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Talk Birdie To Me
EP152: Testing for the Golf Ball Rollback Faltering, Nick: 'Boring Golf is Good Golf', and Mark: 'Greenkeepers are Mongrels'
Massive pod today, and we start with a bit of news that Nick and Mark have heard from an industry insider who is very high up in the golf world, about the new ball that is being developed and due in 2028. It is currently in testing and apparently the testing has not gone to expectations, with the results being far from ideal. Longer hitters with high launch and low spin aren’t impacted much, whereas the shorter or midrange drivers are impacted - not the intended outcome.
Onto the golf. Nick and Mark discuss Lottie Woad, what a superstar this young lady is going to be, winning her first tournament after turning pro. Nick likens her swing to Scottie Scheffler, not the swing itself but after impact. We have a look.
Mark loved watching Sunningdale again with the ISPS Handa Senior Open, saying it looked stunning, and reminded him of Royal Melbourne. Nick played Royal Melbourne at the weekend and said whilst the course isn't in tournament shape yet, it is looking better than he expected it would.
Mark talks about greenkeepers being 'mongrels' on swap days. Mark had a tour of the Huntingdale redevelopment at the weekend and said it is 'spectacular'. Nick gives an update on the Long Island development at The National.
Nick has launched a new website with some friends - he has criminally ignored his Talk Birdie friends....I guess we all know where we stand now. Awkward. But the website is basically a place to buy and sell second-hand, quality golf gear - it's brand new, still a couple of bugs, but worth checking out here - GoGolfer.com.au.
We discuss the video where Trump was caught cheating at golf (again!), Mark isn't convinced he was cheating this time and explains why, although he says his caddy is clearly very experienced at helping Trump cheat.
After the turn, we chat Happy Gilmore 2. Mark is horrified that neither Nick or Dan have watched it yet, Mark loved it and on our patented movie ranking system gives it 4 choc tops out of a possible 5 choc tops rating. Mark sets homework for the team to watch the movie and wants to do a review pod next week.
Nicks Top 5 is on the best ever debuts as a pro...where does Lottie Woad rank, does she make it?
And then we chat to David Hogben, the boss of Links Golf and Wellbeing on the Gold Coast about our Talk Birdie To Me Golf Day idea. We workshop it live, and come up with:
- A date (Wednesday October 8)
- A plan for the tournament (Shotgun Start)
- Light lunch and dinner
- War Stories from Nick and Mark over dinner
- Prizes.
We'll work on the details over the next 24-hours and let you know on our socials.....but looks like we're on for the Gold Coast.
Lots of feedback today, but we stick to the comments on Scheffler and how many majors he'll win - plenty of other feedback that we'll hold until later in the week, as the pod is running overtime today, and we don't want to lose our podcast license.
Nick takes us through the PING Global results, Mark predictably whinges about the music even though it's his fault. And a cracking masterclass from Mark on pros warming up using their alignment stick and how they are using it differently to what he is used to.
We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:
- BMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;
- Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
- FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
- PING will help you play your best;
- Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;
- Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;
- And watchMynumbers and Southern Golf Club.
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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.Mini: Kangaroo Island - "This Course Needed to be World Class"
21:39||Season 3This is fun. Today we chat with Darius Oliver from Planet Golf who, among others, designed Cape Wickham. His current project is very special, a new course on the cliffs at Kangaroo Island in South Australia.We start with Darius talking about what makes Kangaroo Island so special, he says that it gets in your blood and mentions a New York Times comment that it is like 'a zoo without fences' due to the abundance of wildlife on the island.Nick and Mark ask about his philosophy in designing this new course and Darius tells us that it needed to be world class, the best possible course it could be on the land, and that his intent was not to look at Top 100 lists but rather to build 18 interesting holes that are each different and are fun to play for golfers. And he is confident that they have done so.Nick asks Darius will Kangaroo Island surpass Cape Wickham? A fascinating mini today and we cannot wait to see this stunning new course when it's ready to open!Mini: Technology in Golf - Wolfpacker Mike Gives Nick and Mark an Alternate View
12:34||Season 3Another Talk Birdie Mini, as we get thisclose to Christmas, and we chat with Mike from Bundaberg who has a slightly different view from Nick and Mark on technology in golf and how it is being used to manage scores and pros monstering courses.Mike reckons there are ways to do it outside of technology changes, and he puts his case to Nick and Mark to get their thoughts. He also makes an excellent point about when Augusta tried to 'Tiger Proof' the course, which backfired completely.Keep your comments and questions coming, we love them, and have a wonderful Christmas!