This week Golf Digest hosted their annual “Golfers Who Give Back” event, during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and presented Jake Owen, along with Peyton Manning, and Phil Mickelson with the prestigious Arnie Award (named after the late Arnold Palmer).  When Jake isn’t singing his latest single “If He Ain’t Gonna Love You,” he’s an avid golfer with a 2 handicap. Jake has played in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am for the past five years, and this week he is paired with his good friend, Jordan Spieth. Golf has always been a big part of Jake’s life, he says “growing up my dad and I played golf from the time I could…I mean we have photos of myself and my little brother, I say my little brother… my twin brother, in diapers man and my dad cut down golf clubs for us as a kid and we were out there just whacking balls around the backyard.” Jake also thinks the sport had a lot more to offer than just sinking putts, “it truly taught me a lot growing up.”

  Jake Owen remembers playing golf at a really early age. (:16)
“Well just growing up my dad and I played golf from the time I could…I mean we have photos of myself and my little brother, I say my little brother… my twin brother, in diapers man and my dad cut down golf clubs for us as a kid and we were out there just whacking balls around the backyard.”

  Jake Owen says that playing golf with his dad is always a special time. (:47)
“My dad was always a great player and I always wanted, as any son probably does want to follow in his dad’s footsteps. So, I always grew up wanting to play and I remember getting being able to play with my dad and his friends when I got old enough where I could hit the ball out there long enough to play with them and I wasn’t a nuisance in the group, you know? But uh we, my dad and I, have been able to do some pretty awesome things like throughout our life playing golf together. It’s been…golf’s a pretty interesting sport that really is great for just, you know, conversing with one another and it’s just the camaraderie in golf is a great thing. The honesty of it and it’s a, you know… they call it a gentlemen’s sport. So I think it truly taught me a lot growing up.”