In this Fire Drill podcast, Alan Shipnuck and Matt Ginella react to the Senate hearings on the LIV-PGA Tour framework agreement and the accompanying bombshell document dump. So much to unpack as the ongoing golf drama reaches Capitol Hill. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 11, 2023•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 14
For this Fire Drill preview of the U.S. Women's Open, Alan Shipnuck and Matt Ginella are joined by their longtime friend Kevin Price, a Pebble Beach caddie who this week is on the bag of qualifier Mackenzie Hahn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 05, 2023•53 min•Season 3Ep. 13
In this Fire Drill podcast, Matt Ginella and Alan Shipnuck discuss the leaked framework agreement between the PIF and the PGA Tour as well as other developments in golf's shifting landscape. They also preview some exciting upcoming Fire Pit projects. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 28, 2023•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 12
In Part 6 of this podcast series on the Club Pro Crisis, we’re joined by Suzy Whaley, who, in 2018, became the first female President of the PGA of America. Whaley is a dual member of the PGA of America and LPGA Teaching & Club Professional division, she was an LPGA Tour member in 1990 and 1993, she is a two-time Connecticut PGA Teacher of the Year, a three-time Connecticut Women’s Open Champion, and in 2003, at the Greater Hartford Open, she became the first woman since Babe Zaharias in 194...
Jun 21, 2023•35 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Straight from the 18th green at LACC, Alan Shipnuck and Michael Bamberger break down Wyndham Clark’s gutsy win, Rory McIlroy’s dispiriting retreat and the mixed emotions for Rickie, Scottie and the host venue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 19, 2023•48 min•Season 3Ep. 10
From the 10th fairway of L.A. North, Alan Shipnuck, Mike Bamberger and surprise guest Paul Azinger discuss the wondrous host course, the feeling of this Open and the continued PGA Tour-LIV intrigue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 14, 2023•48 min•Season 3Ep. 9
In Part 5 of this series on the Club Pro Crisis, we hear from Dr. Brain Soulé, an associate teaching professor at Penn State’s Professional Golf Management program for the last 15 years. And we’re joined by Jack Davis, one of Soulé’s former students and current head pro at the Essex County Club in Massachusetts. Both talk candidly about the industry and what they’re doing to try and make it better for the next generation of club pros. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jun 14, 2023•43 min•Season 2Ep. 8
In this Fire Drill podcast, Alan Shipnuck debriefs Geoff Ogilvy about what really happened in the fraught player-only meeting in Canada. They drill down on the details of the new alliance, with Geoff expressing optimism about the Tour's future. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 08, 2023•45 min•Season 3Ep. 7
In Part 4 of this series on the Club Pro Crisis, we talk to Seth Waugh, CEO of the PGA of America since 2018. Waugh shares his thoughts on how and why he got involved, how he’s doing a lot of listening in order to improve the lives of his membership, and we learn about his ultimate goal: “I’m trying to leave the room better than I found it.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 07, 2023•53 min•Season 3Ep. 6
In this emergency Fire Drill podcast, Alan Shipnuck, Matt Ginella, and Mike Bamberger unpack the stunning LIV-PGA Tour merger: how it happened, why, what the future will look like, biggest winners and losers and much more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 06, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Season 3Ep. 5
In Part 3 of this podcast series on America’s club pro crisis, another collection of voices and perspectives offer potential solutions to several complicated issues affecting club pros. Butch Harmon, Chandler Withington, Shane Ryan and a variety of current and former club pros discuss unionizing and properly incentivizing a “fed-up” industry of selfless men and women whose love of golf is being tested. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
May 31, 2023•37 min•Season 3Ep. 4
In part 2 of a Fire Pit podcast series on the “Club Pro Crisis,” Matt Ginella gets into how and why Shane Ryan’s article in Golf Digest (May, 2022) highlighted issues of a work/life imbalance, money and awareness. In short, club pros and PGA Professionals are taken for granted. You’ll hear from Shane Ryan, Butch Harmon, Chandler Withington, Rick Rielly, Cody Sinkler and several other voices who share their thoughts on Ryan’s impactful article. And the podcast starts to address how Covid only exa...
May 31, 2023•40 min•Season 3Ep. 3
In the latest Fire Drill podcast Alan Shipnuck and Michael Bamberger dive deep into the three winners of the weekend: Brooks Keopka, Michael Block and LIV Golf. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 22, 2023•47 min•Season 3Ep. 2
In this first of several podcasts on what many consider a “club pro crisis,” we talk to several current and former PGA Professionals and other titans of the industry as they help us understand how and why the job of running a club or course has evolved and how and why it’s so hard to find and keep good help. The host, Matt Ginella, apologizes for an ignorant comment he made on a podcast last fall comparing club pros to the type of professional golfers who try to make cuts to earn a check. Throug...
May 17, 2023•47 min•Season 3Ep. 1
In this Fire Drill: Geoff Ogilvy, Michael Bamberger and Alan Shipnuck go deep on a thrilling Masters Sunday, celebrating Jon Rahm's mastery and offering insight on how Koepka lost his way. Phil, Jordan & Tiger are also discussed at the end of a memorable week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 10, 2023•39 min•Season 2Ep. 138
In this Fire Drill, Alan Shipnuck and Michael Bamberger go deep on leader Brooks Koepka and try to understand the poor showings of Tiger and Rory. They also discuss the effects of the worsening weather and unique challenges of reporting at the Masters. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 07, 2023•40 min•Season 2Ep. 137
In this Fire Drill Geoff Ogilvy, Michael Bamberger & Alan Shipnuck break down a thrilling first round of the Masters. Geoff goes deep on the allure and challenge of ANGC and Koepka, Rahm, Hovland, Scheffler, McIlroy and others get their due. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 07, 2023•52 min•Season 2Ep. 136
Getting an invitation to The Masters is no easy task. Scotland's Laird Shepherd defines the grind. During the 2021 British Amateur Championship, he played well enough to qualify for match play. And then he won a match. And won some more. Eventually, he found himself in the 36-hole final, only six months after nearly giving up on his dream of playing golf for a living. And after being 8-down with 19 holes to play in the 36-hole final of the British Amateur, Shepherd started grinding again. The pu...
Apr 04, 2023•59 min•Season 2Ep. 135
In this Fire Drill podcast, Michael Bamberger, Alan Shipnuck and Matt Ginella preview the many storylines for one of the most anticipated Masters in recent history. Can Rory break through? How will #13 play? Fisticuffs at the Champions dinner, Tiger's back and much more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 03, 2023•51 min•Season 2Ep. 134
Tony Gwynn played 20 years in San Diego, passing on more money from big-market teams and instead prioritizing loyalty and quality of life in a city he loved and playing for a fanbase that loved him back. We put a bow on this three-part podcast series on the life and legacy of Mr. Padre with final reflections from Tony Gwynn Jr., award-winning baseball writer and broadcaster Tom Verducci and a panel of Hall of Famers: Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Trevor Hoffman and Ryne Sandberg. In this episode, we...
Mar 30, 2023•47 min•Season 2Ep. 133
Tony Gwynn played 20 seasons for the San Diego Padres, ending his career with 3,141 hits, eight batting titles and five Gold Gloves. In episode one of this tribute series on the life and legacy of “Mr. Padre,” and with the help of with the help of a panel of Hall of Fame pitchers and hitters, we reflected on some incredible stats and anecdotes that made Gwynn's career so memorable. Throughout his two decades in San Diego, Gwynn passed up more lucrative offers to play for teams in bigger markets ...
Mar 29, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 132
Growing up in Santa Rosa, Calif., Matt Ginella would fall asleep to baseball games on the radio. And although he lived an hour north of San Francisco, his favorite team was the San Diego Padres. His favorite player: Tony Gwynn. Now Ginella lives in San Diego, and, along with his son, listens to Padres games on the radio in which Tony Gwynn Jr. is the analyst. So, to get a chance to produce a three-part tribute podcast on the life and legacy of “Mr. Padre,” is a little boy’s dream come true. In e...
Mar 28, 2023•46 min•Season 2Ep. 131
A new Michael Bamberger book is always cause for celebration! "The Ball in the Air" is his ode to the way golf connects us all. In this exclusive podcast, he introduces the book's protagonists, shares his writing process, and reflects on his enduring love of "the game for a lifetime." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 27, 2023•38 min•Season 2Ep. 130
In this week's Fire Drill Podcast, Michael Bamberger interviews Alan Shipnuck about his enlightening reporting from LIV Tucson. They also touch on Jordan Spieth's vexing play in Tampa, larger trends in golf media, and their forever enduring love of a tangible book. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 20, 2023•56 min•Season 2Ep. 129
Geoff Ogilvy, Michael Bamberger, Alan Shipnuck and Matt Ginella all have different perspectives on the USGA’s proposed golf ball rollback so we convened a Fire Drill podcast to hash out all the talking points and help guide fans through a complex issue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 16, 2023•38 min•Season 2Ep. 128
In this week's Fire Drill Podcast: Alan Shipnuck and Michael Bamberger break down Scottie Scheffler's simple, boring, and incredibly effective approach towards golf. They dive into Jay Monahan's Oscar worthy press conference performance and discuss why there isn't a single good golf movie. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 13, 2023•28 min•Season 2Ep. 128
Bobby Weed is an accomplished golf course architect who will leave behind a lasting legacy through his work. But the Weed who’s out to change the world, one letter at a time, is Lanier, his 24-year-old non-verbal autistic daughter. “She has a lot of things she wants to achieve,” Bobby says. “She’s just a beautiful young lady, inside and out.” Lanier Weed’s story, in both video and words, can be found on firepitcollective.com . Lanier's life changed when, at 14, she was introduced to facilitated ...
Mar 08, 2023•58 min•Season 2Ep. 127
In the latest Fire Drill podcast, Alan Shipnuck and Michael Bamberger praise Kurt Kitayama on his gritty victory, discuss the state of Jordan Spieth's game and go deep on changes to the Tour's "product." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 06, 2023•55 min•Season 2Ep. 126
In this Fire Drill podcast, PGA Tour Player Director Peter Malnati explains the new structural changes to the schedule and how, as the appointed voice of the Everyman, he changed his thinking as the Tour embraces small fields and no cuts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 02, 2023•35 min•Season 2Ep. 125
Hale Irwin is an all-time badass: A division one football star in college, a 3-time U.S. Open champ and now a dispenser of hard truths. In this Need A Fourth, he goes deep with another Winged Foot conquerer, Geoff Ogilvy, while Shipnuck & Bamberger ride shotgun. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 22, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 124