You may remember Michael Jordan was photographed smoking a cigar at the Presidents Cup during a practice round last October. The photo caused a bit of a stir because public smoking is banned in San Francisco – a law that extends to include the golf course they were playing on; Harding Park.

There was much hoopla in the media surrounding Jordan’s law-breaking stogie (of which he was not asked to fork over the $100 fine). But not questioned by the media, and perhaps an obvious follow-up to the story is; Why are people in vast outdoor areas banned from smoking in the first place?

I just returned from a trip to New Mexico. Being rather dry, New Mexico is susceptible to brush fires. And in particularly dry seasons, I’ve had to do without a cigar on some its most gorgeous courses. I understand this completely and have no problem capitulating.

But over the last few years, some towns and counties have implemented no smoking bans on public courses due to health issues such as second-hand smoke. These places include San Francisco (as mentioned above) Glendale and Pasadena, CA; Hawaii County, HI; Bloomington, MN; Goshen, IN; Abilene, TX; and Arvada, CO.

An article in USA Today last year highlighted the Hawaiian law in particular was being largely ignored. Meanwhile, golfers in other towns were taken-back by the mere notion of banning smoking on the course – One golf pro in Pittsburgh thought it would be “ludicrous” and “overkill” and then posed the question: “How would you enforce it?” He has a point – rangers can’t even handle the slow play problem.

Perhaps more interesting was Los Angeles County’s recent ban on smoking (effective last September) at parks, beaches and golf courses (ironically, the ban does not extend to actors smoking when the script calls for it). Anyway, officials in LA cited health concerns for the ban, including that second-hand smoke leads to the deaths of 52,000 people annually. OK, I understand the second-hand smoke point when you’re indoors, but the last time I checked, golf was played outside. The golf course isn’t a crowded bar…if you don’t want to get a whiff of your playing partner’s Robusto, why are you standing downwind of him? What’s next, no more campfires while camping? After all, campfire smoke contains acetaldehyde.

It seems recent smoking bans concur – There was some question whether the new ban in Michigan (which went into effect May 1, 2010) included players out on the golf course. However, review of the new law revealed the ban only “includes the clubhouses where food is served and areas around beverage and food carts on the course.” So much for buying cigars from the MOFOBETE in The Great Lakes State.

But the reality is, laws are being passed that ban smoking in the great outdoors, and this includes some municipal golf courses. While the towns and counties don’t seem to be enforcing said rules (including when a high-profile celeb like Michael Jordan is caught red-handed), the laws exist nonetheless, not-to-mention more are being proposed in other areas (including one in Spokane, WA last year which was defeated due to public outcry). I’ve previously posted about how golf and cigars seem inseparable. Was I wrong?