The Zac Clark Show - Corey Davis: Building the Sober Golf Movement

Episode Date: February 10, 2026

Corey Davis is 15 years sober – and he left a high-paying corporate career to build Soba Golf, a fast-growing community at the intersection of sobriety, wellness, and golf.Corey joins Zac and Jay to share how golf became more than a hobby: a daily practice in presence, humility, discipline, and emotional regulation – the same muscles recovery demands. He tells the origin story: during COVID, living with his in-laws on a golf course, buying clubs on eBay, and dropping his handicap from 30 to 3 in four years.They also unpack the “sober lifestyle” boom – what’s real vs. performative – and why Soba Golf is different. Corey reflects on back-to-back PGA Tour wins by sober players Chris Kirk and Grayson Murray, and how Murray’s tragic death later deepened the urgency behind his mission.Soba Golf now includes a digital community to find sober playing partners, weekly Thursday night meetings, and upcoming retreats designed to reimagine golf culture – with breath work, mindset coaching, meditation, and real connection.Plus: rapid-fire on shame, early sobriety, accepting help, and what “freedom” means on the other side.Connect with Zachttps://www.instagram.com/zwclark/https://www.linkedin.com/in/zac-c-746b96254/https://www.tiktok.com/@zacwclarkhttps://www.strava.com/athletes/55697553https://twitter.com/zacwclarkIf you or anyone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to contact Release Recovery:[phone]releaserecovery.com@releaserecovery

All right, so today's guest, Corey Davis, 15 years sober and is someone who is doing incredible work in the world. He left a well-paying corporate gig to start Soba Golf, which is really exploring the intersection of wellness and golf. And having been someone that has been blacked out on a golf course more times, and I would like to admit, I am a huge fan of course. of Corey, his work, he's become a friend, and we're going to jump right into it. Corey, what's going on? Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here. Soba golf. Soba golf. Yeah, I appreciate the opportunity to talk about it. You know, it's one of those things that, you know, and I've told you about this, it feels like it's happened to me almost. Like I never played golf growing up, no country club or anything like that. I, um, COVID hit, moved in with

my in-laws, they live in a golf course, a 10-year sober at the time, and bought clubs on eBay and went from like a 30 index to a three in four years. Unbelievable. Which I'm happy about that and the progress and getting better, but what I found more interesting were the ways in which golf and sobriety paralleled one another. Right. And that's kind of what we're trying to explore with sober is, you know, how can golf become a compliment to one sobriety journey?

Yeah, and I want to get into the Sobel golf piece and everything you're doing there. I think I would like to start by saying there is a large, what I would call movement right now of folks out there who, for better or for worse, there are some amazing products and things coming online, trying to monetize kind of the sober lifestyle, the sober curious. I get DMs every day about, hey, come to my sober dating event or my sober book club. And some of them I kind of crinkle my eyebrows at because, quite frankly, when I was getting sober, I didn't want to show up in places where everyone was sober. But I actually believe and think that this idea of sober golf is amazing. And the thing that comes up for me is someone who has been a fan of golf for a long time. I play.

I am not a three handicap. I'm more like an 11, which means you give me a lot of strokes. when I look at the PGA, and I guess now live, because Anthony is playing and live, but you know, you have guys like Anthony Kim and Chris Kirk, who have been very open about their sobriety and the way that sobriety has impacted their games. And then you have a dude like Grayson Murray, who we lost. And there's this very fine line between, and you know this, and I know this, between being sober and not being here. Can you tell or talk to how maybe that has fueled some of your creative around sober? Yeah, kind of going back to feeling like this has happened to me and through me. And kind of one of the things we learn with sobriety is like this idea of intuitive thought, right?

And I think when I was using back in the day before I got sober, I didn't have much of a thought beyond just drinking and using drugs. And what's happened to me over the years of sobriety is I've been opened up to thinking differently and allowing myself to be open to the universe and being, be inspired. And I think what happened to me was, you know, it's late 2023. We just have my first daughter. And I'm watching golf. I was super invested in the game and two things happened in succession that were really interesting. I had this idea.

I was like sober golf like these trips like pairing the two. Something was there. I didn't know what it was. And the season opens up 2024. It's at Kappaloo in Hawaii. And who wins? It's Chris Kirk who's openly talked about his subriding, his journey. And, you know, I get chills just thinking about it, honestly.

And then the next week, truly. the next week's Sony Open in Hawaii also and this guy grace and Murray they're talking about all week he's eight months sober he's doing really well he was really in a bad place before he got sober he's had mental health demons all of it he's been vocal about it sure yeah and he was now eight months sober he's playing on tour and in this miraculous way he ends up winning that tournament in like a playoff in this like crazy put uh to to seal the win So back to back weeks, as I'm thinking about sober golf, two sober men win this golf tournament. And it was in those moments, truly, this is, you know, hand to the sky.

I'm holding my daughter watching the playoff. And I remember telling her, I have to do this. Right. Like I have to build this thing. I didn't know exactly what it was, but I had to build it or start walking towards it. And yeah, I mean, And just for the listener, so you know, Chris Kirk is still here and playing and on tour and sober. And Grace and Murray very publicly took his own life.

Yeah. And died by suicide. Yeah. So unfortunately, three months later, after this win, this like monumental experience, you know, we find out that he took his life. And to your point and your question, it's like, You know, this is life and death. Like sobriety, if you do, I've heard you both talk about this. If you have a substance use disorder, the only way to be is abstinent from drugs and alcohol.

And I identify as that. And I'm grateful that I learned it at such a young age. It was very obvious to me because when I went to rehab and I, you know, started hearing stories, there was so much identification and, you know, I was able to kind of, you know, hear the message. But, you know, if you're of this type, there's only one way from my experience. I mean, I think, yes, I agree. And I think there's something very powerful about this idea that there are two types of golf that I've experienced in my life. There's the golf and there's this infamous round that me and my friends always talk about.

We had this three-day tournament down at the Jersey Shore. This is probably, I mean, it's over 14 years ago because I definitely was not sober. And it came down to the last hole, which was a par three. And we were all so fucked up. Like, I don't even think anyone finished the hole. Yeah. Like legitimately, like me eating mushrooms, yanking it into the water. And, you know, it was hilarious.

And I remember it's all giggling our asses off and thinking it was. It was like the funniest thing in the world. When in reality, I look back and like, that wasn't cool. You know, like that wasn't like, this is a sport. This is a game. This is a sacred game. And now being sober for many years, I've also experienced that, you know, walking a golf course with a caddy on some of these places that have so much history

and really being able to appreciate where I am and what I'm doing is what I've come to learn and love about golf. And I think we've talked about it too. Like, you know, there's no judgment on anybody's experience in and around golf or partying or anything like that. Like, I want people to experience the game exactly how they want. I think for me, looking back on some of my experiences, my relationship on what fun was was different than it is today. I thought fun was blacking out and partying and not remember. remembering the night and then the next morning 6 a.m. being like what and then what happened and then what happened and you're kind of recapping putting it all together and thinking that's you know great but um yeah

i've sort of personally discovered this very spiritual experience as it relates to golf and the parallels around you know uh determination and grit and mindfulness and meditation all things that I kind of learn on the golf course and that do help in my recovery journey as well can you just explain though what sober golf really is. And then I have a question about intuitive thoughts. I'm always interested in these periods of time when like these, these,

you know, transformative ideas come. But what is sober golf? Yeah. So we're a golf wellness community at the intersection of sobriety in golf. And what I want people to know is like, sobriety is defined by you.

And I'm seeing a lot of conversation in and around what sobriety is these days. When I was getting sober, it was abstinence. Now there's a lot of different kind of shades of that. When we do get together, there is a code of conduct, a community kind of guidelines around we're going to be present. We're not going to be drinking. We're not going to be using drugs. So that's important. But I would say we're kind of a couple of different things. We're a digital community. So we have a discord community where people can find like-minded individuals to play golf with in their local area. So we have a

digital community, which is really important and kind of the backbone of what we do at Soba. We also host a meeting every single Thursday night at 8 o'clock. That's great. It's really cool. Like an A meeting? It's not associated with any, you know, 12-step recovery or anything. It's just a bunch of golf sickos who, you know, are walking this path as well, this sober, sober, sober curious wellness focus.

That's awesome. It's awesome. We get about 25 to 30 people each week. We get a community member sharing their story. It might be you could go out. I mean, I know you don't do. I'd do that. Yeah.

I don't do that. We'd love to have. I don't play golf either, but. We don't go to meetings either. But no, I mean, I'm in spirit. I'm there. I'll keep a seat open for you. Okay.

But, yeah. Jay's hurt. No, it's okay. I think some sick. Real sick. He knows. I actually know. Yeah.

Listen, I might sound good today, but, you know, I'm sick. I'm trying to get healthy too. But yeah. So. So the digital community is one aspect of it. The meetings that we host every Thursday night, you know, eight months ago, nine months ago, we had four people showing up. You know, the fact that I show up every week now, we get 20, 25, 30 people.

It's really cool. We're hosting our first two retreats this year. So we're going to be – These are going to be epic. It's going to be amazing. We have one at Stream Song in April, which is in Florida, and then we're going to Ireland him with Tom Coyne who is someone who's walking this path and has been public about his. Well, I saw that he was on your pod, but like, you know, I was awowing the golf writer.

I mean, this guy is, yeah. He's got a cult-like following and amazing books that he's written. And, you know, what we're trying to do is reimagine what a golf trip could look like. So to your point, like golf has historically been synonymous with the drinking culture, right? And there's nothing wrong with that. I love that for people, but we're going to have facilitators on staff, leading us in breath, work, training, mindset coaching, and meditation. And we're going to have group sessions with other men and women. Right now, it's only men at this particular trip.

But, you know, an opportunity to be with one another and connect with one another, reset. So when you go back to your families and your wives and your lives, you're feeling recharged versus maybe. I would go on golf trips and I would need a vacation from the vacation. because I was drinking for four days straight, and God knows doing what else. Are the women in the community now? Yeah, yeah. I would say 20%, 80, 20 right now.

Yeah, they're super involved, and it's been cool. I think, you know, the same split that you would see in the golf world in general. What's coming up for me that's crazy, though, is like there's a world where someone hears this podcast and makes fun of what we are talking about. Like, oh, God, like, you know, calling us whatever name, like golf, you're, like,

and then like a year later, they're like on one of the trips. That's the juxts. Like that's like this, like when you say this intersection, because if I heard this podcast when I was not sober, I would say these guys are jokers. Yeah. I sometimes worry about that.

You know, not too much, not enough to stop me from having these conversations. But, you know, I think something that's been interesting to me is this idea of emoting and just translating my energy into the world and whoever's supposed to connect with me will. You know, and, you know, the people that don't, they'll find their way and figure it out. But, you know, you have a way about you with your energy.

And it's, you know, it's real, which is what I appreciate. Thank you. Well, I, in looking at, you know, your content and things like, I mean, I think you, it's really clear that to Zach's point about, like, this commodification of sobriety, like, you really, like, love golf, like the experience. And I do remember, like, like we were saying before, like, getting really. fucked up on a Friday in college and on the golf course but there was like green and like space and it was like

a very clearly outlined beginning middle and end and like that felt like and I wasn't aware of this at the time but that felt calming you know because it was so chaotic in my mind and then like that was bleeding out into my life you know I always love that about golf but like going back to this intuitive

thought thing like at that point in your life and in your sobriety were you looking for Were you like, I need a deeper spiritual experience or I'm feeling a little bit lost in my life? Like were you, or did it just come to you through circumstances? I was so moved by the experience of golf and, you know, finding it and, you know, going through this journey of getting better. You know, you guys, you know, as far as like running and you run a mile.

It was funny. I was telling Blake the other day, I went for a run for the first time. in a long time. You're wearing hokers already. I am wearing hokie. These are very cozy. I went for a run the other day and I didn't look at my phone to know how much I ran. And I was like, this is definitely three miles.

And I looked at it and it was like two. And I was like, oh, God. But there's this experience of like, you know, you're doing marathons now. And it's, I wouldn't say it's nothing. But like when you started three miles, four miles, five miles, you build this experience of endurance and challenging yourself. With golf, I was. so dedicated to try and get better. And that's the experience I have with sobriety, right? Like,

there's no destination with the sobriety, the sober journey. If you're of this type, you're going to be doing this one day at a time for the rest of your life. That's been my experience with golf one swing at a time, right? And I started saying, it'd be cool to work in the golf world. I want to work in the golf world. I want to work in the golf world. I started like manifesting this and telling myself this. So I was like doing a lot of LinkedIn, you know, DMing and love to learn more about what you're doing. Reach out to live. Reach out the PGA tour, LPGA, just like planting seeds, all these different places,

having conversations all the while, like head of sales at a tech company. Great job. Eight people reporting to me. No complaints really, but I just felt like I wanted to be in the world. Empty. Yeah, like, I just felt like it would be cool to do something that I loved. Well, sobriety gives you the ability to be curious about your life. Totally.

Right. Like, I think sober people and people in recovery that I've made. met, understand that this life is going, we're going to die. We're going to leave this planet. And we're either going to do something that we love and want to do or not. And I think being sober, so I want, because I'm assuming you're going to get to your wife here. And like, you know, like, look, the thing that fascinates me about your story is behind every

strong man as an even stronger woman. So you start to have this golf bug like manifests itself. And your wife, who I know has a very good job. And you guys are kind of like a dueling coming. household, you decide one day that I'm going to do this full time and you sit your wife down. What is her reaction? Yeah, that, that, it's still tough, honestly, a little bit. I mean, she now, I have more data points to say, look, everything I said would happen has happened. I mean, I'll tell you, honestly, this situation right now, sitting with you guys,

I didn't know that I'd be sitting here with you exactly, but I knew. in my mind's eye that like I wanted to be talking with someone like you and it's funny you in particular Zach I have this folder on my personal Instagram where I would save you know you could save kind of posts and stuff from late 2023 early 2024 stuff that you've done stuff that like it's almost like a mood board of people and where I wanted to go and how I wanted this thing to look um but yeah It's funny, like, I remember, you know, I wanted to create a pitch deck. And that was going to cost a little money to build. And I remember sitting my wife down, talking like a thousand bucks maybe.

She was even nervous about that, you know. Is she working? She's working. She's, she only works five days a week in the office. So only. Only. Yeah. She's a savage.

Does she like her job? She is very fulfilled by her job. She, she's also the breadwinner right now. I mean, like, she's got to work, right? Like, she's, she's like, she's carrying the financial burden so that you can follow your dreams. Is that, is that fair to say? It is fair to say. I mean, look, he's getting a little uncomfortable here.

No, it's hard because, you know, listen, I've told my wife many a times, like, I could go back to this tech world and I can get that income and we could both kind of continue on. You know, what I feel fortunate about is I, we took a bet as a family that, you know, this is, you know, this is. there's an opportunity here, most importantly, to help people, but also, like, you know, provide for my family. And, you know. Was this a zag? Was this like, Corey? Like, you've never, like, steps off the line once since I've known you. Like, what are you thinking?

No, I'm definitely a big thinker. Yeah. Every decision we've made as a family has been led by, like, we should do this, next, this. And my wife is very meticulous and structured. And, you know, we really compliment each other well. I love that. Yeah, that's awesome. I'm happy for you.

So a couple direct questions that are coming up for me. I love your wife, dude. That's amazing. So for the listener, if you don't understand or if you're listening just to get some recovery knowledge and the golf thing is boring you, to put it on paper, going from a 30 handicap to a three handicap is like going from running a 15-minute mile to a. 630 minute mile. I mean, it is from one extreme to the other, and you did this over the course of four years. So for the beginner golfer, forget sobriety for a second, the guy or girl who is

picking up clubs for the first time, what is the single most important piece of advice you would give them? I think you have to enjoy the process. You know, you can't worry about the outcome. You know, I think for me, it was just dedicating myself daily to working on the craft. And you have to love that. You have to love the experience of taking a couple steps back and walking forward as well. But how much time are you investing in, because this is a little bit separate than so. This is an adventure that you're like, I'm going to build, you know, like you're, is there conflict there with your wife? Like, oh, you're going out in the fucking golf course again?

During COVID, there was nothing going on. Like, it's May of 2020. And literally, you know, we're living with my in-laws. I mean, you could have went on the Bachelorette. That's what I did in COVID. I don't know if you know this. I know, yeah. My friends, this is your story.

Dude, I still remember the day that you told me you won. And I was like sitting on the firescape of my, and you're like, you can't tell anyone. It was just surreal. It's amazing. I didn't even know what to show us. So I'm excited to binge watch one day if I'm allowed. You can do whatever you want. But 2020 is happening.

It's May. I've never played golf before. I'm living with my in-laws. Things are just crazy. Fox News is on 24-7 in the house. It's just a weird time. And, you know, I was working at a tech job where I had flexibility. I was, you know, at this job for a long time.

So I had a lot of credibility. It was easy during the summer to like go out, get a tea time, go to this municipal range every single day. You know, I'd come home. to like a cooked meal by my mother-in-law who's an amazing cook it was like an amazing situation so you were like very fun like the exes and o's of this like i'm talking about going from a 30 to a 4 i don't care if it's covid or not you start and you are going to the range every day and just like are you taking lessons are you pounding balls like what is just the not a lot of lessons um you know at every plateau when i felt like a plateaued i would i would get some lessons to get some

advice, but for the most part, you know, just experiencing, you know, this journey of getting better. And I think one of the things with golf that's really cool is when you go and play, you learn stuff every single time, even the days that you have bad scores, you know, what not to do is almost more helpful than what to do. And yeah, I, I don't know, It was kind of a surreal experience. And to my wife, like, she's working. You know, we don't have kids yet. You know, so I had a lot more freedom during that time.

And I am now a five handicap. I blame, I have two kids, so I blame both of them for both points there. And when you, was there a point, did you always know that you were going to start a business around it? Or did you have the delusional alcoholic thought that I'm going to be on the PJ tour? Did the thought ever cross your mind that you were going to be a professional golfer? Not that, but I have thought. But it would be a cool experiment to go on the senior PGA tour and do like a 12-year journey, you know, until I'm 50 years old and document that.

I think that would be kind of cool to try to start now to get on the senior PGA tour. Yeah. I never thought, you know, I play with some guys who are scratch or even plus and they are light years ahead of me. I mean, getting from 30 to a 5 is, I think, easier in some ways than getting from a 5 to a 0. Well, it's like in running, you know, I was running these four-hour marathon, four-hour marathon. Then I went, you know, 340, 330, 313, and then all the sudden I'm 320, 325 and I'm trying to get, because it's those seconds. It's the seconds. It's that one put that is going to drastically impact your handicap.

A hundred percent. It gets a lot tighter as you get better and better. Right. Okay. So that was my very straightforward 30 to 4 question. I think what we heard is you got to fall in love with the process, just like anything else. Yeah. and let go of the outcome and just, you know, work.

Was there anything in your life prior to that that informed your understanding of the process? Yeah, actually. You know, I kind of attribute it to, I play bass guitar. I remember at 18 years old, I'm still in like the throes of my addiction, but my best friend comes home,

lives across the street for me from his first year of college and he's like shredding it on the guitar. And my dad played some music. We had a bass in the basement. And my buddy's like, why don't you come over? You know, we could just jam a little bit. And, you know, I was like, if this is my best friend.

I was like, if this idiot can play, I could do it, you know. And it brought me on a journey of like, you know, one, I fell in love with just trying to get better and learning songs and practicing. So yeah, that's definitely something that I think I dove into. And I'm very obsessional as a lot of people who are addicts are. And I think it's one of our greatest assets too, right? Like, you know, anyone who is considering getting sober or has this affliction, it's also the greatest gift if you channel it in the right ways. Yeah. So you're 38, 38.

I'll be 38 in April. Yeah. Okay. 15 years sober. Yeah. So at 22, you, and I know you're, a bit. I know how much you love your parents, first of all, and your family. Like, it's, you know, it's special. I love them dearly. I do. We, we, you know, it's, it's tough growing up

in an alcoholic family. Yeah, that's what I wanted to get through. So I know, you know, like, your story, not mine, but they're, you are not the first alcoholic to grow up in your home. No. Can you, and I think a lot of people have this same experience, which is, I've heard it a lot, I saw my parents drink. I promised myself I would never drink because of the way they drank. And then you turn into the very thing that you promise yourself that you were not going to be. So I think your dad got sober like a year before you did. Can you talk about that year and what it was like to watch him get sober?

And then you have this car crash and just take us through a little bit of that stuff. Because I want to ask you after this, like what you would tell the guy right now who's trying to get sober. We're talking 2009. I'm 21 years old. And I remember my dad sat us down the couch and told us he's going to be going to these meetings and he's going to stop drinking. And at this time, I think he had a couple months sober. Did he go to rehab? Did he leave him home?

He didn't leave the home. I know that my parents were in a very dark place and my mom was very seriously considering not staying with him. and it's funny, every anniversary, I congratulate my mom on their anniversary, not my dad. But how bad was his drinking by the end? It was really bad. It was really bad.

You remember it. Oh, it was, you know, he'd walk in. He is a very culture dude. I love the guy. We're very similar. I get a lot of my passion in life from him. Music and movies were, you know, I was,

telling Jay the other day, you know, I was spoon-fed raging bull at like eight years old. So I'm grateful for like all that culture that was infused to me. But, you know, I'd walk into the living room and there'd always be like right here a glass of wine, you know, and you kind of treaded lightly, walked on eggshells, you didn't know what kind of, you know, moment you were walking into, a happy guy or someone who's not so much. And, um, But that year was really special for our family in a lot of ways. You know, it's 2009, and he sits us down on the couch and tells us that we're going to go. He's going to these meetings, and remember literally 30 minutes later, I get picked up my buddy.

We're going to go smoke a blunt. I don't know if people even smoke blunts anymore. And, you know, I end up telling him during this car ride, I'm like, you know, my dad just sat us down. He's got a problem with drinking. He's going to these meetings or something. And the next thought I had was, do you think I have a problem? And he's like, no, dude, you're fine, you know. And this is the same guy who like spent four years at a two-year community college with me, you know, like working at the same supermarket.

And, you know, I ended up continuing on and didn't get sober for the next year. But what happened was my dad would come home with these coins and he would just look a little different. You know, each month he looked more healthy and he treated us differently and he talked to us differently. You were watching the miracle of a surprise. It happened right between your eyes. 100%. Yeah, truly. And there's this pivotal moment in my life where, you know, I'm sitting in my, in the office in our house.

And it's now my fourth year at a two-year community college. It's May. All my best friends are coming home from college. Indiana University, Ohio State, Cornell. With real degrees. real degrees and I'm literally in my fourth year to two-year community college I maybe have a year's worth of credit I'm feeling so much shame I'm working at a supermarket I look so unkempt you know and I was blaming everybody else for my problems my parents blaming them you didn't do this

you didn't do this blah blah blah and there was a moment where my dad said do you want help and I had been asked many a times if I wanted help from many people but what was different this time was that This is a man who is now in recovery, who is, you know, walking a path of recovery. And when I think back to that moment, I think back of the 12, the hand of 12-step recovery reaching its arms out, you know, to me. And I went to rehab, and I haven't drank or used since, you know. I heard it the other day, one of the most beautiful prayers we can say is I need help. And thank you. You know, that's it.

And it's why that story reminds me why having folks in behavioral health care who are sober is so important. Because your dad's still drinking and he asks you if you want help. There's no way you're accepting it. How could I? Right. It's just contradictory, you know. But, you know, and just. And you've both maintained your sobriety.

Yeah. So what is it? So for the 20? Both. boys and I usually will give him his coin at his meeting and he'll give me his the previous year which is really special and and all this is to say like 15 years 16 years we still have our challenges and course nothing's perfect but you know we do have this special bond for sure do you so what what is the one thing for the person out there that's listening to this

interested in you, interested in the brand that you're creating and wants to get sober, what is the one thing you tell that person? Well, the first thing I would say about sobriety, if you're really serious about trying to get sober, if you have a substance use disorder, I think it's really important for people to know that it's going to suck. I think there's this misnomer that like you're going to get sober and everything's going to be okay. If you have this thing, it's going to suck.

And I say that because it was my own personal experience. And it was also the most beautiful experience, you know, looking back. And what I mean by suck is that it's going to be hard, I guess, is a better way to phrase it. When I see people who are very enthusiastic about sobriety, early on. Early on, I feel very nervous for them because it's not really meant to be that exciting, you know, if you're going to do the work. Yeah, there's a false confidence there. Yeah. Well, it's also, too, like you're taking away the.

thing that you've been reaching for your whole life. And if there's a reason why you need to take it away, it's probably because your life is in a very bad spot. So you feel like shit. There's a lot of shame. And then you're taking the one thing that used to work that doesn't. So you shouldn't feel good. Yeah. Yeah.

And, you know, to that point, you know, they talk about don't make any major changes in your first year. You know, it's like, except for the fact that don't drink, which is the number one thing that is saving you. some ways or making you um sane you know um so yeah i i i encourage people to be prepared to do hard but the most meaningful work you could possibly do do you do you remember those early days i mean do you remember oh i think back now so fondly it was so special like i was told to sit down shut up go make coffee go greet i was thinking about being a greeter the other day and how special it is. You know, like a greeter, by the way, is like at some of these meetings we go to,

there's what's called service commitments. And one of the jobs is to literally stand at the front door and say hello, welcome the people coming into the meeting, which is, it seems so cheesy, but it's, it's an amazing. It's an amazing job for somebody who literally couldn't look, look at people in the eyes. Couldn't look people in the eye, couldn't get out of your own way and just to be thinking about other people for just five minutes. Yeah. But that's the genius in recovery that you can't really explain to the normal person.

Why is standing at this door and saying hello to other people going to, what is that going to do for me? Because that's how most of us live our lives, right? What am I going to get out of this? And one of the most valuable things, you know, someone told me my early surprise, like, what are you going to bring to this? It's not boring about what you're going to get out of it. Because you're going to be disappointed.

100%. I think one of the things that's so special, is you may have some reservations or concerns about any of the things you're asked to do. But the reason I did them was because I saw other people and mostly men, specifically men in my life who were five years sober, eight years sober, 12 year sober, who had this look in their eye, you know. And I knew that they were like me. but just weren't doing that anymore.

So there was a lot of trust built. And, you know, I remember a specific time being at a deli in my town, literally not being able to, like, order the sandwich. Just, like, riddled with so much anxiety and stress and shame. And, you know, fast forward these early years of my first year of recovery, I'm at these meetings. I'm shaking people's hands. I'm looking at them in the eye and they're, you know, just saying welcome.

And things like that, you know, helped to build character. And were you still in a band? Were you still playing music at that time? I was playing music a little bit. You know, we went on tour when I was like, you know, 18, 19, 20. You know, they talk about sex, drugs and rock and roll. It was, there was no sex. There's drugs and rock and roll.

There was drugs and not even great rock and roll, honestly. But did you idealize that? I mean, were you like, I'm going to be the biggest rock star on the fucking planet? I mean, like, because it sounds like you're saying you have an obsessive mind. I didn't have any ambition at all. I was such a, like, loser, honestly. Just like, I didn't think much about anything. I was just like getting high and drunk and using drugs.

And I just knew. I would tell myself, oh, this is the semester I'm going to like do well. And I'll be able to transfer out to the next college. and every year I lost that battle to like, oh, should I go use drugs or drink or should I go do my homework, you know? Yeah, I mean, I'm sitting here thinking about some of the advice I was given early on, which is if you manage to stay sober, if you are lucky enough to stay sober, you were going to wish you had this much time in your day to do nothing because your life is going to get so big and so beautiful that you're not going to have any time to do anything. And that's been my experience 100%. We're happier you're here. Isn't that what you say?

So over golf, we're happier here. That is one of our taglines. Yeah. So I want to go back to golf for a moment and just get your perspective on a few things. When I look at golf, one of the first things I think about is Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods is one of the greatest golfers ever, if not the greatest. he clearly has had some demons and has struggled at times and has had amazing comebacks and setbacks and everything in between.

I look at a guy like John Daly who's known for his, really for his alcoholism, if I can say that, not to diagnose him. And guys like Jack, I mean, there's a lot of these kind of cult figures in golf that have these stories that point back, to some level of do you think it is with someone like tiger or someone like john daly do you think it is is alcoholism do you think they are wound so tight and they're working so hard at their

craft that they needed some relief at the end of the day or what do you attribute to that to and why do you think so many like i look at roy mackerel i'm like this dude needs a drink you know he's and chill the fuck out i think that you know golf lends itself to if you want to get good, lends itself to somebody who has an obsessional characteristics, which is a benefit, you know, and I think especially for people in early recovery, if you are looking for an activity, something to invest yourself in fully, it's a great activity to, you know, and from our perspective, a compliment to your recovery journey. for someone like Tiger and um you know i maybe would attribute it more to you know the success fame

and and the power that you get from from all that and people pulling you in different directions um you know i know that there's i get nervous over a five foot put for for 20 bucks you know i couldn't imagine on a big stage with millions of cameras on you so i'm sure there's that aspect to it But yeah, I think for me, the game far outweighs the compliments of the sobriety and the wellness journey. And what's it to do? Is it Wyndham Clark? Is it, what's his name? What about him?

I mean, he's a guy that has had this really polarizing career because he's one moment breaking lockers at a major in the next moment, working with a, you know, psychological coach and going 12 under. Yeah, I've actually talked with Julie, I think it's Elion before, and it's his mindset coach. Right. She's really one of the premier doctors on tour right now working with players. And yeah, I'm a huge fan of him because I think I really like players who show their emotion. And but it's obvious like he needs to get that in check, you know. And I think the times in his life where he's been.

able to rein that in, you know, he won a major. He won the U.S. Open in 2023 and he was talking about how, you know, he was able to sort of focus on his mindset and his mental wellness. Fast forward to last year, he had a tough year, you know, tough hitting cuts and all those things and breaking lockers at a prestigious club where he's now banned from. So, yeah, I think. I mean, the mind of the golf, right, I think is very similar to the mind of the alcoholic. So that's why I so much appreciate the sport, knowing that, do you think, I mean, look, you're in the middle of this thing now, right?

You're going to the PGA show. You're really out there. You're talking to a lot of people. You're kind of leading the conversation around substance abuse, mental health, as it pertains to golf. If you're the PGA and you look at some of the things the PGA does, what types of supports might you, if you were running the PGA. It's timely because this weekend is the biggest week in golf as far as partying goes.

So it's the waste management open this weekend. You know about this? No. I mean, it's nuts. The waste management open is notoriously just a big party. It's in Arizona in Scottsdale. The 17th hole is a stadium and it's a par three. And like if someone dunks it makes a hole in one, it's absolutely.

I mean, it's just throw beer bottles. This is on the PJ tour. Yeah. I mean, like, dude, like, Joel, right? Joel, yeah. Yeah, like, like, like, nuts. It juxtaposes what people have historically thought the PGA tour is. It's a lot of, like, soft clats and things like that.

Which I still love, I mean, you've got to love it. I love the tradition of that, you know, but it's a fun event. And people are excitable and. And by the way, I could go to that sober. 100%. That's the thing. Like, I could go to waste management and have a fucking blow. glass because that energy drinking or not is contagious.

Oh, without a doubt. And I think that's one of the reasons why Live even started is because you see something like that. The music's playing and there's a lot of excitement. That's something that I think golf can infuse into. But this particular event was very polarizing a couple of years ago because they were 60-some-odd arrests. You know, people mud sliding during, you know, the tournament and throwing beer bottles

all over the course and kind of just got way out of hand. And, you know, I've said to myself, they're actually my favorite band of all time is fish. And I've been to almost 100 fish shows. And at every one of these concerts, they have this booth area, desk area with these yellow balloons, where during set break, you can go and you can meet with like-minded people who are walking this path. because that type of experience at a show, there's a lot of drinking, a lot of people expanding in their minds, and it's a safe haven. And I've thought for... The fellowship.

The fellowship. Yeah. The fellowship. Wow. I have always thought, oh, you know, it would be kind of interesting if there was a soba tent at the PGA tour, just, you know, handing out liquid death and athletic brewing. Yeah, yeah. It'd be great.

You know, just letting people know, like, you know. do you have a stance on you say athletic brewing on the non-alc are you do you participate you know it's interesting i never drink um any nays until recently and i think until athletic brewing so we have money for you right now listen we are working together but it's not but what do you think about like because like for me the non that was a joke we love athletic brewing we love athletic we love you bill but i i don't understand like as someone who's sober an accident like i just i don't and drinking a non-alcoholic beverage. So this is what I'll say.

Yeah, this could be a whole pot. This could be a whole episode, but go ahead. I'd love to dig into this because I have both opinions, right? Like, I never drank an athletic brewing until two years ago, probably. And I felt comfortable in my sobriety to do it. I've had kombucha before, and I thought to myself, you know what? This isn't Odules, right? Like 15 years ago, the only option available was Odul's.

which is kind of a shitty beer. Nowadays, it's an alternative for me versus like a Coke, you know, on a summer day, drinking a, eating a hamburger, a hot dog or something, you know? You like the taste of it. I really do. Yeah. I like the taste. That's fair.

But I've also heard the other side of things where somebody has shared with me, N.A. stands for non-alcoholics, which he kind of means, like, it's not for alcoholics. to drink. And I understand that point as well, and I encourage people to be vocal about that because it can be dangerous for people. And I encourage people to investigate what's going to be safe for them. Yeah, I mean, look, where I get into a little bit of an uncomfortable place is there's a wellness movement around people that want to stop drinking as much as they drink.

So they might have these elixirs or non-alcoholic beverages. that are also including some other new eight I mean there's just so much shit out there now I think I think for alcoholics for me like my piece of advice would be one do what you want to do you want to have a non-acolic beer

go have a non-alcoholic beer it's no sweat off my chest and if you're going to order off the cocktail menu really pay close attention to what is being put into that drink because look at what's happened with Cratum you know that was like a tea herb and now people are ending up in rehab for it and I would venture to say that some of the

things that are being mixed into these you know beverages that are making us feel like I don't know when they start talking about the lion's main mushroom blah blah adaptogen like I don't know what the fuck I'm putting in my body well I would say I have never made any big decision in my life without converting with multiple men in my life that I respect yeah I've never nothing, not proposing to my wife or, you know, making a change in my life. You know, so I encourage people, whoever that network is, find those people and talk to them because I think it's really important. I don't have a problem with, you know, I'm not disparaging it.

I don't have a problem with it all. I know you hate me now. I hate you. It's a real conversation. You're drunk right now. That's the fucking truth. But my question is, are you, like, is in some way, is it like, I'm stepping into the illusion that I'm having a good time.

I'm letting go. I'm having my non-alcoholic beer. Not that that's a slippery slope, but it's just like, why do you need that? I want to address that. So honestly, I feel very uncomfortable when I'm drinking an athletic brewing in a public forum. So you like it in the comfort of your own home.

Yeah, that makes sense. The reason is because I am now leading this movement in around golf sobriety. the last thing I'd want people to think is, you know, anything that I would, that I would compromise my integrity around this. I mean, look, dude, and we've talked. I sometimes feel uncomfortable drinking it in public. So.

Because we're crazy people. Yeah. Because we think we are God and people are, your brand is going to, I will have an occasional cigarette. Okay. Like I'm talking once a month. There was a period of my life. before I would smoke more.

If I'm out on a Saturday night in New York City, there was a time when I would actually like try to hide, like if I was going to have my Saturday night cigarette to like let go and like really what do you smoke? I have a wild. Newport, it's only Newport. It's wild night, right?

I'm going to have a wild night. I would still be so paranoid that someone's going to see me because they're going to say, is that Zach who runs the. Yeah. But like, no, I'm going to lean into that shit and say like we don't, we don't have to take ourselves so seriously. Yeah. Like I live a life of balance.

And that means, like, I've gone from shooting heroin and spoken crack to having a cigarette once a month and, you know, after dinner with friends. Like, that's okay. Yeah. And I think that's the whole thing around the non-alcoholic movement is like to a certain degree, A.A., in my opinion, has made this, like, very rigid. And there are these rules that if you break one of these rules that have nothing to do with drinking, you are like not sober. Yeah. And I think we got to like, like, like, loosen up a little bit. Rule 62.

Yeah, dude. I'll smoke a cigar on the course, you know, celebrations and stuff. Well, that's what happened to me. I hadn't smoked cigarettes in years and years and years and years, and I had a cigar on a golf course, and then someone had a pack of smokes. I'm like, let's see one of those. Can I tell you a quick story about my last cigarette?

Yeah. Was it me? No. It could be soon, maybe. Yeah. I never knew ports, but I knew when I, I knew when I moved to the city, so I got sober on the island. I went back to my 50-year or two-year community college, got all A's, as we do, applied to one school, Brooklyn College, didn't get in, begged them to get in, talk to the dean, got on probation of some sort, got in, went to, lived in Midwood in this, like, Jamaican woman's basement with all of her decor.

it was amazing, paying like $600 a month. And I told myself, and I was smoking so many cigarettes in my first year of sobriety, so many, probably a pack every other day maybe. Just, you know, hanging off for your life, not hanging off for your life, but, you know, drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, going on the diner. And I said to myself, if I don't stop smoking cigarettes now, when I move to Brooklyn and go into the city and meet new people and going to 12-step recovery in the city, I'll never stop. So I threw them out so hard, hardest two weeks ever. But I had one cigarette since then. And I was at a jazz concert seeing Nels Klein and Julian Lodge. If you don't know who that is, please look into them.

They're my favorite guitarists. We're at La Pojean Rouge, I think it's called, LPR. Anyway, I see in the front row, this is how good these guys are. It's Sean Lennon, John Lennon's son. Amazing. and I recognize him. And I'm not one to, like, be shy or like, I beeline to him. I go, he actually did a project that is so niche that not many people would know about.

So I brought it up to him. And he, like, was attracted to what I was saying. And we just hit it off. He goes, by the way, you have a cigarette? I go, yeah, I got a cigarette. And we went outside. And I bummed Virginia Slims off of two women. And I smoked a Virginia Slim with Sean Lennon.

And that is the last cigarette I've had. Pure pressure. Mental blank spot. I just, I told my, it was very conscious, though. I said to myself, this is a very special moment.

I'm going to do it for that. So like us, follow us, subscribe to us. I'm supposed to say that. More like, follow, subscribe. We need you guys.

If you're listening to this episode, this is not an ad. This is me just listening to my bosses in the room and telling me that if I want this thing to continue to grow and get these meaningful conversations out into the world,

I need to tell people to like, follow it. subscribe you know the the I've net so these vapes the jewel I've never yeah like that's scary kind of my mindset around the NAB is like I've never hit a vape because I know oh yeah it'll be no holds bar like I will be just hammering that thing 24 seven so that's one of my claims I don't eat fruit I've never hit a vape and I've never I did see that the other day I learned that the other day you never what you're buying off Amazon I've never bought anything off

Amazon wow that's amazing you are a real ludite I love it. I like an IRL experience. I love that. I just think it's gotten like we've just gotten to a point where it's so fucking lazy. Like you don't have to leave your apartment. No. Like toilet paper,

I'm going to walk three blocks and grab a roll and maybe say hello to someone. Three ply? I'm not picky with my toilet paper. I am. So here's the deal about Corey Davis. Corey is actually helping us out a little bit here at release with some of our creative direction. He's a very brilliant mind. He's here on Mondays with the team. It's so nice to have you around. And this will not be the last conversation we have with him. He is doing something that we

support and hope to help the trips, the brand, just the movement. You know, it's kudos to you and everything that you've done to this point. And I'm looking forward to kind of getting even more involved with your mission. So we're going to end. Can I say something? You can say something. I just wanted to say I love you guys. I love you too. I really do. And it is a very unique experience. I love you.

Say it. I didn't know you, Corey. You know what I mean? I knew you from, go ahead. But what I wanted to say is, it's like, what's really special and unique

about walking this path is like, even in not knowing you and you and I hit it off really quickly, you know, there aren't that many people who have gotten sober 22, 24, 27 years old. and have maintained the sobriety for a long time. So there's a brotherly love and kinship that I have with people like you that I really treasure and feel really grateful.

And the best relationships I've had in my life are the ones in that network, the guys who have taught me how to be sad, you know, share myself. And I'm just grateful for you guys. So thank you. Thank you. Yeah, it's been good. That's awesome. So we're going to do a little rapid fire, hear you down.

It's like, what are the rules here? One word answers. We're going to try and. No, yes. Don't think. I mean, maybe something a little bit more exciting than knowing yes, but. All right, Corey Davis, how long are you sober? 15 years.

What were you trying to escape when you were getting high and drinking? Myself. What was your real moment of clarity? Accepting help, saying yes to help. Who'd you have to stop being to get sober? It's tough. Who did I have to stop being? Self-centered, self-seeking.

Hardest part of getting sober? Moments where you feel like you're doing it alone. What surprised you the most about sobriety? How, how... What was that? How big it is. Yeah. What do people get wrong about sober people?

Jay, these are not one-word question. Keep going. He's doing great. Keep going. How? What do people... What is that? What do people get wrong about sober people?

I've had so much fun in sobriety. Has anything replaced the high? Golf and music. Love that. What is like being sober in rooms where everyone else is drinking? Very comfortable for me. Have you lost friends when you got sober? Do you lose friends when you got sober?

They weren't even friends. I have a great network of dudes. that have stuck by me. Now I don't want to be friends with them, honestly. Someone's on day one. What are you telling them? Yeah, this one I want to answer. Yeah, except help.

Except the help. Gets better. What does freedom mean to you now? Living out my dreams. Beautiful. What role is spirituality play in your sobriety? On my best days, a big part. on my worst not as much

we can go into that a little bit more and the last one finished this sentence sobriety gave me gave me the opportunity to be in the ring you know I was a spectator back when I was using you know I can't say that

sobriety will solve all of your problems or my problems but it allows me to at least have a chance in the ring. Awesome. Thank you for coming today. Before we leave, can you tell us what you were doodling?

A face. Of what? What did you write? Where the letters you wrote? Soba golf. And that's Corey's face? Can you show him that? This is not your face,

but I will show you this is what I was doodling. That looks exactly like me, honestly. This is what I was doodling. And then I wrote Soba Golf. Go check out Soba Golf. At Soba Golf. He's got great content. It's,

It's great. Your content has become a mainstay. I guess I liked enough early on where it's like, it's in my algorithm and there's no escaping it. You were, you were an early adopter. And I really appreciate it. I mean, it was like, you know. Your support. I remember, well, one, if I'm being honest, I really liked, I'm a freak for brand.

And I was like, this guy is building a cool brand. Like the schematic was cool. So that got me. That pulled me in. And then I appreciate. the variety of kind of different content you were rolling out and how it was sometimes a little bit more serious and talking about sobriety and then other times it was just funny moments or interviews or repurposing stuff and then the one that got me was when you were

you were playing in like a local tournament you fucking three jack the put to like miss the cut it still hurts yeah it still hurts that shit dude dude it hurts I missed like a two foot put that would have won me something in a tournament that I was in a local I should probably do that more if that's what kind of drew you over the line I should probably talk to the well I think it's because look it's very hard for me to relate to tiger woods talking about missing a two foot put yeah I know exactly how you were feeling missing over that two foot put or standing over that two foot put which is like if I miss this everyone's going to hate me I'm going to hate myself like there's nothing else in life

That can make you feel like a bad person like golf can. When you're playing golf poorly, you just downright feel like a scumbag. It hurts. Yes. It's a dark place. Until next time. Soba golf.

Peace.