For this compilation we included only doctors with current USGA Handicap Indexes, and that ruled out such golf notables as former tour player (and Golf Digest Professional Advisor) Bill Mallon, an orthopedic surgeon in Durham, N.C., who rarely plays these days. Another criterion: Doctors had to be practicing medicine as of this issue's August cover date. That eliminated such legendary amateurs as Dr. Ed Updegraff of Arizona, and the doctor who would have been co-No. 1 had we published earlier in the year--urologist Chuck Parsons, who plays to a plus-2.3. Parsons, an 11-time club champ at Springfield (Ohio) Country Club, was playing 150 rounds a year before his July retirement.
To locate candidates for our ranking we contacted medical associations, golf associations and doctors listed in the authoritative Castle Connolly annual guide, America's Top Doctors (4th Edition). We also considered doctors ranked in regional magazines and those brought to our attention by their colleagues. Our goal was to identify a mix of low-handicappers and high medical achievers. The biggest surprise? That some of America's most prominent medical specialists manage to maintain low handicaps despite--or because of, some claim--infrequent play. A common refrain: "My Index should be much higher, but I had a couple of good rounds and can't get rid of them."
Of note when examining our Top 100 is the number of orthopedic surgeons, widely known as the jocks of their profession. Fifteen made the list (urologists were next, with eight). If not for medical-privacy laws, several docs could name tour-player patients they've seen. At least one has operated on his club pro.
Each specialty seems to have an explanation for why its members made this list. We heard about the perfectionism of dermatologists, the attention to detail of radiologists, the precise motor skills of ophthalmologists, the easygoing nature of urologists and the advantageous schedules of anesthesiologists. (One admitted switching from surgery to have more time for golf.) Family practitioners might well be underrepresented because of their more erratic schedules. As for neurosurgeons? "We're handicapped by stress," says Luke Knox (No. 18) of Fayetteville, Ark. "We're always worrying about our patients."
Several doctors say they talk and play golf often with their patients, especially in small-town settings. University of North Carolina oncologist Mark Socinski (No. T-52) got to play Augusta National as the guest of a grateful patient. Boston neurologist Howard Weiner, a 12.9 and an acclaimed multiple-sclerosis and Alzheimer's specialist, once played the home course of an immobilized patient who wanted to experience the layout one more time--and did so offering advice from his cart. Stanford psychiatrist John Van Natta (No. T-28) has also played with golfers suffering from Alzheimer's. "They can remember the course," he says. "It's something they can still do."
Tournament play, doctors say, has put their profession into perspective. Says West Des Moines, Iowa, orthopedic surgeon Matt Weresh (No. T-8), who thought of trying for a walk-on spot at Wake Forest--until he realized Wake Forest didn't have walk-ons: "Now I realize there are more important things in life. It makes those four-foot putts not so important."- Text Size:
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