Inside Scoop: Golf Trips

Bryan Rust is no stranger to the golf trip tradition. Growing up, his family vacations were centered around playing desirable golf courses, including California’s Pebble Beach and Wisconsin’s Whistling Straits.

“It's definitely a sport that our family has bonded over for years, and it's something you can play at any level for as long as you’re alive, basically,” Rust said. “So, it's definitely super fun.”

It’s something his work family has bonded over as well, as the players organize golf trips after the season ends, whenever that may be.

“It is not even thought about until we're done, and then it comes together in about 24 hours,” Rust said. “Some guys have various connections one way or another, through friends, through them just being who they are, whatever it is. And we piece together a trip in a very short amount of time, and we have fun with it.”

The itinerary usually consists of two rounds of golf per day, and then some “extracurriculars,” as Rust put it. “Some drinks and some laughs.” Crossing paths with pro golfers Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Smylie Kaufman and their wives in Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina, and having a prank war straight out of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, was a prime example. Rust said last year’s trip, also to South Carolina, at Kiawah Island Golf Resort near Charleston, was another standout.

However, Rust did not make this year’s trip to The Keep at McLemore Resort in Rising Fawn, Georgia. Sports Illustrated named it the Best New Course (Overall) for 2025, with it getting listed at No. 25 in Golfweek’s Top 200 Resort Golf Courses in America.

The players who were able to swing it left on Sunday, May 3, and returned on Tuesday, May 5, spreading out over a few villas.

“It was my first golf trip ever. I was the worst golfer there, for sure,” Connor Dewar said with a laugh. “I've had shoulder surgery in the past, I just haven't played as much as I should play. But I was like, I'm going to go check this out.”

Dewar said that apart from him, most of the guys had their good days. But Rickard Rakell was the most consistent.

“Ricky was really, really good,” Dewar said. “Really good. He was probably the best golfer on that trip, over the course of the three days.”

It’s not often that the group has a chance to get together outside of the confines of the season. Even during bye weeks, they still have to make sure they are being responsible and ready to get back into the swing of things in short order. So, having trips like this is something they cherish. 

“I think when you're hanging out and the season isn't going on, everyone's a lot more relaxed,” Dewar said. “During the hockey season, you're constantly carrying a bit of weight and stress on your shoulders, even when times are good. But also, to hang out with guys and to get to know them in that kind of setting away from hockey, I think it builds your relationship with them and kind of makes you friends in life more so than just teammates.”