Editor’s note: This story is part of our Fit Row series that focuses on the health and fitness aspects of racing and its superstar drivers. Presented by Lilly Diabetes, the exclusive diabetes health partner of NASCAR, the series will feature 10 themed stories.
The idea came to Denny Hamlin and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. over a lunchtime meal.
The drivers both were participating in a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear tire test at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2016. Mealtime conversation in between laps turned to a discussion on how Stenhouse and Hamlin could combine their love of golf, fitness and competition — and, well, trophies.
“We were sitting there at lunch during a test and we were like, we all play golf together, we go all the time, we’re all competitive,” Stenhouse told NASCAR.com at Talladega. “Let’s somehow set up a format where we can trophies and points and pay an entry fee and make some money and it’s turned into (this).”
And that’s how The Golf Guys Tour was born.
Calling themselves “the most frustrated amateurs on tour,” the group is comprised of drivers such as Stenhouse, Hamlin and Kyle Larson and TV personalities such as Michael Waltrip, Rick Allen and Steve Letarte, as well as other friends. They played the first season in 2016 and finished up the 2017 season (which was sponsored by Prevost) in early October, when Stenhouse Jr. was crowned the champion. Hamlin finished second.
“Denny and I, we battle it out quite a bit,” Stenhouse said. “And it changes week to week. It’s really crazy, some of the harder courses, the higher handicapped players tend to be at the top of the leaderboard and the lower handicapped players tend to be at the bottom. The course dictates a lot of who is where on the leaderboard, but man, it’s so awesome.”
The tour most recently held its Ryder Cup, where 2017 first- and second-place finishers Stenhouse and Hamlin were made captains and picked teams to compete. The Cup ended in a tie.
“We got shirts and pants and logos – we go all out,” Stenhouse said of the tour.
The tour also provides a way to get drivers more time outside, stretching their legs and keeping fit in an activity they enjoy. Golf is a low-key way to burn calories, but its heath benefits also extend beyond physicality; research has shown that golfing has been known to improve heart health, relieve stress and mentally stimulate the brain.
And while the competition among the tour is friendly and fun, it’s also bound to be fierce with current and former athletes in the mix.
“We’re all competitive and we want to go out and compete,” Stenhouse said. “And the way our Golf Guys Tour works – it’s all handicapped. Larson just started like a year ago playing golf, he can compete with … a guy that is basically a PGA professional and is really good, shoots under par. We all compete. I think we only had one repeat winner this year, so it really is really competitive.”
They play for a bit of money and bragging rights, of course. But mostly, they like the hardware.
“We’ve had playoffs – everybody wants a trophy and we only give (the) top three trophies,” Stenhouse said. “There’s times if you tie for third, you go to a scorecard playoff and then whoever wins in the scorecard playoff gets to keep the trophy, but they split the money.
“Everybody wants trophies — we like the money that comes with it out of our entry fees, but we really just want trophies,” he said with a chuckle.
And major thanks to @PREVOSTSteveZ and @PrevostCoach for sponsoring @TheGolfGuysTour pic.twitter.com/wemwTftG2P
– THE GOLF GUYS TOUR (@TheGolfGuysTour) October 4, 2017