Golf: next on the tee

On this edition of Next on the Tee we'll go around the PGA Tour and talk about Tiger's return, the controversy over the golf ball, look ahead to The Masters and talk about the return of caddy programs and how important the player/caddy relationship is with 2013 Senior Open Champion Mark Wiebe, 6 time winner Guy Boros, and Wester Golf Association Caddy Manager Tim Orbon.

On this edition of Next on the Tee my guests are: Bobby Jones Golf CEO Andy Bell and Jack Diehl, Head Golf Pro at the Rio Grande Club & Resort.

I'll get an update from Andy regarding what's on tap this year for the Bobby Jones brand and how much they continue to partner with Augusta National and The Masters. I'll talk with Jack about being a ski instructor in the winter and a Head Golf Pro in the Spring, Summer and Fall. We'll go all the back to his time at the University of Scranton where he was a member of their Division III National Championship basketball team as well as a a part of their golf team. He's a well rounded athlete and we'll talk about all of that plus get a tip or two to lower our scores.

On this edition of Next on the Tee I'm joined by Top Northeast Teacher and Top 50 US Kids Instructor John Mascari, Wayne Player, Gary Player's son, former top amateur and current Commissioner of The Player Tour, and Jeff Mory the Director of Golf at Conway Farms Golf Club the site of last year's BMW Championship.

On this edition of Next on the Tee my guests are: Tim Cusick, Golf Digest's Best Teacher in the state of Texas and Director of Golf Instruction for the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts plus Mark Carnevale, 1992 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year and now broadcaster for Sirius/XM's PGA Tour Channel and PGA Tour Live.

On this edition of Next on the Tee my guests are: 2006 Australasia Order of Merit winner and the only player to beat Tiger Woods twice at the World Golf Match Play tournament, Nick O'Hern, 2005 Byron Nelson Champion Ted Purdy and PGA Tour SuperStore Sr. Vice President of Operations Randy Peitsch.

Nick talked about going through Q School on the European Tour, what it was like being a part of the 2005 International President's Cup team and trying to pull the trigger on the first tee with the huge crowd, 2 former US Presidents and Team Captains Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player all right there. We talked about his 2 wins over Tiger Woods at the World Match Play Tournaments in 2005 and 2007 and what the key is to beating Tiger. We also talked about his book "Tour Mentality...Inside the Mind of a Tour Pro."

Ted Purdy shared his memories of playing at the University of Arizona, winning the 1992 National Champinship and beating Tiger Woods a couple of times during his college career. We also talked about his win at the Indian Masters and the 2005 Byron Nelson Classic.

Randy Peitch talked about why the PGA Tour SuperStore is so successful opening more brick and mortar locations during a time when most other retailers are closing them down. He talked about why it's important for golfers of all skill levels to get fit for their clubs, and how they will lso fit you for the right golf ball. We also talked about how important the customer relationship is to them, not just getting a sale.

On this edition of Next on the Tee my guests are Golf Pride Marketing Channel Manager Charlie Parker, Top Instructor and regular co-host of The Morning Drive on The Golf Channel, Travis Fulton and 4 time winner on the PGA Tour Tim Simpson.

Charlie gave us an update on the great Align grips they have coming out in late April, plus some of their other popular grip styles including their Tour Sensor putting grips. We also talked about why it's important to be properly fit for your grip size and how often we should regripping our clubs.

Travis Fulton shared thoughts on some of the cool new products he saw at this year's PGA Merchandise Show. He talked about why it's easier to build your game around being a great driver of the ball vs. a great putter. He talked about why he believes Keegan Bradley will win again before Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson. He also shared a couple of tips for a great pre-shot routine and how to get the ball close on bump and run shots.

Tim Simpson told great stories about his comeback from Lyme disease and spinal fusion surgery. He shared memories from his time playing at the University of Georgia and rooming with teammate Chip Beck. He also shared memories from his Tour victories at the 1985 Southern Open over Clarence Rose, the 1989 USF&G Classic over Greg Norman and Hal Sutton and the 1989 Walt Disney World Classic over Donnie Hammond and Kenny Knox.

On this edition of Next on the Tee my guests are Top PGA Instructors Rob Strano and Jim Estes. 

Rob shared his stories from this year's PGA Mercahndise Show including some of the cool new products he saw there. We also got a couple of new cool putting drills to try, some tips on how to improve our mental approach by doing less negative self talk, and hear about his conversations with Hal Sutton and Brad Faxon.

Jim Estes updated us on the great work he and his team are doing helping to teach or re-teach the game to our wounded service veterans through the Salute Military Golf Association (www.smga.org). He also shared thoughts on some of the things he saw at the PGA Merchandise show and stories from his experience last year finishing as low club professional at the Senior PGA Championship.

On this episode of Next on the Tee my guests are: the CEO of the World Golf Foundation, We Are Golf and the First Tee Steve Mona and The Voice of Golf Peter Kessler join me to talk about what's going on down at the PGA Merchandise Show, what they are looking forward to in 2018 and who was the biggest cheater of all-time on the PGA Tour.

On this episode of Next on the Tee I'm joined by 1964 PGA Champion Bobby Nichols and LPGA Class A Teaching Pro Rhonda Ferguson. 

I'll talk with Mr. Nichols about his memories of that 1964 PGA. We'll hear what it was like being paried with Ben Hogan, starting the final round 1 stroke ahead of Arnold Palmer, and trying to hold off a charging Jack Nicklaus in Jack's backyard at Columbus Country Club. We'll also talk about the influence that Ben Hogan and Dr. Cary Middlecoff had on his career. Plus, playing in the 1967 Ryder Cup in his home state of Texas.

Rhonda Ferguson will also join me and we'll discuss her college days playing at the University of Florida. We'll talk about teaching juniors and how she is able to keep them engaged in the game, how she teaches them to handle pressure and what she's doing to bring more women into the game. Rhonda also owns a golf course down in Jacksonville, Florida called River Bend Golf Links. We'll talk about what's inovolved with owning and marketing a course as well.

On this episode of Next on the Tee my guests are Class A PGA Teaching Professional Mike Landry and 3 time winner on the PGA Tour Kenny Knox. We'll get some lessons from Mike on how to read the greens better, plus some short game tips from his Short Game Master series. We'll get tips from Kenny about proper putting stance plus how to hit better lag and short putts. We'll also get some tips on how to hit better bunker shots particularly if you're dealing with hard pan sand. Check out Kenny's video tips plus his line of wedges and putters available online at www.kennyknoxgolf.com.