Photo: Jeffrey Westbrook / Styling: Miyako Katoh
It can be said that fall golf is the best golf game. Good prices. Comfortable weather. Those colorful leaves. Can’t you love him? Here, in our Fall Travel Package, our experts prepare you for everything golf falls into (for this year or next). We’ve revealed our favorite fall courses, resorts, value spots, must-have clothing, and more. the goal? To educate and motivate you on your next golf excursion. So read on, then grab your batons, bags, and maybe a jacket or two.
ICYMI8 amazing resorts for golfers (and their families!) to visit this fall
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It was a very cold and windy winter’s day in Ireland, circa 2008 – the kind of weather that required so many layers that you could barely bend your arm enough to swing a club. But it was dry, and I was golfing outside for the first time, so being cold wasn’t an excuse to miss out on an adventure.
As a completely fair-weather golfer, this kind of course discomfort was a new experience for me. The cold was positively chilling. But then, halfway through the round, salvation came in the form of hot Irish coffee in the halfway hut. It was just what the doctor ordered. One shot and the whiskey did its job. My shivering instantly subsided, a sensation of warmth spread through my extremities, and I felt a new energy to battle with the round.
Our friend and playmate, Colin, explains that he keeps a whiskey flask in his golf bag all year long for just such conditions. You never know when a “jump call” will be needed to save the day – or simply your tour.
This is the great power of the humble flask, an easy-to-use, concealable vessel created to house the libation of your choice. Until that raucous Irish day, I had never carried a flask before, let alone taken a huge gulp from one. But you can bet from that day on, you’ve considered it an essential piece of golf gear—especially when playing in the cold you might encounter in the fall or winter.
Now that it’s an Arizona transplant, the need for warmers on the course is greatly reduced. But the benefit of keeping a few ounces of hooch handy remains.
Maybe you’re a fan of Colt Nost and Drew Stultz’s popular GOLF podcast and know the concept of “juice the bird” — celebrating a bird with a delicious libation. Depending on how you play and who you’re playing with, this can include an oversized bar tab. So, rather than downing an entire cocktail, many golfers keep a few small bottles of their favorite spirit in their golf bag to share with their playing partners as often as the need arises. But, as anyone who’s ever enjoyed a serving of bird juice knows, it tends to go away fairly quickly. (Especially in net form.)
So, unless you plan to stock your bag with several small bottles of alcohol, investing in a flask is a wiser way to observe your juicing ritual. Options abound, from the classic Stanley flask, which holds eight ounces of liquid, to innovative features like that found in High Camp’s Torch flask and the VSSL model, which integrates shooting glasses directly into the design.
So, which flask is best suited for golfers? While that will vary from person to person, I decided to ask someone who knows their whiskey from their whiskey. Brian Cox is vice president of Dewar’s Scotch Whiskey, North America, and the first thing he recommends is paying close attention to your flask’s makeup.
“I am against the traditional old-fashioned pewter flasks or sterling silver,” Cox wrote recently via email. “I’ve always found it very hard to keep clean. But stainless steel works. Just make sure you don’t use dishwashing soap to clean it or you won’t get rid of the soapy smell and taste.”
Really wise advice. And Cox makes an important point: The right bottle should not transfer any of the flavor of the materials into your spirit. Ivory ceramic decanter of miscellaneous. Goods Co. is fully vitrified inside and out to avoid tainting the spirit with any unwanted flavour, as well as to preserve the spirit without reducing its quality.
Jay Spurbert, certified whiskey specialist and chief Scotch ambassador at The Westin Kierland in Scottsdale, Arizona, made another high point for bottle shoppers: prioritizing quality.
Email: “Don’t go too cheap because you don’t want any good whiskey leaking into your pocket due to poor construction.” “Also, don’t forget to invest in a funnel, which is important for filling.”
More wise advice, for sure. One more nugget before you go: Don’t waste a drop.