Why Tyler Keeps Coming Back to Golf

The 19th Hole With Tyler Seguin
NHL Athlete / Alma Mater Investor

Tyler Seguin has spent most of his life competing including seventeen seasons in the NHL alongside thirteen surgeries and a Stanley Cup. Golf came later in life, mostly as something to do on the road between games. But it quickly became more than that. Golf gave him another place to compete, something to work toward during injury recovery, and, maybe most importantly, a way to step away from hockey when he needed to put a game or season behind him.

We sat down with Tyler to talk about how he found golf, why he keeps coming back to it, and how a pair of shoes unexpectedly became part of the story.

Q: How did you get started playing golf?

A: Hockey, really. I didn't really start until I got into the league, so I'd say I've been playing golf for maybe 15, 16 years now. 

It started as something to do on the road when you’re playing hockey. There are actually a lot of similarities between the two, especially the hand-eye coordination.

I’ve always enjoyed golf because it relates to hockey. It teaches me to calm down after a hole. After a bad hole, you're always telling yourself, ‘Alright, new hole. You've got to slow down.’ Hockey is similar. I get off the ice angry about a mistake, and you’ve got to snap your fingers and go on to the next shift.

I sucked at golf, and that's what hooked me. I wanted to get better at something I was terrible at. I still feel like I'm getting better at golf, and all of a sudden a round slaps you in the face. It's that challenge that I love.

Q: What was harder when you were injured — not being able to play golf, or not being able to play hockey?

A: It's kind of an easy answer, and it really is hockey. But for the record, I missed both. Golf's helped me through every injury because it's the first thing you're looking forward to when you can't play hockey. Six weeks out from whatever injury, I can putt, then I can chip, then I can hit some shots, then I can play nine holes. So golf's always been an escape for me. It's almost like meditation in a way. It takes me away from my sport, or just daily things. It's something I’ve come to really love.

Q: Do you have any advice for golfers?

A: Wear our shoes? No — I mean, as long as you stay in love with it, I don't really have advice beyond that. I just love the game so much that I never leave a round where I'm extremely pissed, because at the end of the day, I got to take a breath from whatever was going on in life that day. It's almost like medication, in a way. It's meditational. It's everything for me.

Q: How did you first get introduced to Alma Mater?

A: This all started with a text message from Joe Pavelski, one of my old Dallas Stars teammates — a leader of our team, a guy I respect and a heck of a golfer. The text said, 'What's your address again?' That's how it started. There wasn't a thought that I'd really be involved, or that this was somewhere I wanted to put any faith, or money, into. It was just, ‘I got a pair of shoes. You should try them.’ And everything went from there.

Q: What was your first reaction to the shoes?

A: There's no backstory, there's nothing. Just two pairs of shoes. I instantly said, ‘I love the way these look.’ That was number one. Number two, I was golfing that day, so it was good timing. I put them on, and I said, ‘What are these?’ I didn't know anything about them — didn't know the backstory. It was just a product in front of me. I liked the way it looked, I liked the way it felt, and I liked the people that sent it. And I was hooked.

The comfort was instant. It was probably around the 9th or 10th hole when I actually thought about the shoes. For a lot of people, shoes are shoes — golf shoes are golf shoes. But I've had a bunch of injuries, and I was coming off ACL surgery, so I'm putting shoes on five, six months after surgery. Any shoes I'd worn before, my feet hurt no matter what — I'd finish a round and my feet would be killing me halfway through. What I noticed right away was that my feet didn't hurt. My knee felt pretty good, my hips felt good. That's really what grabbed me.

Q: After spending so much time in skates, is comfort something you'd even expect from footwear anymore?

A: I tried this boot in hockey recently — the comfiest boot I've ever put on. I want to be in it so badly. But on the ice, my performance isn't the same. So I go back to the boot I always use, and it's not as comfortable — my ankles hurt — but my performance is better. In relation to golf, I'm getting the best of both worlds right now. I'm getting my performance, if not even better than I was. I'm getting the comfort. And I'm getting the style and the look I love.  The shoes make it so easy for me.

Q: After 13 surgeries and heading into your 17th season, what keeps you coming back for another hokey season?

A: Yeah, I've had 13 surgeries. This is going to be my 17th year, and now it's just about the love of the game, really. The thing that bothers me most right now is that people just assume I'm going to hang it up — I've made good money, I've had a good career — and that's what's kind of driving me: just keep going. Hopefully another three, four years, get to 20, and then I'll go to Lake Tahoe and get back in the tournament.