Name: L.A. City Firefighters Golf Club

Founded: 1947

Favorite Courses to Play: Singing Hills GC at Sycuan, Steele Canyon GC, Desert Willow GR, Pebble Beach GL and Edgewood Tahoe GC

FORE Magazine: How and why did the golf club start?

Noel Murchet, Club President: Firefighters are typically athletic and competitive. Golf was a natural continuation of all the sports that are played by firefighters at the fi rehouse and away from it, too.

What was golf like for your club during the pandemic?

The pandemic was a very difficult time for first responders, firefighters included. Our active-duty firefighters did not have the time to recreate as they were working a lot of extra hours. When the pandemic subsided, our club began to grow to where we are today with over 200 members, both active and retired.

Are there any parallels between firefighting and golf?

Firefighting and golf are both mental and physical endeavors. We’ve found that firefighting is more physically strenuous, and golf is more mentally strenuous!

How does the camaraderie on the golf course help strengthen bonds within your firehouse and with other firehouses in LA?

Firefighters that I have known for over 40 years, and played golf with, continue to be my closest friends, and we all play golf together weekly and are members of this club. That said, with other sports, we compete against other fi re department golf clubs regularly, most notably in the Firefighter Summer Games.

How does your club use golf to decompress, especially after the fires this past January?

Each firefighter deals with the stresses of the job differently. Recovering from the physical exhaustion is one aspect, but the stress of the devastation is different. The firefighters I have spoken with tend to have a more difficult time with the devastation.

How do firefighters mentally and physically recharge after such a devastating event?

We take care of our mental and physical health by being with our fellow firefighters. Working together and playing together is the best remedy. We spent a lot of time at the kitchen table at our fire stations discussing the January events, not only as firefighters that worked at the scene, but as consolers for some of our members who lost property or had family impacted by the fires.

What do you want people to know about the unseen struggles firefighters face, and how leisure activities like golf play a role in helping them stay resilient?

Firefighters have always been able to fi nd an invaluable outlet not only in golf but in all the sporting activities we participate in.

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