Get a Grip with Shane Bacon

On the latest Get a Grip, Shane welcomes Golf.com's Claire Rogers (@kclairerogers) back to the pod for a fun conversation about the 5 things they'd each like to see changed in golf. Their lists are not specific to professional golf, or their own personal experiences, but just 5 things they'd like to see changed in the sport.

A good chat and a big thanks to Claire for joining once again. 

A reminder on some of the links that Shane shared in the opening of the podcast:

The Golfer's Zoo: https://www.back9press.com/bacon

Bacon's Breakfast Blend with Good Walk Coffee: https://goodwalkcoffee.com/bacon

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It has been quite the start to the Korn Ferry Tour season for Sam Saunders, who stopped by the program today to discuss his 2023. Sam and Shane catch up on the year, Sam explains why this season is his make-or-break year, the mentality of being the "old guy" in a sea of youngsters, and plenty more. 

Shane and Sam discuss how broadcasting the Zozo Championship helped Sam see things from a slightly different perspective, what his grandfather shared with him when he was grinding his way through the mini-tour world, and just how handy Sam is around the house (spoiler: he does electrical!). 

A big thanks to Sam for taking some time on a big and busy week to chat. 

The Golfer's Zoo: https://www.back9press.com/bacon

Bacon's Breakfast Blend with Good Walk Coffee: https://goodwalkcoffee.com/bacon

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all know the tradition unlike any other is the actual Masters Tournament, but in terms of a podcast tradition that never stops, it's ESPN's Scott Van Pelt joining Shane to preview the Masters.

Scott and Shane discuss the special week for the both of them, what it was like last year prepping for a potential Tiger Woods return to Augusta National and the week that followed, the pressures of winning at the Masters, and plenty more. 

Scott also gets into the ESPN approach to golf broadcasting and why the network has become one of the most popular for golf fans when they get a shot at major championship golf twice a year with the Masters and the PGA Championship. 

After Shane's chat with Scott, Noah Syken, the VP of Sports and Entertainment Partnerships at IBM, jumps on to discuss the best app in the world, The Masters app, and why it's unmatched.

Noah also shares some new features this year like broadcasting AI ("Henry" the broadcaster!) that'll be an option with every shot live.

A huge thanks to Scott and Noah for taking some time to chat about the best week of the year.

A reminder on some of the links that Shane shared in the opening of the podcast:

Ground Under Repair spring t-shirts: https://breakingt.com/gur

Bacon's Breakfast Blend with Good Walk Coffee Company: https://goodwalkcoffee.com/bacon

The Golfer's Zoo: https://www.back9press.com/bacon

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The golf world's attention has turned to Augusta, Georgia, with Rose Zhang doing her thing at the Augusta National Women's Amateur, and the Masters just a few days away.

Three-time Masters champion Sir Nick Faldo joins the program to chat with Shane about his wins, the changes to 13, and what he expects at the much-anticipated Champions Dinner.

Nick and Shane go back over each of the three Faldo wins at the Masters, talking about the crazy 77-65 he shot over the weekend in '89, what clicked on Saturday and Sunday in '90, and when he knew he had a shot at catching Greg Norman on that infamous Sunday in '96. After that, the two discuss the changes to the 13th and how much closer that par-5 will play to what Nick faced when he was dueling down the stretch.

Nick shares which hole plays the most differently for modern players compared to when he was in his prime, the upcoming Champions Dinner, and plenty more.

A huge thanks to Nick for his time. This was a really fun conversation as we inch closer to Thursday.

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Ground Under Repair spring t-shirts: https://breakingt.com/gur

Bacon's Breakfast Blend with Good Walk Coffee Company: https://goodwalkcoffee.com/bacon

The Golfer's Zoo: https://www.back9press.com/bacon

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may be asking, what is a flusher? In terms of golf, it's near the top in terms of a compliment, meaning you can do things to a golf ball that even your peers aren't capable of doing. A flusher is someone that makes that whizz sound with their irons and can move a 3-wood in any direction with any trajectory. 

The Fried Egg's Andy Johnson joined Shane to rank the top 10 best flushers of the last 23 years in men's golf, and while the lists have some overlap, there are some names that you didn't expect to hear get thrown around on this episode.

A lot of fun talking of generational ball-strikers, and a big thanks to Andy for joining the program. 

For those wanting to try Shane's coffee collab with Good Walk Coffee Company, here is the link: https://goodwalkcoffee.com/bacon

And to get a copy of The Golfer's Zoo (signed options available), click here: https://www.back9press.com/bacon

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sneakers have never been more popular and we are seeing more and more style sneak into the golf shoe world. Jacques Slade (@kustoo) joins Shane to talk about the growing popularity of golf shoes, the changing style, the most important golf shoe ever made, and plenty more. 

A big thanks to Jacques for the time and insight. His YouTube channel is absolutely worth your time so give it a follow: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ9l_6_f0PWRYXN5Y7Lcl2A

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We conclude our "Full Swing" recap series with Rory McIlroy at St. Andrews and Episode 8 of the Netflix show. Shane and Golf.com's Claire Rogers talk about the incredible history that comes with winning at the Old Course and just how short the window is for someone like Rory to actually get it done. They discuss the awkward Cam Smith interview after he took home the Claret Jug that included a LIV question he dodged before eventually joining the renegade tour. They then discuss the incredible win in Atlanta for Rory and the most famous line in the entire series, a shot at Phil Mickelson by Mr. McIlroy. 

After segments that include Shane and Claire's favorite episode of the series, they welcome the executive producer of "Full Swing," Chad Mumm, to discuss what it was like putting all this together, how crazy it was that this show landed on the wildest year in golf history and which episode is his favorite. 

All "Full Swing Tonight" episodes will also be on YouTube, so make sure to check the Skratch page to get enhanced recaps of each episode with video elements, highlights from the year, and many more.

A big thanks to Joel Dahmen and Chad Mumm for joining during all the recaps and a special shoutout to the entire Skratch team for helping out with making all this just that much better.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The penultimate episode of "Full Swing" is one of our favorites, as Netflix follows Sahith Theegala and Mito Pereira for a wild ride through the ups and downs of a professional golf week. Shane and Golf.com's Claire Rogers speak on Sahith's laundry basket, the amazing families and friends that both have around them, and go through their usual segments including the winner and loser from the episode. 

All "Full Swing Tonight" episodes will also be on YouTube, so make sure to check the Skratch page to get enhanced recaps of each episode with video elements, highlights from the year, and many more! 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We continue our recap run of "Full Swing" with Episode 6, which focuses on two stars in the game of golf with very different resumes and at very different points in their respective lives. Shane and Golf.com's Claire Rogers dive into the episode and immediately fall in love with the Finau family.

Claire and Shane discuss their winners and losers of the episode, what they learned about Tony and Collin Morikawa, and plenty more about episode 6. 

All "Full Swing Tonight" episodes will also be on YouTube, so make sure to check the Skratch page to get enhanced recaps of each episode with video elements, highlights from the year, and many more! 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The recaps continue of the Netflix series "Full Swing," and Episode 5 is when we really get into the LIV vs. PGA Tour narrative that dominated the second half of 2022. 

Shane and Golf.com's Claire Rogers dive into the episode, how pumped Claire was to get some Paulina Gretzky in her life, the totally different approaches of Matt Fitzpatrick and Dustin Johnson, and how adorable the Fitzpatrick family was during the episode and after Fitzy won his first major at the U.S. Open. 

All "Full Swing Tonight" episodes will also be on YouTube, so make sure to check the Skratch page to get enhanced recaps of each episode with video elements, highlights from the year, and many more! 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.