Manning Brother's Buddies Trip (Part 2)

Love the course, loved the people. We had great host Um. We went in, did the proper lunch, which was probably the most unique experience for me of the entire thing because I've never done anything like that. Put another log on the fire what he hears get the time. Welcome to the fire pit with Matt Chanella. In part one of this podcast we covered the start of what was the best buddies trip in and around the playing of

the Open Championship in St Andrew's. Not Even Cam Smith had more fun than this band of brothers, which included Peyton Eli and Cooper Manning, plus Eric Church, Taylor's Arzer, Joe Lecava, Jim Nance, John Daly and Moore. We pick it back up on Monday morning. There are two rounds, one robe, a historic open and a cemetery trip into their adventure. Here's Cooper Manning as they depart the RUSSICK's hotel.

The remainder of their itinerary includes some of the best courses in Scotland and then they're off to Royal County Down in Northern Ireland, what many consider the number one course in the world. The next morning, Monday, we get out, there we go. We're getting a bus and this is right. and Um, normally it's like a two hour rod, I think, maybe two twenty, to North Berrick. We uh, we jump in a van and go to this field not very far.

and Um, we had already packed, sent our luggage and we jumped on a helicopter and went over to North Barrick Ay to us, I mean, you know, I think it was a twelve minute ride or something. It was rolling there, you know, uh, just crunched up, the tall guys in the middle, medium, tall guys back. Of course they make marshalls sitting in front of the shortest guy. You got marshalls running, you know, a shotgun being the short guy actually paid you know, paid off. It did it?

Did you know? Cooper was trying to wiggle his way up there in the pilot looked over him and said now you gotta get in the back. Marshall sits up front and uh, you know, it was good. You know it's a little Um. You know you're you're it's tight space and everything, but it was great. It was good. You can just about see North Barrick. You know the

golf corps us from the old course. But if if you don't have some sort of way to go over the water or on the water, then you have to go around it and it's going to take a couple of hours to get there. And that was that was clutch to be able to to cut off that time and get to North Berrick with with plenty of time to spare to play. On Monday. We literally just in a yard like it like a field. Helicopter shows up and we're off to North Barrick. I don't even remember

where the hell we landed, but it wasn't. It's just right there's in another field, I think. I can't remember. And then we got we go there and we're playing. We played. I played with the pro that day. They only had. We only had two two foursomes. So some guys, so Um mark, eubanks and Marshall, said we're not gonna play this morning, we're gonna go get a workout. There's something. So we played. I played with the played with two pros. Pro At north Barrick, Martin was an absolute delight. Funny.

We had a we had a good money game there and I do know Martin and I uh put it on Peyton and and Weapron that day, which is, and I'm still hating, collected. It's funny how that works here's been weapron. The pro at North Barrack was somebody that they that cooper, thought would be a good voice. So I played so bad at North Park. Don't call him. You check your when you're when your average roop score for a week is like, uh, don't you know what I mean? Like you don't want to see it. Hi,

I'm Martin Hush. I'm the head professional here at North Barrick Golf Club and I've been head professional since two thousand and nine, taking over from my father that was here for forty two years prior to that. So it's it's in the family and I started working for my dad in so I've been here in north for thirty one year, so I do know what Cummute to work now, which is nice. And then, ironically, my grandfather, my mom's Dad, was also the provint Gull and some were miles away.

So kind of steeped, steeped in the history of East Lothian. My God, this is like you guys are like the Morris family of Saint Andrew's. Well, well, maybe maybe slightly better sailors, but apart from that, I don't know. When did you first catch wind of the idea that this,

this group of Buddies was coming through? So this was this was a weird one for me because I I got an email from a well respected golf professional in in the US, Mr Bob Ford, who was at Seminole, and that I knew him from seminole and he gave me, he gave me a buzz and said, look, I've got these guys that are coming into town and is there any way we can get them on North Berwick because they've they've tried to get tea off times in North

Beric and they were unsuccessful in their application. And so it said, is there anyway that we can get these guys on. So when Mr Ford phones, Mr Ford gets gets what he was. He's a phenomenal gentleman. And so we got a couple of guys together, myself and one other we we booked some of our advanced guest tickets and we put them on the guest sheet without knowing

really who it was. And then when when we go that time, Mr Ford and let us know, you know, the nature of the people that were coming and you know, we were obviously delighted to be able to host them and treat them as our guests. Here's Eli on getting

back to North Berrick. For my last trip, when we went fourteen years ago with my dad and two brothers, north Berrick was my favorite my favorite course from that trip and I think it's a combination of the course, but also on that day fourteen years ago we you know, uh, we did the long drive. So we played somewhere that morning, did the drive, you know, kind ahead. There was just

us for in a bus for two hours. You know, I had, you know, a box lunch and had, you know, fish and chips and a couple of beers and you know, I think we ked off at six PM at North Beric into a brutal win, you know, right in the face.

We all shot a, you know, a big number. But then, you know, had that win, you know, right at our back to that back nine and everybody goes low to kind of you know it to finish up at nine thirty at night and just like what what a day, you know, to sit and kind of see the sun going down and just put a special place and what a what a cool you know, the Dan Hole, the the wall hole. So just, you know, some awesome you know, had somebody laughs. Uh, my dad got stuck behind that wall.

I just couldn't quite get that ball over a few times. They had like hit one backwards and you hit the wall again, and so just uh, you know, just those fun laughs you can have, you know, with your family. So I was excited to play it again. This one. I was you know, Um, you know, for the most part, everything else was new, but it's like, if we gotta play one I I played before, I definitely wanted to be North Berk and and uh and just, you know, just a special place. So, you know, just you know,

so much fun. Uh, had a great, great match with Church and Taylor and Um, you know, a lot of a lot of action going on, a lot of back and forth, and so it was a it was a, you know, still one of my favorite spots. These are like gladiators of American sports and air church is a big but do you have, did you have, any sense of who these guys are? Yeah, I mean I obviously

heard of all the manning brothers. At that stage I didn't, I had never known, had never met Cooper, but Eli and Peyton were obviously big figures even, you know, even in the sleepy holes of the east of Scotland. So we certainly knew who they were. We didn't, and I didn't probably quite grasp just how how gigantic these guys

are within their industry. But when I was discussing at home, were sitting at one evening that I've said to my to my wife and my my daughter in law to be in the next couple of weeks is getting married and that the Peton brothers were coming to play with it. You know, they were pretty nondescript. And then I said Him we're playing with this other guy called Eric Church, and my daughter in law just about fell off her seat.

She's an enormous country Western fan and to even have the contemplation that Eric was going to be not only in Scotland but playing with the future following law was it was kind of kind of blew her mind. Just talk for a second just about how special North Bark is and and where it sits in kind of the the ecosystem of Scotland's Scotland's elite level of golf experience. Yeah, I mean we're very lucky. North Barrick has this wonderful history within the place it's golf was golf was played

or played. It's reninned have been played since sixteen eleven and off Berwick. Somebody got up find for playing golf on the Sabbath in sixteen eleven, so they must have been playing golf before that. Um Not guaranteed that was on the West links but somewhere in the town. But our golf club was formalized in the eighteen thirty two when it became the golf club that it is now.

But we have this unique place where we start in the middle of the town, we work our way out onto a narrow strip of land that we call the links land between the sea and the and the town and it's just as really unique natural place to play golf.

There's no architect being attributed to the course. But when you get holes coming down the back stretch called pit and perfection and Ridan, and then we have an original Bearrett's green and a punch bowl style green on seventeen, there's so much history, you know, if you take the pit, for instance, whole number thirteen, you drive drive down the fairway and then you're obscured by a wall to the green us. So the green sits in a little valley the other side of the wall, catching the edge of

the coastline, you know. And when, when the guys were we're coming up to that whole. I mean to be fair, one of our one of our playing partners, had already visited that whole playing the fifth so we had a bit of an understanding of what was going to go on. He was a little bit ripe of target, but he

shall be unnamed. And so once we've seen that, the history of that and the just the design and the style of it is it's just so unique, you know, and and being going formally for a hundred and ninety years. You know, it's it's just phenomenon and we're lucky enough to be in the top hundred golf courses in the world and our rankings go up and up. And even today, I mean we're we're prepping for a whole of the ladies coming to us to try to qualify for the

British ladies. So the golf course is busy every day. There's there's formal competitions, there's these body trips, there's people playing it for the first time, people returning for the fiftieth time. I mean it's it's it's unique because there's nothing like it. There's nothing like it. He can't help

but follow in love with North Bay. Well, I'M I WON'T STEAL MR churches thunder since you're going to talk to him later today, but I've got a feeling he's going to to tell you how special that was to him. I thought it was the if if I were going to play, of course, every day, out of all the courses we played on this trip, that would be the one that I would pick. It is just it's so much fun and it's the variety of shots, the amount of commitment you have to make two blind shots Um

right there on the sea. We had a beautiful day. It was it was a little bit on the hot sides. Certainly for the Scots it were. It was Um but, you know, to see treasure island right out there and in the big rock and then just that the North Sea coastline like that was Um. Was So neat. And you're right, the rock wall as you're coming in those last few holes, the the iconic photographs that everybody takes. We certainly took one too. Um. I loved it. I

loved everything about it. I played with Eric in an Eli and Um Eric hit one into the North Sea off of the first tea and and the caddy said I can see your golf ball and Eric said, well, we're going to play it, and Um Eli and are just talking on the first green and all of a sudden this ball just lands about ten ft away from us on the green and it looked like an Eric

Church concert. He just emerges like from out in the North Sea and he's got his sunglasses on and the hair is up and he's got this huge smile in his face and he said that's for Birdie Boys. It was my favorite course of the trip. Um. I just I didn't know anything about it and I loved how, you know, they had the rock wall that kind of meanders through it. It It just looked like the Scottish countryside at the coast there at the water. I love the VIBE.

I played well, which helps, and you know, so for me I just Um, that was my favorite course that we played. They're all phenomenal and that's probably not fair to say it. A lot of it is how you play. But for me I didn't know anything about it and to walk in and I found myself about the turn going I love this, you know. So it just felt like old country golf, you know, experience and Um, we had a phenomenal, phenomenal day. Um, that day, Monday Bactis,

ours are on church, the dogged scrambler. If you put this guy in a position of adversity, he's always going to come through. Peyton. Had A lot of comments throughout the throughout the trip about how church will get up and down from from anywhere. UH, he did. A few holes later, hit it way left and the caddy said you're in lion territory and Eric said there are lions year and he said no, if you find it you're lying.

I thought that was I thought that was a great line. Uh, but we we had such a blast and Eric just was raving about the golf course throughout the entire time and I'm like you. I thought, I thought that would be the one that we really we felt great about. I think we already knew. You know, I played county down and I knew so much about Merefield. Already had high hopes for that and I think that most of our group didn't know as much about North Barrick and

it just blew our minds. Did He make that Birdie? Put on one? He didn't make it. No, but he he still won the whole of the four net three shockingly. At that point. Did you have to dial in and listen to a little Eric Church music? Yeah, so now he's on my playlist in my car when I go up and die, you know, springsteen is the is the is the track that gets played, and and drinking my hand as well, you know. So I quite like the idea I find my drink in my hand. So that

kind of I could have worked quite nicely. So he was, he was really kind of He'd Um. We got a Bot an LP and he was very gracious enough to sign it off to on that for him, for our so yeah, I have a nice little gift to give my daughter in lawn a few weeks time. Did you get to play with Eric? No, so I I partnered cooper and against Peyton and then Mr Weppring. So Cooper and I have Peyton's money as we speak, which is

quite nice. It's gonna be nice to be able to to add you in and and create some local flavor. And thanks for making the time. Yeah, you're most welcome for some golf. Didn't end that day at North Berrick. Golan is just down the street. Here's ours are again. You guys went over to lunch and Goling and a couple of you went out. We did. Um, I knew that several of US would be a little gassed. Um,

Mr Church and Cooper, Um and Ben. Saturday out and and of course Peyton said, Taylor, we're playing golf this afternoon. So Peyton and Eli and I played with the head pro Alistair in the in the afternoon. Played Gallen number one for a guy who who hit the Hay. First night. You went to the cemetery. You were one of the guys who went to golling. Like you know, everyone's peeling off, like you know, like to your point, you're not. You're the guy on the buddy streep who's in for everything. I'men,

I'm the end guy. I'm let's let's do it. That's like my that's my that's my saying. You know, it's like, Hey, we could do this or this. I'm like, you know, we could go home or we could go somebody. Let's let's go. Let's go grow on a trip. I'm like, you know my wife good and she's like, you don't have to be the last one to go to sleep every single night. I'm like, I'm just kind of, you know, no man left behind. I gotta make sure everybody settled and in their rooms. And you know, the first night,

you know, no excuse this. You know, time change and and I think got me a little bit and this a long bed level. But besides that, you know, it's like, Hey, I'm not, I don't know when I'm coming to Scotland again to play golf. So if there's a chance to play, of course, you know, let's let's go play it. And so, yeah, you know what Weaburn. Weatburn went down, he went out, Taylor stepped up and we go to we go to

Gullen and UH and had had an awesome awesome. I mean I mean weather, it's so you're not that good, you know, eighty degrees and sunny in Scotland again. You gotta take advantage of it to be on that course and the views and just uh, it's going to be

a perfect condition. So it was played with the pro uh there and, you know, had an awesome, awesome day and had a fun match Peyton and I had a great match against Eli and Alistair that that we tied and we we had to Payton and I had to rally in order to to force that tie, which we're pretty proud of. But I really enjoyed that golf course too. Um. You can see how how much history is on display there.

I mean it's hundreds and hundreds of years of of golf being played and it it's the thing that I love the most is I'm I'm playing golf with, you know, two of the greatest quarterbacks to ever live, and it feels like in a way, and you, better than anybody, has documented all the great public courses in in in North America. It felt like we were just like on

the tee. It's some great public track, you know, or some great Muni in the US and I'm standing next to these, you know, two legends of the game and they're having an experience that they could never have in the US. You know that they're in ten minutes. The entire town would be there if they tried to do that and I love that they were able to have

a normal experience of gold. Back to Cooper on the end of Monday night and then we all met and that we were we built a brand new kind of a synthetic big putting grain shipping air yet and we set outside at North Barrack, at the Marine Hotel and had dinner delivered to us outside as a quarters night. Bones Mackay was there, Michael Grella was there, bones brother had a trip plan for a couple of years and

finally got it. And we were out there tunes on Um and just having dinner and and everybody was kind of cooked and we knew we had an early morning. We had a seven forty tea time at Merefield the next morning. Two Times, three times before we get to Merefield. Here's Church's final reflections on North Barrick. And then that

night we end up. Man's got a great spot there, you know, out on the back of the hotel that there's putting green chipping and we had dinner out there and we were betting and chipping on, you know, and the way into the wee hours of the night. So Um, it was just a for me. That was my favorite altogether day of the trip. Here's Marshall Alexander and then you really lose track of what time it is because it done getting dark until eleven thirty or midnight. So,

you know, we're finishing dinner. I'm like, okay, it's like nine o'clock. is probably going to bed and it's it's one o'clock in the morning. Then you got to get up at a six thirty called the next day to go play. So Um, it kind of reminds me of that. What's that Peter Francie Song? Um, you know, I woke up this morning with a wine glass in my hand. WHO's wine? What wine? Where the hell did I dine? I can't believe where I've been. Must have been a dream.

Let's do it again. You know, it's kind of sums it up for me. Back to Ben Wepron, I mean the amount of red meat and fish and chips and we drank in every mew like it was we didn't miss. We we didn't shore anything right that it was like y'all take the U, you know, Avocado smoothie bowl or the keen wall, like we went fish and chips or steak every single I mean somebody wanted to fish one night, like anover Solor, and I don't know what it was like. Everybody made fun of him, so I don't I think

it was an Eli. Sounds that right. It certainly wasn't the church. You guys went hard, like red meat, red meat, wine, drinks. You know, it was you guys and you weren't skipping on calories, he said. But there might have been one person who ordered fish at one point, maybe a dover soul, and he goes, I think it was Eli, and we gave him a ton of shipped for it. I did think. The third yeah, the third night I have you know, we got we got play, met a little fish. I

thought it was like get gallop or something. Maybe you know, it's just like I can't have red meat every single, every single meal. Eli at one point order to fish. Were you there for when? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Bo, no, there was no and when he did, I ordered a burger. They had like a Burger thing there with bacon thick cut. I was like, come on, man, you can't do that on guy's trip. You can't order fish. This is not the time to start thinking about your health. We've we've

destroyed ourselves for five days in a row. Let's not quit now. Don't make us feel guilty. You. That's right, that's right. We're all together. We're all in this together. Also, just down the street from North Berrick is Mirfield. The original old Tom Morris Design, has hosted sixteen open championships and is set to host the women's open August. Four through the seventh. Taylor's oars on this memorable day at one of the most iconic venues in Scotland and Mirfield's

perfect day is golf, lunch, Golf. What. What did you guys do? That's exactly what we did. We we had our first tea. Time was seven twenty. Um. I think Peyton was on the bus at Eric got on the bus at seven Oh four, um, after a few a few calls, and he looked at all of us like what are we doing? But we we got over there and, Um, we played our own ball, which, as you know, doesn't that's not really the preferred game at Merefield, but we we wanted to do that because almost all of us

had never played there before. So we wanted to play our own ball and we did that. We had we had three groups that went off at seven thirty and seven forty. We played our own ball. We we had a beer um after we finished there, just just right on the patio, that is, right next to the right in front of the Eighteenth Green, played with members, the captain. They had us, they had US ready. The gentleman who who takes the Carras their George Smiley, at Nearfield, was

wearing us. He was wearing his old Miss Uh Zip, pretty lie and me. So he was. He was ready for us. He had a picture of us when we went back in Oh eight with my dad, you know, fourteen years ago. He was, he was, he was ready and we said that we played. We played near field. was phenomenal. Real hot. I think about a hot day, wasn't it was a perfect day for for a southerner and Um played there. Uh then went in and had the traditional to put on our coat and tie there

had some wine. Eli was in chargeable wine. He brought a bunch of big magnums and this big suitcase and Magadum just always had him was generous. Uh. These guys enjoyed that all the all the members great guys. But we think he may have made human history by bringing his own wine to the mere field lunch, a tradition that's been going on for hundreds of years and I'm not sure any member guests brought their own libation with them,

but two time super bowl champion Eli Manning did. I kind of had some wine saved for the Big Rory Win. That didn't happen. So we we we we didn't. We didn't drink all of it, so I in staid said and saved it for the mere field lunch. And so he had to, you know, big bottles of red wine at lunch. We had a Hardano state was one and then the other was a h was a Levy McClellan is absolutely know the name of it, which you know. Bob Levi is the winemaker at Harlana state and his

wife Martha's a winemaker at Napa Valley. It's a big two magnums of those two. It was what we were what we were having our hosts for. Great it was. It was awesome. You know, the proper lunch and you put on a suit. I had to teach Eric how to tie tie. He didn't know how to do that. Um, yeah, I think that's the first time he's wanted to tie since high school graduation. When's the last time you've tied a tie? Probably an award show or a funeral, one or the other. I mean it's been it's been a

good I used to do it, so it's been. It's been a long it's a good, good test. There's someone, I think Taylor, said he had to. He had he had to tie your tie for yourself. He had too much. That's true, I can tell you. For months I've been building up this lunch, you know, like I'm aware of the lunch at national and a few other great clubs that have these have this great tradition. But I kept telling especially Mr Church, that this, this lunch, is gonna

be life altering. You know this is they do it right at at Merefield, and when you hype something up that much, you know you can be you can be let down. We we were not it. Um, it out kicked the hype and it was it was sensational. You have four courses, you have the beer and then you've got a drink and then you've got Eli's wine and then you've got the Kimmel that that you drink to to wash it all down afterwards. It was a full experience.

It just astonished me that in this world you would play eighteen holes of golf, you would put on a coat and tie, you would have lunch, drink the entire fucking time and then you would go back and play Golfic it. I never it never even dawned on me that for a person would come up with that. I said, this has to be the Scottish that would come up with this ship because there's no other nobody else would do it, you know. So we we did that. Great

Love the course, loved the people. We had great host Um. We went in did the proper lunch, which was probably the most unique experience for me of the entire thing because I've never done anything like that. I mean I've never seen, you know, everybody's. You don't really shower, you just come in and rip off your golf clothes and it's kind of a put together coat and tie. I mean it's not doesn't have to look that great. You just have to have a coat and town and it

is a massive lunch. I mean it is not they're not playing around. It's, you know, from pheasant, the primary of everything you could look at. It was like thanksgift, you know, for me. So we did that. And then they have that. They have a drink over there called Kumel, which is like a liquorice liqueur. I Hate Lita Hey and I felt like the main host kept going, hey, I want you to we have to do this. This is it's only here. I only do this here. I said, okay,

I tried it. It's so thick, it's like Siri, and I give my best shot. You know, I probably drank an ounce of it. Maybe I just couldn't do yeah, we had such a blast and that, you know, the proper lunch of the history there, the rules of Golfer there. You know, we all love that. Everybody there is is due to history and you know, love all the texture of that place. And then you had the uh, what's at the drink? The UH, what's it called? I can't

think of the name. What is that drink? They everybody keeps referencing and trying to figure out the name of that special mere field. You drink, you wash, it all down with. Yeah, it's a I'm drawing a blank on and I had trouble pronouncing it. Uh, what if other people said it's supposed to be pronounced like have you got that? Have you got you gotta rhyme me, like liquorice sort of thing that we drank. I can't think what it's called. He said it a thousand times. We

it's like the drink that you only drink there. It's like a gold schlager kind of thing. Anyway, I'm drawing a blank. Uh. I couldn't get it. I couldn't. I couldn't pronounce it. I drank it matter I got took a picture, a group picture. I'm actually still holding it. Uh, but it was a first for me to have. I didn't have that fifteen years ago. But you know, you want to be respectful to your host. This is kind of a tradition. Uh. So we did it. So I'm not sure I'll have it again. I'll say that he

was the first. Of all, was the thickest drink, you know, drink that I've ever had. It was extremely thick. It's clear and, Um, I don't even like it looks kind of like ever clear, which is dangerous in itself, but it's a lot thicker than that. And they say that, you know, this is basically Um washing out all the mistakes you've just made with with this massive lunch. It's supposed to clinge you after, after finishing this meal, and then see, then you do um traditional shot at Komel,

I think that's how you pronounce it. It's this real sweet um licorice, but it's clear. And Uh so the joke was, you know, some players play. How do you play after? How well do you play after lunch? You know, some people, once they get sauce stuff, their game goes to ship and some people get a lot better. So that was the running joke of like who's who's the better player after a long lunch, after a proper lunch,

I should say. And we said there and drinking one and went into the road, had some Kummel, Kimmel, that that drink they drink. That's just I mean, it didn't make you forget your middle name, it just knocks it out. I mean church, Church, who will drink anything hard. It's like don'tally, I can drink this. And even you know, it scared him a little bit. And Uh and then you sure enough, you go back in, put your golf close back on and we're going to play alternate shot.

And I was wondering how how upright we'd be for the foursomes in the afternoon. But but I can tell you that team weapons slash tars are played potentially our best golf in UH ENFORCEOM's action. WE WE CLOSED OUT UM, Mr Church and in our host, Brent Enman, rather quickly in ENFORCEOM's action in the afternoon, which we were very proud of. There's some people that are good at luncheon and there some people aren't. So some people, you know, after that lunch they can't, they can't handle it. Their

game goes, goes to the crab. So you can, you know, you can make a big turnaround after that lunch, after a few drinks and a big lunch and some some Kimmel. Uh, you know, things things can change. It helped my game. I played much better on the alternate shot than I

did in the morning round. I always played a little better with a little liquid courage and UH peyton, our partners, which is always a little dissy in all the shot with him because he's he's not as should old when when you hit him and I played, I played well and we took care of business, which was fun. beat up on old e banks and my buddy mark Mcclain is my new best friends remember there. And Uh, Hayton

rides you like wide receiver. Make sure that you just gives you that look a lot like I can't do that. And I was hitting it straight and keep it just and we we, we have it. He didn't even but he also doesn't give you a compliment at the like

good playing, buddy. It was just like all right. And then you go out in the afternoon and you play true alternate shot, which, uh, it's really kind of fun, especially after you've played your own ball on the boarding, right, and they kind of picked the teams and it is true alternate shot. I mean you tee off on one and you can hopefully just walk straight to the green because your partner is gonna it's gonna knock it on.

And then after you, you know, put out on on one, you're walking to the middle of the fairway on two. So it's something different. You know, it doesn't happen a lot in the United States, except for maybe a speed Shal Tournament. So, uh, we had great hosts there. The weather the whole week was incredible, just like it was at the British Open. So, you know, wearing shorts there,

shorge sleeve shirts. Uh. Cooper was the only person to wear high socks as well, which I think is kind of a mirror field tradition that I think just the members are kind of supposed to do. But once again cooper got the members red socks, pulled those up to his knees. Not a good look by any means, but I think cooper was kind of feeling the mirror field spirits.

There's a rule, you know, I thought the Suretd wear long pants and you have you can wear short pants there and all the members, you know how they wear short pants, but they have to wear those red you have to wear two socks. So I I asked George, who kind of he likes me. I said, can I wear the socks just for the you know, just for the effect? Shorts and socks? I mean it's it's the worst look ever and all the members know that did like this is a terrible look. I don't know why

we do this, but it's fun. He's like you can't buy it, not buy it. I go dude, I brought my own okay, okay. So I walked out there. I'll send your pictures with that too. I'm in my red socks next to my remember and these left and at me, like you know, that was for the oftinate shot. I mean it was. It was ninety degrees and I'm wearing wool socks. About calves were on fire. Um, so I had a blast of your field. It's my third time

playing there. The first few times I was terrible. This time I played great and then, Um, I love that lunch and being around those guys and just the fact that it's a seven hour day no matter what when you go out there. That that altered shot is fun

to me. After Merefield it was back in a helicopter and they'd go from Scotland to Northern Ireland to not only play Royal County Down, but they were also checking on another, one of their new assets and what we just bought, the Sleeve Donner, which is I mean you see a picture of this thing, you think it's out of like some sort of, you know, Harry Potter moviebe to me it's it's not so. And we knew we were on the clock and so it made the most sense and uh, and also I think every single person

on that trip. It's about it. It was only an hour in five minutes. I mean I don't no one was up more than at least one minute. That it was I mean four heads, you know, just Bob and Eli and everybody. We try to put our heads together to see we can support it as opposed to I mean it was it was. They were cooked and got there and the weather, beautiful weather there, cooled off in Northern Ireland and had a great uh dinner there that night and telling stories and laughing and uh, that hotel.

We haven't started renovation there. It's already really good. It's really really special place. Like, you know, it's kind of like when you go to pebble or or somewhere and you're just like wow, you know, and you just get out there and you're just like this is just one of the most beautiful places on earth. And then there's a golf course. Um That's pretty pretty special and Um, it was great and I don't know, I think the only person that had played it before was Peyton. So

it was really cool for everybody to go. And then, I mean, you know, a lot of guys like me. I mean, you know, Eric has never been over either and like it was awesome to to see their faces when we, you know, got there and pulled up to the hotel. They're like did you, like, did you guys buy hogwarts? I'm like actually, yes, we did, and yeah, that's gonna be a really you know, we're starting that

renovation soon and it'll be, it'll be. It's gonna mean not whatever saying we're great, but like it's gonna be really cool. Now you're off to what, arguably, you know, many people feel is literally the number one golf course in the world, like when you do world rankings, Royal County Down is in that conversation. So what were your expectations and thoughts on that? They were they were high. And then we got there and it was so different

to go from Scotland to Ireland. So the weather kind of change, the location there, the fog was on the mountain and what was interesting there is you had these treat mountains and then you had the coast right there, which is unique. You know, that's not something we had seen up until that point and it was it was real.

It was it was real, at least to me. It was intriguing to kind of look at it from a visual standpoint, and then it had that old kind of hound of the BASTARDVILLE's boggy, Spooky Edgar, Allan Poe, all that stuff. You know, that's what it felt like to me. Um, it was a spooky and in a great way. I absolutely loved the VIBE that hotel. Um was my favorite of all the hotels we went to, and everybody was well rested after a good dinner on on Tuesday night

and the tea times weren't too early on Wednesday. I think they were after ten o'clock maybe, and so by the time we got to the tea on Wednesday we were we were refreshed and ready to tackle one of the best golf courses in the world. I though. My name was Michael Hartness, uh pop coop in Ron Country Nine, two thousand and twelve. I'm the current convenient off the course green committee. I asked Harkness for more info about

how and why Royal County Down is so special. Yes, a lot of recent golf surveys and Golf Digest and particular with Red County Down is the number one course in the world. I think it's a factor of many things. I think it's the tradition from Tom Morris, originally the original layout my holes of the course, and then famously Harry Colt to get to the next, next level. We've had also all too reactions done by Donald Steele and more recently Martin Niebert, who who's been doing a lot

a few minor altar reasons. Of course it's a bit like tip acting Amonga Lisa. We're a bit if we need to be careful how we how we do things, and we do it in very great consideration and I think it's a combination of the history of the club, the difficulty of the golf course and the setting in particular, is through county, down sand dunes and right on the beach of Oni Bay and then, of course, of the famous mountains of mourns as the backdrop to the course.

So it's a calm edition of of each of those things, I feel. Plus, we keep it in pretty good order as well. The good resource to keep it ordered and we really enjoy the visitors and we have over every year. So we must keep an up there in pristine condition. The idea that you guys also had the occasional pro or or member or, you know, club secretary or whatever.

was that helping sort of add to the experience? Yeah, because we got to, you know, to get to know the people, the people from over there a lot of the culture. Um, I mean I was at Royal County Down and we're on you know, we're getting ante off on one and my host goes, you need a walker. I said a walker and I said like what? He said like a drink, and I said Hell, yes, I need a walker. So he went and got me a bloody Mary and off we go. We're walking with him.

So now when I'm back in the states, I'm gonna, you know, I need a walker. That's my new I got new lingo. Now we got that organized. We got a mobile phonnight ran the club Stuart, who brought out walkers at several occasions thout the course. So the choice, the drink of choice was a bloody berry, which was vodka. toblogies. Uh, I have I had a thing called the Moss Com mule, which is vodka and ginger beer. So so we had with a couple of walkers on the way around, a

good size walkers to so they're good fun. Did you have any sense of who the manning brothers are, or or Eric Church, or did you have any sense of what these these gladiators of American sort of sports and music? Did you know who they are? Well, we certainly knew a j capital and obviously had taken over the Steve Donnord Hotel, the saved honor sets right on the boundary of the golf course. As a good partnership between the hotel and the golf course. A lot of the players

who come over obviously stay in the hotel. So we've been introduced to the management team. We were aware mannaged, of course, yes, or were even in Ireland, where NFL isn't maybe the premier sport, their names are so big. Yes, where where, ably they are very much so Um. I think for them it's probably coming over to get a lot of anonimity and they can be themselves. I think

that's part of the beauty of the trip. Eric Church had never heard of the guys were saying to be always a big country Western star and I said bigger than Dolly Parton and I didn't mean in the frontal area. Uh. They said Yeah, yeah, he's pretty big. So I obviously looked him up when I got home unrealized. He's very significant singering country and Western in the states, but country and Western wouldn't be my choice of music. So it's probably more my ignorance of Eric's lack of fame. Here's

Marshall Alexander. Yeah, for me that one w all county down was it was the pinnacle. I mean it the landscape. There's this huge mountain in the background, there's the ocean right there. you see the long beaches as the tide ebbs and flows, and there was one hole I remember the fairways hunt dunked in and at one side is all kind of the Gorse Bush, Dart Green and then over here's your Nestle. I mean it felt like I was in Narnia. I was out another world, you know,

it really did. It was and it was a little windier that day. So Um, any little bit of Spin you had on your ball would be exaggerated that that soft cut turned into a slice real quick. So anyways, not trying to started to get on the first tea we pretty much had the courster so helves introduced. I think it was piping at the first tee shot on to the beach. Um I thought he was giving for

the wide receiver. The wind was blowing gusts. Of course, our our caddies were saying this is mild, but Um, for us that was much more challenging than anything else we experienced weatherwise. Eli played exceptionally well. He Shot Eighty and Um, I think that he I think that he did some damage and in his group with Peyton and his brother Cooper. That golf course, I really do. I think it stands up to every championship golf course in

the world. You go to Shinnecock and you could go to county down, you can go to any championship golf course and say this is every bit a stern of the test. And I think that the views are in some places kind of like Cyprus point type of views. And then you're playing a Pine Valley type golf course. I just I think it's a combination of a lot of other great golf courses in the world. Ask elive about it. Around the Royal County Downy Bernie, member eight team.

He was Striping, hitting this high cut down the middle of fairway in tough conditions. So Eli finished on a good note, for sure. He beat me as well, which I'm I'll get over in a couple of weeks. Probably. It was just a special place. I was I was, you know, really excited about playing and heard great things about it. Um, you know, I probably played my best, you know, best round of the whole of the whole weekend there. I shot, you know, shot eighty. Um, you know, Birdie,

Birdie eighteen that. You know, I had an eagle part. I knew I knew it. I was like if I make this ego part, you know, I break eighty at royal canny down. So, uh, couldn't quite pull it off, but you know, just uh, you know, playing, playing with Peyton and my uh and coup so, you know, the brothers at that special place was, you know, a memory. I won't forget it for a long time. Just you know, you know, we only get so many opportunities to play golf together, just the three of us, and to do

it at that location and the same afterwards. Uh, just kind of sitting around with the members and telling stories and it was a great a great crew of guys and kind of doing this was our our finisher, but we still took the time and hung out for another hour and a half, two hours, just kind of hanging with those guys having a few drinks and a bunch of laughs. CADDIES were phenomen Phil, but we didn't laugh. And Uh, you have to laugh that of course, because

it's yeah, you're gonna screw up. It's just tighten and hard and you feel really good about your parts when they come. Haydon played. I played well they'd be. I didn't have Kevin and I I didn't help them much. I was getting heavy and then but then we all went out in the patio outside and drank beer and smoked cigars and told stories and uh, it went right through there to the airport. So that was I mean, but it was just it was. It was phenomenal and

I mean that's just the framework. I'm sure there's a lot more stuff, but that's kind of the lay the land. Well, I think clearly these are good buddies. The guys get on very well together. So night photographs of the garden afterwards and it was great to see all the guys who have children relaxed. We had a few beers afterwards and there a few cigars smoked as well and I felt, even though, that the deadline you get away and the

play and they didn't really want to go. I think it was just very relaxed and I just said, you know, if they're they're fame that they have being here and went unnoticed and I think for them it much been a nice thing to be able to relax. White people pastoring them are annoying them. So and uh, I think, you know, I just think they had a very chill time and that they have a little fun together and they have a lot of fun UB sandres and near fields and kings barnes and they're probably a bit tired

by the end of the trip as well. But I said that they energized themselves on the golf course, that's for sure. What's your understanding of Eric, Eric Song that he's piecing together and have you had any sense of what it what it is, or have you heard any chords or or or did you get any wind of the fact that he wrote it? I kind of I heard some rumblings about, you know, some some stuff that he kind of woke up and recorded, some things that,

you know, we're flying back. I kind of heard in the background he and crewd discussing some things, but I haven't heard I haven't heard any uh any, any lyrics or anything about it yet. So this is kind of the I didn't know. I didn't know. I thought I didn't know it about this trip. I thought maybe about something else. So you broke the news to me. I thought I heard a little bit of something. I'm on the way back. I never I was just trying to get a little bit of sleep because I knew I

was coming back to reality when I got back. So I'm not his up to date on that. But no, there's no doubt about you know, when Eric goes on a on a trip like that, at times I've been around about me. He is there to get away from from the music for a while. I don't have anybody in my life that's better at being where their feet are than than him. He is. He doesn't look at his phone for for the longest amount of time he he's not one of those guys that subconsciously texts and

doesn't even realize he's doing it. He is so present at all parts of his life and I've taken a lot from that. And he is especially good at that when he's disconnecting from his professional life. Um, you know, there there have been a few times where he's felt, uh, the moment was right to pick up a guitar in a in a private setting and play something, but it just never really presented itself on the trip and I'm

glad it didn't. It just he was he was all about the golf and it was all about the you know, the fellowship, and he was he was one of the eight guys on the trip, which he deeply appreciates and and I'm I'm so glad that he does. Um. But yeah, you're right, he doesn't typically do that. and Um, part of the reason why is because he is so good

at being where his feet are. I mean, you can spend your whole life looking for inspiration, right, but when inspiration hits you, that's when it kind of all comes together, and I think that's what happened for him. He uh, you know, when you're in these incredible backdrops of the mountains and golf courses in the North Sea and and these things, I mean any human being is gonna be impacted emotionally by that. And you know, how does it affect you? And for him he's a creator, he's a songwriter,

he's a musician. So, Um, I think, just like it impacted all of us in a different way, for him. He was inspired by it, you know it, it spoke

to him. Um, he wasn't looking forward, it came to him. Oh, when I got up Wednesday morning, because we got Tuesday night into Newcastle, Um, Eric had written a song that he was inspired by the mountains and went to Percy French and, which he does, you know what Eric does, and send it to me and I woke up and he had this song and I was like, Holy Fuck, it was unbelievable to I mean Percy frinchess, writer and list name of our restaurant there and like he wrote

this whole thing, which is like he's whatever, Cyborg and it's insane. You have to ask him about it. He's not gonna spend the time to write something and record it and put that idea into a into motion, unless it's, you know, powerful enough too to become a song that ends up on an album. So whether it turns up or not, there's been a hundred songs that are brilliant, they just don't ever turn up on the album because it's, you know, whatever for whatever reason. But but yeah, I

think it's something special. You know, he's kept it pretty tight to the cuff, but it's good. He he did share a few things Um with me. Um, the morning after we were at Royal County down. Um, I was blown away by it but Um, I'll let I think that's his story to tell, but I'll I'm interested to see what comes to that. It was a place I've never been in. I've never seen rain like that. Ran A castle. It had just a vibe and I didn't

mean to do it. It wasn't something that I sat down and just all of a sudden started and I thought I even tried to stop. It was like no, no, I'm not doing this, and it just kept one and I finally and it was late at night, I was jet lag, so who knows what that means. But if I got up and started, you know, got out my iphone and just started recording. I had the full song about you know. I sent it to some people the next morning. I'll send you like a little bit of it.

I just I just recorded it'll me, I'll just report me playing it and you do what you want to do it. I'd see this guy looks to that like Edgar Adam poole to a black lack death from an acid breath that freezes out it's always been something about these hotters that gives you a chicken scanning. Now makes your bad. Your sill in your bed and pray all the morning in her town. Town Hot Beats on a myth flhone. And how do the basketball your house and

will read the vote. Aims moans out on a midnight prayer. It ain't no place for to live in and the living wall be round. It gets kind of crowded out here. All along, when you ain't on the Gorsten, Damn, you ain't on the Goosten Danny's. Sometime loss o have the hump with nobody by their side. The Old Bull Rad live behind the door. No Robert Johnson Dale to slack, just to winch it our Atlanta and that gunpowder civil war smell. It win. The trumpy sounds crawled out of

the ground, but for now it's a here. It heard town, town high beads on my floor in the Hound of the basketball. Your House and maill read the vote. Aims Mos out on in midnight round. He say't no place where to live and living all frown. It's kind of got after you all along, when you paint all the Golden. Damn,

it ain't it only ghost. Damn Eric Church, Ladies and Gentlemen, I can't thank him enough for an exclusive rendition of ain't the only ghost in town, brought to you by the inspiration of Northern Ireland mountains of Morn Edgar Allan Poe and the setting that is Royal County down. At this point the trip is over. The boys went back home, but before we end the PODCAST, some final reflections, tips

and anecdotes. We start with it's kind of like if you want to go to if you've never been to a baseball game before, you should go to fenway or Wrigley. You know. If you've never been to a basketball game, you should go to Masson Square Garden. I think if you've never been to Europe, you should go to Scotland, but after you get past that, then I would say go on to Ireland. But Um, just as important, if not more important than than where you're playing golf would

be who you're with. You have to be I think you need to be really mindful of how much everybody loves each other's company, because if you're going to do this for three, four or five days, UM, everybody's gonna have to really enjoy being around each other and, Um that's the part that was so meaningful to me is that, Um, as at the end of the trip, Eli Manning comes up to me and says, so, where are we going next?

Obviously the people. I think that makes a big trip is, you know, make sure that you have the right guys that are that are excited about being there, that are are gonna go with the that are gonna be you know, can just that, can rally, that aren't done a complaining about things. Um, you know, I think you you know, for me, I'm the I'm the hey, the more golf you get in, the merrier. You know. I even said, if you know, they said he had to change anything

on this trip, what would you do? I said, well, it was pretty cool seeing tiger welcome up seven team as. I wonder if I'm playing golf on that Friday right when we got in. I think this is the more golf you can get in and uh, you know, over there. But you know, it was I think. You know, I think you can obviously go over there and play so much golf that you're kind of like, I don't even

want to swing today. So I think it was a good mix because we know had golf to watch, which which was really neat, and to have that, have that side of it. So Um. But I think it's you know, it's fun. I think the fact that, you know, we got to play with some members and kind of have you know, I think if you're just with the same eight guys the whole time, for for seven days, you know, you can kind of run out of not things the same.

But you know, I think have to bring other people into the mix kind of brings up a whole new sort of conversation of things going on, new stories, new new excitement. So I think that that really adds a cool element, Um uh to the whole thing. Mark you banks.

I think the overwhelming sense of gratitude to be able for all of us to be able to do this, for after what we've been through the past two years with Covid I think the world being able to see the hundred and fiftieth for all those three hundred thousand patrons that participated it was it was a relief, uh, and everyone was grateful for the opportunity to do it. Now I've known Peyton and and I've known the brothers and uh since two thousand and four so I've been

around them in certain situations. Those guys, Eric Taylor, they're they're great guys, they're great fathers, they're great husbands and they're they're great friends. So to be able to experience it with them whenever we went to Mirfield and we're playing and you've got three groups together, the two groups when they finish or waiting on the third, you know, to be able to have a beer and sit there in a garden and experience that with the members from

your field. We haven't been able to do that, and so it's a special place and a special Um golf courses and it's a special time. But it's even made more special because we haven't been able to gather and do that. So yeah, it was. It was very special for that reason and and, like I said, just remarkable guys, good guys. Well, you know, certainly you know, put the right group together, be sure everybody wants to go right. I mean, you know, you put playing a golf trip.

You know, hey, let's go play thirty six holds right. You know, we'll go to dinner at night. Let's it's a golf trip. That's kind of the top priority. And so we had the guys that Love Golf, which I think that's important. Uh and uh, you know find you know, there's so many great courses to play all over, uh, you know, all over Scotland and Ireland. So you've got so many good options. But uh, you know, I think

you know, this is my third time going. You know, this this one was really a special because we had a connection with these hotels that were great. You know, the accommodations were great, food was great. Uh, it's that just made it made it even better when, when you play thirty six holes, it's nice to go, you know, sleep in a good bed and you know, have something good to eat. So, Um, it was special and it

was a lot of fun, for sure. Ben Whip, everybody has a shared headspace, regardless of, you know, who they are, what they do in this you know, just you know, sort of the passion for golf and the sent of adventure and the curiosity and you know, travel does that right. I mean you go, it just opens up your brain, right, you learn a lot and you're educated, you're inspired. That's

what it's supposed to do. and Um, so I feel like bring guys together, you know, people that are in that doesn't matter who's you know, a great golfer, bag golf or whatever. It's like people that are there, that are have a lot of gratitude and gratefulness for the opportunity and you know that are you know, it's like, you know, all in on whatever did, you're doing. That's that's that's what makes it right. It's the people, for sure, no matter where you go. You go to a Muti

and it's fun when you have the right people. Then you take that and you go to Royal County Down or whatever, King's Bar, dumb bar here, like dude, I mean, like I said this this this was an absolute bucket list. You know, people, the places, the time, the whole thing. You know, after a crazy couple of years like this was a really, really special thing, Marshall, Alexander, you know,

for me it just trip of a lifetime, right. So it's like jam pack as much as you can into what you were, the time friend that you have over there. You know, I think Um utilize the it's staying light. You know, if you want to play thirty six, play thirty six. You know, don't be afraid to say, Hey, we need to kind of take it easy, we played too much golf. Just go for it and, uh, and jam it all in. And here's Eric Hasperger. You're kind of like the ninth beetle right, like here. Yeah, exactly.

That's fine. I'm cool of that. Um, you know, fly

on the wall in some circumstances, I guess. Um, but I think that's kind of the cool part, right, is I get I got to watch them and kind of see it all happen and, Um, you know, I was thinking, I was thinking about it last night after we after we chatted, and Um, you know just how like it just kind of tells you how unique this really was because, I mean those those guys that I don't know how frequently they'll get together, but I know it's not frequent, right,

but like that's just that's the cool part of the power of the game and like especially playing it over there. Um, bringing people like that together, it just doesn't happen very often. And then when they do, like it's just such an amazing, like magical, fun experience and it was all it was

also just like uniquely joyous, you know. I mean guys just just cut loose, having a good time, and you know, people that probably have a hard time doing that sometime in public but just embracing it and and going all in. It was it was really fun to be a part of it and to see it. So yeah, yeah, ninth beetles, that's fine by me. I'll be the ninth peal of that group any day. And if you throw John and I'll be the tenth like. That's cool too. You don't have to pack as much clothing as we did. You

can wear the same stuff over. It's a boy's trip. Quick worried about how you look every now you can wear sure pretty pairs of shorts and four pairs of pants that you've done to sweaters and you're out. I look like I'm going to to, you know, Machu Picchu London. I mean I look like I had more FRAPP I didn't need any of it. Um. Another thing is I thought the idea of going on the trip with a couple of people. I wasn't. I mean, I knew, but didn't know well. It was more fun because I enjoyed

peeling off and asking. I knew tailors are, but not well. We we had some four hour conversations just, you know, on the side and visiting it. And it's also fun too. I mean at the end of the day, one day four, if you're gonna start telling some stories that other people have heard, at least one, three or four people there who hadn't heard before. Very rarely do you go into something knowing that it's it's, it's we can't replicate something

like this and and that's that's, that's you know. Usually, you know, we all tell ourselves I will do it again, I'll see you next time, you know, but you realize later it doesn't. It doesn't happen that way. I've had that happen a few times in my career life and this was one of those. Going in I think we all knew we're not gonna this, is not gonna happen again.

You know we're not gonna be able to do this again. So, Um, I think that that made it a little more special and a little more you need once you become an adult and you have responsibility in life, you have families and things that go front and center on your list of priorities, so you don't get to tap into that kind of youthful innocence and just joy full romp through life like you did all the time as a kid, whether you're at Camp or running around the neighborhood with

some friends. How many times you get to experience like really your youth all over again? And Golf can do that for you. So I can tell just from the just from the occasional text that I was getting. You know, maybe maybe every other day, maybe every day. Hey, we're in your field today, we're doing this, we're doing that. I'd hear from someone in the group. I could tell they were having just like the ultimate boy's trip to

Scotland and later Ireland, Northern Ireland. I mean it's just I felt like in a way that I could see what they were doing from afar. I could feel it. And you're right, when you can get everybody kind of into that bubble where you're caught up in the UH giddiness of of of that kind of innocent vibe, a sense of exploration and discovery and being able to do something for the very first time. And this happens to be at the hundred and fifty open championship and that's

the launching pad for this trip. I mean it's a good feeling in a later in life you don't get to do those kinds of things. You know, we have responsibilities, you know you're not jumping fences and walls at midnight into uh, into into a cemetery and visiting grave sites. It's just not something to do every day, but in this context it works and it was a I just think that was for them. I don't know where you

go from there. That had to be like the ultimate golf buddy trip ever and I'm just really glad at uh my friends got to do that and and I'm appreciative that they made me feel like I was there a couple of times. It's been a blur. We got home on Wednesday night at ten thirty. I went to sleep at one am on Thursday and woke up Friday morning at six thirty am. Wow, the kids were coming in. Is Daddy okay? Is Daddy okay? They're like mom's like

let him sleep. So, you know, I was kind of I was kind of worn out before we uh, before we even started a little trip on Monday, and then we woke up and it uh, it was. It was a long walk, but it was a great walk. It was a lot of fun, a lot of fun. Eli left the shoes at Merefield and I have since located them and there and retrieved them. Tell Tell Eli that his schoolgirl looking shoes that he that he was so proud of, have been located and Um and will be

sent his way. Taylor told me to let you know that they have located your shoes at your people and they are being returned. I wanted to keep him there just so you know. Next time I go to Merefield I always have a pair of shoes. I'll throw it in, throwing in Andy's locker and they'll just be there. You know, I think that that's kind of my intention. Just you know, you know I keep my shoes here. Just if I walked in there fifteen minutes, fifteen years later, yeah, you

can get my shoes out. You know, they're still here. That was would be my play, but I guess that's good. ruined. It's so good, Peyton, what a pleasure it is to to to talk to you. Thanks for your time. This is gonna be really fun to put together. If nothing else, it's going to be a great audio experience for you guys to have for the rest of your lives on reflecting on one of the one of the sounds like one of the cooler trips, certainly happening around the hundred

and fift open so thank you for this. I appreciate it. Yeah, you bet. Thanks for having me take care put another log on the fire. Nobody here is getting time