HOUSTON — Peyton Manning was holding court, much like he did for so many Sundays during an incredible National Football League career that spanned 18 seasons and included Super Bowls for two different franchises.
And although he wasn’t the only celebrity at a private event held Wednesday at Truth BBQ, just a few miles from Memorial Park — the site of this week’s Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open — he was certainly the biggest. PGA Tour star Keith Mitchell and Manning’s former teammate Owen Daniels were among the others floating around the room, but Manning was undeniably the center of attention.
And while he rises up in these scenarios, Manning is nothing if not gracious, even starting his appearance by filling out a name tag and placing it on his lapel, as if those who showed up might not pick him out of the crowd.
Manning’s life after football has included plenty of golf — he’s a member at Augusta National among other courses — and his appearance on The Match with Steph Curry was a fun showcase for his golf talents.
And now, Manning, Mitchell, tennis star Andy Roddick, Jim Nantz and a number of other partners are riding a high as the group’s nine-hole Sweetens Cove has emerged as one of the golf world’s darlings, often considered a must-play for those in the area. The group started distilling bourbon and under the direction of CEO Mark Rivers—who was also on hand Wednesday—the group hopes to expand into multiple markets.
The partners brought on Tennessee native Marianne Eaves to serve as master blender. Known as Kentucky’s first female master distiller since Prohibition, Eaves spent time at Castle & Key and Brown-Forman and was named one of America’s Top 40 under 40 Tastemakers by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.
Golfweek caught up with Manning during the crowded event to talk about golf, bourbon, football and his memories of Houston, all over a sip of the spirit he’s hoping will become a household name.
Q: You said earlier you’re a scratch beer drinker and a 14-handicap bourbon drinker. What’s this taste like to you?
Manning: I’m still probably not qualified to give you the proper terminology. I just really like the story that goes with it. Just start with the golf course. It’s kind of hard to find, hard to get to, but when you get to it, it’s worth the time and the effort. They think that’s kind of the same with this. It’s not super accessible.
But when you go through the effort to find it and you get it, it’s like, wow, it’s really special. So I just like that. Obviously, Tennessee’s important to me and so you know anytime I’m in the state of Tennessee, I have this peaceful, easy feeling—not to quote The Eagles—and so when I think about Sweetens Cove, I see the bottle, you know, I see ‘volunteer to share,’ I’ve got good memories of my time in Tennessee and the people there.
And now that I’m in this second chapter, what I miss the most about playing football is my teammates, being on that team. And so now I find myself on different teams and this is a fun Sweetens Cove team to be a part of.
Q: So why was Texas an important market for you guys? And how has that gone for you?
Manning: Yeah, I obviously just think you probably know the answer is that Texas is just critical in this space if you’re gonna, you know, gonna kind of become serious about it and we weren’t sure how this was gonna go.
You know, this started out as a kind of a fun project with the golf course, because of this tradition, that we witnessed in front of us, that people were doing a shot of whiskey before they hit their first shot. Leaving the bottle for the group behind it—a very kind of organic, unforced tradition.
Like, maybe we should start our own (bourbon)—still kind of fun. And then all of a sudden we hire Marianne, who’s from the area, from the Chattanooga area, once again an authentic connection, maybe this can be real, you know I was telling somebody, football critics are hard, but bourbon critics are downright tough.
I don’t hate the term ‘celebrities spirit,’ but I don’t think that’s what this is. It’s Marianne’s. But it pains (critics) to sort of have to give a good review to us because they don’t think you’re putting any time and effort behind it and so but when they do give you a good review, you’re like, wow, maybe the people maybe people like it.
Peyton Manning talks about bourbon, the golf course that’s become the darling of the golf world, and his time in Houston. (Contributed photo by Sammie Theige)
Q: In talking to Keith Mitchell, these guys on Tour are ambassadors for a lot of products, and believe it or not, you’ve had an endorsement or two in your day. (Manning smiles.) So Keith turns to me and goes, ‘Yeah, I’m not here for any of that (expletive). I’m here because this is fun. This is really fun. We have a golf course that’s fun and playable and a bourbon that tastes great.’ What’s it like to see athletes and other people in this space just genuinely excited about something and not doing it because they have to?
Manning: Well, I think it’s great, especially, you know, during these times when you weren’t allowed to be together and you couldn’t have any fun in this kind of setting. So I think that it speaks to how all this got started.
We launched during the middle of COVID in April of 2020. I wouldn’t recommend launching during a pandemic, but we did it and here we are. And so, you know, I think anytime we have these get-togethers—we’ve been down in New Orleans, Denver, Indianapolis, Dallas and now Houston; I have a little better attendance than Andy, but you don’t have to put that—I love being together. I love being with people. Like you said, there’s smiling and having fun and seeing they genuinely like it. I mean, I can kind of tell when there’s somebody’s now who really thinks it tastes good and they’re not just saying it because I’m there.
Q: Word is that Jim Nantz occasionally drives around and does play-by-play when folks are on the tee boxes at Sweetens Cove. Did you ever think it would become something like this? You’re a golf guy. You love it. But to think of Jim Nantz calling golf shots at your golf course. Did you see this?
Manning: No. Never. I mean never. And to hear Rob Collins (principal designer at King-Collins Golf Design), who built the course, talk about Sweetens Cove before we got involved in it and where it’s gone, that’s fun.
I mean, you know, that Jim Nantz is narrating my friend Case’s 7-iron or 8-iron on No. 9 — it’s like you’re making it up, right? You’re making it up. And only Nantz can do it: ‘There’s a little breeze coming out of the east. What have you got there, Nick? I think he’s got a seven.’
I mean, the videos are incredible. Jim does it because he loves it. That was cool and Jim’s a passionate, romantic guy. He loves the little things and he loves the story, too. So that’s a fun connection to him.
Q: Did you think you’d have this much fun in retirement? The TV, the golf course, the bourbon. Look at you and Eli on Monday nights, having fun. It’s funny. I mean, except when you had Josh Allen on and jinxed him, everything else seems great. Did you think it would be this much fun?
Manning: No, I agree. It’s been so much fun. I enjoy having fun. I enjoy laughing. I enjoy interacting with people. That’s why I played team sports, you know, and I gravitated toward team sports and you know, it’s the interaction with the people and so this has been a really fun team to be a part of and that’s just the word you know people are excited about it.
They’re having fun. We’re everybody’s kind of curious where it’s gonna go, you know, we’re excited about it. Everybody’s, you know, very passionate about it.
Q: We’re here for the Houston Open. Give us some Houston memories. What do you think about when you come to this town?
Manning: I’ve got a buddy who I went to high school with who is out in the crowd here—he lives in Houston—and I remember coming to a Houston-Dodgers game. Mike Scott pitched. Fernando (Valenzuela) was pitching. (Pedro) Guerrero was playing. We drove over, and I went to AstroWorld.
My dad (Archie) played for the Oilers. I was six, but we didn’t move here. We stayed in New Orleans. Tuesday’s kind of your universal off-day, so on Monday after practice he would catch a $37 Southwest flight and come home to have dinner with us Monday night. He would take us to school on Tuesday and then come back over here.
We got to come over, too, and I got to be a ball boy for a game here—a Steelers game—and I got to serve Gatorade to the team. So those are my early memories of Houston.
Then when realignment happened, when the Texans came into the league, we were somewhat fortunate, we were beneficiaries that we got out of this brutal division with the Patriots, Dolphins, Bills and Jets, who all were good back then. Back then, they all made the playoffs—like three of them made it in one year. And so we got realigned to the AFC South and I got to come down and play Houston, which, look, when you’re a new franchise, there’s going to be growing pains.
But in 2002, I remember coming down here and it was fun because all my New Orleans friends came up here for this game. Mr. McNair was a great, great man. Somebody that I got to know so I have fond memories of Houston. And my dad has fond memories playing for the Oilers.
Former NFL star Owen Daniels and his wife Angela talk with Peyton Manning at a Sweetens Cove party in Houston. (Contributed photo by Sammie Theige)
Q: Speaking of Owen Daniels — I talked to him out there, and he tells me he just put a huge simulator in his garage. His wife told me he goes out there every day to hit balls. Where are you at with this? Are you playing a lot? And by the way, he says he hasn’t played Sweetens yet. You need to get him out there.
Manning: I know I do. I mean, a lot of people want to go play. I’m all for guys like Owen going to play there.
In Denver, I played in two January playoff games over 65 degrees. They keep the pins in year-round there. I’d rather be outside playing, you know, with some buddies — but my weekend golf is gone. I’m coaching kids sports and so that’s over. So if I don’t get out on a Wednesday, I’m probably not getting out there in the week, but I still love playing.
I love organizing a golf trip. I love the itinerary. I’m a big voice-memo guy. I’m just sort of sending a 14-minute voice memo with the whole itinerary.