On Next on the Tee we believe that PGA & LPGA Legends, players, top instructors and media members tell great stories that you'll really enjoy listening to. We are a golf podcast that challenges the notion that you have to be controversial or focused on Tiger Woods' swing or personal life in order to get people to listen. The way we challenge that notion is by bringing you a great lineup of guests every week who their share stories from inside the ropes plus insights and playing lessons that can help all of us lower our scores, improve our mental approach, and get more enjoyment out the game. We research the details and don't ask the simple general questions. We hope you'll make us a regular part of your golf content consumption.
How To Score Well This Winter Plus Holiday Gift Ideas, & My Conversation with Rob Labritz...
11-15-2023
On this episode two of the Top Instructors in our game, Tom Patri and John Hughes, join me along with Champions Tour Pro Rob Labritz and PGA Tour SuperStore Chief Merchandising Officer Randy Peitsch.
Tom Patri and I also reflect back on two great feel-good stories from the Bermuda Championship in the T8 finish by Tyson Alexander and the inspirational victory by Camilo Villegas.
Champions Tour Pro Rob Labritz, PGA , and I go back to his journey through Champions Tour Q-School in 2021. We talk about the pressure involved getting from round to round. He was the medalist that year which earned him his Champions Tour card. We also talk about perhaps the best bogey save I've ever seen that Rob sank on the final hole at the TimberTech Championship which earned him the final spot in last week's Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
Randy Peitsch is the Chief Merchandising Officer for the PGA Tour SuperStore. He shares several great gift ideas for the golf enthusiast in our lives, even if that person is us. We hear what his Top 3 gift ideas are plus some great new tech items that have recently hit the shelves. We also get into Tiger & Rory's new TGL League. Arthur Blank not only owns the Atlanta Falcons, he also owns the PGA Tour SuperStore and the new Atlanta franchise in the League. We talk about the team, the players, and how the SuperStore is going to be involved.
We round out the show with PGA Master Professional John Hughes Golf. I tap into John's expertise on how adjusting our grip pressure can help us make more of the slick downhill putts. He gives us some mental tips when we're faced with pitching over a pond, and how to get more distance off the tee. John also hosted a couple of golf schools up at McLemore this year. He got a firsthand look at the second course that Bill Bergin and Rees Jones are Co-Designing up there called The Keep. Rees shared with us a few months ago that it's so good it could host a major tournament one day. John walked the course and shared his perspective on what we'll see when that course opens in the Spring.
John Cook, John Mahaffey, Bob Friend Jr., & Eric Johnson Join Me...
11-08-2023
This week I am joined by 2 legends of the game, John Cook and John Mahaffey, plus one of the great players in Western Pennsylvania history Bob Friend Jr., and Top 100 Instructor and Pittsburgh native Eric Johnson.
John Cook and I go back to his epic victory at the 1983 Canadian Open when he defeated Johnny Miller on the 6th playoff hole. We hear how, in his 2nd season on Tour, he held up to the pressure of trying to win arguably the 5th biggest event on Tour at the time, over a legend like Miller. We also get into the great things his father Jim did to advance PGA Tour purses plus John's course design work.
John Mahaffey won the 1978 PGA Championship at Oakmont. We go back to that tournament and hear what it was like for him to get that win after having lost 2 previous US Opens. John would double down on that PGA victory by winning the very next week at the American Optical Classic over the only Optometrist on Tour, Dr. Gil Morgan. John also shares his memories of being a part of the victorious 1979 Ryder Cup team and why it's the most scared he's ever been.
Bob Friend Jr. was a grinder on Tour for over 20 years. He's also one of the best players in Western Pennsylvania golf history. He won the 1984 & '85 Western Pennsylvania Amateur Championships. He backed that up by winning the '85 Pennsylvania State Amateur Championship. We hear about all 3 of those victories plus insights into some of the other great area courses he enjoys including his own club, Oakmont Country Club.
Eric Johnson has been named a Top 100 Instructor for over a decade now. He spent 17 years at Oakmont CC, several of which were as the Director of Instruction. He's now at Yellowstone Golf Club in Big Sky, Montana. We hear about Yellowstone and some other great Montana courses that should be on our list to play. Eric recently took a trip to Southern California where he played Monterey Peninsula CC, Pebble Beach, Cypress Point, and Spanish Bay. If that wasn't great enough, he followed that up with a visit to Pine Valley. We hear about all of that plus we get a tip for how to play better as the temperatures go down and the turf gets harder.
Talking Arnold Palmer, Pittsburgh Field Club, Western PA Golf History, What It Takes To Play College Golf, Plus When $40K Was A Big Winner's Check...
11-02-2023
On this week's show, I'm joined by the great Tom Patri, 9-time winner between the PGA & Champions Tours Tom Purtzer, the Pittsburgh Field Club's Head Golf Professional Chris Sheehan, and the Curator of History at Oakmont and Allegheny Country Club, David Moore.
TP and I go back to his 1981 D2 National Championship while he was at Florida Southern. We hear about the penalty levied on him and his team in 1980 that cost them the National Championship and how they used that to fuel them to win it the next year. Tom shares some advice for kids and their parents looking to play college golf and he talks about the great player that Andy Bean was. We lost Andy a couple of days ago.
Tom Purtzer won 9 times between the PGA & Champions Tours. One of the many amazing things about his accomplishments is that he won tournaments over the course of 3 different decades, winning in 1977, '84, '88, and '91. We get into one of his professional wins not on the PGA Tour, a 10-stroke victory at the 1979 Japan vs. USA Golf Matches. He also takes us inside his conversation with Ben Hogan at the Champions Dinner prior to the Colonial National Invitational.
Chris Sheehan is the Head Professional at the Pittsburgh Field Club. Chris has worked at some of the most prestigious courses in our country like Oak Hill, Inverness, and Lebanon Country Club. Along his golf journey, he got to work with Bill and Craig Harmon. Chris and I get into the rich history of PFC. The club is 142 years old and beginning preparation for their 150th anniversary in 2032. We hear about Alexander Findlay's original course design plus the Hall of Fame Designers who have tinkered with the course over the years like A.W. Tillinghast, Donald Ross, Robert Trent Jones, and Tripp Davis. We also hear the tale of the 18th hole which was transformed from a 275-yard Par 4 into a Par 3 after a few members died climbing up the steep elevation change from the tee to the green.
David Moore is the Curator of Collections at Oakmont and Allegheny Country Clubs. David tells some fantastic Arnold Palmer stories that give great insight into who Mr. Palmer was. We go way back and hear the history behind the first 25 years at Oakmont. He also shares his insights on the origin of the Stimpmeter, the Golf Heritage Society's National Convention, the work he did at Montclair Golf Club in New Jersey, and an inexpensive DIY project to display your autographed golf balls.
Golfing the British Isles, The Weekend Warrior's Companion with Author Peter Gray
10-28-2023
Peter Gray and Gary Lisbon have put together a fantastic book titled, Golfing the British Isles, The Weekend Warrior's Companion. In it, we learn about the rich history of many of the legendary courses along the British Isles like, The Old Course, Royal Portrush, Turnberry, Carnoustie, Prestwick, and Old Head to name just a few. The book is 171 pages of WOW and Gary Lisbon's photography is image after image of Oh My! The whole book from cover to cover is spectacular. Have a listen as Peter Gray takes us on a journey to some of the greatest courses in our game.
Keith Hirshland, Hal Sutton, Jeff Tracy, & Dr. Bob Winters Join Me...
10-25-2023
On this episode of Next on the Tee, I am joined by one of the all-time great Authors and Golf TV Broadcast Producers Keith Hirshland, PGA Tour Legend Hal Sutton, Host of Grilling at the Green & BBQ aficionado Jeff Tracy, and top Sports Psychologist Dr. Bob Winters.
Keith Hirshland is my all-time favorite author and one of the great people you get to meet in this life. He's written 6 wonderful books including "Song Girl, A Mystery in 2 Verses" (watch out for the CT Mascaro character), "Cover Me Boys I'm Going In, Tales of the Tube from a Broadcast Brat (my all-time favorite book), and his latest is the second installment in the Murphy Murphy series this one is titled, The Case of the Commission on Cliches. You can get all of them out on Amazon or www.keithhirshland.com. Keith and I talk about what mischief Murphy gets into this time around. It's going to be such a fun read. Keith is also the Producer of the LIV Golf broadcasts. We hear his thoughts on Season 2 of LIV golf, if he thinks there will be a Season 3 plus some of the cool new drone technology they're looking to use if/when Season 3 comes around.
Hal Sutton has become a dear friend and someone I am so thankful for. He is currently putting the finishing touches on his new course design called Darmor Club located just outside of Houston. It's an old-school Scottish design using templates from C.B MacDonald and Seth Raynor. He has created a course that we can all enjoy. It is certainly on my bucket list to play. In addition to hear about Darmor Club, I also get Hal's thoughts on the Ryder Cup and if NIL deals are about to infiltrate the world of golf. Hal also shares his disappointment about how playing on Tour used to be about the privilege of playing the PGA Tour and playing for the charities each week. It was them first and you second or third. Now it's about self. You can stay up-to-date with Hal by going online to www.halsuttongolf.com or following @halsuttongolf on social media.
Jeff Tracy is a BBQ Master and the Host of the Grilling at the Green show. Jeff shares his excitement over his recent first trip to a Bucee's. He talks about their barbecue and the wall of jerky. Jeff expounds on Hal's thoughts of giving back, doing for others, and the importance of benefit golf tournaments. We also talk about the crossover between the golf and horse industries AND we get his recommendation for a great barbecue sauce and rub so you can become King of the Grill. Check out Jeff online at www.grillingatthegreen.net and www.bbqnationjt.com
Dr. Robert Winters is one of the top Sports Psychologists in our game. He shares a wonderful story about Arnold Palmer and the putting tip Arnie gave him as a teenager when Bob attended one of Arnold's golf academies in Pennsylvania. That tip would pay dividends years later when they played together at Bay Hill in 2007 and Arnie needed to sink a few putts to win a side wager. We also learn techniques for how to calm ourselves down after a bad shot and the importance of self-belief. Plus we hear about Dr. Bob's sports vision research that can lead to improved putting. To get more information about Dr. Bob plus mental game tips online at www.theconfidencedoctor.com or email him directly at drbob@drbobwinters.com
