No Laying Up - Golf Podcast

About to tee it up in his first WGC, Joel Dahmen shares some insight as to what got him there, stats in golf, strategy, how often he thinks about money when he plays, course setups, shooting 58, not practicing for three months, Trackman, and so much more. This one has a ton in it and you're going to really enjoy it. 

Michael Thompson emerges from a crowded pack, Tony Finau does not, some coverage takes, Adam Long, an extensive PGL discussion, Richy Werenski, segments, and a ton more. 

Fox is no longer bringing us the US Open, and we're all pretty bummed about that. Joe Buck joins us to talk about the strides Fox made over the years, what it was like to break into golf coverage, and what this five year journey has been like for him as a golf junkie. We try to make sense of what went down behind the scenes, we breakdown what he learned from the analysts he worked with, and what he learned about covering golf. Really appreciate Joe's perspective on these topics, and hope this isn't the end of his appearances on this podcast. 

Jon Rahm blows away the field, and then he doesn't, and then he does again. We discuss a wild weekend at Muirfield Village, the weird rules situation down the stretch (13:00), Finau, Bryson (29:30), course setup (47:30), why this doesn't happen every week, segments (1:23:00), and a bunch of listener questions. This one went long and we're not even a little bit sorry about it. A whole lot of fun in this one. 

Tom Watson, Padraig Harrington, Iain Carter, and (for some reason) Soly spent an hour talking about The Open Championship, the Old Course, and "The Open for the Ages" which is airing this coming weekend. The R&A was kind enough to provide us with the audio from the conversation to put on our feed, so we're adding it as a bonus episode this week. It was a thrill to hear these two share their memories and perspective on the historic championship. They also break down how they play the Old Course, holes they can't crack, and what makes the Old Course great. 

Our man is back! Peter Kostis joins to talk a bit more about golf on TV, why streaming happens and what those days are like for announcers, and the next deal. He also details some stories from his time at Augusta, including a great Greg Norman story. We also pick his brain on his teaching, what Bryson is currently doing, technology, Formula 1, and a great Tiger story near the end. Thanks again to Peter for the time. 

JT's a killer, then he's not, then he is, then he's not. Collin Morikawa pulls off the come from behind win, and we cover everything from a wild weekend in golf. The coverage was a bit of an online disaster (35:30), Hovland fades on Sunday, Brooks vs. Bryson (44:30), a little different Muirifield Village setup, and a lot of other topics covered. This was a fun one. Let's do it again next week! 

Joseph Bramlett came out of the gates firing as golf started back up, finishing T2 and T3 in his first two Korn Ferry events. We chatted with him about his career path from Stanford, missing 4.5 years with back injuries (!), being the first black golfer to graduate from Q-School in 25 years, the current racial tensions in the United States, plus some great Tiger stories. He also shares his perspective on Bryson, what it would take for him to be a perennial player on the PGA Tour, and a ton more. Appreciate Joseph's perspective and willingness to speak on all topics. Would love to have him back some time. 

Bryson, Bryson, and some more Bryson. We discuss his dominate performance, what this means for the future of his career and the future of the game, and whether or not he's the best player in the world. We also make fun of his asinine comments during the week (33:00), Matt Wolff's strong showing (38:30), and our usual segments (48:00). 

Chris Kirk stepped away from the game in 2019 due to alcoholism and anxiety issues. Now sober, he reflects on his personal journey, when he realized he had a problem, how he addressed it, and how he rebounded to win on the Korn Ferry Tour a few weeks ago. We also discuss his 2014 season, not getting a Ryder Cup selection, a tee ball that traveled 55 yards, and a lot more. We sincerely appreciate Chris' openness and willingness to come on the podcast to discuss some difficult topics. 

DJ wins, Streelman makes a run, Phil has some moments, and the TPC doesn't bite back too hard. We discuss the course setup, DJ's drive on 18, the COVID "outbreak," how the tour moves forward, Daniel Summerhays' run at the Utah Championship, segments, and a whole lot more. We also react live on the air to the shocking news that NBC will be taking over the USGA contract from Fox, effective this fall (1:05:45). 

The Senior Managing Director, Championships for the USGA, John Bodenhamer joins us to walk us through how they came up with the exemption categories for the US Open, his first time setting up a US Open, how the schedule change will affect Winged Foot, defining "tough but fair," how the USGA recovered from a potential boycott of the US Open, and a lot more. 

Webb Simpson wins yet again, and the boys break down a fun week at Harbour Town that included a lot of birdies, a great run from Honest Abe (20:15), the first positive COVID test (50:00), some excellent television coverage (1:00:00), and a lot more. We discuss Harbour Town as a tournament venue, plus we react to the Nantz pod (1:04:00), as well as some segments (1:27:00). This was a fun one. 

Jim Nantz joins to discuss the challenges the CBS crew is facing in the current environment, commercials on television, some takes on the coverage takes, how CBS compares to other networks, and basically anything we asked about. We also discuss the 2019 Masters, rebroadcasting with Tiger, how he knows so many people's names, Tony Romo, and a ton more. Thanks a ton to Jim for taking the time and being willing to come on. 

From a dairy farm in Australia to the PGA Tour, Stuart Appleby takes us on a journey that spans how he learned to play American golf, what it was like being in Isleworth with Tiger, Cat's trophy room, and the bizarre playoff at the 2002 Open Championship. He also discusses tragically losing his wife in 1998, almost quitting golf as a result, to finding happiness years later, and sustained success on the PGA Tour. He also discusses how much the depth of professional golf has changed, his back injury, the Champions Tour, and so much more. I could have talked to Stuart for hours and he will definitely be back. Easily one of my favorite eps of the year!

Daniel Berger wins, Collin Morikawa misses, Bryson smashes, and everything else from a wild week in golf. We talk about Spieth's up and down week, Rory's fade, Varner's run, Kokrak's near miss, mic'ing up the players, and a ton more. This was a relief to be able to recap some golf again, and a lot of fun. 

Professional golf returns this week, and we discuss the OWGR starting back up, the enormous field at the Charles Schwab Challenge, what makes Colonial unique, some picks, and a lot more. We also discuss Spieth's success here, Bryson, Rory playing here for the first time, testing procedures, Augusta buying land, the Korn Ferry events here in Jax, and plenty more. 

Olin Browne is dusting off his plaid jacket and playing the Charles Schwab Challenge this as a former champion of the event. We talked to Olin about why he decided to play, what Colonial is like, golf's return, technology, the PGA Tour Champions, picking up the game at the age of 19, lessons he's learned along the way, shooting 59, and a lot more. 

We dove back into the archives to better understand four of the greatest golf collapses of all time. DJ takes us through the 1966 US Open (7:00), Randy on Adam Scott's downfall at the 2012 British Open (32:30), Neil on a flurry of collapses at the 2005 US Open (57:30), and Soly on Greg Norman's defining unraveling at the 1996 Masters (1:11:30). We set the scene, mined some old quotes, and reacted to some shocking details along the way. This was more fun than the collapses probably were. 

Henrik Stenson has often been one of the most requested guests in our podcast history, and he's joins us to chat about his new podcast, growing up in Sweden, emerging from not one but two enormous slumps, and of course the 2016 British Open. We talk breaking clubs, how he spends his summers, the new tour schedule, the challenge it presents for Europeans, and a lot more. Thanks a lot to Henrik for the time.