Page 48 - South Mississippi Living - February, 2020

SPORTS & OUTDOORS
TEE FF
GOLF DRIVES Buddies Together story by Tommy Snell photos courtesy of The Whiskey Cup
“O
WITH TOMMY
Golf drives friends together. When Cree Cantrell created
the Whiskey Cup in 2018, six of his closest friends competed in eleven events on courses across the Coast, and friendships grew faster than Bermuda in July. He had no idea that so many memorable moments would tee off, but that’s what golf can do.
ver cigars at the Biloxi Yacht Club we hashed out the format for the original
and average-stroke pools each round, anybody can win, and Cantrell likes it that way. The financial advisor enjoys making money for his clients and golf buddies, even if they are bad golfers.
“John looks so good in his jacket,” brags wife Adrienne. Of course, she thinks he looks good in anything.
He is so proud of it that he wore the blue blazer to a private New Year’s dinner.
Whether the DogPound gathers
at Sunkist or Great Southern, or
the Dirty Dozen tees off at Pass Christian Isles, golf groups and season-long events like the Whiskey Cup bring people together and offer competitions
that summon linksters to the course every day. Join a group today!
Tommy Snell
group,” said Cantrell. The Whiskey Cup based awards on scoring, fairways hit, greens hit and number of putts, but with the growth to 18 in 2019 and now 32 members, a basic net-scoring system bestows a Whiskey Cup Jacket, a box of cigars and a bottle of bourbon to the season-long winner, all presented at a dinner in December.
The Ladies Auxiliary has one
duty, “mostly wine drinking,”
added Cantrell. Affectionately known as The Mint Juleps, the
32 wives certainly must keep the group made up of scratch golfers to 30-handicappers in line and focused on the prize. Knowing Cantrell,
a competition for the Mint Juleps lingers around the next dogleg. His charitable personality even awards a non-disclosed, adults-only prize to last place.
The Whiskey Cup and groups like them at other clubs verify golf as the ultimate buddy sport. Once a month these 32 pals will play together, laugh mutually and make fun collectively
in 19th Holes at eleven different courses. Cantrell has plans to support junior golf with any extra money.
Chris Payne won the inaugural event, and John Boothby donned the jacket in 2019. With split-the-pot
48 | February 2020
Whiskey Cup members Chris Payne, John Boothby and Cree Cantrell.