Golf: next on the tee

In this episode of Next on the Tee, I'm talking Masters with Tour Legend John Cook, Top Instructor and the Host of The Golf Kingdom TV show Rob Strano, and the Host of The ProShow Keith Stewart.

Rob Strano led off by sharing memories of his mentor, 1968 Masters Champion Bob Goalby. We also talked about the transition from persimmon woods and balata golf balls to metal woods and 3 piece golf balls, Rob's thoughts on the Phil Mickelson/Saudi League issue, plus Rob shares a tip from his KISS segment, Keep It Simple Strano.

John Cook shared memories from when he first started out on Tour in the late 70s when celebrities often hosted Tour events like Bing Crosby, Glen Campbell, Jackie Gleason, and Sammy Davis Jr. We hear about his playing partner in the Crosby, James Garner. John then shares stories from his first Masters appearance when he was the reigning US Amateur Champion. He talks about when his invitation arrived in the mail, his first drive up Magnolia Lane, and what it was like staying in the Crow's Nest. We also hear about his near-victory in the 1990 Las Vegas Invitational when his shot from 95 yards flew into the cup and then bounced out taking him from birdie to bogey to lose.

Keith Stewart was a bundle of energy and excitement. We talk about his new newsletter and site, ReadTheLine.com, where his analysis and picks for tournament winners on the PGA & LPGA Tours have been spot on. If you're not signed up for that, you just don't want to win extra money. Keith also talks about the years he spent around Tiger Woods at Isleworth, his favorite Masters memories, Jennifer Kupcho's big win at the Chevron Championship, and being named PGA Professional of the Year by the New Jersey section.

This week PGA Tour Legends Mark Calcavecchia, Tom Purtzer, & Rick Fehr plus Top Instructor Tom Patri join me...

Tom Patri shares his thoughts on Scottie Scheffler's rapid rise to #1. He also touches on the buzz about Tiger showing up at Augusta National, Bryson's recent rash of injuries, and the mindset necessary to be a gamer.

Tom Purtzer starts off sharing his thoughts on the Phil Mickelson, Saudi Tour situation. We hear about his win at the 1991 World Series of Golf, memories of playing at The Players Championship, and Pete Dye's desire to pull your attention to where the trouble is. Tom also shares his memories from playing at Augusta National and the near hole-in-one he made at the 1982 Open Championship.

Mark Calcavecchia to his victory at the 1989 Open Championship and the clutch shots he hit on the 72nd hole to make birdie to tie Greg Norman at the time and force what ended up being a 3-way playoff that included Wayne Grady. We also hear about his last victory on Tour at the 2007 PODs Championship which started with an opening-round 75 and the message to himself "you f***ing suck" which he wrote on his official scorecard.

Rick Fehr rounded out the show. He talks about his junior golf day, why he chose BYU to play his college golf, their 1981 National Championship victory, being low amateur at the 1984 Masters & US Open, his victories at the 1986 BC Open and the 1994 Disney World Classic, where he almost missed his Sunday tee time but regrouped to beat Craig Stadler and Fuzzy Zoeller.

Mitch Laurance talks to us about the Pleace Awaken organization and what they are doing through golf to help the people of Ukraine. Please check them out online at www.pleace-awaken.org. If you're asking yourself how can I help the people of Ukraine, Pleace Awaken is providing a path to the Golf Federation of Ukraine, which has been turned into a relief organization.

John Mahaffey takes us back to his win at the 1986 Players Championship, coming from 4 back down the stretch to win over Larry Mize. We also hear about his run at the 1981 Masters, his experience playing in the 1979 Ryder Cup, and the books he's written, Hogan's Boy and a mystery novel titled, Shafted; both of which you can get on Amazon.

Jim Gallagher Jr. starts off talking about his golf-centric family who was awarded the Jack Nicklaus Golf Family of the Year in 1990. Jim also talks about his college golf days at the University of Tennessee, being inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, his win at the 1993 Tour Championship when he set the course record at the Olympic Club with an opening round 63, the inspiring story behind his win at the 1995 St. Jude Classic promising a young leukemia patient that he was going to win it for her, and his experience playing in the 1993 Ryder Cup, beating Seve in the Sunday morning singles matches.

Dustin Brekke is Director of Engineering and Eddie Drye is a Regional Sales Manager. They share the great new technology they have in their Cleveland Launcher XL driver and why it won Gold in this year's Golf Digest Hot List. We also talk about their new 5 & 7 fairway woods, the wedge groove enhancements that help us land the ball softly on the green, and how to determine which golf ball is the right one for our games.

Tour Legends Hal Sutton, Billy Mayfair, & Olin Browne & Top Instructor Tom Patri join me...

We look back at The Players Championship with 3 guys who've played in it several times including Hal Sutton who won it twice and Tom Patri whose been the venue several times.

Specifically, Tom Patri talks about being with Fred Couples during Fred's Players Championship win in 1984 plus Tom also lends his thoughts on Phil Mickelson's attempt to leverage the Saudi League vs. the PGA Tour. Tom answers the question if Phil has paid too high a price for the actions he took.

Billy Mayfair talks about his college career at Arizona State and their rich golf history. We also hear about his win at the 1987 US Amateur, his 2nd place finish at the 2019 US Senior Open, his win at the 1998 Nissan Open and being the only player to ever beat Tiger Woods in a playoff,  how his driving distance is longer now than when he played on the PGA Tour, his battle with testicular cancer, and his recent diagnosis of being on the autism spectrum.

Hal Sutton talks about his recent conversation with Tom Watson on his Hal's podcast, Be The Right Club Today (available on Hal's YouTube Channel). He shares the common interest that he and Tom share away from the golf course and what would likely have been the greatest victory in golf history when Tom nearly won the 2009 Open Championship at 59 years old. Hal shares his insights on The Players Championship and Pete Dye's design. We hear about his first Players Championship win in 1983 and why he struggled playing Augusta National.

Olin Browne looks ahead a bit to life after playing the Champions Tour which could include doing more work as an on-course Analyst. We hear about his struggles playing Pete Dye's course at TPC Sawgrass, his thoughts on the players potentially skipping the API in the future, and his memories of playing in The Masters.

Tour Legends Hal Sutton, Billy Mayfair, & Olin Browne & Top Instructor Tom Patri join me...

We look back at The Players Championship with 3 guys who've played in it several times including Hal Sutton who won it twice and Tom Patri whose been the venue several times.

Tom Patri talks about being with Fred Couples during Fred's Players Championship win in 1984. Plus his thoughts on the situation with Phil, if Phil has paid too high a price for the actions he took, Tiger's induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame, and how we can do a better job of lag putting.

Billy Mayfair talks about his college career at Arizona State and their rich golf history. We also hear about his win at the 1987 US Amateur, his 2nd place finish at the 2019 US Senior Open, his win at the 1998 Nissan Open and being the only player to ever beat Tiger Woods in a playoff,  how his driving distance is longer now than when he played on the PGA Tour, his battle with testicular cancer, and his recent diagnosis of being on the autism spectrum.

Hal Sutton talks about his recent conversation with Tom Watson on his Hal's podcast, Be The Right Club Today (available on Hal's YouTube Channel). He shares the common interest that he and Tom share away from the golf course and what would likely have been the greatest victory in golf history when Tom nearly won the 2009 Open Championship at 59 years old. Hal shares his insights on The Players Championship and Pete Dye's design. We hear about his first Players Championship win in 1983 and why he struggled playing Augusta National.

Olin Browne looks ahead a bit to life after playing the Champions Tour which could include doing more work as an on-course Analyst. We hear about his struggles playing Pete Dye's course at TPC Sawgrass, his thoughts on the players potentially skipping the API in the future, and his memories of playing in The Masters.

In this episode, I am excited to be joined by Champions Tour Pros John Cook, Tim Simpson, and Olin Browne plus former Actor now Backspin Golf Host Matthew Laurance joining me.

John Cook shares his thoughts on the Ryder Cup and the new World Champions Cup that will be coming to the Champions Tour in November of 2022. We also hear about his work with Patrick Cantlay, how John was successfully able to transition to the broadcast booth, and for those of us north of 50 years of age, John provides a tip for how to keep your swing long and fluid.

Tim Simpson talks about how lyme disease took away his opportunity to be a member of the US Ryder Cup team in 1991. We also hear about his relationship with Sam and JC Snead, the things that Sam taught him, and tips for how to consistently make center clubface contact.

Olin Browne shares his thoughts on the wrap-around Tour season, the importance of accuracy off the tee for those of us who can't drive it 300+ yards, Bernhard Langer the prankster, what Phil Mickelson brings to the Champions Tour, and his thoughts on the new World Champions Cup.

Matthew Laurance shares his thoughts on the Ryder Cup as well and what it's done for Bryson DeChambeau's personal brand. We also hear about his friendship with long-time Billy Joel band drummer Liberty DeVito, and Matthew's award from the Kentucky Section of the PGA of America for his contributions to the game.

What a privilege to spend time last night on Next on the Tee talking with a pair of Top 100 Instructors in Tom Patri and Kellie Stenzel plus former Tour Pro Donnie Hammond, and the President of the Golf Heritage Society Dr. Bern Bernacki. On this episode, my guests are a pair of Top 100 Instructors Tom Patri and Kellie Stenzel plus former Tour Pro Donnie Hammond and the President of the Golf Heritage Society Dr. Bern Bernacki.

Tom celebrates his birthday with us by sharing his thoughts on the Ryder Cup, Bryson DeChambeau's image transformation, missing the old silly season, plus what we need to change when the fairway and greens get harder as the temperature gets lower.

Donnie Hammond shares his insights on the Ryder Cup and the recent rash of player/caddie breakups. We also hear about the less glamorous side of life on Tour and memories from his victory at the 1986 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

Dr. Bern Bernacki is the President of the Golf Heritage Society. He gave insights into some of the historic golf courses in and around the Pittsburgh & Northeast Ohio areas, including the Clearview Golf Club which is the first golf course designed and built by an African American, William Powell. We also hear about the Bob O'Connor Golf Course which dates back to 1897, the recent Golf Heritage Society 50th Anniversary Convention, and some of the cool pieces of golf memorabilia that were on display there.

Kellie Stenzel has been named a Golf Magazine Top 100 Instructor every year since 2009. She talked about the growth of the game on the women's side thanks to great events like the Solheim Cup and the truly international leaderboard at the Olympics. She also talked about why most of us should switch to wedges with a high degree of bounce, tips for choosing the right clubs to chip around the green, plus a tip for how to get it close to the hole when your ball is embedded in deep rough just off the green.

Talking Ryder Cups past and present with Scott Verplank and Damon Hack, plus Jr. Solheim Cup with Top ranked AJGA player Avery Zweig. We also hear about the amazing summer golf adventures of Wayne Talsky and his Next on the Tee hat.

We're talking Cups, Solheim & Ryder, with LPGA Legend Jane Blalock, Top Instructors Tom Patri & Nancy Quarcelino, plus Swing U CEO Charles Cox.

TP shares his thoughts on the Tour Championship, Patrick Cantlay vs. Jon Rahm for Player of the Year, why the US Ryder Cup players just can't seem to play as a team, plus a tip for how to escape when we've hit one into the trees.

Jane Blalock adds her two cents for why team camaraderie is the issue preventing the US teams from winning the Solheim and Ryder Cups. We also hear about why she enjoyed playing over in Japan and winning back-to-back World Ladies Championships there, what life on the LPGA Tour was like off the course during the 1970s & 80s, what it was like being the subject of one of LeRoy Nieman's famous sports paintings and being appointed by President Bush to the President's Council for Sports and Physical Fitness.

Top 100 Instructor Nancy Quarcelino talks about the advice she would give Team USA to help them be victorious. We also get tips for when to hit a hard iron shot versus taking one less club and hitting it softer, her 3 ups to gain more distance off the tee, and proper foot alignment to help get a better turn.

Charles Cox is the CEO of Swing U, a great app that provides GPS distances for every course. You can also get wind speed and elevation data, the ability to track your scores, strokes gained analysis, your handicap, and get access to on-demand tips and playing lessons. Charles tells us how their technology gathers all of that plus will recommend what club to hit as well. Check them out online at www.swingu.com

In this episode I'm joined by Golf Magazine Top 100 Instructor Tim Cusick, 1979 Bay Hill Classic Champion Bob Byman, Cherry Hills Director of Instruction Shane LeBaron, and 1977 US Amateur Champion John Fought.

Tim Cusick is now a member of the Education Faculty of the PGA of America at their new headquarters in Frisco, Texas. Tim updates us on how their new facility and two championship golf courses that will host major championships are coming along. He also shares tips for how to read greens, dial in our distance control from 100 yards in, and fix it your swing if you're struggling with coming over the top.

Bob Byman shares stories from his college golf days at Wake Forest and how Arnold Palmer encouraged him to go there following a practice round they played together at Pebble Beach when Bob qualified to play in the US Open at age 17. We also hear about how he teamed with Curtis Strange and Jay Haas while at Wake Forest to win back-to-back National Championships in 1974 & '75. Things would come full circle with Mr. Palmer when Bob won the 1979 Bay Hill Invitational, which was the first year Mr. Palmer took over as tournament Host.

Shane LeBaron recently became the first Director of Instruction at Cherry Hills Golf Club which has been the site of many major championships. We all remember Arnold Palmer's charge in the final round to win the 1960 US Open there. Its also seen Andy North win a US Open, Phil Mickelson win a US Amateur, and Jack Nicklaus win a US Senior Open. Shane takes us around the course plus shares the best putting tip I've heard in the 8 years of doing this show.

John Fought shares stories from his college days at BYU and their rich golf history. We also hear how he captured the 1977 US Amateur championship, his time being a part of the victorious US Walker Cup team, his 5th place finish in the 1983 PGA Championship plus his golf course design work.