ST. ALBANS (KMOX) - When he retired from baseball in 1996 as the greatest shortstop of all-time, Ozzie Smith needed something to fill his competitive void.
At the age of 41, he felt he was too old to start playing basketball again, a sport he excelled in while growing up in Southern California.
So while attending his former manager Whitey Herzog's golf tournament that year, the Cardinals legend picked up a club -- for the first time -- to hit a ball placed on a tee.
"And I made the mistake of hitting it straight," Smith laughed as he walked down the fairway recently with Golf Happy Hour co-host Marina Horton.
"And then you were addicted," Horton said.
"That was it," Smith acknowledged. "We're kind of wired to compete... and I think that we all gravitate to the game of golf because you're not only competing against the course, more importantly I think you're competing against yourself."
Smith, who grew up in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, did not have access to golf.
Today, as president of the Gateway PGA Reach Foundation, he's raising funds and awareness to positively impact the lives of youth, military and diverse populations to provide access to PGA professionals and the business of golf. In particular, he's been focused on a North St. Louis project to build a golf facility there for kids who might not otherwise have such an opportunity.
"Learn the game, learn the business, while at the same time having fun," Smith said.
For this episode of the Golf Happy Hour, Smith recruited his longtime golfing buddy Willard Harrell (former running back for the St. Louis Cardinals (1978-84 and Green Bay Packers (1975-77)) to have just that ... fun.
But make no mistake about it, there is a competition to win.
You can watch our previous episode, here:
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