The Cart Barn Podcast

Jerry West spent a week taking lessons from Jimmy Ballard at Pine Harbor in Pell City. When he got back to the LA Country Club, 23 of his next 24 rounds were in the 60s. The 24th was a 59 that set the course record.

In Part 2, Jimmy picks up right where we left off. Curtis Strange showed up with a back so bad he had to sit down after five shots. Jimmy put his swing side by side with Ben Hogan's and told him the rebuild would take five years, because that's how long it took Hogan. It did, and it was followed by a run that included back to back U.S. Opens. Jimmy also warned a young Jerry Pate that his swing would tear up his shoulder. Pate didn't want to hear it while he was winning everything, but after the surgeries he called Jimmy for help.

Along the way there's a dinner with Joe DiMaggio that ended with the best compliment of Jimmy's career. There's Arthur Ashe breaking 100 once golf was explained to him in tennis terms, and Peter Jacobsen skipping back surgery after one adjustment on the range. Coach Bryant tells Jimmy that fundamentals were all he ever taught. And Jimmy doesn't hold back on where he thinks today's speed chasing swings are headed for players' backs.

If you missed Part 1, go back and start there.

Every golfer has a story worth preserving. Thanks for letting us help preserve yours.

Long before he became one of the most influential golf instructors of the last 50 years, Jimmy Ballard was a teenager in Birmingham who'd quit playing golf entirely. A chance round with Lee Mackey (the man who shot 64 at the 1950 US Open) got him back on the course, and got him introduced to Sam Byrd, the man who'd define the rest of his life.

Byrd played outfield for the Yankees alongside Babe Ruth, and the two were genuinely best friends. Babe was best man at Byrd's wedding. And the single move Babe taught Byrd about hitting a baseball, keeping your arms connected to your body instead of swinging with your arms alone, became the foundation Ballard built an entire coaching career on. It's the same principle he later used to help rebuild Curtis Strange's swing from the ground up, patterned directly off the changes Ben Hogan made to his own game.

In Part 1, Jimmy takes us from his father getting him into golf at age five, through working Sam Byrd's driving range for free, to why a 40 pound video camera John Brody gave him in 1979 proved that none of his students actually did what they thought they did.

Part 2 picks up right where this one leaves off, out Wednesday.

Every golfer has a story worth preserving. Thanks for letting us help preserve yours.

Zoe Walker went from a reluctant cheerleader who wanted nothing to do with golf, to a preferred walk on for the University of Georgia women's golf team, to a professional golfer competing on the Women's All Pro Tour and Annika Tour, all while building Zalea's Golf Co, a women's golf headcover brand that started with a bag of fabric from Hobby Lobby and her grandmother's sewing machine.

In this episode, Zoe talks about growing up in Palm Desert, California surrounded by golf she had no interest in until watching Bubba Watson win the Masters changed her mind, the cold email campaign that eventually landed her a spot on Georgia's roster, closing the distance gap against a freshman class of top international recruits, and why she left a commercial real estate career to chase professional golf. She also breaks down how Zalea's Golf Co grew from custom head covers made in her dorm room into a brand carried by more than fifty wholesale accounts, including Bay Hill, and what she's building toward with Q school this September in Daytona.

Topics covered: junior golf development, walking on to SEC golf, mini tour and Annika Tour golf, Q school prep, women's golf headcovers, building a golf brand from scratch, and balancing professional golf with running a business.

Find Zalea's Golf Co at zaleasgolf.com and on Instagram @ZaleasGolf.

Every golfer has a story worth preserving. Thanks for letting us help preserve yours.

Two years ago, Stewart Cink was our very first guest. Now he's back to celebrate The Cart Barn's anniversary, talk grandkids, his six win season, and the phone notes that are running his golf game.

Full description / show notes

Two years ago, Stewart Cink sat down for the very first episode of The Cart Barn Podcast. Now he's back to help us celebrate our second birthday, and he brought a lot to talk about.

The 2001 U.S. Open champion and six time winner on the PGA Tour Champions this season opens up about becoming a full time grandpa between tournaments, the actual notes app on his phone he's used since winning at Safeway in 2020 to track swing feels, ball position, and even Bible verses, and the detailed par 3 strategy he built with caddie Chris Jones to become one of the best on tour at the shortest holes. He also breaks down the two wayward tee shots that almost cost him win number 18, why hybrids replaced his long irons, and what it's really like sharing a fairway with Fred Couples, Bernhard Langer, and Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Plus, in our rapid fire round, Stewart names his favorite course to play for fun (a hidden Harry Colt gem in Chicago), his favorite golf course architects working today, and the golden age designer he thinks doesn't get enough credit.

What's inside this episode:
 0:00 Welcome back to our inaugural guest for the 2 year anniversary
 1:02 Life since the Regions Tradition, and full time grandparenting on the road
 5:38 Family update: his dad's recovery from a broken ankle
 8:35 The notes app he's kept since his 2020 Safeway win, and why it works
 14:18 Bible verses, caddie Chris Jones, and the par 3 system built to win stats
 20:39 Ball position, alignment sticks, and fixing what you can't feel
 24:19 The physics behind more distance: launch angle over spin
 27:06 How he almost blew win number 18 on a 100 yard wide fairway
 31:37 Marveling at Jimenez, Langer, and Couples still winning in their 60s
 35:06 Why hybrids replaced his long irons
 42:35 The rest of his 2026 schedule and why he skips certain events
 50:25 Rapid fire: favorite course, favorite modern and golden age designers, and his go to Bible verse

Subscribe so you don't miss next week's episode, and if you're enjoying The Cart Barn, leave us a rating and review, it helps more golf fans find the show.

On this week's episode of The Cart Barn, Chris Lemley and Gregg Dewalt are joined by returning guest Matt Terry, the new head men's golf coach at the University of North Alabama after nine seasons at Louisiana Tech. Terry, a Moulton, Alabama native who met his wife on the UNA campus, talks coming home to Florence, why he left Louisiana Tech to take over one of UNA's flagship athletic programs, and how the transfer portal and new nine man roster limits are reshaping college golf recruiting.

He also breaks down his young roster of four freshmen and four sophomores, three of whom followed him from Louisiana Tech, and previews a fall schedule that opens in Myrtle Beach before stops in Chicago, Kentucky, and Tulsa.

On this week's episode of The Cart Barn, Chris Lemley and Gregg Dewalt are joined by Samford University senior and reigning Alabama Women's Amateur champion Gabi Nicastro, fresh off a semifinal run at the 2026 U.S. Women's Amateur. The Huntsville, Alabama native talks entering the national tournament as the 44th seed and ranked 380th in the world, beating four higher seeded golfers to reach the final four, and falling to top seeded Anna Iwanaga after playing in a field alongside nationally ranked names like Asterisk Talley and Scarlett Schremmer. Gabi also talks her path from softball to golf, working with swing coach Craig Bachand, her What's In The Bag rundown, and the school record 10 under 62 that gave her her first collegiate win at Samford.

UAB football head coach Alex Mortensen joins The Cart Barn for a 2026 season preview, recorded on the range at the Regions Tradition just days before college football kickoff. Mortensen, who spent nine seasons on Nick Saban's staff at Alabama, breaks down NIL, revenue sharing, the transfer portal, and how UAB football is closing the recruiting gap on American Conference contenders like Tulane, Memphis, and USF.

Mortensen also tells the story of UAB taking the field against Tulsa 40 players short, and winning the program's first road game in three years.

Alex Mortensen is the head football coach at UAB, hired in December 2025 after nine seasons on Nick Saban's Alabama staff. He is the son of the late ESPN NFL analyst Chris Mortensen.

Jason Bohn is a two-time PGA Tour winner, University of Alabama golf alum, and now a PGA Tour Champions player competing this week at the 2026 Regions Tradition in Hoover, Alabama. On this episode of the Cart Barn Podcast, Bohn tells the story of the day Ernie Els, a four-time major champion and World Golf Hall of Famer, walked up to him on the practice green and asked him for putting tips. Bohn's response: "you're a Hall of Famer, bud, what are you asking me for?"

That moment lines up with what Bohn says makes the PGA Tour Champions circuit different from the tour he grew up on: players are far more open with each other, trading tips and advice no matter whose resume is bigger. It's the same reason you can get Vijay Singh alone in a bunker for an hour and he'll tell you everything he knows.

Bohn also talks about choosing Alabama golf over a hometown offer from Penn State, life in Atlanta playing with fellow PGA Tour pros Stewart Cink and Billy Andrade, Wednesday night Bible study with Cink and Zach Johnson, buying a house in Tuscaloosa his own kids aren't allowed to live in, Alabama's new golf facility, and where he lands on NIL money in college golf.

Topics covered:

• The Ernie Els putting green story
• Choosing Alabama golf over Penn State for the weather
• His college teammates, including Dicky Pride
• Why PGA Tour Champions feels like a throwback to the 1950s and 60s barnstorming days
• What Vijay Singh will teach you if you get him in a bunker for an hour
• Life in Atlanta, playing with Stewart Cink and Billy Andrade
• Season tickets, a Tuscaloosa house just for him and his wife, and raising two future Alabama students
• The new Alabama golf facility Coach Sewell calls a "Lamborghini"
• NIL, college golf's facilities arms race, and why today's junior golfers are just better athletes

Every golfer has a story worth preserving. Thanks for letting us help preserve yours.

Freddie Jacobson's path to professional golf wasn't typical.

Growing up in Sweden, he played multiple sports before committing to golf. That journey eventually brought him to Wallace State Community College in Alabama, where he arrived speaking very little English but found an opportunity that helped launch a career spanning the European Tour, PGA TOUR, and now PGA TOUR Champions.

Recorded on-site at the Regions Tradition, Freddie joins Chris Lemley and Gregg DeWalt to discuss:

•  Why Sweden has produced so many world-class golfers 
•  The value of playing multiple sports as a junior 
•  Choosing golf over hockey 
•  Coming to Alabama without speaking English 
•  Life at Wallace State and college golf 
•  Building a career on the European Tour and PGA TOUR 
•  Competing today on PGA TOUR Champions 
•  Why preparation and patience matter at every level of the game 

Whether you're a competitive golfer, a fan of the game, or simply enjoy great stories, Freddie's journey proves that success often begins in the most unexpected places.

Guest

Learn more about Freddie Jacobson:

Freddie Jacobson – PGA TOUR Champions Profile

This week, we're taking a short break from guest interviews to catch up on what's happening in golf and share one of the most memorable golf trips we've ever discussed on The Cart Barn Podcast.

Gregg recently traveled to Nebraska, where he played everything from nationally ranked courses to hidden nine-hole gems. Along the way, he discovered something neither of us had ever seen before—a golf course with sand greens, including one unforgettable hole known simply as "The Bull Pen."

We also discuss:

•  Jackson Koivun's incredible start on the PGA TOUR 
•  The Alabama Open and Carter Goodwin's wire-to-wire victory 
•  Gregg's visit to the USGA Women's Amateur Media Day at The Honors Course 
•  Why Nebraska may be America's most underrated golf destination 
•  The unique traditions that still exist in small-town golf 
•  Alabama Golf News' new Oakmont caddie series featuring stories from golf's past 

Sometimes the best golf stories aren't about championships—they're about discovering something you've never seen before.

Every golfer has a story worth preserving. Thanks for letting us help preserve yours.

This week we're doing something a little different.

Instead of sitting down with a guest, Chris and Gregg catch up on what's happening in the golf world and revisit Gregg's recent golf trip through Nebraska.

The journey included nationally ranked golf courses, hidden nine-hole clubs, sand greens, and one unforgettable hole called The Bull Pen—a golf hole unlike anything either of us had ever experienced.

Along the way we also discuss:

• Jackson Koivun's rapid rise on the PGA TOUR
 • The Alabama Open recap
 • The USGA Women's Amateur at The Honors Course
 • Why Nebraska deserves a spot on every golf travel bucket list
 • The newest storytelling series on Alabama Golf News

Whether you love discovering hidden golf destinations or simply enjoy great stories from the game, this episode is for you.

Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday.

Every golfer has a story worth preserving. Thanks for letting us help preserve yours.

Chapter Markers

00:00 Cold Open – What Is This? (The Bull Pen)
 00:28 Intro
 02:05 Jackson Koivun's PGA TOUR Win
 03:10 Alabama Open Recap
 04:30 USGA Women's Amateur at The Honors Course
 08:20 Nebraska Golf Adventure Begins
 11:15 Sand Greens & The Bull Pen
 21:30 Hidden Nine-Hole Golf Courses
 29:45 Alabama Golf News' Oakmont Caddie Series
 34:00 What's Next for The Cart Barn
 36:30 Closing Thoughts

Episode Keywords

Golf Travel

Nebraska Golf

Sand Greens

The Bull Pen

The Honors Course

USGA Women's Amateur

Jackson Koivun

Alabama Open

Golf Stories

Golf Podcast

Golf History

Hidden Golf Courses

Golf Travel Destinations

Small Town Golf

The Cart Barn Podcast