Larry Olmsted is one of the nation’s most prolific freelance writers, having authored about 3000 articles, books and chapters for magazines, newspapers and guidebooks of every ilk. His career and life experience have given him perspective and expertise in a wide range of topics, and for that reason, he writes frequently and authoritatively on very varied topics including business and leisure travel; participant sports (skiing, biking, adventure travel, etc.); food, wine and spirits; consumer products; and on business topics from CEO profiles to management trends. He is best known for his deep knowledge of golf and golf travel, and is among a handful of top experts on golf courses and resorts around the world. For this reason, he has been trotted out many times as an expert on the topic for radio, television, online and print media, and has authored and co-authored two books about golf travel.
You can visit his golf travel blog at www.larrygolfstheworld.com
Olmsted’s approach to lifestyle coverage begins with the firm belief that to readers, every aspect of what they do with their leisure time is interconnected. For instance, there is no such thing as a “pure” golf vacation. Even the most avid golf addict needs a place to sleep, food to eat, a way to get there and back, and maybe to see something along the way. While journalistic fields such as golf, the hotel business, and cuisine have traditionally been treated as discrete disciplines for niche writers, Olmsted sees them as part of a whole experience, and his success has been largely due to his deep knowledge of each field and ability to critically integrate them. For this reason he has been recognized with awards for his writing on a wide range of topics, from golf travel to China (Golf Writers Association of America) to classic restaurants of the world (North American Travel Journalists Association). Likewise, his editorial positions range from penning a real estate column for the nation’s largest newspaper to a wine and spirits column for a luxury lifestyle magazine to a travel industry editorial position.
Most of all, he likes to have fun. “Do what you love, love what you do” is about the best advice ever given, and Olmsted follows it on a daily basis. For this reason, his activities of choice for both fun and writing include biking, skiing, golf, scuba diving, endurance sports (marathons, ultras, centuries, etc.), poker, and all manner of edibles and drinkables.
Most recently, he wrote Getting Into Guinness, a thoroughly researched and serious examination of a not so serious topic, the Guinness Book of Records™, and its 50 year evolution from staid reference book to a cultural phenomenon that has become the best selling copyrighted book in the history of the world. Along the way Olmsted himself broke one Guinness World Record™ for golf travel and set another, for marathon poker playing. For more on his records and Getting into Guinness, released in September 2008 by Harper Collins, click here.