TeeTalk

When you ask most golfers about practice, they'll tell you about their marathon sessions on the driving range, "perfecting" their golf swings. This week's guest knows where the real gold is though, the short game.

Gareth Raflewski has become the Irish wizard around the greens. Trained as an Engineer, but a golfer his whole life, he turned his talents away from playing to coaching and has found global success over the last dozen years. Three of Raflewski's students have become #1 in the Rolex Women's World Rankings, and he can count some 60 LPGA TOUR players he has worked with, along with multiple PGA TOUR players.

Gareth joins us to share some of his secrets to coaching, skills and drills you can use to improve your game, insight into technology he is working with to advance his craft, and what life has been like in the last year working mostly from home. He also introduces you to his training aids and how they were developed.

Raflewski also has the insight of being a coach at a club, the River Bend Golf Community, in London, Ontario, where he has given thousands of lessons, so you know he can relate to all our listeners as well.

It's a fun conversation.

This Episode presented by PING Golf and the all-new PING G425 Family of clubs.

Gareth Raflewski

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Episode production by Brendan Kennedy

It’s only been six months but here we are again re-capping a memorable playing of The Masters.

Stefan and Scott break down the major with their highs and lows from the week that was, who were the surprises, and who were the dissapointments.

They also welcome Tomo Bystedt of TaylorMade Golf who shares what the two victories in eight days at Augusta National mean to a the nation of Japan to which he identifies deeply. We talk about how the wins by Tsubasa Kajitani at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and Hideki Matsuyama will impact the popularity of golf in Japan, how it may shape the upcoming Olympics, and also push the game forward there for the future.

The Mailbag is filled with Masters questions (again) we do a live speed challenge to find putters to buy in certain price categories online, and the tip of the week addresses how to achieve softer, higher pitch shots around the green with a simple technique.

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Episode production by Brendan Kennedy

I mean, what else could this week's show be primarily about? The Masters, of course.

After we run through the week that was, including an incredible finish and winner at the LPGA's ANA Inspiration, it is all hands on deck, the green deck, as we dominate the podcast with talk of The Masters.

We make our picks, of course, and the Mailbag is full of great Masters questions, but the main course of the show is our interview with Yohann Benson.

Benson, a PGA of Canada professional, former tour pro and tour caddy, and now analyst for RDS/TSN drops us insight direct from the grounds at Augusta National Golf Club.

After walking the practice round with Mike Weir, Corey Conners, and Mackenzie Hughes on Tuesday, Benson shares his observations on the trio and their chances for this week.

He also gives a great overview of course conditions, the prospects of many players this week based on how the course is playing, and even drops a nugget or two from chats with players like Justin Thomas.

If you need last minute insights for your golf pool, have a listen ASAP!

Thanks, as well, to Ellis Meek, who provided the music for this Episode.

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Episode production by Brendan Kennedy

Episode Music by Ellis Meek

It's a big week at the podcast as Stefan's new "roommate" finally arrives and he unexpectedly shows up for the episode!

There has never been more discussion about the topic of golf's future, given the boost in play last year by the pandemic, so we check in with Mike Kelly of Golf Ontario for the feature interview. He shares the perspective of their association on the impact of 2020, what they are working on to help the game thrive, and their plans for tournaments and such in the year ahead.

The Week The Was finds us with a lot of love for the Joel Dahmen win on the PGA TOUR and plenty of excitement over the play of Canadian pros and amateurs at multiple golf events.

We make our picks for the first pro major of the year, the ANA Inspiration, and welcome the River Town Saints for the guest music of the week.

The Mail Bag has us answering questions about recent Korn ferry Tour winner Adam Svensson, favourite beverages on the golf course, do we like more match play for pro golf, LPGA majors we'd like to attend, and the structure of golf clinics.

The Tip of The Week has us talking about how to improve your practice sessions.

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Episode production by Brendan Kennedy

Episode Music by River Town Saints

He showed up; he told stories, and we were entertained.

We think you will be too as well-travelled golf pro Mark Baldwin joins us on this episode. He has had a remarkable career so far with the wild tales that go with that. He takes you inside the life of a pro golfer playing on the edge of being an alternate each week on the Korn Ferry Tour and the adventures that ensue.

Strap yourself in, grab some popcorn and also hear about playing in Korea and a wild caddy tale that is a little on the shady side of life.

Also on the show, we give out our "awards" for the week that was, make our selections for the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship, ponder how Michelle Wie West may play in her return to the LPGA TOUR, and task ourselves with making up nicknames for three holes stretches at famous golf courses.

In the Mail Bag we talk under-rated golf experiences, how mini-tours work, scoring formats we prefer for two-person team events, and golf books about Scotland.

Mark Baldwin

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Episode production by Brendan Kennedy

Episode Music by The Elwins

THE PLAYERS Championship takes centre stage in this episode as not only do we wrap up all the nuances and story-lines from the PGA Tournament left unfinished in 2020 due to the pandemic, but we welcome a guest with way more insight than most on the subject.

Outgoing Tournament Director Ryan Hart joins us for a very in-depth interview on the 2021 PLAYERS. He shares what his team was feeling as they prepared for this year, the logistics of running one of the biggest events in pro golf with 20% of their fans and in a whole new era, and he recaps his time as tournament director and take fans inside the ropes on the operations side. It’s a wide-ranging and compelling look that golf fans rarely get to hear about and we think you’ll enjoy the candor of the Canadian who now moves on to take over operations for the 2024 Presidents Cup in Montreal.

We take a look a glance around the tours for the weeks ahead, including a depleted field at The Honda Classic, some surprising names playing on the Korn Ferry Tour, and have a look at the first Symetra Tour event of the season.

In the Tip of the Week we discuss the bend in the trail elbow, and in the Mail Bag we have a diverse group of questions from the listeners once again, including: how much of our own money would we gamble on hitting the 17th green at TPC Sawgrass Stadium, what’s the perfect halfway house food that’s likely not served now, opinions on Rory, Decade Golf, PGA TOUR coverage of poor shots by pros, and would we like to see the LPGA play at TPC Sawgrass Stadium course?

Ryan Hart

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Episode production by Brendan Kennedy

*Episode Music by The Honest Heart Collective

Brad Fritsch is back. The Korn Ferry Tour winner and past PGA TOUR member last made a show appearance in May, 2019 and he returns to grace us with his thoughts on a wide range of topics.

Never short on well though-out opinions, Fritsch digs in with us on topics like Bryson DeChambeau, distance in golf, the cancellation of the 2021 RBC Canadian Open, The Players Championship and who the TPC Sawgrass course favours, his playing plans for the season, and his recent experience attending a live NHL game in the Covid-era.

As usual we draft up some picks for the week, assigns scores to some of the most notable current golf topics, and take on your questions, including ranking some large pizza chains (??).

In the Tip of The Week we talk Ball Position and what it can impact in the golf swing.

Brad Fritsch:

Episode production by Brendan Kennedy

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With his 2021 season underway, Canada’s Taylor Pendrith returns to the show to give our listeners an update on his life, on and off the tour.

We discuss his recent appearance at the Puerto Rico Open and other opportunities he will have on the PGA TOUR this year. At the same time he lays out his goals and focus on the Korn Ferry Tour this season, takes us inside his bag to see what equipment he is using and testing, explains what strange snack his caddy, Mitch, has slipped into the bag, discusses the surge of Mike Weir on the PGA TOUR Champions, and, of course, shares some Maple Leafs talk. We also chat about the role of sponsors in the development of young golf pros and what house-warming parties for golf pros have in common for golf pros and everyone else. (Hint: some assembly required)

We introduce you to our new producer, Brendan Kennedy, an emerging golfer and sound engineer for a Juno Award-winning band.

Plenty of Collin Morikawa talk as we debate his career ceiling, as well as The Week That Was with our Birdies, Bogeys, Pars, and Honorable Mentions.

The Mail Bag is bursting with listener questions about Patrick Reed equipment deals, favourite golf course meals, putting instruction books, golf pros and their relationship with social media, wing sauces, and club pro purchasing dilemmas.

Taylor Pendrith

Episode production by Brendan Kennedy

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A great example this week of working on a script for a show then having it go sideways. We give our initial reaction to the Tiger Woods car crash news just hours after the story broke.

Joining us for a feature interview is the Director of Product Design for PING Golf, Ryan Stokke, who takes us through the entire G425 product line. That includes insight on a new club being added to the bag for Canada’s Corey Conners.

We give our Pars, Birdies, and Bogeys for the past week in golf with plenty of talk about Riviera, Max Homa, Madelene Sagstrom, possible changes in Amateur Status rules, and some thoughts on Tony Finau and the fans being allowed to attend at the upcoming PGA Championship.

For fun we lean on our past retail golf experience to come up with some stereotypical golf shoppers; you’ll recognize all of them and we admit to being some of them as well.

The Mail Bag is full, again with at least one coffee question. We also address low cost irons, which pro golfer we would invite to dinner with our family, and some questions on both Bryson Dechambeau and Annika Sorenstam.

In the tip of the week we address an element that will provide more consistency for your practice putting.

Ryan Stokke

PING G425

Episode production by Brendan Kennedy

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The future of golf is in the spotlight this week with the unique perspective of an architect who has played the game at a high level, seen and worked on some of the best courses in the game, and strives to make the game accessible and attractive to all.

Canadian Christine Fraser joins us with her thoughtful look at golf, what it has meant for her, and the potential it holds. It's a conversation we think you'll enjoy.

We celebrate the 25th anniversary of Happy Gilmore with a trivia game, gives out pars, birdies, and bogies for the week that was, chat a little about Riviera G&CC, and take on an extra full Mail Bag.

If you want to know our go-to coffee orders, a listener asks, and we trundle through questions on preferred golf shoe brands, some favourite courses in Canada's National Capital, alignment aids on putters, how many clubs a beginning golfer needs, and what we love more - par 3s, 4s, or 5s?

Christine Fraser

Episode production this week by Brendan Kennedy

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