Full Smoke: 10 Best Cigars For Golfing

Few activities close to home have the power to make the weekend feel more complete than spending an afternoon with three of your closest friends on the golf course. The fresh air, green fairways, and healthy competition are what make the long workweek worth the effort. But for many golfers, playing 18 holes at the country club or municipal course wouldn’t make for a complete weekend without the opportunity to enjoy a fine cigar among friends.

When selecting the optimal cigar for golfing, you’ll want to consider the amount of time you’ll have to enjoy it. While the time it takes to play 18 holes will vary by course, your grouping, and how long you stop at the turn for a snack, an average day on the fairway is usually a 4-hour endeavor. With that in mind, we’re recommending you leave the small cigars and cigarillos at home, opting for something you can enjoy for a couple of hours instead. That being said, personal preference does reign supreme in the world of golfing cigars — so long as you’re getting something that’s rolled by hand and not a machine.

Golf is a true gentleman’s sport with a bevy of rules and self-imposed penalties, so it should come as no surprise that smoking a cigar on the golf course should be done with respect for the course, its equipment, and the other groups of golfers you’re likely to encounter on the tee box.

Be Polite
Just because you love fine tobacco, doesn’t mean the rest of the course appreciates it in the same way. Before lighting your cigar, check with your cart-mate to make sure you’re not going to be disturbing their round or health.

Be Considerate
You wouldn’t hit an approach shot into the green without considering the wind, and you shouldn’t puff away without considering where your smoke is headed. If you’re close to another group of golfers, do your best to make sure your smoke stays out of their field of play.

Be Respectful
When your hands are busy with your club, you’ll need to decide what to do with your burning cigar if you can’t handle playing with it in your mouth. Putting a lit cigar down on the putting surface is an unforgivable offense that demonstrates a lack of respect for the game. But unless your golf course stipulates otherwise, you should be fine placing your cigar down on a fairway or the rough. Finally, using your golf cart as an ash try shows a level of class that simply isn’t suitable for golf.

E.P. Carrillo Encore Majestic

One of the shorter cigars on our list, the Encore Majestic from E.P Carrillo is a 5 ⅜” by 52 ring gauge cigar rolled in the Dominican Republic by true masters of the craft. It features a Nicaraguan filler, binder, and wrapper sourced from three of the country’s primary growing regions of Condega, Estelí, and Jalapa. This Robusto offers golfers a wide range of flavors for the course like earthy, black tea and sweet caramel with a finishing hint of sharp citrus and orange oils. If you’re searching for a refined and nuanced cigar that won’t break the bank, your search can stop here.

Purchase: $104/box

The Laranja Reserva Lancero

The Laranja Reserva Lancero is a medium-full body cigar for golfers who demand a wide range of flavors and complexity from their tobacco. This unique 7 ½” by 38 ring gauge cigar that features an extremely rare orange tinted Brazillian Laranga wrapper with Nicaraguan filler and binder that yield a sweet and bready flavor reminiscent of a saffron brioche bun followed by subtle notes of orange oils, a hint of earth, and a touch of graham cracker on the finish.

Purchase: $180/box

ALEC BRADLEY FINE & RARE JRS-10 CIGAR

Alec Bradley’s Fine & Rare project is an ever-evolving exploration of rolled tobacco. Their 6 ½” JSR10 with a 56 ring gauge is the second offering in this line, and it’s certainly their best offering to date. The JRS10 is the followup to their 2015 release and features a Honduras wrapper with proprietary binder and filler that boast a medium-full strength that would be ideal for a more experienced cigar aficionado. Alec Bradley gave the special treatment to this release by ensuring that only two of the company’s most talented master rollers laid hands on these 10-leaf masterpieces.

Purchase: $197/box

Plasencia Alma Fuerte Generacion V Cigar

Rolling a cigar of this size requires a master’s touch, and that’s exactly what you get with this 7” by 58 ring gauge medium-body box-pressed Salomon. Each Alma Fuerte Generacion V features a shade-grown Maduro wrapper with a Nicaraguan binder and long filler — including Criollo ’98 — from the growing regions of Condega, Estelí, Jalapa, and Ometepe. When you cut into this cigar you’ll find notes of cocoa, chocolate, and oak with a sweet cinnamon and molasses finish. If you play on a crowded course and expect a full day on the fairway, bring an Alma Fuerte Generacion cigar to help you pass the time on the course.

Purchase: $198/box

My Father La Opulencia Toro

Gaining immense popularity from their humble beginning in Miami’s Little Havana nearly 15 years ago, My Father’s cigars have become a cigar critics’ darling as a result of their Cuban-influenced approach to the craft. Their La Opulencia series utilizes a dark Mexican San Andrés wrapper, two Nicaraguan binders — one Criollo and one Corojo — and a filler combination of Cuban seed tobaccos from the owner’s family farm. This Mexican-Nigaraguan combination yields a chocolate and cocoa base balanced by an oaky-vanilla and finished with hints of black licorice.

Purchase: $213/box

The Wise Man Maduro Robusto

Foundation Cigar Co’s Wise Man Maduro Robusto is a premium box-pressed 5 ½” by 50 ring gauge cigar that combinations Mexican and Nicaraguan tobacco to achieve balanced perfection. It’s full-bodied while still falling squarely in the medium category thanks to the inclusion of a Mexican San Andrés wrapper and a blend of a Nicaraguan binder and filler grown by Aganorsa — the same company that produces the cigar for Melillo. This Robusto offers rich notes of coffee, spicy black pepper, and a smooth hint of cocoa. The result is a flavorful blend of savory and sweet, ideal for the cigar aficionado who appreciates subtle complexity over powerful flavors.

Purchase: $237/box

AVO LE05 30 YEARS CIGAR

Another choice selection for fans of aged tobacco, the AVO’s LE05 is a 30th-anniversary celebration for the brand. This re-release is just as good as the original when it debuted in 2005. The 30-year LE05 features a blend of perfectly-aged Dominican long-fillers wrapped in an Ecuador Habano leaf that combines for a medium body with an abundance of complexity. This is a very limited release that’s sure to sell out completely, so act quickly if you want a shot.

Purchase: $270/box

GURKHA CELLAR RESERVE 21 YEAR CIGAR

Gurkha’s limited-edition Cellar Reserve line gets better and better with each release. Their 21-year cigar is the fifth installment and undoubtedly their best yet. Its silky Connecticut shade wrapper is filled with flawlessly aged 21-year-old Dominican and Nicaraguan filler with a Dominican binder. Each cigar is rolled by hand in the Dominican Republic and offers a medium-strength (40%) body that’s ideal for a day on the course. With three sizes from which to choose, golfers can find the perfect aged cigar for their enjoyment.

Purchase: $300/box

Padrón Family Reserve No. 44 Natural Torpedo

Not recommended for the uninitiated, this Torpedo is a full-bodied affair through and through. The 6 ⅕” by 53 ring gauge of pure Nicaraguan tobacco is one of the boldest offerings on our list. When the Family Reserve line was initially offered to the public, it was only done so at limited events where a member of the award-winning Padrón family was present. This limited release full-strength cigar with a Nicaraguan wrapper, binder, and filler offers complex layers of spicy pepper, smoky wood, and unmistakable nuttiness followed by hints of floral flavors for a unique finish.

Purchase: $321/box

H. Upmann Sir Winston

At 7” by 47 ring gauge, the H. Upmann Sir Winton may be the perfect cigar for the course. It’s long enough to last throughout the day, thin enough to keep in your mouth while you play, and thick enough to offer ample smoke from start to finish. With Cuban filler, binder, and wrapper, Sir Winston has a unique taste that simply can’t be copied anywhere else on the planet. While its construction is absolutely perfect, its balance is one of its greatest strengths — offering a medium-full body that’s bursting with layers of chocolate, cocoa, and nutty honey that’s finished with floral notes and sweet graham cracker. If you’re looking for something worthy of your humidor, your search can end here.

Purchase: $500/box