The Australian Open starts tomorrow, and today Nick O'Hern and Mark Allen are live from Royal Melbourne. We start with a special guest - Tour Pro Elvis Smylie has dropped him and Nick, has just come from a weather briefing and runs through for Elvis what they've just found out about tomorrow's weather. Warm and Windy......the warmth was expected, the wind was not.

We ask Elvis how he's planning to play the course, and how the greens are playing in his practise runs. Mark has had a couple of spies watching a number of players and his mail is that the greens are fast...Leishman was struggling to stop the ball, but Rory was able to. The fringes have been the subject of much talk, what does Elvis think? And will his play differ from last week at Royal Queensland.

After Elvis heads off, former Royal Melbourne Captain and historian of the course Andrew Kirby drops in. Kirbs tells Nick and Mark how the course has been set up, and how it may play given the wind. In some breaking news literally 2 minutes before Kirbs dropped in, Rory has just had a press conference where he was asked what the best course in Melbourne was - we all expected he'd say Royal Melbourne.....he did not. Much to everyone's surprise, and Mark says that Rory is clearly a 'bad judge of golf courses'.

Kirbs, with his long history, explains what makes Royal Melbourne so special for him, and what his favourite tournament ever has been here.

And after those couple of chats....we're all off to walk the course and soak it all in !

We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:

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• Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
• FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
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• Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;
• And watchMynumbers and Southern Golf Club.

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It's Australian Open week, and we're excited...but...we start by chatting about the BMW Australian PGA at Royal Queensland. Fantastic win by David Puig, and an exciting tournament to watch. Mark asks Nick how the LIV / DPWT arrangements work and how Puig will manage his schedule now. Both Nick and Mark raved about how Puig constructed his tournament.

Without any notice for Nick to take cover, Mark comments that he loves the commentators, but he has an issue with how the coverage is put together, and he launches in with poor Nick completely unawares.

Golf.com have released a new Top 100 list (see it here), and Nick and Mark discuss some of the placings and muse over where Royal Melbourne Composite would rank were it a rankable course. Nick gives Mark payback for his comments on the commentary by making an observation about Kingston Heaths drop on the list, and what the cause might be. Mark ducks for cover.

Mark played Royal Adelaide last week and describes it as 'a national treasure', he tells Nick why he loves it so much. Nick is playing the Cathedral Invitational shortly and he has had no time to practise, he is worried.....but at the same time he's excited about the tournament given the course and the calibre of players. Mark says the Cathedral Invitational is good for golf, and a real plus, given the players, the cost, and the proximity the fans get to the players.

We pay tribute to Fuzzy Zoeller who passed away last week, and we replay one of his most iconic moments. Then onto the BMW Touch of Class, which has two entrants today !!

And then, perhaps in payback for Nicks Kingston Heath comments, Mark has a crack at something else he felt was missing from the TV coverage of the BMW Australian PGA at the weekend.

The Top 5 for Betr, inspired by Fuzzy, is the Top 5 most interesting hole in ones. We hear the story of when Mark hit an Ace and thought he'd won a car. Spoiler, he hadn't. The story is an absolute cracker.

Lots of feedback today - carts, Minjee, Cam Smith, LIV, The Old Course - and Nick gives his thoughts on why Cam Smith's form has been off.

Clearly lots of golf this week to cover off in the PING globals and Nick takes us through it all.

And then....for watchMynumbers....Mark gives his masterclass. We need to be honest, Mark thought Nick was doing it, and prepared nothing. And truth be told, the masterclass reflects that lack of preparation. Mark feels it is valid. Nick is unconvinced. Dan is extremely underwhelmed. You be the judge. Feedback welcome.

We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:

• BMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;
• Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
• FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
• PING will help you play your best;
• Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;
• Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;
• And watchMynumbers and Southern Golf Club.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The BMW Australian PGA last weekend was excellent, and this week our attention turns to The Australian Open at Royal Melbourne.

We start with a chat about the weather, it has been very wet in Melbourne, although the forecast for the day prior to the Open is for a hot and dry day, nonetheless the course has had plenty of moisture, what does that mean for it? Nick and Mark discuss.

We run through some of the field, and Mark wants Nick to give a view on how some of the big boys will play the three Drivable Par 4's at RM. And we discuss a couple of smokeys who Nick and Mark feel might play well this week.

And then we frame up a Betr Talk Birdie Multi with 3 legs. Only one of our multis has come off, but if you were on each of them Mark calculates you're still ahead. pick and Mark explain why they're confident about this one. Before we get the price back for the multi from Betr, Dan raises that he has spotted Mark fighting with wolfpackers on Twitter again....Mark doesn't deny it, in fact leans into it.

And then the odds for the multi are in. A handy 21 bucks. Remember to gamble responsibly.

We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:

• BMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;
• Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
• FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
• PING will help you play your best;
• Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;
• Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;
• And watchMynumbers and Southern Golf Club.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on a Talk Birdie Feedback pod, we have some comments from wolfpackers about Nick and Marks discussion a week or so ago in which Mark said that Brooks Koepka would not get back to top form unless he returns to the PGA tour. Some had a different view, and felt there was context around his form over the last couple of years that was relevant.

Nick comments that for some players (Bryson) LIV feels a great fit, and muses that he feels Rahm might prefer to be back on the PGA Tour.

Then we have some brutal comments from wolfpacker Roger about the Old Course. Nick and Mark respond.

After the turn, is the story of an amateur player partnered with Nick in a Pro Am telling him that he should do something else because he won't earn a living with his golf ability true? We find out.

On that note, if Nick and Mark hadn't been Tour Pros, what would they have been? We find out the 'sliding doors' career paths. And Mark reveals how the Texas Tech opportunity came about and why wagging school might just be the best thing he ever did.

We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:

• BMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;
• Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
• FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
• PING will help you play your best;
• Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;
• Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;
• And watchMynumbers and Southern Golf Club.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Talk Birdie Mini today, no time for a longer pod as Nick is commentating at the BMW Australian PGA and Mark is glued to the TV watching it....but we can sneak a mini in!

Today, after Mark saw a tweet from a guy called 'Rick Golf' (Twitter page here) on how golf carts have 'destroyed' US Golf, he wanted to discuss carts with Nick.

Both Nick and Mark are 'walkers' although Mark doesn't mind using a cart for 9 holes if he's playing 18, but both enjoy the walking element of playing golf. Nick makes a case that he plays better when he walks as you have better visibility, you can read the greens more effectively, and he finds it helps with the rhythm of his round. Mark agrees, and says if you are using a cart, there is nothing better than your playing partner driving off in a cart, and you walking down the fairway with just a putter in hand after hitting a 3 or 5 wood on a Par 5 !!

A fun mini today - and now back to the BMW Australian PGA !!!

We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:

• BMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;
• Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
• FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
• PING will help you play your best;
• Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;
• Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;
• And watchMynumbers and Southern Golf Club.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The BMW Australian PGA starts today at Royal Queensland and we sat down with the Australian PGA CEO Gavin Kirkman for a chat about the tournament and what he is working on currently to grow golf.

We had to start with an update. Brisbane has been hit by some quite severe storms last week, and as recently as Monday this week, was the course damaged, and have the storms caused any issues with, or changes to, the structure of the tournament? Gavin gives us the latest information and looked at everything having just walked the course prior to our conversation.

Nick and Mark are impressed with the calibre not only of the Australian and New Zealand players, but of the International contingent who have come to Brisbane for the event, and ask Gavin whether he feels there is further plans for co-sanctioning with the DPWT, following the excellent work with the Hotel Planner Tour. Gavin reveals that the DPWT CEO Guy Kinnings is travelling to Australia for the event, and then heading to Melbourne for talks about working more closely with the Australian PGA....that is great news.

After the turn, we discuss Tuesday nights PGA awards in Brisbane, and the announcement of Minjee Lee as the Greg Norman medal recipient for the 4th time. Well deserved, in a tough field.

Nick has spotted on the calendar a new event pencilled in as TBC for March 2026 and asks Gavin outright what it is. The early part of 2026 looks excellent with the Webex series events, and 4 Ladies European co-sanctioned events in Australasia.

Mark asks Gavin why the Queensland PGA event last week had a smaller field than usual. Gav explains....it has something to do with cows and curtains. Classic Queensland.....

And before we wrap up, Gav tells us about the time he watched Nick O'Hern in a playoff against Peter Lonard at one of Nick's favourite hunting grounds - Coolum.

A great chat with the PGA of Australia boss today! Enjoy the tournament over the weekend !

We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:

• BMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;
• Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
• FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
• PING will help you play your best;
• Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;
• Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;
• And watchMynumbers and Southern Golf Club.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a massive fortnight in Australian golf, the BMW Australian PGA starts in a day at Royal Queensland, and next week the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne. What a time to be a golf lover!

Today Nick and Mark run through the field for Brisbane, and it's impressive. Some wonderful Australian players of course, but the international field is very strong. We run through a few of the players who could mount a claim for the win. Nick produces a great stat regarding international vs Australian winners of the tournament....which helps to frame the discussion around our Talk Birdie / Betr multi. Nick and Mark are also feeling confident that Cameron Smith will come ready to play, and that Marco Penge will be looking for redemption after a poorer than expected performance a week or so ago.

Brisbane has had some major storms, what does that mean (if anything) for the course and how it will play, Nick and Mark discuss.

And then Nick and Mark name their predicted winner of the tournament and explain why, and their dark horse.

Remember to gamble responsibly, but if you'd like to have a look at our Talk Birdie / Betr multi - head to the Betr website or app, search Betr specials and the Talk Birdie multi is there waiting for you!

We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:

• BMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;
• Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
• FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
• PING will help you play your best;
• Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;
• Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;
• And watchMynumbers and Southern Golf Club.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Huge pod today, for a number of reasons. Firstly we welcome Hostplus as a major partner, Hostplus have been a huge supporter of golf for a number of years, and we're excited to be partnering with them at Talk Birdie To Me.

Secondly we have a very special guest on the masterclass with Nick O'Hern today, he has a legend of Australian golf giving a putting masterclass later in the show. You don't want to miss it.

But the drama....the stories....the emotions...of the final US Tour Event and those players on the bubble. It was a rollercoaster over the weekend. Nick and Mark watched plenty of it and discuss today, and we have a listen to one Tour Pro who has lost his card as of the weekend. It's a difficult listen as the emotions run over.

And in exciting news, the idea Nick and Mark floated a few months ago of a show focused on the cutline actually eventuated! With the PGA cutline show starting last week. Only one downside, they didn't take our suggestion of getting Monday Q's Ryan French to host it....but maybe that will come. The shortened cutline is hugely significant to players, and we chat about that.

A number of movements in and out of LIV this past week, which we look over, including the Laurie Canter story.

The Australian PGA in Brisbane this week, later in the week we'll have a chat to Golf Australia boss Gavin Kirkman who is at the event and get the inside word on it, and we're giving some thought to a Betr multi to sort....that will be in the next 24-hours....we'll try and rinse Hummer at Betr. Nick and Mark are excited for the tournament, Mark is pumped about the number of DPWT and LIV players who've travelled, it will be a ripper weekend. Can Elvis Smylie defend the title?

Nick and Mark discuss Metropolitan in Melbourne and how the course is settling in - Nick has many fond memories of Metro, and one bad one....which he explains.

For BMW Mark's turn for a Touch of Class this week, after being briefly hijacked by Dan, and Mark has an unusual recipient of the Touch of Class award.

After the turn we toy around with a new segment we've loosely called 'Good for Golf', which is essentially something that has happened, or should happen, which would be a 'plus' for golf. Hostplus are good for golf, and have supported the sport for years, so it's a natural fit. Mark has a great suggestion.

Ping Globals from Nick, it might be getting to the end of the year, but gosh there's been some great golf played. And the Betr Top 5 from Mark is his Top 5 fave Queensland golfers who never won a major. Nick tells a hilarious story about Ossie Moore during Marks Top 5.

For Southern Golf Club, plenty of feedback - iron covers (again), Aaron Rai (again), Tech in golf, broomstick putters, some feedback on last weeks course record with GUR, and we touch on the 'Dixon' incident on last weeks podcast.....

And then, for watchMynumbers, Nick O'Hern's masterclass. Today it is on putting, and he has enlisted the master - Ian Baker-Finch - to give us a masterclass on putting. It's great to listen to, and you should also watch the video on YouTube here.

We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:

• BMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;
• Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
• FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
• PING will help you play your best;
• Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;
• Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;
• And watchMynumbers and Southern Golf Club.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Talk Birdie Mini today, and we have a question from Matthew in Nebraska who asks for Nick and Marks thoughts on what he calls 'a rather uncompetitive year' for Brooks Koepka.

Nick has been surprised, saying that he felt the LIVG structure and style would have suited Brooks, however it seems to not have. Mark says that his swing, his putting, everything else is still the same - aside from the scores.

Mark says that in his view 'LIV has stuffed Brooks game, and the move has backfired for both Brooks and Cameron Smith'.

We discuss the difference between the 3 round and 4 round structure, and Nick and Mark talk about playing 6 rounds at times during their career. Pro Ams come up, and Mark says his view is that Pro's should play very few Pro Ams, he explains why.

And we end by discussing if we will see Brooks at his best again? Mark says yes. But only when he returns to the PGA Tour.

We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:

• BMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;
• Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
• FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
• PING will help you play your best;
• Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;
• Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;
• And watchMynumbers and Southern Golf Club.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a Saturday morning (in Australia for international wolfpackers) and we're live from the Golf Clearance Outlet's brand spanking new store in Mornington, Victoria.

The Australian Open is now a fortnight away, and to see how Royal Melbourne is shaping up both Nick O'Hern and Mark Allen played it this week, and compare notes on how it looks and how it plays. Mark said a few months ago that it would need a 'minor miracle' to be ready in time....he gives his verdict on whether that miracle has occurred or not on the pod today.

Nick played with Shane Joel, who is Min Woo Lee's caddy, and throughout the day they discussed Min Woo's game, how he might play certain holes, and how far his carry is with his Driver, Mini Driver, and 4 Iron....and Nick and Mark chat about the clubs that Min Woo and Rory McIlroy might use of the tee when they play the Royal Melbourne Composite course in the Open.

After the turn, we have a chat with the big boss at Golf Clearance Outlet, Sam Colosimo, and he gives us a snapshot of how the stores are going, what stock is working well, and some of the things you can find instore. Mark rips out to the car to bring in a putter that he bought from Golf Clearance Outlet that he loves, and he shows it off on the pod.

A fun Saturday, and good to see the Golf Clearance Outlet team - if you're near a store, check them out in person, if not, everything is online here.

We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:

• BMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;
• Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
• FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
• PING will help you play your best;
• Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;
• Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;
• And watchMynumbers and Southern Golf Club.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.