We know the familiar locations—in the studio or the party, on the freeway or the corner—but rap’s visual art has been on the green for a while now.
Rap has an interesting relationship with golf that seems to only be growing. We already looked at handicaps for the best golfers in hip-hop history , from OG heavyweights like Scarface and Uncle Luke to contemporary stars like ScHoolboy Q and Freddie Gibbs. (Did you know that DJ Khaled plays with a pro trainer up to five days a week? Or that Macklemore is particularly nice with the 3 iron?) Of course, going golfing does not merely comprise the sport itself—folks can still have a good time as long as they dig sunshine, grassy enclaves and cold drinks.
We’ve seen rap culture brought to golf, so it’s only right that we now track the inverse and celebrate the times where we saw golf culture penetrate the rap universe. Here is a ranking of rap music videos that incorporated golf. When coming up with this ranking, we prioritized how naturally the sport was intertwined with the video and how much love is shown to the sport.
12. Tyler, the Creator, “Tamale” (2013)
Director: Wolf Haley
The spirit of Sam Snead would have an instantaneous panic attack upon first viewing of “Tamale,” which Tyler begrudgingly admits he had to censor. This features some of the artist’s most daring and memorable imagery to date—gleefully trampolining off a woman’s giant butt, pulling up lakeside with the 10-speed and the striped shirt. But we’re definitely here for the country club scene, where he swings the driver in a mustard yellow summertime fit and raps about his urethra to the physical dismay of his caddy. Tyler’s colors pop next to a lush green, and he’s the clubhouse leader in freakouts on the back nine. This one is low on the actual golf index, but he registered a record amount of Golf Wang.
Score: The scorecard is just drawings of cats and upside-down crosses
11. Spinabenz, Whoppa Wit Da Choppa, Yungeen Ace, and FastMoney Goon, "Who I Smoke" (2021)
Director: Teo ShotThis
Come for the unvarnished and jaw-dropping disrespect, stay for the iconic Vanessa Carlton sample. The crew calls out their opps mid-swing and gives up on the gameplay rather quickly—but still commits to putting the trap in sand trap. Obviously, this song and video are very complicated. And the path goes down some dark places. But it’s definitely one of the most notable golf inspired rap videos ever.
Score: Triple bogie
10. jay! and DDG, “Choosy” (2021)
Director: Taylor Warren.
A quick and catchy piano-driven bop, “Choosy” has the best aerial golf course shots we’ve seen in a music video. How do you circumvent a noise violation at an elite private club? For DDG and Almighty Jay, the answer is to buy it out entirely, then blast the Bluetooth speaker to their hearts’ content. These two are here to smoke weed, race in the cart, flex on toxic relationships and hype each other up. Who among us wouldn’t choose that each and every Sunday?
Score: double bogie
9. Boaz, Mac Miller and Josh Everette, "Around The World" (2011)
Director: Dan Meyers
A couple of months before setting commercial records for an independent rap album , and a few before the folklore of Larry Fisherman really bloomed, Mac and fellow Yinzer rhymer Boaz were blasting cigarettes on the golf course. “Around the World” is a true blog-era jam—airy, twinkling synths with the autotune hook; MLB snapbacks and a singular shared bottle of Hennessy for the crew. The two look happiest cruising in the golf cart and stunting on the course, as Boaz takes in the sunset and Mac signs a golf glove for an adoring fan. We don’t think this duo kept score, but they surely hit from the black and yellow tees.
Score: bogie-turned-stogie
8. Rae Sremmurd, "Swang" (2017)
Director: Max Hliva
Alternating between a grainy handheld and a luxurious cherry blossom-tinted treatment, “Swang” puts Rae Sremmurd on the course with Titleist hats and crispy golf shorts. Throngs of baddies are here for support and scorekeeping. With bright pastel shirts and plastic smirks across their faces, the dudes that Rae Sremmurd golfs against look like villains from a Disney Channel Original Movie. Swae Lee is particularly buoyant on the hook, bopping across the course and throwing money while his friends putt.
Score: par
7. Gucci Mane, “Members Only” (2017)
Director: Be El Be
The Zone 6 Brick Boy relocates to “somewhere in Ireland” for a private round, thwacking a 50-yard line drive off the tee and flexing his ultra-rare Louis Vuitton Masters Collection midway through the round. The Irish Times confirmed that “Members Only” was shot at Kildare, better known to golfers as the legendary “K Club.” His caddy-turned-chauffeur is in a tuxedo, while Gucci’s outfit came from Italy and the motorcade from Germany. “International Wop” indeed. The entire video takes place on the private fairway and its palatial clubhouse, the spaciousness in direct contrast to the jail cell he had just been freed from a couple of years ago.
Score: par
6. The Notorious B.I.G., Mase, and Puff Daddy, “Mo Money, Mo Problems” (1997)
Director: Hype Williams
In the beginning of the “Mo Money, Mo Problems” video Mase Gumbel welcomes us back to the Bad Boy World Champion PGA Tour. Was this the pilot run for It Is What It Is? We will not celebrate Puffy Woods’ performance in any capacity, but we do tip our hats to the shots at Fuzzy Zoeller, the infamous pro golfer caught making lazily racist commentary during Tiger’s 1997 Masters run. “Mo Money, Mo Problems” bears all the trademarks of late ‘90s excess, from the shiny monochrome suits to the platinum-adorned dance troupes. And that’s why the green golf scenes pop with extra vibrancy. The posthumous Biggie verse calls for “gats in holsters, girls on shoulders,” which would surely be a PGA first. And if you listen closely, you’ll hear the sound of a hundred Rollies tossed onto the spongy grass of Augusta National.
Score: a birdie that probably deserves another handicap
5. French Montana and Drake, “No Shopping” (2016)
Director: Spiff TV
Drake readily admits that he is not good at golf. But he’s a natural at everything else that comes with it—drinking wine coolers, wearing cardigans and customizing sport accessories. Here, he and French Montana fly to the Dominican Republic for OVO Deportes’ coverage of El Coke Boys Clasico. These two look positively exuberant while driving that golf cart. Drake swings a club in sandals, then throws it away with reckless abandon. “Word to the bird,” Montana sneers on the hook. Word to the birdie as well.
Score: birdie
4. DJ Khaled, Justin Bieber and 21 Savage, “Let it Go” (2021)
Director: Colin Tilley
“It’s a new year, a new decade, a new world, and a new watch,” Khaled toasts to open the video for “Let it Go.” “Now let’s go golfing.” Welcome to We the Best Golf and Club, where Canadian pop stars sport Broward County hair twists and white-label product placement covers all 18. Justin Bieber scores the most casual hole-in-one in the history of the game. His GILMOUR hockey jersey is almost certainly a slight nod to Adam Sandler’s 1996 classic. 21 Savage rocks a knit Lacoste sweater, puffing a cigar and putting behind-the-back. Every back 9 should come with the chicken strips featured here. “Don’t play a sport but I ball,” Savage quips in a golf cart with butterfly doors. That’s real rap.
Score: eagle (presented by Belaire)
3. Webbie, “Lil Bit” (2020)
Director: A Zae Production
Interest in golf skyrocketed during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. It was a logical conclusion for folks seeking outdoor activities with ample spacing. Baton Rouge legend Webbie hopped into the movement with “Lil Bit,” facing off with an antagonist named Hating Neighbor. With his Trill Entertainment pendant glistening and a fresh white Dior golf collar, Webbie brings a distinct southern charm to the course. His vixen doubles partner rocks Bridgestone. “I just went golfing with the golfers, just a lil bit,” he raps before evoking Phil Mickelson and the late Pimp C. Webbie is having a ball, while Hating Neighbor is just awful at golf—his bewildered caddy handing him club after club as he whiffs every time.
Score: eagle
2. 9lokkNine, “Rickie Fowler” (2018)
Director: DrewFilmedIt
A seasoned golfer will tell you that it’s not about which color you tee off from, but how much cash you tee off with. 9lokkNine pops out in a two-tone salmon golf suit, a pearly white visor pushing up his trademark dreadlocks. The whole squad comes through in a fleet of golf carts, which should be a special occasion, but perhaps that’s just a regular weekend out in central Florida. The Orlando rapper looks like he’s having the time of his life on the course, rapidly volleying his bars to himself while dancing with the driver. (No word on whether the namesake Fowler has actually seen this.) 9lokkNine has been in prison since 2021 on federal firearm charges. For readers interested in a surprising and visceral crossover between golf and incarcerated peoples, we recommend the work of Valentino Dixon.
Score: albatross
1. Sexyy Red and Sukihana, “Hood Rats” (2023)
Director: Des Gray and Creed Life
You don’t measure your golf outing in strokes—but in shrimp consumed, champagne guzzled and country club members terrified. Every imaginable golf innuendo gets played in the “Hood Rats” video, don’t you worry. Is it against the unwritten rules to ask a fellow player about putting prescription drugs on a woman’s behind? We don’t see any language in the club handbook explicitly prohibiting that. According to Sexyy Red and Sukihana, the only colors a golfer needs to know on the course are pink and brown.
Score: Hole in once
