Nick Faldo - Big Sky's Ambassador of Golf
You don’t get knighted by Queen at knocking a tiny white ball into a distant cup. For that rare honor, which was only ever achieved by two golfers, you need to be a great exponent for not only your nation, but the game. Sir Nick Faldo, knighted in 2009, is both. For Lone Mountain Land Company’s family of golf clubs, inking him to be an ambassador for the area’s burgeoning golf scene is undoubtedly, pardon the pun, a hole-in-one.
Faldo is professional golf’s winningest Brit, notching more than 40 tournament victories on the PGA Tour, including six majors. As important, his Faldo Series—clinics and tournaments for youth across the globe—has brought more than 45,000 new participants to the game since the series’ inception in 1996. More than 70 of those alumni have made it to the pro golfing ranks.
For most of the public, though, Faldo is better known for his star turn in the broadcast booth, analyzing events for ABC, CBS, and the Golf Channel over a 16-year career. When he stepped away from the course as a player in 2004, Faldo was known as a stoic pro, with some even accusing him of playing mind games with fellow competitors for his taciturn manner on the course. The golfing public was wowed when Faldo turned out to be a warm and witty presence on television, extolling the nuances of the game he loves.
Now he brings that charm and desire to grow the game to the newly created golf ambassador role for Spanish Peaks Mountain Club, Moonlight Basin, Crazy Mountain Ranch, and Yellowstone Club. Faldo and his wife Lady Lindsay—along with their five dogs—recently moved to their farm on the East Gallatin River near Bozeman. The homestead is the new headquarters for Faldo Design, which has created courses in 20 countries. “I’ve golfed, and built courses on five continents, and few places offer the wonders found in Big Sky,” says Faldo. Faldo was drawn by that wonder, “Every one of the courses is gorgeous, there’s nothing like the scale of Big Sky country,” he says.
He was also drawn, he admits, by the availability of world-class fishing. “I love that learning curve, especially as my golfing is going the other way,” he jokes. “Though hitting 400 yards on the regular in the thin air does help the ego.”
He has not yet caught the skiing bug, though. “I don’t love the ground moving under my feet,” he laughs.
That need for control isn’t surprising in such an accomplished golfer, where mastery of the most subtle body mechanics is essential to success. Faldo is already bringing that understanding to the greater Big Sky golf scene, teaching a clinic for school-aged players in August. “In a time where patience is lacking and we can get entertained instantly on our phones, a sport like golf is more valuable than ever,” he says. “I’ve been so fortunate to find a game that sharpens the concentration and is so engrossing.”
Faldo brought that enthusiasm to all four clubs this past summer, playing in fundraisers, chatting with members, and casting an eye across the landscape for potential future courses. He demurs on revealing specific plans, but hopes they include teaching opportunities, as well as competitive golf events. “I’ve been making some calls,” teases the man who may well be the world’s best-connected golfer.
In the meantime, you will find him out on one of the courses knocking the ball around and marveling at the silence. “There’s times when I’m playing and I’ll ask my partner, ‘Can you hear that?’,” says Faldo. “I can’t hear a thing, they’ll reply. ‘Exactly,’” he says. “We’re all busy people, and it's exceedingly rare to have those moments of total silence.”
To view the article in Big Sky Life click here
