As I've matured - slowly but surely - Mondays don't hit as hard as they used to.
Partially because the weekends take a more relaxed tune: farmers markets, sunrise coffees, and beachside bike rides. This is 37.
But primarily because I love what we are doing at Del Campo. There is much to do, and I'm stoked to chase it. Call me crazy, but I actually look forward to most Mondays now. Giddy up!
This Monday, however, hurts. Bad. The hometown PLAYERS Championship just concluded. Months of prep, anticipation, sock design, and outfit planning in the rear view mirror.
Half because our marketing team is telling me to, and half because I want to memorialize what was the best PLAYERS week ever, I'd like to compile a highly-official TOP 10 list from North Florida's signature week. Without further ado...
SOCKMAN'S TOP 10 FROM THE 2026 PLAYERS
10. Talkin' socks on the local news
Nervy? Certainly. Live? Absolutely. It was fun - telling our story, talkin' socks, and trying to articulate what GOLF CAMP is. The only thing I really forgot, aside from completely misunderstanding one of the questions, was to give my Grandma Bebbie - an avid consumer of local news - a shoutout. So... shoutout Grandma Bebbie.
9. Taco Tuesday with the Road Dawgs
Concluding an epic inside-the-ropes back 9 practice round with our guys Matt McCarty and Dev Das, we made the move over to the local institution TacoLu. It felt like a family dinner. Matt, his fiance Madi, Dev, my girlfriend Lindsay, Stew, Claire, and Granty Boy. Special to share in their week as we all prepare for Sawgrass.
Matty McCarty + local legend Don Nicol, founder and Chief Tacoman at TacoLu
8. The night before GOLF CAMP
Feedback from last year's inaugural GOLF CAMP, particularly from the out-of-towners, was that it felt a bit hasty and brief. Rush into town, turn your room into a shop, GOLF CAMP starts shortly thereafter. This year, we slowed it down the night before. Wine and local brews, records spinning, a Florida-favorite low country boil, and the big one: legendary artists Terry Urban and Tyler Shelton unveiled canvases they created for GOLF CAMP. I want to say, at time of publication, 2 of the 3 are still available for purchase.... 
7. Selling out at the Fan Shop
Been going to this tournament for as long as I can remember: so seeing Del Campo in the Fan Shop, next to dozens of brands I've long admired, was special. The response from our extended community was even more special - these babies didn't make the cut... Del Campo was fully sold out by Friday afternoon. That early sell out, however positive for the business, is probably why I didn't rank this higher - I wish that everyone that wanted a pair was able to get them onsite! Next year :)
6. Launch video with the BOAT
As you've probably come to learn, our social media "strategy" relies primarily on comedy, or at least our attempt at it. Perhaps our biggest moment to date, with an opportunity to collab with The PLAYERS official Instagram account, we knew we needed a hitter. There was only one move, and one that required intricate sourcing and negotiation: BLAKE BORTLES. A mythical mountain of a man, whose lean and mean stature compares only to his universal admiration here in Jax. Our Aussie filmmaker buddy came specifically to town to film it all... AND WE NAILED IT. Kinda. Ask me later about the cart in the fairway situation. Big thanks to Mr. Bortles for supporting the local homies!
5. Lizzy the golf cart
Long story... but basically, there was this lizard that legitimately wouldn't leave our guy Tyler Shelton's side. It was all time. About 12 hours, just clinging to Tyler like our smiley socks cling to your ankle (non-slip guarantee). Well, most unfortunately, tragically, Lizzy took her (his?) last breath with us Friday morning. So our resident artists paid tribute the only way they knew how - tagging our elite Yamaha golf cart in her honor. It will stand in memoriam at HQ forever more.
4. GOLF CAMP merch
Man, this was cool. The foundation was laid last year, and this year brands most certainly understood the assignment. Every brand at GOLF CAMP brought the heat! Camo tees, alligator skin headcovers, exclusive art, footwear, sockwear, and a very special last minute debut from our friends at Lafavre. I had a buddy that legitimately snagged merch from every room at GOLF CAMP... he gets it. Just seeing the commitment to the cause from our co-hosting brands was awesome - they share in our vision for what GOLF CAMP is and can become.
3. Sunday stroll with Linny
After the blur that was Monday to Saturday, I had the privilege of walking the grounds with my #1 supporter, test pair wearer, advocate, mental coach, roommate, and strategist.
Lindsay, or Linny as we call her, bears quite the burden as Miss Sockman. It was great to slow down, do whatever what we want, and stroll TPC Sawgrass with just her after a week of pure chaos. She even let me get a cheesesteak afterwards (but wouldn't let me get ice cream, which is why this is not #1). 
2. Sawgrass spots
During the 2024 PLAYERS, I perhaps saw 3 total people wearing Del Campos. In 2025, about 100. We were ecstatic. This year blew our minds. I kid you not, no matter where on the course you were, any given 20 second stretch would feature a Del Campo spot.
The spots were one thing, but the very vocal encouragement and support was another. I probably met 50 people that stopped to talk socks. Why they loved the smileys, what design ideas they had, how they brighten their day. I signed 2 kids socks. They signed mine. Seeing your product in the wild will never not be cool, and I assure you we will never take that support for granted.
To our Del Campo community: THANK YOU. 
1. The GOLF CAMP energy
GOLF CAMP rocked. A stream of moments that collectively made it one of the best nights of my life. Setting up all day with our Del Campo boys, and watching them absolutely hold down the fort all night, set the tone.
The CAMP PASS VIP bags packed with stellar goodies. The plethora of friends and family that came by. The live tagging of Matt McCarty's old TOUR bag (with McCarty & Das themselves in attendance). The 3 DJs. The beverages. The empanadas. The weather. Stewart doing IT on the roof, getting a dope video projected onto the adjacent billboard. Grant laughing and yelling at the top of his lungs for about 7 consecutive hours. And alas, taking the show to Pete's Bar, where we put on display some of the worst and best billiards performances that institution has ever seen.
What a night. What a crew. That's what GOLF CAMP is all about: a bunch of small and emerging brands coming together, telling our stories, uplifting each other, and throwing an authentic, approachable party for the ages.
What a week.
Thank you.
We'll see you in 2027.
