David Lee

The Gravity Golf guru takes wing with a new teaching center amid
the bustle of Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport

SI: So what's going on next to gate B16?

DL: This is the first place anywhere in the world that I'm aware
of where you can take a golf lesson in an airport.

SI: How's the reaction been?

DL: We've been very well received. Airports are looking for
activities besides eating, drinking and shopping for travelers,
especially now that so many get to the airport early. About
35,000 people a day walk past our center, and you can't believe
the number of them who are golfers. It's like the zoo, only
better. If you stand here long enough, the girl of your dreams
will walk past.

SI: Does she ever take a lesson?

DL: [Laughs] Sometimes.

SI: What's your facility like?

DL: We've got 750 square feet, a good portion of it taken up with
the hitting booth. We have a gorgeous leather sofa. It's better
than the Crown Room.

SI: How does it work?

DL: People make appointments or just walk in, and if no one is
taking a lesson, we give them one right on the spot. It's $80 for
30 minutes with me. We're open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days
a week.

SI: What kind of golfers make up your clientele?

DL: It's a cross section. We get beginners, and a few days ago
Senior tour pros Bill Kratzert and Joe Inman came in.

SI: Do you expect competition at other airports in the future?

DL: Golf's biggest weakness is that anybody can teach it; there
is no regulation. You can hang out your shingle tomorrow. Nobody
is going to sue you for malpractice even if you're completely
wrong.

SI: You mean it's like being a TV weatherman?

DL: Better. It's like being a sportswriter.

TWO COLOR PHOTOS: GREG FOSTER (2)FLYING LESSONS Lee has drawn a crowd at his instructional facility in the Delta concourse.