This week on Locally on the Links, Rich Roth welcomedlongtime PGA Tour veteran Dick Mast, who is still competing on the Senior Tour and giving lessons locally at Poplar Grove.

They kicked things off with Mast reflecting on his recentqualification for the Senior PGA Championship and sharing memories from classic venues like Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill. He also broke down how technology has changed the game—making equipment more forgiving, adding distance, and reshaping strategy.

The Ryder Cup took center stage as Rich and Dick analyzedEurope’s early dominance, which came largely from lights-out putting, and how soft course conditions at Bethpage Black erased the U.S. team’s setup advantage.

In the teaching segment, Mast stressed that the quickest wayto lower scores is through the short game—especially putting. He offered practical tips: read the fall line of the green, adjust speed and break for different grasses, and use training aids like mirrors or lasers to improve alignment and balance.