Okay, so I found myself at this Commanders Topgolf event. Wasn’t sure what to expect, really. These things can be a bit hit or miss, you know?
I actually almost didn’t go. Seriously. The email popped up, “Commanders at Topgolf,” and my stomach did a little flip. Not in a good way. See, I’m not exactly Mr. Athlete. Far from it. It reminds me of this one time, way back, maybe middle school football tryouts. Yeah, I know, what was I thinking? Anyway, the coach lines us all up for this drill, something with cones. I was so nervous. First kid goes, zips through it. Second kid, same. Then it’s my turn. I take off, and BAM. Tripped over my own feet before I even got to the first cone. Faceplanted right there on the grass. The silence was deafening, then a few snickers. Coach just kind of patted me on the shoulder and said, “Maybe try the chess club, son?” Brutal. That stuck with me, that feeling. So the thought of swinging a club, any club, with actual professional football players around? Yeah, not my idea of a relaxing afternoon.
But, the wife kind of pushed me to go. “It’ll be fun,” she said. “Get out of the house.” So, I went. Drove over there, found parking, which wasn’t too bad, surprisingly. Walked in, and the place was definitely buzzing. Lots of burgundy and gold, jerseys everywhere. You could feel that fan energy, which is always kind of cool, I guess.
The Setup
They had a few bays sectioned off for the event. Some players were there, a few coaches too, I think. They weren’t like, A-listers, mostly guys you’d recognize if you follow the team closely. They were just kind of hanging out, some hitting balls, some chatting with folks. It wasn’t super formal, which was a relief. No big speeches or anything, at least not while I was paying attention.
I grabbed a spot in a bay with a few other people. Strangers, mostly. We all did that awkward nod. Then it was time to hit some balls. My turn came up, and all those old middle school jitters came rushing back. I just took a deep breath and swung. Didn’t whiff it, thank goodness. Actually made contact. The ball didn’t go far, kind of dribbled out there, but it went forward. Small victories, right?
Watching the Pros (and others)
It was interesting watching the players hit. Some of them, you could tell, had played golf before. Smooth swings, good distance. Others? Well, let’s just say their talents are definitely on the football field. Saw a few shanks, a few topped balls. Made me feel a little better about my own pathetic efforts. It’s funny, you see these guys as superhumans on Sundays, but put a golf club in their hands, and they’re just regular folks struggling like the rest of us. Kind of humanizing.
There were other fans hitting too. Some were taking it super seriously, grunting with every swing. Others were just laughing and having a good time. That’s what Topgolf is for, I suppose. It’s not real golf, not really. It’s more like bowling with golf clubs.
- The music was pretty loud. Standard pop stuff.
- They had food and drinks making the rounds. Wings, sliders, that kind of thing. Nothing amazing, but it was fine. Filled a gap.
- Managed to have a couple of quick, “Hey, how’s it going?” chats. Nothing deep. Just fan stuff.
I didn’t stay for the whole thing. Hit a few more balls, watched a bit, then decided to head out. It was getting a bit crowded, and honestly, I’d had my fill of almost embarrassing myself with a golf club for one day. No autographs, no selfies with players. Wasn’t really looking for that anyway. It was more about just being there, seeing what it was like.
So, yeah. Commanders Topgolf. It happened. I went. I swung a club. Didn’t break anything or anyone. I’d call that a success, considering my track record. Was it mind-blowing? Nah. Was it a decent way to spend a couple of hours? Sure. Better than tripping over cones in middle school, anyway.
