Todd Levitt

Interview With Todd Levitt - Laughlin Ranch G.C.

A Light Hearted Golf Q & A Interview

By Brian Weis

Below is an interview with Todd Levitt, the Golf Shop Manager at Laughlin Ranch G.C. The following are a few traditional and non traditional golf centric questions that I love to ask influential people in the golf industry.

Can you provide our readers a brief biography?
I'm a Northern California guy who made the treck down to Arizona when my parents purchased a vacation home in the area. Not being fond of the extreme heat during the summer months, I thought the move for myself would be short but have grown to enjoy the area. I had been playing golf for several years on a recreational level, but never thought that I would make it my career. Since joining the Laughlin Ranch company in 2005 I have moved my way up in the company from outside cart attendant to now running the golf shop. I enjoy the ability to meet new people everyday & plan on continuing in the golf business for years to come.

When did you start golfing and who introduced you do the game?
I started golfing around the age of 13-14 just as something to do. I had several friends that played & I would join them sometimes at the driving range to whack some balls around. Golf was never something that I was interested in, and was not something that anyone else in my family participated in. After a while it seemed like a game I was natural at & decided to take a few lessons. After that I was completely hooked & the love for golf continued into high school when I joined my school's golf team & has continued to now.

What is your current home course?
My current home course is where I work: Laughlin Ranch Golf Club. The one thing that has interested me in the game of golf is the ability to play many different courses & to see the similarieites & differences between them all. Even though I would always prefer to play my home course, I will never turn down the opportunity to visit a course I have not played before. In my opionion, that is the best part about the game of golf.

To date, what is your proudest golf accomplishment?
My best accomplishment would have to be working my way up from the bottom in the golf industry. Having the ability to do that has given me the opportunity to be involved with several aspects of golf. I hope to continue that progression & down the line turn that into a real golf career.

What is your biggest golf pet peeve on or off the course?
My biggest pet peeve on the course would have to be golfers spending several minutes looking for their lost balls out of bounds. Playing golf out here in the desert there are several areas of desert arroyos & they seem to be ball magnets. It seems like sometimes golfers would rather ball hunt then actually play golf & this will severely slow down the pace of play. What I try to get across to people is even if you get lucky & find your ball, you will more then likely not be able to play it where it lies.

What is your favorite club in your bag and why?
Driver - It always feels great to be the long man in the group off the tee. Also, chicks dig the long ball.

What is your favorite golf destination?
Even though I have never been there, I would have to say Hawaii. Seeing the lush green golf courses that they have available there, that is one place I would love to visit & golf. Also, it is pretty hard to beat the great weather they have.

What course is on your bucket list that you have not played yet?
TPC Sawgrass - The Player's Stadium Course : What a thrill it would be to play the legendary #17 island green.

If you woke up tomorrow and could play one course you played before, where would you play? Laughlin Ranch - Every time I play it, it seems like my very first time on the course. With the several different tee box options & extreme differences between holes, it is certainly an adventure each & every time.

If you could change one aspect, rule or thing about golf, what would it be and why?
If you could change one aspect, rule or thing about golf, what would it be and why?

Dream foursome (living)?
Myself
Charles Barkley (being able to witness his unique golf swing in person)
Howie Long (I'm a huge Oakland Raiders Fan)
Lebron James (Hopefully being able to beat him & to tell everyone that I beat the KING!)

Dream foursome (living or dead)?
Myself, My Father, My Grandfather & Uncle Don: My uncle died earlier this year at a young age due to cancer. It would be great to play one last round with him because we did not get to play much golf together in years past. Being able to share one last time together would definitely be a great experience for all of us.

18 Rapid Fire, Off The Cuff Questions

1) Hitting Long Drive OR Sinking Long Putt?
Long Drive - Again, chicks dig the long ball.

2) Having Round of Life OR Hole in One?
Hole in one - My father has 1 hole in one & every time we go to play, he brings it up. It would be nice to get at least one myself just to quite him down a little bit.

3) Golfing at the crack of dawn OR twilight?
Twilight - Not an early riser, even for golf.

4) Hit a power fade OR power draw?
Power Draw - More roll on a power draw.

5) Beverage cart OR halfway house?
Beverage Cart - Most courses seem to have nice ladies driving around in the beverage carts.

6) Bathroom OR bushes?
Whichever is closest at that particular time.

7) Hot dog OR wrap?
Hot Dog - wraps are just too healthy for me.

8) Around the green, being in sand OR thick rough?
Around the green - I'm always looking for the easiest shot. Sand & thick rough sometimes are not my friend.

9) Walking OR riding?
Walking

10) Do you carry traditional 3 iron OR hybrid?
3 iron

11) Do you prefer long par 3 OR long par 5?
Long par 5

12) Pants OR Shorts?
Shorts

13) Palmer OR Nicklaus?
Nicklaus - Even though both were before my time.

14) Beatles OR Elvis?
Beatles - Too many great songs to go against them.

15) Play for fun OR play for money?
Play for fun - Sometimes it's nice to throw a little skin in the game though & see how the other players perform under pressure.

16) Bump and run OR flop shot?
Flop Shot - Always trying to unleash my inner Phil whenever possible.

17) Lay up OR gamble?
Gamble - We are close to Laughlin, right?

18) 18 holes OR 36?
18 holes - Cannot pass up the 19th hole

Revised: 11/26/2012 - Article Viewed 34,653 Times - View Course Profile

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.