In the latest Fire Drill podcast: Matt Ginella joined Ryan French, Michael Bamberger, and Alan Shipnuck to discuss the dominance of Rahm, the return of Tiger, and the amazing longevity of Bernhard Langer. They discuss the good, bad and ugly, of the 10th hole at Riviera and with the Masters just weeks away, the four wondered if Tiger had one more majestic run in him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 20, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 123
This week on Need a 4th, Alan Shipnuck and Michael Bamberger are along for the ride as Geoff Ogilvy welcomes an old mate and a fellow Aussie, the golfing polymath Michael Clayton! Michael can do it all. He played for years on the Australian and European tours, he writes about the game with spectacular clarity, his course-design work will stand the test of time, and as you are about to find out, he talks about the game like a Down Under version of Ben Crenshaw, with some Peter Thomson mixed in. E...
Feb 15, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Season 2Ep. 122
In the latest Fire Drill podcast: Alan Shipnuck, Ryan French, and Michael Bamberger watch the final stretch of the Waste Management Open together and discuss the tournament's place in modern professional golf. They share their opinions on whether or not Tiger will make the cut at the LA Open next week, and they speculate on what the conversations between LIV and the PGA Tour will be like at the Champions Dinner at Augusta in April. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Feb 13, 2023•47 min•Season 2Ep. 121
Christina Kim swears like a sailor but has a heart of gold. Two decades into her LPGA career she is an O.G. who has retained a childlike enthusiasm. The one and only CK joins “Need A Fourth?!” for a lively, wide-ranging conversation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 08, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 120
In this week’s Fire Drill: Ryan French, Alan Shipnuck and Michael Bamberger are joined by Matt Ginella and golf’s super agent Mac Barnhardt. They discuss the wild Waste Management Monday qualifier, Justin Rose prevailing at Pebble Beach, and what lies ahead for professional golf’s future stars. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 07, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 119
How do you sum-up the one and only Gary McCord? Tour legend? Senior Tour winner? The wit behind hundreds of CBS golf telecasts? Well, give a listen to the latest edition of Need a Fourth as he joins Alan Shipnuck, Michael Bamberger and former neighbor, Geoff Ogilvy and decide for yourself! You may settle on the one-word summation we have settled on: RACONTEUR. Gary’s half-century at the highest level cannot be contained in one podcast, as you will find out here. Good times, right here: Gary McCo...
Feb 01, 2023•1 hr 32 min•Season 2Ep. 118
In this week’s Fire Drill: Ryan French, Alan Shipnuck and Michael Bamberger discuss yet another Patrick Reed controversy, Max Homa’s win at Torrey Pines, the next LIV deflector, the return of Anthony Kim and much more! This episode is dedicated to the memory of Howard French. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 30, 2023•59 min•Season 2Ep. 117
On an all new "Need A 4th?!" a deep dive into the golfing foibles of a star of stage and screen, Mr. Richard Kind, the man who plays Larry David’s cousin on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Rich tells Geoff Ogilvy, Alan Shipnuck and Michael Bamberger about his buddy George Clooney’s golf game, tells some hilarious Hollywood golf stories that are NOT for the faint of heart, reveals his list of favorite courses and asks Geoff what he can do to get more distance. Tired of golfers who take themselves too dar...
Jan 25, 2023•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 116
The Grind is a docuseries that showcases the trials and tribulations of aspiring professional golfers as they bet on themselves in the face of the very long odds of ever making it to the big time. The first episode of the first season can now be streamed on the Fire Pit Collectives YouTube channel. It follows the travails of Mark Baldwin during a long, brutal roadtrip as he endures bad luck and the bad health of his young son thousands of miles away. In this accompanying episode of The Grind pod...
Jan 24, 2023•51 min•Season 2Ep. 115
In this Fire Drill, Alan Shipnuck, Michael Bamberger, and Ryan French recap the production of THE GRIND, our docusseries that premiers January 24th. They break down Jon Rahm's recent dominance, LIV's new television deal and the potential awkwardness at the dinner table if Dru Love tells his father, DL3, that he's joining LIV. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 23, 2023•57 min•Season 2Ep. 114
Sean Foley is one of the most fascinating instructors in the game of golf. His unique approach towards the golf swing and seamless ability to turn a coffee break conversation into a mind melting analysis of how Tiger Woods would have won 33 majors had technology never evolved, make’s for wonderful conversation with Geoff Ogilvy, Alan Shipnuck, and Michael Bamberger. We present to you: Need a 4th. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jan 18, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Season 2Ep. 113
In this Fire Drill, Alan Shipnuck, Michael Bamberger, and Ryan French break down Si Woo's win in Hawaii, Buckley's near-miss and relive Michelle Wie's glory days. They also reflect on the importance of diverse voices in golf media and the ways the sport can continue to evolve. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 17, 2023•49 min•Season 2Ep. 112
In the latest Fire Drill podcast, Alan Shipnuck, Ryan French, and Michael Bamberger break down Collin Morikawa's collapse at the Tournament of Champions, Alan gets some face time with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, and Michael questions why top amateurs are getting Masters invitations without having to formally qualify. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 09, 2023•56 min•Season 2Ep. 111
In the latest Fire Drill podcast, Alan Shipnuck, Ryan French, and Michael Bamberger look ahead to the 2023 season with the usual mix of insight, humor and tales from the road. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 03, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 110
In just two years the Sandbelt Invitational has become one of the most charming tournaments in golf. In this Fire Drill podcast, founder Geoff Ogilvy and Alan Shipnuck discuss a rousing week and the future of the Sandbelt. The star of the tournament, Momoka Kobori, joins the conversation to share what she learned playing alongside winner Cameron Davis and what the strong showing at the Invitational means to her fledgling career. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Dec 22, 2022•29 min•Season 2Ep. 109
Now, on an all new Need a Fourth: the gentle wisdom of a golfing legend, Mr. Ben Crenshaw! In this episode, Alan Shipnuck, Geoff Ogilvy and Michael Bamberger visit with the only man who could have found his way to the World Golf Hall of Fame wearing two different hats, one as a player (two-time winner of the Masters) and the other as an architect (Sand Hills, just for starters). Geoff has played in loads of tournaments with Crenshaw, and Alan and Michael have been interviewing him for years, but...
Dec 21, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Season 2Ep. 108
The Sandbelt Invitational is part of the Geoff Ogilvy Foundation’s mission to bring together the best golfers across Australia with the goal that the older and more experienced players will pass down their knowledge to young pros and aspiring amateurs. In this special Fire Drill, Ogilvy, Michael Bamberger and Alan Shipnuck preview the Invitational and the four wondrous courses outside of Melbourne that serve as the tournament venues. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Dec 19, 2022•34 min•Season 2Ep. 107
In the latest Fire Drill Podcast, Alan Shipnuck, Ryan French, and Michael Bamberger are joined by Matt Ginella to discuss the multiple sides of Vijay Singh, the Dad version of Tiger, the overblown coverage of Charlie Woods, and the future of the OWGR. Plus much more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 19, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 106
Great golf swings have a certain rhythm. The guest of this Need A 4th?! is an okay golfer with superior rhythm: Mike Mills, the bassist for the iconic band REM. He riffs on golf, life and music with guitar enthusiast Geoff Ogilvy plus Bamberger & Shipnuck. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 14, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 105
In the latest Fire Drill: Alan Shipnuck, Ryan French, and Michael Bamberger break down Tiger Woods and his performance in The Match, their connection with the late Grant Wahl, how the Japan Tour qualifying series might change the pathway for professional golf, and somehow manage to tie together the film Straight Out of Compton with the complexities of breaking news as a journalist. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 12, 2022•52 min•Season 2Ep. 104
Brandel Chamblee has long been the most polarizing commentator in golf, taking tough stances on everything from Tiger Woods’s rules controversies to Saudi Arabia’s encroaching influence on the professional game. But Chamblee shows a softer side in this wide-ranging conversation with co-hosts Geoff Ogilvy, Michael Bamberger and Alan Shipnuck, reflecting on his own playing career, the changing role of the media and the love of his life: the golf swing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...
Dec 07, 2022•1 hr 26 min•Season 2Ep. 103
In the latest Fire Drill podcast, Alan Shipnuck, Ryan French, and Michael Bamberger discuss Viktor Hovland’s win at the HERO World Challenge or as Ryan calls it, “a glorified buddies trip.” They explain what Adrian Meronk’s victory at the Australian Open will do for his World Ranking and Olympic status as well as a deep dive into how the media shaped the tail end of Tiger’s career. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 05, 2022•59 min•Season 2Ep. 102
The Wishbone Brawl is one of the purest events in golf. “Perfect” is how one onlooker summed it up. “It’s the unicorn of golf events,” says John Ashworth, the “caretaker” of Goat Hill Park, the municipal golf course in Oceanside, Calif., and the annual host of the tournament. The Wishbone Brawl consists of four professionals playing a mini municipal using vintage equipment in front of an animated crowd that’s not confined by ropes, kids and dogs are everywhere, and all money raised supports juni...
Dec 01, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 101
In this episode, Alan Shipnuck, Geoff Ogilvy and Michael Bamberger sit and listen in awe as Michael Murphy, the wildly alert 90-something writer, takes over the show. Murphy is the man who invented golf’s most original player-philosopher, Shivas Irons, from his landmark novel/treatise, “Golf in the Kingdom.” Ogilvy, who has read the book innumerable times, looks like he is talking to a golfing god as he listens to Murphy. Shipnuck and Bamberger, who once had the privilege of walking the Pebble B...
Nov 30, 2022•59 min•Season 2Ep. 100
In the latest Fire Drill podcast, Alan Shipnuck, Ryan French, and Mike Bamberger discuss the Global Player of the Year (hint: he just won in Australia) and the fatuous PIP payouts. There are also lively diversions about Corey Pavin, Greg Norman, Sean O'Hair and much much more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 28, 2022•58 min•Season 2Ep. 99
Every NFL fan knows Trey Wingo, the excitable host and commentator on various TV and radio shows dedicated to the real national pastime. But Wingo is just as fanatical about golf, and he displays his knowledge and passion in this conversation with co-hosts Geoff Ogilvy, Michael Bamberger and Alan Shipnuck. Wingo recounts how he fell for the game, spars with the hosts over his favorite courses and offers insight on the most golf-crazy players and coaches around the NFL. See omnystudio.com/listene...
Nov 23, 2022•59 min•Season 2Ep. 98
Alan Shipnuck, Michael Bamberger, and Ryan French break down the final week in golf before the holiday season begins. Jon Rahm wins on the DP Tour but Rory takes the Race to Dubai without winning a single DP event. Lydia Ko’s hall of fame career before the age of 26, Adam Svensson’s win at the RSM and his connections with the Big Money Classic and the crew presents their solutions to the current OWGR situation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Nov 21, 2022•46 min•Season 2Ep. 97
Coming off his career-altering victory in Egypt, Andy Ogletree returns to the Fire Drill to discuss what led to the breakthrough and where he goes from here. He provides valuable context in the Asian Tour’s increasing influence in world golf as well as fun travel stories of an innocent abroad. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 17, 2022•34 min•Season 2Ep. 96
Other than his otherworldly skill at golf, Joel Dahmen is just like us. A native of Clarkston, Wash. (population 7,229), he likes cold beer and football and, presumably, apple pie. While Tiger Woods’s maniacal workouts led to a physique that resembles a martini glass, Dahmen is unbothered by his dad bod. Think of him as the pro next door. In this episode Dahmen speaks candidly about his long road to the PGA Tour and the stress that comes with having to fight for his job. He talks about what he l...
Nov 16, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 95
In the latest Fire Drill, Alan Shipnuck, Ryan French, and Michael Bamberger drill down on a huge week, including winners like Finau, Fleetwood, Korda, Harrington & Ishikawa. They discuss the larger meaning of Andy Olgetree’s win on the Asian Tour, the Alex Fitzpatrick Q School drama and the Phil and Pat Perez scandal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 14, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Season 2Ep. 94
