Charles J. Fricks stole a few minutes between business meetings Monday to chip some balls at Brainerd Golf Course.

The owner of a granite fabrication company uses Chattanooga-area courses for personal pleasure and building business relationships.

"If you can get a guy to play golf with you, you'll do business with him," Fricks said. "It's a great place to get somebody alone for four hours. Playing golf helps break down barriers."

Fricks played a few rounds as a teenager but really picked up the game as a 25-year-old new to the business world. A friend of his invited him to play, and Fricks became addicted.

Now he practices a couple times a week if possible and plays at least once a week at an area public course. Brainerd, Brown Acres and Nob North are his favorites.

Those straightforward courses neither help nor hinder the left-handed Fricks, who can sometimes hit a fade or a draw when necessary depending on the shape of the hole.

Finding adequate clubs for the lefty was a little more difficult when he started playing about 20 years ago. Today, though, he can find just about any club he wants. If it's not on a shelf nearby, he can find one online.

"I can't get an 8-degree Burner, but I can get almost everything I need," said Fricks, who is about a 10 handicap. "I really don't think being a lefty makes much difference these days. You're either in the fairway or you aren't."