Episode 66: The 2023 Wrap-Up Show

December 21st, 2023  |  1 hr 10 mins

bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, sports, western quebec

It's time to close out the year and look ahead to 2024. We wrap up a couple of last pro events that we had our eye on then we run through many key moments from the past year. We highlight some of the best in golf that happened at an international, national, and regional level.

On the Back 9, we share what we are looking forward to in 2024 on the golf scene, at the pro and amateur levels, in tournament play, in the business or the game, and for what we have played within the Flagstick brand. That includes our tournaments and a very new foray we have been working on for some time.

Episode 65: Florida Golf Travel Insights, Rahm PGA TOUR Departure Implications

December 14th, 2023  |  1 hr 5 mins

bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, sports, western quebec

As we wander towards the end of the year, plenty of fun golf conversations remain left to have.

In this show, like always, we provide some updates on Canadians playing golf worldwide. That includes the Ladies European Tour Qualifying, the Grant Thornton Invitational, and the PGA Tour Qualifying School.

We wander through some talk on Tiger Woods and the PNC Championship and chat about the implications for others now that Jon Rahm has officially chosen to play the LIV Golf League and is suspended from the PGA TOUR.

We take a reverse course from the toxic golf topics to share some personal highlight moments that we experienced in golf in 2023, and on the Back 9, we explore golf trips to Florida and give some insights from our past journeys. We hope it helps the community when they are trying to look for southern golf destinations for upcoming trips.

Episode 64: Golf Ball Rollback Rolls Forward, The Golfer Dentist

December 7th, 2023  |  1 hr 11 mins

bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, sports, western quebec

Things get a little spicy this week as Jeff and Scott jump into the contentious topic of golf ball distance rollback after this week's announcement by golf's governing bodies. They dig into a few different angles, tangle over a few points, and set the table for what golfers can expect to see when it comes to their own golf balls and new testing standards for the future.

We detail the fate of three Canadians playing at the LPGA Q-Series, with some key details and stats about what success in Alabama means for Savannah Grewal, Maddie Szeryk, and Alena Sharp.

We also drop a few details about how Corey Conners and Brooke Henderson are feeling as they head into this week's Grant Thornton Invitational as partners.

On the Back 9, we have an interview with a local dentist, hear his golf origin story, and explore the heights of the game that his passion for it has taken him to.

Episode 63: Caddie School For Soldiers Interview, NCAA D1 Golf in Canada?

November 30th, 2023  |  1 hr 10 mins

bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, sports, western quebec

We're joined this week on the Back Nine by Dan Marsh. He is a Canadian Armed Forces Veteran who participated in The Caddie School for Soldiers program. He shares about how he got involved, why it was important to him, and how it has already brought him to some amazing places in the golf world. It's a thought-provoking interview we think all our listeners will enjoy.

On the Front Nine, we take a glance through the LPGA and PGA Tour Qualifying schools, have a gab about Tiger Woods and what he had to say before playing in this week's Hero World Challenge, and share news about a new NCAA Division 1 Men's Golf Tournament coming to Canada.

We also have some news on the 2025 Ryder Cup, some insight into the future of the CPKC Women's Open, and welcome the PGA of Canada to the National Capital Region for their member's conference.

Episode 62: Tiger Returns, Big Tours Conclude, and State of the Golf Industry

November 23rd, 2023  |  1 hr 9 mins

bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, sports, western quebec

It’s a show bursting at the seams for Episode #62 as we look at the end of the PGA TOUR and LPGA TOUR seasons and consider how the Canadians fared.

We discuss the prototype golfer of the future and if Ludvig Aberg is giving us a glimpse as to what is to come.

We wrap up the Golf Ontario Order of Merit Standings for 2023, bring you some new golf course news from the Quinte Region of Ontario, and chat briefly about the return of Tiger Woods and if we have, or should have any expectations.

On the Back Nine, we switch over to some industry talk on the heels of a State of The Industry Summit by the Golf Journalists Association of Canada. We recap some stats for play across Canada for the past season, talk about what influence that is having on the future of the game, and get into some things we are hearing from our wide-ranging community that we touch base with daily.

Episode 61: The "Best" Golf Holes, New Driver Talk, and Blair Harris of the Quinte Kingston Intersectional Matches

November 16th, 2023  |  1 hr 20 mins

bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, sports, western quebec

This is a variety pack-type show including a myriad of topics that we work our way into. It all gets started with a talk about the appearance of several new drivers on the USGA and R&A conforming clubs list, what that means, and does it matter. That includes our thoughts on how people react so strongly to these preliminary photos.

We catch you up on some news from the Canadian amateur and pro golf scene, including the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, Q-School, and the G4D TOUR. The latter includes a dream come true for not a player, but a parent of a player.

In the "memory lane" part of the show we discuss a newspaper article from 1985 on the best golf holes in Eastern Ontario, how we may rekindle gathering opinions about that from our community in the modern era, and we share one hole that might make the list for each of us.

On the Back Nine, we have an extensive interview with Blair Harris of the Quinte Kingston Intersectional Matches about the history, development, and future of that event and how it is creating greater camaraderie among golfers of that region.

Episode 60: Awards, Costco Clubs & Tour Schedules

November 9th, 2023  |  1 hr 5 mins

bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, sports, western quebec

This show is oozing with content and topics. We run through the night we spent at the PGA of Canada - Ottawa Valley Awards, talking about the winners, the golf business, and what goes into being successful in many aspects.

We discuss Brooke Henderson and what is fuelling her recent success as she prepares for the final two events of the season. And, hint, it's got nothing to do with her putter.

We share some news on more Canadian junior golf success in the United States and reveal which two players will captain the Junior President Cup teams in Montreal next year.

We also roll through the new schedule for the PGA TOUR Americas and explain what makes it a better tour now, that will likely produce stronger players who have a better chance at long-term chance of success.

To wrap it all up we dive into the the golf club business as it relates to Costco; what Jeff thinks they need to do with their branding, and details on the driver that we may see two rows over from the croissants very soon.

Episode 59: Guest Interview: Michelle Mulligan - adidas Golf Apparel

October 27th, 2023  |  46 mins 58 secs

bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, sports, western quebec

After missing a week, Jeff is back and almost healthy again. He was a trooper and we put together a show with plenty of news from the professional and amateur golf scene, with a few extra tidbits on industry news and even a reveal of a forthcoming golf book. We cover some NCAA golf tournaments and Canadian golf course news. We have updates on Team Canada for the World Amateur Team Championships and the upcoming Pan Am Games golf tournament.

On the back nine, we feature an interview with Michelle Mulligan. Scott spent some time with the Senior Manager of Global Apparel for adidas Golf at Cabot Cape Breton. They talk about what goes into the design of golf apparel, from choosing colours to monitoring trends worldwide. It's an insightful look into golf fashion.

Episode 58: The Cabot Branding Success - What Can Others Take From It?

October 12th, 2023  |  1 hr 2 mins

bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, sports, western quebec

With the Fall season upon us, it is time to start looking at next year in the golf industry. It's a time when golf courses and facilities began to evaluate their success and failures and plan for where they are headed. With that in mind, we put our marketing and golf operations hats on and dig into a discussion of branding in the golf industry. From our years and scope of experience, we delve into a few aspects of the topic and why some of the best golf courses in the world tend to excel in merchandising and memory-making.

On the Front Nine, we have news from the World Junior Girls Golf Championship, a golf association seeking board members and volunteers, and we discuss the impact of Lexi Thompson being the 7th woman to play a PGA TOUR event and any implications from it.

Episode 57: Everything's Coming Up Fall Golf - Ryder Cup Review & More

October 5th, 2023  |  1 hr 4 secs

bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, sports, western quebec

Now that the "Cup" season is done, we take some time to talk about the Fall Golf that the rest of us experience. We talk about why we and so many others love golf at this time of year, things we can do to enjoy it more, and for those who are looking to still keep their scores as low as possible, dig into adjustments you can make. We cover things from clothing to equipment in ways you can tackle playing in soft and wet conditions and still be able to maintain a low number on your scorecard.

As many have done, we dig into the 2023 Ryder Cup and give our simple takeaways from all the happenings in Italy. What did we enjoy, who played well, and what storylines captured our interests?

We also delve into our experience as Captains at this week's PGA of Ottawa PING Challenge Cup and give some thoughts on the matches we saw between some of the best club professionals in the region, playing for their respective teams.

Episode 56: Ryder Cup / PING Challenge Cup /Fix Your Grip

September 28th, 2023  |  1 hr 6 mins

bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, sports, western quebec

This week, it's a packed show with more news than expected about the Canadian golf scene, including who will represent Canada in the upcoming World Amateur Team Championships and the PanAm Games. We fill you in on the latest.

We delve into a big PGA of Canada - Ottawa event, the PING Challenge Cup, as we announce the teams we will each be acting as Captains to in the coming days for this annual battle between Head Professionals and Assistant Professionals.

Kevin and Jake Haime join us on the Lesson tee with some thoughts on the grip.

On the Back Nine, we wander through some thoughts on the 2023 Ryder Cup and our expectations for the week, who we might like to see matched against each other and consider why the United States team has struggled through the event's history on European soil.

Episode 55: Solheim Cup / Fresh New Gear / Fixing The Chicken Wing

September 22nd, 2023  |  1 hr 1 min

bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, sports, western quebec

With the Solheim Cup about to start we thought we would give it the due attention as the world's golf eyes fall up Spain this week where the Europeans look to defend the title against Team USA.

We discuss who we think might win, who we are cheering for, and who might be the biggest star and dud for each team.

We wander through the local and national golf news and topics on our mind this week.

Kevin and Jake Haime are back on the Lesson Tee with some thoughts to help your golf game, and we take a look at some of the latest golf equipment and products that have recently arrived on the market.

Episode 54: Hamilton G&CC Preps for 2024 RBC Canadian Open - Sam MacPhail of Golf P.E.I.

September 16th, 2023  |  58 mins

bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, sports, western quebec

A full show this week starting with Scott's visit to the recently renovated Hamilton Golf & Country Club that is preparing to host the 2024 RBC Canadian Open. Scott details some of the design changes at the course and what golfers can expect to see when they watch next year's tournament.

Plenty of news covering a major golf media award, the end of the season for the PGA TOUR Canada, Ottawa Valley Golf Association, and PGA of Ottawa.

Some news from the Ontario University Golf circuit, and updates from one of Canada's oldest team competitions - the Gordon Cup.

We have insight on Hybrids from PGA of Canada Professionals Kevin and Jake Haime, and on the Back Nine we have an interview with Sam MacPhail of Golf Prince Edward Island. He recaps the season so far, shares about golf trip opportunities for the Fall and prompts golfers on why they need to start their planning now for a visit to the province in 2024.

Episode 53: Fall Golf Travel - Pinehurst & Area

September 7th, 2023  |  57 mins 14 secs

bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, sports, western quebec

We get the Fall Travel talk started this week, but first we have plenty of news to share.

We rec-cap the end of the OVGA Junior season, the OVGA Intersectionals, and provide an update on Quinte Kingston Intersectionals, the Cornwall Open, local Pro-Ams, and some charity golf.

Kevin and Jake Haime join us for more instruction talk.

In the meat of show we take on the topic of golf travel to the Pinehurst/Sandhills region of North Carolina. We update you on the latest news for the region, give insight from over two decades of travelling there, provide some tips on golf courses, accommodations, travel, and the other highlights that are a must for any golf fan who makes the pilgrimage.

Episode 52: The Ryder Cup; A Reason To Play Golf; and Courses Have Greater Value Than Rankings

August 31st, 2023  |  1 hr 10 mins

bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, sports, western quebec

Jeff and Scott had a chance to play together this past week; giving them pause to consider what a gift it is to enjoy the company of friends and family on the golf course. They discuss this, leading to talk about the value of golf course, beyond how they may be portrayed in "rankings". That also leads to talk about golf course rankings, how many people misinterpret them, and what value do they have when they are not as incluive as they could be.

Kevin and Jake Haime of the Kevin Haime Golf Centre are back with more instruction to get your game in tune.

On the Back Nine it is all Ryder Cup talk as we discuss how the teams are shaping up a month out from the competition, why Captain's value varying elements in the process of creating a "team" and who will think will be stand-outs from the U.S.A. and European Squads in Italy this year.

Episode 51: CPKC Women’s Open, Tour Championships (PGA TOUR and PLAY Junior Golf Tour), and Over/Under Par Game

August 24th, 2023  |  1 hr 15 mins

bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, sports, western quebec

Tournament season is winding down for some golf tours and ramping up with some big events for others so there is plenty to talk about on this episode.

On the Canadian front, we give a full recap of the Flagstick.com PGA of Ottawa Tour Zone Championship, the PLAY Junior Golf Tour Kevin Dickey Tour Championship, along with the results of the Flagstick.com Cup on that junior tour.

We dive into this week's CPKC Women's Open, Canada's only LPGA TOUR stop, to discuss what we expect from the course, the players, and especially the Canadians. That includes a new look for Brooke Henderson and a look at the parts of the game where she has had some issues compared to last year.

We discuss the PGA TOUR's Championship and conclusion to the FedEx Cup race, including our favourites, dark horses, and some opinions on the format.

We have a game to close out the show, with Over Par/Under Par opinions of a variety of topics that often divide golfers, or at least cause some discussion.