I flew from Phoenix to Dallas for one round of golf and came home thinking about how much better a tournament can feel when someone pays attention to the details.
The Malbon Buckets Cup at Maridoe was my first time playing golf in Texas. We’d been covering the tour at AmateurGolf.com, and I wanted to play in one myself. Fly in, tee it up, head home.
What I found was the most thoughtfully branded and put-together tournament experience I’ve played.
The giant LED scoreboard caught my attention. Then I noticed the live scoring included player photos. There were tables with whiskey, coffee, and seltzers to sample, new clothing to check out, and a DJ lounge where people could spend time together. Out on the course, every hole had a custom tee sign. A coverage team was conducting player interviews during the round.
I loved those details. Putting a player’s face next to their score is a small thing, but it makes you feel like you’re part of an event someone cares about.
Working in golf, you notice how much effort goes into that. Playing in it, you get to enjoy it.
The halfway house deserves a mention of its own. The tacos were amazing. I’m fully aware that I went to Maridoe to play competitive golf and am now writing about lunch, but good tacos in the middle of a tournament round will get my attention every time.
The whole place felt cool. The people, the clothes, the setup—it all fit together.
If you’re already a Malbon fan, there’s plenty to take in. Between the clothing on display and players wearing the newest gear, it felt like the collection had come to life around the course. You could see how people wore it, how they put an outfit together, and what caught your eye.
Somebody even stopped to tell me my fit looked good. I’m pretty certain that was a first for me at a golf tournament.
There was an award for best drip, so the outfit was part of the competition, too.
But you still had to play Maridoe.
The course was stellar. Perfect greens that felt close to 13 on the Stimpmeter, demanding tee shots, and huge putting surfaces with enough slope to make you think carefully about where you wanted the ball to finish.
Steve Smyers and Patrick Andrews designed a serious test here. Maridoe has hosted the Southern Amateur and the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, and it takes very little time on the course to understand why.
My favorite was the seventh, a diabolical par 5. It’s the hole I keep thinking about afterward, which is usually a pretty good sign. I’d love another chance to play it.
There was plenty to appreciate about the conditioning, but the challenge is what stayed with me. You had to hit good shots and keep paying attention. Those greens could make a hole feel very long after you’d already reached the putting surface.
I was paired with former major-league pitcher Mark Thurmond. At another point, we were watching Ja Rule tee off, then chatting with him about how hard the course was.
That gives you a sense of the day. You could find yourself alongside people with very different lives, then settle into the most familiar conversation in golf: that course was tough.
The social side felt easy. Everyone had something in common, and there were places and reasons to stick around and talk. For someone arriving on their own from another state, that matters.
So does the competition.
This is individual stroke play. You’re posting a number, and every shot counts. The Buckets Cup has Pro, Gross, and Net divisions, with season points and championship qualification giving players something to chase beyond a single round.
You can enjoy the music, appreciate someone’s outfit, and still really want to beat them.
That balance worked for me. I want a tournament to test my golf. I want to walk away having met people I’d enjoy seeing on another first tee. Malbon gave the day room for both.
Even the finish had some thought behind it. The winners received giant checks—the kind you want a picture with, and the kind that makes winning feel like an occasion.
My own finish came on No. 9, my last hole of the day. I made a birdie and tried to capture it for a “play a hole with me” video.
The golf was better than the filming. You’ll see.
I left with a closing birdie, a new favorite par 5, and a much better understanding of what Malbon is building with this tour.
The things I remember most are wonderfully specific: player photos on the scoreboard, interviews out on the course, tacos at the turn, a conversation with someone I’d just met. Somebody had taken the time to think about what the day would feel like for the people playing.
That’s what made the trip worth it. And it’s why I’d encourage a golfer looking for good competition and a new crew to give the Buckets Cup a try.
The next chance to play: Pinehurst No. 4
The tour heads to Pinehurst No. 4 on Tuesday, November 17, 2026, for an 18-hole stroke-play event with a planned 100-player field.
The $2,195 entry package includes accommodations at The Carolina Hotel, an awards reception dinner, and welcome gifts from Malbon and its partners.
Through our partnership with Malbon, paid AmateurGolf.com members can register with the $300 annual Buckets Club membership requirement waived. The tournament entry fee still applies.
Log in to AmateurGolf.com and register through the member link on the Malbon Buckets Cup – Pinehurst event listing.
This review is presented as part of AmateurGolf.com’s partnership with Malbon. The experience and opinions are my own.
