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It started as an exercise in brevity more than anything.
I tend to get long-winded when I write, so in early 2019 when I saw another media site publish a shortish essay about an extremely niche topic of some sort, calling it a “Cool Thing,” I decided to start a column called Cool Golf Things. My self-imposed task: find something small but intriguing in golf, and say something interesting about it in 300 words or less.
Decision paralysis (or writer’s block) took over. There were so many cool golf things - where would I begin?
I had just returned from a trip up the Florida coast that included a round at Riviera Country Club in Ormond Beach, a stunningly unassuming, clean, well-tended public course, family-owned since it was built in the 1950s. They weren’t needed on the sunny day I played, but I had been captivated by, of all things, Riviera’s rain shelters, which had a terrific midcentury-modern look.
A perfect topic for my first-ever Cool Golf Thing.
I kept to a weekly - Fridays, mostly - publishing schedule through the end of 2021 before tempering to a bi-weekly schedule for several months, then monthly. As 2025 draws to a close, I’m proud to have explored 190 Cool Golf Things, but I am also ready to step back and assess what the future of the series might be like. Some of the short pieces - as well as a couple of 300-word-rule-breakers, when I’ve indulged myself - have performed better than others. Golfers’ media diets evolve, and I want to evolve Cool Golf Things to suit. I think the concept suits shorter-form social media videos well - I’ll try a few of those in 2026 and beyond (follow GolfPass on Instagram here and TikTok here if you don’t already). And I reckon I will still write a Cool Golf Thing piece here and there, too.
But for now, after 190 Cool Golf Things in the bank, I’d like to resurface 10 of my favorites.
My favorite Cool Golf Things
As I look back through nearly 200 Cool Golf Things essays, I bounced back and forth between describing actual discrete items and more amorphous concepts in golf that seemed to be overlooked and deserved a shout-out. Some of these are silly or sarcastic. Others turned unexpectedly emotional.
Sassy sprinkler heads
Sometimes you don't actually need the yardage.
A small bucket as mental-health break
Hitting balls can be about more than working on your swing.
Golf cart driveways
I had never seen houses with this feature before a round in Texas.
The inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open
One of my all-time favorite experiences covering golf.
Railroad ties
One of my favorite golf design features.
Tiny pro shops
Browsing golf course merch is great, especially in cozy confines.
Emotional golf course sign
This took me by surprise at an Arizona course.
Sandbox surprise
I'll think about this August 2025 round for a long time.
One ball, *how many* rounds?!
This was a great submission from social media.
An affair to remember
'I do' enjoy this wedding venue.
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