Former NASCAR and IndyCar star Danica Patrick seems to have swapped the roar of engines for the quiet frustration of golf swings, and she’s taking her new hobbies in stride. Since retiring from professional racing in 2018, the 42-year-old has thrown herself into an active post-race life that includes golf, tennis, and skiing.
And by the looks of it, she’s not bad either. Patrick has been driving golf balls more than 250 yards and sinking some tidy putts along the way. “I decided to actually learn how to play golf about 2 years ago. Of course, it’s a little seasonal, mostly for the heat in AZ, but also work and skiing! I thought I finally had it figured out last fall.
Then I forgot how to hit my driver to start the year off… Until about 10 days ago. I remembered just as mysteriously as I forgot,” she wrote earlier this year. She added, “Golf is a funny game… And mostly played by those who just love to be hard on themselves. A game you will never master and repeatedly wonder why I am doing this to myself?!”
Patrick, who still appears on TV as a motorsport analyst, found herself trending over the weekend after posting a cheeky video from the golf course. In the clip, she’s seen dancing on a golf cart with friends, clearly enjoying herself, and captioning it, “Don’t watch Dad.”
While her carefree moment drew plenty of laughs and praise from fans, some people couldn’t help but point out the dos and don’ts of golf course etiquette. For those not familiar with the sport’s unspoken rules, it’s a game built on respect—for other players, the course, and even the silence.
Proper golf etiquette means wearing collared shirts, khaki shorts or skorts, and golf shoes rather than tank tops or jeans. Once a player is about to swing, everyone nearby should stay quiet. And there’s the golden rule—never hit toward the group ahead of you, no matter how confident your shot feels.
Golfers are also expected to follow course guidelines about where to drive carts, especially when signs say “Cart Path Only” or “90 Degrees.” Carts shouldn’t be driven over tee boxes or greens, and players need to yell “Fore!” if a ball might be heading someone’s way.
It’s a sport that can be surprisingly strict for such a leisurely pace, but Patrick’s fun-loving video shows she’s finding her own balance between respecting the game and enjoying it.
Her clip lit up social media, with fans joking that her golf cart dancing was “peak retirement energy” and others admitting they’d probably do the same. After years of high-speed racing and high-stakes pressure, Patrick seems perfectly happy trading the track for the fairway, even if golf sometimes leaves her wondering why she’s doing it at all.
