CBS course reporter and Subpar cohost Colt Knost is living his dream — and he still can’t believe it

Colt Knost, cohost of Subpar and course reporter for CBS Sports, would be the first person to tell you he’s living the dream — and the last person to believe it.

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The scene: Calling from his car in Scottsdale, Ariz., after leaving the set of GOLF’s Subpar podcast.

Dylan Dethier: You’re on a break from your TV gig. Does this feel like your off-season?

Colt Knost: It’s definitely my off-season. I’ve done a few things for work here and there. I still do our SiriusXM show [Gravy and the Sleeze] and GOLF’s ‘Subpar.’ But, for the most part, I get to play a lot of golf this time of year.

DD: Are you playing at home with a regular group or are you now, like, America’s guest?

CK: Yeah, mostly at home at [Scottsdale’s] Whisper Rock. I’ve played a few member-guests. I just got back from Vegas, playing the Southern Highlands, which was a blast. I travel so much during the year that it’s hard for me to say no to a member-guest, but I also enjoy being home. It’s the best time of year in Scottsdale.

DD: You were a Tour pro for nearly a decade. How has your relationship with playing golf changed these past few years?

CK: I have way more fun now. It’s not a job to me anymore. I just go out and have fun with the boys, gamble a bit and let the best man win. I definitely don’t get as upset over bad shots. And, when I practice, I feel like I can play as well as I did on Tour, probably because I don’t care as much.

DD: Is there anything you’ve learned that you’d tell yourself 10 years ago?

CK: Definitely. I’d tell myself to be more focused and more accountable when things went wrong. But, honestly, I think this was all meant to happen this way. The game has changed so much. I was never going to be a guy who carries the ball 300 yards like most of the PGA Tour does today. But I put in eight years on the Tour, made amazing relationships and got to play at the highest level. When I’m old, I can tell stories around the fire. That’s pretty cool.

DD: These days, between SiriusXM, “Subpar” and the CBS job, it seems like you’re having almost nonstop surreal experiences. Do you still pinch yourself?

CK: I pinch myself all the time. I was a kid who went to a small high school in the middle of nowhere [in Texas]. To be where I am now, meeting these athletes — it’s unbelievable. Golf has connected me with so many people. For instance, I have a great relationship with Charles Barkley. If you’d told me at 12 years old, when I was watching him on TV, that I’d be friends with him and we’d talk trash all the time,I’d have thought you were out of your mind. Or that I’d meet Tony Romo when he was a third-string quarterback with Dallas because he just wanted to play golf, and then he turned into … Tony Romo. There will be moments with people I’ve met where I’m like, Wow, I can’t believe I’m sitting here having a beer with you right now.

DD: How’s your work with CBS going?

CK: I love it, and I think it’s going well. I get excited to go to work every day. Sitting with Jim Nantz, Frank Nobilo, Trevor Immelman, Dottie Pepper, Mark Immelman, Amanda Balionis — it’s crazy. When you think about golf and the broadcasting world, there aren’t many jobs out there. And the fact that I’ve been able to get better and to grow — it’s awesome. The Nantz thing is still surreal to me; he’s been with CBS since 1985, the year I was born. I’ve never known anyone else in that job. Now he’s a friend. That’s so cool.

DD: On “Subpar” you sometimes show us a different side of golfers and other athletes. Who has surprised you the most and who do you hear about most from fans?

CK: The second part is easy: Mike Commodore, the former NHL player. Everyone loves him. They love those old-school guys [and their] wild stories. Guys like George Brett, Mark Grace. They lived in an era when there was no social media; everyone didn’t whip their camera out when stuff happened, so they have great stories. As for surprises, I already know most of the guys personally, but it’s great when the audience gets to learn more about them. Scottie Scheffler, for example, comes off as this great golfer and person, but people don’t realize he’s also sneaky funny and talks trash.

DD: There on the ground, what’s a Tour moment that stands out from this year?

CK: Walking with Viktor Hovland and Bryson DeChambeau on Sunday at the PGA — that place was rocking. Both of them were 6 under through 17 holes, I believe, and the crowd was all about Bryson, and he was talking back to them, having a great time. It was just an electric atmosphere.

DD: Who are players you think might create some of that electricity in 2025?

CK: I’ll give you one right off the top of my head: Max Greyserman. He has a ton of upside — he smashes it, he’s a great putter. He’s finished second in three of five events [in 2024]. And I’m excited to see what Jordan Spieth does coming back from wrist surgery. It’s something he’s been dealing with longer than I think he let on, so I’m excited to see him 100 percent healthy.

DD: People think of golf as a sleepy sport, but, in person on Sunday afternoons, I think they’d be shocked at the intensity. What’s it like being inside the ropes with the final group in the final round?

CK: I get excited. I feel the adrenaline, and I want it to be a battle. Or, if I’m not with the last group, [I want] my guy to make a move and get those big crowds yelling. Hell, I get yelled at too. But when it’s a big moment, there’s nothing cooler than trying to make an awesome call on a shot, because if you nail it, it’s on every highlight. Honestly, when I look back, I don’t remember a lot of the calls. I’ll rewatch some because people always tell me, “Listen to yourself, see what your tendencies are and where you could do better.” And sometimes I’m just like, That [call] was stupid. But I just like making it fun, man. Look, it’s a TV show; it doesn’t have to be serious at all times. I just hope to bring some energy to it every day and to bring people from their couch into these moments.