(CMT Offstage keeps a 24/7 watch on everything that's happening with country music artists behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.)

I'd call it a boring, tedious, frustrating sport. But I guess peaceful works, too. That's how Scotty McCreery described golf when he told me he'd be spending part of Tuesday (Nov. 15) playing at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. When I asked him how he'd spent the day getting ready for the CMA Awards last week, he said, "I was gonna go hit golf balls, but it didn't happen. I got a new set of clubs I wanted to try. But golf can wait. ... I'm playing Augusta ... and I can't wait for that." (There's a big show there in Georgia with McCreery and Gary Allan, Martina McBride, Little Big Town, Jerrod Niemann and Corey Smith.) And when I asked what his handicap was, McCreery just said, "Not good. My handicap is 'not good.' I just go out to have fun. It's a peaceful sport." What wasn't so peaceful was the chaos of the CMA red carpet, where McCreery and I were having this conversation. He was looking around and even admitted he was in awe of the celebs. "I swear, it's just insane for me to be here. I'll be looking at all the people I grew up listening to all night tonight," he told me. "We watched it every year. We'd gather around the TV because country's always been a big part of my family."