Reporting and Sharing the Hayden Springer Story.

You know, is it going to be an hour? Is it going to be through the night? Is it going to be two nights? You know, we had no idea put another lag. Nobody here is good time. Welcome to the fire Pit with Matt Joneller. So, by now, if you're listening to this particular podcast, I'm going to assume you've either read or watched the Hayden Springer story on the fire Pit Collective dot com. If you haven't, I

strongly suggest you had paused. Now read the story, which was written by Ryan French, and then watch the story, which was produced by Ben Van Hook, shot by Henry Link, and edited by Adam Showen. While you're doing that, I'll take a second to thank our partners at link Soul who don't just make clothes. They foster and cultivate community golf, junior caddies, and a culture that has quickly become the

answer key for municipalities all over the country. Go to link sol dot com and use promo code fire Pit off your next purchase. Okay, back to the back story of the hay and Springer story. As you all probably know by now, the fire Pit Collective's first hire was Ryan French, whose personal story was also a recent podcast. In just a few weeks of working with Ryan, I guess I'm stunned and yet not surprised at his relentless

delivery of compelling observations on aspiring tour pros. And when he sent in his first draft of the Hayden Springer story, I couldn't believe what I was reading. And it's not just that Sage Springer took that first breath and then so many more, or that while Sage is surviving, Hayden was qualifying for the US Open, or that Emma lives and works as a nurse all day every day to make both the surviving and qualifying possible, and it's even deeper than they do it all with such ease and

selfless grace. For me, it's also about the fact that I'm a parent, that our son had complications at birth, and if it wasn't for staff at the Winni Palmer Hospital in Orlando, he wouldn't be alive today. So it's all of that, which is why when watching the story produced by Ben van Hook, my wife and I sobbed. But it was an oddly good cry, and I'm happy for them cry. As Ryan French said to me, you think it's supposed to be a sad story, but it's not,

And I think that's the true miracle here. It's that they're all refusing sadness, that Sage is denying death, and that with Dad on the bag and the whole family in the crowd this week, Haydn could win the whole damn thing. So with that, I recently spoke to Ryan and Ben together about how they reported their stories and as that they share their perspective on why this story

matters to them. I start with Ryan French on how he became aware of what Hayden Springer was going through follower sent me a message and and I think it's just a very delicate story, and stories like this, I want to make sure I have the player's input, and I put in uh, you know, I put it in their words what they want out there. Um. And so I talked to Haydon after I had heard from a story and had heard the story from a follower who was a family friend. He's like, you know, we're not

We're not quite ready there. That was right when Sage was being born, and I think even before she was born, I'm not sure. And then Emma has become kind of an advocate of of babies with trying send me eighteen has been outspoken about their life, and so I talked to him again he wanted to share, but again it's just a serious, heavy story that I wanted to do

justice too. And then um, yeah, we were in Las Vegas and I saw him outside the clubhouse and um, he had just Monday qualified, which is again amazing, and him and I had message you know, multiple times leading up to that, and we just set outside the clubhouse and talked for ten or fifteen minutes about what his life is in his story and and how amazing I thought it wasn't I tell it if you wanted to tell it? And so, um, well he agreed, and I talked to Emma after that, and um, you know, I've

been connected with Hayden and Ema since then. It's just it's it. It's the heaviest but best story, uh that I want to you know, back to what Ben said, this does not feel sorry for it. It's an appreciation for what Emma does and what Hayden does on the golf course. The first version of the story was written before Springer had qualified for the US Open. It was Gary in the fire pit queue and then by way of the US Open qualifier at the Dallas Athletic Club,

by one shot, Springer was bound for Tory Pines. So now what do we run the story right away? I know Ryan and I were inclined to go that route. Seemed to make sense. Just qualified for the US Open, Ryan has written this crazy, amazing, inspirational, emotional feature. I said, I think you update it and let's hits end. But we opted to wait for Shipnock. To Chaiman, Alan suggested that we wait all the way through and essentially build

our US Open coverage around the Springer story. His point was that even if someone else would write or produce a version of the story, that no one would have the story Ryan was telling and Alan was right. We all opted to wait. But while waiting, why not tell it visually as well? Which is what I called Ben van Hook, an Orlando based photographer who I used to

work with at both Sports Illustrated and Golf Digest. Van Hook had made the transition into producing and shooting videos a variety of clients, and although we used to play Winner Park nine together, we hadn't really worked together in eight years. I sent him the story and asked if he and his team would be interested in a quick tripped Dallas. They were obviously in. We were shocked when we went there and and met them because like, you know, I read I read the story and you know, super

touched by that. And then I had a FaceTime call with them, and you know, her personality is just like you know, it's just so explosive, and it's like she's got this this aura about her, this personality, and I

was like, oh, this is great. You know, she's really outgoing and it's very articulate, and it's very convicted, and and then um, and then when we got there and we met them, it was just like, I mean, it was really overwhelming emotionally because they the family has got this giant heart, you know, everybody in the family does, and it's like, you know, a group effort to try to make this machine work and um and then they were just so open and you know, they really want

to tell their story for especially for other people going through the similar kinds of things that they're doing, and it's just very h very touching, you know, to to to be there and to like witness it firsthand. I told Matt Um when when we were interviewing Emma, like the whole crew was crying, like we were all like

in tears because it was so touching. You know. Ryan French and his wife, who's a nurse, also had a serious health scare with their son Jack, which made Ryan even more empathetic to what the Springers were going through. I haven't they haven't gone through exactly that, but I think when you have a child could potentially, you know, die from something, and in our case a surgery. Like you WRT to stories like this more, you you can

you can feel what are feeling. You can you you know what that meeting with dr means you know what what you don't know what tomorrow is? Uh, you know. I think that's why I'm happy to tell this story because yeah, I can relate to it on on some some way. When Jack was in the hospital and and gone through all this and was vomiting every night, I could hardly function. I was running a group of restaurants right like, I wasn't at my best and this guy is doing I mean I can relate on that end

a's like I don't. It just gives me such an appreciation for the level of Golfe's playing because you know, we weren't sleeping, weren't doing those things, and that is in a short term, not close to what these folks are going through. And you know I wasn't at my best or even close to my best. So it just again just gives another level of appreciation for the golf that he in the family structure, it lets him play

like that. We didn't have a long time to get Ben to sync up with the Springers and their schedule as they braced for whatever the US Open week would entail, but they agreed to let us in their home. And then the fear was what was the exact situation Ben would be going into. The baby had survived the necessary heart surgery at four months old, it was gaining weight and strength, but it's still incredibly vulnerable to something like the common cold, and it's definitely safe to say every

day four stage is literally a miracle. Originally, you know, my thought as a filmmaker was like, Okay, this is gonna be very fast cutting um chaotic situation, you know, with you know, she works nights as a nurse, he's gone all the time. The family, they're living with his parents. That's the house he grew up man, which is like unbelievable. You know, they're living there because they don't have the choice right now. They need this help this family out.

And when she talks about the family and the friends that have really stepped up to help, that's when she gets the most emotional about about the story, and um, it just it shows how like close it is to her heart that all these people have rallied around them to help help them, and um, and that was very touching and but but but in my mind I was like, Okay, this is gonna be like like total chaos, because you know,

it's like there's no you know, there's no schedule. Really, the baby needs twenty four hour, seven day a week care, I mean really in reality. And that's the reason that you see them drag their mattress into the bedroom of the baby and they sleep there when they're both home, because it's a queen sized bed and the baby won't fit in the bed with them, so they need to be in the room with the baby all night. So you can imagine that going on for eight months, and

the lack of sleep and all that. So in my mind, I was thinking, Okay, it's gonna be very chaotic, but in essence, when I got there, it was. It was so elegant the way that they were living their lives. And like I think because it's just driven by this deep love that they have for Sage and and and it's reflected in like everything that they do, like how they care for her, how they treat each other. You know, it's like you can see that in the daily life,

how they all pitch in. I mean, there was never a you know, a stern moment or you know, everybody's tired, so everybody's in the same boat. And but they but they really make it work. I mean, it's I mean, it's like you said, it's like the superhuman feet that's going on with this family right now, because it's you know, I mean, I don't I don't know if I could do it, but they're they're certainly doing it. And I'm like,

I'm old enough to be their father. I mean, these people are young, you know, years old of either they're just getting started. It's like, it's incredible. I asked Ryan about marveling at the totality of this story when I wrote the article. Man, it made me really think, because I mean, this is part of a lot of players stories, is that that you know, they have to they have to make a check to get to the next check,

to to grind and travel and all those kind of things. Um, you know, it made me reflect on two things, and of of Hayden's stories. One is that you know that pro golf on this level is such a family sport, right Uh. I mean, Emma is more important or important to be a part of Hayden's uh playing career as anything that he can go and leave that at home. He's talked about it that she's a hero and you know he can go and that. But I mean, Hayden is a very accomplished golfer. I mean, he was an

All American at at TCU. He beat Victor Hoveland at the at the Big Twelfth Championship. He's in the top twenty of the All Pro Tour, which is a very uh good developmental tour, mini tour. Uh. He's Monday qualified twice. He just lost in a playoff the week before, and now he's gotten through to the U s Open. I am really but I'm astonished by the level of play of anyone that can get to the US Open. It

is the next level. And Hayden is outside of his home life, Hayden is in that group of people that you're I mean, he's a very decorated players also, man, as you know, there's plenty of All Americans who have the resume that that Hayden has, that never played the US Open and never have the accomplishment but that he's had in his young career. And to think about he's playing against players who are single, who have gym memberships, who don't who sleep perfectly every night, who wear a

whoop band and talk about recovery, and uh. To to think that he's competing at above a lot of players when he's has the odds stacked against you. I mean I was talking about that with my wife this morning, Like the odds are stacked against every player out there. Uh. I mean that's just the fact of the manners. Like there's gonna be roughly five new people on the PGA Tour this year next year one of twenty five of

thousands chasing it. And those are people that there's there's players out there who have money, who have personal trainers and all that kind of stuff. And to think that he has to come home at three in the morning there and care about it and and do those things, just it's astonishing his level of play. Van hook on how and why Hayden Springer is capable of the hyper focus on golf in the midst of such extreme and

heart wrenching distraction. But we don't touch on in the film is that that his father was in the Navy and he was an F fourteen UH pilot in uh in combat. I mean he you know, he the guy landed on aircraft carriers at night. You know, it's like really top level intense stuff. And he's, uh, you know, his dad's a farm boy from Tennessee, and you grew

up on a dirt road, he told me. And all of a sudden, he finds himself, you know, in the Navy, and they and they even you know, he gets in aviation and they teach him how to fly these jets. So the one thing he said that they really drilled into them in the military was this idea of compartmentalization and whatever problems that you have in your life and you have at home, you leave that behind when you get in the cockpit of a jet like that, and you have one mission and one purpose and that's what

you do. So it's super focused attention. And he said that he um tried to instill that in Hayden growing up from a little boy. And I thought that was fascinating because that's exactly what's you know, that's what's happening

now because he has to have that. And I asked Hayden about it, because you know, I mean over my career and I've worked with you at a bunch of different publications, Matt that I photographed, you know, almost everybody who's anybody in professional golf, and and I'm fascinated with how mental of a game it is, you know, on any given day, any of these guys could win. I mean, you have to be so sharp and tough mentally to

win at that level. And so they I think they all have some degree of this, But Hayden is like, you know he I think that's the way he grew up because of his dad, and I think that's the reason that he's performing at this level right now. Is Dad say, you know, it's he's even amazed that he's playing the best golf of his life in the middle of this storm of you know, emotion and everything that's going on at home. And and then you know, when you see it, it's like you just can't you know,

you can't believe somebody could operate at that level. Do you have high hopes for Hayden Springer the golfer? Yeah, I mean I think of what he's gone through and to accomplish the things he's done. I mean, but let's just take his family out of it. I mean, he's a very accomplished golfer. He's Monday qualified, which is, as we know, difficult to do. He's got to the US Open,

he's top twenty. I mean, he's beaten Victor Houghland in college. Uh. Yeah, he can be out there of course, as the people who have filed the account now that it's really hard to do, and now adding what he has to deal with and his family have to deal with on a on a daily basis. But if someone came to me and said, hey, name you know the top ten players that don't have status right now that you think are

going to make it, Hayden would be in there. Um. So all of this shows how amazingly gifted the golf course because he has the odds stacked against him. So if he makes the cut at the US Open, there's gonna be a whole, a whole bunch of people cheering for him, having just been with him. I asked Ben what he knew about the specifics of the Springers US Open week. You know, his dad has caddied for him more than anybody, and I think he was in one PGA Tour event and he actually hired a caddy and

it wasn't a great experience for him. I think he was like, you know what, why do I need? You know, my dad knows my game better than anybody. Um, you know, even though neither one of them been Torrey Pines, his dad's gonna be caddying for him. At the US Open and and his dad had the conversation with him and said, look, this is business. You know. If you want to hire somebody or you want somebody that's that's you know, that's been there before, that knows the lay out, that knows

you know, the yard. He said, I won't be offended at all. Take it. Don't make a decision right now, take a day and talk about you know, think about it. And he uh, he came back the next day and said, you don't want you. I want you on the bag. So that uh, that's one thing to his family affair.

And then before we left Dallas, um and just in casual conversation it didn't even come up in the film, but casual conversation, Emma said to me that depending on stages um prognosis for I think she had a little bit of a low oxygen level the baby did, and so she's gonna go back to the doctor I think on Monday maybe and and get checked out. And if everything checks out and they give her the green flag to travel, well, Uh. Emma and Sage already have tickets to fly to San Diego to be there with him

and watch him. And she said, I know that It's like a lot of people would look at it and say like, oh, you've got this, you know this baby that special needs and it's really hard to travel and you probably shouldn't travel with them. And her attitude is like, this is the reason that they gave her this chance at life, because they want her to live her life. And part of that is being there to see her

dad play in the U S Open. So I mean that's like, that's like pretty amazing that you know, you know, fingers crossed, you know she's gonna be there, and I mean that's you know, part of the amazing story is like to watch him, you know, compete the first two

days trying to make the cut. Ryan. I mean, you know, if if if you're not rooting for Hayden Springer, for Sage Springer, if you're not in awe of Emma Springer and all that's happening, that inner circle and that force that's bound for Tory Pines, if you're not in that camp, uh, you're no friend of mine. Yeah. I mean, you know, I always I think that golf is a family, a fair mat but there's nothing, there's no story that I know about there that's that's likeness and uh, and it's

a true family affair. And I mean I forgot that it's Father's Day coming up Sunday with his dad on the bag. I mean it is if he's able to make the cut, I'm not sure they're They're definitely shouldn't be a dry eye as they walk up eighteen. I can't thank you enough for doing what you did to write the story, and it moved all of us immediately, you know when we first read it, and then obviously passing the baton to Ben and teen to go do

their version of the story. Um, this is yeah. I sent Hayden and hay and then um and my text to Night, you know, and I said, thanks for trusting us to tell your story. Uh, you know, it's uh a story that needs to be told, and I'm happy they trusted us to do it. Mhm. Did she respond back, Yeah, but uh, yeah, thank you. We can't we can't wait to see it so um and then I've been lucky enough to tell a lot of all stories, but nothing has been left before. What do you think when you

saw Ben's story? Yeah, I mean my wife and I uh yeah, I sent it to my wife and we grad together it brings up but at the beginning, you know, um, never want to face your own child's mortality. Uh, I just appreciate what's I go through with. It's just powerful, it really is. Ben, what's your what's your biggest takeaway from just being a part of the Springers lives for those few days looking back at the relationship that I've had with you over the last what have we known

each other twenty five years? Probably work together, and this is like the kind of like culmination or really the start of a new relationship of working with you guys, and and and and telling these kinds of stories because um, you know, at the stage of my career and and

also Henry too as well. It's like we're you know, the opportunity that you've given us to tell this story and the fact that the family was so you know, giving, and it's just so beautiful that like, you know, I just feel very blessed to like to be a part of it. You know, I'm just feel very lucky, you know that life led me in that direction that I can you know, do this kind of work and and

there you know, and I'm like running. I've told a lot of stories, told a lot of golf stories and uh and and you know, shot a lot of film over the years, but this one, this is special. This is different. This is very powerful um testament to like perseverance and love and family. And it's very touching. And we were, I mean, Adam and I sitting in the edit bay editing it and we're like crying while we're while we're editing. I mean, you know, usually we're not

that close. A little bit more objective as a journalist, you know, you're a little more objective, but you're you cannot help but be affected by this, like when you see, you know, what this family is going through. So yeah, it's very it's a privilege, privilege to tell the story on Ryan and Ben both said it, it's truly a privilege to share the Springer story. I can't wait to root for them, not only this week but forever, totally

on team Springer. And before I get to one final recap of the five days Ben van Hook spent with the family before Tory pines, I just want to also thank the team at part points the new app that allows you to change the way the game is scored, Thanks Stableford. But even better, certainly more interesting, especially for kids, families, beginners, and buddy strips. Download the app now and go make

part right. We end this with Ben, who shares more details about his full immersion into the life of the Springer family, a snapshot of their selfless love and exhausted dedication to their daughter and their dreams. We just decided to do like a really small crew. Henry my DP,

who have collaborated with three years. He happened to be in Seattle at the time, and he flew in, and then I flew to Dallas and then um, I brought one assistant with me, another camera operator and also a utility guy, and then we just hired a sound guy in Dallas and that was it. There was just four of us, and so it's very small, very intimate, and um you know, minimal lighting. I mean, you know, we just went into their home and like you know, she opened the doors for us and we could do whatever

we want. So we basically the reason I went in a day early was we went in on a trying to think now so heyes, kind of, uh, I think

we went in on a Wednesday, you know Wednesday. We got there on Wednesday, because that was while we were there, that window that was the last overnight she was going to work at the hospital, and I thought that was a really important part of the story, and we wanted to go to work with her because, I mean, we didn't say this in the film either, but she works at twelve hour shift from seven pm to seven am.

But what she didn't say is that she has a one hour commute each way to Fort Worth to the hospital. So she's like, you know, I mean, she she the baby is still on dreast milk and she has no time for you know, for Harley anything. So she's driving on the interstate and she has to pump you know, breast milk while she's in the car driving by ourselves. That's the kind of life they're living. And it's like,

you know, I mean, he can't even imagine. And she goes to the hospital and she has to care for these patients like all night long, and then she comes back home, and she said, basically a nursing home to twenty four hours a day. So I felt it was really important to get that, and so Henry and I went in a day early and we went with her to the hospital and when we came back, and then the next day we met her over at the house.

I think maybe she slept two hours and then she um she went to got us permission to shoot a therapy session with Sage that she takes her and so a week to this uh kind of an occupational therapy UM session, And so we went in there and shot that, which was really nice to get that because the next day they had a doctor's appointment, but because of COVID, we couldn't go into any hospital, so we UM we went with her to the therapy session, we came back home,

spent a little more time with her there, and then

Thursday night, Hayden was flying in late from Savannah. He had just played out on the East coast somewhere, and he flew in late, got in around nine pm, and we shot him at the airport and then we Henry jumped in the car with him and he drove home with him, and then we went home with them that night and then got up early the next morning, went over and basically spent all day Friday with them, and you know, we did you know, we did everything that day with Hayden because that was the only day that

he was going to be there. And one really touching thing that happened was at the end of the day, we shot this scene where they're cooking spaghetti you know, for the family for a family dinner, which is typical for what they do if they don't get something out, especially if all of them are there, and they put stage on the dining room table, you know, well they eat dinner because she's right there with them, and um and then Emma and Jennifer, her mother in law, you know,

said to me, she goes, hey, she goes, we're cooking, and she goes, you know, I insist that you and your crew, you know, eat dinner with us. And I thought that was like, you know, everything you're dealing with and you're gonna like cook for the crew. It's like, you know, okay, So after they said the prayer and we shot a little bit of that, you know, we put the camera down and we pulled up a chair around the table and we we broke bread with the family,

and you know, it's this really beautiful moment. You know, It's like and they were just so giving, you know, and like you know, worrying about what we're gonna eat, and you know, where we were staying and all those kinds of things, and and so then the next day, Hayden was supposed to flower early in the morning, so we said, okay, we'll come over to the house and we want to shoot a few odds and ends that

we didn't get. And this was on Saturday morning, and we went over and Hayden was there, and I was like, what are you doing here? And he said, well, I drove to the airport, couldn't find a place to park, so I missed my flight. That's how packed the parking rodgers were. So he missed his flight, drove back home, and he's going to take an afternoon flight out. So instead of hanging out there, he comes back home to

be with his family and be with his daughter. And so we shoot a little bit more with him there and then and then he takes off and then we

we fled back home on Sunday. We said, it was like, you know, I mean, basically they let us move in with him in a way, you know, but it shows and that in the footage that we got and the story that they told us, because you know, it was very um, you know, it's just very intimate and and she's just like so giving with the story that you know, I just feel like it was a gift.