Episode 67: New Year, New Gear

January 19th, 2024  |  1 hr 7 mins

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

Welcome to 2024 and the first episode of the season. There is plenty to catch up on this show with the start of the pro tours for the year, success by young Canadian amateurs on a world tournament stage, industry news and job openings at various golf courses, and news coming out of the amateur schedules for the season ahead.

On the Back 9 we get to the topic that many golfers are talking about at this time of year - new golf equipment. We discuss who is getting the buzz, why golf ball manufacturers are paying more attention to the "middle" market, and what factor should be your big priority when you go to buy your next piece of gear.

Episode 66: The 2023 Wrap-Up Show

December 21st, 2023  |  1 hr 10 mins

Sports, bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, 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

Sports, bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, 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

Sports, bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, 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

Sports, bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, 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

Sports, bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, 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

Sports, bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, 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

Sports, bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, 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

Sports, bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, 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

Sports, bauder media group, canada, eastern ontario, flagstick.com, golf, ottawa, ottawa valley, podcast, 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.