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Talk Birdie To Me
🏌🏿♂️Bonus Ep: Want to Pitch Tiger Woods a Business Idea? Mark Explains How You Can. And What Hole Would Nick and Mark Redo?
Bonus pod today with only two things on the runsheet.
Before we get to that, Nicks been hitting balls, giving his new blades a workout at Long Island, Mark was at the range and has suffered the ignominy of both putting his back out using his 7 iron, and his son getting better club head speed than Mark. Awkward.
But to item number one on the runsheet. An email from wolfpacker Alistair, who met Nick recently at Cathedral, has asked the boys if there was one hole anywhere in the world that they would like to redo, which would instantly improve the 18-hole experience on that course, what hole would it be? Alistair's question came from a chat with a couple of his mates where they were suggesting that the 5th at Cathedral wasn't a great hole, nor the 10th at Yarra Yarra.
Mark goes to Pebble Beach and discusses a hole there that he thinks they got wrong.
Nick goes to Riviera, and talks through a hole there that he'd fix if he could.
Leads to a chat about plaques on holes with player quotes, Nick and Mark can only think of a couple, we'd love your input if you can think of any?
After the turn we move to item number two - a spot from Australian Golf Digest which gave a view of plane seats with a 3x3 seating structure, and two tour pros in each row - asking people to nominate the seat they'd choose and why. It was a great question, see the image here. Nick and Mark discuss where they might sit and why. During the chat Mark tells a story about how Tiger Woods handles business idea pitches that people have for him, and Nick tells a great story about his caddy Wilbur being upgraded on a flight from Dubai to Perth and what Wilbur did on the flight ..... !
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☎️ Voicemail: Michael from Victoria with a Golf Rule he wants to add to the 'Top 5 Rule Changes' list
00:46||Season 3, Ep. 0Wolfpacker Michael listened to Nick and Mark's Top 5 rules to change this week and had one to add to the list. He left us a voicemail at the Talk Birdie website here.
Mini: The Top 5 Golf Rules Nick and Mark Would Like to Change
21:51||Season 3Ripping question from wolfpacker Mick in the UK today. Mick has asked, what would the Top 5 golf rules that Nick and Mark would each change if they could.Many are similar, however Mark has one that Nick (and Dan) disagrees with and is quite controversial.See what you think of their lists, although the numbers jump around a bit, and in classic Nick style his ends up being a Top 7. Who'd have thought.
Mini: Tips for Playing Sandbelt Golf
08:19||Season 3A message from wolfpacker Tony today who is visiting Melbourne's sandbelt next week to play Peninsula Kingswood, Yarra Yarra and St Andrews Beach across 3-days. Wow...what a trip that will be! However, Tony has never played the Sandbelt, he is a 20-handicapper, and is after some tips or insights from Nick and Mark on what he should keep in mind to have an enjoyable experience and play as well as he is able.Nick and Mark give some thoughts on the courses and how they play, discuss how Tony should consider length in his shots, why his short game will be important to focus on, and one of the nuances of St Andrews Beach in particular to do with weather. Mark has some comments about bunker play on these courses for Tony.And should he get a caddy? Perhaps, although Nick and Mark have another suggestion which they say would be just as good.A fun mini today, Tony, good luck next week, enjoy your first Sandbelt experience !!!
Mini: The Top 5 Criteria for Golf Courses to be Considered Great (According to Nick and Mark)
17:17||Season 3Wolfpacker Ian has written in with his criteria for a golf course to be considered great, and asked what Nick and Mark would regard as key requirements to be considered that. They each list their Top 5, not entirely dissimilar unsurprisingly, but a couple of nuanced differences.A fun summer (or winter in the northern hemisphere) today on Talk Birdie To Me.
Mini: Troy from New South Wales. A Great Episode With a Fun Twist and Turn !
16:57||Season 3So this Talk Birdie Mini is quite special, for reasons that we won't explain - you'll need to listen. But it's a fantastic story with a great twist. We won't say anything further - but please have a listen, and enjoy how this one unfolds!
Mini: Tournaments That Looked After Players the Best, and Nick Names the Tour Pro with the 'Worst Diet' He Saw
14:57||Season 3Happy New Year to you and yours, we hope the year is wonderful for you and you hit em well all year!We kick it off by seeing how the boys New Years Resolutions, if they make them, are going. Not well as it turns out.Onto the Mini though. Wolfpacker Shane has recently returned from a fantastic golfing trip to New Zealand where he was looked after (along with all the other players) beautifully, which inspired him to ask a question of Nick and Mark. When they were on the tour, what tournament, or course, looked after the pros the best and why?Mark names the tournament that, when he was playing professionally, was the worst. It has improved out of sight now, but back then, it wasn't great according to Mark. Nick names a couple that were always great to him, and others. And tells a story of one course which makes bespoke thickshakes for the Tour Pros, and recounts a story of two Pros having a thickshake competition to see who could consume the most in one sitting....!!!!Which leads to a conversation where Nick is asked to name the Tour Pro who had the worst diet. He names a Tour Pro who had pancakes for breakfast, Mexican for lunch, and KFC for dinner. Yet still managed to play pretty well!Mark names a tournament that he said made him feel very special and was always a lot of fun.And both Nick and Mark agree that Coolum was always a wonderful tournament with a great vibe.
Mini: Tour Pro Paul Moloney on getting a 'Seve Masterclass', and Why He Thought 'My Life Was About to End'
18:13||Season 3This is fun. Today we chat with the 1993 Singapore Open Champion and wolfpacker Paul Moloney who has a couple of great stories.He starts with a story about a one on one masterclass essentially that he had with Seve Ballesteros in Paris, and recounts what Seve was practising and aiming to do with his putting. Fascinating insights. And then a story about playing on Madeira Island with Gabriel Hjertstedt and some of the hairier moments in getting onto and off the island which has quite a unique climate, and airport.Mark recounts one of the two most amazing things he has ever seen in golf, once of which involved Gabriel. Nick talks about his experience playing on Madeira Island and why he has no desire to go back.And we finish with Mark giving Paul a belated (by 32-years) thank you for something significant in his career that came about due to Paul.
☎️ Voicemail: Tour Pro Scotty Laycock on 'Air Swings'
01:13||Season 3, Ep. 0Scott Laycock is a Tour Pro with plenty of stories and after a recent pod where Nick and Mark spoke about Rory's airswing in The Australian Open, and their experiences with airswings, Scotty left a voicemail about an airswing he had at Victoria Golf Club as a Pro.
Feedback: Bill Wants Sandbelt Advice, Kristin is After NSW Golf Club Advice, and a Compliment for Monty !?!?!?!
19:51||Season 3Feedback pod today and we start with a video call from wolfpacker Bill in Florida. Bill is planning a trip to Australia, and is keen to play some courses on the sandbelt - he's after some advice on courses that he can both get onto, and won't break the bank. Mark has a ripping idea that Bill accepts on the spot! He's also curious about when the weather in Melbourne might be most suitable for golf....as any Australian knows, trying to predict Melbourne weather is a little like picking lottery numbers....but Mark has a recommendation nonetheless.Then we have a comment from Brad about watching Peter Senior play recently - which gives us the idea of getting Pete on for a chat. Homework for Mark over the Christmas/New Year Break is to give Pete a call and try and lock him in. We'll keep you updated on how that goes.JD has some feedback on an interaction he had with Colin Montgomerie which is bound to get Mark riled up a little. And it does. Tim has a comment about one of Marks masterclasses and the connection the Jack Nicklaus. David has a question about the golf schedule, and an idea for a new tournament - which is no unlike an idea proposed by Frank Nobilo some time ago.Kristin is visiting Australia soon and has a day booked with family to play NSW - she is keen on any tips Nick and Mark have for the course, they discuss a few of the holes and what Kristin may consider.And we wrap up with a couple of messages about 'golf sayings', one from Stan and one from Martin. And Mark notices Dan is wearing a new pair of FootJoys, rather than one of the older pairs he's been rocking around in for a while....how do they feel? You know they feel good.