Cigars 101: Intro To Cigars and Golf

Here’s the first of a series on cigars by guest blogger David Cline, one of the GolfBlogger’s best friends from college. Here in Michigan (and likely elsewhere) cigars occupy a central part of golf culture, but I frankly don’t know enough about them write an intelligent article. So I drafted David, who not only is a cigar hobbyist, but also a professional writer.  (If anyone’s interested, I’m also looking for a guest blogger on whiskey, bourbon, mixed drinks, et. al.) Here’s the first on cigars:

igars and golf just seem to be a natural fit. Not every golfer will light up, and not every cigar smoker takes to the links, but to those who enjoy both pastimes, they blend together quite nicely.

During his tenure as Vice President in the Woodrow Wilson administration, Thomas Riley Marshall famously said, “What this country needs is a good five-cent cigar.” Unless you find a discounted pack of Swisher Sweets at your local 7-11, I seriously doubt you will find any cigars – of any quality – for that price.

On the other hand, I don’t recommend smoking a $20 cigar while you swat the ball around your favorite course. Cigars, to me, are meant to be savored and enjoyed – and if you constantly have to put down your stogie to pick a club, put on your glove, hit the ball, take off your glove, etc., you are losing a lot of potential enjoyment.

You can find a cigar shop in just about every mid-size city these days, and within those shops, you will find at least a decent selection of cigars in terms of quality and price. As I said earlier, if you avoid the really expensive cigars, you can still find many that are high quality, good-tasting, easy to draw, and pleasant to smoke.

My current favorite is The Rocky Patel Edge Sumatra. The simple thin red wrapper at the foot hides the quality and taste of this cigar, both of which are outstanding. The Sumatra is firm yet very easy to draw, and consistently provides me with about an hour of smoke time. If I put it down for a few minutes, it holds its fire, and the taste and draw are just the same when I return.

The Sumatra costs $6.95 per stick at my shop; you may find it cheaper online, or where you live. It is a worthwhile investment, though, and even if you have a lousy day on the course, you will be rewarded with a fine cigar.

I will review other cigars in the future, and if you have suggestions, please pass them along. As you may have gathered, I don’t plan to try any high-end cigars; my price range will stop below $10.00. All the cigars I have smoked cost $10 or less, and just about all of them were enjoyable.

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