Musicians + Sports: Jake Owen On His Favorite Golf Courses In America
By Scott T. Sterling
While Iggy Azalea's "Fancy" may have been crowned the official song for the summer of 2014, plenty of country fans would gladly hand that title to "Beachin'," Jake Owen's breezy ode to "sunshine, blue eyes, tan lines."
While the laid-back, lilting track from his fourth studio album, Days of Gold, was originally released as a single back in February, it slow-burned its way up to hit No. 1 on both Billboard's Country Airplay and Hot Country charts during the heart of summer in early July.
The Florida native almost bypassed a career in music as a budding young athlete with his eye on playing golf in college at Florida State University before an injury derailed that plan.
"It ended up not happening when I hurt my shoulder and had surgery," Owen explained during an interview with Radio.com. "That's kind of what led me to pick up a guitar and start playing that. I had to find something to do."
Owen still likes to spend quality time on the links, having played some of the country's most prestigious golf course with family, friends and one of the sport's hottest emerging stars.
"I've been able to play some really great golf courses. Most importantly, I think it's the time I've spent with people playing those golf courses," he explained. "I got to play Augusta National with my dad. That was a big deal. I played Pine Valley a couple of weeks ago with some friends of mine. Pebble Beach is a great golf course out in California that I've played many times. I've played the Pebble Beach Pro-Am there the last couple of years, and that's a lot of fun. I got to play with my friend Jordan Spieth, who's the new young sensation out there on the PGA tour. I feel really lucky to be able to play those kind of places with great people and make great memories."
Watch Owen talk about his love of watching sports, including soccer ("I never thought I'd ever say that"), which NBA and MLB superstars would make up his fantasy all-athlete band and more in the video interview above.
Related: Jake Owen Takes Fans Where it All Began on 'Days of Gold Tour'
While summer has come to an unofficial end with the passing of Labor Day, Owen will keep those sunshine vibes alive on tour across America deep into the fall, wrapping up with a show in his hometown of Vero Beach, FL, at Holman Stadium in Historic Dodgertown. See all of his remaining tour dates below.
Jake Owen 2014 tour dates:
09/06 - Augusta, GA @ James Brown Arena *
09/11 – Fayetteville, AR @ Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion
09/12 – Robinsonville, MS @ Horseshoe Tunica Bluesville $
09/18 – Cape Girardeau, MO @ Show Me Center *
09/19 – Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre
09/25 – Tupelo, MS @ BancorpSouth Arena
09/26 – Huntsville, AL @ Von Braun Center Arena
09/27 – Cherokee, NC @ Harrah’s Cherokee
10/03 – Columbus, OH @ Lifestyle Communities Pavilion
10/05 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
10/09 – Chicago, IL @ TBD
10/10 – Terre Haute, IN @ TBD
10/11 – Toledo, OH @ Huntington Center
10/16 – La Crosse, WI @ TBD
10/17 – Mankato, MN @ TBD
10/18 – Lincoln, NE @ Pinnacle Bank Arena
10/23 – Duluth, GA @ Arena at Gwinnett Center
10/24 – Tallahassee, FL @ TBA
10/25 – Vero Beach, FL @ Holman Stadium at Historic Dodgertown $
* with Eli Young Band and The Cadillac Three
# with The Cadillac Three and Parmalee
$ with The Cadillac Three