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Talk Birdie To Me
Ep94: Top 5 Golf Moments of 2024, Nick: 'I Wasn't Ready for the US', and Mark Grades '59s'.
Final pod of the year, and there is plenty to discuss!
Mark opens with some news that he says is good but can't tell us. Confused? We were as well. Mark asks Nick if he thinks Golf Australia have any firm thoughts on the Australian Open moving forward. We discuss what next steps might be. Mark says that if Golf Australia are not preparing for the next Open, the format, date and structure now, there is a risk that next year if nothing is confirmed by June, they will look 'rudderless'.
Nick reveals his favourite event to play these days, which he played in at the weekend. He tells us about the tournament and the incredible amount of money that was raised for charity. Nick was impressed with Jack Riewoldt's skills at the weekend, who took part in the event. Mark mentions how Rory McIlroy played Tara Iti last week. Do we value short Par 4's in Australia more than other people?
Nick and Mark chat about Tour School from the weekend and some of the results. Mark tells a story when he was in US Tour School and bumped into one of his mentors and what happened next. Nick tells a great story about seeing Tiger Woods for the first time at Q School in 1998 and explains why he was there given he had won the US Masters in 1997! Nick tells us why, at that stage in 1998, his game was not ready for America and explains the work he did to get ready for the US.
Nick talks about why he believes in making practise as hard as possible, and why he loved 2-ball / worst ball. Mark issues a challenge for Talk Birdie To Me listeners to play 2 ball / worst ball and let us know how you go, Nick would like you to try it, and aim to break 40. Nick mentions the Player of the Year award, won by Scottie Scheffler; and the Women's Player of the Year a little while back, won by Nelly Korda - he and Mark have a different view on who the women's winner should have been. In the last week there has been a couple of 59's shot, Nick and Mark analyse them using the trademarked Talk Birdie '59 analyser data'.
Nicks turn for the Top 5 today, and he counts down his Top 5 most amazing and incredible moments of 2024. It's very good, so much so that Mark brands it the best Top 5 of the year. This week in feedback, we only read one piece of feedback. It's a piece of constructive criticism for the podcast that we will need your input on. Lots to run through in PING Global results of course, Nick takes us around the world. And the masterclass this week is from Mark with zero preparation, that said, it is actually very good!
- PING will help you play your best, like they have for Nick O'Hern. See your local golf shop or professional for a PING club fitting;
- The new watchMynumbers app, the most powerful data based golf app in the world, download from the App Store or Google Play;
- Golf Clearance Outlet, join GCO Live for great member benefits and comps. They're in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, and the Sunshine Coast, or online here.
- Southern Golf Club - Home of the Australian Master of the Amateurs in January 2025, entry is free!
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, send a voicemail here, and see our Masterclass videos on YouTube here.
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☎️ Voicemail: Former Tour Pro Scott Laycock on Craig Parry
01:24||Season 3, Ep. 0Wolfpacker and Tour Pro Scott Laycock left a voicemail after hearing the podcast this week with a great story about Craig Parry. Keep them coming, we always love to receive your voicemails! You can leave one at the link below.We do the show 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, they're all over the country;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia.And the watchMynumbers app: download from the App Store or Google Play, and Southern Golf Club: with their brand new Simulator Room, including Trackman.Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, send a voicemail here, and see us on YouTube here.121. Ep121🏌🏿♂️Nick O'Hern Names His '5 Hard to Watch Tour Pros', Are Member/Guest Fees too High, and Mark Allen: 'This Reeks of Someone Who Doesn't Understand Golf'
01:01:41||Season 3, Ep. 121Fantastic win from Warrnambool's favourite son Marc Leishman in Florida at the weekend, and we begin today's show chatting about the win....Marc becomes the third Aussie to win a tournament in the last couple of weeks, following Min Woo and Steve Allen. Mark loves the 'drive, chip, and putt' competition and thinks there should be more of them prior to tournaments.We discuss the elephant in the room, will we get the world feed for The Masters. Neither Nick or Mark has been able to get clarity. They're hopeful that we get Jim Nance and the traditional team. We discuss how wonderful Jim Nance is, and how long he has left commentating. Mark raises the LIV commentators. Nick and Mark feel that the LIV commentators get too excited too early in the tournaments.Nick says the Fedex Cup should be Matchplay, Mark says the 'handicap system reeks of someone who does not understand golf', and wants more matchplay in golf. We've had our Masters preview pod, but we can't help but talk about Augusta again. Mark asks Nick about the creek on 13, Nick explains how he approached it and why, plus which holes suit lefties and which suit righties.In a prelude to Nicks Top 5 'unwatchable golfers', despite his winning form, Nick and Mark comment that Brian Harman or, as we prefer to call him, Ricky, is a great putter with great power, but an 'unwatchable golfer'.Following some anonymous feedback to Mark, we discuss the prices clubs charge at members courses, specifically guest fees. What is causing it, is it too much? Mark would you like you to send in what your clubs member/guest fee structure is. Whilst we're talking complaints. Mark reckons Nick and Third Man have been taking advantage of his generosity, and he has a crack at both of them on the pod. Harsh.Plenty of feedback, lots on the aim point comments from last week, including a couple of whacks - and one wolfpacker calls Nick and Mark 'a couple of old grandpas'. Clearly they're wrong, neither have grandchildren. And wolfpacker Tom from California has sent in his swing for Nick and Mark to review.PING global. Big news. After last weeks excellent trumpet playing by Anthony from Woodlands, our lawyer Denis Denutto has reviewed the legalities around Timmy Trumpet. We may end up in court. So Nick has found a new, legal PING global results intro which he plays. Oh, and gives heaps of results. No masterclass this week, but thanks to Frank and the team at watchMynumbers it returns next week.We do the show 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, they're all over the country;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia.And the watchMynumbers app: download from the App Store or Google Play, and Southern Golf Club: with their brand new Simulator Room, including Trackman.Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, send a voicemail here, and see us on YouTube here.🏌🏿♂️Bonus: Masters Preview - Who Will Win, Who Can't Win, and Nick Gives us 'Masters Memories' from Playing Augusta
35:16||Season 3, Ep. 0It's Masters week and we kick off our Masters preview show with Nick and Mark sharing memories of some of their favourite moments, and of watching it when they were kids Nick talks about the first time he played Augusta, and what he did on the 12th green before the tournament. And he talks about the course preparation and some of the 'tricks' they use to keep the players on their toes.Mark asks Nick about the trickiest hole on the course, and wants to know from Nick what it's like when they call your name to the tee on day one.Onto this years Masters. Nick and Mark discuss the Aussies, and how they expect them to perform. Nick gives his view on each Aussie as to whether they will perform well or not.Nick expects Scottie Scheffler to win, Mark would love Rory to win given what he is looking to achieve with regards a grand slam. Both give some roughies who should play well. And then Nick gives us show and tell with some fantastic memorabilia from his times playing Augusta!We've decided to construct a Talk Birdie To Me multi exclusively for the Wolfpack on Betr - the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia. You can access it here, it is a ripping multi paying 31 bucks, and only available on Betr! Get on board - but remember to gamble responsibly. And if you send your bet in to us either on email or socials (edit out any personal info) showing you've take advantage of our multi, we'll give one wolfpacker at random a 250 buck voucher from Golf Clearance Outlet!Happy Masters week!We do the show 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, they're all over the country;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia.And the watchMynumbers app: download from the App Store or Google Play, and Southern Golf Club: with their brand new Simulator Room, including Trackman.Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, send a voicemail here, and see us on YouTube here.☎️ Voicemail: Tim from Perth
01:21||Season 3, Ep. 0Lots of feedback on the international feed, and Nick and Mark have made their views clear. The overwhelming majority of feedback has been that people want the old feed back, however in fairness it hasn't been one-way traffic. We received a voicemail from Wolfpack member Tim from Perth with a different perspective, and he explains his thinking.We do the show 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, they're all over the country;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia.And the watchMynumbers app: download from the App Store or Google Play, and Southern Golf Club: with their brand new Simulator Room, including Trackman.Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, send a voicemail here, and see us on YouTube here.120. Ep120🏌🏿♂️Politics of PGA, DPWT & LIV Agreement, Aim Point, Listener Swing Review, and .... MAFs ?!?!?!?!
19:55||Season 3, Ep. 120Another feedback pod today with plenty of questions and another Wolfpack members swing for Nick and Mark to review.We start with a pic that you may have seen on socials about a golfer who thought his ticket to an Augusta practice round allowed him to play an actual practice round. A misunderstanding clearly, but quite funny, the twist is that Mark Allen was there and saw it happen live - he explains what happened from his angle.Feedback on a couple of recent masterclasses. XJ has a comment for Nick on his 3/4 swing masterclass, and John has a comment and question for Mark on his 'putting like a pro' masterclass last week.Alex watched Houston over the weekend and asks Nick and Mark a question about Gary Woodlands' caddy and aim point.Sue wrote in raving about the Indian Open at the weekend, and how great the course looked.Dom sent us a fun video which, initially, looked like a MAFs out-take, but took a very funny twist. You'l see it on the YouTube episode later today, but hear it on the pod now.Wayne has a question about players who have won The Masters directly after a lead-up event, Mark has done some research - there's a first for everything....Laurie asks a massive question which could derail the timing of the pod. It has to do with the politics and potential structure of PGA, DPWT and LIV.And Peter sent a video of his mate at King Island in for Nick and Mark to review his swing. If you want your swing, putting, or anything reviewed live on the pod, shoot a video in and we'll have a look.We do the show 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, they're all over the country;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia.And the watchMynumbers app: download from the App Store or Google Play, and Southern Golf Club: with their brand new Simulator Room, including Trackman.Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, send a voicemail here, and see us on YouTube here.119. Ep119: Min Woo Cooks, When Nick ignored his Caddy at Augusta, and Why 'Golf Australia Should Call The Shark Immediately'.
01:01:14||Season 3, Ep. 119We have to start today's show discussing the fantastic performance of Min Woo Lee at the weekend, it was wonderful to see, albeit a nerve-wracking finish with Scheffler coming hard at him. Nick and Mark have plenty of praise for Min Woo of course, and plenty of props for his caddy Brian 'Bo' Martin who they give credit to for remaining calm under the pressure on that final day in particular. Nick and Mark say that is the benefit of a great caddy and that Bo is a 'superstar'.Nick tells a story about ignoring his caddy and doing something that he said he would never do on the 15th hole at Augusta, and tells Mark that Min Woo originally was not going to play in Houston at the weekend...phew! Mark comments on Gary Woodland's performance only 18-months after undergoing brain surgery.Nick and Mark have conducted what Mark calls a '60-minutes style' investigation into the international feed and has some disappointing news, but notes that if that is what is provided for The Masters, reaction will go 'nuclear', and that this is what happens when you 'listen to people'.An Australian Open update. Mark has heard that their are some significant financial challenges, he explains what they are, and says that 'James Sutherland needs to call Greg Norman immediately' to set up a meeting with Yasir.Mark's Top 5 today and he talks through his Top 5 'Seve Chips on the final hole' of all time. It's a ripper with some great audio clips, and vision if you're watching on YouTube.And in the PING Global results we chat with trumpeter Anthony, who works in the pro shop at Woodlands Golf Club in Melbourne and is a pretty handy trumpeter - he plays trumpet off a 3-handicap. Is he any good? We find out live on the pod! After that Nick runs us through a huge week of results, with two big Aussie winners this weekend in Min Woo Lee and Steve Allan, we hear some audio of Steve, and Nick and Mark rave about him as a bloke and a golfer. A hugely popular win.Feedback - more on the international feed, we can't possibly read it all, the pod would go 5-hours, but we touch on a couple, and a few comments on Mark's Monty story from last week including a wolf packer who asks Mark about the rumour that Monty kicked Marks ball off the tee at Huntingdale is true or not.....Mark tells the story.Ripper masterclass from Nick today where he talks us through Min Woo's putt off the final green and what we can learn from it.We do the show 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, they're all over the country;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia.And the watchMynumbers app: download from the App Store or Google Play, and Southern Golf Club: with their brand new Simulator Room, including Trackman.Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, send a voicemail here, and see us on YouTube here.118. Ep118🏌🏿♂️Feedback: When Tiger Woods Nearly Killed Mark Allen, Grand Slam of Club Golf, and We Analyse a Pod Listeners Swing
20:34||Season 3, Ep. 118We've had plenty of feedback and questions coming in for Nick and Mark, so today a feedback pod. On the show we discuss:Broomstick putters following a question from James;Gibbo has some comments on the potential PGA/LIV merger and asks for thoughts;We spoke to David from Brisbane last week who went to the Barossa on a golf trip with a bunch of mates, how did it go, and did the advice help? We get an update;Ashley has a ripping question about the 'grand slam of club golf';John has a red-hot crack at Mark and he doesn't miss him! Does Mark take it on board or push back?Nick was pleased to see the Karl Vilips pairing a couple of weekends ago and wrote in. We discuss pairings, Mark tells us about the best pairing he ever got, on nearly getting paired with Tiger twice, and on Tiger nearly decapitating him!And after the turn, Wolfpack member Daniel has sent us in a video of his, and his daughters, swings, and asked for some feedback from Nick and Mark on what they see, and any improvements that they could each suggest. If you want us to review your swing, or putting, or anything else - send us a video here or on socials and Nick and Mark will have a look at it on the pod.We do the show 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, they're all over the country;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia.And the watchMynumbers app: download from the App Store or Google Play, and Southern Golf Club: with their brand new Simulator Room, including Trackman.Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, send a voicemail here, and see us on YouTube here.118. 🏌🏿♂️Bonus: Why Mark Allen Can't Forgive Colin Montgomerie, and Did The Queen Really Say 'That' about Sir Nick Faldo???
22:39||Season 3, Ep. 118A fun bonus pod today, one which Mark has christened 'story time'. Don't worry, we'll dump the name, it won't survive. But today we talk about some of the great guys that Nick and Mark played with and spent time with on tour, Nick tells a hilarious story about tour pro David Howell involving Sir Nick Faldo and The Queen.Then.....Mark reveals why he has always said Colin Montgomerie is 'an arsehole'. It is a very funny, and detailed story, which you must hear.We do the show 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, they're all over the country;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia.And the watchMynumbers app: download from the App Store or Google Play, and Southern Golf Club: with their brand new Simulator Room, including Trackman.Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, send a voicemail here, and see us on YouTube here.117. Ep117: Mark' The World Feed is Torture', Nick reveals 'Every Golfers Fear', and How to Putt Like a Pro
01:00:21||Season 3, Ep. 117Plenty to discuss on Talk Birdie To Me today, but we start with some sage life advice from Viktor Hovland, who appears to be branching out into a new career as a life coach.Mark asks Nick about a rumour he has heard for years about caddies and the chaplains on the pro tour. And then we get onto the issue of the week - the world feed. Mark describes it as 'torture'.Nick and Mark chat about Hovland's win at Valspar, his golf swing changes and his 'tomahawking'. Leads to a chat about swing changes, and golfers who 'owned' their swing, and Nick reveals every pro golfers fear.JT's putting. Mark will do a masterclass later in the show saying that he will outline one thing you can do to help you putt like a pro.We discuss some of the bad behaviour over the last week, if you're watching on YouTube, we play the videos - very funny. And Mark discusses Billy Horschel and how he appears to be muscling in on 'Nick O'Who' territory.Mark believes he has identified why the PGA/LIV talks have stalled, and he blames Tiger Woods. He explains on the pod.And we discuss the disaster that happened on the coverage of the Heritage Classic at the weekend. Nick had hoped it might be overlooked on the pod, it wasn't.After the turn, Nick has an update that he has sourced during the show on the reason for the world feed. Then onto the Top 5 for Southern Golf Club, and Nick looks at the Top 5 comebacks following a swing change.Lots of feedback - heavily centred on Nicks comments on Rory potentially changing his caddy, and on the world feed commentary. We get a trumpet update prior the the PING global results, and Mark has some news out of Augusta regarding trees. Yes trees. We are launching our new Talk Birdie To Me arborist podcast later this month. It will be riveting.And a cracking masterclass from Mark on putting like a pro'.We do the show from Titleist and FootJoy HQ, thanks to our great partners:Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;The watchMynumbers app, play smarter and use your data. Download from the App Store or Google Play;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, they're all over the country;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia.Southern Golf Club - now with their brand new Simulator Room including Trackman.Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, send a voicemail here, and see us on YouTube here.