AUGUSTA, Ga. — Snoop Dogg is not a golfer, but he wants to be. The 45-year-old icon has noticed that most of his friends have become addicted to the sport, and he'd like to join them. So right before hosting a party one mile away from Augusta National on the eve of the Masters, Snoop got a quick golf lesson and played a few holes at Forest Hills Golf Club, located about four miles south of Augusta.
"It's HARD to play golf," said Snoop, who cites Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as his favorite golfers. "It looks easy on TV, but it's not that easy. It's a real profession, it's a real sport, it's real coordination, it's real timing."
The first thing Snoop did as he rode out to the first hole was turn up some music. He danced his way around the golf course, even under some torrential downpours. But while he clearly values having fun while playing golf, he was serious about learning how to swing, putt and score. Seema Sadekar, a professional golfer, was on hand to guide him from shot to shot. And Snoop wouldn't move onto the next shot until he felt he mastered the one at hand.
After he walked off the course, Snoop invited a few of us to chat with him while sipping some gin and juice (Snoop has become synonymous with that cocktail, and this was, after all, a Tanqueray outing). While there, Snoop told us he's always loved watching the Masters, but that the tournament (and golf in general) needs to embrace a cooler vibe.
"I know the prestigiousness of being at the Masters, so I respect it and I understand what it means to be here," said Snoop. "Hopefully I can influence them [the Masters] to invite more people like myself who are cool and who are hip hop and who are about other things and bring some flavor to the Masters and not just let it be quiet."
Snoop hinted that he might start to take golf seriously quite soon, perhaps even installing a simulator in his home, getting fit for clubs, etc. So there you have it ... Snoop, the ultimate king of cool, is interested in becoming a golfer. Imagine that.