Talk Birdie To Me

Well the pod gets off to a bad start when Mark decides to wear a Joe Highsmith style hat for the duration. Highly recommend you avoid watching this episode on YouTube when it is available. Some comments and questions to run through.Christopher has a comment on the suitability of wearing golf attire, and Nick tells a very funny story about going to the baseball in the US looking decidedly 'golfy'. Rochey has a comment and question on Marks patented 59 ranking system.Tom went to LIV, and loved it, but has a question about the shotgun starts.Warwick has an idea for the pod.And Anthony has a question about Marks changes to his short game, and how players from the past dealt with a specific issue.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.

Another fun pod today. We start with the huge win of Ryan Peake in the New Zealand Open, without being dismissive of the past, it is a wonderful redemption story and Mark says a great example of what second chances can do. Mark and Nick both want to get Ryan on the pod when he is back in Australia.However, Mark is not a fan of the NZ Open being a Pro-Am calling it 'garbage'. Nick understands why it is and proposes a compromise approach, Mark then offers an alternate compromise.Jake Knapp's 59 at PGA National needs to be analysed by Mark Allen's patented 'Talk Birdie To Me 59 Analyser'. Which he does. Nick discusses Jakes plug shot out of the water.Joe Highsmith. What is with that hat, and what about that putting? Discussions are had, and laughs are had. Both are ridiculous.And why does Mark Allen call Ricky Pointing a 'disgrace' ? Trouble in paradise.We discuss Luke Clanton getting his card and his Dad's beautiful reaction, which gives Nick an idea about Q-School mini's...he reckons riveting viewing. Speaking of riveting viewing, for the wrong reasons. Mark plays the famous video of Joe Daly at Q-School in 2000. Brutal.We play a video of Jeff Guan's driving, looking pretty sharp. A tough road for him, but we wish him all the best.Marks Top 5 today is a cracker. The Top 5 ridiculous putting actions on tour that he has seen. It is very funny. Has he missed any? Let us know.Couple of stunning reno's in Sydney: Royal Sydney, and NSW Golf Club, we look at some pics of both and discuss.Lots of results to run through in the PING Global results, in what has been a big week for lefties. Unsurprisingly, Nick is pleased with that. And we run through some feedback, Mark gets a whack from Wolfpack member Don, and Mark gives tour pro David Micheluzzi a whack (again!). This could end in court. Lucky we've got our lawyer Dennis Denuto on retainer.And a great masterclass from Nick, inspired by Jake Knapp, on how to play plugged lies.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.

Lots of discussion about slow play recently, and Scott from Aspendale left us a voicemail with his thoughts on a potential solution. What do you reckon, is he onto something ?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.

Lots to discuss on the pod today. As you know we're filming the pod for YouTube, and this is week two. We're still ironing out the bugs, and we had a big bug this week, so no YouTube show this week - but we'll sort it for next week.Onto the pod - Mark bumped into Marc Leishman a day or so ago, after Marc played in Warrnambool at the weekend with his Dad and Son. Nick and Mark discuss Marc's near win at St Andrews, and other Aussie performances at the venue.Nick and Mark reveal why pros never ask another pro how they played, apparently one of the unwritten rules of being a pro is to never tell other pros about your round.We discuss the likelihood, or not, of LIV players being welcomed into The Players Championship in March. Outside of those already exempt, will they be welcomed in? Mark asks Nick if there will be room made for them. What about PING's Brian Campbell winning the Mexican Open. His first win in 178 events. And he did it in well, perhaps with a bit of luck on one hole in the playoff.Nick and Mark discuss chipping with a strong top hand grip, which some players do, but it is rare, and not ideal. Mark puts Nick on the spot to say what current tour pros have an orthodox, or unorthodox swing. One tour pro's swing, according to Nick and Mark, when you look at it would not make the Kingston Heath pennant team.Speaking of swings - Nick has brought a video in of Akie Iwai, whose swing he loves. We watch a video of Tiger Woods and what he calls the 'most embarrassing moment of his golfing career'. Mark is angry over something that has happened at a golf course in Wales.Nick's Top 5 (a Top 6 actually) is on players who had a lucky break which helped them win a major.Plenty of feedback, lots on our chat with Bradley Hughes and James Watson - watch them at the links. And we run through some entries, and announce the winner of our caption contest - who wins $200 to spend at Golf Clearance Outlet.Heaps of results to run through with the PING global results from Nick, interrupted after Mark's phone decides to play a role in the show. Awkward.;And a masterclass from Mark on 'nervous chipping'.We're live at Titleist and FootJoy HQ, we're here thanks to our great partners: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.And of course Titleist and FootJoy!Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, send a voicemail here, and see us on YouTube here.

Mark Allen particularly is a bit excited today as we have one of his heroes on the pod, the legendary Bradley Hughes has joined us at the Talk Birdie To Me desk.Hugo tells us how he got into golf, and Mark asks him why he chose golf over football - he was a very good footy player. He also talks about his experiences with Greg Norman as a young player. Nick asks Hugo about his acceleration and ball striking.We find out about the process of turning pro, and how his first tournament went. Hugo had a dream start to his pro career, playing very well, very early.Hugo describes his first year in Europe as a 'disaster' and explains why. He tells Nick and Mark what the pinnacle of Hugo's tournament career was. He played in the inaugural Presidents Cup and explains what that was like, and when he had a crack at his playing partner Nick Price.Mark asks Hugo about his coaching techniques, and he explains why he initially ignores grip and swing, and just teaches people how to flush the ball. He tells us about his 'guinea pig' student. Hugo gets into the simulator to show us what he teaches - apologies for the audio here, we're still working on that mic, but you'll be able to hear his comments - and when the video goes up you can watch Hugo in the simulator.Hugo explains and shows how his DownUnder board works. It's a game changer and you can order at the website here and he has a website with over 600 training videos that you can watch, as a member, here. Cheap as chips considering the calibre of Hugo, and the information he's outlining.A cracking guest pod, and great to have the legendary Bradley Hughes dropping by.We're live at Titleist and FootJoy HQ, we're here thanks to our great partners: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.And of course Titleist and FootJoy!Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, send a voicemail here, and see us on YouTube here.

Our Guest today on Talk Birdie To Me is James Watson, Senior Vice President of Production at LIV Golf, so a big gig! James tells us some of the figures from LIV Adelaide, they are impressive. He talks about how they had a very short timeframe to get the first London event up, and it was only in Adelaide that he felt 'LIV had arrived'. We find out about James career, and how it led him to his current role with LIV, via Cricket Australia, Asian Tour Golf, and Tennis Australia. James talks about the graphics on screen during golf, and why he believes they are so important. He goes on to talk about what he calls the 'second screen experience' and the importance of this for fans.Nick asks James about the drone tracer, and James explains how they developed this innovation at LIV. Mark asks if James is happy with the LIV Adelaide product, and if they have more in the tank. He says that it is the best era for participation in 30-years, however that is not yet translating to viewership. James tells us what it's like being in the LIV Production truck with 60 cameras to direct, he talks about the importance of having a tight team and great communication lines. James talks about how they use fan data to drive decisions on how they execute the coverage, and gives examples. He talks about the inspiration that LIV has taken from Formula One and The Australian Open tennis.Mark asks about whether James has exposure the big boss Yasir, and how much exposure he has had to The Shark over the journey. He tells us what The Shark is like to work with. We ask James about whether there is a feeling that LIV and the PGA getting back together is imminent.A fascinating chat with an Aussie who has a massive gig on a world scale.We're live at Titleist and FootJoy HQ, we're here thanks to our great partners: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.And of course Titleist and FootJoy!Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, send a voicemail here, and see us on YouTube here.

A disclaimer: today we're using the Talk Birdie video gear for the first time. Audio goes up first, and video at 7pm the same day. Please bear with us, we're still learning how it works, what buttons do what, and the various camera angles. So the first few shows will be a bit rocky here and there - we will 100% screw some stuff up. If you see a camera shot pointing at the floor for 20 seconds you'll know why.!Onto the pod. We start with Nick's report on Mount Lawley following the recent OCM makeover, Nick was in Perth for the weekend and had a run at the course, did he enjoy it?LIV Adelaide, a wild success, looked great on TV, the crowds were huge, Mark has about ten people he knows who were there who said it was the best sporting event they've even been to. Mark talks about how the players have great stories, and attract crowds, which is what golf needs - big names. Nick didn't go this year, but he went two years ago and talks about the noise and vibe. We discuss the TV ratings and how they went.Tiger, Adam Scott and Jay Monahan met with Trump, and Tiger made some comments following that meeting about a potential unification of the different parties.Has Joaquin Niemann given away the location of The Australian Open? And what Aussie rising PGA star was seen deep in conversation with multiple LIV teams in Adelaide. The money is clearly attractive - Mark asks Nick if Alana would have allowed him to turn down that kind of money?Torrey Pines. How excited about Ludvig Åberg is Marko? Pretty excited as it turns out. Nick and Mark discuss his performance, and Mark pops into the simulator to show us some examples of Ludvig's pre-shot routine. Apologies for the audio issue here, the mic in the simulator was playing up - we'll fix it for next week. Mark says Ludwig will be a Top 10 machine, and will win a major this year. Which leads to Marks Top 5 - golfers who he believes will win a major in 2025.We have an update on the PING global opener. Nick is pumped as there were 3 PING players this weekend. Lots of feedback from the Wolfpack, keep it coming on socials, emails, carrier pigeons.Mark asks Nick - what do you have to do to be considered a 'black belt golfer'? We hear a voicemail from listener Mark with a question on slow play. Nicks masterclass on is on Ludwig, and again apologies for the audio - we'll sort for next week.Remember this episode will be on YouTube at 7pm Wednesday 19th, AEDST.We're live at Titleist and Footjoy HQ, we're here thanks to our great partners: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.And of course Titleist and Footjoy!Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, send a voicemail here, and see us on YouTube here.

Damien was at LIV at the weekend and was following the group with Richard Bland, Charl Schwartzel, and Tyrell Hatton and had some comments after hearing our feedback pod on Monday where Wolfpack member Jenko asked about how players would deal with 'antics' from other pros.We're coming from Titleist and Footjoy HQ, and we're here thanks to our great partners: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.And of course Titleist and Footjoy!Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, send a voicemail here, and see us on YouTube here.

We've been getting lots of fantastic questions from listeners to the Talk Birdie To Me pod, and it's great fun running through them - so today, another feedback episode of the pod.We start with a question from new listener Jenko, welcome to the Wolfpack Jenko! The comment is on an idea for the LIV/PGA compromise structure. Jenko also has a question about Tyrell Hatton's behaviour.Lamb asks about the US pension for pro golfers, and how it works. Nick talks about his pension status from his time in America.Peter wants to know what's going on with Karl Vilips and why he's not seen much tournament action from him.Richard has a question for Nick and Mark about The Pews at Oakmont.Brad is unhappy with the PGA and GA and not a a fan of TGLMark heard the episode where Nick and Mark spoke about the Two Ball Worst Ball format, and gave it a crack - he reports in on how he went.And we finish with a song from Marko - inspired by Jenko's question. Jenko this song, if it is no good, is your fault - you are risking a ban for a month if it goes pear-shaped.We're coming from Titleist and Footjoy HQ, and we're here thanks to our great partners: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.And of course Titleist and Footjoy!Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, send a voicemail here, and see us on YouTube here.