SPRING 2006 - Few people are qualified to answer the following question: Which is harder--singing opera, being an 8-handicap golfer or building a successful law career?

While contemplation of such a question may make for good happy-hour banter, to get the real answer, one would only have to ask 1979 Florida State University College of Law graduate and Clearwater lawyer Beth Daniels.

Daniels is a shareholder in the firm of Johnson Pope Bokor Ruppel & Burns, an accomplished soloist and a single-digit handicapper who can hold her own on the golf course.

Her passion for the law came later in life, but her love for sports and singing was evident in her childhood.

She began golfing at age 7, and by high school had earned a place on the boys' varsity team--sort of. "I was the only girl on the boys' team, because there was no girls' team," she said. "But I wasn't allowed to compete in the actual matches, even though I was the No. 2 player on the team. I could practice, but I couldn't play."

Daniels earned an academic scholarship to Wake Forest University in 1971, but found the situation there much the same. There were virtually no athletic scholarships for women, and it also lacked a women's golf team. This time, however, she was not going to be a practice partner for the men.

"I have always been known as being a dynamite stick, so I helped start a golf team at Wake," she said. "I basically jumped up and down on the desk of the athletics department, until they listened to me. They already had a national champion men's golf team, but there was no women's team."

She was given permission to help start a team, but experienced women golfers were not easy to find on campus. "The problem was that no one was at the school to be a golfer, but I beat the bushes and found some who could play, and we began something. Now, Wake has a nationally ranked program."

Daniels was recognized for her contributions in 1999 when she received the prestigious Rolex Achievement Award, given by the College Golf Foundation and Rolex Watch U.S.A. The national awards--given annually to one one male and one female--honor former varsity collegiate golfers who have achieved excellence in their chosen career (outside of golf) and have made a special contribution to society.

"Rolex is a class operation, and it was a very nice event," Daniels said. "They flew my parents and me to the school and picked us up in a limo from the airport. It was a thrill."

Just as special was the fact that it was presented by Wake Forest alumnus and golfing legend Arnold Palmer. "Before the event, we had a private dinner with Arnold and his wife and the VIPs from the school," she said. "If I had to invent something a girl could give her dad as a present, I couldn't have done any better than that. I think it was a bigger thrill for him than me."

Daniels now uses her course management skills to her professional advantage. "I still play a lot, and I can hold my own in a scramble," she said. But her gender and diminutive frame do not always instill confidence in first-time playing partners.

"At first, sometimes guys will say, 'Great, there is a girl playing with us.' But I never hear any crap after the first or second tee. I get asked to be on tons of tournament teams, and it's also good for business."

Her golf success does not keep Daniels from pursuing her passion for singing. She even finds creative ways to combine the two. "When I am watching the Masters on TV, I will turn down the sound and listen to an opera," she said.

Daniels says her love for music has strong genetic ties. "I come from a musical family--my parents and grandparents all play musical instruments and sing," she said. "I grew up singing in ensembles, the church choir and as a soloist. In college, I had vocal coaching and I attend opera workshops and still take voice lessons today. Until recently, I had a singing activity five days a week--but now I am too busy with work." She has been a member of Florida Opera West, the Tampa Bay Opera Company and Sunstate Opera Society.

"It is interesting that singing is not unlike athletics--you use it or you lose it. You have to stay in shape--use muscles and techniques--it takes stamina and range."

With such strong ties to athletics and music, how did she end up in the law? "It was a big decision. I thought about being a pro golfer, then I realized that only a handful in the world can make a living at it," she said. "Music was also there--I even had an application prepared for Julliard, but the same odds applied to being a singer.

Ultimately, the conclusion was to go to college, because with either of the other choices, I would have to be one in a million to make a living at it, and there would come a time when I couldn't do it anymore. I thought it might be a good idea to rely on my brain, not my body."

Daniels says that before she got to law school, she had never even met a lawyer, but she knew where she wanted to go to school. "I have two sisters who are FSU graduates and I wanted to practice in Florida, so choosing the law school was easy."

Before graduating with high honors, Daniels wanted to share her love for opera with her classmates, so she held a vocal recital the same weekend as her law school graduation ceremonies.

"My last semester, I had already gotten a job, my class ranking was pretty well established, and I had some pass/fail credits to take. I thought that was my chance to get back into music," she said. "I got the dean of the music school to give me permission to use Oppermann Music Hall, and I did a recital of all opera. It was called 'Confessions of a Closet Diva.' A lot of my classmates came with parents as well as some law faculty and even a couple music school professors."

The recital was a success, as was her career choice. She is with the same firm she joined after graduation in 1979. She works in commercial and real estate litigation and deals most often with cases that "involve property in one way or another."

Daniels says she initially interviewed through the College of Law's Placement Office with big firms, but the desire to pursue her outside interests led her to explore smaller firms. "I have put in the time to be an effective and successful lawyer, but many times I would work different hours to get it all done," she said. "Sometimes I would work around rehearsal times for productions, and my firm gave me that flexibility. I put in the hours, but I may have done it a little differently. You have to find a way to do what you want."