SAN JOSE – The timing of a recent Pickwise poll about drinking habits on the golf course couldn’t have been more timely for my foursome.
In advance of a big showdown just last week, a golf buddy, who would become a frenemy a few days later in a two-man match, made a disturbing accusation against me.
“You don’t drink enough when we play golf,” he said.
It felt like a verbal assault. Was I not fun enough on the course? Was I not being generous enough sneaking beers onto the course or buying them at the turn? Should I be drinking more when I play golf? It’s an interesting thought: Would drinking my way into the zone help me play better? According to Pickwise, golfers around America are following this same strategy.
After polling 2,500 golfers at The Open – 1,000 from the United Kingdom and 1,500 from America – Pickwise came up with a top 10 list of states that consume the most adult beverages while playing golf. From their findings:
- Florida golfers tip back the most beers per round at 4.8 on average. The legend of ‘Florida Man’ lives on …
- Golfers in Texas (4.6), North Carolina (4.3), New Mexico (4.3), Pennsylvania (4.2), Missouri (4.2) and Nevada (4.2) follow closely behind. Vegas obviously. Texas is so hot that you need to drink a six pack just to survive any round played from April through September.
- Conversely, golfers from the UK (.3) barely touch the suds on the course, with most reporting no beer consumed during their round.
All of this data correlates with what we wrote earlier this year when we asked: “Why don’t more Americans walk while playing golf?” Many golfers insinuated they don’t walk because they need the cart to carry the beer. Is that attitude mostly climate related or cultural? It’s probably both. Golfers in the UK take the game much more seriously, playing Stableford matches on the regular and becoming members at their local clubs at a young age much more than often their American counterparts.
Like most Californians polled by Pickwise (3.3 beers per round), my consumption habits skew toward the middle of the pack. I’ll almost never drink more than two beers before my shaky swing mechanics and sketchy mental game get even fuzzier.
During the big match, I did down one ‘PBR’ during a backup on the sixth tee, and slammed our traditional shot (some brandy) for the birdie putt I made on the par-3 seventh. I’d say that’s about my comfort zone, just a beer to whet the lips and a shot chaser.
That combination seemed to find magic that day: I shot 77, which is about as low as this 10-handicapper can go. Turns out, my buddy was right. I need to drink more…whenever I’m paired against him.
What’s your drinking strategy on the golf course? Let us know in the comments below.
