Jake Owen Says Songwriting Is Par for the Course

Jake Owen once dreamed of joining golfers like Tiger Woods and Phil Mikelson on the professional circuit. The Florida native was already on that path to success as a member of Florida State University's golf team when a freak waterskiing accident forced him to quit playing competitively.

While he was recuperating from the accident and consequent surgery, he learned to play guitar, and a second career was born. Owen began writing songs and immediately saw that there was a parallel between being a golfer and a songwriter.

"Golf is one of the only solitary sports where you play for yourself ... you're not playing against anybody. You're playing against the golf course. And it's your score against the course.

"It's the same with songwriting. You don't have to depend on anyone else. The thing I love about writing songs is that you can sit down and write something that comes to your mind and put it on paper. It takes a lot of dedication; it takes a lot of hard work, just like golf."

Owen goes on to say that both the golfer and the songwriter have to be able to focus on their task of the moment. "When you see guys like Tiger Woods being so successful, the reason he's so much better than everybody else is that he's so focused on what he's doing. I think they (golf and songwriting) really bring that out in a person."

Owen still loves golf, and he hopes that one day he'll get to play his favorite course, the Augusta National in Augusta, Ga. It's home to The Masters professional tournament every spring. "I've always wanted to play that golf course," the young singer admits. "And hopefully, in the years to come, if I'm lucky enough, I might have someone be nice enough to ask me to join 'em out there."