PLANO — Former Texas Rangers second baseman and current Special Assistant to the General Manager Ian Kinsler spoke to season-ticket holders during a question-and-answer event at PXG Golf in Plano.
During the event, Kinsler spoke about his playing days with the Rangers, the current team’s success, and his love for the game of golf.
“Golf is pretty much my only hobby,” Kinsler told the crowd.
“I dedicate a lot of time to it,” he continued. “I’ve been wired as a kid to stand in a cage and just hit a ball one after another, after another, after another, so getting on the practice range and repping out nine irons over and over again is like therapy for me. So, I kind of dove into the game of golf. Obviously, there’s a lot of different things that go into hitting a baseball, but golf … just the whole game seems like something’s always haywire because golf is kind of jacked up, but I think that’s why I love it.”
Kinsler began playing golf as a kid in Arizona, taking golf etiquette courses that allowed free play on public courses during the hot summer months.
“Our parents would just drop us off at the golf course, and we’d play golf all day,” he told The Dallas Express. “We’d look for golf balls, we’d hit at the range, we’d chip around, [and we’d] just kind of spend the day at the golf course. I didn’t know what I was doing. I was trying to hit it as far as I could, but [I] definitely had a club in my hand when I was a kid, and all my friends really enjoyed it, so I was always really attracted to the sport.”
Kinsler rejoined the Rangers as an executive in the front office in February. He said he has enjoyed what he has seen from the team this season as the Rangers attempt to clinch their first AL West title since 2016.
“Man, they’re a really fun team to watch,” he told The Dallas Express. “They’re an exciting team. Their offensive game is pretty electric, [and] they can score runs pretty quickly. They have a lot of power, and it’s definitely fun to watch. Just being a spectator and knowing that you can’t do much about it is very difficult, but I enjoy it.”
While he was rushed into duty this year, he said he hopes to have an impact on the minor leagues and the club’s future.
“I really enjoy teaching or helping with defense, [and] I really enjoy helping on the offensive side,” Kinsler remarked. “I enjoy getting a beat of the minor league players when they’re developing, trying to help them, and see[ing] a light bulb go off. It’s really gratifying when you see another player, and you give them some information, [and] you see a light bulb [go off].”
“This spring training, I’ll be involved a lot more,” he added. “Last spring training, it was straight into the big league team. I was there for a week and a half … so I’m just trying to get my feet wet on that side first and try to figure out what is needed or what’s the messaging for the new drafted players and for the lower A players, and then you can start to kind of implement all that stuff. I wish I had done it more this year, so hopefully, next year it will be a little bit more in the schedule.”
While his love of golf is nothing new, Kinsler has much more time for it in his current role than during his playing days.
“I didn’t play much until my last year in San Diego when I was more of a bench player,” he explained. “Then, I started playing on the road. We got some good rounds. Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t do it because I was dedicated, but I missed out on some really good places to play.”
His rejuvenated golf game has not come without some struggles, even as he claims he once shot a 66. Golf and baseball involve swinging and hitting a ball, but the mechanics behind the two sports differ more than one might think.
“I feel like the baseball swing messes up the golf swing more than the golf swing messes up the baseball swing, and it’s a battle just because I’m hardwired to swing up at anything with a baseball bat,” Kinsler told The Dallas Express. “There’s definitely some different technique to it. Everything wants to drop on the back, and you want to extend and drop and turn, and if you do that in baseball, you’re going to blow your back out. Baseball is a little bit shorter, and it would be called steep in golf. So that’s why you see baseball players [when they play golf], they’re just steep and slice it.”
Through the Rangers’ partnership with PXG, Kinsler has continued to grow his love of golf and take his play to a new level.
“Getting to use the clubs on the course, you see the forgiveness and how easy they are to hit, and it just makes the game more fun,” Kinsler told The Dallas Express. “How it started was through the Rangers, and then getting out here and actually getting fitted for the clubs was a cool process, and I enjoy using the clubs.”
The Rangers and PXG have partnered for the last three years, and the annual question-and-answer event with former Rangers greats has been a huge hit.
“The attendance for these things has been awesome,” Scott Sparks, PXG’s Plano store manager, told The Dallas Express. “Traffic, unfortunately, sometimes in DFW can throw a little wrench in things, but the Texas Rangers have been great partners with us. They bring a great partnership, fanbase, and suite [and season] ticket holders. We’ve always had a good showing.”
It is not uncommon for PXG to work with former baseball players, especially since the partnership began.
“We get Division I ex-baseball players in here all the time that have nothing to do with the Rangers. They’re athletes, and they’re looking for something competition-wise after college athletics,” Sparks said.
