Ann Liguori is working the room. On a gorgeous summer afternoon, the “room” is a patio and lawn at Canoe Place Inn and Cottages, appropriate because the Hampton Bays renovated lodge resembles the kind of country club Liguori routinely visits to cover national golfing events for several broadcast outlets.
We’re at a book party for her new “Life On The Green: Lessons and Wisdom from Legends of Golf.” It has a foreword from CBS pal Jim Nantz and features life lessons from greats like Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw, and Nancy Lopez. You could call her a kind of pioneer. Golf was strictly a boys’ club when Liguori came along. And she helped change all that for herself and other women. In a smart IBKUL sports dress (she’s a brand ambassador), she’s ready to give me the play-by-play on her hectic life.
When did Ann Liguori meet golf?
I played every other sport as a kid except golf. But I needed to learn the game because I got all these great invitations. So, I took golf as a P.E. elective when I was in college. And I fell in love with it. And then the Golf Channel hired me to do a show. I started interviewing and playing with Celine Dion, Matthew McConaughey, Samuel L. Jackson, Joe Pesci, and Kevin Costner. And in a round, I got so much great information out of them.
Who’s the best?
Well, Alice Cooper plays every day. The day he got out of rehab, he played 36 holes and never stopped playing. And he plays to this day. He’s a five or a four handicap, if I had to guess.
And what’s your handicap?
Oh, I’m okay. You’d think I’d be better, but I’m about a 15. But you know how long it takes to write a book? And doing a show like “Talking Golf” on WFAN? Plus, I do a lot of public speaking, so this book has taken a lot out of me.
Golf is an old boys’ club both in the game and the broadcasting world. How’d you first break in?
When I started on WFAN in 1987, I was the first woman to host a call-in sports show. So, I put a lot of responsibility on myself to be as good as I could, because I wanted to flourish, but I also wanted other women to have opportunities as well in sports broadcasting.
And there weren’t a lot of men going, “This isn’t your world”?
Yes! (Laughs.) Everybody! It was tough, but I established credibility right away. Doc [Dwight] Gooden, the Mets superstar, was my very first guest. He was just out of rehab.
You’re kind of the first sports stop right after rehab.
(Laughs.) Well, that’s not a theme, but a lot of people will tell you it’s helped them. Lawrence Taylor plays 36 holes a day, so a lot of these celebrities transfer their addiction.
So, who was the first man in the business to say, “Let’s give Ann Liguori a chance?”
Michael Whelan was the main programming guy at the Golf Channel who called me. He’d seen me cover Wimbledon and the U.S. Open for HBO. In five minutes, before the Golf Channel was even on the air, we came up with my show. “Conversations with Ann Liguori” was me interviewing A-list celebrities while golfing, and that turned into my first book.
So, how is this new book different?
I interviewed 12 legends in golf. And it’s all about what they bring from their golf game to their day-to-day life. It’s about “life wisdom,” and it’s very uplifting. The themes are universal and positive, and everybody can relate to them. Overcoming fear, pursuing your passion. Gary Player talks about that. He’s 88 years young and still playing golf every day. He does push-ups and sit-ups, and I know that because I did them with him in his front yard when I interviewed him one year. Annika Sorenstam talks about “There are no shortcuts to success.” And she’s the winningest female in golf. So, each of the 12 legends has their own advice for the ages.
Let’s talk about what’s happening in golf today. There’s a new league called LIV. Will it survive? Thrive?
LIV will continue to do their thing. I’m not a big fan because I think if the PGA tour “made you” and gave you an opportunity to make all that money and become famous, I think you should be loyal to the PGA tour. So it’s a matter of loyalty and legacy versus a money grab. But I know a lot of people don’t agree with me on that. And the PGA tour paid loyalty money to the guys who stayed. I do think they’ll work it out so that LIV guys can come back and play on the PGA tour, but I also think that LIV will continue and keep doing what they’re doing.
With political correctness and cancel culture, how is there still a golf tournament called “The Masters”? I understand the term refers to great golfers, but still, today?
There will always be a Masters. They can do whatever they want because it’s their club. It’s a private club. They run it. The members and the committee. They will continue to do what they do. And I have to say, they have opened up. They have women members like Condoleezza Rice — she was a founding female member, and they have a women’s amateur that they sponsor. I go every year. So they’ve been much more inclusive.
Finally, you have a charitable cause you’re very close to. Tell me about it.
For 26 years, we’ve raised money for cancer research. I host the Ann Liguori Charity Golf Classic.
I went to one, and can I say, it’s the best swag bag I ever got.
(Laughs.) We pride ourselves on that. We just had one at Friar’s Head. We’ve done a few at The Maidstone. I lost my dad to cancer, my brother to leukemia. My nephew, who is only 27, has testicular cancer. He’s okay, thank God, but he came and spoke to the group about how so many young men are getting this kind of cancer. So, for a long time, we’ve been raising awareness because everybody is affected either directly or indirectly. I’m proud of the work we do.
And then, speaking of work, she was off. Signing books, shaking hands, and taking pictures with fans.
Bill McCuddy is a frequent contributor and cohosts “AirHamptons with Bridget & Bill” on WLIW-FM and LTV East Hampton, and “Talking Pictures with Neil Rosen” on PBS. He is also a stand-up comedian, and whenever someone goes, “Say something funny,” he responds, “I’m good at golf.” His handicap is 23. And climbing.