London
Max Adler, by his extraordinary writing in Golf Digest. His work helped exonerate Valentino Dixon after a wrongful murder conviction and 27 years in prison. Max also wrote two popular series, Golf Saved My Life and the Undercover Tour Pro. He plays off scratch at golf, tennis, skiing, snowboarding, music and art.
I have a picture of my favorite Vermont hole hanging at home, painted by Max—it’s a blind tee shot for him, but a blind second shot for me. Before joining Golf Digest in 2006, he played Division III golf at Washington and Lee, earned a master’s in English Studies at the University of St. Andrews on a Ransome Scholarship (named for Ernie Ransome, the late Pine Valley president) and later qualified for the U.S. Amateur.
All this would certify Max as a very annoying person, but, in fact, if amateurs were considered, he’d lead our ranking of the Nicest Guys on Tour. And did I mention? He and his wife, Jessica, have three daughters and a son, all under the age of 5.
After Max shot 68 in the first round of my member-guest this summer, we were sitting with friends under the moonlight at the beach club telling funny stories when the subject of flying lessons came up. No, Max never took flying lessons. “But I know,” Jessica said, “if the announcement ever came from the cockpit that someone was needed to take the wheel, Max would be right there in the pilot’s seat. He can always be trusted to figure it out.—Agencies
