This GHIN & Tonic ran in the May 1st, 2026 edition of the No Laying Up newsletter. Be the first to know when a G&T drops when you subscribe to the NLU newsletter here.
Welcome back to GHIN & Tonic. It's been a while, but for those who aren't familiar, GHIN & Tonic is a journal series where we catch up on all things golf (GHIN) and Tonic (non-golf). Think of it as the stuff you won't hear on the main pod or the TrapDraw — extra counter space to cook. Let's dive in.
GHIN
Though we’re already four months into the year, I’m being kind to myself regarding my golf game. It’s still early, which is what I told myself after another 81. I’ve been hitting the ball well, but the checkbook is not balanced. What does that mean? That even after walking away from the course feeling pretty good about how we struck it off the tee and into greens, scores just aren’t adding up. I’ve got way too many scores in the 80s (and 90s…shout out to the turtles in Rae’s Creek) for how many fairways I’ve been hitting. The issue has been my wedge game. I’m not hitting wedges close enough from 80-120, but an even greater issue has been my pitching and chipping. I have no excuse in this area, knowing I have a lesson from JT two years ago and from The Short Game Chef last summer that I can go back and watch anytime. So last week, I watched both videos before heading to the course for a practice session. It’s amazing what a few thoughtful reps will do. How did I forget the stuff they were preaching so quickly? Specifically, I need to internalize how important it is to “read the lie” and attack the golf ball with steep angles.
I left this successful practice session with a lot of excitement, and I made a point to write down a few “feels” and “thoughts” about why I chipped it well. I’m hoping this will help me remember some basic techniques in the future vs. experimenting in real time with my technique on the course (side note: highly recommend starting a “Golf” notes app on your phone…and write down those good “feels” for future reference. I need to reference this note more pre-round…). I believe that attitude can impact chipping more than any other phase of the golf game. I chip my best when I feel like I'm going on offense, and I think this makes sense. If I have an aggressive mindset, I’m less likely to decelerate the club or try to help it up into the air with a clunky pass. Long story short, watch this space! We will be tracking chipping improvement in 2026.
TONIC
My 2026 sticker board is on the wall and starting to take shape. I have tried many half-hearted collections in my life, but I think these sticker boards are here to stay. Back in 2023, I had a bunch of NLU and other stickers in a box, and since I didn’t have a garage fridge, I bought an 18x24-inch dry-erase board instead. Every year since then, I’ve bought a new board, and as I travel, I always try to ask different bars, restaurants and golf courses if they sell stickers. The real fun comes from trying to get them all on the board. It becomes a game of Tetris, and I try to pace my placements throughout the year. Right now, I feel like I’m on a good pace for 2026. I’d say I still have about 60-70% of this board still free, and if I don’t fill it up with new stickers, I can always fill in the gaps with some old Strapped or No Laying Up stickers!
I called this out on our recent Booth episode, but I can’t say enough about the book Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson. Well-written and scene-driven non-fiction about an intense subculture (in this case, North Atlantic shipwreck diving) and U-Boat history is a Venn diagram made just for me. This book ruled, and it’s even better knowing it created drama in the wreck diving community. Two years after Shadow Divers was published, another wreck diver, Gary Gentile, wrote a book titled Shadow Divers Exposed: The Real Saga of the U-869. Similar to The King of Kong documentary, there might not be anything better than diving into the detailed drama of a niche hobby! It’s worth noting that I found Shadow Divers from Ryan Holiday’s monthly reading list email. It’s one of many books over the past four years that I’ve learned about from this email, and I’ve finished almost all the ones I’ve started. Consider this high praise from someone who agonizes over the next book selection (what can I say…I hate quitting on books)!