Episode 70: Matt McCarty

The guys from paying 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 Pinging proven Grounds podcast. Shane Bake and Marty Jerts in a second appearance for mister Mat McCarty. You're like a now a podcast regular.

Yeah, yeah, no, happy to be back on.

Twenty twenty five. I know this season, I know maybe you haven't played as good at golf as you play, But I want to go back to twenty twenty four for a bit, because you know, you have this breakout, You're on the corn Ferry Tour, you flip to the

It, Yeah, definitely.

I mean I think when you're kind of just going like that, it just kind of everything happens and you're just playing good golf and everything kind of snowballs on itself. But uh yeah, definitely to kind of you know, reminisce a little bit, but also kind of think about like what I'm doing well or what I was doing well, like what I need to kind of keep doing, keep improving and working on. And uh was a good off season.

What is like the definition of off season Like, yeah, it's.

Only in a few weeks. Yeah, yeah, this year, I mean it flew by.

It seemed like it was just like it's six weeks, but it flew by in a couple So yeah, it was good. I mean a lot a lot of sitting on the couch watching football after twenty nine events in a year.

But yeah, no, it was fun.

Nice to you know, spend time with family and friends and just kind of you know, not be bouncing around city of city every week, is you know, kind of nice.

But uh yeah, it's good.

What what what type of practicing training? What did you kind of do during the off season here?

I think a lot of just kind of out, you know, my body was kind of a little run down after last season, so just trying to kind of recover a little bit a little bit like strength training, get back in the gym, lift some weights and but yeah, and then just kind of give yourself some time to rest, I think like mentally as well, just kind of turn turn your prain off from golf a little bit.

But yeah, Yeah, it was good, and I spend the holidays.

And you know, excited to kind of you know, get going out here too and be right back in it.

We were talking before you got going about you shooting fifty nine. You said your fourth professional tournament, Is that what you said? Or fourth professional round is that right?

Like turn Yeah, fourth professional tournament in the Wyoming stayed open.

Yeah, and you said, you know, one of the hardest things we've talked a lot about. It is a cliche and professional golfs like the round after and you're like, you know, you go out there and you shoot even I'm assuming in a way you start twenty twenty five, you have this incredible twenty twenty four and it's like back to the grind, you know. You hear players talk about the first one on the PGA Tour and then Thursday comes around and it's you know, you're even again, right,

I mean, I think got kicked in the teeth a little bit early at Centric. I mean, shooting like six under Friday, I think, and I played okay, and you just get.

A lapped by that entire field.

But uh, yeah, No, it's been good, and I think it's definitely different out here. You know, the courses are a little bit more challenging. Obviously, the caliber of other players is higher.

So yeah, you're a little off out here and you kind of can get exposed a little bit.

But you know, it's exciting and dream come true to be out here, and especially like growing up in Phoenix and starting on the West Coast swing, like very comfortable, kind of getting some events in California, went to college there and haven't really played you know, tournaments there in the last three years. So it's been been a lot of fun to kind of be background home and background a lot of like friends and family.

Two, it has been good.

You've I think shooting fifty nine, you got the capability of going low. How does that like? And then you're talking about century where the scores are really really low, obviously, talk about that mindset of like continue to make birdies. I mean when you won last fall, what you were twenty four under, twenty three I think twenty three under. So like, just what's it like to kind of be in those tournaments where you have to keep making birdies, keep making birdies, shoot six seven unders a day?

Yeah, I mean you kind of just got to keep looking at the pin and just visualize seeing it go close, but really like not really kind of think about where you're at and literally like each hole is kind of its own thing, and you know, once you get to like five six seven under, I think that's the thing that you learn a lot, or at least I learned a lot on the corn Ferry Tour. I mean, you know, you shoot three four under out there and you're kind

What do you think when you look back on twenty twenty four, the run you had on the corn Ferry Tour, you win the three times, and then you went on the PGA Tour, when you took some time to kind of think back to the season, how I played all the good stuff? What do you think you did the best? Like, what was the part of your game mentally, physically, whatever the case may be that you feel like took you to that place.

Honestly, I think more than anything, and a lot of what I've been talking about with like a lot of people on my team the last few weeks is just just I was just playing golf, like very simil put but not like you know, thinking about golf swing, not thinking about like my stroke putting, but just kind of trying to visualize each shot, commit and just kind of hit it as close as you can, try.

To make the ball in the hole as quickly as possible.

But I mean, just that joy that comes with that of just playing the game, and just playing golf in general I think is super important for me. But also like to have success and just kind of that freedom that comes with that is uh usually the best thing for me.

Yeah.

I mean, like Marty, we had this window. You know, we're do the Corn Ferry Tour, you know, on TV, and I remember mad I think he won a couple of times at this point. Maybe we're like in Utah or something, and we have him in the window, and I was pumped because, like, you've been played so well, and you know, I've known Mat for a while and you played okay in the opening round. You might have shot like one under and like all right, you know, I mean it's fine. You know, he's having a good

Yeah, and I think too, like like you said, I mean, you shoot like one under the first round on pretty easy course in Utah, and it's like you can't put too much emphasis on like how you're playing, Like sometimes you play good and you just kind of the scores aren't there, and then it's like, you know, you come out the next day, and that's a great part about golf is you know you always got another chance the

Now, tell us a little bit about the week at the Black Dozer Championship, Like showed up at the course. It's a course nobody had played before. I know, watching it on TV, it was amazing. You know when did you start feeling good? Was it in the practice rounds? After the first round? Yeah, I mean about that week.

The place is just visually very cool, like to look at kind of the course, Like I felt good that it was like an even playing field. I think like a lot of these events early in the year too, is like a lot of these guys have been out here, you know, ten fifteen years and very comfortable with the golf course. So kind of having that start of like on a level playing field, and I felt like I honestly a little bit of advantage like growing up in the desert kind of a lot of like weird blind

I mean, how much are vibes important to playing good golf? Like you go to a place the week's going, well, maybe the girlfriend's there with you, Like I feel like you're a vibes guy in general, Like are vibes massively important for having a good week? Or can you show up to place the golf where you don't love and you're not it's not in your game? You can still play that type of place?

Well, yeah, I mean I think it's fifty to fifty.

Like I think when you're comfortable, like having fun off the course that week is definitely a lot easier. I think a place that my vibes were pretty low was at Colorado for TBC Colorado for the corn Ferry Event. I'd missed the cut there two years first two years out and then this year, you know, I think set their fifty four hole scoring record, had like a three shot lead.

So early into the last round.

But like you know, when you kind of conquer a place that you don't feel comfortable at too, that's you know, kind of gets it going as well, and kind of that kind of gave me some confidence. Even though I didn't win that week, definitely gave me a lot of confidence kind of moving forward and the rest of the season.

But yeah, I mean it's always fun, like when you're.

You know, being in San Diego is a lot better than being in Springfield, Illinois.

So the vibes has been a lot better out here onto it last.

But what's been the biggest change? I Mean, we ask players they graduate from the Corn Ferry Tour to the PJA Tour this a lot, like what's the one thing that stood out or what's the one thing that's been mastly different? As you've kind of started twenty twenty five, and you've got a chance to play in some of

Yeah.

I mean, honestly, just playing against the guys that you watch on TV is the biggest thing. Getting the courtesy car straight out of the airport is like one of the little things that I think that's the nicest, not having.

To drop it all, like what do you get it?

It's different every week, but it's just kind of there about it.

But if we're about a rental car, I don't if we're about riding with other people, like my car is here?

Yeah, no more Avis lines is really nice.

But uh but yeah, I would say just like the golf courses has been the biggest difference for sure. I mean a little bit more demanding off the tee always. They've been a little bit firmer out here for sure, So like kind of puts a premium on ball striking.

At the Black Desert Championship, I'm curious to get your take on this, but I read a stat it had the highest fairway hip percentage but also the most provisionals off the tea. Yeah, did you have to hit any provisionals that week?

I did not. We did not find the desert.

Actually, the only time I did find the desert was with like a fifty degree from a bunker, just kind of bladed it.

But nothing off the tee. So usually pretty accurate. Soay's one of my strikes out there.

But yeah, the fairways were wide, but it's a very visually intimidating golf course and there's like four or five out there that you really got to hit well or else you're kind of in the lava and you know you're never gonna find it.

Like like confidence wise, I mean again kind of like following you throughout the season, like Corn Ferry Tour and just seeing you, like when when when play well, even when you weren't winning, you were having high finishes like I go to the eighteenth hole on Sunday and the way you were able to kind of close that thing out. It's a par five again. You know, if you spray it, it can get you in trouble. I think you might have had what a one or two shot maybe a

Yeah, And I think that's a big part of it. I mean you got to kind of stay aggressive. You get a little timid out there, and you know, you try to play a little conservative, and then if that shot that you're hitting conservative doesn't go well puts you in more of a bad spot. You're better off kind of just trying to get it as close as you can and make the next one a little bit as easier.

But that was definitely my mindset.

I'm like, you know, I could hit threw it off this tea, but then I got, you know, another longer iron in and it hit my driver. Well, so kind of get as close as possible, and you know, being able to be on that green in two and you know, being able like four or five butt to win was definitely very sure. I could let myself relaxed.

Yeah yeah, you can actually smile on the walk up.

Matt, tell us a little bout what's going on in your bag? You still rolling the tyn Cee Center shafting.

Yeah, yeah, not much has changed obviously, like the new wood's coming out, so.

Kind of been tinking around.

Finally figured it out, you know, how to week kind of with the short offseason was kind of tough to you know, not playing a lot to kind of really you know, trust something in the bag. But after this last week, you know, being back in Phoenix and going out to ping, you know Thursday, you know, the boys got me dialed again and the new driver has been great and spinning a little bit less, launched a little higher for me, which is great, and you know, gained some distance.

A little bit of speed.

So was the four lst Yeah, yeah, yeah, so I went I went down to the nine and then kind of I like seeing loft, so went back up to the ten to five, turned it down. It's at about nine and a half added a little hot melt, you know, got I didn't. I grew up a lefty kind of just playing whatever. So I've been learning a little bit about kind of tinkering around with some clubs. But uh yeah, the guys here are awesome and you know, kind of get it, get you going and put you in that perfect, perfect zone.

So it's been good.

Sw Yeah, being a lefty growing up and you're like, just use this.

I guess this is the club.

I'm going to use it.

I'll just make it sing. It's just so fun that now. I mean even with four forty, it's like the four wood and the seven would the nine, with like all the options for a lefty golfer being the same as a I mean, it definitely feels different thanhen we were like teenagers.

You know. Yeah, yeah, one hundred percent.

That's kind of been a big thing for me, like the last three or four years of just kind of learning about the equipment and you can, you know, if you kind of want to make the ball do something, you can have that advantage, you know, just based on the club that you're using.

So it's been nice for sure.

Have you been able to have some fun, like I mean, you have this crazy twenty twenty four and then you kind of run right into twenty twenty five. Like, have you stepped away from the game at all and been able to like enjoy it or go do anything or has it mostly been chilling, relaxed and just preparing for the season.

Yeah, a little bit of both.

Me and my girlfriend took a really nice trip for like a week in Montana this winter, So that was nice.

Just like you guys are like, you're like not beach. I mean you're like going to the Zion National Park in Montana, Like that's your.

Yeah, So like you know, likes doing hikes and stuff like that, and you know, we're going to Maui, you know, for New Year's so we figured we had the beach covered and it was kind of cool to do something like that. And you know, it's been a while since I had, you know, been on a plane without the clubs, which is always a nice feel.

It feels like you're always like forgetting a bunch of stuff. But it was nice.

You got a sciar snowboarder.

Not anymore. I haven't been in a while. I'm too afraid I'm gonna hurt myself.

Smart. Smart, you don't want to do that and you'll like just waste a year because you have an AHBL injury or something silly. The win, obviously, you get into a lot of these major championships. So I mean you're looking ahead of twenty twenty five. I know Phoenix has been big for you in terms of circling and just because you grew up here and you've been out to the Phoenix Open a whole bunch. So I want to

I haven't been out yet. I've been thinking about it kind of.

I was thinking about it last week and maybe in another week if the weather kind of turns.

But I think it's snowed there like a week and a half ago.

I was like, I don't know if that's probably not a good practice round the show.

You're ready for me yet?

But uh no, I'm definitely circled on the calendar, and you know with the US Open, the players and the PGA as well, and you know, waste is kind of you know, this environment I feel like is you know, I'm gonna feel very similar to that outre as I will, you know, those weeks so kind of good prep that week, you know, to kind of get those nerves going a little bit and that excitement, you know.

But yeah, definitely excited to go out there.

And kind of see it and you know, step on the grounds out there would be very special for sure.

What was your first Phoenix Open experience? Like, do you remember how old you were whatever when you came up with the Press.

I mean we moved here from Seattle, and I was like ten or eleven, and I think I came out here every year, so I was, you know, eleven twelve. We'd do like, you know, probably a little bit too young at that point to do the standard baron, but just following my dad around watching guys hit balls put you know. Obviously kind of once I got a little older,

For it obviously, but also like just the atmosphere.

It feels like you're you know, just played, you know, played the back nine out there today and.

You know sixteen.

I mean that's how you got to feel like when you're playing an NBA game or an NFL game or something, it's just insane.

It's a different feeling.

So but yeah, it's a lot of fun and just like golf should be fun, and especially like when you're doing it at a high level like this, to have that many people out you know, watching your plays a really cool thing.

For sure.

Were you did you do Standard Bear?

Yeah, in a few years growing up. So my biggest memories Ken Duke. I think he was just nice, Like, you know, a lot of the guys locked in all the time, and I especially out here, you kind of got.

To put your blinders on a little bit.

But I mean he was just like, you know, chopping it up with us down the fairways and stuff.

So I remember that He's just a great dude. So yeah, yeah, that's the goal for the week.

Yeah, for me, I did as a kid a few times, and for me it was Calcri. Yeah, he was so nice to us, you know, so I always remember that.

But yeah, you.

Always remember both, right, I mean, because like I know, the guys like when I was a kid that were really nice, and then I remember the guys that weren't so nice. You know, like you kind of remember both ways. But it was definitely as well.

But yeah, no, it's cool, and like I mean, growing up out here, I don't feel that far removed from being a kid and wanting an autograph and getting a ball from someone, So yeah, to kind of have you know, it's pretty surreal that you know, they want my stuff now, But I mean.

It's it's it's definitely a very cool feeling for sure.

How about how the course plays, Like, you know, you've obviously played it casually a bunch of times and then here it is you're you played during the tournament. Things are a little more spicy. What are the biggest differences you're noticing? Course set up?

Yeah, it's just a lot firmer.

You know, played out here a lot in December and you know they kind of protected a little bit, keep it a little hair softer. Yeah, so it's definitely gonna have a little bit more spiciness to it this week for sure. But yeah, it's kind of nice because I think it's a fairly long golf course, especially when it's soft, so like if you're hitting in the fairways out here, you can actually give yourself a lot more wedges and a little bit more kind of like scoring opportunities.

When it's firm like this, you know, part fives.

Get a little bit more manageable, but then at the same time, those part threes get a little bit more intimidating when you're coming in with like a five six iron and the greens are concrete.

So it'll be a fun week.

I always so felt like the part threes here are like a lot tougher than we give them credit for. You you know, I mean you think about like I mean, the ones on the back nine. I mean, it's not they're not cake holes. I mean obviously, I mean if you were playing sixteen casually with some buddies and you're hitting wedge and it's whatever, But the fact that you know it's in that tournament environ, like you said, the

Yeah, yeah for sure.

And like I mean, being very comfortable out here, like just playing it a lot. It's definitely a lot different, you know, when the stands are up and people around and you know, I haven't played a tournament round yet, but there's more people out here on a Tuesday today.

Than you said.

Fifty people are cheering, you're on your second ball. You're like, thank you very much.

That's very fun. Yeah, first one in the water. But yeah, I appreciate.

I mean, I'm assuming, and I mean again, you know, we've talked about this, you know, like Max Home, I mean wins at Riviera and he talked about like that was his tournament, you know, growing up. And I mean, I think golf fans, you know, somebody like me who thinks about golfers, we always think, oh, man, this person wants to win the US Open, if this person wants to win the Masters, Like, yeah, of course you want to win that. But I feel like every golfer's kind

Yeah, I mean that was like, now you got to finish number one on the corn for it to actually get in this field.

So that was kind that was kind of like a big job on that big part of my goal for the year.

But yeah, this is you know, outside of the majors, this is the biggest tournament of the year for me, Like, you know, I want to play well and you know, show the home crowd something and prove that I can, you know.

Play well out here. And uh yeah obviously.

And I think too, like with the stands and you know kind of coming down the stretch out here, if you're in contention, it's got to be the closest atmosphere to like that major championship pressure just with all the people and.

Kind of everything going on.

So I think there's a lot of you know, a lot of the past champions out here. Obviously it's like Scottie, but even like Brooks and like their success after they kind of their breakthrough win was out here. I think a lot of it is because of that. If you're kind of able to handle this environment, I think you should be able to play in anything.

So I think that's kind of a cool aspect of it as well. For sure, what.

Other events are you looking forward to? I mean, obviously we talked about Augusta. What other events are you Are you allowing yourself to think about the rest of the year much or you're trying to stay a little bit more in the present, And if so, what other events out there on the calendar do you have kind of ear marked?

Yeah, I mean I think the players will be a really special week. I think for a lot of the guys, just talking to them like that seems like it's just an awesome week.

I played Sagress. A lot of my girlfriend's family lives in.

Jacks, so, oh nice steel, pretty comfortable with that place, a little bit pretty similar though. I always kind of played it when it's very soft, so I think it's gonna be a different animal when it's firm and the roughs up out there but yeah, I mean trying to kind of keep it like one week at a time. I think this West Coast Swing I was very excited for.

I mean being at Tory two weeks ago was really cool, Like you know, grew up going out there.

I watched the US Open in UH eight when Tiger won obviously, ye, so just kind of being at some places that you've watched on TVs like very cool.

But yeah, Toy was a pretty pretty sweet week. And but yeah, this, you know, being home in Phoenix and getting to play the waist is pretty pretty awesome.

Well, I mean it feels like, you know, you think about what they've done now with the players, and I'd say the players and like the Ryder Cup are probably the two events closest to this one. You know, in Phoenix, I mean it's it's raucous. There's people out there, they're excited to be there. The crowds are big, like they do an amazing job with that tournament.

You know.

It's I think when you prepare an alternate like that, like you were talking about in Phoenix, it's like when the event's that well done, it feels bigger even for the players, not just for the fans.

You know, yeah, yeah, and I was.

I was playing with a good buddy, Mackmizer today and you know, he didn't play in this event last year, but like, you know, we walked through sixteen and he's like, this is crazy, you know, like, yeah, it's like on a Tuesday, it's crazy being inside, but even when you're sitting in the stands, it's not.

Too so like, but yeah, it's cool.

And I think, like, you know, when you got like big time like events like this, like you know, it shows kind of that. I don't think the tour is in the bat of a spot as you know, all this stuff that's going around lately, but it shows that, like when you put on like a really good event, you get people excited about it, people are gonna care and a lot of the good players are going to show up too.

So I think that's important for sure.

I like it, Phoenix. Just the involvement of the Junior Golf, you know, the standard bearers, you get the kids out, the JJA is involved. Did you play JJA grown up as a.

Kid, Yeah, yeah, JJ played all over the valley. I actually I never really played stadium that much growing up.

I mean it's too expensive.

Yeah, you know, it's like fifteen bucks for us to play Champions in the afternoon. I grew up fifteen minutes from here, but I played that place like two hundred and fifty times. I didn't really play out here till you know, getting status on corn Ferry and was able to kind of you know, play and practice out here. So that definitely felt like kind of like a special thing for me too. So it's to be able to play a vetting out here is definitely, you know, kind of next step of that.

For sure.

You said you've been in you've been in the area of the last couple of weeks. Whence you get back back from Tory.

You were back in Arizona, come back after Tory, and you know.

Do you do you have your checklist of like I've got to go eat here, I've got to go to this place.

Yeah, yeah, hit basically all my favorite spots already. So uh yeah, we're good.

I've been eating well all week and honestly, just you know, being at home with my mom and kind of sleeping in the bed I grew up in.

But having some home cooked meals is nice too after being on the road.

That's got to be kind of surreal, Right, You're like, this is the house, this is the bed. Now I'm playing in the golf tournament. You know, like all of these kind of mixed emotions. I'm sure it's got to be exciting, but it's also kind of got a feel while I'm sure you have moments throughout the week where you're kind of like, what the hell's going on here?

You know?

Yeah, yeah, no, it is crazy and like, you know, pulling into my house, like the courtesy cars definitely different feeling.

Marty said he when he played at the Phoenix, somebody said he was driving down his neighborhood and the courtesy car.

Yeah, so it's a weird feeling, but.

Yeah, it's crazy.

I'm also used to it taking like fifteen minutes to get here, so it's gonna be a real adjustment knowing it's gonna be like an hour of this week, so.

It took me a couple of minutes to get into parking to day.

Yeah.

Well, well, Matt, I mean it's the progression of your game has been incredible watch. It's felt rapid over the last you know, eleven months or so, but it's been so cool to watch and like you need more comfortable in the moment and being able to like, you know, flip right into that winning mentality on the PGA Tours. Incredible, So good luck the rest of the way. Excited to

Yeah, thank you very much for the year.

Yeah, that's Mat McCarty. This is the Ping Proven Grounds Podcast.