Golf is more than a game. It’s a collection of stories, characters, disasters, legends, lessons, and occasional acts of stupidity. Golf Files explores life inside the ropes and beyond—from professional tournaments and course etiquette to golf humor, history, and the people who make the game unforgettable.
For more than twenty years, I worked inside the ropes as a television golf spotter, watching the world’s best players up close. Along the way I collected stories, legends, lessons, near-disasters, unforgettable characters, and a healthy appreciation for how a simple game can reveal so much about human nature.
Golf Files is where those stories live.
Some are funny. Some are educational. Some are cautionary tales. All of them started with a little white ball.
Golf should lower your blood pressure, not spike it. If you’ve ever sent a “warning shot” toward a slow group, this one’s for you. We all know road rage—most of it starts before the first brake-check. You climb in already wound up (money, work, home), then a small slight feels huge. Same wiring flips on … Read more
Getting struck by a golf ball isn’t funny—until my buddy turned an ankle bruise into a fully funded golf trip. Most times getting hit by a golf ball is no laughing matter. People have lost eyes, needed stitches, gotten concussed, and worn a dimpled logo on their skin for weeks as the hematoma changes colors. … Read more
Firm turf, real wind, fair prices—and a perfect pint after. What makes the cut Northwest—Wild, pure, great value West / Mayo–Sligo–Galway North Coast (NI) — Near the headliners, lower tariffs Southwest—Kerry & Cork value picks Dublin / East Coast alternatives How to build an Ireland “Diamonds” loop Anchor + Orbit: Book one marquee (e.g., County … Read more
Inspired by Loyal “Bud” Chapman’s fantasy holes, I sketched my own: a canyon carry at sunset where one brave swing separates pretenders from pilgrims. I called the character the Golftrekker—a guide for golfers who love discovery as much as score. My job back then was packaging golf travel, and the mission was simple: help players … Read more
Yes, I know the image above is of St. Andrews. I spent the week previous to the Open Championship at Muirfield at a place called Rockview on the Scores just a short stroll to the Royal & Ancient Golf Club, Old Tom Morris golf shop, the Old Course Hotel and the first tee of the … Read more
Honorable Mention: A reverent wink for the fairway faithful. By a former PGA Pro and lifelong lover of the game. You shall have no other golf gods before Me—especially not that YouTube guru. You shall not make for yourself a graven swing device (unless it actually works)… then lend it to your buddy. You shall … Read more
A lighthearted, respectful riff on Psalm 23—straight down the middle.By Chatrodamus The Lord is my Caddy; I shall not want.He grants me good lies on emerald fairways.He leads me away from the waters and bunkers.He restores my swing.He guides me down the cart paths of righteousness,for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the … Read more
Opinion • Hot Topics Fox rounded up Reddit gripes about a “plague” of golf carts; WSJ called it a “slow-rolling cavalry.” Cute line. Reality check: lots of towns are late to the party. If they wanted a real case study, they should’ve started where carts (yes, cars if you’re Yamaha) have been normal for decades—Sun … Read more
How a Scottsdale travel exec fell into a two-decade run spotting golf for ABC/ESPN—TPC Scottsdale to Augusta, Muirfield, Pebble Beach.
La Costa CC • Tournament of Champions, 1992 La Costa, 1992. Tournament of Champions. It’s one of those wet, sloppy days where the rough grabs your ankles and the sky grabs your soul. I’m a newer spotter, assigned to a group way down the board, out on the far reaches of the course where even … Read more