The Hootie & the Blowfish frontman has played around 70 of our top 100 courses in the world. Seriously.
GOLF: The logical place to start is how did you get into golf?
Darius Rucker: Oh, man, I was lucky. My best friend’s father was in the Navy and we had three different military bases in Charleston (South Carolina) that all had golf courses. He took me for the first time when I was 14 years old. It was instant love for me and I have had a love for golf ever since.
Where did the idea for the Monday after the Masters, your charity golf event, come from?
It had been on tour for a year or two before we got involved. We took it over and made it a big pro-am. It just took on a life of its own. It’s been almost 30 years and we’ve raised millions of dollars to help children. It’s one of those things where you realize how easy and fun it is to have golf as a fundraiser.
You are on a handicap index of 4.7 and you believed this in the partnership with PXG. What drew you to them?
I became friends with PXG founder Bob Parsons after he asked me to play a show for him. We hit it off on the golf course and when he invited me to be part of the brand I was honored.
Do you think being a musician helps your golf game? Do you ever listen to your own music when you practice?
I never listen to my stuff, (but) I listen to music when I practice and on the course. Being a musician helps me a lot. I think it’s one of the ways that my handicap is what it is, just because I have pretty good pace and pace.
You are a South Carolina. What are some of your favorite courses there?
I love Bulls Bay. I love the Country Club of Charleston. Yeamans Hall, also in Charleston. All courses in Kiawah. Barefoot paint course. Dunes in Myrtle Beach. There are so many!
Where is your favorite place to play when on tour?
My favorite place to ever play is Augusta National. The fact that I played there is amazing. The place I play regularly (that) I love the most is Scottsdale National.
You lend your name to an annual women’s collegiate event at Hilton Head. How important is this to you?
For years, we had the Hootie, a men’s (college) tournament, so I wanted to do something for the ladies. We are the first non-NCAA women’s college tournament on TV. It’s great to bring more eyes to women’s golf. You go out and play with those young girls and (they’re) hitting it 40 yards ahead of me. They can play, and I can love to show it.
Check out the video on this page for an extended interview with Darius Rucker, who riffs on his hit “Wagon Wheel,” a guy named Woods, and more.
