The 11th hole at Lookout Mountain Club during the afternoon of the Broken Tee Society event.
photo by The Golfer’s Journal
Traveling from locations near and far, they arrived at the Lookout Mountain Club last Monday morning on somewhat of a pilgrimage. Some attended with friends, while others made the journey alone, knowing they were called there by a shared passion as the sunrise revealed what they already knew: this is what it felt like to be on top of the world, both literally and figuratively.
While the featured attraction that drew this band of wanderers to ascend Lookout Mountain with a brisk chill in the air was the recently restored Seth Raynor-designed golf course, their convening represented more than just a round of golf on an iconic layout. It was also about celebrating brotherhood and community in an age where both seem to become increasingly hard to find.
The 96 golfers in attendance are part of a unique community known as the Broken Tee Society, a cadre of golf enthusiasts who trek to various locations around the globe with a tireless devotion akin to the Deadheads in shadowing The Grateful Dead on their winding concert circuit.
For the Deadheads, it was more than just the music. Their connection became a meaningful sharing of the experience, discovering a form of blissful nirvana that could only be found within their collective experience in chasing after something bigger than themselves.
In a way, the same could be said of the Broken Tee Society. Golf no doubt serves as the link that binds them, but their journeys are also about finding a connection with others who have curated a cult-like union with other golf-obsessed individuals.
The Broken Tee Society was spawned from loyal subscribers of The Golfer’s Journal, a collectible quarterly publication considered the holy grail of golf journalism for its compelling long-form stories and exquisite photography that was first unveiled in 2017.
The creation of this community happened organically, coming to life early in The Golfer’s Journal’s existence. Now, with an online presence that numbers in the tens of thousands connecting through the publication’s YouTube, Instagram and a private message platform via their app, the Broken Tee Society has served as a catalyst for creating lasting friendships.
“Since its inception, The Golfer’s Journal has endeavored to bring golfers together through a shared love of the game,” said Brendon Thomas, the founder of The Golfer’s Journal. “When photos of broken tees appeared on social media shortly after our first issue launch with the hashtag ‘#brokenteesociety’,” I quickly realized this community was going to take on a life of its own.”
Their connection starts with a subscription to The Golfer’s Journal, but a Broken Tee Society membership extends far beyond the pages of the magazine. With the mission of building a unique community within its readership, the various gatherings limited to members has morphed into somewhat of a traveling country club.
“The original purpose, which I think still stands today, is people that subscribe to our magazine really feel a sense of community with each other, and they want to spend time together,” said Travis Hill, managing editor of The Golfer’s Journal. “That first event was borne out of us responding to people saying, ‘We love reading the magazine, but what we’d really love to do is actually play together.’ So, we did it. It’s turned into something where we host as many events as we do a year, but I think the spirit is the same as our first event. We just get to go to a lot of really cool golf courses now.”
The Golfer’s Journal covers the country in providing access to some of the best courses for its members to play, from elite classic designs to little-known local gems. This is the second year for Lookout Mountain to host the entourage of golf junkies, and it felt more like a family reunion than it did a Monday golf outing.
This year’s lineup of 40 sites reads like a bucket-list menu for golf enthusiasts where subscribers enter a lottery for each event. Among the stops were a trip to PGA West in January, visits to The Tree Farm and Old Barnwell in South Carolina during the spring, several days spent in Pinehurst, followed by trips to Bandon Dunes and Prairie Dunes as well as weeklong junkets to Scotland and Ireland.
Matt Burke flew in from Denver, intrigued by playing golf in this part of the country while taking on a Raynor masterpiece. The Broken Tee Society has provided him with more than simply an opportunity to experience golf courses otherwise not accessible.
“I got an Instagram ad during Covid about The Golfer’s Journal, so I joined thinking I could go for some good reading material,” Burke said. “They were doing like 20 events a year at that point, but with two young kids at home I couldn’t travel for golf. Then in 2023, I attended my first event at Prairie Dunes in Kansas, which was about a seven-hour drive. I went as a single, but quickly discovered this was an actual community and not just magazine subscribers.”
It was during a trip to Old Barnwell in South Carolina last year that Burke experienced the intrinsic fabric of what makes the Broke Tee Society truly unique.
“I got paired with a guy from New Hampshire, and about a week after the trip he reached out to see if I would be interested in being part of his trip to Ireland in 2025,” Burke said. “We had a great rapport when we were playing in South Carolina. So, I went to Ireland with them last month, seven guys from New Hampshire and I was the eighth. To think that one Instagram ad led to all this, it’s just really cool.”
I decided to take advantage of having an insider’s view of what makes these outings so unique, being paired with Hill during the morning better-ball competition. We were joined in our group by Russell Brightman and David Johnson from St. Louis who demonstrated not only impressive golfing skills, but supreme patience while witnessing one of my more forgettable rounds of golf.
The golfers all raved about the spectacular views as well as the enhancements performed by Tyler Rae and Kyle Franz when they completed their makeover of the golf course three years ago. There was a sense of camaraderie seldom found in the realm of competition, with everyone just happy to be there, surrounded by a band of brothers with a common purpose.
Most of the golfers took another crack at the challenging course after lunch, followed by a dinner and awards ceremony. It was a day of memorable golf made even more special by experiencing it with new friends.
“We are hell-bent on making these experiences as high quality and interesting and fun as they can be,” Hill said. “The ethos of the magazine is really high quality with a lot of character and personality, and so we knew from the beginning the events had to match that in terms of excellence.”
Just like The Golfer’s Journal continues to transform traditional golf journalism, the Broken Tee Society serves as an extension of that community of loyal followers that is blazing new trails in connecting golf enthusiasts around the world.
Hopefully, there will be future opportunities to join my new Broken Tee Society brethren at other events, playing golf and doing life together in manner that was good for my soul.
For more information on The Golfer’s Journal and the Broken Tee Society schedule of future events, go to The Golfer’s Journal.
Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com
Broken Tee Society member Matt Burke travelled from Colorado to participate in last week’s outing
photo by Paul Payne
