For pop-rock star Pat Monahan, inspiration has always come quickly.
The Train frontman says the best songs arrive like lightning in sudden, instinctive bursts of creativity. His band’s 2001 Grammy-winning hit, “Drops of Jupiter,” took shape in about 15 minutes. “If it’s fast, it’s good,” Monahan said. “If you have to think about it for weeks, you should probably move on.”
Golf, as he has discovered, works differently.
On a recent episode of GOLF’s Subpar podcast, Monahan reflected on his experiences at the 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where the 8-handicap admitted he played some of the worst golf he’s ever produced in the event. Teamed up with pro Steven Fisk and grouped alongside rising Tour star Jake Knapp, Monahan found himself searching for answers. Or at least a promise for improvement.
Relief came in a casual comment.
“Jake said something that really made a difference,” Monahan said. “He said, I enjoy practicing so much.”
Say what?
“I honestly thought that sounds crazy because I don’t really practice,” Monahan said.
Instead, he just showed up and played, waiting for inspiration as he would wait for a melody to arrive. But what worked in the studio didn’t work for Monahan on the tee. Time to try something different.
At home at Aldarra Golf Club in Sammamish, Washington, Monahan took a fresh approach. He walked to the shooting range wearing headphones, pumping hip-hop, determined to spend time working on his game. Something unexpected happened: he enjoyed it.
“I got in the zone,” he said. “For the first time I enjoyed practicing because someone told me I should enjoy it.”
Extra time might not get him another billboard hit. But it should help to perform some cleaner attacks. You can watch the entire interview with Monahan here.
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