After hearing Nick O'Hern and Mark Allen talking about Links Hope Island last week and the story of Michael Long calling a penalty on himself, giving Ernie Els the win, Tour Pro Scotty Laycock had a further couple of stories to share, and left a voicemail.

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

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A feedback pod today where we read through a bunch of your questions and comments.

We start with a couple of comments on Cam Smith following Nick and Mark's chat last week on his form.

Last week Mark listed his 'Irish Bucket List' courses, and we've had a big reaction with people suggesting other courses in Ireland to play, and saying that he needs to extend his trip to get them in. Leads to a chat about Tour Pro Eamonn Darcy who Nick played with a couple of times. And then we have a voicemail from Tom in Arizona with some thoughts on Irish courses, and Mark gives Tom some homework - he'd love Tom's Top 5 'desert courses'.

After the turn, a comment from wolfpacker Mad Greek on unposrtsmanlike behaviour on tour, he outlines some poor behaviour he witnessed....and then we try to figure out who Mad Greek is. He sounds like he was a Tour Pro, but we're unsure who....time to reveal yourself Mad Greek !

Dale has a comment on wolfpacker Fezz from last week who doesn't like giving shots back to the course (Fezz plays of +1). Dale disagrees with Fezz and calls him a clown.

David has a question about a young golfer in the US who was disqualified last week after his caddy threw his hat in the air to check the wind.

And Kiwi Lad Welly, who caddied for Mark in New Zealand, has written in about a time he reckons Mark might have felt like breaking his fingers (after last weeks chat on golfers breaking fingers of caddies accidentally). Mark tells us about that tournament where he was playing with John Senden and recalls a moment where he made a poor shot that hit a tree, turned around to see John laughing at him.

Another voicemail, this one from James in Sydney on blending irons in his bag, wants to know if he should look at doing this given lots of pros seem to be.

And Nick has a question on the setup of Bethpage for the Ryder Cup.

Finally, we've locked it in. Our first ever Talk Birdie To Me golf day at Links Golf and Wellbeing at Hope Island on the Gold Coast. Limited tickets, shotgun start, par rules, plus a light lunch , and a buffet dinner - along with Nick and Mark speaking , telling some war stories, and lots of fun. It is on Wednesday October 8th, starts around 11.30am or so, first tee-time 12.30. If you can make it we'd love to see you - tickets and more info here.

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.

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Massive pod today, and we start with a bit of news that Nick and Mark have heard from an industry insider who is very high up in the golf world, about the new ball that is being developed and due in 2028. It is currently in testing and apparently the testing has not gone to expectations, with the results being far from ideal. Longer hitters with high launch and low spin aren’t impacted much, whereas the shorter or midrange drivers are impacted - not the intended outcome.

Onto the golf. Nick and Mark discuss Lottie Woad, what a superstar this young lady is going to be, winning her first tournament after turning pro. Nick likens her swing to Scottie Scheffler, not the swing itself but after impact. We have a look.

Mark loved watching Sunningdale again with the ISPS Handa Senior Open, saying it looked stunning, and reminded him of Royal Melbourne. Nick played Royal Melbourne at the weekend and said whilst the course isn't in tournament shape yet, it is looking better than he expected it would.

Mark talks about greenkeepers being 'mongrels' on swap days. Mark had a tour of the Huntingdale redevelopment at the weekend and said it is 'spectacular'. Nick gives an update on the Long Island development at The National.

Nick has launched a new website with some friends - he has criminally ignored his Talk Birdie friends....I guess we all know where we stand now. Awkward. But the website is basically a place to buy and sell second-hand, quality golf gear - it's brand new, still a couple of bugs, but worth checking out here - GoGolfer.com.au.

We discuss the video where Trump was caught cheating at golf (again!), Mark isn't convinced he was cheating this time and explains why, although he says his caddy is clearly very experienced at helping Trump cheat.

After the turn, we chat Happy Gilmore 2. Mark is horrified that neither Nick or Dan have watched it yet, Mark loved it and on our patented movie ranking system gives it 4 choc tops out of a possible 5 choc tops rating. Mark sets homework for the team to watch the movie and wants to do a review pod next week.

Nicks Top 5 is on the best ever debuts as a pro...where does Lottie Woad rank, does she make it?

And then we chat to David Hogben, the boss of Links Golf and Wellbeing on the Gold Coast about our Talk Birdie To Me Golf Day idea. We workshop it live, and come up with:

• A date (Wednesday October 8)
• A plan for the tournament (Shotgun Start)
• Light lunch and dinner
• War Stories from Nick and Mark over dinner
• Prizes.

We'll work on the details over the next 24-hours and let you know on our socials.....but looks like we're on for the Gold Coast.

Lots of feedback today, but we stick to the comments on Scheffler and how many majors he'll win - plenty of other feedback that we'll hold until later in the week, as the pod is running overtime today, and we don't want to lose our podcast license.

Nick takes us through the PING Global results, Mark predictably whinges about the music even though it's his fault. And a cracking masterclass from Mark on pros warming up using their alignment stick and how they are using it differently to what he is used to.

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.

Another feedback pod today, we're getting plenty of comments and questions so keep them coming.

We start with a comment from Timothy in reference to our 'hardest opening holes' conversation last week, with a great (ie. funny) story about playing at Latrobe in front of a crowd and what happened.

Then a voicemail from Paul in Wollongong with a question on grip pressure.

Jamie wants to know why a US players caddy was refused entry into the UK for The Open Championship due to a 30-year old drug charge, yet Ryan Peake was allowed in given his more recent, and more serious, issues.

And we have an update on our conversation late last week about a potential Talk Birdie To Me Golf Day on the Gold Coast where we want to get together with the Talk Birdie Wolfpack and have a comp, and a get together.....it is looking promising.

Phil has a comment and question on the 1996 Australian Open in Sydney where Mark played, and a question about his home course in Newcastle.

And finally today, Adam from Ballarat has a Top 5 suggestion - the Top 5 players who had great potential, but didn't live up to it. Nick and Mark answer it live on the fly.

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.

Nick and Mark always enjoy your feedback and questions, and we've got some rippers today,

We start with a message from Timmy, who has sent in a video of his swing and is after some tips on where he can improve, and he has a question around a soft or firm grip.

Aitken has a question about whether, if it was an option 30-years ago, Nick and Mark could have played LIV in Asia and qualify for majors via OWGR points, they would have done so in order to remain Australian based rather than move to America.

Jeff has just discovered the podcast and watches on YouTube, he has given Marks pre-shot routine from a few weeks ago a crack and has seen a real improvement in his game - great news!

And we've been hearing the ads , and seeing the ads, for Links Hope Island over the last couple of weeks which has given us an idea. We've been talking, and we've had a few suggestions from wolfpackers also, about doing a Talk Birdie To Me golf day of some kind. Maybe a Talk Birdie tournament where wolfpackers can play, Nick and Mark play, Dan might even have a crack (massive hack) and we put a feed on, have a catchup, a live Q&A, few stories - and Mark, as the only member of the team who has played Links Hope Island, reckons that would be a perfect place to do it.

There's only one slight challenge we've not run it by the Links Hope Island team, so it might go pear-shaped....but we'll try to get the boss on the pod, and see if we can convince him that it's a good idea.

Okay back to the feedback. Message from Jonathon about playing in bad weather, which leads to a Mark story about the legendary Peter Thomson - it's a ripper. Message from Matt who played with 9-year old Jasper in the Rossdale Open, and got absolutely rinsed.

Damian has a question for Nick about his Top 5 finishes from last week, he reckons Nick missed an obvious one, and Mark doesn't miss a chance to use Grok again....he has an addiction to Grok, it's quite ridiculous, and Grok proves on this occasion to be completely useless.

And we finish with a question from Fezz about amateur golfers and handicaps.

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 we called it. Scottie monstered the field in The Open Championship.

Okay, we didn't call it, in fact our Betr multi was a bust on every leg....we will make formal apologies at some point on today's podcast, you deserve nothing less.

But.....Scottie was magnificent, and controlled the tournament, certainly over the weekend, and we start today with Nick and Mark discussing some of the most impressive parts of Scottie's performance: his putting, his recovery from poor shots, his composure. Exceptional. Nick says the player interviews post the tournament and prior to the final day reminded him of when he was playing and Tiger dominated, in that everyone felt that they were playing for second place, Scottie was that good.

Then Mark makes a big call on Scottie and how many tournaments he will win, Mark doesn't believe he will win over 10 majors in his career, as he feels that his footwork will limit him at some point. Nick disagrees, and says Scottie has plenty of years left and will get to double figures.

Nick talks about playing with Harris English who he said was exceptional then, and now, and highlights what the weakness in Harris' game was when he played with him. Mark raises the Ryder Cup and says that surely Chris Gotterup is a certainty to be picked now, Nick says no.

We discuss the Aussies. A poor tournament overall, with Marc Leishman the only one to make the cut, ultimately finishing T52. Mark raises Cam Smith, and his consistent poor performances in the majors, and says that whilst LIV has been great for Bryson's game for example, it has not been good for Cams, and he just has to start hitting fairways. Nick comments that Brysons performance at the weekend was very strong after a terrible first day, and Mark predicts that we will see Rahm have a 'cracking' 2026 season and explains why.

Both Nick and Mark loved how Royal Portrush looked, Mark is desperate to play it. Nick loved the drone shots. And we discuss how on the hardest hole on the course, Scottie birdied Calamity 3 days of the 4....Mark would like a plaque to be placed there to commemorate it.

Then we apologise for our Betr multi, although Nick notes one leg would have come off were it not for Shane Lowry's 2-shot penalty, Mark wasn't aware of it, so we play the audio and discuss. But one person does win, wolfpacker Narelle Brunotte was drawn as our winner - she had a punt on our Betr multi and whilst the multi was a dismal failure, Narelle has won 250 bucks to spend at the Golf Clearance Outlet...congrats Narelle!

Mark lists his Top 5 courses in Ireland that he'd like to play, has he missed any obvious ones?

As you'd expect, the PING global results today have a big focus on The Open Championship, although we do digress for a moment with a video that contained an unusual sound.....we play the audio, and if you're watching on YouTube you will see the Shepmates take on it....very funny. During PING globals, Nick tells a great story that has come out of an Australasian Q-School in the US at the weekend.

Feedback - lots of comments on last weeks Top 100 World Golf Course List with Jasper from the Top100 organisation, and plenty of comments - some in support, and some not - on LIV seeking OWGR points.

Nick's masterclass today is inspired by Scottie Scheffler and looks at why aiming for the middle of the green is more effective than aiming for the pin.

A fun pod today, and a feedback one to come later this week which we're looking forward to!

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.

Voicemail from Mick in the UK who has some strong opinions about LIV golfers and whether they should receive OWGR points. You might agree with Mick, you might disagree. Love to hear your feedback in the comments.

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 feedback pod today, we start with a question from wolfpacker Ross on The Shark vs Rory. Michael asks about blades on tour these days. Ed has a nomination for the Top 5 injury comebacks list from last week who he believes we overlooked. And a suggestion for a Top 5 on 'unsportsmanlike' actions on the tour, we kick it around.

We chat about pros breaking their caddys fingers. Apparently it happens a bit, and we hear about one time it happened and who did it, and Mark tells a story about when he nearly broke his caddys fingers.

And Greg has a suggestion for the Top 5 Aussie golfers to never win a major.

Then, after the turn, we chat with one of the honchos at the Top 100 World Golf Course list, Jasper Miners, about the list. Nick O'Hern and Mark Allen put their concerns to him, and ask for the names of who voted on the list. Jasper explains how it was constructed, what he feels are the strengths of the list and the areas it needs improvements. He talks about the country and world rankings not being aligned, and how he is working to address that. He also talks about how many on the judging panel have played the courses.

Mark asks Jasper if Mike Clayton or John Huggan are involved in the voting, and for visibility over the names. Jasper gives his view on the ranking of St Andrews Beach over courses like PK North and South, and others, and whether he would have voted in that way.

A good chat, love your thoughts.

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.

Grace Kim. What. A. Star.

That was really one of the great finishes in a major, Grace was so calm, cool and collected and nailed the win. Nick and Mark discuss the tournament, obviously the final day in particular and what they loved about Grace's performance - the recovery after hitting it into the water, the chip shot, so much to be impressed with. Mark asks if anyone has ever hit three eagles on day 4 to win a major? He can't recall it happening. And Mark notes that credit must go to the PGA and Golf Australia, particularly Karen Lunn, in their development of the womens game in this country.

Mid chat, the fire alarm at Titleist and FootJoy HQ goes off....there is a possibility we may not survive and this could be the last pod ever.....but, crisis averted, it's only a test. Phew.

Back to the Evian. Obviously the big story is Grace Kim, however Mark loved how well Gabi Ruffels played, and he tells Nick his favourite thing about her development as a golfer.

Another exciting result this week was Mark's cousin* Steve Allan who went wire to wire in New York to win on the Champions Tour, a popular winner, and Nick and Mark loved it.

Nick raises Marks round at Kingston Heath at the weekend, he had a cracker....10 birdies in the first round with his brand new Titleist clubs, he talks us through the round and explains where it went well, and when he got nervous and had a couple of tough holes.

We had young Jasper on the pod a week or two ago, he played in an under 10's tournament in Sydney last week and won by 34 shots ! Sheez....

If you've not jumped on board our Talk Birdie Multi with Betr, 14 bucks for Scheffler to miss the top 10 at The Open Championship, into Lowry to beat Rory, into Fleetwood to beat Bryson. Head to the Betr website or app, search for Betr specials and you'll find it there - takes 2 minutes to set up an account, and you send us your bet, a screenshot, we'll choose one wolfpacker to win 250 bucks to spend at the Golf Clearance Outlet ! Nice.

After the turn, we read the release from the OWGR on the LIV application for OWGR points. Should LIV players get points? And if so how many? Love your thoughts. Nick and Mark believe they probably should, but with limits.

Inspired by Grace Kim, Nick's Top 5 counts down his best ever finishes in a major to win a major. And in feedback, as you'd expect, a heap of comments on Grace's win. Plus we get clarity on who the Liver King is, and a comment on UK crowds.

Plenty for Nick to run through in the PING global results, obviously the Evian the big one, but lots of other golf over the weekend. And a great masterclass from Mark on chipping.

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.

It's the week of The Open Championship, or the British Open, depending on how you say it. Before we get to that though, we have to touch on Grace Kim's fantastic win, we'll go through it in great detail on tomorrow's main podcast, but we had to acknowledge it today given how incredible the win was, particularly the finish!

Onto The Open. Nick and Mark discuss what Royal Portrush is like, how it plays, and how well one of the players they like this week - Shane Lowry - plays this course. Mark is concerned about Rory given the undoubted media attention he'll receive. Can Jason Day win? He could, but Nick and Mark don't believe he is playing well enough at the moment; however they do like Ryan Fox this week.

Mark feels that this tournament may be Adam Scott's last chance to win a major. Nick disagrees. Predictably, Mark is bullish on Sepp Straka, knock us over with a feather, who'd have seen that coming. Nick disagrees (again), saying whilst the course suits Straka, he doesn't rate his chances. Mark says Morikawa is no chance as he is hitting the ball terribly at the moment.

And Mark names the player that he would love to win the tournament (hint, it's not Straka). And Nick explains why he believes Scheffler might struggle this week.

We run through a bunch of other players and how they might go, including Nick and Marks tip for the winner, and their roughie.

And, given it's a major, we've got our Talk Birdie To Me multi on at Betr. Two legs a reasonable chance, one a bit riskier, but that gets the odds up a little further, we'd love you to get on board at Betr if you have an account, and if not, it takes a moment or two to set up.

Here's the multi:

1) Tommy Fleetwood to beat Bryson

2) Shane Lowry to beat Rory

3) Scheffler to miss the Top 10

Paying 14 bucks. Remember, there's no guarantee you'll win, it's just a bit of fun, so if you can't afford to lose it, then don't bet it. But it's a fun one to whack 5, 10, 20 bucks on. You can find the Talk Birdie To Me multi on the Betr website or app under 'Betr Specials'.

See you tomorrow when we go in depth on the amazing Grace Kim result on the main pod !

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.