Featuring insights from Dennis Sullivan, Co-Owner of Liberty Health Services.
“Golf, like life, is hard enough without drinking.”
— Dennis Sullivan
Golf is already difficult. You can prepare, practice, choose the right club, and make what feels like a good swing— and next thing you know the ball is in the woods. Such is life.
For Dennis Sullivan, golf has become more than a way to spend an afternoon. Dennis has played golf since he was young, although before getting sober, he played only here and there. In sobriety, the game became a much more consistent part of his life. Today, he plays frequently, and it is one of his favorite things to do. The reality is, golf (or anything really) is not only awesome if you are there to drink with your buddies.
Golf did not make sobriety easy and it didn’t change his whole life. What it is though, is something that brings joy, teaches lessons in patience, and is a sport that can be a great pass time, not just a drinking hobby.
Through all of the videos on social media of people out golfing and drinking, we wanted to showcase that there is more here than just that. For Liberty’s own, golf has provided something meaningful, fun, and provided lessons about how to live.
When people think about stopping drinking, it isn’t just about the actual substance. They think about everything alcohol has become attached to.
What will I do at a wedding? What about at my own wedding, how can I even have a toast?! What will I order when everyone goes out to dinner? Will my friends still invite me? Will I still be fun to be around?
And for someone whose weekends include tee times, a cooler, a beer cart, and several hours with the same group of buddies, there may be another very specific question:
What am I supposed to do when I golf if I’m not drinking?
That can sound like a small concern compared with everything else involved in getting sober, but it is not. Golf may be where someone sees their friends, laughs, competes, gets outside, and temporarily steps away from the stress of everyday life. If drinking has always been part of that experience, sobriety can feel like more than giving up beer. It can feel like giving up the entire day.
But was alcohol really the thing that made golf worth doing? Or had it simply been there so often that it started taking credit for everything good about the game?
Golf is already difficult. You can prepare, practice, choose the right club, and make what feels like a good swing—and the next thing you know, the ball is in the woods.
Such is life.
Dennis Sullivan has played golf since he was young. Before getting sober, he played here and there. In sobriety, the game became a much more consistent part of his life. Today, Dennis plays frequently, and it is one of his favorite things to do. He did not get sober and suddenly decide that golf was the healthy hobby he was supposed to have. Golf did not make sobriety easy, and it did not solve every problem in his life. It became something he genuinely enjoyed—something that brought him joy, time with other people, an opportunity to improve, and more than a few lessons in patience.
Most importantly, Dennis’s experience shows that golf was never only a drinking activity.
When Golf and Drinking Start to Feel Like the Same Activity
Golf and alcohol are often presented as if they naturally belong together. There are drinks before the round, coolers in the cart, beer delivered on the course, tournament traditions, shots after a great hole, and more drinking at the clubhouse afterward.
Social media reinforces that image. Videos of golf outings frequently focus as much on what everyone is drinking as they do on the actual game. The message can begin to feel obvious: golf is what you do while drinking with your buddies.
Not everyone who drinks on a golf course has a problem with alcohol. Plenty of people can have a drink, finish the round, and move on with their day. But for someone questioning their drinking, the connection between golf and alcohol may feel much harder to separate.
Maybe drinking begins before the first tee. Maybe the amount consumed depends on how the round is going. Maybe alcohol has become the automatic response to a bad shot, a good shot, boredom between holes, nervousness, social discomfort, or simply seeing the beverage cart approach.
Eventually, beer can begin to feel like the unofficial price of admission.
A person may honestly believe that golf will not be enjoyable without it—not necessarily because they have tried sober golf and hated it, but because they may never have experienced golf without drinking.
Am I Giving Up Alcohol—or Am I Giving Up Golf?
This is one of the fears that can keep someone stuck.
Before stopping drinking, a person may mentally fast-forward into every future situation. They imagine standing beside their friends while everyone else orders a drink. They picture explaining themselves repeatedly, feeling awkward in the cart, turning down shots, or leaving before everyone goes into the clubhouse.
They may wonder whether their friends will think they are boring. They may worry that they will no longer be invited. They may even question whether the friendship itself will survive if alcohol is no longer involved.
Those fears are real. They should not be dismissed with, “Just find sober friends,” or, “You do not need those people anyway.” Relationships are complicated. Traditions matter. A Saturday tee time may represent years of friendship, stories, competition, and connection.
Recovery does not require pretending that none of that matters.
It does, however, create an opportunity to ask a more honest question:
Do I love golf, or do I only love the drinking that happens around golf?
The answer may not be completely one or the other. Someone may have enjoyed both. The purpose is not to rewrite the past or pretend alcohol was never fun. It is to discover whether there is still something meaningful underneath it.
For Dennis, there was.
The First Sober Round May Feel Strange
None of this means the transition will feel completely natural.
The first sober round may feel awkward, especially if drinking has always been part of the routine. Someone may notice the beverage cart more than ever. They may feel self-conscious when everyone orders a beer. They may become irritated, restless, or unsure what to do during moments that were previously filled with drinking.
They may also feel more frustrated by the game itself. Alcohol may have taken the edge off a bad round or made someone care less about the score. Without it, every mistake may initially feel a little louder.
That discomfort does not automatically mean golf is no longer enjoyable. It may simply mean the experience is unfamiliar.
There is also no prize for making the first sober round as difficult as possible. Someone in early recovery may decide to play nine holes instead of eighteen, choose an early tee time, skip the clubhouse afterward, play with one supportive friend, or avoid certain tournaments for a while.
Taking precautions does not mean someone is weak. It means they understand that preserving their recovery is more important than proving they can tolerate every environment.
Can You Still Golf With Your Drinking Buddies?
In many cases, yes. But, be real about this, it might be a good idea to back off the golfing with the drinking buddies alone in the beginning.
Friends may continue drinking while respecting that someone else has stopped. They may not fully understand the decision, but they can still avoid pressuring, questioning, or repeatedly offering alcohol.
A person also does not need to deliver a speech every time someone opens a cooler. A simple response may be enough:
- “No thanks, I’m good.”
- “I’m not drinking today.”
- “I stopped drinking, but I’m still golfing.”
- “I brought my own drinks.”
Good friends usually care more about having the person there than about what is in their cup.
That said, some relationships may change. A few people may make jokes, push for explanations, or act uncomfortable. Others may stop extending invitations if drinking was the primary thing holding the relationship together.
That can hurt. It is also important information.
The goal of recovery is not to keep every relationship and tradition exactly the same at any cost. Sobriety changes things. But change does not automatically mean losing everything meaningful.
Sometimes it reveals which parts were truly meaningful to begin with.
Recovery Is Not “Stop Drinking and Find a Hobby”
It would be easy to turn Dennis’s experience into a simple message: get sober, find a healthy hobby, and everything will be better.
That is not reality.
There are plenty of unhealthy coping mechanisms available in sobriety. A person can bury themselves in work, isolate, overspend, gamble, compulsively exercise, scroll for hours, pursue chaotic relationships, or use food and other behaviors to avoid uncomfortable emotions.
Even golf can become unhealthy. Someone can use it to avoid their family, neglect responsibilities, gamble beyond their means, or stay constantly busy so they never have to sit with themselves.
Not everything a person does without alcohol is automatically recovery.
What matters is how the activity functions in that person’s life. Is it helping them connect, participate, grow, and experience joy? Or is it becoming another way to disappear?
For Dennis, golf has expanded his life rather than narrowed it. It is not simply something that occupies several hours without alcohol. It is something he genuinely loves, and it repeatedly gives him opportunities to practice how he wants to live.
Golf, Like Life, Is Hard Enough
Golf has taught Dennis lessons that go far beyond the score at the end of a round.
Play the Ball Where It Lies
You may not like where the ball landed. You may believe the wind pushed it unfairly. You may wish you had chosen another club or taken a different approach. None of that changes its location.
You still have to decide what to do next.
Recovery asks people to practice a similar kind of acceptance. A person may wish certain things had never happened. They may carry regret about decisions, relationships, money, opportunities, or time lost during active addiction.
Acceptance does not mean approving of everything that happened. It means recognizing where you are clearly enough to make the next honest decision.
You cannot play the shot you wish you had. You can only play the shot in front of you.
One Bad Shot Does Not Have to Ruin the Round
Almost every golfer knows what it feels like to allow one bad shot to become three bad holes. The first mistake may be physical, but everything after it becomes mental.
You replay the swing, become angry, rush the next shot, and try to repair the entire score all at once. Before long, one ball in the woods has changed the direction of the entire round.
Life can unfold the same way. One disappointment becomes a ruined day. One argument becomes permission to make another destructive decision. One setback becomes proof that nothing is working.
Golf continually offers another option: finish the hole, take a breath, walk to the next tee, and begin again.
The previous shot still counts. But it does not have to take the next shot for you.
Keep an Honest Scorecard
Golf has a unique relationship with honesty. Players frequently keep their own scores, call penalties on themselves, and make decisions no one else may be close enough to verify.
A person can move the ball when no one is looking or leave a stroke off the scorecard. But changing the score does not improve the game.
Recovery also depends on honesty that begins before anyone else can confirm it. It means being honest about cravings, resentment, fear, mistakes, relationships, and behaviors that may be becoming difficult to control.
Real improvement requires an accurate scorecard.
Stay With the Shot in Front of You
Golf becomes difficult when someone is mentally replaying the last hole, worrying about the final score, or imagining every possible way the next shot could go wrong.
The only useful place for their attention is the shot directly in front of them.
Recovery often works the same way. Thinking about never drinking again for the rest of your life can feel overwhelming when you are struggling to get through one afternoon.
Sometimes the question is not, “How will I do this forever?”
Sometimes the question is:
What is the next honest, healthy decision I can make?
How to Golf Without Drinking
Someone returning to golf in sobriety does not need to approach the experience without a plan. A few decisions made before the round can make the day feel much more manageable:
- Tell one trusted person. Having one person in the group who understands can reduce pressure and help shut down uncomfortable questions.
- Bring something you actually enjoy drinking. Water, coffee, an electrolyte drink, or another alcohol-free option can help interrupt the automatic beer-cart routine.
- Choose the round carefully. An early tee time or nine-hole round may feel different from an all-day tournament built around drinking.
- Decide what happens afterward. Playing eighteen holes does not require sitting at the clubhouse bar for another three hours.
- Drive yourself when possible. Having the ability to leave can make someone feel less trapped.
- Be cautious about gambling. Golf betting may not be healthy for someone who struggles with compulsive or high-risk behavior.
- Leave when the environment stops feeling safe. Finishing the round is not more important than protecting recovery.
A person may eventually feel completely comfortable golfing around alcohol. They may also determine that certain groups, tournaments, or traditions no longer work for them.
Both outcomes are valid.
What If You Cannot Imagine Golf Without Drinking?
If the thought of playing golf without alcohol feels impossible, that does not make someone weak or hopeless. It may simply reveal how central alcohol has become to the experience.
It may help to consider:
- Would I still want to golf if alcohol were not available?
- Do I start thinking about drinking before the round begins?
- Do I regularly drink more than I planned while golfing?
- Do I choose golf outings based primarily on how much drinking will be involved?
- Does the thought of declining alcohol around my friends make me extremely anxious?
- Has golf become an acceptable excuse to drink for several hours?
- Have people close to me expressed concern about how much I drink during or after a round?
These questions do not diagnose an alcohol use disorder. They may help someone recognize that alcohol has become more important to the activity—and possibly to their life—than they intended.
Someone does not need to wait until they have lost their job, relationships, health, or ability to function before asking for help.
The Game Was Never Only About Drinking
Golf did not make Dennis sober, and golf is not the answer for everyone in recovery.
What Dennis’s experience demonstrates is something broader: stopping drinking does not automatically mean losing every activity, friendship, or part of yourself that became associated with alcohol.
Some things may change. Certain outings may need to be approached differently. A few relationships may feel different. The first sober rounds may be uncomfortable.
But the game is still there.
The challenge is still there. The friendships can still be there. The frustration, competition, terrible shots, occasional great shots, fresh air, inside jokes, and satisfaction of improving can all still be there.
You cannot retake every shot. You cannot control every bounce. You cannot guarantee a perfect round.
But you can take an honest look at where you are, choose the next right move, and keep walking.
Begin Your Recovery at Liberty Health Services
If you are worried about your drinking—or the thought of doing ordinary activities without alcohol feels impossible—you do not have to figure everything out before reaching out for help.
Liberty Health Services provides alcohol detox and addiction treatment in Derry, New Hampshire, with individualized support in a small, private setting.
Our admissions team is available around the clock to answer questions, discuss treatment options, and help determine whether insurance may cover care. Call 855-959-4521 or verify your insurance benefits online.
Frequently Asked Questions About Golfing Without Drinking
Can you still enjoy golf without drinking?
Yes. The first few sober rounds may feel unfamiliar when golf has always been associated with alcohol, but many people discover that they still enjoy the game, friendships, competition, outdoor time, and opportunity to improve.
What can I say when my golf friends offer me alcohol?
You do not owe everyone a detailed explanation. Responses such as “No thanks, I’m good,” “I’m not drinking today,” or “I stopped drinking, but I’m still golfing” may be enough.
Should I avoid golf during early recovery?
That depends on how closely golf has been associated with alcohol and whether the environment feels safe. Someone may temporarily choose different playing partners, an earlier tee time, a shorter round, or a break from golf while becoming more stable in recovery.
What should I do if my friends pressure me to drink while golfing?
Consider telling one supportive person before the round, bringing your own alcohol-free drinks, driving yourself, and having a plan to leave. Repeated pressure after you have declined may also provide important information about whether that group currently supports your recovery.
Can golf replace addiction treatment?
No. Golf can provide enjoyment, structure, connection, and opportunities to practice patience, but it is not a replacement for medical care, counseling, peer support, or an individualized recovery plan.
