yale golf captain
T-48. Norman (Butch) Noe	Pediatric Urology	Memphis	3.5	Chief, Ped. Urology, Dept. of Surgery, St. Jude Children's
T-48. John Owens	Cardiologist	Woodbury, N.J.	3.5	Once resuscitated early golf mentor at a golf banquet
T-48. Richard Rand	Plastic Surgery	Bellevue, Wash.	3.5	Aced old fifth hole at Pebble Beach a few days after 1972 U S. Open
T-52. Jeff DeFrancisco	Internal Medicine	Des Moines	3.6	Insists on walking and carrying his bag
T-52. Joseph S. Hacker III	Gastroenterology	Newark, Del.	3.6	Chair of Legislation for the Medical Society of Delaware
T-52. Girard Robinson	Psychiatry	Cumberland, Me.	3.6	Department Chief, Maine Medical Center
T-52. Mark Socinski	Medical Oncology	Raleigh, N.C.	3.6	One of many docs who honed skills watching golf on TV
T-56. James Bradley	Orthopedic Surgery	Pittsburgh	3.7	Pittsburgh Steelers team doc; says golf is “a catharsis after work”
T-56. Byung Kim	Anesthesiology	Mount Kisco, N.Y.	3.7	Former club and senior club champ at Ardsley C C.
58. Greg Fairlie	Family Medicine	Oklahoma City	3.8	Isn't as good as wife, LeeAnn, a plus-1.8
T-59. Andrew Jaffe	Dermatology	Naples, Fla.	3.9	Performs Mohs micrographic surgery for skin cancers
T-59. Michael Martin	Internal Medicine	Portsmouth, Ohio	3.9	Planning to attend Ryder Cup in Ireland
T-59. Patrick Pasquariello	Pediatrics	Philadelphia	3.9	Chronic Fatigue specialist
T-59. Ira Handler	Psychiatry	Butler, Pa.	4	Directs Butler Memorial's Gero-Psychiatry Unit
T-62. Richard L. Harris	Infectious Diseases	Houston	4	Member, Baylor School of Medicine Hall of Fame
T-62. Stephen Lane	Ophthalmology	St. Paul, Minn.	4	Past President, American Society Of Cataract& Refractive Surgery
65. Sean Duerr	General Surgery	Stratford, Conn.	4.3	Performed first laparoscopic gall-bladder surgery in Conn, in 1990
T-66. Richard N. Baker	Ophthalmology	Houston	4.4	Co-founder of biennial match: Champions G.C. vs. Royal Portrush
T-66. David Ewalt	Pediatric Urology	Dallas	4.4	One of D Magazine's Best Doctors in Dallas
T-66. James Harbrecht	Cardiology	Kansas City, Kan.	4.4	Plays better in match play than stroke play
T-66. Howard Williams III	Anesthesiology	Atlanta	4.4	Pain management specialist with many golf patients
T-70. Wiliam Creevy	Orthopedic Surgery	Boston	4.5	Member at The Country Club (Brookline) and Kittansett Club
T-70. Mark Wilchinsky	Orthopedic Surgery	Bridgeport, Conn.	4.5	Sees double-knee replacement in his own future
72. John Leonetti	Otolaryngology	Maywood, Ill.	4.6	Director, Loyola's Center for Cranial Base Surgery
T-73. Peter Cotton	Gastroenterology	Charleston, S.C.	4.7	Caddied for son Andy in '86 and '88 British Opens
T-73. Lee Irving	Obstetrics & Gynecology	Grand Rapids, Mich.	4.7	Past president, American College of Osteopathic OB/GYNs
T-73. Glenn Perry	Orthopedic Surgery	Charlotte	4.7	Team doctor for NBA's Charlotte Bobcats
T-73. Peter Sneed	Ophthalmology	Leland, Mich.	4.7	Agrees with Bobby Jones: Golf is played between the ears
77. Steven Hotze	Allergy & Immunology	Katy, Tex.	4.8	Hormones advocate
78. Harrison Pierce	Pediatrics	New Canaan, Conn.	4.9	Childhood friend of Butch Harmon at Wykagyl C.C. (New Rochelle, N.Y.)
T-79. Douglas Fraker	General Surgery	Philadelphia	5	Vice chairman, Dept. of Surgery, University of Pennsylvania
T-79. J. Malcolm Moore	Urology	Little Rock	5	Has represented Arkansas in Senior Challenge
81. Scott Brazer	Gastroenterology	Durham, N.C.	5.1	Started playing with his dad at age 4
T-82. Steven Kahn	Orthopedic Surgery	Cherry Hills, N.J.	5.2	Focuses on vascular, oncologic, thyroid and parathyroid
T-82. Daniel Sexton	Infectious Diseases	Durham, N.C.	5.2	Part of Duke's Endocarditis Service
84. Michael Berkoben	Nephrology	Durham, N.C.	5.3	Focus is on end-stage renal disease
T-85. Jewell Malick	Obstetrics & Gynecology	Rockwall, Tex.	5.4	Finished 12th in '05 Women's Southern Golf Assoc. Senior
T-85. Chester Maxson	Gastroenterology	Jupiter, Fla.	5.4	Chief of Staff, Jupiter Medical Center; Medical Dir., Seminole Golf Club
T-85. Robert Solomon	Neurosurgery	New York City	5.4	Department chair at Columbia Presbyterian
T-88. Peter B. Anderson	Gastroenterologist	Lebanon,N.H.	5.6	Club champ at Montcalm G.C., a top-10 Best New Private in 2005
T-88. James Beaty	Orthopedic Surgery	Memphis	5.6	Specializes in pediatric orthopedics
T-88. Leland Winston	Orthopedic Surgery	Houston	5.6	Former Rice football player (All-SWC tackle, 1967-'68)
T-91. Ed Kosinski	Cardiology	Fairfield, Conn.	5.7	Interventional Cardiologist, St. Vincent's Med. Ctr., Bridgeport, Conn.
T-91. James Ryan	Cardiology	Columbus, Ohio	5.7	Medical Director of First Aid at Jack Nicklaus' Memorial Tournament
T-93. Arthur Day	Neurosurgery	Boston	5.8	Director, Cerebrovascular Center, Brigham & Women's Hospital
T-93. Kevin Hagan	Plastic Surgery	Nashville	5.8	Repairs cleft lips & palettes at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital
T-93. Michael Hallisey	Vascular & Interventional Radiology	Hartford, Conn.	5.8	Has pioneered minimally invasive procedures in Connecticut
T-93. Michael Kennelly	Urology	Charlotte	5.8	Director, Urology Department, Carolinas Rehabilitation
T-93. Mitch Storey	Sports Medicine	Seattle	5.8	Team doc for baseball's Seattle Mariners
T-93. Hunt Batjer	Neurosurgery	Chicago	6	Department chair at Northwestern's Memorial Hospital
T-98. Michael Kaminer	Dermatology	Chestnut Hill, Mass.	6	Co-editor, Atlas of Cosmetic Surgery
T-98. Barry Salky	General Surgery	New York City	6	Laparoscopic pioneer at New York City's Mount Sinai