TeeTalk

Week two of the PGA TOUR return finds us talking about efficient golf, including the win by Webb Simpson and runner-up finish by Abraham Ancer. Of course it was not the only story of the week as the PGA TOUR had their first on-site positive test for COVID-19 and Brooks Koepka takes on Nick Faldo over the role of television analysts.

Chris Kirk wins on the Korn Ferry Tour on the heels of time away from golf to deal with alcohol dependency and depression. As a result we discuss the "human" factor of golf pros.

We also chat about the decision to have no fans at the PGA Championship and the possibility that the Ryder Cup will be delayed.

Fraser Mulholland, the Commissioner and President of the Vancouver Golf Tour, joins us in the feature interview. He shares the origins of the tour, its role in developing players on Canada's west coast, and the loyalty of the players, including those like Adam Hadwin, and Nick Taylor who recently played two events on the circuit while on hiatus from the PGA TOUR.

We preview the Travelers Championship, play a fun game of "Would You Rather?" (golf edition) and dig into a packed Mail Bag.

This week reader questions ranged in topics from best LPGA events to attend, will Webb Simpson have a Hall of Fame worthy career, the appropriate tees for juniors, and our worst personal swing thoughts.

Vancouver Golf Tour

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It's an exciting episode with the return of the PGA TOUR at the Charles Schwab Challenge and we break it down - the good, the bad, and the indifferent. Who played well, whether Collin Morikawa and Rory Mcilroy have some serious work to do, and how the PGA TOUR handled an event in the midst of a pandemic.

We share news on new events for the LPGA and PGA Tour, the fate of the Golf Canada Amateur events for the rest of 2020, and why a 2-time PGA TOUR winner is playing on the Vancouver Golf Tour.

We take on the enigma that is Bryson DeChambeau and his strategy to blitz courses off the tee, and talk ratings for the return of the TOUR, both on broadcasts and with gamblers.

In our feature interview we welcome Vancouver entrepreneur Joshua Haywood to lay out his story of developing a Canadian-based golf equipment brand from scratch. He delves into the origin, the challenges, the joys, and where he feels he can fit into the golf retail landscape.

We preview the RBC Heritage as it returns to Hilton Head Island and who might play well there, and Scott tests Stefan on his knowledge of how much money certain prominent players won in their pro golf careers.

In the Mail Bag we answer questions about out-of-the-way Scottish golf spots, how to get more out of your driver, how much practice is too much, and whether we think Nike made a mistake to get out for the golf equipment business.

It's another packed episode and you won't want to miss a minute.

Haywood Golf

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It's a busy show as professional golf returns on the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour. We break down the Charles Schwab Challenge from many angles with a look at official and non-official prop bets and what we expect from the week.

We update you on a schedule changes for the LPGA TOUR and bring news of new events for female pros in the United Kingdom.

The meat of the show is a heartfelt and insighful feature interview with Golf Canada CEO Laurence Applebaum where we take a swing at many topics that concern golf in the country. We review what he has learned in three years on the job, the challenges and opportunties ahead for golf in Canada, and how they are working to be more inclusive and impactful. We also discuss the RBC Canadian Open, the prospects for the 2020 CP Women's Open happening, and explore the 125th anniversary of the organization.

The Mail Bag is deep this week with questions on bunker play during the pandemic, becoming a PGA of Canada member, the worst feeling club of all time, where you should focus your lessons when you get started playing, when we expect Tiger Woods to return, and which LPGA players we'd like to see play an PGA TOUR events.

This episode sponsored by adidas Canada and the all-new codechaos shoes.

Golf Canada

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The uncertainly of the world also extends to golf. First year touring pro and the former #1 amateur in Canada, Josh Whalen, joins us on the podcast this week to talk about it all. The Kent State graduate explains how achieving success in golf is not always a linear path whether that is setbacks with your game, health issues with people you love, or having your season halted by a pandemic.

He also gives insight into his time with Team Canada, playing amateur golf around the world, and teeing it up at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open.

Stefan and Scott discuss inclusiveness in golf, the latest news from the PGA TOUR, Mackenzie Tour, Symetra Tour, and Lorie Kane being inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.

We introduce a new game with a golf version of Two Truths and a Lie, we talk about some equipment options and playing decisions, and discuss players who cheat at the game.

We cap it all off with a putting tip.

Josh Whalen

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Another one of our Canadian favourites, Michael Gligic (Stefan can pronounce it now), returns to the podcast this week for this third appearance. The PGA TOUR rookie gives us a look at what his preparation has been for his return to play, how his schedule is shaping up, and shares his perspective on how the PGA TOUR may look under new COVID-19 protocols. That includes his caddy and travel situation, and we speculate what winning may look like on the TOUR in the days ahead. He also shares what it was like to take part in a surprise 50th birthday call with Mike Weir.

We break down The Match II with our thoughts on the good and bad of the match involving Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Payton Manning, and Tom Brady. We also choose four female athletes for a hypothetical Match III.

The show also has us discussing the proposed return of the European Tour and what that may look like, the affects of Covid-19 on golf equipment companies, and we delve into the big opportunity for golf with many other sports still on the sidelines.

We introduce the "If You Were Somebody Else" game - role playing different people in golf, talk about warm-up tips, what you need to do to really change your golf game, and flush out whether we think Phil Mickelson will ever win another major championship.

Michael Gligic

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With some of the game’s top male players returning to golf this past week at the TaylorMade Driving For Relief Charity event, we have Tournament Director Ryan Hart on the podcast to give us the inside scoop. He shares how it came together, the issues that had to be resolved to make it happen, and things learned from it that could be used for other events moving forward.

Hart’s main role with the PGA TOUR is the Tournament Director for their showcase event, The Players Championship. He gives us his perspective from the tournament this year as the event came to a sudden halt, the epic level of logistics to make the championship happen, and how they are working to make one of the biggest events in golf better each season.

Outside the interview there is plenty to talk about as golf courses in Canada open up under new Covid-19 restrictions. We got out to play and lay out our impression of golf in a new way.

We also discuss recent decisions by the USGA to run only four championships in 2020, with no qualifiers, our impressions of the Driving for Relief Match, and have a preview of The Match II – Champions For Charity with Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Tom Brady, and Payton Manning.

This episode is presented by TaylorMade and the new TP5/TP5X PIX Golf Ball.

Ryan Hart

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It's a huge show for Episode #65 as we are joined by the man who completed the Grand Slam of golf majors in 1965, Gary Player.

The 9-time major champion (he also won 9 more on the Champions Tour) joins us from self-isolation near Philadelphia to dig into a wide range of topics, both golf and non-golf. As he is always keen to do, he provides commentary on world issues of the day.

We also get his thoughts on Canada, the 2007 Presidents Cup in Montreal and the choice of Mike Weir to take on Tiger Woods in singles, the choking factor in golf, the faults he sees in Jordan Spieth's golf game, how he's been like a teenager during self-isolation, what he expects when the PGA TOUR comes back, the charitable impact of golf, and the Masters being moved to the Fall.

In the balance of the show we preview some of the bets available for the TaylorMade Driving For Relief skins game coming up this weekend, the return of the Korean LPGA Tour, how bad would we play with persimmon woods, and the "controversy" of Vijay Singh playing on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Scott challenges Stefan with some trivia based on the 2010 PGA TOUR Media guide, we talk about the backswing in the Tip of the Week, and the MailBag brings us questions about when we first broke 80, how many times we think Mike Weir will win on the Champions Tour, what we have learned from golf, and what we think of Costco's new entry in the putter market.

Gary Player

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One of Canada's most-respected sports journalists joins us this week on TeeTalk. Chris Stevenson has covered hockey and golf for many decades and his depth of knowledge and wide perspective is apparent in our chat. We dip into the prospects of major sports and what the coverage may look like post-pandemic, touch on his many years covering the NHL, get his favourite memories from covering Brooke Henderson on the LPGA TOUR, and tap into his knowledge as the host of the Ottawa Craft Beer Insider.

In this epsiode sponsored by TaylorMade, we update you on golf opening up around North America, the upcoming PGA Driving Relief Skins Game at Seminole, and the latest schedule announcement for the Korn Ferry Tour.

We take on the FootJoy Bracket contest and each choose our favourite four FootJoy shoes of all-time, and examine the Netflix Documentary Epsiode of "Losers" that tells the story of Jean Van De Velde at the 1999 Open Championship.

In the MailBag we answer questions about using the same golf balls when you practice and play, restoring older irons, the roots of the Canadian Amateur, our favourite golfers from Australia, and which PGA TOUR player may struggle if they had to carry their own staff bag.

In the Tip of the Week we discuss the important on intent and concepts in the learning process.

This this episode brought to you by TaylorMade and the all-new SIM Max and SIM Max OS irons.

Chris Stevenson

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We jump in for talk about pro golf in Canada this week as newly-appointed Executive Director of the Mackenzie - PGA TOUR, Scott Pritchard, is our featured guest. We relayed some thoughts on the suspension of pro golf, the evolution of their circuit, what their plans are for 2020, and beyond. It's great insight on the TOUR from one of the best sources possible.

Outside of the interview we discuss course re-openings around Canada and the new conditions of play, speculate about a "Last Dance" type of documentary for golf, and agree to disagree about world class players playing mini-tours while their main circuits are shut down.

We each choose and discuss our favourite PING irons of all time, ponder Nick Faldo's proposal to make golf better by having smaller drivers and eliminating tees, and take a look at the adjusted schedule for the LPGA TOUR and new Olympic Golf qualifying parameters.

In the MailBag we answer questions about local/regional golf tournaments, making a record number of birdies but still shooting over par, playing golf in Manitoba, the most amount of money we've lost playing golf, and which LPGA TOUR player we'd like to play a round of golf with.

Mackenzie TOUR - PGA TOUR Canada

Scott Pritchard

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We continue to bring you interviews with people who love the game of golf, and among them is well-known Canadian sports broadcaster James Duthie.

Best known for his work in hockey, Duthie has been part of the TSN broadcast team at The Masters for many years and he shares some thoughts and stories about Augusta National Golf Club. That includes winning the media lottery to play the course, arriving way too early for his tee time, then facing the possibility of playing one of the greatest courses in the world with value-priced Top Flite Hot XL golf balls.

Duthie recounts his start in golf in his hometown of Ottawa, which may have included sneaking on to the municipal golf course, and also gives us a preview of some stories included in his next "Insider" hockey book.

Along with the feature interview we discuss the chances of the proposed PGA TOUR schedule happening, should Tim Finchem be in the World Golf Hall of Fame, and if playing a Ryder Cup with no spectators makes a difference.

We break down a Shell's Wonderful World of Golf match between Jack Nicklaus and Sam Snead from 1963, choose our top 5 favourite putters of all time, and discuss the cancellation of the Canadian Open.

The Mail Bag has us talking about waterproof golf bags, the biggest challenges of caddying at the pro level, design elements of a good par five hole, and, interestingly, our preferences for wing sauces. Yes, our listeners ask some fun questions.

Conquer Covid 19

James Duthie

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