At Home with Mike Weir

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By Robert Thompson

In a picturesque area overlooking Salt Lake City in Utah, a group of familiesis gathering for a housewarming. After a year of renovating, the new fami-ly on the block is preparing to host a neighbourhood gathering, to intro-duce themselves to their new neighbours and to show off all the workthey’ve done on their large home, that sits in the foothills, presenting aclear view of the city below and with the east mountains as a backdrop.

However, the guests – the husbands mainly – recognize this isn’t justany housewarming and this isn’t just any neighbour. Rarely does a neigh-bour win the Masters golf tournament. Rarely has a neighbour wonnearly US$24 million in prize money during a decade-long career on thePGA Tour. Surely the visitors have been aware for some time that theWeir family, led the best professional golfer in Canadian history, havetaken up residence on their small street. And as the guests enter the14,000-square-foot home with its rustic Italian façade of brick and stuc-co, the wives take in the decorating that Weir’s wife, Bricia, has under-taken. The men, on the other hand, have one thing in mind: seeing whatWeir jokingly calls, “my little facility down there.”

In truth it there’s nothing little about it at all. Formerly a garage for theprevious owner’s RV, Weir had turned it into his own indoor driving range,replete with enough area to watch the ball travel in the air for 15 yards,and punctuated by a computer system he can use to analyze his swing.

“While Bricia was showing the ladies the art and couches in ourplace, the guys all wanted to go and see the room: my gym and mypractice facility,” Weir says.

Showing off the house, which the Weir family acquired in 2006 after aplan to build a home fell apart, brought to a close a year-long process ofdesigning, decorating and furnishing. It also represents a degree of per-manence in the transient life of Weir, who was raised in Brights Grove,near Sarnia, Ont., but who has chased a little white ball across golfcourses around the world since the early 1990s.

On Top of His GameWeir’s relationship with Utah is longstanding, starting with a recommen-dation from Canadian PGA Tour winner Richard Zokol, who suggestedWeir consider attending Bringham Young University in Provo and playingon the school’s golf team, which was then regarded as among the bestin the U.S. It was at university that Weir, who would become an All-American on the golf team, met Bricia, who was studying to become asocial worker. He turned pro after leaving school in 1992, Bricia, who isoriginally from Los Angeles, worked in Utah to support the couple whileWeir chased his dream.

“Bricia had a job as a social worker right out of school, so she kept itgoing for us as I tried to establish myself,” he says. Bricia continued towork while Weir travelled the world playing golf, including stints in

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management company, IMG Sports. As Weir’s star grew, the family, which now included daughters Elle and

Lili, became more attached to Utah, especially the outdoor activities andthe privacy it offered.

“It was a good base and soon enough all of our friends were here,”Weir explains. “We grew to like it and loved the out-of-doors, the skiing,the lifestyle. We liked it all. And I’m definitely more anonymous here thanif I lived in a golf town like Scottsdale or Orlando. Golf is big here, but noone is bugging me at the grocery store.”

Making a HomeOn a mild day in December, Weir is enjoying a break from the rigors ofprofessional golf. He didn’t win in 2008, but he did make more thanUS$3 million in a solid year. His year came to a close at the end ofOctober, and since that point he’s spent more time at home in Utah atone stretch than he can easily recall.

“I enjoy getting up, getting the girls breakfast and taking them toschool,” he says. “It is about being dad.”

Schooling for the girls was one of the big considerations to the loca-tion of their new home, which Bricia found during an Internet search. It

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With its rustic brick-and-stucco façade, Mike Weir’s 14,000-square-foot home almost looks as if it sprung from themountains surrounding Salt Lake City, Utah. Mike’s wifeBricia worked closely with a designer for a year to createa sense of scale and comfort that suited the family.

Australia where he literally ran out of money on a couple of occasions.Other times, he’d make the 11-hour drive to California to visit MikeWilson, his swing instructor at the time. It was a difficult period duringwhich the couple had little money and the golfer didn’t progress up theranks as quickly as many expected.

“Bricia traveled with me for three years in there,” he explains. “We’dget an apartment and when I had to go on tour we’d just put everythingin storage.”

That changed in 1998 when Weir made it through the daunting quali-fying school: six rounds of difficult, pressure-filled golf, and finally foundhimself on the PGA Tour. His rookie year was far from a disaster, but hedidn’t earn playing privileges for 1999. Instead he went back to Q-school, won that tournament and would become the first Canadian towin an event in Canada in more than four decades when he capturedthe Air Canada Championship in Vancouver. That set him up to becomethe best Canadian golfer in history, winning again in 2000 and 2001before his breakthrough year of 2003, when he won three times andbecame the first Canadian to win one of golf’s four major championshipswhen he prevailed over Len Mattiace in a playoff at the Masters.

By then the days of stuffing the family’s belongings in storage whileWeir played golf was a distant memory. In Canada, Weir became a sportssuperstar, instantly recognizable through a series of television commer-cials and billboards in support of a Toronto-based mutual-fund company.He made nearly US$5-million on the course in 2003, and millions moreoff the course through endorsement and sponsorship deals set up by his

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had been the dream project of the previous owner, whose spouse diedsuddenly, leaving the house largely unfinished.

“It was a beautiful home, but it was a question of what we could dowith it,” Weir explains. The new house was 20 minutes closer to the schoolthe girls were attending, and had a bigger lot for outdoor activities.Located about 25 minutes outside Salt Lake City (“the highways put inplace for the 2002 Olympics make it really easy to get around,” Weir says),the house offers the privacy the family was striving for while also providingthe natural beauty of the mountains with the city in the distance.

But its vast size presented a challenge, especially since the family didn’twant it to seem too expansive. In order to take the house from the mas-sive shell to a homier, more comfortable setting, the Weirs employed adesigner that worked with them for more than a year. Working closelywith Bricia, who managed the process of redesigning the house, the goalwas to make the main rooms feel less spacious. This was done by creat-ing what Weir calls “rooms within rooms,” essentially utilizing furnitureto create intimate sitting areas within some of the more expansive areasof the house. In the great room, for example, which is one of the centralareas of the house, Bricia and the designer acquired a number of antiqueitems that separated elements of the room, and utilized earth tones to

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The great room is the focal point of the Weirs’ Utah home. To give this expansive space a more comfortable scale, they acquiredseveral antique items to separate various areas, and used earth tones to add warmth. So that the big Pioneer Kuro plasma TVfrom dominating the area, there’s a movable abstract painting in front of the screen. It rolls up when the TV is turned on, thenback down, hiding the screen, when the TV is turned off.

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bring a warm sense to the area.“We wanted the house to have a cozy feel, because it was so big and

open when we bought it that my vision for it wasn’t great,” Weir says.But Bricia was taken with the possibilities of the home and worked witha designer to take the Italian theme from the home’s exterior and extendit to the interior décor.

Film FestivalThe golfer did bring one element to the home’s design: he wanted it out-fitted with Pioneer’s Elite Kuro plasma televisions. Weir had first heardabout the televisions from fellow PGA Tour pro Jerry Kelly, who had asponsorship deal with Pioneer. The Weir family purchased one and put itin their ski condo in Sundance, Utah and Weir was so pleased with it thathe acquired a dozen more for the new home.

The Weirs are big movie watchers, often using the televisions to take inthe latest Hollywood fare. And while there isn’t a lot of golf shown onthe screens (though Mike occasionally tunes into the Golf Channel), hehas been known to preview courses he’s not familiar with by watchingvideos of past tournaments. However, most of the time spent watchingthe televisions is focused on college sports (particularly football) andsports news programming on ESPN, which is a regular draw for Weir –though not as much for his wife, he admits.

The only area on which the golfer and his wife disagreed was on howthe televisions should be presented. Bricia didn’t want them dominatingrooms and didn’t want one in their bedroom. Weir took a mulligan,agreeing to make the televisions in the great room and master bedroommore discreet.

In the master bedroom, the Pioneer plasma is installed in the centre ofa large cabinet, which Bricia found in a local boutique. When it’s not inuse, the television is covered by bookshelves that slide horizontally. Whenthe Weirs want some late night viewing, they slide the bookshelves toeither side of the cabinet, uncovering the screen. When they’re done,they slide the bookshelves back into the middle to hide the screen.

The great room is near the main entrance, with a big open kitchendirectly behind, separated by huge stone fireplace. The living room andkitchen is where visitors tends to gather. Weir wanted a flat screen in theliving room so that guests could chill out and watch a game instead ofhaving to go into the adjoining pool room. Bricia didn’t want a bigscreen dominating the décor of the room. So they hid the TV. There’s apicture frame around the TV, and in front of the screen, there’s anabstract painting. When no one is actually watching the TV, the screen iscompletely hidden by the painting, which matches the décor beautifully.

When someone turns on the TV, the painting scrolls up on a roller,uncovering the screen. Turn it off, and the painting scrolls back down,covering the screen.

For music, there’s a whole-house entertainment system from a Utahcompany called Control 4, with speakers built into the ceiling of the liv-ing room. The Control 4 system operates a 400-disc changer and a harddisc server containing the family’s entire music collection, and can alsostream music from the Rhapsody online music service. Using wall-mount-ed control pads, the Weirs can program in their favourite music. ForMike, that includes Canadian rock band Nickelback. Weir met the band’sbassist during a trip to Hawaii and is partial to the group’s hard-edgedsound. However, big guitars aren’t the only music playing on the system.The Weir family is also partial to country music and the system wasplugged full of Christmas music that played constantly when the familyentertained over the holidays.

“My Little Facility”In other areas of the house, the televisions and technology come to theforefront, specifically in Weir’s elaborate home gym, constructed by histrainer, Jeff Handler, and in his indoor range in the converted RV garage. Like many professional golfers, Weir has embraced the fitness revolutionthat has become part of the game since Tiger Woods’ emergence as the

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A whole-house entertainment system lets the Weirs programan evening’s worth of music using wall-mounted keypads.Music, stored on a hard-disk server and 400-disc CD changer, isplayed through wall and ceiling speakers.

The Pioneer Kuro plasma TV in the master bedroom is installed inside a large cabinet. When it’s not in use, the screen is hiddenby sliding bookshelves, which can be pushed to the side when Mike and Bricia want to catch a late-night movie.

At Home with Mike Weir

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best – and most fit – player in the game in 1997. Plagued by difficultieswith his back, a typical problem many golfers experience, Weir has longbeen very conscious of his strength and conditioning, making a gym andworkout area a necessary part of the new house.

Under Handler’s guidance, Weir’s gym is designed specifically for thegolfer’s needs, and while there isn’t a huge amount of equipment, it hasall been carefully considered.

The gym includes a universal weight machine, which allows Weir to doeverything from squats to bench press, as well as an elliptical trainer, aFreeMotion cable machine designed to promote strength and flexibility, anda stationary bike. An average Weir workout would probably ruin mostweekend hackers. He works out – including extensive stretching – for a cou-ple of hours most weekdays, while he watches sports on one of the ever-present Pioneer plasmas. “I’m there four days a week,” he says. “And theTV is on every morning when I’m down there, with ESPN or something.”

Weir’s indoor hitting facility is the most technically sophisticated area ofthe house and is the envy of many PGA Tour pros, he says. The systemwas set up by JC Motion Video, a company based in Draper, Utah thathas created computerized motion-analysis systems for some of golf’s

biggest names, including Augusta National Golf Club, home of the annu-al Masters golf tournament, as well as famed golf instructors Rick Smithand Jim McLean, and actor Will Smith. The system was set up to allowWeir to utilize one of his screens and was installed in his house in themiddle of last year.

The system created for Weir has four cameras, including an overheadcamera, with the television in a location that allows the golfer to immedi-ately replay any of his swings. “I can put it on auto-repeat, slow it down,write lines on it, whatever I need to do,” he says.

In 2007, the golfer began working with Andy Plummer and MikeBennett, golf instructors known for their revolutionary “stack and tilt”swing theory. Weir learned a great deal about his swing by working withPlummer and Bennett, and became quite comfortable analyzing itsnuances, something he does regularly in the indoor range at his home.

“For me it is ideal because I can separate my game by working indoorsand being technical and get immediate feedback,” he explains. “That wayI can implement any change right away, whether it is making my ironssteeper or changing the plane of my swing. But when you are on therange and you are at a tournament, you always have it in the back of your

Mike Weir works out about four days a week in his well equipped home gym. While exercising, he likes to watch ESPN on thebig-screen Pioneer Kuro plasma TV.

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mind that you’re going to play and you don’t want to be too technical.”Like the gym, Weir spends a lot of time at his hitting facility. “Basically

when Bricia is trying to find me she knows where to look,” Weir says.“I’m either in the gym or the room beside it hitting balls.”

Family FirstWhile it may have an ultra-sophisticated gym and golf area, it is clear thatto Weir that is the practical and functional part of his home. Weir says hisdaughters – and specifically his 11-year-old Elle – have embraced technol-ogy in a way their father has not. Elle is the one that sends e-mail tofamily members or can be found listening to music in the family’s Utahhome on her iPod. And it is Elle and her younger sister Lili, 8, who haveone of the Pioneer plasmas televisions hooked up to a Nintendo Wii.Sometimes Weir joins in.

“We don’t play much Wii Golf,” he explains. “Right now it is RockBand and the Wii Play games: ping pong, tennis and baseball.”

However, Bricia and Mike are insistent that the girls don’t spend too

much time on the Wii or their computer. They make sure the pair getsout in the fresh Utah mountain air. While Weir says he likes the “physicalaspect” of the Wii, it isn’t a substitute for more traditional childhoodexperiences, he says.

“They don’t play much,” says Weir. “They burn off an hour or twoafter doing their homework. But we make sure they get outside, ridingtheir bikes or jumping on the trampoline.”

Family is a huge focus of Weir’s life. This past Christmas, the Weirsinvited 17 family members (from both sides of the family) for the holi-days. It is clear he’s thrilled to show off the finished version. And in typicalCanadian understated fashion, he’s a bit sheepish about the home’s size,not wanting to appear ostentatious. But he’s also happy that the homecan accommodate such a large group.

“Sure the house is bigger than we wanted, but now it suits our pur-poses,” he says. “When we have 17 family members at Christmas, we’llsqueeze them all in. It’s the first time we’re getting everyone here atonce. It’ll be great.” HH

At Home with Mike Weir

A computerized motion-analysis system in Mike Weir’s home records the golfer’s swing, then lets him analyze his technique. “Forme it is ideal because I can separate my game by working indoors and being technical and get immediate feedback,” Weirexplains. “That way I can implement any change right away.”

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Products thatwill help your gameGolf used to be about hitting a little white ball with a club. But in recentyears it has become a quest to incorporate the latest technology.

Take, for instance, Taylor Made’s new R9 driver. Golf superstar MikeWeir began working with the driver last fall. Known to be fastidiousabout his equipment, often tweaking and tinkering with it for weeksbefore using it in a tournament, Weir was still finding a setup he wascomfortable with when he played Tiger Woods’ Chevron WorldChallenge in California in the middle of December.

Like earlier Taylor Made drivers, the R9 utilizes “movable-weight tech-nology,” which allows golfers to move weights in the clubhead in orderto shape their shots differently. The technology is so successful that mostgolf companies have now incorporated it into some clubs in their roster. TM’s R9 takes the technology a step further by allowing golfers to adjustthe face angle to open (for those that draw the ball) or to closed (forthose that slice it). Additionally golfers can adjust the loft of the club,moving it from 8.5 degrees for those with higher swing speeds or higherlaunch angles, to 11.5 degrees for golfers who need to get the ball inthe air more easily.

Callaway is also offering a club to help golfers keep it in the fairway.The company’s FT-iQ driver (retailing at $529), with its unusual squareface uses technology found in Stealth bombers and Formula-1 cars topromote distance and accuracy.

Worried that the latest drivers will only allow you to hit it further intothe woods? There’s a fix for that too. Currently on the market is myriadof GPS devices designed to help determine accurate yardage to the greenfrom wherever you find your golf ball. Among the best is the GolfLogixGPS-8, which uses GPS technology from mapping giant Garmin ($275).

Among the more intriguing developments is the movement towards

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Featuring an unusual square face, Callaway’s FT-iQ driverfeatures technology to promote distance and accuracy.

At Home with Mike Weir

GOLF GADGETS

Using a Web-based program, golfers can design their owncustomized versions of MyJoys golf shoes, choosing colour,style, laces and even logos to place on the heel.

personalization. FootJoy’s move into the personalization category with itsMyJoys shoes ($189.99) is the most intriguing and entertaining. Utilizinga Web-based program, MyJoys allowsgolfers to pick everything from the modeltype to colour of the laces through toadding the logo of their favourite footballteam on the heel. Dozens of colours andconfigurations are available, allowing cus-tomers to create their own uniquefootwear, from classic traditional looks tobold and sporty. In fact, experimentingwith combinations is almost as fun aswearing the shoes themselves.

Already among the most successfulproducts in golf history, Titleist’s ProV1($49.99) golf balls get a facelift for the2009 season. Titleist has been embroiledin a patent lawsuit with rival Callawayover the technology that goes into theProV1, a battle that has forced thecompany to create a new version. Asthe most popular ball on the PGA Tour,Titleist promises the new version(which doesn’t infringe on Callawaypatents, according to the company) willbe equal to or better than the existingProV1. HH

The GolfLogix GPS-8 canstore information on 20golf courses, from a data-base of 22,500. It calculatesthe distance of your lastshot and tells you thedistance from your currentlocation to the green.

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There’s nothing particularly modern or cut-ting edge when it comes to Mike Weir’staste in golf courses. As a golfer who hasplayed and won on some of the toughestcourses in the world, including AugustaNational, home of the Masters, and RivieraGolf Club in Los Angeles, Calif., Weir is par-ticularly fond of the classic courses built dur-ing the so-called Golden Age of golf design,a period starting around the turn of the20th century and ending just before WorldWar II. These courses emphasize shot-mak-ing over power, and play to Weir’s game,which is not simply about hitting his driver300 yards at every opportunity.

“I’m an analytical thinker,” explains Weir. “Ilike to have a game plan and I like to preparethat way heading into a tournament. It putsme at ease when I prepare in that way sowhen I arrive at a course like Colonial, Riviera,or Augusta, I’m playing out a strategy.”

In Canada, Weir’s favourites includeHamilton Golf and Country Club in Ancaster,Ont., where the RBC Canadian Open wasplayed in 2003 and 2006, and The NationalGolf Club of Canada in Woodbridge, Ont.,often regarded as one of the most difficultin the country.

“I look at many of my favourite coursesand I came to realize that a lot of whatmakes them challenging are the strategies,”he says. “It isn’t an issue of losing golf ballsin fescue, or having fairways bounded byendless water hazards. The great factor thatmany of my favourite courses have in com-mon is that an average golfer playing theappropriate tees can have fun without beingtoo beaten up by the experience. It is likeAugusta; I’ve played with my Dad there andif he plays the correct set of tees he has agreat time.”

With all of these experiences now part ofa decade-long PGA Tour career, Weir is ven-turing into designing courses, creating thefirm of Weir Golf Design with Brantford,Ont. architect Ian Andrew. Several projectsare in planning stages.

“I’m really excited by this opportunity andthe Mike Weir Design team is coming upwith great ideas and concepts for our proj-ects,” he says. “Our goal is to focus on alimited number of projects, providing a lot ofattention to detail and time on each.” HH

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At Home with Mike Weir

The National Golf Club in Woodbridge, Ont. is one of Mike Weir’sfavourite courses, and is regarded as one of the most challengingin Canada.

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MAKING THE SHOTMike Weir’sfavouritecourses

One of Mike Weir’s favourite Canadian golf courses is the The HamiltonGolf and Country Club in Ancaster, Ont., where the RBC Canadian Openwas played in 2003 and 2006.

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