‘It’s Definitely Happening:’ Joel Dahmen Talks Hot Mics, Netflix Documentary and the Evolving Golf TV Broadcast

Joel Dahmen is the 86th-ranked golfer in the world and posted a top-10 finish at the U.S. Open last year, but he’s lauded by fans for much more than his skills on the course. The 35-year-old cancer survivor keeps it real: He’s one of the quirkiest and most outgoing players on the PGA Tour, as demonstrated by his shirtless antics with Harry Higgs at the 2022 WM Phoenix Open. Ahead of his appearance in the second annual Tito’s Shorties Classic—a charitable chip-and-putt skins game—Dahmen answered our questions about everything from friendships with LIV Golf members to the PGA Tour’s upcoming Netflix documentary series.

What are you most looking forward to at your second Tito’s Shorties Classic this week? 

Fans are going to get to see the fun side of golf a little bit. You know, out on a typical PGA Tour week, it’s kind of robotic out there at times. You just see us with our heads down practicing a lot or we're competing—it's our job. With this Tito's outing you're just going to see golfers having fun the way that your recreational golfers have fun. And you know, with great people like Harry Higgs, and Keith Mitchell and Beau Hossler, that's a really fun crew. And if you sip a little bit of Tito’s before you go play golf, it's typically also more fun.

Golf Channel’s broadcast seems to be adding new, modern elements to their airtime. One observation I had—the mics are hotter than ever. Are the players noticing that too?

I would say there's more of them for sure. You know, on PGA Tour Live you can almost hear everything. And they're always on. So it's definitely happening. And in the day of social media, everyone has a cell phone. So you could be walking and some guy is filming you out from the crowd, and you say something under your breath.

How do players feel about that? 

I think the players understand which way the game is going, and the tour has kind of led us in that direction a little bit. The PGA Tour in 2020, at the Players Championship, had every shot live, and we're gonna incorporate that more. But I think players just understand that this is the bubble we're in now. We're also playing for more money. If you want to be on the best tour in the world, and you want to perform in front of these people, there are things that come along with that. But I would say that 95% of players are just fine with it all. They are pretty happy with the way things are going and the crowds and the atmosphere and the way the game is changing. Everything evolves, right? Every sport evolves, humanity evolves, so I just think that golf is just kind of doing it maybe a hair late. I do think it's going in the right direction. I do think it's a ton of fun.

The Tour is clearly making big advancements with its “designated events,” purse increases, and guaranteed money, but kind of like the hotter mics, what are some of the other things that players will notice as these changes play out?

I would just say the more exposure. I mean, we have a Netflix show coming out. So that's going to be another point of inside access. But you can still hide outside of the golf course. There's very few guys that are popular enough that they get bothered at dinner and things like that. So I would say for the most part, you can still pretty much get away from it if there's something you're not agreeing with. I would just say that if they're unhappy with the way things are going on the PGA Tour, then that's a whole different thing. Go play somewhere else.

Speaking of the Netflix show, what can fans expect from your appearance in the show?

I'm in the dark as much as you are. I have not seen any of it. I have heard that there's plenty of myself and my caddie, Geno Bonnalie, and my wife on there. I'm a little nervous as it's getting close to coming out around the L.A. Open. My wife and I, we kind of just let it all out there. We were who we were, we didn't really protect ourselves. We had them to our house multiple times, we had them on the road. If they put a mic and a camera in your face and for long enough, you're probably going to say something you shouldn't say. It's easy for them to be taken out of context when you're in for a 45-minute or an hour show, so I'm a little nervous about the overall thing, but I will say that I felt like I was pretty true to myself and I would say that my wife and Geno and I were just kind of who we are. And if you don't like us, I'm sorry.

Speaking of Geno, you guys have an amazing relationship, and he is hilarious. I remember he got stranded at one golf course and had to bike to the tournament?

That was at the Players Championship, yes. He biked all the way in for us to not even hit a golf shot that day because of the weather. He actually got a sponsorship deal out of that, an e-bike company sent him an electric bike he could cruise around in. It’s the most Geno story ever, but of course it worked out for him.

How did you meet?

We actually grew up together. He's four years older than me. But we grew up in the same area. I grew up in Lewis and Clark's Washington, but it's in the same small valley. And he was a very good player. And I kind of looked up to him when I was younger, and then we teamed up playing some events and just kept really close throughout the years. And here we are today. We've been friends for 20 years now. We're just some goofy guys from a small town who happen to be pretty good at golf and have fun with it.

What made you stick with Geno instead of hiring a veteran Tour caddie?

I mean, I spend more time with him than I do with my wife. It's a second marriage. I always thought that if I surround myself with the best people that I would have more success. Can a caddie tell you not to short-side yourself, or maybe the wind came up always on this hole? Or every year this will play shorter than you think? OK, well, if he helps me five times a year like that I'd rather have Geno helping me the other 1,000 times I'm hitting the golf ball hanging out with him. I'd rather him practice with me and share hotels and go to dinner and whatever else that comes with it. I just always felt comfortable with him. It's not like he's just my friend who's just out there goofing off. He takes his job very seriously, he's very good at it, and he knows me as a person and as a golfer.

What was it like interacting with the whole announcing crew at the Tito’s event—the Bob Does Sports gang and Amanda Renner?

Amanda and I became pretty good friends the last five years. I hang out with her and her husband when he comes out on the road. Amanda is one of the best in the game, out of any sideline reporter in the NFL, I'm just so impressed with the way how she handles everything, from preparation and her ability to have fun. They needed her there to corral the Bob Does Sports fellas, between Robbie Berger, Coldcuts, and you have Fat Perez—it can get out of hand very quickly. So it was nice to have Amanda there to kind of keep things in line.

So last year, you played the Tito’s event alongside Pat Perez and Harold Varner. Can you put into words how much has changed since then? And did you at all see this coming? Were you good friends before, do you still talk to them?

Yeah, we were decent friends. I mean, we weren't going out to dinner all the time, but Pat lives in Scottsdale, so I’d see him every now and then playing golf. And on the road—he was one of my favorites to hit balls next to on the range because you know he’s always kind of winging it and having a good time. He’s always been a favorite of everyone on tour. Harold and I—we played together on the Korn Ferry tour, and he was a year ahead in getting his Tour card, but we played golf together for six or seven years. He’s very friendly. I've done outings with him.

I don't blame them one bit for going. I just didn't like the fact that they were coming back to complain about the Tour, that was my problem. But, you know, when Harold wrote his LIV announcement he said, "Hey, I'm leaving, because I can have generational wealth when I grew up poor." I'm like, good for you, man. That's awesome. Pat Perez spent 20 plus years on Tour. He made a lot of money. He's done very well for himself. But now he’s 46, on the back of his career and to make all of this money? Good for him. Have a grand old time. But yeah, I don't think I ever saw this coming. but here we are. I think the PGA Tour is in a pretty good spot. And I'm happy with where I'm at.

Your partner in the Tito’s event—Harry Higgs—said something interesting the other day. He said he’s worried about the PGA Tour because they lost all their “a--holes and villains” to LIV Golf, do you agree?

Yeah, agree with that. I mean, if you just look at the names, there were some who were a little rough on the microphone, or some people maybe did stuff on the golf course that caused a stir. There is certainly a lot of truth to that. We lost plenty of good players to LIV. I shouldn't say that, they're all good players. But we lost plenty of super nice guys, but we also lost plenty of—maybe in the court of public opinion—not so nice guys. I think Harry could have said it a different way, but Harry says what he says and most of the time he's correct and pretty funny.

At the majors, it seems like everyone is going to be looking out for those crossover moments between LIV and PGA Tour guys, and people will go crazy over it.

One hundred percent: “Oh this Tour player went and putted at the same hole as this LIV player and they didn’t say hi to each other. They must hate each other!” Although, they actually didn’t say hi to each other the previous 10 years either, so it’s nothing.

Lastly, do you have a favorite Sports Illustrated cover?

I think the thing I remember most about Sports Illustrated is that Rick Reilly always wrote an article just inside the back cover for many years, “Life of Reilly.” I was probably in elementary school or middle school, but I remember it. I think he’d mostly write the feel good stories in sports or maybe he had a rant or two, but I remember that more than any cover, per se. Then he put a book together that had all of his articles, and I think it’s one of the greatest books ever. 

The Tito’s Shorties Classic will be broadcast on Golf Channel at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jan. 11.