"Yo, are you going to this?" My phone had just lit up with a text from a good friend and fellow golf sicko, with this message, and a link to some charity golf event. It was sponsored by Tito's and was taking place at the Butler Pitch and Putt, a short-course and cultural-icon wedged into the heart of Austin, TX. Needless to say, I was intrigued.
Upon further review, I learned that this was the second annual event, and would include a 2v2 skins match between four PGA stars: Joel Dahmen, Harry Higgs, Beau Hossler, and Keith Mitchell. Best of all, the grand prize for the victorious was a $350,000 charitable donation. The whole event was to be covered by the Bob Does Sports trio alongside Amanda Renner. And it was only $10...I'm in.
My father lives outside of Austin and has recently gotten back into golf. I snagged two tickets and told him he was coming. This past Monday, we set out for the Butler and found ourselves at arguably one of the most entertaining, most intimate, and most fun golf event either of us had ever been to.
Four PGA Tour players loaded up on swing fluid (free of charge for spectators and participants alike, thanks Tito's) and throwing darts at greens ranging from 60-100 yards away. Speaking of greens, they were rumored to have been recently re-done by Coore & Crenshaw (no surprise knowing Ben Crenshaw's love for public golf in Austin). The course was in fantastic shape, much different than it had been just a few years ago.
We had the chance to witness all of this just inches away from each tee box and green. We got to give a fellow lefty, Joey Coldcuts, a Leftee Golf hat and some tees. We got to watch Bobby Fairways take a celebrity shot and part the crowd like the Red Sea (no one was hurt in the making of that errant shot). We watched putts miss and putts drop, greens flown and greens hit, but most of all we saw the human side of the game, which is so hard to do through a broadcast or behind the ropes at the tour events.
Maybe it's the Tito's talking, but this was truly an epic event that's a must-see for golf fans. Mark it down, dude.
DD
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