A new affinity between golf and the green
Another routine before teeing off
10:00 a.m., Palm Springs, California. Under a clear blue sky, a pair of golfers finish the front nine and take a break in the shade of a golf cart. They don’t pick up a plastic bottle or a club – they pick up a lighter and a freshly rolled joint. “This is the best way to concentrate on the back nine,” he says after taking a quick puff, laughing quietly and picking up his driver. Scenes like this are becoming a common reality, especially on the West Coast of the United States.
Coexistence of joints and fairways expanding in legal states
As of 2024, recreational marijuana has been legalized in 24 states and Washington, D.C. in the United States. Among them, in western golf powerhouse states such as California, Colorado, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona, marijuana use during rounds is becoming a common culture. Some courses in these regions are allowing the bringing of marijuana products, introducing cart girls who sell CBD edibles, and setting up 420 Friendly Spaces (smoking areas) on golf courses, and attempts to commercially utilize the compatibility of “marijuana and golf” are rapidly increasing. A manager of a public course in California said, “We’ve increased the number of ‘mental options’, not just clubs and balls. That’s the need of the times.”
Players' opinions: The joints as a conduit to the "zone"
The reason for incorporating cannabis into one’s game is not simply pleasure. A male player in his 40s with a handicap of 5 says, “Rather, it is much more subtle than alcohol. It reduces distractions and simplifies the swing. If coffee is the ‘accelerator,’ then cannabis is more like the ‘brakes and suspension.'” Many golfers talk about a quiet deepening of concentration. They say it helps them to be more sensitive to the wind flow, the hardness of the grass, and the subtle slope of the green, and to immerse themselves in the here and now. Microdoses with THC content of 5 to 10 mg are mainstream, and the current trend is to smoke to “get in shape” rather than to get drunk.
The PGA Gap: Separating Rules from Reality
On the other hand, THC is still a banned substance on the PGA Tour, and if you test positive, you will be suspended. However, the reality is different. In an anonymous survey by Golf.com in 2019, about 20% of PGA players answered that they had used marijuana within the past year. In addition, in a column contributed to Golf Digest in 2017, an anonymous pro wrote, “When I tried it, I was able to relieve unnecessary tension and regain confidence in my shots.” In other words, it is an open secret that there are “players who use it” but cannot reveal it publicly, and it can be said that we have reached a stage where we should discuss the “appropriate use of THC in golf.”
Grassroots Culture: 420 Tournaments and Community Focus
Nowadays, locally-led cannabis x golf events are rapidly increasing in the United States. In Portland, Oregon, a grassroots tournament called the “Kush Open” is held several times a year, where participants are given snacks containing CBD and low-THC gummies. During the round, there is also a performance where a vape pen is installed on the cart as a “cannabis test club,” redefining golf as a “relaxed sport.” The fusion of “taste x performance” is taking root as a culture, with sponsored rounds in collaboration with cannabis brands and country clubs with 420-only lounges.
Redefining Marijuana in Golf: Tuning, Not Escape
What’s important is to understand that cannabis brings about “re-regulation” rather than “intoxication.” In the past, cigars and brandy were symbols of socializing. In the same way, modern golfers have come to choose joints as a “tool for tranquility.” It’s not a shortcut to improving your score. But it cuts down on unnecessary swings and protects your breath even under pressure – its function as a mental buffer is of great significance to players.
What's in your cart reflects your outlook on golf
Clubs, scorecards, gloves, and joints in a small case. The time has come when having them all together is no longer a strange feeling, but is perceived as “freedom of choice”. What is golf for you? Competition, meditation, or healing? The answer to that question may be quietly loaded in your cart.