Sea Island Life Magazine Spring/Summer 2013 | Page 20

outward bound

stand-up pro

Sea I sland Li fe t alk s t o golfer
Dav is L o ve III ab out h is
pa ssion f or st and-up p addleb o ard ing .
By Jud y Wells
DOM FURore/golf digest; © condé nast

s

ince turning pro in 1985, golfer and
Sea Island resident Davis Love III,
the son of former golf pro Davis
Love Jr., has been a formidable
presence on the PGA Tour. In 2010, Love
brought the McGladrey Classic, an official
stop on the PGA Tour, to Sea Island’s
Seaside Course, and the tournament
has raised more than $850,000 for local
charities over the past three years. As host
of the McGladrey Classic, and with 20 PGA

Tour tournament wins under his belt, it’s
obvious what Love can do with a golf club
in his hands and the greens under his feet.
But in recent years, Love is just as likely to
be found holding a paddle, standing on a
board out on the water.
For the last two years, the North Carolina
native has managed to combine two of his
passions in order to benefit his adopted
home of Sea Island.
First introduced to the stand-up paddleboard

(SUP) by mega-surfer and paddleboarder
Laird Hamilton, Love brought his friend and
agent Mac Barnhardt to the sport, which the
Outdoor Industry Association recently called
one of the fastest growing water activities.
The two became partners in Classic Paddle
and Putt, a stand-up paddleboard shop in St.
Simons Island’s Redfern Village. In 2011, the
shop hosted the Golden Isles SUP Classic,
which attracted 40-some competitors. The
following year, the SUP Classic coincided

20 sea isl and life | spring/summer 2013

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