Shortly after the first copies of The Golfer’s Journal No. 1 landed in mailboxes, members began sharing photos of their snapped pegs from tee boxes across the world. They created the Broken Tee Society out of a shared passion for the game, and connected at TGJ events and meetups. But it wasn’t until the launch of our online community on Discord late last year that they found a true home.
Over the past 12 months, our globe-spanning membership has turned this virtual ‘clubhouse in the cloud’ into a thriving community resource which has spawned everything from golf architecture discussions to live book club meetings to full-scale buddy trips. Along the way, we’ve seen the BTS grow and coalesce, coming together to support worthy causes, improve our collective games and start to shape the golf world that we want to live in.
If you’re already a TGJ member, you can get your Broken Tee Society journey started here. Haven’t yet subscribed? Check out what the BTS accomplished in a few short months.
ON THE COURSE
At its core, the Broken Tee Society exists to foster connections. This year, we saw those connections play out from coast to coast (and beyond), with members teeing it up everywhere from local munis to top-100 clubs.
Bourbon Bash
One of the year’s highlights has to be the Bourbon Bash, wherein a handful of members from across the country met up for a golf-and-whiskey boondoggle along Kentucky’s bourbon trail. You’ll see the full story soon enough, but until then Will Rainey’s photography will have to suffice.
Solstice
The games ramped up as spring turned to summer, and a group this obsessed can’t let a solstice go un-golfed. Witness members making day-long loops from Anchorage to Bandon to western New England in search of the endless round.
Meetups
Showcasing every meetup would be impossible, particularly as not all produced photographic evidence (hat tip to the Pacific Northwest chapter, who solved their geographical sprawl with a season-long asynchronous ladder challenge). Suffice it to say that from Pinehurst (below, top left) to POTUS 43 (top right), tees were broken here.
ON THE STAGE
Throughout the year, we welcomed luminaries from within and outside the golf world into our Discord server to tell their stories. Back in February, members tuned in to hear Wright Thompson open up about the story behind Pappyland, an early BTS Book Club selection. We also spoke with Earl and Olajuwon from Eastside Golf on turning a side hustle into a game-changing apparel brand. Members are encouraged to tune in live and join in Q&A sessions, but you can catch all of our recordings, including those with Alan Shipnuck, Rick Reilly, Chasing Scratch and more, in the Broken Tee Archives.
We also use this event space as a venue to look inward, hosting town halls, feature debriefs, member spotlights and behind-the-scenes discussions, like our recent chat on the making of TGJ No. 22.
IN THE COMMUNITY
With so many generous and connected members in our midst, it’s little wonder that this community was quick to demonstrate its commitment to helping others. We voted on group donations to National Links Trust and The First Tee, ran a members-only charity auction for a limited-edition Scotty Cameron putter (donated by Ryan Carey of Golden Age Auctions), highlighted countless member causes including a number of 500-hole hikes benefiting Youth on Course, and supported community golf from Hooper to Belmont to Boiling Springs (below) to the East River 9 and far beyond.
And speaking of generosity…
IN THE SERVER
From one ill-advised New Year’s resolution sprang the Broken Tee Society 3-Jack Fund—a fully formed community initiative where members put a dollar into the virtual jar for every three-putt. After logging some 2,000 rounds and raising more than $3,600, we convened in December for a hangout and 50/50 raffle to wrap up the season. We sent $900 to two community-chosen causes—Marygrove Children’s Home and METAvivor—while member Scott King won the raffle, and the remaining $1,800.
Looking to join the fun(d) in 2023? Do so here.
Aside from that, our members cooked up all manner of activities and clubs within the server. We ran a season-long PGA Tour One&Done fantasy game, created a handmade traveling Broken Tee Society headcover, gathered for monthly Book Club discussions, saw member-hosted master classes on everything from coffee to photography to golf architecture, hashed out a BTS Composite 18 and offered first looks at new products in the TGJ Shop. A few lucky members also received some bonus goodies, including (but not limited to) prototype ProV1s, original Geoff Cunnigham photography and limited-edition merch.
This past year only reinforced our assertion that the Broken Tee Society is golf’s definitive community. We can’t wait for 2023.
