The Hootie & the Blowfish frontman played something like 70 of our world’s top 100 courses. Seriously.
GOLF: A reasonable place to start is how to get into the game of 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 they all had golf courses. He took me for the first time when I was 14 years old. It was an instant love for me, and I have loved golf ever since.
Where did the idea for Monday After The Masters, your charity golf event, come from?
There was a competition a year or two before we entered. We took it 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 see how easy and fun it is to have golf as a fundraiser.
He’s down to a 4.7 handicap index, and he’s given that to a partnership with PXG. What drew you to them?
I became friends with PXG founder Bob Parsons after he asked me to play a game for him. We hit it off on the golf course, and when he invited me to be part of the production I was honored.
Do you think being a musician helps your golf game? Do you listen to your music when you exercise?
I never listen to my stuff, [but] I listen to music when I practice and study. Being a musician helps me a lot. I think it’s one of the ways my disability is, just because I have such a good tempo and rhythm.
He is a South Carolinian. What are some of your favorite subjects there?
I love Bulls Bay. I love the Country Club of Charleston. Yeamans Hall, also in Charleston. All courses in Kiawah. Dye Course in Barefoot. The Dunes at Myrtle Beach. There are many!
Where is your favorite place to play when you visit?
My favorite place to play is Augusta National. The fact that I got to play there is amazing. A place I play regularly [that] I really like the Scottsdale National.
You are giving your name to the annual women’s collection event in Hilton Head. How important is that to you?
For many years, we have Hootie, for men [collegiate] competition, so I wanted to do something for women. 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 ladies again [they’re] hitting it 40 yards past me. They can play, so can I love to show that.
Watch the video on this page for an extended interview with Darius Rucker, who sings his song “Wagon Wheel,” a boy named Woods and more.
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