Golf Games and Nicknames

Nicknames are a staple in the golf world. There’s a Tiger, a Golden Bear, a Walrus, a Goose, a Shark, a Big Easy, a Lefty, and the King. Most of these are iconic and recognized universally. Maybe not the Walrus one—that’s former PGA pro Craig Stadler, who’s beloved in his own right.

At our weekly Men’s Night, nicknames are just as much a part of the culture. Some are so commonly used that they’ve replaced given names altogether—Cubby, Milt, Hubey, Hogger, Sport, Chuck, and Neuf come to mind. Then there are those we refer to by last names when first names overlap. Last night, for example, I played alongside Maynes, Martin, and Gorrell.

Beyond the usual, there are also those one-off or lesser-used nicknames. One guy in my group calls a fellow golfer “Knuckles”, a nickname I haven’t heard anyone else use. That same guy has been calling my wife “Bionica” all summer, probably because she’s been sporting a neoprene sleeve on her knee.

In this week’s Men’s Night recap, I’ll weave in some new nicknames to those that we may already use.

Last night, Cyril “Cec” Patterson was closest to the pin on #5. Scott “Purple” Martin claimed closest on #9.

We had four skins go—reasonable, considering 42 golfers. Winners included Jayden “Pitter” Patterson and Dylan “Papa Dyl” Kimpinski, who took $26.25 on #2; Phil “Putter Cover” Ostash and Blake “Pin” Hunter, who pocketed $128.76 on #3; Dawson “Tan-Man” Tanner and Cubby Bartram, winners of $26.25 on #4; and the previously mentioned Scott Martin, who teamed with Neuf for a $41.88 win on #9. I didn’t need to tell you Neuf’s full name. He is an iconic one-namer, like Madonna or Liberace.

Scott “Purple” Martin also partnered with Jayden “Pitter” Patterson to split the $78.75 deuce pot.

Honestly, I wish more people had won prizes last night, so I could shout out others like Vern “Soul Train” Snyder or Darcy “Perogy” Kowalchuk. Darcy deserves special mention as he added two more holes to his ringer board to lock in a final score of -7, currently leading the pack.

Nicknames have a curious way of sticking, often born from a single moment, and sometimes for reasons that make absolutely no sense. If you don’t believe me, just ask Jason Gorrella “Monsoon.”

Many of my recent recaps have been lengthy, so I’ll keep this one short. This is Stephen “Special Delivery” David wishing you all a fantastic long weekend.