Among peers, Golf Digest says these physicians rule the course

The top golf doctors say they play a couple of times a week but have no illusions about joining the PGA Tour.

By Damon Adams, AMNews staff. Sept. 4, 2006.

Ophthalmologist Dan Whipple, MD, readily admits he's no Tiger Woods.

"He was probably better as a 12-year-old than I am now," he jokes.

The physician, 44, also confesses that he's not as good as the PGA Tour's 197th ranked golfer, a friend he hit the links with recently. "He just killed me," said Dr. Whipple, of Avon, Ind., not bothering with the gory details. "I couldn't wait to get back to my buddies to get my game back."

For it is among his colleagues that Dr. Whipple is on the leader board.

So says the August Golf Digest magazine, which rates the physician as tied for 8th in the top golfing doctors in America. As part of a special health section, the 1.6-million circulation magazine ranked the top 250 doctors on the fairways and greens.

Golf and medical associations were consulted, as were doctors in the Castle Connolly annual guide, America's Top Doctors (4th Edition). Doctors listed in regional magazines were considered, too. Only practicing physicians made the cut, and the rankings were compiled using the U.S. Golf Assn. Handicap Index, a number based on a golfer's ability and course difficulty.

When told of how they fared, many on the magazine's list were as thrilled as hitting a hole in one. "I remember one doctor saying, 'This is the most exciting thing that has happened to me since I graduated from medical school,' " said Golf Digest contributing editor Lisa Furlong, who wrote the rankings article.

At first, Steve Samuelson, MD, figured it was a gag when told Golf Digest was on the line. Must be one of his brothers playing a practical joke, he thought. Turns out there's nothing to snicker about when Dr. Samuelson swaps his black bag for a golf bag. He is tied for 4th, an honor not unnoticed by his patients.