As a child, I distinctly recall reading a short story collection by Alfred Hitchcock, and a quote from the foreword has always stuck with me. Hitchcock described the years before the age of sixteen (at which time one could acquire a driver’s license) as life’s great waiting room.
As a car-obsessed kid, this passage resonated with me; my entire childhood seemed to be waiting for the moment I had the freedom to go anywhere I wanted. But before the freedom of driving became a reality for me, one of the ways I passed that time was golf.
A young Rickie Fowler got to put an E92 M3 through its paces at the 2010 BMW Championship. Fowler is now sponsored by Mercedes-Benz.
I was a decent golfer throughout my teens, until I got my first real job at a golf course. Being the low man on the totem pole, I spent all of the good golfing days working. My game suffered as a result, and since I had a shiny new driver’s license, I saw no need to mess around with the sport any longer.
Recently, though, I regained the itch to play, and dusted off my old clubs and started hitting the driving range. As a car enthusiast, I naturally began paying attention to the cars parked outside of the local ranges, clubhouses, and pro shops I’ve begun frequenting. Without exception, I always see at least one BMW.
It seems like both BMW and the golf industry are aware of this phenomenon. TaylorMade’s M3 & M4 series clubs used a very familiar-looking font and color scheme, and BMW’s expansive Golfsport lineup of branded lifestyle accessories includes everything a would-be golfer would need to hit the links, with the exception of the clubs themselves; I’ve got my eye on the BMW Golfsport golf bag, although my bank account says that the club towel may be more my speed.
Why is it that BMW addiction and golf addiction have such a high rate of comorbidity? Obviously, both hobbies are expensive, but it goes deeper than that. As it turns out, driving cars and driving balls have a lot in common with each other.
2019 Masters Champion Tiger Woods has won the BMW Championship twice.
Both require focus and precision, and both benefit from bespoke equipment tailored to the specific style and taste of the user. While I still haven’t found the perfect set of clubs (I need to work on the perfect swing first), I know that when I’m driving, nothing feels quite like a BMW.
Share your favorite golfing tips below—and let me know how those clubs fit in the trunk of your BMW.—Cam VanDerHorst
[Photos courtesy Alex Tock, BMW AG, TaylorMade.]
