Morning.
This is the first one, so let me actually introduce myself instead of just diving in.
I'm Trent. I play to a 3, which mostly means I'm good enough to know exactly how much better I could be, and not good enough to stop thinking about it. Middle Tennessee golf will do that to you — this summer's been brutal, the kind of heat where you're rationing water by the 12th and wondering why you didn't just play at 6am like you told yourself you would. And the weather here doesn't help; you can plan a round around a clear forecast and still get run off the course by something that showed up out of nowhere. Anyone who plays around here knows.
I built Sunday Chase because I wanted the newsletter I'd actually want in my own inbox — something to work on, real gear talk from someone who tries out clubs like recipes, what's happening in the sport, and a reader I want you to meet. Also, a quick nod to the guys I get to play with regularly — you know who you are. Half of what's in this newsletter started as something one of us figured out on a Tuesday and wouldn't shut up about on the drive home.
This one's simple on purpose — I'd rather ship something real than sit on a perfect version forever. It'll grow from here: more of your rounds and setups in Reader of the Week, sharper gear breakdowns, and I've got some ideas brewing for what comes after the newsletter that I'll share when they're ready. For now, just golf talk on a Sunday.
Glad you're here for the first one.
The Grind
Something I got reminded of last week: we all leave putts short and we all know better.
Here's the thing that actually fixed it for me — stop putting to the hole. Putt to a spot about a foot and a half past it. Same read, but now you're committing to pace instead of babying it up there hoping. A putt dying at the front edge was never going in anyway. One that's got a little on it catches the corners.
Roll a few from six feet before your round, all meant to finish just past. It's a small thing and it shows up on the card fast.
In the Bag
I'll just tell you what I actually play, because that's the only gear I can talk about straight.
Driver's a Tour Edge C725 with a Ventus TR Black with Velacore+. Tour Edge is one of those brands nobody talks about, and everybody should — no tour deal, no $600 sticker, and it flat out competes with the big names. The head's fast and low spin but still forgiving, which usually don't go together.
Real talk on the shaft though: the Ventus TR Black with Velacore+ is not for most people. It's low-launch, low-spin, and stiff — it wants speed and a smooth transition. If you don't have both, it'll feel like swinging a broomstick and you'll lose distance. But if it fits you, it's dead straight in the wind.
Which is really the only gear lesson that matters: the head gets all the ads, the shaft does the actual work. Get fit before you spend a dime. A cheaper driver that fits beats a pricey one that doesn't, every time.
Around the Green
LIV Golf's season finale in Michigan just got canceled — no course infrastructure had even started going in, and reports have the whole thing coming apart amid a funding crisis. Meanwhile the PGA Tour wraps its season with $40 million on the line at East Lake. Two very different Augusts in professional golf. I won't pretend I saw this LIV ending coming — but I also won't pretend I'm surprised.
Smaller stakes, way better story: a 2-handicap in St. Louis faked a hole-in-one at his club's member-member — planted the ball in the cup before his group showed up, then acted surprised. Got caught on camera, confessed on the radio, resigned his membership. Then internet sleuths went digging and found his handicap history looked a little too convenient leading up to the event too.
I've played with guys who'd do almost anything for bragging rights on a Saturday — but this is a new level. Nobody's watching that closely at your scramble. Play it straight anyway.
Reader of the Week
This is the part I’m actually excited about - featuring you. I'll go first since it's day one, and I'll let you guys help me figure out the rhythm from here.
Current Handicap: 3 · Round that stuck with me: 71 (-1) at Cedar Crest
I was five under through hole 12 at Cedar Crest Golf Course in Murfreesboro, TN. I knew the number. That was the problem. I didn't decide to play safe — I'd never admit to that. But somewhere on 13 or 14, I stopped fully committing to shots. Same swing thoughts, same clubs, just a little less conviction through impact. I went 4 over for the final 6 holes to finish with a score of 71.
One under is a great round. I drove home annoyed about it.
The thing I keep having to learn: the score is just what happens. Play the shot in front of you and stop doing math.
Want next week? Tell me about your week — a good round, a club you can't put down, a shot you're still thinking about on Wednesday, or just a gap in your game that you want help closing. Hit reply.
That's the first one. Hit reply and tell me what landed — or what you think I'm wrong about. I read everything, and this early it's just nice to know someone's out there.
See you next Sunday.
— Trent