They are both intrinsically linked to golf — one because of his sweet swing, the other because of her famous father. And from golf came wine, a passion they share and now spread the word by travelling the world preaching the gospel of wine.

While his pals were embarking on the PGA careers and spending thousands of hours practicing, Lane "found wine books more interesting and I was addicted to the grape," he says. By the age of 25 he had given up golf, lost his opportunity to turn professional and turned and faced the wine industry head on. He said to himself: "This is where I want to be. Almost 10 years to the day I picked up a club, I gave the game away."

A single bottle of Penfolds wine had changed Lane's life. So how ironic that he would find himself working for Penfolds after giving up pro golf and still works for them today, 10 years later?

Lane still loves golf (usually shoots about par) but has very little time to play as he travels the world from his home base in Napa, California. His job with Foster's Wine Estates takes him around the world training internal staff and external clients, as well as being a guest wine, food and sensory lecturer at several universities and colleges. He has also worked as a guest Sommelier at Charlie Trotter's restaurant in Chicago, the exclusive Lanesborough Hotel in London and the luxurious Palazzo Versace resort in Australia.

This former golfer knows a thing or two about both golf and wine. He certainly knows the two have an interesting relationship. "Golf and wine were always preordained for each other, intrinsically linked from birth and like fine champagne and great dinner parties, golf and wine are perfectly suited to each other," he says.

When Lane travels the world preaching the word of wine, he does take time to play a little golf and evaluate the wine lists at golf clubs. He looks for value on golf course wine lists because of the lower margins for clubs and the range of selection "to keep the members happy and allow them to explore the wonders of wine."

Lane also looks for clubs to "know your members (or paying customers), their tastes, the demographics of the neighborhood and the age brackets of the members."

"As an example, I once was a member of a highly esteemed club in Australia, 60% of its members came within 10 kilometres of the club and the average demographic age was 50 and mostly male," he explains. "Now, without meaning to be sexist, all the facts pointed to rich reds wines and a great spirits and fortifieds bar, plus a large beer selection." And that's what they did and it worked perfectly. Interestingly, the slowest selling wines on that list were Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc."

Three white wins that Lane likes to see on golf course lists include, Spanish Albarino, California Chardonnay, and Italian Pinot Grigio. On the red side he prefers Australian Barossa or blended Shiraz (preferably from Penfolds, of course), Malbec from Argentina and Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon.

Morgan-leigh Norman, on the other hand, is not a great golfer (struggling to break 100 the few times a year she plays) but she has had a front-row seat to one of the greatest golfers or our time — her dad, the Great White Shark, Greg Norman. Not to mention watching her boyfriend, Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia, compete on the PGA tour as one of the young superstars. Morgan-leigh, 26, came to wine through her father when he established Greg Norman Estate Wines, now owned by Fosters Wine Estates, the same company that owns Penfolds. As associated brand manager for Greg Norman Estates, Morgan-leigh, also based in Napa Valley, works with winemakers in blending and styling Greg Norman wines that "reflect the palate of my father," she says. She also travels the country and the world working with sales teams, meeting customers, hosting wine maker dinners and working with chefs in pairing dishes to match with Greg Norman wines.

Morgan-leigh Norman and Greg

Morgan-leigh grew up enjoying wine in her "European-style household that was reflected in our family dining habits. My parents would always have a bottle of wine with dinner. We learned to enjoy the taste of wine alongside food."

And she, too, knows there is a special relationship between wine and golf beyond the obvious family connection.

"Professional golfers spend a majority of their time travelling around the world to play in different tournaments," Morgan-leigh says. "This lifestyle brings a few advantages to it as with each new tournament might come a new country and a new culture to experience. Through all this travelling, the typical golfer lives in different hotels and tends to eat out in restaurants more than not. This opportunity allows one to experience some of the finer things in life, such as wine and food."

"For instance, my father, coming from North Eastern Australia was first really introduced to wine when he started playing on the European Tour. Living and travelling through Europe opened his eyes and his palate to French wine in particular. From there his palate slowly expanded into other countries and their wines, which ultimately led him to having quite the palate and quite the passion for good wine. Thus Greg Norman Estates was created."

Morgan-leigh's latest project is developing a clubhouse and wine list in Dubai. It's a part of the Jumeriah Golf Estates project (where Norman is developing golf courses). It will ultimately be a 135,000 sq ft. clubhouse with four restaurants, and an extensive wine menu that will feature wines from around the world.

"I think that each clubhouse needs to focus on their clientele, their location and their overall feel in order to reflect themselves. Not only through the course, the clubhouse and the food, but also in the wine. For my project, since we are located in Dubai - a very new, developing country - I am focusing the wine menu on New World wines. The amazing thing about the wine world is that there is so much out there to choose from. No matter what direction a clubhouse goes with their wine menu, there will most likely always be something there for everyone."

Morgan-leigh's three whites that are a must on a golf wine list include: Wolf Blass Gold Label Riesling, Etude Pinot Gris and Greg Norman Estates Australian Sparking. Her three top reds would be Greg Norman Estates Petit Syrah, Devil's Lair Cabernet Sauvignon and probably a decent Burgundy.