Left to right: John Glozek, Golfing Magazine; Mike Woodcock, Links Trust PR; Mike Jamison on the 18th tee of The Old Course.

Interview With Mike Jamison Director & Founder, ING

A Light Hearted Golf Q & A Interview

By Brian Weis

Below is an interview with Mike Jamison, CEO, of Jamison Golf Group, a PR/Media Relations and Event Management company serving the golf industry since 1990. HE is also the Executive Director & Founder of International Network of Golf. ING is a 21-year-old, non-profit, media-based networking organization.

The following are a few traditional and non traditional golf centric questions that I love to ask influential people in the golf industry.

When did you start golfing and who introduced you do the game?
I started playing golf as a 6-year-old and was introduced to the game by my three older brothers.

What is your current home course?
Timacuan Golf Club in Lake Mary, FL, a terrific Ron Garl-designed course.

To date, what is your proudest golf accomplishment?
Winning our club's Member-Guest tournament with my cousin Rick in 2010; In business? Watching an organization I have overseen for 21 years, the ING, continue to thrive in a tough economic climate.

What is your biggest golf pet peeve on or off the course?
Slow play - people who do not play "ready golf." Anything longer 3 and 1/2 hours is time wasted.

What is your favorite golf destination?
St. Andrew's Scotland is where the heart lies; Pinehurst is like a second home; Myrtle Beach has the entire package; Northern Michigan has the beauty and the weather (in the summer only!); And Las Vegas: Great courses, the best nightlife.

What course is on your bucket list that you have not played yet?
Augusta National (I have no prayer of playing it, but one can only dream). Would also like to play the courses at Bandon Dunes.

If you woke up tomorrow and could play one course you played before, where would you play?
Tough decision between Pebble Beach; Kingsbarns or Carnoustie in Scotland. Royal Porthcawl in Wales.

But I would love to play Pinehurst No. 2, followed by a cigar and Scotch on the porch of the Carolina.

If you could change one aspect, rule or thing about golf, what would it be and why?
I think the stroke and distance rule for out of bounds is unfair. A simple drop at point of crossing, plus stroke penalty, would do.

Dream foursome (living)?
Arnold Palmer, Bill Murray, Natalie Gulbis

Dream foursome (living or dead)?
The Vegas Rat Pack - Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. - Can you imagine the stories?

18 Rapid Fire, Off The Cuff Questions

1) Hitting Long Drive OR Sinking Long Putt?
LONG DRIVE

2) Having Round of Life OR Hole in One?
ROUND OF LIFE - So much luck involved in a hole in one.

3) Golfing at the crack of dawn OR twilight?
TWILIGHT - IF I DIE AT SUNSET PUTTING OUT ON THE 18TH GREEN, I'LL DIE A HAPPY MAN.

4) Hit a power fade OR power draw?
I love hitting a POWER DRAW on command. But it rarely follows my command, so I play a POWER FADE.

5) Beverage cart OR halfway house?
BEVERAGE CART

6) Bathroom OR bushes?
BATHROOM

7) Hot dog OR wrap?
HOT DOG

8) Around the green, being in sand OR thick rough?
SAND

9) Walking OR riding?
RIDING (but love walking the Old Course with a caddy)

10) Do you carry traditional 3 iron OR hybrid?
HYBRID

11) Do you prefer long par 3 OR long par 5?
LONG PAR 5

12) Pants OR Shorts?
SHORTS (A must in Florida)

13) Palmer OR Nicklaus?
PALMER - my childhood hero and one of my favorites interviews as an adult.

14) Beatles OR Elvis?
BEATLES - Their Long and Winding Road wasn't nearly long enough.

15) Play for fun OR play for money?
We like to make it interesting!

16) Bump and run OR flop shot?
The closer to the ground the better.... It's one the reasons I love links golf.

17) Lay up OR gamble?
Gambler at heart (that's why my wife is in charge of the bank account)

18) 18 holes OR 36?
My heart and soul whisper 36. My body screams 18.

Article Tags: Mike Jamison Interview

Revised: 08/11/2011 - Article Viewed 31,243 Times

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.