Drop Zone - GOLF Podcast - podcast cover

Drop Zone - GOLF Podcast

Every week, GOLF’s writers run through the 10 most interesting topics in the sport. Featuring Dylan Dethier, Sean Zak, Claire Rogers, James Colgan, Michael Bamberger and special guests.
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Episodes

Perfecting Team Golf, LPGA Scheduling and a Tiger Woods Update

Did the Zurich Classic teach us anything about the Ryder Cup? Did Brook Henderson's win teach us anything about the LPGA Tour's future? What did Tiger Woods reveal in his latest Instagram post? This week's Drop Zone breaks down the PGA Tour's controversial Player Impact Program plus the PGA Tour's Zurich Classic, the LPGA Tour's L.A. Open and everything in between.

Apr 26, 202146 minEp. 248

Lydia Ko wins, Stewart Cink continues to amaze, and Billy Horschel is 1st-team all-spicy

This week's Drop Zone features an extended discussion on the runaway victories we saw on Tour last week. Lydia Ko by seven and Stewart Cink by 4. Big deal? HUGE deal. For both, really. But also, there's Billy Horschel and his anti-arm-lock take. Should it be banned? Should Si Woo Kim's putt have counted? We disagree a lot this week. Join us.

Apr 19, 202144 minEp. 247

Takeaways from the Masters

Sean Zak and Dylan Dethier recap Hideki Matsuyama’s breakthrough victory at the Masters, Will Zalatoris’ ascent and how Spieth's game has come full circle. The Drop Zone wraps up the Masters from Augusta.

Apr 12, 202137 minEp. 246

MASTERS Preview: Spieth the favorite? DJ defending? Bryson's first impressions

We've made it to Augusta! Sean Zak and Dylan Dethier recap Jordan Spieth's win at the Texas Open and discuss what it means for this coming week at the Masters. Spoiler: it means a lot. We discuss the favorites, tease some bits of an exclusive interview with Bryson DeChambeau and break down everything we can expect to happen this week at Augusta National. Youthful guest James Colgan joins to discuss his first impressions of the club before the group puts a bow on the ANWA and ANA Inspiration....

Apr 05, 20211 hr 3 minEp. 245

Match Play madness, DJ vs. Kevin Na, Dahmen's long-awaited win

We got more golf than we deserved this weekend, but we'll take it! Sean Zak and Dylan Dethier explain why DJ and Kevin Na were both sort of in the wrong, why the match play format shouldn't be changed, why Joel Dahmen's win felt so good and what to watch for in the women's game this week.

Mar 29, 202148 minEp. 244

PGA Tour Midseason Awards

Who's golf's MVP? Rookie of the Year? Most Improved? Biggest Question Mark? Believe it or not, we're halfway through the PGA Tour season, and we're here to hand out some half-season awards. You'll be surprised what you've already forgotten from this season...

Mar 23, 202139 minEp. 243

Players Breakdown: JT's complex Sunday and learnings from Westwood, Bryson and Rory

What did we learn about Justin Thomas on Sunday at the Players Championship? What does his win mean as we look towards the Masters? Sean Zak and Dylan Dethier break down everything from the week at TPC Sawgrass and dive into the current states of Lee Westwood, Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy and more.

Mar 15, 202149 minEp. 242

Drop Zone is BACK

All it took was a win from Bryson DeChambeau to bring the Drop Zone back onto your podcast airwaves. We discuss the event at Bay Hill, what hanging out with Bryson is really like, what he means for golf moving forward, etc. Also, it's Players Week! The biggest event thus far in 2021 kicks off Thursday, so we look back at the last 12 months of golf in the world of Covid-19. Dylan shares a reminder of what it was like on the ground at the 2020 Players and what to expect this week at TPC Sawgrass....

Mar 08, 202148 minEp. 241

Untold stories from 2020

We research plenty of stories — but we don't get a chance to tell all of them. What did it feel like at the final tournament before the pandemic? Who changed golf's conversation the most in 2020? And what was this year like for the PGA Tour's most accurate player? On this week's episode of the Drop Zone, we dig into our notebooks to revisit several key moments from the 2020 golf season and share the details behind the stories we never got to.

Dec 22, 202032 minEp. 240

Cameron Champ knows he has power

Cameron Champ has plenty of power on the course. So much that when asked about the race for distance, he said "I'm just gonna keep my mouth shut." He also has plenty of power OFF the course. After discussing his wacky and impressive 2020 season we talked with Cameron about his recent decision to fund two scholarships at an HBCU, Prairie View A&M, in the name of his Grandpa Mack. That alone impressed us at the Drop Zone, and so did the rest of his season, so we got into a lot of it in this we...

Dec 09, 202032 minEp. 239

Golf's Biggest Winners of 2020

Who were the biggest winners of the strange, unprecedented 2020 golf season? Can Bryson DeChambeau crack the list? How 'bout Patrick Reed? Adidas? There's still a month's worth of rounds to be played, but let's beat the year-end rush with a celebration of those who made the most of it. This week's Drop Zone shouts out 10 big-time winners who grabbed an unusual year by the horns.

Nov 24, 202031 minEp. 238

Masters Recap: Everything we learned at the November Masters

What a week it was at Augusta National. Dustin Johnson is your Masters Champion after a record-setting performance. We break down the entire week by sharing what we learned about DJ, Tiger, Bryson, Rory, Augusta National, Augusta the town, distance in golf, and much more.

Nov 16, 202035 minEp. 237

The Ultimate Masters Preview

To break down this week's Masters, we interviewed six different experts to hone in on every aspect of golf's biggest tournament. From Bryson DeChambeau's game plan to Tiger Woods' title defense to the CBS broadcast to the best gambling picks to a potential equipment revolution, here's what to expect at Augusta National. Featuring Luke Kerr-Dineen, Jonathan Wall, James Colgan, Michael Bamberger, Alan Shipnuck and Josh Sens. Enjoy!

Nov 10, 202029 minEp. 236

Jack Nicklaus on the Masters, Augusta National and the evolution of golf

Jack Nicklaus, 6-time Masters Champion, for nearly an hour. Need we say more? Golf's greatest champion joins us for a long conversation about all things: the Masters, Augusta National, Bryson DeChambeau, changes to the golf course, Tiger and Phil. We hit on just about everything with Jack from the comforts of his compound down in southern Florida. Come for his memories of a Jack-proofed setup and stay for his first lesson at the hallowed grounds, courtesy of Arnold Palmer.

Nov 05, 202055 minEp. 235

Daniel Berger on Growing Up in Golf's Mecca and Re-finding his Game

While many of the best golfers in the world gravitate to southern Florida, Daniel Berger was raised in the middle of it. Raised on a golf course, picking the range and taking money off pros. It's all he's ever known, and it's a big part of the reason why he's so damn good. Berger sat down with us to talk about the iron-sharpens-iron aspect of Jupiter, Florida, his resurgence in 2020 and why he'd never dream of leaving the Sunshine State.

Oct 28, 202034 minEp. 234

How Bandon Dunes revolutionized golf

Bandon Dunes began as a pie-in-the-sky brainchild of a wannabe golf course developer and a wannabe Scottish golf course architect. Together, David McLay-Kidd and Mike Keiser built a golf course — but they had no idea they were spawning a revolution in the process. Bandon expanded and Cabot Links and Sand Valley followed in its footsteps; some dozen golf courses later, Bandon's lasting legacy is as an idea: That North America can have true links golf and that reimagine the idea of a remote golf c...

Oct 21, 202033 minEp. 233

Collin Morikawa on becoming a prodigy

There's nobody quite like Collin Morikawa — even on the PGA Tour, where it feels like a new 'golden child' gets crowned every few weeks. Morikawa joins the Drop Zone to fill us in on his origin story, dive into the differences between 'good' and 'great,' tell us where he's been and where he's going.

Oct 13, 202029 minEp. 232

Xander Schauffele at Home

Whether or not he remembers it, Xander Schauffele was one of the first guests we ever had on the Drop Zone. That was years ago, and we've all come a long way since then. This week, he joined us again to dish on a bunch of stuff, including: - Watching Tiger Woods win at Torrey Pines in 2008 - Growing up in San Diego - Money games with Phil Mickelson - His rise to becoming a top 10 player - How he competes with the likes of Bryson, DJ, Rory and longer players...

Oct 06, 202029 minEp. 231

Bryson DeChambeau on bringing Winged Foot to its knees, changing golf and tackling Augusta National

The U.S. Open champ is back for part 2 of our discussion. This time, we talk all about his victory at Winged Foot, why his game was so good that week and what it means for courses this fall ... like Augusta National. DeChambeau also responds to the claims that he might be "breaking" golf, and offers a retort for how his changing the game is actually great for golf.

Sep 30, 202031 minEp. 230

Bryson DeChambeau on growing up different, changing golf and winning the U.S. Open (part 1)

Golf's most recent major champion joins the Drop Zone for a lengthy discussion on all things Bryson: His upbringing, his transformation, some mind-blowing practice facts, how his game is perceived and what it was like demolishing Winged Foot. This is part 1 of 2 — the second half of the Bryson DeChambeau convo will go live Wednesday morning. Subscribe to make sure it lands in your podcast library!

Sep 29, 202044 minEp. 229

Watching Bryson win the U.S. Open (and celebrate afterward)

Our very own Dylan Dethier was on site at Winged Foot, and ALSO at the after party with Bryson DeChambeau as his team as they celebrated their biggest accomplishment ... yet. We recap the U.S. Open with behind-the-scenes detail you're not going to get anywhere else.

Sep 22, 202029 minEp. 228

Winged Foot insiders dish on winning secrets

Nobody knows more about winning at Winged Foot than the iconic club's very best players, so we assembled a roundtable of club champions to help preview this week's U.S. Open. What are the keys to winning a brutal test at Winged Foot? What will the best golfers in the world shoot? What kind of U.S. Open should we expect? All that — and more! — on this week's Drop Zone.

Sep 15, 202019 minEp. 227

The best short courses in the world

Sometimes, 18 holes is too much! For anyone who has ever thought that, GOLF Magazine is in your corner this week, launching a new ranking of the best 9-hole courses in the world, a list of the top par-3 courses and the best courses under 6,000 yards. Non-traditional golf at its very best. We talk with Ran Morrissett, the man behind the ranking, right here on the Drop Zone.

Sep 01, 202022 minEp. 226

Caddying with Tiger Woods

We’ve heard plenty of players describe the unforgettable sensation of playing golf alongside Tiger Woods for the first time. But what’s it like to caddie alongside him? For one man, it was the opportunity of a lifetime — and then it got a bit complicated. On this week's Drop Zone, we take a look at the fuller story behind Tiger Woods, world-famous caddie.

Aug 25, 202014 minEp. 225

Golf in the NBA Bubble

Basketball is the no. 1 sport being played in the NBA Bubble, but sport no. 2? It's golf. Players, coaches and staff members from every team have teed it up down in Orlando, and for some of them, golf is way more than a fun hobby. It's become a way of life down in Florida. We talked to a bunch of players about just how important golf is to them within the Disney bubble.

Aug 19, 202020 minEp. 224

Inside the PGA's Wild Finish with Alan Shipnuck

Our Alan Shipnuck was on site Sunday for the rollicking conclusion to the PGA Championship, and we dive in on how one golfer separated from the pack. What did Collin Morikawa's victory feel like at TPC Harding Park? What did we learn about Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and more? What was it like covering the first COVID-era major championship? Shipnuck answers those questions and more on this week's Drop Zone.

Aug 10, 202028 minEp. 223

Golf Bettors' Biggest Myths, with DataGolf

When two Canadian brothers in their 20s launched DataGolf, they didn't realize just how many questions they'd be asking — and answering in the process. What are the biggest myths among golf fans? How do you pick a winner in a sport as random as golf? Even better, how do you create a model so powerful it can give you predictions and update in real time? Here's how DataGolf became one of the smartest voices in the game. Plus, some PGA Championship picks!

Aug 04, 202040 minEp. 222

My first week as a PGA Tour caddie

These days, it's tough for anyone to get inside the gates at a PGA Tour event — never mind inside the ropes. But our Sean Zak made his PGA Tour caddying debut at this week's 3M Open. How'd he do? What blew his mind? What did he screw up? Here's what we know about the life of a Tour caddie, from Zak's first tournament on the bag.

Jul 27, 202036 minEp. 221

Tiger Woods is Back

After four months away from the PGA Tour, Tiger Woods is back this week at the Memorial. Will he live up to expectations? Well, let's set those expectations appropriately. We spend this episode recounting everything Woods has done since he won the 2019 Masters, and why you should be both bullish and bearish on Woods' 2020 season.

Jul 14, 202031 min

Who's the Best Player in the World ... Right Now?

Is it Bryson DeChambeau? Is it Rory McIlroy? Is it ... Webb Simpson? During one of the most interesting times in golf, we figure out who is No. 1 and apologize to those who don't make the cut. Sorry, DJ.

Jul 08, 202030 min
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