We're Talking Golf

She played on the LPGA for 25 seasons, becoming a household name to fans of women's golf.   Coming from Sioux Falls, South Dakota to attend Texas Christian University, little did Kris Tschetter know what life had in store for her.  As a Division 1 player, she searched the Fort Worth area for a regular practice facility, eventually joining Shady Oaks Golf Club.   It was there that she was befriended by Shady Oaks most famous member and indeed one of the finest players to ever swing a golf club.  Of course, that member was none other than the legendary Ben Hogan.  In this episode, we chat with Kris Tschetter about her career on the LPGA, including some of her favourite experiences and cherished memories.  She takes us back to life in a camperized van,  trekking across the United States, playing golf and listening to the radio.    She then shares with us a little bit of her experiences on the practice range with Ben Hogan -- the player renowned for spending hours hitting golf balls, perfecting his swing (as much as one could).  She tells us of the experience and of the time that he made a surprise visit to support her at the US Women's Open played at the Colonial.  After retiring from the LPGA, she became active in setting up a charity, and spending time with her family.  She would eventually join the Legend's Tour and take some time to write a book about her personal experience with "Mr. Hogan".   You won't want to miss this treat.

Should I get my child into golf?  Or should I let them discover golf on their own?  How early is too early?  Or what should I do as a parent to support my child in golf?  These are just some of the topics that renown golf teacher Michelle Holmes shares with us in this episode.  As golf grows in popularity throughout the world in places like the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, and Colombia among many others, one of the biggest areas of growth involves children and young people.   As more and more children are brought into the sport it means that parents need to play an active role in supporting their children as their children embark on the journey of golf.  Some will join golf simply to play for fun, or to play with their friends who are learning the game too.  Others will play because their parents want them too -- and others still play the game, dreaming of being like Brooke Henderson, Lydia Ko, or Lexi Thompson.  Perhaps its Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, or Jordan Speith that they admire.  Regardless, many parents are asking themselves how to best encourage and support their child as they take up this difficult, challenging, and extremely rewarding sport.  You will want to listen in as Michelle Holmes shares her experiences in teaching and coaching children and parents in managing this journey.

Join our special guest host, Cathy Kim, the Director of Golf for Baltimore Country Club as she interviews our guests from Gachon University based in Seoul, South Korea.   We go behind the scenes to learn how golf is different in Korea and how it has become such an important part of the culture.   As one guest  says about golf, it is more popular than religion in South Korea.   And one of the key differences is how they organize and teach golf at University in addition to the golf academies and golf courses.  Our special guests for this episode include Jaewon Kwak, a senior professor with Gachon University.  She holds a PhD. in Physical Education with a specialization in Golf.  She also holds the enviable distinction of being the coach that introduced Rolex Women's World No.1 player, Jin Young Ko to golf, teaching her the fundamentals of golf and a solid golf swing foundation that has enabled her to become one of the best players in the world. Hyemin Kim is our other special guest and is an instructing professor with Gachon University in their golf program.  She is a former Epson tour player having played from 2012 through to 2019.

Today, it may seem commonplace to see Thai payers competing for victory on the LPGA, but there was a time not too long ago when there was a single pioneer carrying the responsibility of representing Thailand on the LPGA.    Virada Nirapathpongporn, or Oui Virada,  was the first player from Thailand to achieve full time membership status on the LPGA.  She relocated to Florida from her home in Bangkok to attend the Leadbetter - IMG Academy as a teenager.   From there, she moved into NCAA Division 1 golf with the Duke Blue Devils and never looked back.  In her sophomore year, she led the Blue Devils to the National Championship while winning the individual championship by 4-strokes over Arizona's Lorena Ochoa.  From her unique vantage point as a pioneer of Thai golf, Oui Virada discusses how much Thai golf has grown and developed since she was a junior player.  She also discusses her own journey into professional golf and the responsibility of representing her home country on the world professional golf stage.  She also shares some great advice for parents and junior players who share the dream of wanting to go as far as they can in the sport.

Research has shown  that playing golf has demonstrable benefits for people.  Whether it be improved quality of life, increased life expectancy, or improved mental health, golf has been a significant catalyst for people in realizing these benefits.  In today's episode, special guest host Cara Erdheim Kilgallen explores the topic of "Health, Wellness, and Golf" with Liesbeth Pauwels.   For close to a decade, Liesbeth has been at the front of this movement that seeks to enrichen the lives of people through golf.   Combining her golf background with her educational background in Kinesiology (University of British Columbia), Liesbeth has founded LP Golf Performance, working with recreational players, and aspiring elite players teaching body movement, yoga, nutrition, and more.  Cara Erdheim Kilgallen is a tenured professor of English at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut with a passion for golf and the nourishment that the sport provides whether it be mental, physical, or spiritual.  She is deeply interested in the democratization of golf as a sport for the masses.   She also is featured contributor with the World of Golf.

As part of an ongoing series featuring equipment and training, we introduce you to CTRL Golf (Control Golf) and their Swing Master.  It is a new training aid designed to help golfers improve their swing using some innovative and proprietary technology.    In this  Episode,  we are joined by Nick Bockenfeld, a PGA member, and Ryan Johnson a professional player, as they discuss the Swing Master, how it improves a golf swing, and how to incorporate it into a regular practice session.

The Solheim Cup is the single most important Cup competition in women's golf.  In this biennial competition, the United States women have competed against the best women from Europe since 1990.  The US hold a 10 - 7 advantage over their European counterparts, but the European team are the defending champions and will have "home field" advantage as the 2023 event will be hosted at Finca Cortesina Golf Club near Malaga, Spain.   Stacy Lewis will captain the 2023 US Women's Team against Team Europe being captained by Suzann Petersen, the perennial nemesis of the American team.  Always an engaging and thoughtful person, Stacy discusses her preparations for the 2023 competition, her assistant captains, and her goals for the team, including of course, winning the Solheim Cup back for the United States.  With the completion of the Chevron Championship at the Dinah Shore course at Mission Hills, it marked the end of an era as the venerated event moves to the greater Houston area for 2023.  As a past champion of the event and a leading figure in women's golf, Stacy shares her experience of playing at Mission Hills, what the event meant for the development of women's professional golf, and her thoughts on how the LPGA tour has evolved since her rookie year in 2009. Stacy is a former World No.1, she has won 13 times on tour, including 2-major championships.  She won the Vare Trophy twice, in 2013 and 2014,  The Vare trophy is awarded to the player with the season's lowest scoring average.  She also won the Rolex Player of the Year award twice in 2012 and 2014, while also winning the LPGA Money Title in 2014.

Susan Strange, Mandy Snedeker, Ellie Day, Jan Jacobsen -- these are just some of the women that author Janet Thompson interviews for her new book -- The Golfer's Wife.   In this episode, we discuss Janet's new book, her experience with interviewing the women married to professional players, and Golf's impact on their lives.  Janet also shares her experience as the wife of a recreational golfer, her love-hate relationship with the sport, and how it became such an important part of her life.  In her book, she weaves through these topics with the goal of sharing a tale of personal experience with the enlightenment of insight into what it means to share a spouse with life as a professional golfer.You won/t want to miss this episode with Janet Thompson.

Success was all that Gabriella Then knew as a junior player.  She was a member of the winning Junior Solheim Cup team, she won numerous AJGA events, and she was recruited to USC when she was 14 years of age.  After a successful career at the University of Southern California, Gabby (as her friends know her), turned professional, playing for 2 seasons on the Epson Tour (formerly the Symetra Tour).  But when she recorded a bogey on her 72nd hole, at the LPGA's Stage-1, of Q-School, she missed advancing to the next stage.    Confronted with the emotional turmoil of having seen her dream evaporate, Gabby walked away from the sport in 2019.   She even took another job outside of golf -- such was her disappointment and desire to consider a life outside of professional golf.   Then came Covid, and she had no choice but to stay away from the sport as golf courses closed, and contemporary life came to a halt.  By 2021, Gabby was reassessing her life, her choices, and of course, golf.    It was then that she rediscovered her passion and love for the sport and with it, the resolve to commit to professional golf.  She "went all-in", nearly draining all of her savings to fund a year of tournament golf on the minor tours.    She lived life knowing that she had put everything on the line -- her emotional and mental efforts, her ambitions, and her money.  In this Episode, Gabby Then chats with us about her darkest days in professional golf and how she eventually found her way back to the sport and how life's lessons prepared her to better deal with adversity.  Her 2021 season culminated with her winning the Ladies European Tour's Q-School and an automatic "card" for the 2022 Season.

As we kick off a new Golf Season for 2022, change is afoot in Europe.  The European Tour rebrands itself the DP World Tour, increasing prize money across the board for its players.  The Ladies European Tour (LET) is fresh off of a thrilling Solheim Cup performance and appears to be in the ascendancy from years previous.   Joining us is our special guest Richard Kaufman, the SkySports golf commentator covering both the DP World Tour and the LET.   In this episode, we discuss the increasing money that is coming into Golf, and particularly the men's game from Saudi Arabia.  Potential Ryder Cup captains are also a topic for discussion as Richard runs down his list of potential candidates for Captain of the European team, including Luke Donald, Paul Lawrie, Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood and others.  On the women's side, we look at the abundance of young talented players coming through the ranks in European golf with players such as Pia Babnik, Chiara Noja, and Lily May Humphries among others.   There are some compelling story lines from other players such as Becky Brewerton and Julia Engstrom as they look to rebound from injuries to recapture their form and their status on the LET.

In our first episode of the new golf season, we are joined by Dr. Jim Afremow, a renowned sports psychologist.    Drawing on his extensive experience working with professional athletes and teams,  Jim shares an inside look into mental performance and what successful athletes do in preparation for their success.   We also discuss working with junior players, teaching them the skills for success whether it be in golf, sports in general, or more importantly, in life.   "The younger you are the more of a sponge you are . . . So if a parent is acting calm, confident, playful, having fun in the sport, its more likely we pick up on that."It is a great episode for parents, golf coaches and aspiring elite players to learn from one of the leading sports psychologists on developing the mental skills for success.  Of course, in the last segment Jim shares some tips and ideas on what the recreational golfer can do to prepare themselves for the upcoming Spring season -- how to practice more effectively, to prepare for your round of golf, and how to shake off the bad shots and prepare for the next one.

After a glittering career at USC and in her Rookie year of professional golf, Annie Park graduated to the LPGA looking to build on her success.    She won  4 - times in her freshman year, including the NCAA Div I Individual Championship while leading her USC Trojans to the NCAA National Title,.  In her first year as a professional, she won 3-times on the Symetra Tour, earning Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year all while finishing the year as the top player.  That's when adversity struck -- Annie was eventually diagnosed with a form of thyroid cancer, leading to the removal of her thyroid gland and a lifelong regimen of medication.  If that wasn't enough to contend with, then, it was a persistent and nagging back injury that nearly sidelined her career before it even really started. With her characteristic understatement, stoicism, and grace,  Annie Park shares her story on how she went from NCAA Division 1 star to nearly quitting golf entirely.   A timely intervention from her sister and another friend helped her reassess her life on the course and off.  Faced with having lost her card on tour, Annie had to "Monday qualify" for LPGA events, eventually resulting in her first LPGA win (2018 ShopRite LPGA Classic) and representing her country at the Solheim Cup (2019 Gleneagles).  Join us in this episode as we explore Annie's career in golf and the lifelong lessons that she has drawn from the sport.

As part of our continuing series focusing on golf around the world, and women's professional golf in particular, this episode looks at the Emergence of Thailand as a rising golf powerhouse.   Joining us in this episode are special guests, Pajaree Anannarukarn and Pinyada Kuvanun. They chat with us about their year in golf, some of the challenges and accomplishments of this past year, and they discuss their experiences in growing up in Thailand learning to play golf and how their individual paths to the world of professional golf. Pajaree currently plays on the LPGA, the world's premier tour for women's golf.  She is a recent winner of the 2021 ISPS Handa Invitational event - a mixed event with men and women competing on the same course at the same time.  The event is hosted by Niall Horan, of One Direction (boy's band) in his native Northern Ireland.   At the time of recording Pajaree is ranked No. 71 in the Rolex World Rankings. Pinyada is a recent graduate from the University of Toledo with a degree in International Business.  Competing in Division 1 of the NCAA, Pinyada led her team to the MAC Conference Championships, where she had a personal best of 3rd place.  She also won twice at the collegiate level and finished 3rd at the Lady Buckeyes Invitational.  She currently competes on the Thai LPGA and competed recently at Stage 2 of Q-School, earning privileges for the Symetra Tour in 2022.

2021 US Women's Open Champion Yuka Saso and fellow LPGA professional, Bianca Pagdanganan join us to discuss their year in golf, the experience of winning the US Women's Open, and representing their home country of the Philippines at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, and meeting the PGA players at the Olympics - including Rory McIlroy.   They also take some time to share their thoughts with us on how golf is growing in the Philippines and some of the things that could help grow the sport even more.Yuka Saso takes us through her final round at the Olympic Club as she struggled to overcome a rough start before eventually finishing strong with birdies on the par 5 - 16th and 17th holes to finish in a tie with Nasa Hataoka.  After 3 - Playoff holes, Yuka Saso emerged victorious and the Philippines had its first ever major golf champion.   In a lighter moment, Yuka shares with us what was going through her mind as she was finishing the 72nd hole with a birdie putt to win.Bianca shares her experiences on her year, discussing some of the high points and some of the challenges that she experienced.  She also shares with us what her strategy will be as she prepares to attend the Q-Series at the end of the Season.  You won't want to miss this episode as the two players show a much more relaxed side of themselves now that they are off the course.

Luiza Altmann is the highest ranked player in Brazil and is currently a member of the Ladies European Tour (the LET).   While there have been other women from Brazil playing professional golf, Luiza is something of a "trailblazer" having also played a season in Asia on the KLPGA (Korea).   While football or soccer, is the sport most closely associated with Brazil,  Golf is growing, partly due to the 2016 Olympic Games hosted in Rio de Janeiro , and partly as the country continues to grow economically.In this episode, Luiza shares her experience of discovering golf in a country where football or futebol (soccer) is the national passion, and how she grew up to be Brazil's top ranked professional player.  She shares with us how the sport is growing in Brazil, particularly among juniors, while also sharing her experience of playing professionally on the Ladies European Tour.

As Golf in the Olympics becomes a more regular occurrence, the growth of the game is bound to grow and expand from its traditional base of support to many other nations across the globe as their athletes vie for the much coveted Olympic medal.In Today's episode, we focus on the Netherlands and the growth and development of the sport through the emergence of more modern coaching and training techniques and methods.  We visit with Liesbeth Pauwels, an internationally recognized golf & fitness specialist who works with elite athletes in the Netherlands and elsewhere.  We also have two of the Netherlands emerging talents -- Anne-Sterre den Dunnen and Noa van Beek as they share their experiences in the world of competitive junior and amateur golf.  If you have a child, grandchild or someone that you know from the golf course that might be interested in seeing how far that they can travel in Golf, then this is an episode that they simply need to listen to.  Anne and Noa discuss how they came into competitive golf, their practice and training regime, and what to expect as an elite junior and amateur.  They also discuss their long friendship together - both competitors and as young women forging paths in the world of Gold and Academics.

It's U.S. Women's Open Week and the 76th Edition of the Championship is hosted by the Olympic Club in San Francisco  This historic venue has hosted several memorable USGA championships over the years, including the 1955 US Open, where Ben Hogan lost in a playoff to an unsung player - Jack Fleck.   The ultimate irony for Mr. Hogan was Jack Fleck was one of the very first players on the PGA to play with the newly developed "Ben Hogan Signature series Golf Clubs".   The venue was also host to the 1966 US Open, where the new King of Golf, Arnold Palmer, lost in a playoff to Billy Casper, despite having a 6-stroke lead going into the Final Round.  Palmer's inability to close the event led to a Monday 18-hole playoff, and the unofficial decline of Palmer as the King of the hill. This year marks the very first time that the Women's Championship will be hosted at this historic club and like its Men's counterparts, promises to be equally exciting as the best players in Women's Golf tackle the famed course.  Small, elevated and undulating greens with its sloping and cambered fairways and traditional "US Open rough" will challenge the shotmaking abilities of these talented pro's.  Our special guest, Aimee Cho, is probably best known for her incredibly popular YouTube golf instruction channel -- Golf with Aimee, where she provides simple, fun and effective lessons and tips.   Aimee Cho is also a former professional player on  the LPGA's Symetra Tour joins us to review and analyze this year's championship.  Fresh off of her appearance on CBS LA as a guest analyst for the PGA Championship at the Ocean Course (Kiawah), Aimee is eager to talk about the most challenging event in women's golf and to share her special perspective on how the Lake Course at Olympic will play for the women.We review favourites like Inbee Park, Brooke Henderson, Lydia Ko, Nelly Korda and Patty Tavatanakit  among a handful of other contenders.  So listen in or download the episode today.

In this episode, we have two fitness and conditioning specialists join us to discuss what golfers need to be aware of when they hit the tee box or the practice range for a proper warm up so that you can avoid injuries and enjoy your best golf.  In the second segment of our show, we do a "deep dive" into the modern approach to fitness that is a more holistic approach, helping golfers better understand how their body moves, the role that body motion and sequence plays in helping you to generate power and speed in your golf swing.Milo Bryant is from San Diego, California and is an instructor with TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) and member of the TPI Advisory Board.  He is also the founder of the "Coalition for Launching Active Youth" and he holds several certifications including Level 3 Golf Fitness Instructor (TPI), Sports & Performance coach (USA Weightlifting), and he is a Strength & Conditioning Specialist (NSCA).  Africa Alarcon is from Sao Paulo, Brazil and is a pioneer in the physical fitness and training field, working with professional and amateur golfers since 2005.  She is the owner of "Golfefit" and the former physical trainer for the Brazilian National Golf Federation.  She graduated from the University of Sao Paulo and holds:  Level 3 Fitness Trainer (TPI), Level 2 certification in Medical, Power and Golf (TPI).

In this Episode we meet a new professional player where we discuss her journey to professional golf.   There are many different paths that players take in becoming professional golfers and working towards their goal of making it to the "big tour" -- whether it be the PGA or in this case, the LPGA.   Often times it can be a lonely journey, sacrificing a robust social life in exchange for hitting golf balls, working on the swing, wedge game or putting.  The stress from the long hours of practice, training and preparation can often take a toll on a player's mental health too.  Hannah Leiner is a native Floridian who recently graduated from Florida International University (FIU) after a career in NCAA Division 1 golf.   She shares her struggles and joys of playing golf from junior golf to college and then making the decision of becoming a professional.   We learn how she combats the low points and  enjoys the high points. Along the way,  we also chat about social media and how Hannah became a Social Media personality, developing a following of over 100, 000 (100K) on Instagram.   Of course, being a prominent social media personality can take on a life of its own and the perceptions that some have about "Instagram golfers".  Like Paige Spiranac,  Hannah tackles the topic head-on, sharing how she gains strength and support from her "social media family" and how she uses social media to promote the sport of golf and for her sponsors like PXG.Join us for this short episode or pass it on to the young person in your life who often dreams of becoming a professional player.

Special guest Sophie Walker, former professional player on the Ladies European Tour and now an analyst with Sky Sports and BBC Five Live joins us to preview golf's very first major of the season.   The Ladies Professional Golf Association (the LPGA) has its first major championship on April 1 - 4th, 2021.  Held each year at the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at the Mission Hills Resort in Rancho Mirage (Palm Springs, California), it traditionally provides exciting events and the 2020 championship is proof of that.Reigning Champion, Mirim Lee made an Eagle on the 72nd hole of the tournament to tie two of the LPGA's biggest stars in Brooke Henderson and Nelly Korda.  Lee won the championship on the first playoff hole to produce one of the more stunning finishes in the ANA's history. This year, she is back to defend against the best players in all of women's golf.   Sophie Walker shares her unique perspective with us as we preview the course, the infamous "Blue Wall", and the players to watch for.  If you are in a fantasy golf pool, you will definitely not want to miss this episode.