Interview With James E. Reinhart Chairman for the 2011 US Amateur By Brian Weis

Interview With James E. Reinhart Chairman for the 2011 US Amateur

A Light Hearted Golf Q & A Interview

By Brian Weis

Below is an interview with James E. Reinhart, former vice president and rules chairman for the USGA and currently the general chairman for the 2011 US Amateur at Erin Hills. James is also the CEO of Reinhart Partners, Inc., an asset management firm which manages approximately $4 billion for institutional & wealth management clients, headquartered in Mequon, Wisconsin.

When did you start golfing and who introduced you do the game?
I started playing golf in the 7th grade in Duluth, Minnesota. Like a lot of other golfers, my father was the person who first got me interested in the game. Our season was pretty short in Duluth, so you had to cram as much golf in as possible while the grass was green and play some golf even when it wasn't.

What is your current home course?
Although I play a fair amount of golf at Erin Hills, my home course is Milwaukee Country Club. It's a great Colt & Alison golf course with perhaps the very best men's locker room in the world of golf (apologies to Seminole). I'm very fortunate to be a member there.

To date, what is your proudest golf accomplishment?
Sadly, my runner-up finish in the club championship at the Hole-in-the-Wall Golf Club in 2009.

What is your biggest golf pet peeve on or off the course?
Slow things on and off the course. Every course or club should emulate Muirfield (not Muirfield Village) in this regard. The members there play 36 holes every time they play and still have time for a 2 ½ hour lunch!

What is your favorite golf destination?
I love to go to Scotland. I'm fortunate to get there a couple of times each year. I love the culture, the people and the golf.

What course is on your bucket list that you have not played yet?
I'm pretty fortunate in this regard as I've been able to play golf on a lot of nice courses, but I guess I'd have to say Myopia Hunt Club in the U.S. and St. Georges Hill in the UK. They both have so much character and history. I've heard their clubhouses are also very cool and I love great clubhouses and locker rooms.

If you woke up tomorrow and could play one course you played before, where would you play?
The Old Course in St. Andrews; there is nothing quite like coming up the Road Hole with the town of St. Andrews as the backdrop. Everyone who loves golf should play there at least once in their life.

If you could change one aspect, rule or thing about golf, what would it be and why?
I wouldn't change a thing except for maybe not allowing rain on the days that I have a game scheduled.

Dream foursome (living)?
My dad and brothers Dave & Tom. In fact, we just played together last week in Duluth. Very fun.

Dream foursome (living or dead)?
Bob Jones, Cliff Roberts & President Eisenhower; I think I could finish 2nd in this four ball.

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

3) Golfing at the crack of dawn OR twilight?
Twilight

4) Hit a power fade OR power draw?
Draw

5) Beverage cart OR halfway house?
Halfway house

6) Bathroom OR bushes?
Bushes, unless Charmin is required, in which case I strongly recommend "bathroom"

7) Hot dog OR wrap?
Brat. I live in Wisconsin

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

9) Walking OR riding?
Walking

10) Do you carry traditional 3 iron OR hybrid?
Hybrid; I'm not good enough to carry a 3 iron.

11) Do you prefer long par 3 OR long par 5?
Par 3; less opportunity to screw up

12) Pants OR Shorts?
Shorts

13) Palmer OR Nicklaus?
Arnold!!!

14) Beatles OR Elvis?
Elvis; I like his movies

15) Play for fun OR play for money?
Fun

16) Bump and run OR flop shot?
Bump & Run; that's what happens even when I try to hit a flop shot

17) Lay up OR gamble?
Gamble

18) 18 holes OR 36?
27

Revised: 08/03/2011 - Article Viewed 36,127 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.