Taco Bell Now Has A Golf Tournament With Bad Birdie, And It’s Everything That’s Awesome About The Sport In 2025

Having spent six years working at country clubs, I thought I’d seen it all on a golf course. I’ve witnessed aggressive geese, caddies racing out-of-control golf carts towards a water hazard, and the full-blown temper tantrums of grown men in pleated khakis throwing their $500 drivers farther than they can actually hit a ball. But a Taco Bell-branded tee marker followed by a post-round platter of Crunchy Taco Supremes? That is a glorious new first.

Earlier this week, I had the surreal pleasure of playing in the inaugural Taco Bell x Bad Birdie Invitational at the breathtakingly beautiful Monarch Beach Golf Links in Dana Point, California. And let me tell you, it was a masterclass in what makes golf so damn fun right now.

If you’ve ever been to Monarch Beach, you know it’s one of the most stunning public tracks in the country. It’s pure, pristine, oceanfront California, where every FOMO-inducing hole is a postcard. For those of us who cut our teeth on craggy municipal courses with more groundhog holes than playable lies, a place like this feels like heaven. The idea of this immaculate course hosting an event for a brand synonymous with late-night munchies and the Crunchwrap Supreme might seem strange, but it’s the perfect snapshot of where golf is in 2025. The sport isn’t just for your grandpa and his stuffy country club anymore. It’s for everyone. It’s a vibe.

And when I say everyone, I mean it. Golf is white-hot right now, and that’s not just a feeling; it’s a fact. According to the National Golf Foundation, a staggering 47.2 million Americans now play golf in some form, a massive 38% surge since 2019. The game is younger, more diverse, and shedding its uptight reputation one disruptive event at a time. This isn’t your father’s golf tournament for the club champion parking space; this is the new school, wearing Jordans, Malbon, and Eastside Golf.

The day was a classic shotgun scramble, a format built for good times and aggressive plays. I was rolling with the Back 9 Boys and the one and only Toddy Smith. The vibe was less PGA Tour and more a bunch of guys who love the game, root for each other, and don’t take themselves too seriously. Golf can be mighty intimidating if you’re not a scratch golfer, but these fellas brought the kind of energy that’s pulling millions of new fans into the sport. I felt welcome with this crew, even with my egregiously bad slice.

This event is part of a much larger trend: the cultural rise of creator-driven golf. We’ve all seen it. The influencers at The Masters. The throngs and throngs of bachelor parties at the Waste Management. Personalities and brands like Bob Does Sports (starring former BroBible employee Robby Berger!), Good Good, Grant Horvat, and No Laying Up have built massive audiences by making golf relatable and, most importantly, entertaining. They’ve traded hushed reverence for hilarious commentary, impossible challenges, and a genuine camaraderie that makes you feel like you’re part of the foursome. The PGA TOUR itself has even gotten in on the action with its own Creator Classic series, acknowledging that the future of its fanbase is watching YouTube, not just network television.

The Taco Bell x Bad Birdie Invitational fits into this new mold perfectly, with actual stakes for some of the best up-and-coming junior amateur golfers. The event brought together sixteen of the nation’s most promising junior golfers who were selected through an application process that evaluated their World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and other credentials, including

It’s a collision of these worlds in the best way possible. On one hand, you have Bad Birdie, a brand that has completely upended traditional golf fashion with its bold, expressive, and rebellious apparel. On the other hand, you have Taco Bell, a cultural icon that’s all about bringing people together at all times of the day to live más. Together, they threw a friends and fam party that just happened to be a golf tournament.

Fittingly, the event coincided serendipitously with the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship in Lake Tahoe on the same week. While that tournament in Northern California represents some epic hangs with movie stars and pro athletes, the Taco Bell Invitational near their home base in SoCal felt like the new wave. Less about traditional TV stars and more about the internet-famous creators and athletes shaping culture right now.

Taco Bell brought the star power in full force. We’re talking about guys like World Long Driving champion Martin Borgmeier and Las Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams—Mr. Taco Bell himself, as my Uber driver to Orange County called him, cruising around the course. I also saw former NFL quarterback Carson Wentz, who apparently has a cannon for a golf swing, too, because he walked away with the win for the closest-to-the-pin challenge while everyone munched on bean burritos, Nacho Cheese Doritos® Locos Tacos, and Cantina Chicken Crispy Tacos topped with fresh-out-the-packet Avocado Verde Salsa in all its real avocado and tomatillo glory.

Also spotted in the crowd were Snappy Gilmore and his bewildering one-handed drive, Karol Priscilla, Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler, and Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet.

But beyond the celebrity sightings and the perfect, marine-layer-free coastal weather, the event had a real purpose. The whole thing was built to support 16 of the country’s most promising junior golfers. After a couple of stellar days of play in very windy conditions, Kihei Akina and Asterisk Talley emerged as the champions, earning themselves sponsor exemptions into the Puerto Rico Open and the LPGA Tour Ford Championship, respectively. As part of the invitational’s mission to give back, the Taco Bell Foundation also committed $40,000 in grants, or $2,500 a player, to nonprofits chosen by the junior players—a genuinely cool way to support their communities.

As Taco Bell’s CMO, Taylor Montgomery, put it, the partnership is about “open[ing] the doors for the next generation of cultural rebel golfers.” And you could feel that. The whole day was a celebration of individuality, underscored by the limited-edition Taco Bell x Bad Birdie merch capsule that dropped alongside the tournament. The collection fuses Taco Bell’s iconic branding with Bad Birdie’s modern, performance-focused style, featuring brightly-colored statement pullovers, hats, and whimsical accessories. I’m a huge fan of the polo and the all-black Taco Club golfers with some very locked-in caricature eagles.

You get the gist of the capsule from the shots below: Fashion-forward attire made for golf rebels, designed to break the tired, stuffy dress codes of the past.

SHOP THE TACO BELL X BAD BIRDIE CAPSULE HERE

After the last putt dropped, we all gathered for the kind of post-round meal that dreams are made of. Forget dry turkey club sandwiches and Arnold Palmers. Instead, we were greeted by a glorious, steaming platter of Taco Bell classics and Agua Frescas. There’s something profoundly right about sinking a 20-foot birdie putt and celebrating with a Doritos Locos Taco. It reminded me of my high school glory days in the best possible way, when we’d play a cheap round on a municipal course in the morning, then pound the Taco Bell drive-through for lunch on the way home. It’s high-brow yet totally down-to-earth, which is exactly the sweet spot modern golf is finding. After watching way too many no-chill dermatologists and car dealership owners lose their minds on a golf course for years, it’s a big breath of fresh air.

Heading back up the 405 to LA from Monarch Beach, it dawned on me that this event has staying power. As if it wasn’t already painfully obvious at every course and tournament in the country right now, epic afternoons like the Taco Bell x Bad Birdie Invitational are proof that golf’s multi-generational appeal is stronger than ever. It’s a world where a cool apparel brand and a fast-food giant can throw a party that just feels right, proving that golf can be both a serious sport and a platform for creative, authentic fun.

The future of golf is here. It’s more colorful, more inclusive, and a whole lot more entertaining.

And yes, sometimes, it comes with a side of Baja Blast.

Live Más.