“That’s the one thing I will confidently and without hesitation say,” Baringer said. “I am 100 percent the best golfer in the locker room.”
“Oh, that’s very humble of him,” joked center Garrett Bradbury.
But Baringer isn’t blowing smoke.
“Bryce is actually annoyingly good at golf and likes to talk a lot of trash when we’re all together,” special teams captain Brenden Schooler said. “He’s a very, very legit golfer.”
So, the Globe decided to head to Topgolf in Canton with Baringer, his wife Bella, and rookie kicker Andy Borregales to witness Baringer’s highly touted skills.
Sure enough, it immediately became obvious why the team’s answer was a no-brainer.
Using the generic Topgolf equipment, Baringer effortlessly struck towering iron shots and booming drives. He seemed to have no problem reaching the most difficult target in the small row of black rectangles close to the back of the net. Despite the casual setting, Baringer easily proved his ability to manipulate the spin and trajectory of his shots.
As someone who is still learning golf — my best score was a 50 on nine holes at Fresh Pond in Cambridge — I stood in awe of how easy he makes the game look. While Borregales, who just picked up the sport eight months ago, would occasionally top or slice the ball, Baringer never seemed to misfire.
Patriots rookie kicker Andy Borregales just picked up golf eight months ago.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
And he politely spared us the trash talk his teammates sometime experience.
“After a good drive, a good approach shot, a good putt, which is most of the time for him, he’ll just look at you and you know,” Schooler said. “If he’s with a group of guys, he has no problem rubbing it in. At all.”
Baringer began playing at age 4, thanks to his father, Bruce. They started with a putter (still Baringer’s favorite club), in part because his dad recognized the importance of developing a short game but mainly because, well, he was only 4.
“You look at my dad and you wouldn’t think he has soft hands around the green,” Baringer said. “He’s 6 foot 7 and 200-something pounds. He’s a big dude. But he taught me how to do the very short shots, the important shots, first — and have some creativity at the same time.”
Baringer fell in love with the sport as a family activity and a chance to spend hours outside in the summer. After he grew a bit older, his father would drop him off at the Detroit Golf Club on his way to work and then pick him up on the way home. Baringer would spend the day there, playing holes on a loop and working on the practice greens.
When Baringer turned 13, his father told him to start caddying as a way to understand the importance of handling responsibilities, waking up early, and saving money.
“It’s funny because I would have to wake up early and then my parents would have to drive me,” Baringer said. “So, they were kind of thrown in the mix, too.”
He’ll never forget one of his first days, when he caddied for a group of Red Wings, including legends Chris Chelios and Kris Draper ― players that make you say, “Oh my god!” in the words of Baringer, a Michigan native and avid Wings fan.
The more exposure Baringer had to golf, the more he learned ― and loved it.
By his junior year of high school, Baringer had also started punting and eventually needed to make a decision about which sport to pursue in college. Although he opted for football, golf has very much remained an integral part of his life.
After getting drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round in 2023, Baringer joined TPC Boston on a three-year trial membership for his “rookie splurge gift.” He’s checked out a number of other local courses, including Old Sandwich Golf Club in Plymouth, Boston Golf Club in Hingham, GreatHorse in Hampden, and Worcester Country Club.
Patriots punter Bryce Barringer checked on his score at Topgolf in Canton.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Just last year, Baringer shot a 1-under-par 69 and won the Massachusetts Amateur qualifier at Stockbridge Golf Club. He earned a spot in the Mass Am at Framingham Golf Club, where he shot even par on the front nine before stumbling on the back.
“I just did it because I wanted to feel something again,” said Baringer, who is a scratch golfer. “We hadn’t been in a football game since January. Obviously, every day and every practice is competitive, but those juices that you get extra on game day, I just wanted to feel that again.”
There are certainly some parallels between punting and golfing, particularly in terms of the mind-set. Patriots assistant special teams coach Tom Quinn actually recommended Baringer read “Golf Is Not A Game Of Perfect” by Dr. Bob Rotella because its discussion of the mental aspect of the game can apply to punting.
“When you look around the league, I feel like a lot of specialists are relatively good golfers,” Baringer said. “I think it’s just a very similar mind-set as far as how you approach things, the detail in which you’re approaching the shot or the punt or the kick.
“Other than game circumstances, like you could have situational punts that are very similar, but no punt is going to be the exact same, like, ‘Oh, I’ve hit this punt 100 times.’ Same with golf. You’re never going to hit the same shot 100 times.”
Baringer appreciates golf for the same reason many professional athletes do. It’s low-impact and easy on the body, especially in comparison with football. It’s also an opportunity to socialize and decompress while still staying competitive.
He’ll play with his father, his wife, other NFL punters, and, of course, his teammates. He’s also befriended Dorchester native Bruce Brown, who now plays for the Denver Nuggets and is also a member of TPC Boston.
Bryce Barringer’s wife, Bella, hits a shot during a recent outing at Topgolf.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
The list of golfers on the Patriots’ roster (and even coaching staff) always seems to be growing, given the rise in popularity of the sport following the COVID-19 pandemic. Among those who have golfed with Baringer are Borregales, Bradbury, Schooler, retired center David Andrews, long snapper Julian Ashby, linebacker Jack Gibbens, tight end Hunter Henry, and quarterback Drake Maye.
“We’re all athletic enough that we can hit the ball,” Schooler said. “But Bryce has so much control, as far as where he wants to put the ball, what type of shot, what kind of spin he puts on the ball, so it’s honestly fun to watch him golf.”
As much as he loves it, Baringer has set a rule for himself: No golfing during football season. So, he had to turn down an invitation this past Tuesday to play at The Country Club in Brookline, a course he’s been wanting to try since moving to Massachusetts.
Come offseason, though, he will undoubtedly be out on the links. And if you catch him with his teammates, you might hear a friendly back and forth.
“I am probably known to be a relatively quiet person in the building,” Baringer said. “You get me on the golf course and you want to compete, I will jaw a little bit. But jokingly. I don’t chirp anywhere other than on the golf course.”
Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com.Follow her @nicolecyang.
