Introducing GOLF, etc.
What are we all doing here?
Hey all —
Welcome to my newsletter! Absolute joy to have you here.
The goal of this email — which I’ve entitled GOLF, etc. — is pretty simple: I’m hoping to share a selection of what I’ve been writing and thinking about. Unless you’re regularly sifting through GOLF.com (which you should) or the depths of my Twitter feed (which you shouldn’t) then it can be hard to keep track of this stuff.
First order of business: Subscribe! And pass along to anyone else who might be interested.
Now a brief Q&A to get us started:
Q: Who are you and why are you sending me this newsletter?
A: I’m Dylan Dethier, a writer for GOLF Magazine/GOLF.com, and if you’re here it’s probably because you’re a friend, family member or someone I’ve corresponded with in the past about golf. Welcome!
Q: Can I leave?
A: Already?! Sure — I’m pretty sure there’s an “unsubscribe” button at the bottom of this email. But I wish you wouldn’t.
Q: What do you do at the magazine?
A: My title is “senior writer,” but “writer” these days means a bit of everything. I spend the bulk of my time writing, but that can mean anything from short blog posts to long-form features for either the website or the magazine, and I spend time on podcasts and videos, too. It’s a healthy mix that never gets stale.
Q: What’s the point of this newsletter?
A: I decided in December that I’d like to send a list of stuff I’d written to Grandpa Dick every few weeks. But I figured that if I’m going to send a list his way, I may as well open it up to the rest of you lot, too.
As I mentioned above, there’s no easy way to keep up with the hamster wheel of internet #content, so this will give me a chance to distill some of my “important” work for you. Plus, a newsletter has possibilities that an article, tweet, Facebook post, Instagram story or TikTok video doesn’t. I can send you a few stories I’ve written and include you on what I’m working on next plus what I’m thinking and planning for in the days and weeks to come.
Q: How often will this come?
A: My plan is one newsletter per month, although it’s possible I’d try to send an extra one around a specific event like the Masters, when the golf world is in fuller view.
Enough with that. To the newsletter! But first a picture of Paul Casey carrying the trophy he won last week, which looks suspiciously like a giant tea kettle. Golf is weird.
What I wrote in January:
(Links are in red.)
The Monday Finish: On the first Monday of 2021 I started a column on GOLF.com called “The Monday Finish,” which is a sprawling breakdown of the week in golf and goes out — you guessed it — every Monday. The latest edition broke down Patrick Reed’s latest controversial win, Jason Day’s new beard, CBS’s new broadcast and more. (I wrote more about Reed’s public relations failures here.)
Emails with Eddie: The most fun I’ve had at work this year is exchanging emails with Eddie Pepperell, a thoughtful, witty, brutally honest Brit who plays on the European Tour and agreed to become pen pals for a couple weeks. My favorite endorsement of the story came from this guy:
Golf’s youngest, most enthusiastic superstar: I spent a bunch of time with 21-year-old rising star Matthew Wolff for the January cover story of GOLF.
What I read (and watched) in January:
The Tiger doc: I saw HBO’s new documentary, TIGER, which was really good. Some people thought it was overly dark or critical, but when it comes to Tiger I think we’re just used to hero worship. He’s lived a complex life! (I also wrote about Steve Williams’ starring role.)
Justin Thomas: The No. 3-ranked male golfer in the world drew an awful lot of attention — the bad kind — after Golf Channel microphones caught him uttering an anti-gay slur when he missed a putt in Hawaii. The smartest reflection on that came here, from Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch. An excerpt:
I have no idea if Justin Thomas is homophobic, having never discussed with him the latest shenanigans on RuPaul’s Drag Race. What I do know is that Thomas is prone to tripping over hot mics on broadcasts. This incident illustrates that not all F-bombs are created equally, that there’s a fine line between being passionate and being a pillock, and for a brief moment Thomas strayed to the wrong side of it.
Treasure hunting: Not golf, but more interesting? A mysterious big-money treasure hunt in the wide-open expanses of the Wild West. I dove headfirst into this New York gem The Great 21st-Century Treasure Hunt, by Benjamin Wallace.
Forrest Fenn, who estimated the treasure to be worth more than $1 million, said he hid it to motivate people to put down their digital devices and get out into nature. He was still alive and willing to engage with searchers. The hunt was free; the purse was big. The poem’s puzzle could theoretically be solved by anyone.
What I’ve been buying:
I don’t benefit whatsoever from this (and I’ll let you know if that changes!) but people sometimes ask me about gear and apparel I like. I love these Adidas adiPure shoes — they’re basically spikeless golf shoes that can easily double as white sneaks. (You can snag ‘em here.)
What I’m looking forward to:
Watching the New England Buccaneers in the Super Bowl on Sunday. Tracking down Seattle’s finest cheeseburger with Emily on Saturday. Traveling (cautiously!) to Texas for a fun magazine feature next week. Seeing if Jordan Spieth is really back or not. Spending more time covering the LPGA this year. Playing another round of sloppy, soggy Seattle winter golf. Writing another newsletter next month.
love it man. keep em coming. let's tee it around Sea soon
I'm the "etc" audience you seek and happy to hear from you!