First off, Gary Van Sickle is not giving you strokes when you play. That was the whole point of practicing: to get better than you. What, he’s supposed to give up that advantage because you stink? He doesn’t think so. Vans, as he is known to many colleagues, is a scratch golfer (that’s what the lying handicap computer says) and people think he’s better than he really is because he’s had seven holes-in-one, once played in U.S. Open sectional qualifying with pros Larry Mize and Tom Purtzer (and missed the Open by 17 shots), is a former club champ at Yale University Golf Club and ’09 champ at Treesdale G&CC and has a career low of 62 (no, definitely not at Yale).

Van Sickle, a 1976 University of Wisconsin graduate with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, has been all golf since 1989, when he ended 12 years with The Milwaukee Journal -- where he covered golf, Badger football and basketball and the Packers and was voted Wisconsin Sportswriter of the Year -- to move to Golf World magazine, where better locker rooms and warmer weather beckoned. If you’ve ever had to suffer a Packers practice in mid-December when it was 18O and the team was 3-10, you’d understand. Wherever golf is scheduled, at least it’s supposed to be warm.

At SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, where he has worked since Oct. 1996, Van Sickle has focused on golf for SI’s GOLF PLUS section and also regularly contributes to Golf.com. The move to SI enabled him to move from Milford, CT, to Wexford, PA, in the north hills of Pittsburgh. The FAQ about the move involved his wife, Betsy, a Pittsburgh-area native. The conversation went like this: "If we’re going to move, why don’t we move somewhere warm," Gary asked. Rebutted Betsy, "You’re somewhere warm every weekend." Replay: "Pittsburgh it is!"

Do not ask where he’s from. It’s complicated. He was born in Midland, MI, moved at age 2 to Lake Jackson, TX, moved to Findlay, OH, three years later and then back to Midland for eight years, when he left and finished his final high school semester in Waupaca, WI. He has won several Golf Writers Association of America and International Network of Golf honors, has been included in Best Sports Stories and was awarded UPI’s Wisconsin Sports Story of the Year for a 25th anniversary look back at the Badgers’ 1963 Rose Bowl team.

His son, Mike, was a first team All-American golfer at Marquette University in ’09, won the prestigious Byron Nelson Award, is two-time Pennsylvania Open champion and now pursuing professional golf.

Gary’s most memorable SI moment was when his first business cards came back with a typographical error and his title was listed as Senior Waiter, not Senior Writer. He used the cards, anyway, and is still known as Senior Waiter in some circles. He’ll be back later to tell you about today’s specials...

EXTRA POINTS
Favorite Vault story: Getting In On a Zurich (Sept. 4, 1978) "A Dan Jenkins NFL preview that focused on memorable officiating mistakes and how it affected betting. He coins the term ‘zurich’ (a sure thing) and writes a fictional memo to players and refs explaining how to change the outcomes of games subtly, and that they're all guaranteed two zurichs a season. Hilarious stuff, and Pete Rozelle must have absolutely hated it."
Person you would most like to interview: "Harry Gonso, the quarterback of the Cinderella worst-to-first Indiana Hoosiers team that went to the 1967 Rose Bowl.
" Nonsports websites visited regularly: "Spun.com (used and obscure music CDs)."
Hidden talent: "Piano, composing music."

Updated 21 October 2009