Better then a sommelier: 3 Championship pairings for your next round

It's a Monday afternoon and the last ounce of attention left for the three hour Zoom I am currently on is gone. This is really good content and I took pages of notes, but I have a hard time staying focused for ten minutes at a time never mind three consecutive hours. Two hours to go!

It doesn't help that I just got an email confirming my country club membership for this upcoming season and as the clock ticks closer to five I start to get that little friendly feeling that sneaks up around quitting time. My brain wandering to my garage fridge - - almost time for a drink. 

Speaking of which, let talk about my two favorite hobbies - drinking and golf.

I was at Dick's Sporting Goods over the weekend with my golfing buddy and we started talking about drink pairings for golf based on the weather and the location. The more we discussed it, the more we realized that there are a lot of parallels between being a Sommelier and being that dude that is the guy to stop at the liquor mart on the way to the course. Almost exactly the same role, but far greater responsibility than a Som. 

To help you impress your friends the next time you head out for a tee time, I built a list of 3 scenarios you may find yourself in for your next round. My goal is to take the hard work out of the selection process for you and to provide no-brainer pairings that promise to get you some respect around the cooler from your golfing buddies.

With these three pairings, you can tell that Som to suck it:

1. Northwest US, Early Spring, 50-75 degrees and Sunny

• The cold winter months are behind us now. Wind gusts may lead to a raw, cutting temp and there still may be some bare spots on the fairway but it is sure as shit better than shoveling. 
• Recommended Pairing: Bud Light Pounders - 16oz cans with a coozie
  • Sometimes I am hesitant with the larger cans because there is always one guy in the foursome that nurses his beer and before he gets through the first half, it's already warm. Preventative measures for this include drinking faster and potentially smaller cans. 
  • In this setting and climate, the 16oz Pounders are perfect. It's not hot enough where the beer will warm too quickly and because they're 16oz instead of the normal 12oz, it's better for the environment too. 
• Avoid: White wine. You wouldn't drink white wine if you were to get a beautiful steak at a steak house, why the fuck would you drink it on the golf course?
  
  

2. Northeast, Summer, 80+ degrees and Sunny

• Prime time. This is the time of year and the climate that we dream about. Those bastards that have year round golf wouldn't get it but we sure do. Whether its the best round of your life or the worst or somewhere in between, a bad day on the course beats a great day at work, every time.
• Recommended Pairing: Bud Light Lime, 12oz slimline cans 
  • If you don't enjoy an ice cold limey on a hot summer day, there is something wrong with you. A classic staple-of-summer, the Bud Light Lime hits with the most refreshing hints of citrus, hops and barley and sure to make you the everyone's best friend. 
  • They'll probably let you drive the cart even.
• Avoid: White Russians
  • Milk was a bad choice.

3. Southeast, Late Fall, 60-75 degrees and rainy

• Book your tee time for 11 to be back at the clubhouse for 4pm dinner special and home in time for Jeopardy! Here and there a hurricane may blow through so make sure your dentures are glued in tight but otherwise every day here is a golfing day!
• Recommended Pairing: Bud Light, 12oz classic blues
  • Yup, you guessed it. Bringing home our third and final pairing with the tried and true, old faithful, classic Bud Light. 
  • Simple. Crisp. Refreshing.
• Avoid: Driving after dark.
  • They don't make roads these days like they used to. Get home safe. 

Let me know what kind of Bud Light you like in the comments below, and hit 'em straight!