Locally on the Links

Host Rich Roth and London Downs Director of Golf Marty Chandler discuss holiday golf gifts, winter strategies, and playing from forward tees.

For winter practice, Chandler advises focusing on consistent ball-striking and short game, suggesting fun team formats to keep rounds enjoyable in poor conditions.

Holiday gift recommendations include wedges, accessories like balls and gloves, quality equipment, and gift certificates for lessons. He suggests checking a golfer's current gear for club compatibility.

Chandler encourages players to refresh their strategy by trying different tees, noting that accuracy and a strong short game are key regardless of course length.

Host Rich Roth welcomes Geoff Redgrave, Director of Golf at Wintergreen Resort, to this week’s Locally on the links. They covered winter golf tips, indoor practice, and gift ideas. Wintergreen's lower Stoney Creek course often stays open, allowing for potential ski-and-golf days.

For winter practice, Geoff emphasizes fitness, daily stretching, indoor putting with a mirror for alignment, and short game work using foam/wiffle balls in a garage or basement. He suggests using portable launch monitors like the FlightScope Mevo for data, even when hitting into the snow. Winter is the best time to make swing changes, and he highly recommends indoor facilities and lessons using simulators like TrackMan to fix setup and groove the swing.

Holiday gift ideas include Wintergreen/golf store gift certificates, re-gripping clubs, accessories, golf balls/gloves/hats, and portable launch monitors. He advises against buying major equipment without a professional fitting or waiting for a demo day.

This episode of Locally on the Links featured Rich Roth and Falling River Country Club General Manager Faber Jamerson covering strategies for winter golf play, tips for indoor practice, and golf gift ideas.

Faber discussed the club's new simulator, noting it helps members stay loose and provides instant feedback on ball flight and club path, though he personally still prefers the feel of real golf. Jamerson stressed that when playing in the cold, golfers must temper expectations due to stiff muscles, excessive clothing, and challenging course conditions and advised focusing on fine-tuning the short game. He suggested practicing putting on hard surfaces for roll feedback and chipping with plastic balls to work on trajectory control. 

For gift ideas, Jamerson recommended wedges (lofts/bounce are easily determined from the bag), gift certificates, and noted the increasing affordability of home launch monitors and the appeal of a surprise membership.

This episode of Locally on the Links featured Rich Roth and PGA Tour Professional Dick Mast covering professional golf dynamics and practical advice for winter play. Mast discussed his recent Senior PGA qualifying attempt, stressing that thorough preparation is key, especially on courses with modern defenses. 

Dick voiced concern over the PGA Tour's plan to shrink its membership, advocating for expansion instead. Mast also noted that LIV Golf’s shift to 72-hole tournaments is likely a tactic to regain world ranking points and highlighted the anticipated competitive boost the Champions Tour will receive when Tiger Woods turns 50.

For Winter Golf Tips, Mast emphasized the importance of a proper warm-up, stretching, and correct dressing to counter reduced muscle efficiency in cold weather. Strategically, golfers must hit more clubs due to decreased ball distance and should lower their expectations. He advised recreational players to move up a tee box to keep the game enjoyable, and clarified that the belief that lower-compression balls travel farther in the cold is a myth—the difference is purely one of feel.

This week on Locally on the Links, host Rich Roth caught up with Marty Chandler, the Director of Golf at London Downs. The episode focuses on adapting to fall and winter golf, discussing necessary gear, course strategy, and new trends in the sport, including YouTube golf and putter technology.

Chandler noted that winter play is often dictated by the temperature and wind, suggesting golfers should manage performance expectations as the ball won't carry as far and layers can restrict the swing. Recommended gear for the cold includes winter gloves, hand warmers, and electric jackets/vests.

For course strategy, Chandler encourages golfers to play for fun and consider moving up to age-appropriate or handicap-based tees. The discussion also covered YouTube Golf's increasing popularity, especially among the 25 and under demographic. They highlighted Hole 15 at London Downs, known as the "treacherous island green," where a recent dredging found approximately 6,000 lost golf balls. Finally, the episode covered the evolution of Putter Technology, specifically the rise of LAB (Lie Angle Balanced) Putters, with major manufacturers now offering their own versions.

This week on Locally on the Links, host Rich Roth caught up with Geoff Redgrave, Director of Golf at Wintergreen Resort. The episode focuses on the unique challenges and opportunities of playing golf during the late fall and early winter.

Redgrave shared insights into how the cooler weather and wind change course conditions, noting that the warm-season grasses start to go dormant and the greens at Stoney Creek become "super, super fast". The conversation emphasized the importance of course management and managing expectations for a fun round in fall conditions. Finally, Redgrave touched on new driver technology, highlighting that some Cobra drivers now allow golfers to change the lie angle of the club without affecting the loft.

Wintergreen Resort Update: The Devil's Knob course will shut down around November 2nd, but Stoney Creek will remain open all winter long. The resort continues to offer packages, including an unlimited golf option

This week on Locally on the Links, Rich Roth caught up with Mark Fry, Director of Golf at The Omni Homestead Resort. Fry shared why fall is his favorite time to play—cool mountain weather, vibrant foliage, and perfectly conditioned greens—and gave an update on the resort’s $175 million renovation, which has boosted both group and leisure golf.

He also reflected on hosting the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship, where the Cascades Course challenged 132 players from 13 countries and showcased how advances in technology have changed the women’s game since 2009.

Fry offered insight on golf equipment, ball selection, and smart strategy for par fives, emphasizing course management over power. He wrapped up by describing a fun member event—the 5-4-3 format on the Old Course—and reminded listeners that while the Cascades Course closes November 9 (with a special Thanksgiving reopening), the Old Course stays open year-round for golfers eager to tee it up in the mountains.

This week on Locally on the Links, Rich Roth and LondonDowns’ Marty Chandler recapped a dramatic Ryder Cup weekend at Bethpage Black, where Team USA fell short despite home-field advantage and roaring New Yorkfans.

Chandler broke down how Europe’s hot putters and relentlessbirdie streaks silenced the crowd early, while soft conditions and light rough turned what should’ve been an American setup into a scoring paradise for the visitors.

The show also celebrated a local success story, as formerLondon Downs standout Zach Bauchou officially earned his PGA Tour card for 2026, giving area golfers a new hometown pro to cheer on.

In the teaching segment, Chandler shared bunker basics: aimto hit an inch behind the ball, keep the clubface open, and use the sand—not the club—to lift the ball out. His mantra? “It only took one shot to get in—take one to get out.”

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.

his week on Locally on the Links, Rich Roth welcomed Faber Jamerson, General Manager at Falling River Country Club, for a Ryder Cup–themed conversation. They discussed the unique energy of the event, noting how rowdy crowds and momentum swings make it feel more like a true sporting event than a typical golf tournament.

Faber also shared golf tips built around his “GAS” method—Grip, Aim, Stance. He explained different grip styles, proper aim, and stance fundamentals, and advised keeping the grip consistent from wedges to driver.

Listeners got an inside look at Falling River’s signature hole #3, a downhill par-three over water that demands accuracy and smart decision-making. They wrapped up by talking about a fun two-man betting game called Hammer, which adds strategy and excitement to casual rounds.