At the age of 18, Griffin House made a decision that would change his life forever.

The now-29-year-old musician turned down a golf scholarship at Ohio University and went to Miami University, where he picked the guitar. Ever since, House has been writing songs that have the feel of classic musical storytellers such as Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Tom Petty.

“I got really burned out with sports, so I decided to try something new,” House said. “I got involved with theater and started playing music in my time at Miami University.”

He will perform alongside guitarist Clint Wells at the Picador, 330 E. Washington St., at 7 p.m. today. Singer/songwriter Thad Cockrell will open the all-ages show.

Although House abandoned his shot at playing professional golf, he was featured at No. 10 on Golf Digest’s 2008 list of top musician golfers.

“One of the editors of Golf Digest came through Nashville the other day and took me out for a round of golf,” he said. “I was joking with him and was like, ‘Man, if I had never put down the sticks and picked up the guitar, I would never have gotten into Golf Digest, but somehow I played guitar and got in [the magazine].’ It’s a weird, weird thing.”

He was proud that he beat out Alice Cooper — an avid golfer who is ranked No. 11 — to make it into the top 10, he said.

The solo artist recently released a collection of B-sides and musical commentary called 42 and a half minutes with Griffin House. House said he came up with the idea after listening to various bands’ live sessions and thinking it was interesting to hear what was going on in these different artist’s lives at the time each song was made.

He plans to release a new album in the spring of 2010 called The Learner. The recording features a guest vocal appearance by Alison Krauss and is a little bit more upbeat than previous albums, he said.

Despite releasing eight albums of recorded material, House said people have told him he excels in the live setting.

“Well, apparently it’s better than the record because everyone tells me that I need to get my act together and make the records better — get the energy of the show on there,” he said. “I try to put the live feel into my recording, but sometimes it’s tough to translate.”

Longtime fan and San Francisco native Jen Wasson said House is a great performer because of his strong ability to connect to the audience through his music.

“Griffin’s performance reminds me almost of the way Woody Guthrie used to go around and kind of captivate an audience and actually move people in a personal way,” she said. “His songs have a lot of storytelling as well as soul in them, which the audience really responds to.”

Shortly after performing in Iowa City, House will go solo and play an opening set on the Cranberries reunion tour.

“I’m half excited and half nervous,” he said. “There are going to be big audiences to play with just me and my guitar. I’ve had a little bit of practice doing that, so at least I’m not going to do it for the first time.”