Introduction
Toby Keith’s “Shitty Golfer” is a candid, tongue‑in‑cheek anthem released in mid‑2017 as one of two brand‑new tracks on The Bus Songs, a compilation record centered around off‑the‑cuff, adult‑humored tunes that weren’t intended for mainstream radio. Officially released on July 21, 2017, the song dropped alongside its cheeky music video via Keith’s Vevo channel—just ahead of the album’s September 8 debut .
Co-produced by Keith himself, the track showcases his signature storytelling style, blending humor with relatable honesty. The lyrics paint an entertaining portrait of a hapless duffer: one who “can’t hit the fairway,” loses balls by the dozen, and finds solace in beer and good company rather than birdies—a self‑effacing characterization that dovetails with the album’s late‑night, bus‑tour ethos .
“The Bus Songs” earned praise for leaning into Keith’s bawdier sensibilities—embracing themes like drinking, adult humor, and self‑deprecation, and clearly signaling that these tracks were more personal and less radio‑friendly . As one of the two original compositions—alongside “Wacky Tobaccy”—“Shitty Golfer” highlights Keith’s comfort in not taking himself too seriously, tapping into a universal frustration shared by casual golfers everywhere.
Among golf enthusiasts, the song found a natural audience. In a Reddit post on r/golf, one fan remarked:
“This song’s too real for me but god damn it I love it”
The accompanying video, released in October 2017, visually amplifies the humor—featuring Keith fumbling through swings, hunting for lost balls, and enjoying the lighter side of the links .
At just over two minutes, “Shitty Golfer” delivers a short, punchy, and unashamedly goofy tribute to the less‑than‑perfect golfer in all of us—proof that Keith’s charm extends far beyond the polished fairways to the pop‑a‑top, back‑9 everyday struggles that unite amateurs and pros alike.