Hi. I'm Joel. Nice to e-meet you.

I had no idea so many people would be this excited to see me shirtless, but I guess the extra sit-up that day is really paying off. They tell me I’m the first PGA Tour pro to fully bare his golf tan on the cover of Golf Digest ever, so that’s a piece of history. Anyway, thanks for taking a look at this crazy issue. You can read my take on Golf Twitter’s most controversial moments, my opinion of the worst hole we play on tour, my story about this guy who got booted from a club for not paying his bets, and more. It was a blast to be Guest Editor, and if you get nothing out of this, just know that tour players are normal humans, too. We like to have fun, play games with our friends, and spend low key days on the couch watching sports while kids run circles around the house.

A regular at our local gym (yes, I do work out sometimes) scored the best line about the cover when he told me yesterday, “Joel, you’ve done for recreational golfers what Kevin James did for funny heavy guys. Put plus on the map.”

I hope to see you on the course this year, and please make sure to give my caddie Geno the wave when you come out.

Cheers,
Joel