Are you guys practicing with Simmons and how does that? How's that going?
Yeah, we've been practicing them ever since. The day we flew back from our last tournament. Our dad drove up and John Ashworth dropped off some Lynxoul for Simmons to us, which are super nice. Yeah, and we've just been practicing with them ever since. It's so hard, but I think I'm getting the hang of it a little bit and I'm just gonna try to not be nervous and let that affect me. Yeah, we have Lynksoul drivers and then I think we were trying out Ben Hogan like three wood,
five wood, four wood, which we're hitting pretty good. So as long as I can overcome nerves, I think I think it'll be all right.
Put another log on the fire.
Nobody here is given time. Welcome to the fire pit with Matt Chanella. Good to be back around the fire pit before we get to all things. Wish Bone Brawl one of the greatest events in golf that involves bona fide tour players and elite amateurs playing for Simmon Woods at Goat Hill Park where there's no ropes, lots of kids and dogs all in the spirit of raising money for junior golf in Oceanside, California. Here's a quick summary
of our sponsors. Thanks to link Sol, the lifestyle brand that I wear on and off the course and have for a better part of a decade. Go to Linksol dot com and use promo code fire Pit twenty five for twenty five percent off your next purchase. We just put our Firepit logo on some new links Sol gear, which can be found in the Pit Shop at Firepitcollective
dot com. Dormy Workshop is a brand based in Halifax, Nova, Scotia, and we partner with them for any and all fine leather goods such as head covers, stash pouches and more. Go to Dormy Workshop dot com and use promo code fire Pit fifteen for fifteen percent off your next purchase, or go to the Pit shop and order one of our Dormy gift boxes. Truly Hard Seltzer is a big sponsor of the Wishbone bral which everyone appreciates. It'll be flowing yet again this Saturday in Oceanside, where it'll be
clear skies and temperatures in the seventies. And then there's Olacai, which makes durable handmade premium footwear. Not only are they an official sponsor of My Journeys and travel content, but they're also sponsoring this year's Wishbone bral And so with that we start off with Peter Beams aka the Professor, a spiritual guide of sorts, a longtime friend of John Ashworth, a former European tour player who has written books on instruction.
He starts every day off at the goat well before sunrise, prepping the fire pit and parking carts, making sure the place is presentable to the masses. He also serves as the rules official and referee on Saturday. I bumped into him on Wednesday morning as he was raking up leaves on the left side of the eighteenth fairway. What do you think about the Wishbone braw this year? I'm so excited always.
Why do you think I'm out here getting the.
Tinsel out of the way. I love it. Yeah.
I mean to have all these incredible golfers come here to our little golf course is amazing.
You very kind and you will, all of you. How about the Layovow twins with the lead twins, Well.
They're going to be number one and two in the world, so that's gonna be something to watch. Who's gonna be We won't even know who's one h two. Yeah, that's gonna be something. I think they could win. I'm putting my money on they can win the whole damn thing.
Jasmine and janey Laoval combined for the opening audio clip on practicing with per Simmons, and we'll get to more with them in a bit, but for now, here's John Ashworth, the self proclaimed caretaker of Goat Hill Park. He took over the lease of the municipality in twenty fourteen. It has gotten better every day since. Ashworth has literally saved
an underachieving community asset and much needed green space. Simply put, the fashion icon is the Goat of the Goat, the Wishbone Brawl and kind of this evolution of this event. What's it mean to you now? Going into six years?
Wow, I mean I can't believe it's six years. Really. I mean, it's just it's kind of flown by, and you know, every year we just do it by the seat of our pants, you know what I mean, We kind of forget we're gonna do it, and then all of a sudden we're going, you know, oh god, we get the Wishbone Brawl coming up. But you know because the first year, literally it was my birthday on the driving range at goat Hill Park when Dean Wilson said, hey, why don't we do something, you know, to help raise
money for the kids. And I was like, bingo, yeah, let's do something. He goes, I can invite some buddies, we can play, you know, maybe we can raise some money. You know, I'll get Charlie Hoffman and maybe we'll ask Sander, and you know, it kind of started super organic like that, and I was kind of going, yeah, right, okay. I was like, d okay, you go get those guys. We'll
do something. And then it was sort of like, well they're kind of all off around Thanksgiving, so we just started, you know, piecing it together over you know, that first year, and you know, you were involved too, and it was like, God, it's such a short course. Let's haven't hit Persimmon woods. You know, we're always in the Persimmon Woods up there. Okay, check kids. You know, this is for the North kunt of Junior Golf. And I don't think we had even
started the Caddy Academy yet. We hadn't really because that's been going four years, so anyway, that's kind of how it started. And it's you know, we don't rent it out to an event company. We do it all in house, so it's you know, it's kind of a homemade backyard
hangout scene, you know. And uh, you know, Jeff, Jeff Cunningham came up with a name, which was brilliant, you know, because it was around Thanksgiving and you know, uh, when you fight for the wishbone, you know, that's our whole logo and whoever's the stronger it gets the bigger half and all that stuff. So you know, that was great and then, uh, yeah, it's just been it's been really
every year is different for some reason. You know, there's a different I don't think we've ever had the exact same field, you know, Xander's you know, unfortunately Dean can't make it this year, which is a bummer, but he'll missed the first year. But Xanders would have played every all six of them. Him and Dean a pretty much dominated. I think they've won three maybe I don't know. You know, winning and losing doesn't really matter. It's just about having
a blast and getting the whole community together. And you know, do something special for the kids.
So again. This year's Wishbone Brawl consists of Xander Shoffley and Chris Riley versus Jeff Ogilvie and Colin Featherstone versus Jasmine and Janey Leovau. The format is best ball of the twosome, three teams of two, an eighteen hole stroke play brawl for it All. It tips at noon on Saturday. Here's Will Crop, former captain of the golf team at the University of Oklahoma who had a win on the PGA Tour Latin America, who now along with his wife Morgan and son calls Goat Hill Park home. Crop gives
lessons and runs Goats Junior Caddy and Leadership Academy. He partnered with Fred Couples in the twenty twenty one Wishbone bra and has the course record of ten under. Oh by the way, he did that playing with per Simon Woods. You're somebody who has watched the Wishbone, played in the Wishbone, Like what in your mind you've played you know, highly competitive events, you're pro, You're like you've been all over
the world playing golf. Like, try to summarize the essence and what makes the wishbone bral like special.
Great question.
I mean, I think the biggest thing that hit home right off the bat was being home, playing in front of the people that you're you know, in the community with. I think that was a really really cool experience, especially since it's so up close and personal. You're essentially walking around with a thousand of your closest friends right next to you, and I think that added a whole different
level than in anything that I've experienced. When we play professional golf on the road, you're on the road, you're not playing in home tournaments and maybe very rarely does somebody have a home tournament, maybe a Jason Day and Columbus kind of thing, but very rarely does that ever happen. So kind that element in itself of being at home, being in front of the people that you spend every
day with, it just made it that much cooler. I think that was the biggest takeaway, and even the week leading up to it, I felt pressure from myself in that sense, just wanting to perform well, wanting to play well in front of everybody because you feel like you have the whole community on your shoulders.
A perfect segue to the idea of adding the lay of our Twins to the sixth Annuel Wishbone Brawl. Jasmine and Janey Lao are nineteen. They are sophomores at Long Beach State where they're on scholarship to play on the
women's golf team. They've grown up at Goathill Park and their products of the North County Junior Golf Association and goad Hill Park's Junior Caddy and Leadership Academy, the two beneficiaries of all proceeds raised by ticket sales and the online auction, which can be found at linksoul dot com. As you'll hear, the Layovout twins have caddied in the Wishbone Brawl and now they're competitors Goathill Park at four five hundred yards par sixty five. It's the ideal venue
and event to get women involved. Not just playing with the men, they're playing against them. Back to Ashworth, how did you let the twins know that they were in?
I actually haven't even talked to them yet. I talked to Jan. Jan was the mediator on that one, so through I went through their dad Jen.
And how'd that go?
Well? You know it was, it was great. He was shocked and you know, surprised but loved it. And they were like saying, you know, there, you talked to him, So I haven't even talked to him. So you tell me how they just over the moon or what.
Meet Jasmine and Janey Leoval, who are zooming in from their dorm room at Long Beach State. It's almost impossible to tell them apart, not only in person, but also as an audio experience. In this case, we start with Janey, but they both provide answers and anecdotes here and throughout the podcast. How did you guys find out you were in this year's Wishbone?
Bro Our dad he sent us a text saying that he needed to talk to us, and we had no idea what it was about, so we were like nervous already. And then he called us and said that they had really good news. And then he said John Ashworth reached out to him and asked if we wanted to play in the Wishbone.
Yeah.
Yeah.
At first, like our initial reaction, I was kind of scared.
I was like.
I didn't know what to say and was contemplating if we should play in it or not because didn't know how Like we've always been a part of the wishbhone, but like playing in his whole different story and in front of that many, that many people was definitely.
Gonna be different than what we're used to because.
At first we didn't really want to play because we didn't think we're ready for that. We've always like thought about playing in the wish Phone and like it was kind of a dream like come true to like be able to do this, but I thought we would be playing it as a pro.
But here we are college amateur golfers. Super cool opportunity.
I mean, I got chills for you guys. I mean, obviously I've been popping in and out of the Goat community for a long time, and I feel like, you know, we all feel like we've watched you guys grow up.
You're still growing up, but like, you know, it's just been this amazing thing to watch and you know, to know that you grew up in North County Junior Golf and then Goadhill Park and caddying at the Wishbone Brawls from the beginning to now competing like that narrative arc and that storyline and again it's kind of still going. But that's that to me is what's so sweet and special about the community, goad Hill Park, the Wishbone Brawl and what's going to transpire on Saturday? Right?
Yeah?
Yeah.
We started I think we still as scorekeepers one year, and then we were sign bears and then caddies, and then last year we were working the hot dog stand with our brother and we actually didn't even get to watch the Wishbone because we were working. And now we're playing it. It's really funny to see how we've been like every part of this this event.
They originally worked as like scorers and standard bearers. Yeah, and then they caddied and last year they actually didn't get to see the Wishbone ball because they were helping their brother make hot dogs.
That's right, that's I mean, how good is that? Oh my god?
Well that's that's Isn't.
That the greatest thing about it? Because and you know, like you said, you have to pinch I have to pinch myself because I mean I feel like I'm just objectively looking at the whole thing, going this is this really happening?
What is this?
It's such a unicorn, isn't it. That's the only way to describe it.
It's actually a team of Unicorns. The Layovout Twins will have the Lee Twins, Ada and Annabelle, also products of North County Junior Golf and Goats Junior Caddy Program, who have caddied in the last two Wishbone Brawls. Remember when Fred Couples grabbed the bullhorn on the eighteenth green and declared they were the best two caddies in San Diego.
My partner and I had the best two caddies in San Diego.
I think that's so cool. The twins and twins is just perfect.
At some point, we're going to look over and we're going to see the two of you guys, you know, lining up a putt with the Lee Twins helping you read the green. Yeah, I mean, like, who do you defer to?
Who?
Actually who's love?
I don't think they'll be able to tell who's who, Like we could all swish at any time, Yeah, but only like all twins, Like we can all tell easily. So that'll be funny for the August.
Who's the best green reader of all four of you guys, I.
Think definitely them.
Yeah, they're actually pretty good at reading.
I know, like I've seen them caddy and they're always like really confident in their lines when like telling people where to go, and I'm not confident in like telling people where to go because I don't want to be wrong.
But they just straight up like yeah they trust.
And yeah, I think they're like really amazing caddies and it's super cool to have them there.
It's just a perfect story for the Wishbone.
Just give me a quick update on where you guys are in terms of your college careers. What's going on Long Beach State, and how's this season going, and how are your individual seasons going.
Yeah, we just finished our fall season, and this one we broke eleven records.
As a team. Yeah.
Yeah, we kept starting for the second tournament, we tied like a total team score record, and then in the next tournament we tied that in the first day and then we ended up breaking the record, and then we broke it again in the next next tournament and the final, and then we broke the individual low in the second day and I broke a I think a fifteen year old record of by one. Yeah, of my individual score because I shot sixty four.
Oh my god.
And also today I found out that I won a Big West Golfer of the month in October and my scoring average.
For October was under seventy.
Yeah, oh my god, Janney, here's Ashworth again.
Those guys better buckle up, man, because they don't know what's about d Yeah.
I mean, you got girls who have grown up playing that golf course and they've got two of the best caddies on property right now in their corner. So you got the layoout twins, the lead twins. You got like some serious, you know power, some like legitimate power going on there back to the twins. So things are going well.
Yeah, we won our last two tournaments as a team, which is the first time that Long Beach has ever gone back to back in the history of the entire program. Yeah, he's setting so many records. It's super cool to be part of history there. And I'm going to continue to
break it too in the spring. Yeah. We actually did an interview before before the second tournament and he was asking about how we feel, or is after the second After the second tournay, he was asking how we felt about breaking a record and I said that it wasn't safe still, and I wasn't satisfied because I know We're gonna break it in the next tournament, and then the next the first day of the next tournament, we broke it.
Like I said, some serious power. I asked the twins what it's like to feel so much local love?
So cool to see them support us all the time.
I feel like every every time, like we stepped foot on go Hill, you can just like we have so much support and love and support from everyone. And I know that for this tournament, there's a lot of people that believe in us and that we can even win, which to me is slightly delusional, but it's super cool that they're rooting for us and that they'll be proud
of us no matter what. Yeah, we've been telling a lot of people that we're going to play in this and that it's like a pretty big deal, and so a lot of people are like, I want to watch. So it's cool that we're bringing a lot of people here.
Back to will Crop, who chimes in on the.
Twins, I called Goat Hill home, but I've only been here since twenty twenty, so that is to put that in perspective. It has become my home, but it's not my home, and for them it's been their home since they could barely walk, so I can't imagine just the feelings and emotions that they have to be going through
leading up to it. I know they've been playing a ton of golf in college, they've been playing tournaments, So I have confidence that they'll be able to handle that pressure because they've been doing it over and over and so I don't necessarily think that they I think that they're going to play great golf.
I think they're going to show up.
I think it's going to be absolutely I think we'll have possibly one of the best moments.
In Wishtown history.
I don't know where it's going to come from, but I think it's going to come from them and just the moment that everybody's going to share, from Jasmine and Janey to Annabelle and Ada on the bag there and then jan and Bobby in the crowd. I think it'll just be incredible. I really think there's going to be an incredible moment.
You can't lose, right, Like, there's no way you can walk away from this situation, lose them, because no matter where you finish, you're getting a chance to play in front of a big crowd. There's going to be love and support. It's your home course. You're playing with. You know, it's competition, but it's a friendly competition in the sense that there's no there's no you know, there's nothing really on the line other than trying to support you know,
kids like you were a few years ago. Yeah, is that the way you see it?
Yeah?
I think I'm obviously just like extremely nervous for this tournament, just because we're playing with pros and in front of like a thousand people. But overall, it's just gonna be an opportunity of a lifetime. I don't think many people get to experience something like this, and it's just gonna be an amazing learning opportunity. And you know, if we want to become a pro golfer and become great, then we have to get used to something like this, playing
with pros and in front of a large crowd. So super exciting that we get to do this early on in our career.
Yeah, Jasmine, what do you think?
Yeah, I think this is like a pretty big stepping stone in our career overall, and I'm just super excited. And yeah, we can't lose either way. I think we won the hearts of the people already. Yeah, looking at the comments on goa Hill's posts. Seeing some We're like, it's gonna feel like Rome to Xander because of the amount of people rooting for us, and it was so funny to see.
Back to Ashworth, Laveo Twins said they've been monitoring the social media and that they've seen that they feel like they already have the hearts of the crowd, and that some people were making comments like Xander's gonna feel like he's in Rome with everybody rooting against him.
It's true.
Everybody, I run up everybody, I run into it the goats, and my money's on the Twins. I swear I must have had twenty people say I'm rooting for the Twins or something about the Twins, and seriously, everyone's gonna be jacked.
Also jacked is Colin Featherstone, Another local and first time wishbone brawler. Featherstone graduated from San Diego State in twenty twelve. He turned pro shortly after. He had a long run on many tours, specifically the Canadian Tour and PGA Tour Latin America. In twenty twenty, after a mixed bag of success and struggles and when COVID hit, Featherstone stopped chasing it and started working at Titlist, only a few miles from Goat Hill Park. He collected data and feedback on prototype clubs.
I learned a lot while I was there, and it was a really cool experience.
And I was lucky enough to be based at TPI, the Titleist Performance Institute in Oceanside, and I placed as Golf Heaven, so.
It was a pretty cool office to go to every day.
And then yeah, in twenty twenty two, I got the opportunity playing again. I had someone I played a few rounds of golf with asked why I wasn't playing professionally anymore, and they offered to help me with some expenses that year. And I got through Q school that year in twenty twenty two and played the full year on the Contrary Tour this last year.
So it's been a wild ride.
Okay, he's paid his dues. Man, he's you know, we've seen Colin you know, over the years. I mean he went from trying to play, then he got a job at tide List and found himself, went back, got on the corn ferry. But throughout all he's always hung out of the Goat. He's always played the monthly medals. He's always he's helped us on the course, driving the workmen up to number seven, dropping dirt, you know, and we had projects going on, weeding the hill on b Hill.
You know.
He always shows up and I just love that kid. He's just awesome.
Anyone that meets is immediately drawn to him just for his personalities, so open and humble, and Ash has become a good friend of mine, which I'm proud to say he's you know he I met Ash in like twenty fifteen, and I was just playing on many tours and I was delusional thinking I should have some sort of clothing sponsor. And I met Ash and he hooked me up with some clothes, and honestly that that gave me more confidence than anything, knowing that I had some sort of clothing sponsor.
For some reason, it was like, oh, I've made it. I have a clothing sponsor, which in no way should he have given me any clothes at that point.
But that's just Ash, Like he's such a good guy and so humble and open to helping people. And yeah, we've our relationship has grown over the past, you know how for many years, eight years, and he's just always in good spirits and what he's done for the community and what he continues to do for the community and for Goat Hill. He's always out there, you know, he's getting his hands dirty every day, every project that's going on out there.
Ash is right in the middle of it, which is really cool to see. And yeah, proud to call him a friend.
So what's your history with Goad Hill Park.
Oh, that's a complicated question. My history with Goat is that I kind of stumbled.
Upon it as well.
I played it a few times before it was saved, I guess in twenty fourteen, and the boy was it different after it it was. It was saved by Ash and the crew. But yeah, I went out there, I believe in twenty fourteen, right after Ash took over, and just fell in love with the place. It's so it was so raw, it still is, and I just love the fact that you could go get around in with your buddies for twenty bucks and you got an ocean view and an ocean breeze and you can play music
and everything's just so casual. And at that time, you know, I.
Was a couple of years out of college.
I was playing professionally at the time, and I was playing a lot of serious golf, so it was really fun to go to a place that allowed for casual golf but also serious still at the same time, because most golfers are competitive, so we get some really good games out there. And but I just I loved the laid back vibe of Goat Hill and fell in love with.
It at that time, and it's kind of a second home for me now.
So how did you find out you were involved in this year's Wishbone bra.
So Ash called me. Ash just, uh, yeah, I saw I Yash out there all the.
Time and and he kind of gave me a.
Heads up like, hey, we're we're kicking the tires on a few guys and if they can't make it, you're in.
And you know, I totally understand.
We got to try to get some some really big names in there that are affiliated with Link Soul, and.
And the scheduling just worked out.
And called me and said, hey, you're in, and I was like, perfect, I've been waiting five years to play in this thing.
I'm ready.
Yeah, it was a special call once I knew Fred was for sure out, and Fred was he was trying to make it work, but he had a commitment that he just couldn't get out of. So it'll be interesting to see if he wants to come back next year. I don't know. I hope so, but but yeah, uh and he yeah. Colin's like I couldn't believe it either. He was like, you don't kid me.
You know this?
You know?
Are you sure it's just real? Come on? So he's all fired up. I saw him today out there playing. Who's out of practicing. He can't wait for it to start, once, to start tomorrow.
You're been an observer, You're a part of the community. There have been years where it's been hard to watch, feeling like I want I want in on this. Let me I could, I can do this? And now you get that chance.
Yeah, I think as a competitor, anyone would watch that and.
Just want to be involved.
So, you know, I've always had a lot of fun watching watching the event, but every year I just think I just want to be playing. So I'm really excited to get my chance this year and hopefully I can show up and make a lot of birdies.
Your year this year on the corn Ferry kind of summarize the season, the events, the highs and lows.
Yeah, there were plenty of highs and plenty of lows. For sure.
It's a long season, twenty six events coming off of a couple of years of not playing tournament.
Golf, it was a really long year for me, just.
The travel and not having played a full season out there before.
I was going into.
Every week trying to learn every course, figure out where to hit it or not to hit it. And it's just like I said, it's a long season. And I really enjoyed my time out there, and I ended up finishing ninety first on the points list, which should give me some fairly good conditional status in the next year. So hopefully I'll get into some of the early events at the start of the year and reshuffle.
In and play the whole year again. So I'm really hoping to get.
Another opportunity to go play all these courses that I've now played and kind of don't have to get in on Monday and just grind Tuesday Wednesday to figure out the courses and then get into Thursday. So yeah, it was it was really fun. It was fun to be back into competition and competition on that type of stage with an opportunity to get a PGA tour card. So just looking forward to next year and having that same opportunity.
You have three nine unders that go to a park with for Simmon Woods.
Yeah yeah, yeah, does haunt me now that Will has ten under.
You're really good at second best.
Yeah yeah.
It was first best for a while and then we'll shot ten under and then I was back to the drawing board. Now I'm just trying to shoot ten under every time I play, which is also a great mindset to be in.
Back to Will Crop on all things course record.
Somebody eventually will go to eleven.
I'm not under the impression that I'll hold it forever.
It might be me that goes to eleven. I don't know, but we'll see.
If Collins shot eleven under in the Wish John on Saturday, I would be the first and happiest guy to shake you his hand because that would be an unbelievable accomplishment. So I think the cool thing about having Calling up there along with Peko, along with every great player up at Goat Hill, is that we push each other to do better. And I think that is such an amazing opportunity for us, and we've talked about that, is we're
always traveling on the road. Now some of us have kids and stuff, but man really leaning in and setting up these games where I mean, we have world class players right there at the goat and using each other to you know, make that course record fourteen under. I mean, I think that legitimately somebody can shoot fourteen or fifteen
under at the goat with per Simmons. And I think that if we can catapult on each other and use each other and you know, get better off of each other, it will happen and it'll just go eleven, twelve, thirteen, kind of like the five minute mile once it was.
It's just going to keep going. So to see.
Colin playing in the Wishbone myself and knowing what Colin's going to embark on on Saturday, I'm just excited for him. I think it's such a cool opportunity. And I mean he's in front of his home crowd way more than I was, you know, so I think it's going to be a special moment. I saw his father last weekend at the Xander event, and his dad was, you could tell over overflowing with joy about what Saturday is going to bring in. I think, regardless, it's not really about the score as much.
As it is just I mean, what an accomplishment.
He's going to be out there playing in front of his his friends, his family, the Goat family, and I think that there's no doubt Colin's going to have an.
Unbelievable moment as well.
So it's going to be exciting and I'll be front row and he has it and I can't wait to see what it is.
It's like a good movie. It's you know it's going to happen.
You know the ending's coming, but it's just exciting to see where it pieces in.
A your expectations going into something like this, I.
Mean, my expectations stayed the same. I'd like to play really well, and you know it's not it's hard not to think ahead when you have one round. It's kind of like a Monday qualifier, right, and you know you need to go shoot a low number, but you just kind of have to settle in. And I mean, I've played that place so many times, so my expectations are to play well, but we'll see what happens. It's one day of golf.
You never know.
What about the twins, what are your thoughts on you know, we've all watched them grow up. We're still watching them grow up. I mean they're you know, they're nineteen, you know, and they're they're playing you know, college golf, not unlike what you did, what Xander did. They're having some success. They obviously know the Goat. They're playing really good golf.
What are your thoughts on just this being kind of the perfect kind of an event and venue and where women's golf is and where the Goat clientele is with all the we see it right daily women girls, and just the kind of the feel good, you know, opportunity for them to be a part of this and to compete in a way in which, you know, I don't think anybody would be surprised if they freaking won this thing.
No, definitely not. They're both really good players, and they've grown.
Up at Goat, and.
You know, I've had my fair share of battles with them over the years when they were sixteen or seventeen years old, which is humbling when I'm playing professional golf. They're really good players, and it's really cool to have them involved in this year, and they definitely deserve to be playing, and it's great.
To have some women playing in the event.
It's like you said, I mean, we've got a lot of women playing out of Goat Hill, and and it's cool to see the game grow not only on the men's side, but on the women's side too. So I think they're gonna have a great time, and I think they're gonna play well. It's gonna be it's gonna be a fun match. I hope they play well, but just not quite as well as Jeff and I do.
To be honest, you know, you guys are probably wearing T shirts and it's gonna be casual, and there's gonna be dogs, and you got the kids and the girls playing in the tournament with the guy. I mean, isn't this just some sort of like mashup of like what really matters?
Yeah, I mean you said it perfectly. With all of those things coming together, that is Goat Hill, right. It's you got the kids, the dogs, the T shirts and shorts and flip flops, and it's just a it's just a casual, easy going, fun time. But also we're all there to compete, which I think everybody loves to see as well, which is I think what Goat does best.
It's it's.
It's casual but you better bring your a game so otherwise it'll eat you up.
So that's an introduction to the newbies. But before we wrap, there are a few other things to address. Back to Will Crop on the evolution of the course, leadership, Ashworth, the staff, and the emerics.
Seems like I've been here for ten years, but it's only been three and a half. So to see what John's done in three and a half years at the Goat is just incredible. And I mean it's only picking up momentum and he's the one that spearheaded it. He's the one on the tractor at six point thirty am driving plants up and down the course. So there's not any you know, surprise when the leader is you know, behaving and acting like that that the.
Place is going to be successful.
I think everybody just falls in line and rides the wave that John creates. And to see him in his happy place up at the Goat, you know, laying laying pavers down or you know, digging up dirt, it's like it's like a kid in a candy store and it's just cool to see him so happy, and that happiness just reflects into everybody else.
So from last at Bernie.
To Jay to Hunter to Bradford to all the way down the list.
I mean, we haven't even talked about.
Dave yet and what David Marsha have done, it would be there without them. So I think that everybody there, you know, piggybacks on this idea that John had. But he had so many great people around him, like the Emirates that you know, built back up North County Junior Golf.
And you know, Dave's been doing instruction at the Goat and doing the kids and creating such an inviting environment for kids and people to get into the game that it's just like an all star lineup up there and there's you know, no no surprise of where it's, where it's come and the exciting part is where it's going.
All right.
I'm David Emrick, PJ member, an instructor here at the Godhill Park and partner and host professional so and I'm the founder and I guess president of the North County.
Junior Golf Association.
We started that in nineteen ninety eight by Mike Marsha and I we kind of run the thing. We have twenty four tournaments a year. We have about fourteen hundred kids playing this year and it's a great, great event, great place to get the kids started in junior golf, and we love what we do and that's why we do it, I guess.
I asked Emeric for more details on North County Junior Golf.
The home is Godhill Park, so not too many junior golf associations have a home have support like we do from John Ashworth and we run like twenty four tournaments introductory and we also have classes we teach kids, you know, and our home motto is you know, accessible, affordable, competitive and fun event. So we make sure all the kids love playing golf. And it's a lot of times your first experience with tournament golf, so we want to make sure it's gets off to a good start and they
love the game. And we've been doing this since nineteen ninety eight and it's grown a lot. I mean when we first start out, we were just at Rancher Carlsbad had three four events a year, and as we kids got older, I wanted to have more tournaments, so we started the Championship Tour.
We play eighteen whole courses now and executive courses, so.
I think we're one of the only tours that really catered to all the kids, you know, all age and skill levels, and we've been doing it. This will be our twenty fifth year, which is really really amazing. It's been really it's been so fun.
What's your relationship with Xander and what's his involvement with North County Junior Golf and how has his involvement impacted the program in general.
Well, you know, we met Xander when he was playing at Santulist as my son Evan played dre and was coaching there. So we've developed a bond with Xander and he wanted to give back, and you know, him and step On and the whole family thought that North County you got was the right fit for them.
You know.
Just playing in the Wishbone and having the number six player in the world playing in the Wishbone at Gohill Park is just simply amazing.
It's we get thanks every day for Xander's involvement.
You know.
Our main goal now is to build the North County Junior Golf Clubhouse, which will be located on the east end of the property and it's gonna be a great event center for the community and Xander's all behind it and He's just been amazing, Like we have things like autograph, Ryder cup shoes and Ryder cup back and also Austin's Caddy's a good, really good family personal friend.
We have Thanks Stevens together and he's really given a lot back too. So we really appreciate.
Them, you know, giving and living and just being a great part of it.
I asked Emeric for his thoughts on the twins.
Well, yeah, they got a chance, right, they're playing it.
They got a chance, and they're I mean, they are some special kids and they've earned everything that they've nothing's been given to him.
They've dug it out of dirt.
I mean they in high school they call me, you know, hey, coach, we play Sunday morning.
It's five thirty.
They show up with their pajamas and you know, a bag of donuts, and you know, we used to whoop them jan I and you know that lasted a couple of years. Now they just whoop us all the time, and we're so proud of them. They are just the whole family, the whole Layot. Our family is a big part of North kind of junior golf for many years and now the great thing I think that we provide with North kind of junior golf is a place to win.
I mean the kids played in so many tournaments now, but I think the important factor is learning how to win. And Jasmine Jenney would they played, they didn't win, They were at the bottom of the list, and they you know, each year they worked their way up until you know, they were just dominating. You know, they won ten twelve events a year, and I think that gives them the conference. I think it's really important to learn how to win.
And the girls they get back. I mean anytime we ask them for anything, there more than welcome.
You know, there were caddies in the Wishbone and Xander said, it isn't that Jasmine Jay caddies for me one time.
And go yeah, now that they're playing with you, and He's like, oh boy, the get out those pursuemons.
Which brings us back to will Crop and Goats Junior Caddy and Leadership Program, which was started about four years ago, similar to the Solage Caddy and Leadership Academy at common Ground in Denver, Colorado. If you show up at Goat Hill Park and take a junior caddy, their fee of forty dollars is subsidized. All you have to do is agree to engage with them, mentor them, and if they've earned it, you can give them a tip. Everyone wins.
The whole goal of the program is to give these kids not only a job for the summer, but a place to go that they can be a part of a community and they can learn things through golf that lessons that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. And that's really There is an element of wanting them to get into golf. Sure, we do want to grow the game, but it's about so much more than anything to do with golf.
It's about learning to communicate with adults.
That's learning how to hold yourself around a golf course, how to interact with people that you're working for and that you're working with.
And golf is such a beautiful.
Canvas and I can't think of a better place to do it than goat Hill to teach these kids.
I mean, we had the Caddy.
Ending tournament this Sunday, and one thing that I really reflected on is watching these kids come in in May and kind of be, you know, deer in a headlights, not really know where they're going, what's going on, kind of shy to the members and stuff, and by the end, you know, they're part of the community. We have members come out that caddy for them, want to caddy for them, be a part of the program, and they're rooting them
on like they're their own kids. And I think that's what has been the coolest part of the academy for me running it for the first year is seeing the kids get involved, get comfortable, become a part of this great community that we have. That has been extremely rewarding into something that I wasn't necessarily expecting right off the bat, But in terms of taking it to the to where I believe it can go, is I mean, this guy's
the limit with that program. We've had so much feedback people wanting to be involved in it, so many ex caddies that just talk about how caddying was the number one job they've had their entire life and they couldn't imagine a better.
Job as a kid.
So I think that adding you know, adding some more leadership aspects, being able to get the kids up at the course more and more and more and more, that's really my huge goal for it. I mean, building this clubhouse for them to have kind of a home up at Goat Hill will be something that will take it to the next level for sure, but you know, creating
that experience more. I want them to learn more lessons that I've learned through golf and that we all have and kind of exedite that process through a summer if possible. That's really my goal with it. You know, I'd like to teach some of the stuff that maybe they don't learn in school and be able to use golf to be able to teach them that stuff.
Needless to say, Crop has been an incredible addition to the Goat community. Now back to the wishbone brawl, the crowd and the kids and the dogs and you know what, you know, what what do you have in terms of information for people listening in terms of what time they should get there and parking and is there some logistical stuff you'd like to share with anybody who listens?
No, No, yeah, I will, well I will okay, So yeah, I would say, you know, I think the gates open nine point thirty ten o'clock. I mean we tee it up at noon. We're pretty clock. We're pretty on that right, usually typically pretty close. The guys will be hitting balls on the range and warming up, and you'll be acting with them.
About eleven.
The kids will have a little contest to hit the gong, and they also are going to be coloring golf. The little kids will be doing golf balls, coloring or something like that. And then parking wise, you know, we don't have a ton of parking, so we do have enough for the first probably a couple hundred cars, which is fair about so I would either carpool or take an uber or park in the in the houses directly north of the golf course on Greenbrier, there's a couple of streets.
There's also a church that we have about a block away or two blocks away, has a huge parking lot, so that's an easy walk. And we will have a gate open on the eighteenth holl if you park in that neighborhood or the church, super easy access. We'll have some butody, you know, man at that gate and otherwise take an ober. Then you can party and go back when you want to.
You know, if you have thirteen hundred people, a thousand adults, three hundred kids, and probably one hundred dougs, that's that's that's full house.
Well, it's going to be a full house. It's kind of be a full house.
And lastly, some final reflections from everyone involved. We start
with Ashworth. This community concept and what you've done. You know, like you know the park mentality where you happen to play golf and you know, this cultivation of everybody feels like they're part of something, you know, bringing people together, the linking of souls, but also you know, the saving of a community asset, right like you know that that it all kind of feels like on days like Saturday, it's it's this it's this collision of all the good things.
You know, it's got to feel like one of those days where you kind of take a second stop, look around and is it days like that that that keep you going on some of those hard days when you know you're dealing with all the the turmoil and the troubles that come with managing a facility like that or life in general, is it a day like a wishbone brawl day that makes you kind of soak it up and keep it moving forward.
Yeah, it's definitely one that's definitely a big day that just kind of just it's such a big you know, it's such a big energy and to see the community come together and everybody enjoy it and be part of it. It is It is one of those days that kind
of just more than just makes it all worthwhile. I mean, it's just like, you know, the world's in such a crazy place right now, and to have a place like Goat Hill Park or any golf course really, I mean, golf is really such an important aspect of you know, I guess our lives right because we can get away to the golf course and to have an affordable sort of situation like we do with the Goat for everybody.
You know, I think mental health it plays such a key role in that, And I can't imagine if we didn't have a place to go to like that.
The layovout twins on the big picture, the deeper meaning of Saturday. It starts with Jasmine dan Jenne. Do you also see an opportunity to try to positively impact some some you know, not just young women but kids in general.
Yeah, I think it's so cool, like how we're given the opportunities to be in a position where we can inspire younger kids. And knowing we started kind of late, but like it doesn't matter, like when you start, and I think it'll be really cool to see them and just make make them our fans. Yeah, And I think that it's just super amazing that we were alumni of the program that this is supporting, and so I hope that they can see that we're just a product of this amazing program and.
That they can be inspired by that.
But I'm just gonna try to have fun and smile a lot and and try to try my best inspire them.
All of it is there for you. It's going to be a beautiful day. The golf course is in great shape. And again, you know, your advantages are each other, your caddies, your knowledge of the golf course, you know, the crowd support and the home crowd, and you guys are playing damn.
Good golf right, trying our best.
Here's Colin Featherstone on how and why the Wishbone Brawl matters.
Well, I think when you get a superstar like Xander involved, and then you've got another superstar like Freddie Couples involved the last couple of years, and then Jeff Ogilvie and Dean Wilson and the names that have come through here, Charlie Hoffman and Chris Riley, and those are all guys that resonate locally and nationally, so to be able to come out to a place like Goat Hill, where, like I said, it's so casual, it's just a fun place to be.
It's such a great walk and watch.
These guys hit for Simmon Woods, which you never see anymore, and you get to hear the sound off of a person would and you get to be close and it's intimate.
It's just that group.
It's not surprising to me that it's grown into what what it's grown into.
And then to top.
It off, all the proceeds go to North County Junior Golf Association, which is in my opinion, a great tour because it gives opportunities to kids to to play tournament golf that is becoming increasingly harder, I think for you know, a regular parent.
To pay for financially.
And so it's it's just a it's a good cause, a really fun day and I'm proud to be a part of it.
And here's will crop on the evolution of the course and the cause.
I mean, how many people are going to go out to Goat Hill on Saturday and be like, holy cow, what has happened in a year out here or in six months or in you know, one week with the new fire pit, it's like something's always changing out there.
And I think that that's that's that magnet. I mean, people just love to see from the owner down putting in you know, the hard work and effort, and it's not glamorous work, but it's for such a greater cause that I think it's just I mean, it's why I got attracted here.
And you gotta love a new fire pit.
Gotta yeah, yeah, gotta love a new fire pit.
And finally, Dave Emrick, Yeah, we go it to.
The volunteers too, Like we just built the fire pit. Have you seen it this morning? The new fire pit.
It is amazing that was built, what in three days, with you know, ten guys who helped members, who helped out and just got in and dug it out. And it's insane, you know. But we do it because we love it, and we'll always do it because we love it. And we just love people coming out and supporting the Goat and we appreciate you because you're a big.
Part of the family. Is you know, the old family just keeps growing and growing.
You know, it's like grandkids and great grandkids and locals and new people. It's just a it's just a I'm very thankful. It's an amazing place and thanks for all you do.
Of course, Well no, everybody, you know. I think what's really beautiful is, you know, almost everybody has an attitude of gratitude. And that's that is the you know, it's it starts at the top and people like you and John and and uh and the people like Laz and Fernie and Jay Bird and Hunter and you know, the list just keeps going on and on. There's nobody who's not trying to pitch in and participate. H And you know, the beautiful thing is when John says, hey, I need
some help, that's it. That's all he has to say is I need some help. And then the next thing he has is help. And and it's unconditional. It's unconditional in so many ways.
So yeah, it's a it's you know, it's just really it's I think a little bit of a footprint of how.
It should be.
Right.
Oh yeah, dogs, community, fun, golf, friends, all all the good stuff.
Put another log on the fire me here is get the time