One of the marvelous things about golf is how many different industries and businesses have popped up because of the game.Just ask Howdy Letzring. Letzring stumbled on the idea in 1975 to tape corporate golf pro-ams for the players in the tournaments. Twenty years later, that idea moved to the Coachella Valley in the form of Letzring's Wild World of Sports.
Letzring, who recently moved his headquarters to Palm Desert for winter months, will have his work on display Saturday night at the gala for the Frank Sinatra Celebrity Invitational.. The showing of the video will be the culmination of three days of hard work for Letzring and his crew of three. "By Saturday Morning, we'll be 75 percent done, and that includes the editing, and laying down the music," Letzring said.
Ironically, Letzring discovered the golf-inspired Wild World of Sports while he was a director of tennis at Innisbrook Resort in Florida. He videotaped lessons for corporate clients, then one night decided to show some of the video at a corporate party.
"The reaction was great," Letzring said. "They all laughed and loved it. I went home and told my wife, 'You know, we might be able to work something for golf off of this.'"
Letzring stayed at Innisbrook for a while, but eventually he left tennis entirely to pursue pro-ams involving Fortune 500 corporations.
Letzring's approach is loosely based on ABC's Wide World of Sports. Letzring interviews amateurs and celebrities for the presentation, as well as videotaping other activities such as parties or fashion shows. In a celebrity or pro-am event, Letzring spends as much time with the big names as he can.
"If a corporate golfer plays with Cathy Lee Crosby or Kathleen Sullivan or someone, that makes it special for the golfer," he said.
"I'm really in the entertainment business," he added.
Letzring also oversees the editing process, sometimes using his own equipment, occasionally renting out an editing studio.
"Anyone can camp out on the first tee and shoot, but they would have nothing but reels and reels of videotape." Letzring said. "We try to do different things, get the flavor of the event and do a professional job with it. We really are the ABC of corporate America."
In addition to Sinatra, Letzring's clients have included the recent Diners Club Matches at PGA West and event golf outings by the United States Senate and House of Representatives.
"I did about 40 last year, and probably about the number this year," he said. "I'd rather do 40 myself and be involved than do 100 and have other people doing them for us."
PALM DESERT - The 1995 Frank Sinatra Celebrity Gala was the Academy Awards of charity fund-raisers. It played to a start studded audience and the more than 1,000 people who filled the Marriot Desert Springs Resort ballroom were vocally enthusiastic in their support of all 3 performers.
The Wild World of Sports started the evening with president Howdy Letzring coming on stage to present the brilliant video encapsulation he created of the weekend sports activities. Set to upbeat music, fun interviews, and a great closing montage set to Sinatra's "Here's to the Winners." He warmed the crowd - bringing spirits up and the house down! After the standing ovation dinner was served, Willie Nelson and Sinatra proceeded to electrify the audience of who's who in corporate America and Hollywood.
Nelson dressed for the black-tie occasion, wearing a tuxedo and silver pin neckpiece on a tuxedo shirt. But he sang his usual repertoire of songs of hard living and remorse - "Whiskey River," "Night Life," Help Me Make It Through The Night" and "You Were Always on My Mind," which drew a roaring ovation.
Sinatra followed with his standard repertoire, starting as usual with "I've Got the World on a String." Sinatra made his way tentatively through the patter between songs but managed a couple of surprises during his set. The nicest was perhaps a loose version of "The Best is Yet to Come" that built to a big "climax."
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