Paired Up at the Muni: Undercover Aficionado

Golf is a mental game.

Whether it’s a three-foot putt to beat your career low, or hitting a fairway with water on the side of your usual miss, the game offers mental tests around every corner.

But the greatest mental test of all is not judging your random playing partner at first glance… especially by their outfit.

On a daylight-chasing nine last week at my local muni, this mental test was in full effect when I caught up to Jamison on the second tee box. He wore paint-stained khaki joggers, long socks, a cut-off sleeveless shirt, and a headband that looked awfully similar to one of his missing shirt sleeves. His outfit looked better suited for a tribal council on Survivor than the golf course. Knowing that there’s always more going on than meets the eye, I decided to hear his story… before the tribe had spoken.

Growing up in the Nashville area, Jamison’s main interest was football. “I got a scholarship to play at Navy, but my ACT score was literally one point below their requirement, so I went to Western Kentucky instead,” he told me. During his sophomore season at wide receiver he took a hit on a pass over the middle that separated his C-4 and C-5 in his neck, ending his football career on the spot. “My whole right side went numb from my neck to my lower back, my fingers were tingly, and I was in traction therapy for like two straight days.” WKU kept him on scholarship as a student assistant coach, and then hired him as an offensive assistant for a few years after he graduated. In 2010 he decided to move back home and start his construction company, which he successfully runs today. “I drove here from a job site, so I don’t usually dress like a buffoon,” he said with a smile, putting me at ease. His game also showed me that he wasn’t screwing around.

When did golf enter the picture?

“I really started to dial it in about three years ago. I took one lesson with Vandy’s swing coach, and man, I’m absolutely hooked,” Jamison said. I was impressed to hear he started so recently because he has a smooth, effortless game, even telling me that his career low was a 63 (!) shot earlier this year at a tough course in Nashville.

“Nobody in my family played. I was an only child, and my parents were divorced. My dad has been in construction for 30-something years, wears overalls everyday, from Portland, Tennessee—he’s as country as the day is long,” he said with a laugh. “My mom played basketball at MTSU, but no golf in the family. My great uncle took me to play golf for the first time when I was 13, actually. I loved it, and I still love it—it’s my favorite past time—but now I really want to start playing competitively.”

Stand on one tee box with Jamison and you’ll feel how much he loves the game as he talks through things he’s changing with his swing, new equipment he’s testing, and even details on why he prefers a certain line of Titleist golf balls. But to realize his passion for golf, look no further than his Nashville Metro Membership numbers.

The city of Nashville Parks and Rec offer a $570/year membership that is good for any of their five municipal courses. Pay that fee at the beginning of the year and you can play as much as you’d like. To walk nine holes is $13, but to take a cart—which Jamison prefers—is $19 for nine holes. To break even he would need to play 30 nine-hole rounds with a cart.

“I just got my report back from the Metro Membership this year,” he said.

“Did you break even?” I asked.

“Uh, yeah. It said I actually saved over $1300 for the year,” he said with a chuckle. “So I guess I’ve played about $1900 worth of golf at the metro courses this year.”

Roughly 100 rounds through September 19th… and you thought your golf addiction was out of control.

Jamison also took his passion for the game on the road last year to places like Torrey Pines, TPC Boston, and Worcester Country Club—one of the oldest private clubs in the country. He can’t wait to get out of town and explore even more next year, he told me.

There are many things I love about golf—the courses, the feeling of a well-struck shot, being outdoors, traveling to new places—and I’ll get lost on a daydream about these things many times throughout the day. “I wonder when I can book my first trip to Bandon Dunes,” I’ll think, or “Man, that five iron I hit last week into number sixteen felt so good.”

But then I realize that a round of golf with a random pairing wearing construction clothes and a makeshift headband is where the heart of golf beats the loudest for me. These people—regardless of their attire—and their stories are always just down the street at your local muni.

Thank you, Jamison, for reminding me that what I love about golf is always just a 12-minute drive from my house.