How West Wilson of ‘Summer House’ turned ‘Golf FOMO’ into an invitational

It’s not often you see an honest-to-goodness sports highlight on Bravo. Beer Olympics or some food stunts, sure. But a Superman-esque dive with a slo-mo replay isn’t usually on the menu for a reality-TV channel. And yet, that’s exactly what “Summer House” newcomer West Wilson achieved in a Volo kickball body-sacrifice for the ages.

To be fair, in between filmed Hamptons trips, Wilson is steeped in the world of sports. He’s a former defensive back at Montana State, a sports producer at Complex and now a budding golfer, trying to figure it out just like the rest of us. He got into the game because of FOMO—“all my friends were taking trips, and every athlete I follow is an off-season golfer”—but better late than never for the 30-year-old who was a similarly late add to the “Summer House” franchise.

Now (because wouldn’t you if you could?), Wilson is partnering with Captain Morgan Sliced for the aptly-named Play the Slice Contest, which will ultimately send a foursome on a once-in-a-lifetime golf getaway to Hilton Head. All you have to do is tag Captain Morgan with your best—or worst, in Wilson’s case—slice by the end of July, throw in the hashtag #PlayTheSliceContest (there’s always a hashtag) and you might have an all-expenses-paid trip sponsored by the rum brand.

There was also a Play the Slice Invitational recently at Dyker Beach Golf Course in Brooklyn, which yours truly participated in while braving the rain. Wilson repped some in-the-works Pluto merch, introduced the event along with golf influencer Tisha Alyn and handed out a Captain Morgan bag to one lucky golfer who won the closest-to-the-pin competition.

“I’m not a professional golfer. I shank a lot of balls,” Wilson said. “And obviously, I’m working to get better. Play the Slice is kind of a perfect cause, since even the best golfers are gonna slice one here and there. Especially bad golfers like me. It’s fun. And obviously, you're not gonna play 18 without some tasty bevs in the cooler.”

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It also doesn’t hurt that “Summer House,” a show following a group of New Yorkers and their weekend treks to the Hamptons, has a schedule conducive to golf as they film in July and August for two or three days a week. On the off days, Wilson has been trying to make his way to the Chelsea Piers driving range in Manhattan more often, along with the simulators “everyone’s obsessed with now.” He’s still renting clubs, so he’s not one of those guys swinging their bags back and forth on the subway, nearly decapitating everyone within spitting distance.

Even without his own clubs, Wilson has been teeing off and falling out of golf carts in some big-time events, most notably Complex's Inaugural Celebrity Golf Pro-Am last November. Along with Wilson, the tournament featured J.R. Smith, ScHoolboy Q, Joe Haden and pros like Kurt Kitayama and Paris Hilinski.

All of this is nice and all, but the dream round for the “Summer House” star would be Patrick Mahomes, and Wilson (also a die-hard Chiefs fan) has a pretty damn good chance to make that a reality.

“ I interviewed him last year. And his agent was like, if you golf, we'd invite you to all these things,” Wilson said. “And, actually, that would be my answer to [why I got into golf]. I had to look in the mirror and be like, ‘Dude, I have to golf for this sole reason.’ Just get invited to events with him. Put that on the bucket list. So whenever that happens, I'll give you a call.”

But first, Wilson has to get his golf game up to snuff. And as evidenced by his athletic background and impressive skill of turning Hamptons vacations into a paycheck, there’s no reason to doubt he’s up to the task.

“The last thing I’d want to do is slow Mahomes down. I'd want to come in sharp,” Wilson admitted. “And maybe I’ll get him a few Captain Morgan Sliced drinks, so if I play poorly, he’ll find it funny and endearing. That’s the game plan.”