As a seasoned PGA TOUR veteran with an impressive 37-year career, Brad Faxon (@bfaxon) has carved out his place as a prominent figure in the world of golf.
After a long day of golf, Faxon enjoys an Old Fashioned made with Sweetens Cove.
Beyond his celebrated career as a pro-golfer, Brad Faxon serves as a golf analyst for NBC Sports and Golf Channel. Known as the “Putting Whisperer,” he’s also a sought-after putting instructor and co-founder of Sweetens Cove Spirits Company, where he blends his love for golf and fine spirits. Here, he reflects on the game and his community.
As a Palm Beach Gardens resident, how do you enjoy spending time at home, and how does your local community influence your love for golf? We’ve lived in Palm Beach Gardens for 10 years since moving from Rhode Island. Old Palm Golf Club is a lovely golf community with a great group of members who love the game of golf. We’re minutes from the beach, shopping and Palm Beach Island, and we have the world-class Jupiter Medical Center, where I help raise funds through their annual Charity Classic.
What are your favorite golf courses in the Palm Beach area? Having played golf in the Palm Beach area for many years, there are obvious choices to play if you get an invite. Seminole is outstanding and the most historic and well-known—it never gets old playing there. Jack Nicklaus founded the Bears Club and it’s tremendous. Nearby, there are too many great courses to list, but MacArthur is arguably the best 36-hole private facility in Florida.
As a golf analyst, how does your experience playing iconic courses influence your work? Throughout my professional golf career, I have played over 85 of the top 100 courses in the United States. This experience helps me understand the golf courses featured on the PGA Tour during our coverage. It’s usually easy to describe a shot a player may have and provide the viewer with insights they might not know from the picture alone.
How did you become known as the “Putting Whisperer,” and what contributed to that title? I’m not sure how the name “Putting Whisperer” came about, but it was probably after I was introduced to Rory McIlroy. That name likely got more widespread because of how gifted he is, not because of anything I can do extraordinarily. Being a good putter during my playing career doesn’t guarantee that I will be exemplary as a coach, so I am always trying to learn how to improve. The best teachers have the best players, but which comes first?
Photography by: CARRIE WEIDNER
