You did it.
The group finally aligned on dates, the group chat is popping off, and you’ve locked in your Sagebrush golf trip.
Now begins the most exciting stretch of any golf trip: The Lead-Up.
This is the window where everyone convinces themselves they’re about to arrive in career-best form. Your algorithm is 98% golf swing videos, and you watch Mac Boucher’s play through of Sagebrush on repeat. You hit up the driving range weekly, squeeze a round in here and there at your local favourite.
Someone announces in the group chat that they’ve “finally figured out their swing.”
Have they?
Unclear.
What is clear is this: the trip doesn’t start when you arrive. It starts the minute you book.
Between the time you book and head out the door, clubs in hand en route to Sagebrush, your group will:
- Be influenced to buy a bunch of new gear (We all know you need the ball marker of Adam Sandler yelling, ARE YOU TOO GOOD FOR YOUR HOME.)
- Build the perfect playlist
- Inflate confidence levels
- Begin light psychological warfare
- Obsess over the weather
This is your field guide to all of it.
Let’s get into it.
Phase 1: Gear Justification
You don’t mean for it to happen, you really don’t. One minute you’re doom scrolling on TikTok figuring out how to keep your hips from swaying, the next minute you’re opening the door to your 8th Amazon order. Oops.
Now you have a spray bottle with a brush on the end of it to keep your clubs clean, a new rangefinder, you did end up ordering a line of Happy Gilmore paraphernalia, and oops again, a new Spider putter. Now we are on track to sinking those 8 ft putts.
You needed it all though. How are you going to play your best without it?
Phase 2: The Playlist Audit
Our personal favourite, the playlist. The perfect blend of personalities to get you hyped up for your trip. The playlist you put on every morning, marking an X through the calendar and practicing your swing. One day closer to your golf trip.
Here is the scientific formula to your perfect Sagebrush playlist.
Everyone’s walk-up-to-the-tee song. The wild cards. These are a must to start with — easy access to the most important songs of the playlist to get your buddy hyped up and ready to rip a drive off the tee.
Something chill. You need to start slow so you can carry the energy through the next few hours. Maybe some Zach Bryan, Luke Combs, or Caamp. You can’t go wrong with starting with these vibes.
Mix in a hype song. You want to slowly build the hype. One of everyone’s favourite hype songs sprinkled in between the chill stuff. This will get the adrenaline pumping and excitement peaking.
The free-for-all. Go fully chaotic. Jump from Third Eye Blind to Drake, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Kings of Leon to Blink-182. There is no wrong answer here.
Phase 3: Confidence Inflation
This happens early on in the trip lead-up. The first couple of practice rounds you get in, your buddies are rooting for you. They’re complimenting your form. After your swing you hear, “Wooahh! Absolute BOMBS.”
You feel good. Great, even.
You’ve never felt more ready for your golf trip. Until…
Phase 4: The Psychological Warfare
You just got voted most likely to run out of balls this trip.
It hurt. But you don’t take that slander from anybody. So you start dishing it back.
Your buddy announces he bought a new driver. You respond, “Yeah, that’s going to fix your slice.” Oh, that one felt good.
The pre-round chirps are all in good fun. We have some great material to get your group started. Save and drop this into the group chat immediately:
Phase 5: Weather Obsession
There is always that one person who is checking the weather 5 times a day, 14 days out. No judgement here.
14 days out, it’s sunny. You are pumped. You start sending more memes into the group chat. Everyone’s talking about how perfect it’s going to be.
10 days out, thunderstorms. How? How did this happen? Everyone’s panicked. The chat goes silent for a few days.
4 days out, 25 and partly sunny. It couldn’t be more perfect. Group chat is popping off. “Let’s go boys!!!!”
1 day out, 26 and full sun. This is it.
Phase 6: The Day Of
The day has come. You head out the door, clubs in hand, piling into your buddy’s car. They’re playing your walk-up-to-the-tee song.
Let’s go boys.
