Booze and Golf | Dartmouth Folklore Archive

Title: Booze and Golf

General Information about Item:

Informant Data:

AA is a UC Berkeley student studying Political Economy in the class of 2020. He grew up in Moscow, Russia and moved to the states and attended school here starting in 8th grade. He picked up an interest in golf during high school. During his time at UC Berkeley, AA has enjoyed learning about real estate and is an active member of his fraternity. He plans to work in real estate investing upon graduation.

Contextual Data:

Cultural Context: Men’s major golf championships (known as “major championships” or simply “the majors”) occur during the spring and summer from April to July. They include the Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, and the Open Championship.
Social Context: Golf tournaments tend to be more relaxed when it comes to spectator involvement, especially compared to sports such as football or basketball. But top players actively appear on live TV and on major sports channels. Golf tournaments start early in the morning with the first tee-times sometimes at 7:00 a.m.

Item:

AA is not a fan of waking up early, so will stream a recording of the golf tournament after he wakes up naturally and eats breakfast. A few of his friends will attend the ritual that is often hosted at AA’s two bedroom apartment. These friends range from avid golf fans to those who don’t often watch golf but simply want to spend time with friends. They will enjoy beer, wings, and vegetarian options such as carrots and dip as they watch the tournament on TV. They especially look forward to watching golf’s “big shots” like Tiger Woods and Brooks Koepka. In between the golf rounds, they socialize and “drink up.” Attendees have a relaxed wardrobe, but some will don jerseys displaying their favorite golfer’s name.

Associated File:

Transcript Highlights:

“Honestly, the tournaments start really early…but obviously being a part of a frat it’s pretty much impossible to wake up that early. So whenever I wake up and get some breakfast in me, that’s when everything starts.”
“[Who comes to the ritual?] Usually me and a few of my friends who are also interested in golf…and a few others who are not really into the game but just like kicking it and having a few beers and a few wings”
“The ritual either takes place in my residence…or if that doesn’t work out we take it…to a different person’s house.”
“[What occurs during the ritual?] Nothing out of the ordinary…we get a few beers, we order wings, a few vegetarian options…we kind of just watch the TV and wait for Tiger to come on or some other big shots like Brooks Koepka…in between rounds you socialize and drink up”
“There’s not really a specific attire that you have to wear, just whatever you feel comfortable with, whatever you felt like wearing that day”

Informant’s Comments:

Golf is super relaxed and golf fans don’t go crazy like football or basketball fans
It’s a nice summer vibe, watching a tournament with beautiful weather outside

Collector’s Comments:

I thought this tradition served as a very interesting juxtaposition to what I’ve learned about football-related traditions. It requires very little planning and has a relaxed silver-lining around it in that there is no component of waking up early or prepping hours before the game.

Collector’s Name: SH

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