Lee Westwood recently made a huge change in his life that he is hoping will pay even bigger dividends on the golf course. The move, of course, was relocating his family to sunny Florida from their previous residence in England. Westwood is by no means a trail blazing pioneer in this regard, as he joins several other golfers who have made the trek from across the pond to South Florida. His new neighbors are the likes of Rory McIlroy, Louis Oosthuizen and Luke Donald.
When a man with a family makes this kind of move, the decision clearly is not his alone and involves more than the game of golf. You have to make sure that your family is on board, because any guy that’s married knows if your wife isn’t happy, you’re not going to be happy. You also have to worry about your kids and how they are going to adjust to a different culture.
As far as his profession is concerned, this is a move that makes a great deal of sense for Westwood and the others who have pulled up stakes in Europe and moved to the United States. By settling down in Florida, California, Arizona or a state with a similar climate, these guys now get the opportunity to practice whenever they desire. When they were in Europe, the weather dictated how much they could play, as there were months where getting out on the course simply wasn’t an option. Additionally, they now get to practice on courses with a design much more similar to the ones they see on a weekly basis on the PGA Tour.
All in all, I have to say this was a smart move, especially considering the fact that a lot of these guys are moving to the PGA Tour on a full time basis.
Carl Conrad is the Golf Network Manager for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter or add him to your network on Google.