They’re called the Liars Club, and it might be the only thing they say about the golf course that’s true.
A group of local golfers – and they use that term loosely – get together a couple of times a week to play the game they have come to love.
Longtime basketball coach Brien Crowder is the king of the Liars Club and he doesn’t apologize.
“This group is crazy,” Crowder says. “We don’t take it too seriously, but we play to beat each other.”
That’s when the fun begins. They play various formats, usually a scramble. The winning team earns the bragging rights and usually takes full advantage of it. Trash talk is not for the faint of heart.
Crowder figured out that the best way to defeat the blockade blues after the coronavirus pandemic was to play golf. Since May 1, he has played more than 60 rounds, most of them with his friends in the loosely organized club, which now has 19 members.
Members include other coaches in the area, Crowder’s son-in-law, grandchildren and some longtime friends.
There is no question about who the club president is. Crowder is larger than life, even after recently losing 30 lbs. His booming voice can be heard echoing across the fairways at whatever local course the club is playing.
“We don’t bet money,” Crowder said. “You don’t see a beer out here. We are not a bunch of drunks. It shows right there that you don’t have to get drunk and gamble to have fun. It’s all about pride and fun. “
Crowder once won over $ 230,000 on the TV show Deal or No Deal and a $ 5,000 Rolex watch in a put race, yet the idea of winning on any given day on the golf course against his friends could mean just as much. for him.
These days he teaches golf in Florida, where he has spent the last 14 years. He was known as the Brien Crowder “Suitcase” for his penchant for moving from one job to another.
He had to go back to Florida last week because his school district returned to teaching in the classroom, but he spent the summer in East Tennessee, where he plans to return once he retires in a couple of years.
The Liars Club won’t be the same with him out of town, but the group plans to keep playing until their leader returns. Crowder plans to return for a few weekends and is already counting the days until the next summer vacation.
How the club got its name is a story in itself.
Even if there is nothing but pride at stake, the stakes can get quite high. This group already takes great liberties with the rules of golf, yet they once branded a member as a cheater when they “miraculously” found a ball that had been hit deep in the woods.
Crowder has a video of the incident, but he shudders every time he shows it because part of the tongue on it would make a sailor blush.
So started the Liars Club. You don’t have to lie to be a member. You really don’t even have to trash speeches. But you really need to have thick skin because the spikes can dig deep enough.
“Hey Crowder,” said a voice from an adjacent fairway. “You better gain that weight back in time for Christmas so you can fit into your Santa costume.”
His reply?
“Thanks. And I need an elf with bad teeth. Are you available?”
After a particularly exciting game, Crowder’s daughter baked a cake and decorated it with the words “We kicked the morrow” (butts) in reference to East Tennessee state force coach Lee Morrow and his brother. Neil retired.
That’s when you know things get serious when a cake is involved. But that day – as is always the case with the Liars Club – nothing tasted better than a well-deserved cake topped with a little chatter and a lot of lies.
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