A Grassy Event

Standing next to the 10th tee at Grass Clippings Rolling Hills in Tempe, Ariz., I watched the New York Blue Birds, the Michigan Auto Aces, and the Los Angeles Roses under the lights. With a dozen or so onlookers, and surrounded by LED lights, I was flanked by a mule with an adult beverage sack slung over its back on one side, and a live alligator on a leash with the team name “Swamp Dawgs” written in pink on its back. A cop approached the tee, and while I expected him to at least show some interest in the dinosaur being pulled around the desert on this cool night, he was only interested in watching golf. 

44 two-player teams from 11 franchises competed in the Grass League’s Troon Access GL Championship Presented by GolfNow, a multi-day, par-3 scramble tournament played at night, and broadcast on Peacock. Ryan French reported that pro golfers with status on PGA Tour-affiliated circuits were denied permission to compete by the PGA Tour, making the field less recognizable. My friend Jhared Hack was recruited to play for the New York Blue Birds in place of a PGA Tour player whose media release was denied. Hack is one of the best wedge players I’ve ever seen, and in a par-3 event filled with local standouts, skilled amateurs, and mini tour grinders, Hack would likely have an edge.

The event is billed as “High Stakes Par 3 Golf,” which raises the question: how high are the stakes? 

This was a question I posed to every player I could, and surprisingly, no one knew the answer. Most agreed they heard the purse was $100,000, but how much was awarded to the winning team and how it was allocated among teams – no one knew. Players said the tournament would pay the team owners tournament winnings, who then pay players, which is how some competitors are able to maintain amateur status. How many teams are paid and how much each team would earn remained a mystery as players made the turn in the final round. This is usually a red flag for a fledgling circuit with a purse, but I was reassured the tournament was well-funded by a major sponsor.

“We’re trying to tie our teams as closely as possible to a location,” a team manager said. “It’s what LIV is lacking.” This would not be the first or last time I heard someone affiliated with the new league reference LIV. Teams are from Minnesota, Michigan, Tampa Bay, San Diego, Canada, Dallas, Hollywood, Los Angeles, New York, and of course, Phoenix and Scottsdale. It was mentioned the owner of the Tampa Bay Swamp Dawgs is the owner of The Silverleaf Club, a prestigious golf haven in Scottsdale. “Wouldn’t it make more sense that the owner of Silverleaf would own the Scottsdale team?” a player asked. It would also make for the ultimate team headquarters.

The event setup was impressive: hospitality tents constructed around multiple strategic points on the golf course, a central food truck area, a main concert area with the event live-streaming and a band playing, and alcohol never more than a short wedge shot away. Music blared from various speakers around the course. The live band played on a stage around the clubhouse, away from the on-course action. A solo guitar player strummed some cover songs behind the 18th green.

Halfway through the front 9 and a third of the way through the back side, music was faintly heard in the distance and the experience seemed to drag on. With three two-player teams in each group, the rounds took about four and a half hours – and the tiresome pace was far more noticeable when music wasn’t drowning your senses. Each player had their own caddie carrying a bag with a limited set – no need for a driver, fairway metals or long irons. Most caddies also carried a beer, cocktail, or hard seltzer, as did many players. With so many players, caddies, and cocktails in each group, the scene around some greens looked a bit chaotic. One player making the turn mentioned he drank four High Noons, and was beginning to battle the swing yips, while another player said the shadows from the lights seemed to be playing tricks on the green.

I brought my 4-year-old on the first night. The noise and activity surrounding each group allowed him to watch live golf and gave me peace of mind that the volume of his enjoyment wouldn’t disrupt anyone’s concentration….too much. There was a brightly lit nicotine pouch truck behind the 18th green that mesmerized my son. I’m hoping the slogan “get ‘em while they’re young” applies only to golf in his case. 

Sponsor signs for a cannabis store lined at least one hospitality tent, and every few holes you walked through a skunky-smelling cloud. There were a few friends and family members following groups in the first round, some wearing a Grass League team shirt or hat. The hospitality tents became more full as evening turned to night and groups made the turn in the final round. A handful of fans around each group turned into dozens and the energy and applause grew. 

“This feels like the first day of a music festival,” said one fan in their late twenties while he ate pizza in the food truck area. “They’re still trying to figure everything out.” 

As the New York Blue Birds finished their front 9, the sun had nearly disappeared behind distant mountains and vibrant orange beams fought to hold up the night sky just a bit longer. The leaderboard was bunched at the top, a single birdie moving teams up, while a bogey meant complete freefall.

The Michigan Auto Aces, with LPGA player Allison Lee and teammate Trey Kidd, an amateur with a plus-3.8 handicap, spent most of the night on top of the leaderboard. Seven birdies in their final 10 holes launched Tampa Bay Swamp Dawgs’ Billy Hanes and former Korn Ferry Tour player, Dan Buchner, into a playoff against Lee and Kidd. On the first playoff hole, Hanes dropped a 40-foot snake from the back of the green, sending a packed crowd into a celebratory frenzy, and causing beer cans to rain down on the green. The Swamp Dawgs won the crown. 

Having the most accomplished golfer in the field compete in the playoff added excitement to the ending, and her team losing to amateurs is an example of the uncertainty of the game, and why we tune in. At its core, the Grass League is a fun, accessible concept that has many advantages over a typical mini tour or amateur league. Whether those advantages are enough to bring more fans to the spectacle and keep fans engaged, is as unpredictable as who wins a par-3 scramble tournament at night.  

‍