For pop-rock star Pat Monahan, inspiration has always come quickly.
The Train frontman says the best songs come like lightning in sudden, instinctive bursts of creativity. His band’s Grammy-winning 2001 hit, “Drops of Jupiter,” took shape in about 15 minutes. “If it’s fast, it’s good,” Monahan said. “If you have to sit on it for weeks, you should probably move on.”
Golf, as he has discovered, works differently.
In a recent episode of GOLF’s Subpar PodcastMonahan reflected on his experience at 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Amwhere the 8-handicapper admitted he played the worst golf he has ever produced at the event. Teamed with pro Steven Fisk and grouped together with the Tour’s rising star Jake KnappMonahan found himself searching for answers. Or, at least, some promise of improvement.
Enlightenment came in a silly comment.
“Jake said something that really made a difference,” Monahan said. “He said, I find a lot of joy in practice.”
say what?
“I was, really, this sounds crazy to me because I don’t really practice,” Monahan said.
Instead, he just showed up and played, waiting for inspiration the way he might wait for a tune to arrive. But what works in the studio wasn’t working for Monahan to the tee. Time to try something different.
At home at Aldarra Golf Club in Sammamish, Wa., Monahan adopted a new approach. He headed to the range with headphones, hip-hop, determined to spend time working on his game. Something unexpected happened: he liked it.
“I got into the zone,” he said. “For the first time I liked practicing because someone told me I should like it.”
Overtime may not get him another shot at the billboard. But it should help deliver some cleaner shots. You can watch the entire interview with Monahan here.
