Brian Baumgartner has spent plenty of time around professional golfers, but if the actor could choose a caddy from the cast of “The Office,” his pick might surprise fans.
Baumgartner, best known for playing Kevin Malone on the hit NBC sitcom, recently spoke with Heavy Sports about his love of golf, his experiences playing alongside LPGA stars and his partnership with Voltaren for the Ticket to Relief campaign at the FM Championship. He also faced an important golf question: Which “Office” character would he trust to carry his bag?
His answer: Dwight Schrute.
“You know, he might be annoying. He might be really difficult to be around, but I know Dwight would at least be prepared and thorough and organized,” Baumgartner said. “So, yeah, as much as I hate to say it, I guess of the office crew, it would be Dwight.”
Baumgartner Explains His Connection to Golf & Voltaren
Baumgartner’s affinity for golf played a major role in his decision to partner with Voltaren on its Ticket to Relief campaign, which brought the concept of a golf caddy to fans attending the FM Championship at TPC Boston.
Baumgartner took on the title of “lead relief caddy,” leaning into his comedic background while helping bring attention to arthritis joint pain and the toll that hours of walking and standing can take on golf fans.
“First off, I’m the lead relief caddy. I mean, let’s be clear,” Baumgartner said. “The lead relief caddy, which means I’m the special caddy, I think?”
While Baumgartner made it clear that trained professionals were responsible for providing health guidance, he saw humor as a way to make the conversation surrounding joint pain more approachable.
“I think nobody wants to be preached at. Nobody wants to be speechified to,” Baumgartner said. “So I think taking this unique and I think fun tactic, the idea of a relief caddy for fans, allows people, I would say, to be engaged in a different way because I think first it’s a laugh.”
Baumgartner’s own golf schedule also gave him a personal connection to the campaign. He has played in numerous tournaments that require several days of walking, standing and swinging a golf club.
“I play in a number of golf tournaments where I’m walking the golf course, standing, obviously, for hours at a time,” he said.
Baumgartner said he uses and travels with Voltaren and has heard positive feedback about the product from people ranging from professional golfers to his mother.
Baumgartner Says Amateur Golfers Can Learn From LPGA Stars
Baumgartner’s appearance at the FM Championship also connected two of his interests: playing golf and following the LPGA Tour.
Through his participation in the LPGA Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona in Orlando, Baumgartner has gotten to know several players, including Lauren Coughlin and Lydia Ko.
But Baumgartner isn’t simply a celebrity who happens to turn up at golf tournaments. He’s become an admirer of the women’s game and believes recreational golfers can learn by watching LPGA players.
Baumgartner pointed to the difference between watching some of the biggest hitters in men’s professional golf and studying the swings of LPGA stars.
“As an amateur golfer, I will never know the swing speed of Tiger Woods or Jordan Spieth or Scottie Scheffler, but the women, in terms of length off the tee, in terms of their fluid motion, that’s something that I think that, well, I try my best to emulate,” Baumgartner said.
He also singled out LPGA players’ distance control and command of their shots as aspects of their games he enjoys watching.
Baumgartner Wants Golf Fans to Keep Enjoying the Game
Baumgartner’s message through the Voltaren campaign ultimately went beyond what happened during one tournament.
He hopes people experiencing arthritis joint pain don’t automatically give up activities they enjoy because they’re worried about the walking, standing or physical demands involved.
“I hope they take away that there is something that they can do that will make them feel better, for sure, because inactivity isn’t helpful for them at all,” Baumgartner said.
For golf fans, that could mean continuing to attend tournaments despite the amount of time spent on their feet. Baumgartner said he hopes the campaign encourages people to find ways to remain active rather than immediately saying no to experiences because they might be difficult.
“That it encourages them to say yes,” Baumgartner said. “As I always say to my mom, it might be difficult, but it’ll be worth it.”
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