My Teenage Niece’s First Round, Found Joy: A Fourth of July at Fellows Creek

Eighteen holes, zero pressure, one smiley-face golf ball — and a reminder that golfing with teens can be joyful, flexible, and way more fun than expected.

I wasn’t sure if this was a good idea. Dragging my 16-year-old niece out for 18 holes on a hot July day felt… selfish? Like I should be doing something she liked, not pulling her into my world. But sharing something you love can be its own kind of gift — especially when there’s music, a cart, wildlife, and full permission to play or just hang out. I told her up front: swing when you want, chill when you don’t. No pressure, no keeping score.

Giving Brianna full freedom to swing when she wanted and skip what she didn’t made the whole round feel easy. This article from Golf Digest gives a few great tips. It’s geared toward younger kids, but the principles still apply when golfing with teens — lower the stakes, keep it flexible, and let fun lead the way — just like in these tips from Golf Digest on taking your kids out on the course.

And somehow, it worked. We found a rhythm that felt easy, connected, and unexpectedly joyful — the kind of round that reminds you why golfing with teens can be the best kind of adventure.

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⛳ The Setup: North + South at Fellows Creek

We played 18 holes — nine on the South course (the toughest of the three at Fellows Creek) and nine on the North (my favorite). We had a cart, packed snacks and sunscreen, and took our time.

The weather started cool and cloudy, with a light sprinkle mid-round — honestly kind of nice. It warmed up by the end but never crossed into miserable. The shady, wooded stretches of the course gave us little moments of breeze and quiet, and there were ducks napping by the puddles and black squirrels darting between trees. It felt peaceful.

💭 Playing Free (and Learning Anyway)

Since Brianna wasn’t hitting every shot, pace wasn’t an issue — which gave me the freedom to experiment. If I wasn’t sure which club to use, I hit both. Turns out, my first instinct was usually right. That was a good reminder: stop overthinking everything.

I had a few perfect holes that really came together, and a few honest ones that I still felt great about. My chip shots were sharp — probably because I wasn’t trying to force anything. I didn’t flub or overshoot. I just… executed. Calmly. That’s rare for me, and I think it came from the relaxed mindset. I focused on using my pre-swing routine and getting my setup solid, and then let everything else go.

This round wasn’t about scoring. Unironically, when I stopped caring about the score, I played some of my most consistent golf in weeks — echoing Bob Rotella’s advice that “have fun and you’ll play better.”

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🐿️ Wildlife, Side Quests, and Sunglasses Golf Balls

Brianna got really good at spotting lost golf balls. She found six or seven during the round, including a neon yellow Callaway Chrome Tour with a smiley face and sunglasses drawn on — my favorite recovery of the season. She was eagle-eyed for animals too: black squirrels, ducks, geese, cardinals, cowbirds. We even saw ducks sleeping near the edge of the path.

She also figured out how to work the mister for my handheld fan. Worth every penny of her greens’ fee to me. We immediately declared that a highlight reel moment. There were plenty of those.asdf

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🗣️ Brianna’s Tips, Takeaways, and First-Timer Wisdom

This wasn’t just Brianna’s first full golf round — it was her first time seeing how many moving parts the game really involves. She picked up on things quickly, offered hilarious commentary, and even jumped in as an unofficial content producer.

To be fair, she’s been training for this.
Her older sister has been forcing her to be her Instagram content creator for years — so Brianna showed up more than ready for the gram.

She helped with photos and video, offered scene suggestions, and fully leaned into the aesthetic — all while still figuring out what club to grab or whether she wanted to hit a shot.

A few of her favorite lessons and moments:

On Putting:
“Just hit the ball… of course don’t smack it. But I noticed on the putts I thought about too much, they landed farther away. The ones I just lined up and hit were a lot closer than I thought possible for my first times.”

On Watching Me Play:
“There were a couple chips that landed super close to the hole — I loved seeing how happy Julie got. I took pictures of her next to her ball, too.”

If the Ball Had a Name:
“Sunny Blaze. It would’ve absolutely blazed through the course.”

What to Do Next Time:
“There weren’t many things that could be a tradition, but either way, we had a great time. I learned some things — and although I’m probably not going to golf much without Julie, I know for next time I visit. The real tradition is just going out and golfing as a whole.”

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🧠 The Real Reminder

I spent a lot of the round subconsciously watching Brianna’s reactions — making sure she was still having fun, not overheating, not bored. And at some point, I realized I didn’t need to stress so much. She was having fun. She liked the flexibility. She liked being outside. She liked that there was no pressure to perform.

And I realized I do this more than I want to admit — not just with her, but with people I love, with new golf partners, even with myself. I don’t want to be a burden, so I overmanage the experience. But the truth is, the best rounds happen when I stop trying to control the vibe and just… trust it.

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📋 Hole-by-Hole Highlights

South Course

Hole 1:
Brianna’s first tee shot ever! She made contact — and we both took that as a win. I stayed in play and kept reminding myself to stop second-guessing club choices.

Hole 2:
We started to settle into a rhythm. Brianna hung out in the cart, checking things out while I focused on contact and tempo.

Hole 3:
One of my better holes. I remember a clean chip here — no hesitation, just commitment. Everything started feeling lighter.

Hole 4:
Brianna took another swing here and celebrated: “It got in the air!” It was such a genuine moment, and her confidence was growing. I could feel both of us settling into the round.

Hole 5:
Our first duck sighting! Ducks lounging in the grass, totally unbothered. Brianna loved it.

Hole 6:
More good contact and easy tempo. Brianna stayed eagle-eyed, scanning the edges for lost balls and wildlife.

Hole 7:
She found her favorite ball of the day: a neon yellow Callaway Chrome Tour with a sunglass emoji. Instant personality. Definitely going in the blog visuals.

Hole 8:
My only ball-in-water moment — into the pond. I took a mulligan, since this was a casual round. Chip afterward was solid, and I let it go quickly.

Hole 9:
Sprinkles started to fall, and honestly? It felt amazing. Just a light shower, and the clouds kept it cool. Perfect vibe heading into the back nine.

North Course

Hole 1:
The GoPro came out here. Brianna gave it a shot, then switched back to the phone — her preferred medium. This was a fun moment to experiment without much pressure.

Hole 2:
I stayed with my routine, and she kept wanting to putt — loved the control and simplicity of it. We were both relaxed and dialed in.

Hole 3:
Ball hunting continued. She spotted more black squirrels, birds, and cowbirds. We were fully in side quest mode.

Hole 4:
Soundtrack moment: “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me. At (tee) time, everybody agrees” came on mid-round. Very appropriate.

Hole 5:
I flubbed my tee shot and muttered, “Oh well, fuck you too” to the ball — and Brianna immediately burst out laughing. Taylor was still playing in the background, and Bri pointed out the line: “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me. At tea (tee) time, everybody agrees.” Timing couldn’t have been better.

Hole 6:
She lined up a longer putt and had great instincts. I could tell she was really enjoying that part — and I was grateful for the break while she played.

Hole 7:
Still hot, but we were in good spirits. I stuck with smart shots and didn’t second-guess my chip. Felt steady.

Hole 8:
She kept putting and had excellent speed control. I reminded myself how much easier the game gets when I trust myself.

Hole 9:
We rolled in feeling happy and calm. As we wrapped up, she said she’d totally do this again — and we planned our next tee time. Hopefully tomorrow’s twilight round will bring cooler temperatures and more animal activity.

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🎶 Cart Vibes, Music, and What Comes Next

We spent most of the round riding around with music playing — Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan — spotting ducks, finding golf balls, and taking turns when we felt like it. It was relaxed and surprisingly fun for both of us.

I thought about taking her to the putting course at St. John’s, since she really liked putting and I really need the practice, but honestly? We both liked being outside too much to trade it in for a practice green. So we’re heading back out again — another full round, no pressure. Just swing if you want, cruise if you don’t.