Tour Pro Scotty Laycock often sends voicemails with stories from his time on tour, or incidents he's been told about. This one's a ripper. Tiger Woods, with a restless crowd at the 96 Australian Open and him hitting driver on a hole he probably shouldn't have.....but Tiger does what Tiger does!

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

• Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
• FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
• PING will help you play your best. See your local golf shop or professional for a PING club fitting;
• Golf Clearance Outlet, visit them online here to find your nearest store.
• Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia.
• And watchMynumbers: download from the App Store or Google Play, and Southern Golf Club: with their brand new Simulator Room.

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

A bonus pod today with two guests, Nick O'Hern and Mark Allen chat to Tom Fisher, Titleist's Global Product Line Director, Metalwoods and Irons, and Marni Ines, Titleist's Director of Product Development, Irons. We've got them on to chat about the new Titleist T-Series which are spectacular, so good that Mark's first time using them he shot 10 birdies in one round (we'll forget that he hasn't shot a birdie since....).

Tom and Marni tell us the biggest improvements in this series, and the process of testing....how do they do it, who does the testing? Mark is keen to do the next round and unsubtley tries to drop that in conversation. Understandably though.

Tom explains the Titleist 'Three D's' approach - which is distance, dispersion and descent.

Nick asks if many pros these days are using blended sets, and Tom gives the percentage - it's high, more than we'd expected! Tom explains why Titleist are big believers in blended sets saying that they believe your 3 iron should go the same height as your pitching wedge, and as your Driver,

This new Titleist T-Series has just been released, and you can arrange a fitting now.

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

• Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
• FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
• PING will help you play your best. See your local golf shop or professional for a PING club fitting;
• Golf Clearance Outlet, visit them online here to find your nearest store.
• Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia.
• And watchMynumbers: download from the App Store or Google Play, and Southern Golf Club: with their brand new Simulator Room.

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

We open today's pod discussing the magician who is Scottie Scheffler, he really is extraordinary at the moment and we discuss his performance at the weekend in the BMW Championship, and look at his stats. Just wow.

Speaking of BMW, this week we welcomed BMW on board as a major partner, Nick is driving an X5 - and can't stop talking about it after his trip to Cathedral at the weekend in it! And we have an update on our Talk Birdie Golf Day at Links Hope Island with a former star footballer telling Mark he's planning on coming with a whole bunch of friends. Tickets still available - all the info here for Wednesday October 8th.

Bob MacIntyre, Mark watched him speak to the media after round 3 and feels he made a rookie error in how he spoke, which bit him the next day when his round 4 started badly. Mark explains why, and tells a story from when he played in the New Zealand Open and did something similar. Very funny.

Our new segment - A Touch Of Class - starts today, for BMW, and the inaugural recipient is Sebastián Muñoz who wins it, not for his 59 at the weekend, but for something else. We explain on the pod. Which brings us to LIV and Rahm winning the individual title without winning a single event. Reasonable or ridiculous? Nick and Mark have a strong view. We discuss the LIV relegations, and Mark has an idea for LIV re: a Monday Q style structure which he explains to Nick.

Mark and Dan accidentally offend Nick over a comment re: an award that he won 2-years running. Ouch.

The Australian Amateurs. Mark suggests Golf Australia can do better, and outlines an idea that he feels would be perfect for the Mens and Womens Amateur tournament, leading into our Top 5 for Betr - where Mark lists 5 Australian courses that he feels could host the Australian Amateurs and look great on TV for overseas viewers.

A reminder of our Talk Birdie / Betr multi on the Tour Championship, it is one we feel is gettable. Scheffler to beat Rory, J.J.Spaun, Tommy and Justin Rose by 5.5, paying 7 bucks. Last weekend he beat 3 of them by more than that, and one of them by 5 - so this is a very gettable multi. Go to the Betr website or app, search Betr specials and the Talk Birdie multi is there.

PING Globals, lots to run through including a fantastic win from Richard Green! Feedback for Southern Golf Club, Nick and Mark share their fave Tiger story from the Steve Williams pod - if you haven't heard or watched it, well worth it. Lots of feedback on Steve's chat, some comments on LIV, plus a 'whack' for Mark from a wolfpacker who says Mark has 'offended' him.

And a cracking masterclass from Nick on the importance of sequencing.

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

• Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
• FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
• PING will help you play your best. See your local golf shop or professional for a PING club fitting;
• Golf Clearance Outlet, visit them online here to find your nearest store.
• Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia.
• And watchMynumbers: download from the App Store or Google Play, and Southern Golf Club: with their brand new Simulator Room.

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

Today we preview the Tour Championship this weekend in Georgia, and what a tournament it is shaping up to be with all the big names lining up.

Nick O'Hern and Mark Allen discuss the East Lake Golf Club course in Atlanta and the kind of players it will suit.

Mark can't go past Scottie Scheffler this weekend and can't see anyone beating him. We look at his stats. Unbelievable. The greens may play a role and Nick and Markl talk through that.

Afte the turn we frame a Betr multi - and this one is very gettable, although of course there is no guarantee.....but Nick and Mark run through the power rankings and come up with a Talk Birdie To Me multi exclusively on Betr which is:

Scheffler to beat Rory, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood and J.J.Spaun by 5.5 shots. And on Betr they are giving us 7 bucks....so shorter than usual, which is because it's a red hot chance. Betr is the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia, if you don't have an account, it takes one minute or so - search Betr specials on the app or website and the Talk Birdie multi is there.

Remember to gamble responsibly.

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

• Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
• FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
• PING will help you play your best. See your local golf shop or professional for a PING club fitting;
• Golf Clearance Outlet, visit them online here to find your nearest store.
• Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia.
• And watchMynumbers: download from the App Store or Google Play, and Southern Golf Club: with their brand new Simulator Room.

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

A massive pod today for two reasons. Firstly, we welcome a new partner on board - BMW, who have a long and proud history with golf, and we're rapt to be partnering with them on Talk Birdie To Me. BMW provides you with the luxury and comfort you need after a day on the course.

Secondly we have a very exciting guest today, the man Nick O'Hern named as the most famous caddy in history in last weeks Top 5, Steve Williams. Steve's pedigree needs little introduction, he has caddied for some of the biggest names in golf and achieved enormous success. Today's chat is fascinating, wide-ranging and transparent.

Steve talks about many things:

• The importance of a personal relationship with the player and why the tone and approach is different with each player.
• What were the key differences between caddying for Tiger Woods compared to Greg Norman.
• Why the second major win is the most difficult, and why the 16th hole at Medina was the moment that his and Tigers relationship changed forever.
• The one characteristic all caddies must have to be successful, and the one part of their game that all great players are brilliant at.
• Why he took the job with Adam Scott.
• Why he sometimes would give Tiger incorrect yardage information in tournaments on purpose.
• And why Greg and Tiger always wanted to be last onto the tee.

And much more. A fascinating chat with a guy who has had a front row seat to some of golfs biggest moments.

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

• Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
• FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
• PING will help you play your best. See your local golf shop or professional for a PING club fitting;
• Golf Clearance Outlet, visit them online here to find your nearest store.
• Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia.
• And watchMynumbers: download from the App Store or Google Play, and Southern Golf Club: with their brand new Simulator Room.

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

In the main pod earlier in the week we read a message from Tour Pro and wolfpacker Paul Moloney who had heard Mark talking about being blown away by seeing a 21-year old Tiger Woods could do when he played the 1996 Australian Open. Paul played with Tiger in part of that tournament, and whilst we couldn't get hold of him in the main pod (something about being in a meeting, we reckon he call screened us) we got him to buzz through today.

Paul tells us about playing with Tiger and watching him close up, saying in reference to Tiger's Club Head speed that 'it was quite incredible'. He talks through some of Tiger's club selections and how they were different to the other players, and how he felt that watching Tiger in that tournament felt like it was a moment in history. And we find out what Paul is up to these days post his career as a Tour Pro.

Then onto some comments and feedback. Wolfpacker Matthew has messaged to let us know that he is listening in Spain, and has just finished playing Club Golf D'Or. Sheez Matthew, way to make us very envious!

Adrian has a question about the Australian Masters.

Voicemail comes in from Anthony who asks about pathways for young players, Mark tells us a story about Max Charles and Ludvig Åberg at Texas Tech.

And wolfpacker Geoff, who is from Melbourne but is presently travelling in the US with his wife, has sent some rake photos in from Idaho that he reckons should end the rakepod discussion for good.

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

• Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
• FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
• PING will help you play your best. See your local golf shop or professional for a PING club fitting;
• Golf Clearance Outlet, visit them online here to find your nearest store.
• Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia.
• And watchMynumbers: download from the App Store or Google Play, and Southern Golf Club: with their brand new Simulator Room.

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

Big pod today, we kick off with an update on our Talk Birdie To Me Golf Day at Links Golf and Wellbeing at Hope Island on the Gold Coast. Wednesday October 8th is the date, tickets have, in less than 2-weeks, nearly 50% sold out so if you'd like to come, all the info is here.

Mark's excited about his cousin Steve having another win over the weekend, it's great to him doing so well, and Nick points out that Steve Allen has now joined an elite group of Aussies on the Champions Tour and explains why. Mark tells his favourite Peter Thomson story, it's a ripper.

Obviously Justin Rose had a great win at the weekend, and in the end deserved it. However, Tommy Fleetwood is the subject of our chat. Nick says it was touch to watch, and Nick and Mark discuss the mental challenges he is facing. Mark explains how caddies play an important role to calm their players and focus them. Both the boys rave about J.J.Spaun's swing, and about the putting in the tournament from a number of players.

Nick has an idea for the Tour Championship, he isn't a fan of the playoff system currently, and explains to Mark his idea. We discuss Rickie Fowler and sponsor invites. Mark tells the dodgy story of Carlos Franco and his 'charity'.

The Ryder Cup. The Europeans are looking good, Nick and Mark discuss the big call facing Keegan Bradley.

Nicks Top 5 today is his most famous caddies in the world, given on Monday we chat with Steve Williams - where does Steve rank?

Lots of feedback - IBF, the ball rollback, the international feed, Tiger in Australia, and more. Nick takes us around the world with the PING Global results, and Marks masterclass today is bombing a big drive but ensuring it doesn't go left (as a righty). ** apologies for the masterclass audio, Mark is trialling a new mic, and the settings need a slight tweak **

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

• Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
• FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
• PING will help you play your best. See your local golf shop or professional for a PING club fitting;
• Golf Clearance Outlet, visit them online here to find your nearest store.
• Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia.
• And watchMynumbers: download from the App Store or Google Play, and Southern Golf Club: with their brand new Simulator Room.

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

Hold everything.....today's feedback pod gets off to a bad start when, just prior, Nick O'Hern decides to do some stretching but doesn't consider the angle that Mark and Dan have of his 'parts' when he is doing the stretches. Very nearly derails the entire pod. Some things cannot be unseen.

But, like triathletes, or footballers in a big game, we push through the pain and hook into the pod. We start with a wolfpacker suggestion of a few great Irish courses that you can play on a budget. And then a question about putting tips in cold weather.

Craig from the UK has a question for Nick and Mark about the angle of attack using his persimmon - and Mark has an idea to do a side by side comparison of a persimmon club vs the latest drivers from Titleist and PING for example.

Comment about Jordan Spieth getting relief and the left handed vs right handed chat from last week.

Our search for the identity of the Mad Greek on YouTube continues, he or she is yet to out themselves but a couple of wolfpackers have a thought on who they might be. One suggestion is Terry Pilkadaris, and Mark tells a great story about Terry as a young golfer.

David is a new listener to the pod, and loves the idea of the Talk Birdie To Me golf day on the Gold Coast at Links Hope Island (details here), however is unable to make it and suggests a golf day in Victoria where he lives. We like it. If you can make the Gold Coast, tickets on sale now - we'll be there at Links Golf and Wellbeing at Hope Island on Wednesday October 8th. Short clinic, light lunch, shotgun start tournament with Talk Birdie par rules, and then a buffet dinner, few stories from Nick and Mark and we'll do some questions live at the event from anyone who wants to chat with the boys.

Whilst we're discussing the Gold Coast golf day - Nick is horrified by Dans pronunciation of 'buffet' as 'buff- et' and Mark's pronunciation of 'champagne' as 'sham-pag-knee'. Clearly a disconnect between the working class Mark and Dan, and the hoity toity Nick O'Hern.

Back to questions. Does Nick get a sponsor exemption if he wants to play the WA Open? Wolfpacker Sandy asks what is going wrong with Australian Mens Golf....the women flying, the men less so. Mark and Nick have some solid views on how to address the issue.

And we wrap with a question about Tiger, and his swing and coaching changes. Timely, as later this week we'll chat to his former caddy Steve Williams, which we're looking forward to very much.

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

• Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
• FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
• PING will help you play your best. See your local golf shop or professional for a PING club fitting;
• Golf Clearance Outlet, visit them online here to find your nearest store.
• Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia.
• And watchMynumbers: download from the App Store or Google Play, and Southern Golf Club: with their brand new Simulator Room.

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

Well after Mark was in shock last week that Nick O'Hern had not found time to watch Happy Gilmore 2, homework was set. Nick (and Dan) both had to get up to speed....no excuses....and watch it.

What was the verdict? We find out the entire Talk Birdie To Me teams views of Happy Gilmore 2, we rate our fave cameos, we discover if Nick and Mark are about to have a rib muscle removed to get more distance, we hear some of your thoughts - and who was very famous actor in the movie who Mark completely was oblivious to!

And we end with our patented Talk Birdie To Me choc top ratings for the movie.

Warning - this bonus ep has spoilers, so if you haven't yet seen the movie, and plan to, maybe hold off on listening to this episode.

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

• Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
• FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
• PING will help you play your best. See your local golf shop or professional for a PING club fitting;
• Golf Clearance Outlet, visit them online here to find your nearest store.
• Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia.
• And watchMynumbers: download from the App Store or Google Play, and Southern Golf Club: with their brand new Simulator Room.

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

Fun pod today. Nick O'Hern and Mark Allen kick it off by discussing our reworked set - still at Titleist and FootJoy HQ but in a different space.....a change is as good as a holiday. Speaking of holidays, tickets are selling well for our Talk Birdie To Me Golf Day at Links Golf and Wellbeing on the Gold Coast on October 8th, after being on sale for about 5-days, nearly a third of the tickets are sold, so the day will sell out - we'd love to see you there, tickets available here.

We discuss the domination of the Asia Pacific region in womens golf at the moment, with a new number one in the world in Jeeno Thitikul, and Nick and Mark discuss why they are dominating. Work ethic is a clear standout reason according to the boys. Nick suggests getting Jan Stephenson on the pod as a guest. Steph Kyriacou played well in tough conditions at the weekend, and one particular shot involving her was extraordinary, we discuss.

And the retirement of a legend. Ian Baker-FInch, what a career, Nick and Mark love what he has done and how good he is. Although missing the discussion about IBF due to the international feed being delivered into Australia was very disappointing - Mark has had enough and says 'we are missing so much' by being given the international feed. Nick says Jim Nance is the best in the business, and he's one that he wants to hear, rather than the international feed team.

In the chat about IBF we also find out that Mark is a tight-arse. And we discuss who might replace IBF, Frank Nobilo the consensus choice from Nick and Mark.

Cam Young, a great win at the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina, and a fantastic final round (after a tough first hole) to win his first ever PGA tournament. We discuss that final round. Nick is reminded of playing this tournament and described it as the greatest cut he ever made, and tells the story of why.

Update on Royal Melbourne's preparation for the Australian Open. It's good news, and Mark is pleased to have heard it and to pass it on.

Last week we had a voicemail from wolfpacker Tom in Arizona, and Mark decided to give Tom some homework - this is what the podcast has become, we're giving homework to wolfpackers, we really are quite disgraceful. Nonetheless, Tom delivers in spades with a ripping Top 5 desert courses in Arizona, with rationale for each. During the turn, Mark has been on google looking at Tom's number 1 course, and he decides that he needs to visit Arizona to play it. We'd like to be in the room when Mark asks his wife for permission to fly to Arizona to play a round of golf. Onto the Top 5, Mark lists the 5 things that The Australian Open needs to have implemented to make it as good as it can be, and as good as it used to be.

Breaking news - next week we'll have a bonus pod chatting to Steve Williams, former caddy of Tiger, about his new book - and he will personally sign a copy to one wolfpacker. How do you win? Well we want your questions to ask Steve, what would you like us to ask on your behalf? We'll choose three and put all three to Steve, and Nick will vote on the best question to win the signed book. Let us know on socials, or message us through the Talk Birdie website here. Our bonus pod with Steve will be later next week.

Nick runs through the PING globals from the weekend, and we have plenty of feedback to run through. Amongst other things we talk ball fitting, equipment evolution, blades vs hollow clubs, and a couple of suggestions for other players who didn't live up to their potential.

And a reminder that later this week we'll do our review pod on Happy Gilmore 2!

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

• Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
• FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
• PING will help you play your best. See your local golf shop or professional for a PING club fitting;
• Golf Clearance Outlet, visit them online here to find your nearest store.
• Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia.
• And watchMynumbers: download from the App Store or Google Play, and Southern Golf Club: with their brand new Simulator Room.

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