With a wide smile, welcoming eyes and a handshake that says, “great to meet you” people are immediately drawn to Tommy Brantley, one of my favorite Florida golf buddies. Tommy has the youthful look of an athlete, long and strong and full of energy!

On the golf course, Tommy has that look. When he sets up to hit a shot you know he can play… before he makes a swing. Still playing the back tees as he approaches middle age, Tommy hits first on every hole in our group. All eyes turn to Tommy and the chatter stops as he makes his waggle. As the ball comes off his club, the sound that echoes through the tall pines screams affirmation, “This guy can play.”

Tommy is not a bragger or blowhard. He only shares his golf history and athletic achievement when asked directly about them. Over the past five winters this writer has come to know Tommy. He has shared some personal history and current business achievement over a series of trips around the golf course.

Tommy was a great high school athlete. Standing over 6’ tall with wide shoulders he was a quarterback that made a run at two state championships as he passed to two future NFL receivers, Dale Carter and Jake Reed. He was a three-year starter at two-guard on a good basketball team.  In addition, he had a great career as a high school golfer. 

With his sights set on D-I ball (football or golf ball) Tommy had to make a decision, “My dad and I talked it over again and again, should I play football or concentrate on golf at University of Georgia.” When he asked himself the question, “Do you believe you have the tools to make it to the NFL? Or do you think you can get good enough to play golf on the PGA TOUR?”  The decision was made.

After four years of college golf at Georgia where Tommy played with Blake Adams and Justin Bolli – both held PGA TOUR cards for a few years – Tommy spent five nomadic and mostly disappointing years playing PGA Mini-Tour events. “When I finished 12 under for 54 holes and finished 27th, I knew I had to get a job.”

Tommy and his young family settled in Santa Rosa Beach, FL. Minnesotans can relate, Santa Rosa Beach is the Gull Lakes equivalent in the Florida Panhandle located on a strip of pure sugar sand between the Gulf and Choctawhatchee Bay. Tommy has found the perfect job – for him – real estate agent. With average home values well north of $1,000,000 and an extremely HOT real estate market, Tommy does just fine. As a marketing ploy, Tommy works a shift or two each week as a bartender in the fine dining restaurant overlooking the gulf.

As if that were not enough with a family and a job and a half, Tommy and his partner, Scott Taube, are into another business venture centered on having FUN playing golf. The name of the company tells it all Bad Cards Fore Good Golfers. It is played with a deck of cards requiring golfers to either play the hole with a wedge or throw the ball on this hole.

This writer is TOO SERIOUS to be involved in NON-TRADITIONAL golf games like Bad Cards Fore Good Golfers. At least I thought I was! The Bad Cards game has proven to be a great equalizer and adds an element of “pure fun” to the game. The card game is a riot and golfers, good and bad, quickly get into the spirit of playing the game of golf “just for fun.”

When discussing the game with my “not so serious golfing friends” they love the idea. One said, “It is a great way to get kids involved in the fun of playing golf.” Another said, “What a great stocking stuffer for Christmas or a birthday gift for any golfer.” No matter the reason the golfing public is embracing the idea of using props (cards) to make some golfers feel silly and others feel like they have a chance at getting to throw their ball out of the sand bunker.

Tommy told me that the game is being used at charity events all over the country. The game has proven to be an equalizer for teams with a variety of skill levels. 

Recently a company called Scramble Hunters, a website to hook-up golfers and scramble tournaments, has started giving the Bad Cards Fore Good Golfers game in each tournament package.

To learn more about the game go to www.badcardsforegoodgolfers.com.