More Than a Scorecard: How Shared Time in Sport Builds the Friendships That Build Our Lives

There’s Something Different About the Way We Move Together

Whether you're walking a fairway, hiking into sunlight through trees, locking in on a downhill bike trail, or just tossing a football with an old friend in the yard — there’s something about shared activity that opens us up.

Not just physically, but emotionally.

There’s room for conversation. There’s space for silence. There’s permission to just be.

And in today’s overstimulated world — those moments are gold.

Ask anyone what they remember most from playing 18 holes, a long trail run, or a weekend ride: It’s not the scorecard. It’s not the Strava stats. It’s not even the perfect shot.

It’s the people they were with, the way it felt to share the moment, and the way those hours became something much bigger than exercise: connection. clarity. presence. belonging.

The Golf Course as Classroom: Time, Patience, and the Shared Journey

Golf has always been one of the clearest mirrors of this truth.

Where else do you get:
• 4+ hours outdoors with someone
• No screens, no rush, no distractions
• Just walking, talking (or not talking), observing each other, joking, reflecting, learning, and being present?

Golf is slow enough for conversation but alive enough to keep you engaged.
It’s competitive, but peaceful.
Humbled, but hopeful.
It’s a sport that forces honesty — with the people you’re with, and with yourself.

That’s why golfers form friendships that somehow outlast time, age, and distance. There's an unspoken beauty in the way a round unfolds — shared rituals, swings, walks, moments between shots. There’s always room to talk. And always space to not.

Your golf buddy sees you at your most honest. They watch you respond to luck, failure, stress, quiet… and they hold space for it all.

That’s not something every sport offers. But the same feeling shows up in other places, too.

Golf Is a Portal — But It’s Not the Only One

If you’ve ever hiked for two hours with a friend, you know how the conversation flows differently than at a coffee shop.

If you’ve ever biked trails with someone, you know how laughter and adrenaline and “that one crash I almost had” somehow feel like storytelling in motion.

If you’ve ever played tennis or tossed a baseball or gone paddleboarding at sunset — you’ve felt how shared movement creates trust without forcing it.

It’s the same rhythm. The same relationship magic. The same presence.

The bond doesn’t come from the score. It comes from the shared experience.

From the doing, not the finishing. From the quiet moments that can only happen between motion and meaning.

And it’s in those moments — when the mind settles and the body finds its rhythm — that we remember how good it feels just to be alive, together, doing the things we love.

We’re Wired for Movement — and for Meaning

Science backs this up.

Shared physical activity can:
• Boost oxytocin (connection hormone)
• Improve mood and memory through endocannabinoid release
• Strengthen empathy and trust
• Reduce stress and anxiety
• Create stronger emotional recall (this is why you vividly remember holes 3–7 with your best friend, but not what you had for lunch on Tuesday)

Turns out, our bodies already know what we need. Nature and sport and rhythm and breath — done together — are therapy in motion.

And you don’t have to be a “pro athlete” to feel it. Just a human with a heartbeat and someone to share a walk, a swing, a ride, or a view with.

The Peak of Performance Isn’t Just About Power — It’s About Presence

That’s where Back 9 Botanicals comes in.

We don’t just make products — we make space for the moments that matter.

Our hemp- and THC-based formulations aren’t built to knock you out or slow you down.
They’re crafted to help you perform better, recover smarter, and enjoy more.

Not just on the course.
Not just in the gym.
Not just after a long day.
But across the whole rhythm of life:

• When you need focus
• When you need recovery
• When you need rest
• When you need to unwind without getting foggy
• When you want to feel good without the next-day cost of alcohol or smoke

Because performance, wellness, and enjoyment can — and should — coexist.

That’s Why We Made Alternatives That Fit the Way You Live

All natural
Gluten free
Alcohol free
Caffeine free
Vegan
Lab tested
Hemp-derived & federally legal

Whether it's a THC shot or THC seltzer shared after a long round,
A Players Blend gummy before a big ride,
A relaxing Birdie Boost! gummy for the afternoon or night out.
A Moonlit Mulligan for the evening wind down.
Or a topical therapy stick in the golf bag or gym locker —
Every Back 9 product is built to support the active person who wants to live well and feel well.

From golfers and trail runners
To mountain bikers and tennis players
To skiers, paddlers, yogis, and weekend warriors
To anyone just trying to feel more balanced, less stressed, and more themselves.

The Best Part of the Game Is Who You Play It With

So here’s the invitation: Whatever your sport is — keep making space for the people who matter in your life.

Keep walking long fairways.
Keep reaching the summit.
Keep throwing the frisbee until the sun goes down.
Keep choosing presence over distraction.

Because someday, when you look back at your life, you won’t remember the exact yardage, your fastest time, or which hole you finally hit the green on.

You’ll remember the laughs between shots.
The peaceful silence on the trail.
The inside jokes.
The way your best friend always lined up putts the same way.
How the golf cart was more therapy couch than vehicle.
The way joy felt in motion — side by side — shared.

And if we can help make that night, that round, that ride, that moment feel a little better — a little cleaner, a little more relaxed, a little more intentional — then that’s what we’re here for.

You Don’t Have to Choose Between Feeling Good and Living Well

Life should feel good and be good for you.

You shouldn’t have to choose between the buzz and the bounce-back.
You shouldn’t have to sacrifice presence for pleasure.
You shouldn’t have to wake up wishing you hadn’t celebrated so hard.

So we made a better way.

A way to unwind, to connect, to share, to recover, and to enjoy — without the fog.

The round ends. The trail quiets. The sun sets.

But the moments? They stay.

Wherever You Play — We’ll Be There

The course.
The summit.
The trail.
The courts.
The yoga mat.
The backyard.

From the first swing to the last stretch — from the tee shot to the turn — Back 9 Botanicals is here to help you show up feeling good, stay present, and remember it all.

Because the best part of movement…
Is who you move through life with.