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“Every time I try to hit the ball hard, bad stuff happens.” - Charles Barkley on his dedication to tempo... and honestly, just sound golf advice.
An "Official" Power Ranking
THE BEST SOUVENIRS IN GOLF
Came across a few Reddit posts this week asking about what kind of souvenirs people typically get when they attend golf events or visit destination golf courses. A topic that begs for a power ranking because I've got some thoughts.
1) Hats - Easily my favorite souvenir with the main caveats being that they need a variety of styles. I recently made the full-switch to dad hat and have not looked back. For a melon head like myself, the dad hat is one of the few that doesn't come with the imaginary warning sticker: "Heads wearing this hat may appear freakishly larger than it actually is."
2) Polos/Shirts - Only lost to hats because of the versatility issue. You can wear a course hat with any number of outfits/colors/etc. The golf course polo or t-shirt, while versatile, still gets shelved in many social situations.
3) Golf-Related Accessories (Ball Markers, Scorecard Holders, etc.) - I overindexed hard on this category on my trip to Bandon. Nothing like a premium leather scorecard holder or commemorative ball marker and divot tool to throw into the mix. They don't take up much space and you can rotate them in when needed.
4) Outerwear - Usually the priciest category of souvenirs but the seasonality (for most of the country) pushes this further down the list for me. That said, I am a sucker for a tasteful q-zip.
5) Headcovers - Potentially polarizing but beware the destination course headcover, especially when we start talking private country clubs that you are not a member of. I am one of the most gun-shy headcover purchasers on the planet because I feel like the collection you choose is essentially the distillation of your personality. I judge everyone off their headcovers and therefore am an absolute mental case for my own.
6) Artwork/Flags - To me, this is a space issue. If I had a garage or a man cave or an office that I could deck out with course artwork and commemorative flags—this rockets to maybe #2 for me. But I don't, so they end up teasing me instead.
7) Non-Golf Related Accessories - I have yet to really be compelled by any non-golf accessory. Coffee mugs, water bottles, blankets—it's all just extra stuff without a home to me.
8) Balls - Had to throw a hot take in here and I didn't even have to stretch myself to do so. I think the destination course golf ball is one of the dumbest souvenirs imaginable. You always claim you're going to buy that shadow box to mount them all in but it ends up living either in your bag (but unhittable) or in your golf gear area of the garage.
Honorable Mention: Free $#&^ - Scorecards, tees, tee box ball markers. I take it all. Mostly do nothing with it. But every once in a while I pull one of the tees from my bag to use on-course and it brings a smile to my face. And that alone makes it worth it.
Honorable Mention: Free $#&^ - Scorecards, tees, tee box ball markers. I take it all. Mostly do nothing with it. But every once in a while I pull one of the tees from my bag to use on-course and it brings a smile to my face. And that alone makes it worth it.
Kudos to The Open
DROP ZONES FROM MIDDLE EARTH
Dylan Dethier from GOLF.com and GOLF Magazine posted a viral photo this week of the drop zones in play at Royal Portrush near the grandstands.
Click through if you haven't seen them yet but they're comically small and, notably, in the middle of a dense patch of ferns and undergrowth. They look like they're from some viral golfers attempt at making a backyard golf course with a weed whacker. They look like they're the end of a well-worn Hobbit trail in Middle Earth. They look—like they're a prank.
But the story is that they're designed to be so punishing that golfers stop purposely hitting shots where the bail out is the grandstands. Because for tournament competition, if grandstands are in the field of play, golfers typically get free relief and so pros figured why not just go for it—the worst that happens is a free drop somewhere greenside.
The strategy is called "backboarding" and I wish I knew there was a name for it because I (very unintentionally) backboard whenever me and my buddies win the Farmers Insurance Open lottery. The lottery winners get to play Torrey right after the PGA event as the rough is super high and the grandstands are still set up. It's only then you realize JUST how on top of the play those seats are.
Viktor is a man of simple pleasures
I TRY TO SPEND MONEY ON THINGS THAT ARE FUN
Viktor Hovland dropped another all-time interview clip this week in response to some question about how he spends his winnings.
His response?
"I try to spend money on things that are fun like activities."
This was in relation to the pretty epic sounding boys' trips he takes with his crew around the world. Which I respect big time. My wife and I always talk about if we won the lottery, we'd plan just insane trips for friends to join on and just live it up around the world. Sharing the wealth—such a Vik move.
But he continued...
"In terms of things, there's not that many to buy. I bought a nice grill to grill some steak. And I bought uh—what's it called—a blender, like a Ninja blender. Oh, it cuts it up pretty nicely!"
A grill and a Ninja blender. I mean, conservatively, we're talking what? 10 grand-ish for the pair assuming he went top of the line on the grill. These are the examples of splurging that he could come up with. With that level of enjoyment for simple pleasures, you can easily see how a company like IKEA came to be—creating Nordic-inspired minimalist furniture at an affordable price.
And if you're wondering how thrilled the audience was with this deep dive into Viktor's finances... here's a taste.
Then again, these are the types of people who catapulted Great British Bake Off to fame so maybe their mild smirks are as good as it gets.
An appreciation post
CLAIRE ROGERS KILLS IT
For those who don't know her, Claire Rogers is a writer for GOLF.com (I swear I didn't do the heavy GOLF.com lean intentionally this week). Her main video feature series is called The Scoop where she interviews various golf pros and personalities over a scoop of ice cream. A delightfully charming idea.
She also writes a regular column online called the Rogers Report where she quickly documents her travels across the world following and covering golf. I've read and followed for a long time but figured it was long overdue to share some appreciation in BB.
Her tone strikes the perfect balance of lighthearted without being annoying or flippant. And most impressively, in a world where there are now more golf reporters and personalities than ever—she has somehow found fresh angles and observations on every event she visits. For instance, in the Wednesday Rogers Report, she notices that The Open has way more 4-12 year old kids than any other golf tournament. Swarming the fence lines looking for autographs from Rory and, as she observes, having the time of their life.
Or check out her vlogs on X where she shares a super quick edit of her actual day, humanizing both her and her colleagues, reminding me that these are just people who get to hang out and report on golf every week. A nice touch.
Anywho—that's really the post. Give a follow if you weren't already or have a read. Not like she wasn't quite popular and successful already but I've taken such joy in her work recently that I felt was worth a shout out.
On the million to one chance she reads BB—keep killing it, Claire!
