Episode 53: Tim Herron

The guys from Ping.

They've kind of showed me how much the equipment matters.

I just love that I can hit any shot I kind of want.

We're gonna be able to tell some fun stories about what goes on here to help golfers play better golf.

Hey, hey, everybody, welcome back to the Pink Proving Grounds Podcast.

I'm Shane Bacon.

Joined us always by Marty Jertsen. Marty, we got a legend with us today, a living legend in the golf space. Tim Haren joining us and Tim were fired up to have you a part of the podcast. I know you've been a part of the Pink family for a long long time. I wanted to start with family because you're a guy that grew up in an extremely competitive golf family. When did you start playing? When did you get introduced to.

The golf to golf?

Do you know how old you were when when you were kind of introduced initially to the game.

Yeah, probably seven years old.

I'd go out and play like three holes of my dad after he was done with work and right before dinner, kind of run the dogs and stuff like that.

So it was kind of always fun.

And then probably at ten I started catting for my dad pretty cheap.

I guess I was probably cheap labor for him.

So yeah, ten, probably fifteen, and then started working in the golf business. I worked for a pro at a club where my dad was actually at. So yeah, so I've kind of always been around the game.

Was your dad a pro player? What was his what's his background?

He was a pro for he was a pro for about a year.

He was a life insurance salesman, so he could get out and play a lot of golf.

It's always so interesting to talk to people that have these kind of golf families, like the Knies for instance, right, I mean these people that grew up, you know, around the game, but growing up very competitively. I mean your sister great player, I mean very very competitive, played a whole bunch of great golf tournaments. I know, she won a lot of big events in her day. You know, you know, you talked about your dad being so involved

Was it one of those things.

That right off the bat you went, oh my goodness, I got to play against these people that take the game relatively seriously.

Yeah, I think, well, my sister's younger than I am, but I don't know. I think I probably beat my dad at like fourteen or fifteen, and then I kind of I shot up and then.

We're three four years apart.

You know, my sister was good, and then I kind of went to college and played national things, and she's went in state amateurs and stayed opens and things like that. And then I caddied four in the midamter and that's pretty much our only ustre event in the family. So she, you know, she gave me a trophy on that her bib she framed. So that's what I got down above the pool table.

Tim my wife actually played golf Fort New Mexico and Albuquerque on the golf team there. I want to know how in the world you ended up there, ended up making your way to Albuquerque.

So I got a scholarship either at University of Minnesota, New Mexico or a SU, and AESU started eighty.

By the time I was going to sign it was ten.

My dad says, now you're not going there, and I wanted to go south. I just didn't know it snowed more in Albuquerque than it was Minnesota, but it's gone the next day, right, So I didn't know it was like high desert, but it worked out great. I was John Field's first recruit with actually Christian's brother. I was Christian's brother's college roommate. And it's kind of how I

New Mexico job. Yeah, that's kind of how I got down there. Yeah.

Christian kanea the head of our tour department from from New Mexico.

Exactly like Blend, New Mexico. And Jason, his brother, was my college roommate master here and there.

Yeah, so you guys were playing you and him South was there at the time, and you guys that was your home track.

Yeah. Now my oldest son plays there.

Oh nice. Nice.

Yeah, it was kind of during COVID.

He didn't really have a place to go, so we decided New Mexico is a good spot, and he's had a pretty good college career down there.

Mumpy, did you take a liking to the Mexican food there in the green Chili?

Yeah?

I did, And when I go back and visit my son. I don't eat as much Mexican food. I eat the green chili, so I'll put like green chili on a burger, yeah, or like even a pizza, right, yep.

But the actual Mexican food, that's a little tough on me.

Now, Shane, have you spent any time in Albuquerque eating the food there?

So I I was gonna say, for people that don't know about New Mexico, Mexican food way spicier than what you're traditionally run into when you eat Mexican food anywhere else in the country or beyond. I think that's one of the really unique things about New Mexico. There's a couple of restaurants, Marty and Phoenix most Os. I'm sure you've been to it multiple times. You got to bring a towel. You gotta dat the forehead as you're eating through that stuff, because it is absolutely no joke.

But yes, Tim, I totally understand.

As we get a little bit older, I'm not sure it's the Mexican food there that you want to be taken down like midday when you got golf ahead of Yeah, so.

Allball Richardson's have you been down and in Arizona, in Phoenix, I have not been awesome.

Now Richardson's a little New Mexican too, Okay, okay, well that's good.

I have to check it out. So you played college golf in New Mexico. I mean, obviously you were an extremely good amateur player and good junior player. When did it flip from I'm good too, I've got potential to really do this for a living. I've got potential to make a Walker Cup team, things like that. When did your game really kind of turn for what would become your career?

Yeah, I mean I had potential my freshman year, became honorable mentioned my sophomore year, and then first team All American and my last two, and then I kind of knew right there, college wise is good enough to turn pro and give it a try. So, you know, I missed out a first stage right out. And then I came back and graduated and was assistant coach for a semester, and then I went out and played Australia, Canada Mini Tours, did the whole thing, and.

Got my Nike card, which is corn Fairy.

Yep in ninety five, and then in ninety six I got my card and I won my seventh event on tour, so it you know, I remember the Honda, the one that I won that I was trying to do a rain dance that all the rain would come in because it was supposed to be nasty, and we played all day in it. But what happened and was that I played all day and I won the tournament. And I think that kind of propelled knowing that I could stand

Tim, I wanted to ask real quick before we get into the pro stuff. I was looking at the Walker Cup you played at a ninety three, and I didn't realize that it was played in Minnesota.

How special was it?

How big of a goal was it for you that year to make that Walker Cup team? Considering where the event was being hosted. I can only imagine for you it was like a pinchbe moment to be wearing red, white and blue, playing in the state that you basically grew up in.

Yeah it was.

It was really awesome, but it was nerve wracking now looking back. It was extremely just unbelievable experience and memories.

Right.

I remember Alan Doyle was a buddy of mine. I remember asking him if he wanted to be partners and he took. He took Justin Leonard and I was with John Harris, who was actually another player from Minnesota.

He won the US Amitur that year.

And yeah, we actually defeated some English boys, so it was good.

Do you remember who you played in that first singles match? Do you remember who?

Who? You know? I played singles? I played Patty Harrington? Beat him.

I had a baby. You beat him one up, there you go.

The other two was Van and.

Yep, yep, Van Van was the Van was the matchup. You won that one.

You guys were running away with this thing, but you won that three and two. So it was a good It was a good Walker Cup for you as well.

Great Walker Cup.

I you mentioned, you know, your your your your playing partners didn't want to hit all the woods. I was going back and I looked at some of your early PJ tour stats and you were way up there in driving distance. I wasn't aware of that. You know, you were in the top five, top ten and driving distance. Yeah, you know, and back then did.

It almost ten years? Eight years?

Yeah? And back then obviously they didn't have the shot link and how far you are from the middle of the fairway and this type of stuff. Did you kind of feel like you had the ould strokes game driving figured out, like better to hit it far than did a ton of fairways before everyone else.

No, my Caddy was a little old school, so I just remember watching Phil going, I'm just gonna try to hit as far. I remember him having arguments with Butch harmon. Butch goes, I can get your swing a little tighter, you can hit it more consistent, and he goes, no, man, I want to hit as far as I can. And I just kind of back and forth. If I need to contend in the Major, I need to hit a little straighter. That doesn't mean hitting irons off the tee all the time. I just need to hit the driver

You know, it's so interesting to hear you say that about Phil because obviously now the modern and Marty was kind of touching on this but the modern mentality of players is hit driver all over the place and go and find it. I mean, no event is better illuminated to that point than what we saw in twenty twenty Win Bryson, Win and wing Foot and he basically said, I'm gonna aim for half of the fairway and the rough, like I do not care where the driver goes.

I remember there was an Open Championship years ago.

VJ.

Singh was last in the field and fairways hit and first in the field in greens and regulation. I feel like VJ was a bit ahead of his time and that stat as well. What players outside of Phil Nicholson were you looking at? Going the way this guy plays makes maybe a bit more sense than what people are telling me to do.

I think you're correct on that VJ saying if he was in between clubs, he'd always pull out a driver. He always tried to say, as aggressive as he could, and he was so strong and Tiger Woods, well you'd see Tiger back off, like getting the British Opens and stuff like that. Yeah, because he could hit that stinger. All you need to do is get in the fairway. Because he was such a.

Good iron player, right, Yeah.

But I think a lot of guys used their length to an advantage, like a VJ.

Singh.

I remember, I'm at Firestone right now playing the Senior.

The Senior I don't even know that.

I think it's our Tour Championship anyways, I'm playing with that.

I remember playing with VJ.

One round when he won it, and he pulled out driver every hole and just tried to drive it up.

As far as he could.

Figure, if you're going to hit it in the craft, he might as well be closer to the green.

Yeah. Yeah, it was fun going back and look at some of your stats, Lumpy from before the shot Link era. You know, way down there in driving distance. Your driving accuracy was like you know, but your greens and regulation was super high, you know.

Yeah, it's always a pretty good iron player mid irons, especially like part threes and stuff. That felt like I could take advantage on part three's and get up there on part fives. I think I'm a much better wedge player now since I've been playing the Champions Tour.

Yeah, the last five years than I have.

Out on and now I carry like four wedges where I used to only carry three because I felt like some of the weapons or one irons back in the day and.

Stuff like that. Now you can't even get the ball in the air with a one iron, But I remember the pick one iron. Right, you still have like twelve of them at home.

What what was it like? I feel like you played in the very interesting time. You got on tour right before Tiger, Right, you won some Germans and then he came on the scene.

Actually we're rookies the same year, but he only played half less than half the year, and he got Rookie of the Year and I won that year too.

But I think it worked out all right for everyone.

I don't know.

Tiger wents coattails a little bit, you know what I mean. But I'm like, he didn't play. Should he really be Rookie of the Year?

Should he be that?

I always get he remembers me beating him in the US Ham and I go, you know what, I'll give you that US amateur if you just give me one of those major trophies, just one you got fifteen or whatever of them, just one of them.

You beat him in the year before he won the three in a row.

Yeah, I beat him.

He was still in Yeah, he was still in high school.

Yeah.

And the funniest part about the story is Brian Gay. We're looking at the brackets, is Brian Gay, Jonathan Kay And they're like, oh, Tiger's in your bracket. I wouldn't want to play him. So I won Tiger one and now I got to play him. I'm like, why do these guys have to put it on me?

You know what I mean?

And I actually, uh, I played pretty good and beat him, beat him up pretty good. But where was that one at Lumby Mierfield?

Oh yeah, Mierfield Village? Oh yeah, yeah.

I mean like, like, we're not this isn't a historian podcast. But I think there's an argument to me that might be the only match he lost in a USGA championship, or one of maybe two because obviously.

We people say, I don't know, I haven't really gone through the archives, but I think he.

Might have lost too, you know, I think he lost. I think he played in two ams.

He didn't win when he won those juniors, and then played obviously in the three one. So there's your Jeopardy answer. Is is Tim Harrot whenever anybody wants to answer that. By the way, Marty's mentioned it a couple times.

Listen.

I know you've answered this question two billion times in your career, but can you tell us the lumpy nickname story?

Pleaser?

All right?

Yes, So that golf course that I worked at my first So the golf shop was a little separated from the clubhouse and the driving rangers down this hill and I walked in. They go what's your name? And I go, Tim Harron. I actually knew the pro but this is some pros kind of giving me some grief, right, So he.

Goes, well, do you have a nickname? I go no, I don't have a nickname.

He goes, why didn't he go down and pick the range and we'll we'll have a nickname for you when he come up. So I go down there for about forty five minutes an hour, clean the range up, come back up and they go, hey, Lumpy, how are you doing. How do you like your nickname? I go out on, don't really like it? And it's been lumpy ever since. So that's my nickname.

What did it?

What did it derive from? Were you doing something weird picking the range?

Like we're They just thought I always kind of look frumpy lumpy, you know what I mean? Okay, And there was actually a kid in high school that was nicknamed Lumpy. So I wasn't even lumpy in high school. It was all around the golf community. I wasn't even lumpy in college. I thought I got rid of it until I was winning my first tournament in ninety six and the pro's brother played on the Champions Tour and knew Dave Mar really well, and Dave.

Goes, do you know anything about this kid from Minnesota?

We need something on this kid, you know, put on air, and they go he said, well, his nickname is Lumpy. So then that came out, you know, with Johnny Miller and Dave Mar and that.

So I've been Lumpier ever since. So it is what it is.

Man.

Just got to stick with it, Yeah, totally. If you try to fight it, it only gets worse.

Lumpy, What you were a drake, great driver, the golf ball hit it far, you know, kind of when you first came on the scene. What were some of your favorite getting into some equipment things like, what were some of your most memorable or kind of drivers you played during that time period, probably like the S I three TI, s I G two, like in that kind of time frame of the late nineties early two thousands.

So what was the name where the hozzle? What?

Well, most of the hozzles are plastic, but it was plastic hozzle.

I called it.

I ping's probably not gonna like it looked like a Folger's tin can on a stick, right, But I'm.

To say driver.

They almost ring with my entire life. What's the name of that one? It was really thin face?

The is I?

I think it was? I?

I Y And I remember I was playing the Hunt a couple of years later, it was probably like ninety nine, and I pulled the driver on a par five out of a bunker and I hit it on the green made eagle come on, yeah, fairway bunker shot.

I hit driver on it, I mean off the ground.

I could do anything with it. And I finally cracked it, but under the soule plate. And yeah, the soule plate finally just fell off. But that thing was amazing as the best driver I ever hit. But what it was so stupid is we played everything so uh firm and heavy.

I guess maybe because the ball moved more.

So maybe you know, we're using equipment where we're trying not to make the ball move as much. Now the ball doesn't move and you're trying to make it move. So I think people play probably softer shafts and things like that. But we were playing telephone poles. It's amazing.

You know.

Everyone used to go, oh lump, you're still with the low launch, and I'm kind of old school.

Once I have something, I hold on to it. I hold on to it. I hold on to it, and it's hard for me to give it up. I'm not.

Uh, there's a guy out here, Steve Flesh. He'll put anything in at any time.

Right.

He change the score by one. He's into it.

I totally know what you mean, which is awesome.

I mean, I wish I had that kind of mentality, but so but anyways, that was awesome. They had some awesome three woods, and they kind of I think ping really started getting things more upright and and things like that to try to take the slice out of the game.

It's pretty impressive on what I've seen, But I think.

I was one of the last guys to play Io's and a Caddy finally said, you know, there's a lot of good stuff out there, maybe, and I forgot what I switched to. I switched to, Oh, you know what, I switched to the first forge ping irons.

Oh the answer, Yeah, I actually actually was that's right. I designed that iron, you remember, Yeah.

That, I'm like, wow, I'm hitting at least a club longer. That's pretty awesome. So now I'm messing with shafts because I've been playing well, I used to be like seven. Oh, now I'm six. So now I'm almost thinking five to five and then graph fight. I do have the new blueprints with a graph fight. It's just a little harder to time the irons. I've played so heavy for so long. Yeah, yeah,

Yeah there, Yeah, steel fiber is a good option. If you tried the steel fiber, it's it's literally half graph I have steel.

No, that's what I have. Fiber, That's what I have. Yeah, it's good. The one ten.

Yeah, that's a good That's what I was gonna say, Tim, That's that's a good one to try to kind of give you that in between.

Come on here and I get advice. I love it.

There we go.

We're trying to help out golfers in some capacity, even if they're professional golfers. You said you're a bit of an old school golfer. What's the oldest club you currently have in your bag? Well, I'm still playing two tens.

I still haven't gotten over the you know, to the blueprint or whatever, and my my son plays that one, so we were always messing around.

But I'm like ready to go to the steel fiber.

Yeah.

I was thinking maybe going to five to five and then and then maybe steel fiber, but I think I'm ready for the steel fiber.

Yeah.

And I'm playing the four hundred driver, but I have a driver that goes twelve years farther. But now I'm at Firestone, so I'm gonna wait until the next week to maybe put that one out, which is the ten K.

I can't remember all the names, but the ten.

K yeah, yeah, And then I heard there might be there's some rumblin like there coming out of a really fast one, so we'll see. Lumpy. What about putters? You got? You got three putters and the gold putter Vault. All answers have you have you been? I know now I think you're using using the time or prime time. But what were you traditionally an answer putter most of your career so far?

I used to be, so I was probably the third guy to claw they called the claw. Yes, that might have been like ninety nine, so I kind of had a little flinch issue back in the nineties and the claw kind of save all the way through two thousands, right, so yeah, it's been uh, it's been great. So then I kind of went more mallet, but all the wins were answers. Yeah, maybe I should go back, but it looks weird an answer, but my son buds with an answer, so really, yeah, it's a little better.

Was Calc the first player that you remember doing the claw?

No, it's DeMarco.

DeMarco was the original DeMarco.

Hip Kendall.

Skip Kendall taught DeMarco how to do it, okay, Skip Kendel, then he putted unbelievable Skip Kendall.

Yeah, and then I think.

DeMarco showed it to Kelc and then kind of Calc showed it to man and then people started doing it.

It's pretty amazing.

Well, I mean DeMarco called it the gator, right, he wouldn't call it the claw because he wanted to give a shout out to Florida.

Yeah, exactly.

He would not call it the claw. He called it gatored his way nearly to a green jacket, that's.

For sure, of course, the Gator.

Yeah, christ you gotta love that.

You've talked a lot about your son's game. So we Marty and I both have kids. They're younger than your son. But you know, Marty's kids are kind of now competing in drive, chip and putt.

Mine are a little bit younger.

I'm in the stage of trying to get him in golf and get him interested. How is it being an accomplished player, obviously, somebody that's win multiple times on the PGA Tour as a golf dad of somebody that's obviously good enough to play collegiate golf and compete in in big time state events, actually play pro golf.

You know it.

It's uh, it's a lot of golf. I'm gonna I'm gonna admit it's a lot of golf.

You know.

I'm trying to get away from the game and they're trying to play, So I try to do a mix.

But you know what, the practice is way more fun.

So like when I get I have too eighteen year olds that are gonna go away and play golf as freshmen this year, and they're gonna try to get on some teams and and it's just kind of camaraderie wise.

We go out on the range and.

We all can't hit balls, and some go pot and if I need to chip, I'll go over and chip with them, And so it's kind of fun that way. I understand the game enough to where it's a hard game. I look at more of their attitude, which I'd say in college I probably didn't have the best attitude either, so so I don't it's not really the score whatever, it's kind of more of the process.

And that's kind of what I teach them.

I'm I'm like, you know, get your mind out of the gutter a little bit, and you know, get thinking right and get the process right.

You have no chance of your thinking negative thoughts.

You got to think some positive yeah, even though it's a tough, tough game. But I kind of wanted to go to like football games and stuff like that. Now I'm on the golf all the time.

It should have been so good man, they would have They wouldn't have wanted to be like dad, you know.

Yeah, I want to be a dad. Let's go to old miss games. But no, it works out great, and you know what, it's gonna be something that we have all together the rest of our lives. Even if I'm not playing, I'm still around it with them, So it's gonna it's it's awesome. It's just I just hope they know how hard it is and when I did it back in the nineties compared to what it is now.

You to get back on.

I mean, I felt like I could have kind of have a poor year and still over the hump and have a decent year the next year and kind of get right back in the top fifty in the world or something like that. Yeah, now it's hard. I mean, it takes a year to get back. So if you have a bad year, so I mean it's difficult. I mean, you better bring it when when when you're called up to the main tour.

Yeah, it's a really good point. Lo, I haven't given that much thought, you know, just your life, like the golfer's lifespan. Now you know their career span, I guess it's going to be shorter and shorter. That's a really good point.

I think so.

And I just talked to a caddye that just went out and caddied for Daniel Berger and he he said instead that he goes back in the nineties, there's always two good college players that'd come out.

Now there's like eight.

Yeah, and if one just has a bad year, they're not probably playing the next year. They got to go all the way through the corn Ferry to get their card back. Yeah, So it takes a whole year to get get back out there.

So it's it's a different animal. You know.

I'm glad I did it when I did it because I had almost a twenty year career.

Well, you know, Tim, you bring up a great point about like the mentality of the young players. I host all the Corn Ferry coverage on Golf Channel and talk to a lot of these players, and it's very interesting in the windows right now for the post collegiate players because some through PJ Tour you and opportunities through sponsors get PJ Tour opportunities or corn Fairy tour opportunities.

Right out of the gate, and it's either they make it right away.

Like what you saw with Tiger in ninety six ninety seven, or as you mentioned, they've got to go through basically like a two year re route to go through you know, corn Ferry, or maybe they go to Europe for a bit, or they have to figure out a new path to get back to the PGA Tour. But it's either they jump right in and it's successful right away. We've seen a lot of that this year and last year with some of these young players, or you're talking two or three years before they get that opportunity.

Again.

It's very very interesting.

Yeah, so I have a question kind of, I mean, how does it work with Canton? Right? Is that the kid's name that second John Deere?

Yeah, I mean I think he finished when he finished like third and second the last two weeks.

Yeah, two top tens.

But he's a he's so I believe those points can't apply if he goes if he turns professional. But again it's it's it's like you're doing that as an amateur, you know, I mean, you can get these points. The same thing could happened with Korn Ferry and Pjdre last year where there was some issues with players that are playing in US opens and they weren't getting the opportunity at corn Fairy Tour event. They're trying to make it a little bit easier for people that show that much potential.

It might be and now it uphill battles.

So it's just it's like the lightning strikes and you got to jump on it right away, right.

Yeah, he should have cashed in, he should turn pro. I don't know. I think you He goes to Florida State, so I'm sure he'll be Yeah.

I mean, it's gonna give him confidence, like he can do this again, you know what I mean? But like what you said, yeah, cash and cashing on, right, because you don't know how long the window is and these guys are swinging so hard. You don't know how you know, tweak, you know, you get a slip disc.

Or something like that, you don't know.

Ye, So yeah, yeah, it's it's gonna be interesting next few years to see how the the game grows because there's market more kids coming out.

It's amazing.

Oh bit, what else have you been to outside of golf? You talked about doing other things outside of golf, but how do you spend your time up there in Minnesota, you know, different seasons and whatnot.

Well, I do like to fish.

I haven't fished much, but I like to fish. I kind of I have a fishing probably five years. I didn't go out ice fishing this year. I usually go out a couple times a year. But you know, I'm on the golf course. If I'm not playing, I'm watching my kids. So I'm watching a lot of golf. So that's kind of what I do. I like being outside and walking the dog and and doing things like that. But yeah, you know, like go to concerts and sporting events and things like that, or at least watching them.

And Tim when you were playing, you would spend most of the time in Minnesota still, right, even in the winter, you practice up there in the.

Winter, Yeah, I wouldn't practice much up there. I'm not a big hit offf Matt type guy. Even I know there's a lot of places and I think they can dial it in, but you know, as a professional, you gotta get it. You know, you want to know how the turf interaction and how the ball's coming off, you know, with iron and the turf and things like that. I think Matts have a trampoline, but I think for most amateurs they can narrow it in there and find you the best equipment possible. But I'm not a big ball

You know, same same, yeah, But.

I'll mean I'll do like three foot putting grills for like an hour off artificial turf just to kind of get the path right. So like when I do go south to practice, it's one less thing and I have to do.

Do you still do you still claw it?

Oh? Yeah, yeah, I still clot.

Still kind of mess around where my hands are going to be, you know, weaken them or or you know, shut out whatever, But yeah, I still clawed. I'm gonna clad I think for a long time, Aman, I've tried a little bit of the you know up here and do the.

Uh not anchoring, But what do they even call it? I don't know. It looks does it well?

But I everyone else does it well. I'm not very good at it. Mentional, my friggin stroke looks great and I can't make a putt, so it doesn't help.

You know.

This is this is a little known tidbit Shane and Tim that we just ran some stats as best we could estimate it because people switch techniques. But there's a higher percentage of players on the PGA Tour hutting with the broomstick than the Champions Tour. Come on, really, yes, yes, like right now, I mean think all the younger players hut with the broomstick. It's like approaching ten percent broomstick on the PG less than ten percent on the Champions.

What do you think?

Do you think USG kind of dropped the ball on like they're trying to get rid of it, and they didn't. They left a little door open, didn't they.

Yeah, I'll say, I mean, no matter what technique I mean, I use, I don't think Yeah.

I think you help grow the game and if that helps grow the game, so be it. I think we have to get I think a lot of clubs. And I know you're proud of your golf course because how hard it is and stuff, But yeah, hard isn't necessarily.

Fun, you know what I mean? Wouldn't you know? I don't know.

I just the mentality is, you know, these guys are good. They're gonna shoot low almost any any given day, right, So it's pretty amazing.

Tim, You've played with a ton of great players. You've watched a ton of great players over the years and over the decades.

Who when your walking.

The range, either in your younger years, your prime even into PGA Tour champions, who kind of stopped you in your tracks as you're seeing somebody either hit balls, make a sound that it was kind of Tiger Adam Scott, Like who kind of stopped you?

And who?

Either who is this guy? Or Wow, that looks different?

I think it's I'd say VJ.

Tiger and Ernie Els had something, you know what I mean?

Like VJ had.

Man he could hit some shots and I played a lot with them when he won.

I think he won eight times yep that year nine title. Lot crazy, Yeah, nine times.

Yeah, and Tiger freaking amazing, And I think that was back in the nineties and early two thousands and then, I mean there's some guys that were really good. Now I mean this Steven Ams absolutely flushes it. So, yeah, he's fun to listen to when you're hitting balls next to him. Sounds it always sounds pretty good. No cliking going on over there.

It's in the kind of in the middle of the face. It's kind of where you're supposed to hit it.

Yeah, exactly, It's always been in the middle of the face.

Yeah, Tim, Before we go, can you just talk about your relationship with Ping over the years, because obviously it kind of dates back to the New Mexico days. How it's been partnering with Ping, How it's been kind of watching the company grow as your career has grown.

Yeah, Ping's been a great company to be with.

I've been with Ping for well, you know, since college, so I've been playing the Irons ever since. Would never even think about playing another another Iron. They got so many different options, and you know, just the people are great too. You know, the company's really grown. I don't know everyone. I mean, I remember back in in the early nineties, I kind of knew everyone, and I know lou Bebe's still around, so that's.

Always yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, lou Beby. He's the best.

But no, you know, just to watch Ping through, you know, the bad times and the good times, and they've they've you know, they've made it through all the bad times and now they're they're a great company, great family and uh just proud to be part of the Ping family.

And Christian Penya. I mean, I got to give it up for Christian. I've known Christian.

I've known Christian since college and I had to babysit his little brother a little bit.

Is his short game as good as people say it is.

Tim oh man, he's smooth. You just ask him. He smooth. No, No, you know what. He was a He was a flusher too. He yes, he hit it. He hit it really good.

If you don't play a lot, and you know you're in your mid upper fifties, you know, it takes a toll.

You gotta feel okay that day, you know what I mean.

But I played with him last year and we had a blasts from the past.

We had.

Kind of his team, Rob mcguiver, I was the only new Mexico guy.

Uh.

It was Rob mcguiver and Harry Rudolph and myself. So we had a great time. We played outitor uh Phoenix kind of you know what, and Christian hit it good. I think we're team. We're on the same team. I think we broke even I had a putt, yeah, six footer that I missed the last ale to beat him.

But we had a great time.

He hits that big high he hits up on the driver like eight nine degrees, sneaky long, big sweep and draw.

You know.

You know he's like family too, right, He's he's a family guy.

He's all paying.

He's been a pang forever too, so it's really cool to be part of the family.

Well, Tim, listen, we really appreciate the time. Thank you so much.

Good luck this week, play well, make some potts, do all the stuff that Marty has been doing this summer, and we'll be rooting for you and we'll check back with you soon.

All right, guys, Yeah, let's do it again.

I appreciate it. Tim