As Ecclesiastes<\/a> tells us, there is nothing new under the sun. Almost everything the Burners debate or discuss on X, formerly twitter, can be found on a GolfWRX forum<\/a> or the Golf Club Atlas message board. Their crusade is not the first call to traditional arms nor will it be the last. <\/p>\n While the Burnerverse shares an appetite for decorum, there is also a healthy dose of tactless flaunting. There is, however, something unique about the Burners that makes their whole schtick entertaining and compelling. It\u2019s hard to put a finger on it, but their entire ethos borders on a shamelessness that would make their fuddy-duddy forefathers tremble with rage. Whether their posts draw applause or pearl clutching, you cannot deny the entertainment value. Consider this sampling by the wildly popular @seminolesammie69<\/a>: <\/p>\n While the post reads: \u201cTonight\u2019s loadout.\u201d <\/p>\n What the post really says: \u201cYes, I play courses you\u2019ve never heard of. No, I\u2019m not about to apologize for Burning Tree being a \u2018men only\u2019 club. And yes, I have to decide which Rolex I wear every damn night. Yell at a wall if that bothers you.\u201d <\/p>\n This effort by @camyoungburner<\/a> says a lot: <\/p>\n Occasionally, the Burnerverse will provide a post that promotes thoughtful debate. This effort not only did that, but gave the Burners a chance to show how well they know ball. <\/p>\n Before the Burnerverse<\/p>\n #Golftwitter has long benefitted from the presence of elite burner accounts like @ANTIFAldo<\/a> and @wokekenzie<\/a>. But it was the summer of 2024 when a lesser-known burner emerged that would begin to lay the groundwork for what eventually became The Burnerverse: the singular @Eldricks_hoes,<\/a> AKA Country Club Snob. <\/p>\n The Saga of the Snob<\/p>\n Country Club Snob (the Snob) blended his posts with equal parts cringe, perceived privilege, and snobbery. Constantly belittling and taking jabs and the public player, the mid- to entry-level country club member, and the quickly forming culture around post-pandemic golf. His popularity soared in the summer of 2024 as post after (sometimes hilarious but often tasteless) post were shared widely. <\/p>\n As it turns out, his jabs at the mid-tier club life proved to be a bit too detailed. He was ultimately doxxed as a member of a mid-tier club in the heart of SEC Country,<\/a> Knoxville, Tennessee. The exact kind of mid-tier life he deprecated with so many tweets. In the end, the Snob was a caricature of his own life. Soon after he was doxxed\u2014poof\u2014the Snob was gone. His sarcastic tone and unapologetic affinity for the (supposedly) finer things in golf strongly echo in the highly entitled Burnerverse. If there\u2019s a Big Bang moment for the Burnerverse, it\u2019s the downfall of the Snob. <\/p>\n In the Beginning <\/p>\n Most people will agree that the Burnerverse first started to take shape around November 2024 in the vacuum left by the departure of Country Club Snob in August. A language started to form within a handful of accounts that spoke to a certain ideology of what was right and wrong in golf. Take clothing for example: certain things were \u201cexpand\u201d (Johnnie-O, Peter Millar), certain things were \u201cshrink\u201d (Bad Birdie, MUNICIPAL). In fact, there was a lot of @shrink. <\/p>\n \u201cShrink was a response to the cringe we see so much of in the golf world,\u201d @TuckedPins<\/a>, known as NetStick in the Burnerverse, shared with me. \u201cPeople blaring music from their Bluetooth is shrink,\u201d NetStick said, \u201cDon\u2019t get me wrong, listen to your music at an appropriate level, that\u2019s fine, but just be considerate and learn how to act on a golf course.\u201d A single-digit player who lives in Pennsylvania and works in insurance, NetStick believes that conformity to golf\u2019s traditions makes the game better for everyone. <\/p>\n This view is widely shared among the purists in the Burnerverse who have no time to waste watching an 8-man-scramble on YouTube. @ChipJohnson01<\/a>, aka Perry \u201cChip\u201d Maxwell, is another Burner with roots deep in golf traditions. For him, the Burnerverse is about finding a community of like-minded souls. \u201cI’ve played golf since the day I could walk. I’m someone who appreciates what the game was before COVID and before everyone and their mother wanted to play. For me, the Burnerverse has been a community of people who share the same values about the game and like to talk about niche golf stuff.” And, boy, do these guys like to talk. <\/p>\n The Spaces<\/p>\n Led by #BallKnowers like @SeminoleSammy69<\/a>, the Burnerverse congregate almost nightly into Spaces on X, like so many Night\u2019s Watchmen defending the realm of golf. The lively discussions can cover predictable topics like equipment, golf courses, watches, gas station food, and, of course, top 100 golf courses and other \u201csick\u201d clubs. Just a few days ago, @RevRabbiJohnson playfully lamented to @NotDaRealGil<\/a> that it \u201cmust suck to only have one connection at Grove XXIII.\u201d The Burners love to discuss their access and connections. <\/p>\n Due to the anonymity and general free-for-all laissez-faire nature of the Burnerverse, you\u2019re also going to get some wild cards in these Spaces sessions. By wild cards, I mean vile racism and sexism. While listening to one of the Spaces a few weeks ago, I was floored to hear the N-word used openly. When another Burner rightfully challenged the offender to not use that kind of language, the offender doubled down, stating he was of Greek heritage and using hateful slurs was somehow part of defending his way of life. An uncomfortable silence followed, and the conversation shifted back to resort golf. Such is life in the Burnerverse. <\/p>\n Who the Hell Are These Guys?<\/p>\n The Burnerverse gives off a very ESPN GameDay-frat house-SEC-vibe. You know the type: twentysomethings who are still effectively living off their parents and enjoying junior memberships at clubs on the outskirts of second- and third-tier cities like Birmingham and Knoxville. That vibe is misleading, however, as the Burnerverse spreads from coast to coast, with high-density pockets in places like New York, New Jersey, the Carolinas and Florida. Many of them are single-digit handicappers, including a smattering of former collegiate players. Donny \u201cTurtleback\u201d Ross (@DonnyRoss1872<\/a>) is the apex predator of the Burners with his alleged plus 5.4 index and a razor-sharp wit to match. <\/p>\n A pattern emerges in the X bios of the Burners. Most have account names that play off the names of men who formed golf\u2019s Golden Age. This is often done in jest. Take @ThrobbyJones<\/a>, for example. The bios are brief, but often include GHIN indexes, number of top-100 clubs notched and, in some cases, a brand allegiance.<\/p>\n The Burnerverse is decentralized with no home base and no specific leader or leaders. There are, of course, a few that stand out. Some brief dossiers: <\/p>\n @NotdaRealGil<\/a> is among the best the Burnerverse has to offer. His strengths include photography, architectural and historical acumen, and, surprisingly, penmanship<\/a>. A muni golf product who now appreciates the game on a heightened level. <\/p>\n @Leftyzag <\/a>is the rare Burner who puts his face in pictures and videos. Family man and a stick (+2). Celebrator of both private and public golf. Blade putter for life, Titleist enthusiast and a craftsman with a wedge. <\/a><\/p>\n @underwritedeez<\/a> is one of the more culturally tuned-in burners. No one is safe<\/a> from his sarcastic takes than run the gamut from food to sport to politics. Recently started streaming live hole-in-one challenges. <\/p>\n @OuimetEnjoyer<\/a> is the rare left-handed, brand agnostic burner. Top-3 player in the Burnerverse. Ridiculous list of truly hard-to-get invites litter his feed. Frontline #shrink soldier. Fearless, under-appreciated follow. <\/p>\n Whenever a large group of impressionable single young men with large amounts of (their parents\u2019?) disposable income comes together, the #brands won\u2019t be far behind. What\u2019s unique about the Burnerverse is they somewhat call the brands to them via a barrage of social media tags. <\/p>\n As for apparel, their loyalty to brands like B.Draddy, Holderness & Bourne, Johnnie-O and Peter Millar is bulletproof. This isn\u2019t a group that takes a lot of sartorial chances, so you\u2019ll not see much from some of golf\u2019s more forward-thinking designers. Related, one could easily write 3,000 words about their love of logos, specifically Top-100 club logos, and the psychology around their fascination. And it is 100% safe to say if I was in a bar sitting next to two grown-ass men discussing the Yale logo as Biff Roberts, @ButlerCabin1894 does below, I\u2019d ask them to step outside and beat some sense into them. <\/p>\n <\/a>As for equipment, Titleist, along with all of the peripheral Acushnet brand companies like Footjoy, Scotty Cameron and Vokey, is the clear front-runner. No surprise here as the Burnerverse likes tradition and traditional brands. That said, anyone who posts a set of Miura or Fourteen blades would be applauded. <\/p>\n The Burners have an app. Kind of. Course Vaults<\/a> is a newly designed, highly addictive app that allows users to track and rank the courses they\u2019ve played. Unlike most golf brands or products that focus on Instagram\u2019s platform to launch and promote, Course Vaults\u2019 founder Zico zigged where others zagged. \u201cWe intentionally went to golf twitter,\u201d he told me. \u201cWe found pretty early that the Burnerverse was filled with passionate posters that were louder and more vocal than the other corners of golf twitter.\u201d <\/p>\n The Burnerverse took a liking to Course Vaults almost immediately as evidenced by @NOTdaRealGil\u2019s 275 reviews (Royal Dornoch and Merion East tied at the top receiving 9.9 out of a perfect 10). As I write this, Burners are posting pictures of themselves wearing Course Vaults merch. It appears as if Zico has found his sele\u00e7\u00e3o. <\/a><\/p>\n There\u2019s a quote in the 2020 documentary The Social Dilemma: \u201cIf it\u2019s free, you\u2019re the product,\u201d which brings us to @BowTied_Golfer<\/a>, and his free newsletter The Tuxedo Collective.<\/a> His breadth of insider knowledge gets eaten up in the Burnnerverse in the same way 13-year-old boys read The Robb Report to learn more about the Lamborghini they\u2019ll buy as soon as they finish college.<\/p>\n Wondering how to best prepare for your interview at one of America\u2019s elite country clubs? Worry not. This is the newsletter for you. As for the 99% of us who will never join an elite club, BTG still delivers refreshing and aspirational content, written in a pithy and authoritative tone that reads almost like a manifesto. BTG also leads a weekly discussion on Spaces. <\/p>\n What\u2019s Real, What Isn\u2019t <\/p>\n For all its colorful characters, the Burnerverse is occupied by a fair share of casuals who wouldn\u2019t know The Valley Club from Hidden Valley Ranch. For them, it\u2019s not about a love of golf, rather a love of the game\u2019s trappings. The sense of agency and belonging one might feel in certain restricted corners of the game speaks to these Burners: a narrow view of what golf is or should be, informed by access, commercialism and exclusion. <\/p>\n![\"image1.png\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image1_7e88dec6ed.png\")
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