All right, we are back for another episode of the Frida Egg Podcast, and we are excited today to have Stuart Hagastad as our guests. Stuart won this year's US Midam and that earned him an invitation into next year's Masters, and he's also likely candidate for the twenty seventeen Walker Cup team.
Stuart, thanks for coming on.
Thanks for having me. I'm excited to get this thing going.
Yeah, yeah, So would love if you could tell us a little bit about yourself, give everybody a little background on how you got into golf, and and we'll kind of go from there.
Sure. So, I was watching up to grow up in Orange County, California, and I grew up on a golf course called Big Canyon. Don's a great guy. He loves to play, as I laughed him about like a fourteen th SE's of five and played like a twenty. My mom's the closet athletic one in the family. She you know, she'll never admit it, but every time I see it throw footballor hit a golf ball, it's right up the middle or with a perfect spiral. So I think between the two of them, you know, I between those two
things and growing up on a golf course. I kind of just I just really gravitated towards the game. It was this kid. It was pretty good when he was young. He would always play by himself, and I'm sure he was playing worst ball or playing two balls or something, but I don't remember this, but I guess in ninety seven, when I was watching The Masters on TV, I told my parents that that was Tiger and that's the that's the story that that they like to kind of, you know,
refer back to. You know, they knew pretty early that I was, you know, pretty interested in the game. So my dad went to at Sea and I've been doing the football game since I was young. My middle school in early high school years were the Reggie Bush and Liner and Pete Carroll days. So I don't think I had, you know, much of a choice of where I was gonna end up going. So I went to see. I was a busney major. Loved playing golf, but I realized pretty quickly that there was a lot of talent out there.
So I have the opportunity to work a couple of spots when I was in college over the summer, and I knew once I graduated at wanted to stay competitive, but I wasn't quite sure how I would do that. Now aggressively, I would pursue you know, Amber golf, and I think just after college it really made me realize just how much I love the game and I'm lucky enough to still be in love with it now. So it's it's been a lot of fun. It's been a
great couple of years. But excited for the next chapter kind of going forward for sure.
Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head.
It's a lot of ams that don't have the game to turn pro. It's a you know, me being one of them. Just being able to get the competitive juices flowing while you're working, while you have a job. It just is it is great to you know, get out and enjoy competition and uh, you know you've got You've had quite the career. So tell us a little bit about, you know, playing at USC and what that was like.
Sure, yeah, you know, we we had a great team when I was there. Coach Samary and I have a great relationship. When I came in. I don't know what we were ranked, but it was it was kind of there with the teams of the Tonals, like the Oklahoma States and the Georgia had a really good team. I think if the keris English from Russell Henley, think Hudson was there Oklahoma State. The team was littered with good players.
It was like the Leon brothers and Trent White Killer and Shinea iron House and Peter u Line and I think Ricky was there my freshman year. Morgan Hoffman was there. It was just was crazy. So the expectation was high on the kids on the SC team. I think the year before I got there they had bib All Americans or something close to it. They had Matt Giles, Tom Glesmeyer, Jimmy Lovemark, Tim Sluter. I think Rory he left the year before. One of your guys. I think Ryan Linton
was on the team, I think the year before. But yeah, the standard was high, so it was it was great, and it was just it was a great opportunity to kind of figure out just how good I really was compared to the best guys out there. And I love coach Sambry and funny how as you get older, you began that kind of appreciate, you know what he told you a lot more and he was kind of like ste like, you're good but you need to get a lot better, and you need to do it in hurry.
It's uh, it's interesting. I hear from our earlier podcast. Justin Silverstein was on USC's assistant coach.
He says that you are one.
Of the best iron players statistically they've ever had there.
That's probably because of how short I hit it. I think in afford to miss, you know, miss my numbers very often. But I think he's giving me a lot more credit than I deserve with that one. I've seen some of the boys, and I love coach and I love Justin. But I guess I'll just take that compliment and can run with it.
Yeah, hey, you know you mentioned Tom.
I'll take what I can get.
You mentioned Tom Glismeyer. That's the name I haven't heard in forever. Do you know what he's up to nowadays?
I think he I think he is either working to get his amateur status back. I know he's he's kind of moved on from professional golf. I haven't really talked to him. I can find out. I know a few of the boys he's close with. Last I remember, I thought he was either I want to say, like in Texas or maybe back home in Colorado. But Tom was really really bright, and he was kind of one of the guys I remember when I was being recruited that you know, he always and I said, hey, you know,
there's life beyond golf. I'm not gonna do the communication major thing. I'm gonna be an econe major. I'm gonna set myself up to the feature. And I've always had a ton of respect for Tom. He's he's he's just done. And he was even he was even more stubly in college. He was. He was definitely one of the guys that I kind of looked up to, both from my golf and from a from a character standpoint.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's one of those guys that's you wonder how how it didn't get how it didn't work out, But that's golf, you know, happens all the time.
It's so you know, when you won the US mid m.
You know there there's the infamous video of Justin Thomas celebrating going nuts. You know her Jordan Speeth and you guys are are great, great buddies. What would you say? You know the difference in your game and their game is and you know how you know how evident is it.
Yeah, I mean I would say a few things. You know, I've been working up and know all those kids since we've put juniored off together, and first of all, touch on Jordan because that's that's the more obvious one to me. Jordan's been the the best clutter I've ever seen since he was fifteen. I like to here's a quick fun
story for you. So I don't know why they had a playoff for fourth place in this Texas Union Golf Tour event that we played in a long time ago, but basically they wanted to give away the trophy, so they threw this fourteen year old kid out with me and google it. I'm sure the pictures still up. I was wearing black shoes and a white belts, just a rookie of stick all around. I had this big surfer atro thing that I thought was cool back in the day. But we end up going out to this hole. I
make it great up and down. He you know, doesn't get up and down. I end up beating it, and I like to continually remind him just how you know, indicative that was of both of our careers. You know. Now I'm sitting here working and he's on tour, you know, doing whatever he wants. But now Jordan is the best putter I've ever seen. And when you make twenty five putters on a somewhat regular basis, it makes your mid and long irons seem I think a lot better than
they are. I mean, it's not like he's had by any stretch, but you know, when you hit it to the middle of the green, it makes it pretty stress for you when you're as good of a putter's ears. And the other thing too, is he has this innate ability from what I've seen ultimately played together and on TV,
but his short game only gets better under pressure. A lot of the better players have it where you know when the chips are down and when you know it's coming down to the fourteenth, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen hole. He saw it a few years ago at the Masters.
I mean that up and down on eighteen in the third round is impossibly hard, and as a better player, you understand just how good that is that he's in a he's just so so efficient around greens, and then as far as JT goes, he just has so much speed and it's he's just very, very efficient. And I've always kind of said for a while, he's just as good as Jordan, just maybe a couple of years behind in terms of kind of growth on the golf course,
but he'll be right there. And I it would shock me if he wasn't sewn inside the top five eight town in the world. And then the last thing is just between the two of them and a lot of the guys out there is just believe in themselves. You know, they're like the idea of of not being the top
player in the world just isn't a thing. You know, we go out and you know you're you're a good player, and you get you know, three four, five hundred power after the winter months, and you know it's kind of like, oh, you know, this is it okay to be this low? I mean, those guys, shoot, they get it to seven, eight, nine and PGA Tour events and they get their pedal to the floor. So I think it's kind of a combo of those things.
For sure, I like get scared once I hit like four under par. It's like, WHOA don't want don't want to screw this up.
I'm good for about six or seven, and then it's kind of like, oh, who do you love to keep it going.
It is.
It is quite ironic, how like you get there and then for some reason your brain like, oh, just don't mess this up and rather than being like, oh, just keep doing what you're doing, you know, it's yeah, it's it's.
The more times you do it. You know, I've gotten better over the years, but you can always get better. But it's wild to me just to get those boys on a tour when they're just you know, casually eight or nine under par on like fourteen or fifteen. And you know, every every golf blog out there, including myself, is just like, oh, boys, you're taking it low. See all love it can go.
Yeah, So you know they were Are you a little you know, upset you didn't get an invite to spring Break twenty sixteen?
And do you think you could have added some.
Valuable you know, you know, a value add to the experience if you could get a call for twenty seventeen, Hey.
I think I could add value. But you know, it's funny. I've thought about this before, and you know, buddies that have kind of kind of asked me about it. And I love having my life be very private and I try and for the most part kind of stay off social media. So at first I was kind of like, yeah, it looks fun and you know, that sounds amazing.
And then the more I kind of think about it, after you sleep on it, it's kind of like, you know, probably not the worst idea that that you didn't.
Get the advice to do. No one needs to see with your shirt off anyways.
So hey, I look, I you know, I'll leave it up to them. But yeah, that's that's where we're gonna go with that.
I can definitely say that if I get.
An INN for twenty seventeen, it'll be the second you know, I think it's good.
Mine I'm receiving in the spring.
Yeah, perfect segue. So, you know, one would say that the next nine months of your life outside of like you know, having a kid or it could possibly be the best nine months of your life, assuming you get onto that Walker Cup team. So what's it like knowing with the Masters and potentially the Walker Cup coming up like that, this is the best nine months of your life had you know, first Masters, first Walker Cup?
Sure? Well, real quick, I mean in regards to the Walker Cup, I mean what God's and Scott and I have discussed this before. You know, we put ourselves in a position where we're on the radar, but you know, there's a lot of work to be done, and you definitely have to earn your way, you know, to even be considered. I mean, it's it's an honor to event at the practice session, but there's there's a lot of things that need to be done there, I mean, from
a lot of different standpoints. But yeah, the next nine months are a're gonna be pretty cool, you know, as I've joke to you before, and like he just alluded to, you know, instid of having a kid or getting married. It's it's a good spot to be in. But at the same time, there's also a lot of expectation that I've put on myself, and you know, there's a lot of people that are making the trip down and I don't want to I don't want to make it seem
like I'm putting, you know, other pressure on me. But I think I've gotten past that stage and now I'm just really trying to use his motivation. How efficient can I be with the time that I have before that. You know, I've got a few events that I'm playing kind of leading up to the Masters, to prepare, and I really just I want to go with what the old adage says. I want to take it one day at a time. I want to focus on the little things,
be very detail oriented, be goal oriented. And and one great thing about this thing that happened last week aftert LA is you got an opportunity to to really kind of, you know, see how good some of the best guys in college golf are. And you know it'll be it'll be really neat to kind of see how to test your game and to really see how you are against the best in the world. Into learning experience. Well, I'd
be upset if I don't play the big down there. Yeah, sure, but you know it's it's something I've dreamed about ever since I was a kid. And as I just said, you know it'll be it'll be a great opportunity to test my game against the world's best. And I think if I prepare the right way and I have the right attitude going into it, I think I can. You know, I have the game and the mentality to hopefully surprise a couple of boys to do it for a living.
But either way, I mean just the week and really even after that that I kind of play some of the by parameter events throughout the summer. It'll just be a really cool special time to focus on something I really love to do. And you know, after that's over, I'm sure I'll get to reflect with friends and family over over how that time was from a learning experience
and also from a golf standpoint. So it'll be it's pretty cool, and I'm very very blessed and very lucky and really just kind of humbled to be in a position that I have, and I'm gonna try and make most of it.
Yeah, I think just soak it all in, as uh, that's probably the best, you know thing, Just you know, enjoy it because you never know, you know, I think about the speech that they gave at the mid Am. It's like, you know, you never know when you're going to be back, and you know that it's just got to enjoy every every aspect of it.
Cool, yeah, for sure, And a lot of guys have kind of echoed the same thing. You know. I talked to Maxim about his experience at the the US Open or a couple of weeks ago, was with Kim Hogarth and he was talking about his time after he won the pub links and kind of the chance to go down there, and both of them kind of said the same thing. They were both you know, kind of said, hey, you know, obviously, go and play great and have the mentality that you want to go down there and you
play to win. You know, it doesn't really matter the scale of the event, whether it's an event or literally a major. But at the same time, also appreciate the opportunity while you're there to kind of look around and to look at, you know, how gorgeous the flowers are on the side of their team, or to see friends and family that made the trip to be there and to support you. It's it's a really neat deal and you know, as I said, I absolutely want to make
the most of it. But as an old college coach who's now at Taylor coach mcgrosst, Big golf Ball has no idea who you are, so you know, just just go down there and and do the best you can. And that's all you can do is focus on what we can control.
That's that's good advice.
So we'll get more into the Masters and you know kind of what you're doing. You know, I want to first touch on your win at the US mid Am. So sure, for those that didn't see it on TV, one of the most you know, thrilling finishes of any golf tournament of the year. You were four down with five to go, right, or four down with five to go, and made, you know, four birdies in the last five holes to pull even with Scott Harvey.
Uh.
One of the best midm players in the world. And yeah, I mean he's been the medalist at the mid Am four times and I think like the last six years or something like that, something like that.
I mean, it's it's pretty it's pretty safe to it's going to schedule him in there over here.
Yeah, and be a high seed.
So yeah, yeah, sure, walk us through kind of the week, like, did you have a feeling going in, like did your game feel really good?
You know, was it something that you know, you felt like you had a really great chance to win when you got there.
Yeah, I mean, and forgiving me, I have a tendency to kind a ramble, and but yeah, I earlier this summer I played really great at the Metropolitan Ameterar. I played great and stroke play and then after that I ended up winning the thing. So it cuts from a field of call. It eighty to sixteen and then it's
kind of match play from then on end. So I had some matchplay experience, and you know, there was a few times in a few of those matches where I was medalist in stroke play, and you know, everyone kind of had I had a target on my back, so I felt like I really kind of had to bring it, you know, for every match. So I was down, you know the times kind of going into the back nine, and I was able to grind it back and I actually went to thirty eight poles in that one in
the finals. So I was comfortable in match play. But that being said, going into the week two months later at the mid am, I wasn't hitting it as great as I would have liked. In the practice round, I literally I played eighteen holes in a practice round on the big course where we had you know, that second eighteen, and then I actually only played nine for the bat nine on the other course and went in together nine blind because I was so annoyed with how I was
hitting it. So I went to the range and I worked some stuff out and my caddy was totally fine with it. He wasn't feeling his best. He was like, shoot, I've done here before. You can I can coach you around.
We've done this before, so okay, great. But I went to the range, I worked some stuff out and Sammy Schmidt's I was sitting ball next to Sam earlier in the week and he won the Midham last year, and one of the things he kind of said to me was, as the week goes on in match play, you don't really get tired because you're you're adrenaline just keeps hitting me through. And that was one of the things that
kind of stuck with me the whole week. So I knew that if I could start getting it a little bit better and kind of get into a rhythm and get into a you know, a feel where I was kind of comfortable with my game, you know, maybe we could uh we could we could make we could reach some havoc and match play. And then the other side of it too, is because I am twenty five and technically a midium. I turned twenty five earlier this year.
I spent a lot of time in the offseason last winter in New York kind of trying to put on some weight and working out again. Bit so I felt like in terms of physical fitness, I was in pretty good shape and kind of like I said, you know, I really, you know, enjoyed playing the second leg of those thirty six whole days out there. Those for me were fun, and you know, that's one of the things I'm going to look forward to do in the next
few months. But I really think, you know, that extra work in the gym was was huge as it kind of came down throughout that week.
Yeah, I bet.
I mean it's a big advantage being younger in the you know, especially when you know some of those guys, you know, some of the guys are you know, forty forty two playing And it was so hot that week.
I mean, it was so hot that week.
I had the last tea time the first round of the tournament, and I remember it.
Was just.
It was one of the hottest, you know, te off times I've ever had. It was nuts, but it was Yeah, they had to be tough playing that North course blind with those greens. What do you think overall about the golf course?
I played the I played the back nun so I didn't see the front, so one one was tricky. I think I brokeied one and I also played it in the second day in the stroke play when it was really mid afternoon. Yeah, so I don't know. I look, I played. I played better that day. I joked with my caddie as I mentioned it, I usually had faded
and I was sitting draws the whole week. On my seventeenth hole of the second day on the North Course, I get it cut into this two part three on seventeen, like the ball kind of went up into the falling left until right. I turned around in JD my cat, you know, I was like, yes, this is it. It went, It went went left to right. So I vividly remember that shot. I feel like that was kind of the turning point in my week of kind of going from
not hitting it so great. It's like kind of getting back to where I was comfortable.
Yeah, It's funny how just one shot can do it. It's uh, golf is such a goofy game.
It's crazy. It's crazy. So there's there's always, you know, value to be taken from everything, So no doubt.
Yeah, so you know, I know, we got a bunch of Twitter questions and I kind of broke them up. So, you know, in regards to the Midham uh deplorable Mick five cent, who his family member.
Faced you in the sound.
He wants to he wants to know you know what you were thinking in that match. So you were three down after six to Mike McDermott, and uh, you know kind of what changed?
What happened? What you know? How does that momentum flip?
Sure? So Mike's for those that don't know Mike, he's a heck of a player. I think he had the course record at the competitive course record at that's done well. Again according to Mike Caddy, you spend a lot of time in that area. But I mean I knew he's a tall guy. He hits it great. I think he played basketball in college and then and then an excuse me season play that from in high school and then he picked up golf and he was like a junior or senior and uh ended up going to get a
small school to play for them. But no, Mike's Mike's really really good. And I knew that match was going to be top. He knew the course, he was comfortable out there. He burdied the first two and then I made a silly treeplay on the third. I think I probably got a little aggressive, but kind of like I mentioned, earlier. I just mass play is so momentum driven, and I knew that if I could grind it back and you know,
he pick a couple of good ones. You know, maybe he made a bad swing and I was able to take advantage of it, or maybe I could get a couple of shots at twelve, fifteen, eighteen feet and make a plot or two. I just try I took it one shot at a time. I tried to focus on what I can control. But that was tough, no doubt, because he's he was comfortable as anyone out there, and that was I think in the quarters, so I was I was definitely I was kind of going up against
the hometown here. There are probably forty or fifty guys out there supporting him. So Mike's a great guy and it was a ton of fun to go up against him. And even though I got the best, H'm'm sure, I mean, I'm sure we'll go up against each other, you know, at some point in the future. But you know, he's a stud. So that was I'm lucky enough to walk away with the death you here.
Yeah, I've heard from a buddy who used to play in the Philly section that he's just unbelievable player. I think he won their Philly Am this year, which.
Is he did. That's exactly right, he did.
So what were some of your favorite holes out there?
It's a for those of you guys that don't know Stonewall, it's a thirty six hole Tom Doak facility. Really cool place, cool vibe, very cool club and uh, you know, great piece of property.
Well I thought the flap five would pretty solid.
Yeah, yeah, those things are hard. I mean what you did in that last match was incredible.
No, so let's run through it. Four was a great hole, you know where you can get three litter hybrid, and then it was a really tough, narrow green like six kind of set up. All to my I were there was a kind of a creek kind of running down the right side. In the middle of it, it was a greatful water left junk right, and then just a tough screen playing back into the wind. You obviously I'm
a huge fan at number nine. As we kind of go towards the back nine, I thought fifteen, even though it's only one hundred and call it seventy five yards, it's.
Just so hard possibly awkward.
Part three, it was.
So hard I don't know, you know, I, how do you even like?
That? Is so hard to hit that green?
So I went back and I've only watched the telecast once, and to be totally honest, it was basically to make sure I didn't embarrass myself on national TV, to make sure like I didn't do anything stupid. But I don't know if you can hear it in the telecast, but I remember the conversation with my caddie and we were kind of going back and forth between nine or eight iron and seven iron, you know, because you basically had to land it at the front of the green and literally,
so call it. You had to land it at like sixty four, which is like four yards more than I hit eighty and seven goes one seventy five. So Jade and I are going back and forth and we're like, well, we can't miss left, and you can't miss long, and you can't miss short, and you can't miss so there's nowhere to miss. Yeah, it's it's just it's such a tough part three, but it's also so fare Yeah, and you know, if you hit a good shot there, it was great.
You know.
The other tricky thing about that hole was that it was really hard to feel the wind because of it was it's.
Back in that little in that little corner.
Uh huh, it's I mean I remember distinctly like having no clue what was going.
On with the wind when I was playing that hole.
Yeah, I mean, it's it's just it's so awkward, but in such a fair way.
It's I think that fourth hole that you brought up, it's got to be one of the hardest par.
Fours under four hundred yards I've ever played.
I mean, the t is hard enough, and then that's not even a hard part of the whole year long. You're looking at five at best or six. Yeah, if you're looking at it impossibly awkward pot if you missed right, it's just it's just it's just top. Just there's no way about it. It's just top.
I think that golf course in general is a perfect example. People always are like it's got to be seven thousand yards, Like that course at sixty eight hundred yards was like everything you can you know, handle, Oh.
Yeah, I mean, and I didn't even mention, you know, seventeen and eighteen. I think eighteen was probably my favorite hole on our golf course. But it was just it was a great mix of kind of mixing with the t's and you know, hitting drivers in three wood and then you know there are a couple of three yrons there. It's not like it forced you to hit free wood
or driver anywhere. I saw twenty of guys on number three the part five you know hit hybrid just because of how Walkward had gone, you know, but it's also a few bus driver and bus three that you can get up there. But no, it was It's it's a really neat spot and I really enjoyed being out there. I thought it was. I enjoyed the was it the new but it's the only played the match play mm
hmm a little more. I could just hit my eye a little bit better, but just really just a unique you know from the clips.
Yeah, so with that match with Scott, you know, a quick question, have you ever seen him hit a wedge not inside of ten feet?
He's the best. He's the best cameur player under pressure I've ever seen. He doesn't he just when the chips are down. And we and we've gone off each other a few times this summer. We played each other and he played the funnel round at the Thomas together and then we went to an aggregate playoff and I end up losing on this first sudden dep playoff. We went to a twenty three for eight playoff at the us Ameter this year and not even one shots just around
the green bunker, shots chips. You know. I he's just he's so good under pressure with the with the lowbleedge of his hand, and I was going to, you know, get him. I'll sacrifice three or four years of my youth to you to have your wedge game inside eighty five yards. It's it's it's it's as good as Simps were players.
Yeah, it just seems like every time he's got a wedge in his hand, it's like four or five feet away. So with the with with the final kind of five, like you know, what was going through your head? You know you're hanging in there, and you know he's just such a tough competitor. Did you know it just seemed like you just started to hit shots a lot really close. Yeah.
Well, I feel like I was sitting it pretty good all day. It's me anything to the fall. And what I kept telling myself really throughout the day was, you know, not to play again. It's just so and I'm driven, and if I can turn that four down lead for four down deficit, I guess and do a two down deficit. Being two downs still brutal, but it's the hecking a lot better than being four down, and that momentum it scares you a little bit. And you know, we've all
played match play, we all know what it's like. And again, the difference between one down and three down is a lot. I just, you know, I figured if I could give myself a chance, I had a feeling all day that the match was going to go the distance, even though it didn't particularly look like it. Both my parents gave up on me, not once, but twice. They give up to me. They gave up on me, you know, after twenty seven, and then when I missed that plot on thirteen,
they were like, yeah, he's done. So it was, as I said, I just I really wanted to leave everything I had out there, so I had a feeling it might go the distance. But again, if I could just scare them, I thought I had a change. So kind of after I breaded fourteen and fifteen, I made a couple of goods the whole they started getting a little bit bigger and I guess you could just say I kind of got hot at the right moment, and the chips were down and the pressure kind of came up.
As people talk about at the zone. I don't know. The reality is, I really don't remember a whole lot of the last forty five minutes. I wish I could give you more yea for putting a shot on seventeen. I just what I mean, I really don't remember a whole lot of it. I remember everything being very simple. I remember JD would get me a yardage and I'd be like, okay, you know, how do you like that tree in the distance, and get it looks good? Okay, Like everything became very very easy. I guess you could
say I don't know, but it was. It was a crazy afternoon. And the only other thing I'll say about that is it's it's probably the most memorable phone call I've ever made in my mom and dad afterwards, it was it was pretty cool. So I wish I could give you more, but I swear to you, I just don't really remember a whole lot of it.
Yeah, it's I can imagine.
I mean, it probably just feels like everything bunds together, and I mean so much, so much pressure and so much you know, adrenaline that it probably you know it, I couldn't even imagine.
So I just I remember, like one of the few things that I that I do remember is I just really tried to work on my breathing. It's just you know, just try didn't slow down everything I did. But I don't know, it was it was crazy.
So yeah, so you win on the thirty seventh hole with a birdie, and you know, winning the US Midam gets you a bunch of exemptions into you know, USGA events for years to come, but obviously the big one of them all is you know, the invitation to the Masters.
So like, how long did it take for to you know, set in where you you know, before you know where, Wow, I'm I'm playing in the Masters.
After after I made the putt and Hug Scott and my caddie and I had a bunch of friends kind of come down, there's a point where I kind of snapped out of it and I looked up the hill where a lot of the crowd were right before, you know, the little Chilphy presentation on it on the ninth green, and it kind of hit me that it was like, oh wow, like what just happened? What it was? It was like I had woken up, and it definitely, it definitely took some time to kind of later, you know,
kind of figured out. But you know, I had a bunch of buddies that were kind of text me like, hey, what are you doing tonight? You're going out up on I told all of them, you know, the only thing I want to do. And I told him the next day because that night was just you know, talking to my family members. But I was just like, you know, all I want to do is stay on a couch and you know, just revel in what this feels like. And it was I still think myself, it's it's us
the dream come true. It's something that you know, you think about as a kid, and it's it's pretty special.
So have you gotten the invitation yet for Augusta and the Masters.
Yeah, I haven't perceived, and I have been told that it comes around Christmas. But basically I talked to a few you know, out of the numbers and UH and and committee guys down Canada Agusta and basically what they sent me a couple of weeks after the mid Aam was an invitation to receive the invitation. Just in terms of dates and stuff, we got four. But I've spoken to a few of those guys and you know, I you know, I'm as I said, I'm I'm looking forward
to April. So we're in the clear. And I didn't put my foot in my mouth too much so.
That so Silverstein told me that you've got to play Augusta when you were at USC So, uh, you know you've seen the course before, is that the only time you've played it?
And what do you what do you think about the golf course and how it fits your game?
So you'll like this. I don't think I've told you this before, but the first time I actually played Augusta, my senior year, art director Pat Hayden took us down there. And the first time I actually played Augusta was with another senior on the team, our assistant coach at the time, and a guy who gets to play Augusta every year
as a marker, Jump Knox. That was pretty cool and it's it's it's by far the most narous I've ever been over first tea shot, the guys from the clubhouse kind of came out and they watched us and it's just it's it's I think the lock or what I remember is the walk from to up at your t shop, the kind of door around the corner, and the golf course kind of opens up to me. That's what I imagine for an avid golfer and someone who plays competitive,
that's what I imagine. Haven't looking like, Yeah, it's I don't know what I kind of can can't say, but it's I again, like I said, I pinched myself every every time I think about the opportunity to go down there. And as far as the way that I liked it vades, you know, it's it's going to come out or people have made big deal out of how the golf course allegedly favors guy who moved the goall from right to left.
I mean, I agree with it in practicality, and you know the way that the golf course kind of sets up. But last my check, there's a guy who won there six times that pretty exclusively hit all right. Yeah, so yeah, I look, I I've got a little bit of speed. I'd like to put on a few more pounds and a few more yards because I think it'll turn some spots where having eight irons that a seven iron in your hand, you know, it lands a little softer, allow
you to go after a couple more pains. But when I played the golf course, I understand it's it's probably very different than the golf course to All Sea in April. But you know, if their ways are good ties, and I feel like I'm a pretty decent iron player, so I'm not going to change a whole lot. And it kind of goes forward. If I have to lay up on their team, well, then I have to lay up on their team, or you know I can't get to do well, then I'll just play up to a good
web yardage. You give yourself eighteen fifteen putters a prty. You know, it's theory you should play all right.
Yeah, yeah, I think it's it's a it's an interesting golf course. I think it's such a great tournament golf course because you know, it's tremendously fair in the sense of it's got a lot of width off the tee and you know, you can play any shot off the tee and the thing it does that, you know, I think it does better than almost any other tournament golf courses. The shot is out in front of you, and it says, you know, hit this shot and if you pull it off,
you receive the greatest reward. You can make eagles, you know, you can just really score, but if you don't really it just kills you. If you if you try and pull that shot off and you you miss it, you know you're gonna make a double.
Yeah. No, there's definitely a lot of a lot of focus and commitment, you know, that's required on a lot of those shots. And I'm sure, like you know, anyone listening to this on my birthday's April ten, so it's always right around the gotta and what I want to do during that week is nothing to sit on the couch and watch, you know, both friends try and compete. So I'm excited to kind of see, you know, after
all those times. But then I'm sure quarterback so to speak, you know, how how we can can it go and deliver and focus over some of those shots. And I'm sure that you know, it's easy for me to sit here now and say it, but you know, I'm sure that when I played twelve in the event, it'll be it'll be a little different than be sitting there and saying, oh,
it's just a smooth aida I a little green. So yeah, we'll be a couple buddies and they're just like, yeah, that's that's not exactly how it goes to Peo would know.
I I you right, Yeah, I bet it's a lot like what we were talking about with fifteen at Stonewall, where it's just very very very hard.
I mean you sit there and you're like, oh, it's just an inn and of the front of the green, it's like, well, you know, throw eastern side crowd boond you that's that's judging every movie you make and then can talk. So I'm sure the ones is swirling in six different trips. I don't know. I'm just I guess that's small targets, focused ones you can control. Trying to give yourself a bunch of fifteen eighteen flitters.
Yeah, we got a bunch of Twitter questions around the masters, so it would just kind of go through some of these quick Here Andy Roderick wants to know, what does your master's prep look like. I know you've hit on kind of putting on some pounds and getting some.
More speed in the swing. What else are you planning to really work on?
Well, no, secret that bag cutting is at an absolute premium out there, So a lot of speed work and not just you know, like your ten fifteen twenty footers. It's I I fend a plot a little bit from around the greens. You know, I'm like just off. So it'll be a lot of longer one you know, forty forty five fifty putters that I'd really like to Can they get some good working, you know, judging lives around
the green and stuff like that. There's going to be times where I have to you know, probably pitch out or play safe or you know, not hit my best shot, or maybe on a part our plot. You know, right up, So I really want to get my web game shark, you know, controlling it'spend controlling the trajectory, fitting specific yardages, knowing the difference between what eighty three eighty five yards fields like. I know that's not rapidly specific, but the
level that these guys are. You know, one of the reasons that Dustin Johnson's had such a great year is because he would go out. He would tell himself to register in the artages and he would look on trappings as exactly as it gets, and you know, he was
kind of figure out what those things felt like. And those are the kind of things that ties both on tour and the theameter in college level kind of becomes so elite at and if I can kind of lock in on some of those numbers and play to my strength, I'm not going to try and figure out how to hit a control drawn thirteen because there's just no point. You know, does it does it help? Could it give me an extra ten or fifteen yards?
Yeah?
Sure, but how many times can you hit that shot under pressure versus gitting a five or four iron and versus like a six or seven iron. It's just the risk of war doesn't make a ton of sense. So I'm going to try and really focus on the strength that I already have, improving the things that need improvements that are really just works, such as wedges and speed, and then beyond that, one of the things that I
haven't really touched on is pretty couples. Listen to the California you know, when Phil gets healthy, listens to the California Bollhoffler, who was up a couple of years ago, box home up. You know, can't wagh. There's guys who are in the area that I can surround myself with them beginnings, are comfortable with them and have the opportunity
to kind of pick their brain of what's important. Those types of things are absolutely invaluable, and I'm convinced that being comfortable around those guys is going to play a huge part in allowing yourself to move beyond what the situation is and to focus on what you can control and really give you the opportunity to really walk in on yourself and to play the best golf that you can't.
Yeah, I think that's a great point.
I think a comfort level and golf is so important because it, you know, it has such an impact on you know, how you're thinking, how you're feeling, you know, how you're swinging and that. I think that's a great you know called just you know, surrounding yourself playing a lot of rounds with with the world class players, so they you you know, you feel like you belong and you're not. There's no wow, you know shock factor.
Yeah, Like, I mean, I'm not going to sit here and pretend but you know, I'm I'm as good as still because it's just not true. He's got a trophy case to prove it, and a couple of sports coats to prove it so that, But am I capable of going out and competing with those guys for four days? If I'm sharp? I mean I feel like I can. You know, everyone's everyone has stretches where they where they play great. And like I said, I'm not going to sit here and pretend I'm as good as tour players
because I'm not like stats. It's true. You can look at my world ranking and it's just not true. But you know, as I mentioned before, the golf well doesn't know who you are. And if you give yourself the opportunity to put yourself out there and to play great and to prepare the way that you feel comfortable doing.
Maybe you know, on Thursday on the range and you're hitting balls next to it, you know Jason Day or a Rory or Big or Tiger, you know, someone that everyone in my generation has looked up to at the time they first started playing. You know, if you feel comfortable in a situation and you can focus on your routine, that's what I really think will give you the best opportunity to play great.
Yeah, I agree, so Ed Lure Tracker, the you know, wants to know if you're going to be doing a gofund me campaign.
Nope, I think that one backfired. I'm Sammy, Yeah.
I h no, I won't be doing that. Yeah, I love I'll altern my dad into the beuts on this one. I love my dad, and my dad's going to be on the bag for me for the three contests. This is the only time in twenty five years that I've ever held a Trump card over again.
I short answer is no, No, So your dad's doing the Part three?
Who you know?
Powell Arms is wondering what time he shows up to Caddy, and I think, you know, if if you're not going with Powell, who will be on the bag?
I'm gonna use Mike Caddy John Doherty, who have used a good bit in the in the metropolitan area over the course of the last couple of years. He's got even fifteen nine USGA events, And you know, it's obviously a dream of mine to be able to go down there and to play. But you know, as a longtime guy,
he's he's a pretty seasoned you know, Caddie. You know it's also the dream of his and I think it'll be really neat to kind of share the experience with him, to go down there and see if we can, you know, kind of do the less we can. And there's there's no one else I even considered.
M h Yeah.
I think having someamiliarity with your game and everything is huge too. So you know, how how many you know, you get to play down there as much, you know, as as you can. How many trips do you plan on making or hoping to make in the next few months.
Well, I'm gonna you know, I've got two on the books right now, maybe a good family friend who's who's down there, so it'll be one. But you know, I'm gonna try and get down there as much as I can without without stuff on on anyone's toes. I get a very sacred place, and I absolutely respect and and respect your rules. So you know, the last thing I would ever want to do is overstand my welcome, which I don't plan on doing. But I'm gonna try and
get down there a little bit. And you know, like I said, you know, we've all we've all fat on the couch and watched all, you know, twenty two hours of pre you know, turned in Postmasters coverage. So going down there essentially being in a museum of something that we've all idolized for so long. You know, I'd like to kind of get over the the hump of you know, this is where field at that shot on thirteen, That's where Tiger chips on sixteen, and that's where probably hit
the you know, one shot on ten. And you know, I'd like to go down there and focus on the golf course and as I said, you know, focus on where I want to hit it, on my game and what it takes to play great. But I'm sure I'll get down there a little bit, you know, here in the spring and the kind of gets closer to peopm.
So last week you were in you were at the Walker Cup practices and I would love to talk a little bit about that. So the Walker Cup is in twenty seventeen, and that's at the course you grew up playing La Country Club. So you know, where does kind of the Walker Cup rank on like bucket list things to do? Say if you get the nod uh and get one of the spots on the ten person team.
Sure, well, you know, as I mentioned earlier, you got to earn your way on. So to even be considered and to be in the discussion is it is a very very high honor and dream in and of itself. But I would rank it. I mean, is it possible to have two one a's in terms of well, I mean and be Augustine and you know, and having the opportunity to represent your country for the Walker Cup. So I I've had two goals for the last year, and I'll continue up two goals for the next nine months.
And we've just we've just talked about them. It's to go. I'll do Augustin to play great and to do the best I can and to do everything I can, you know, on and off the course to try and have the opportunity to remotely on that team to represent you know, to dates and to represent you know, the U. S g. A, and to to try and bring back the Walker back to what it belongs.
Yeah, they got kind of drubbed the last uh we could have got drubbed the last time out. So hopefully we can bring the cup back here with with an up up close uh in person. You know, look at all these college kids. I mean, it seems like every year they're just getting better and better. What were some guys who were some guys that just you know, really impressed you that we're invited to the practice.
Yeah, I think you just hit the nail on the head. They're all so incredibly talented, and it's it's very humbling and very eye opening to see their games but close and the fact that they constantly reminded me that this is offseason is even more scary. They're just they're all
super talented. I mean I could I could go and talk to all of them or talk about each and every one of them, but I mean Mad and John john Hood are so efficient around the greens, like how well Sean and Jimmy staying and Gavin I'll drive it. I mean, IOK, IOK, just elite. You know legge players Doug Gammon and Joan Layer, are Xalatorius and Dalkey, how
well they get it. How the way that you know, like Colin and Hardy can have the feel of the tour player, and the way they compose and conduct themselves. I mean, you can just go go on and on, you know that all these guys and I won't, I won't touch on all of them, but I have the opportunity to play with all of them, and it's just so impressive and more than any of that, they're just great kids. I mean, they're there's so much fun to be around. They're great guys. That's it's a great group.
You know, a lot of a lot of personalities from around the country and you know these guys from Texas and Chicago and you know Florida Northern. It's just it's a really special, cool group. And the way that that Mad and Scott you know, and talk about the event and the level of respect that importance the past walker
covers kind of coming out to support. It's just it's a really special thing and you can feel and really get a sense of just how amazing, you know, the opportunity to try and earn your way onto that team really is. So you know, hopefully I did okay out there, and obviously it's it's you know, there's a lot of
time between now and when the selection is made. But as I mentioned, you know, I uh, I'm gonna do everything in my power that I can to have the opportunity to represent the club and the other players in the U s g A and you know, can ultimately be at Yeah, it makes me, it makes me come a step back. It's it's a it's a special thing. And night I have nothing but respect for anyone that's ever represented the US on one of those teams.
So we we got a request from one of your fellow Walker Cup hopefuls, Dylan Meyer, wants us to have you do You're two hours later and rock Bottom impersonations from SpongeBob.
Two alas, we welcome Dylan. Dylan and I figured out within about a matter of fifteen minutes that we have the exact same sense of humor, and we played alternate shot together and since I think the entire dis I just making fun of each other, you know, we would just sit there and be know she now is at.
It's uh, he seems like a great kid.
Yeah, that and that, and then then Hardy's you know, I'm a huge fan of the boys. Over being in New York for two a half years, you know, your your sarcasm changes a little bit and you understand just how big of a deal you know, Pat football is in hockey and all that, and Hardy and I, you know, a big book, big end of the blog Barstool Sports, and they came out with a funny little video you
know of Canadian tourism or whatever. We played each other and I mean, we're high fiving and slapping each other on the backs and all good shot the brdle get yourself the bull today.
That that video is great.
Well look what you got on underneath your jacket more jeans?
Sorry, yeah, you might have a future. And uh like that Frank Callendo guy and some with some impersonation.
I will never touch Frank. I could watch those videos time and time again. That guy is such a talent. It's unbelievable. No, we just got it's everyone. I put it inside jokes and that's anyways we got to kick out of it. Was it was cool.
I'll put a video of the the Gordo video in there for everybody in the in the podcast link, so anybody that hasn't seen it can see it. It's uh, it's pretty funny and pretty ship. Yeah, sportsmanship is the key theme. So so if you were gonna bet the house on one of the guys from the practices winning a major, who would it be?
You know, you you only get to pick one guy, and you know, to win a major, who is it? M M, I don't know.
Man, I'm gonna give you such a non answer with this one. I mean, I mean, obviously MAVs, you know, number one world ranking is is obviously pretty strong. But I just like I look back to playing with each one of those guys, and all of them just brings something different to it. And like I said, if that's them an off season when they're quote unquote not sharp, oh boy, we're in a world of hurt. You know, as we look forward to the summer. I don't know.
I mean, I guess just based off his ranking, I honestly can't even answer that because I still follow them in college and I mean, any given a week, one of those guys, they're all so good. You know, we've we've kind of talked about it before, and it's follow some of the stuff that you and the guys over no laying up to, and I mean, it's it's amazing how guys can break onto the scene and get confidence
in themselves and start playing great. So I mean, I can tell you if not scatter I because we're fromit ams and we're pretty comfortable where we're at, but that all those guys are so talented and it'll be super fun just to kind of watch the progression as they get older.
So I wanted to talk a little bit about golf courses and want to be mindful of your time here. So you know, obviously l a CC has got a new course. Not a lot of people have seen it. I think it's only open to member play. Now, tell audience a little bit about that South course.
How do you like it?
Oh, it's awesome. I've only played it a couple of times, but a piece of land it's on between Woolsure and Santa Monica Boulevard is it's pretty spectacular, don't ants kind live in and changed around a few things and you know, made some different adjustments to certain holes in the layout. He took out a ton of trees and it has a really similar feel to the North course, but it's much more adjusted towards member play. It's just really fun and it's got some great vistas, you know, that kind
of wools Santa Monica corridor. The dreams aren't nearly as severe as the North. That doesn't have near the length of the North. But you know, if I had a chance, you know, to play all the courses in LA and I could sneak out there. Anyone I've ever taken out to go check it out. I mean it took Scott out there, you know, from before the practice session started. He loved it, and he kind of said that, He's like, why you ad you ever leave? This is is amazing.
So I've got nothing but the great reviews on the South and I think it's a really sneaky, really solid course.
So having now lived in uh, New York and you know you also have lived in l A, those are two of the greatest, you know, golf cities in America.
What do you think is the best city of golf.
It's not even close. It's a week including Long Island.
I always say our hour within metro Center, so we.
Throw it within an hour and a half. It's not even close within it within an hour. I still think it's really hard to beat New York.
Yeah, I think now that.
Now, Now that being said, Chicago is is a very close second. I would say Atlanta's got some good ones. I'd have to think about this.
But I think Philly, Yeah.
The discussion, for sure. Boston's in the discussion. For sure. There's a lot of ones in Boston you don't really think about, to be honest, but I think it's New York and I don't really even think it's negotiable.
Yeah, it's if you if you include all of Long Island. It's it's a it's game over. I think if it's if it's an hour there, there can be discussion. But you know that that Long Island UH list is is unbelievable.
So what are your I'll throw you a sneaky one that you don't think of of the world if you take out you know, Great Britain and Ireland. Obviously, there's so many that are so close over there, but I would throw Sydney or Melbourne in there.
Oh yeah, you get the sand Belt courses. Yeah, you got Melbourne. That Kingston Heath place that had the World Cup looks absolutely spectacular.
Yeah. I just go over there, and I mean I just I've never heard anything but just overwhelmingly raising her views.
Mm hmmm.
Yeah.
One of my one of my one of our subscribers to the newsletter wrote up he went on an eight day trip there.
I think he played ten courses.
He did a big write up that we're going to put up later this week on UH on just his experience and the pictures he shared just looks so spectacular. It's definitely high on my bucket list.
Have you been over there?
I haven't. I I haven't I'd love to go to my shortlist of things. I'm a big surfer. I'd loved it, stop and Fiji and check out you know, some of the breaks you're going over there. But I can pretty confidently tell you it's not gonna happen in the next nine months. But as I look forward, I loved it. I loved it. You know, make that a real you want to be really cool.
Well, the beauty of Australia is it's summer when it's winter here. So you know, maybe, uh, maybe next year this time it would be a good good time to go.
Absolutely, we'll see if we can see if we get something on the books to be a kick to get down there and check it out.
But yeah, so.
Let's just do some real quick rapid fire and then uh and then I'll let you go. You know, you've been been on for an hour now, so we'll do some rapid fire questions and uh and get you out of here.
So who is your favorite player on tour? To watch.
Sugar when he's playing, well, I mean shoot the whole golf roll. When he was down at Albany, I was involved four or five different group text of you know what was going on I mean everyone was watching. If you were working that there's day Farne, you wing yourself, because you were if you're an avocult and we all know you were streaming it at the office on some kind of device.
Yea. But yeah, But.
I've always really enjoyed watching watching Adam Scott. I love his demeanor out there. I love the way he gets it. Obviously, love his swing. You know, if you want to include by you that I always love to watch, you know, kind of Jordan and Justin and send it. You know
it's gonna watch Smiley, but I'll play it. It's a lot of fun to watch guys who I kind of grew up with as they're making their way kind of through the tours, you know, whether it's mini tours of the way when they received sponsors, exemptions, they're going to see how they do out there and the big guys and now they handled themselves and it was really cool to watch, like Michael Johnson last year, and you know how well he played, you know, I think he took
like T three or T four, and but but you know, events like that or like a Bobby Wyant. He made a noise at some point. But as far as favorite players. Go, I'm always gonna be a Tiger guy, but I love that of Scott's game. He needs to be fun to watch.
Yeah, it's uh Scott is.
I mean, man, if that guy made a couple more putts, he'd have so many wins.
It's crazy.
Finish in Florida earlier this year when he was on it, you know, I mean, the guy's a Scott in the total state.
Yeah, it's so. You've been been to Midam for a year. What's your favorite midam tournament outside the US Midam?
Sure, Yeah, you beat me to that one. I had a chance to playing the George Thomas earlier this year at Eli Country Club and play with a few of the guys Chris Minicholson, Mike McCloy, Barbee and just the
camaraderie of the whole. You know, I guess you could take tour scene which is really special and it's a lot of guys with up kind of growing up looking up to, and it's a really unique opportunity to uh to kind of get to know some of those guys and pick their brains and how they really balance, you know, playing at a high ameter level, but also you know, their their time professionally, and it's a really kind of unique, you know tour and I just feel just feel very
very you know, blasting and kind of its honored to be, you know, a younger guy on that scene and to try and live up to the standard that they've set before me. Yeah, forget the fact that they're all just great cats, they're just fun to be around.
Yeah, it's it's good, good time. Midam golf is it's fun. It's I think the vibe of of Midam tournaments as good as I guess. You know, everybody wants, everybody wants to play well, everybody's really competitive, but after the round, everybody's laid back, you know, just there to have a good time and hang out.
Oh no doubt. I mean I swear having having a beer or two, you know with some of the guys. You know, after it's all sitting down with the sun goes down, this stories that kind of come out and you know, hearing about them and their families or where they're from and talking like well, it's it's a tific my group. It's super fun.
So outside of of Harvey, who we've talked about which which Midham has the most game, Like who who kind of was like you. You may may have heard of him, but you're like, wow, this guy can really play.
I'm gonna give you a few guys, your boyd or you know, our good friend to Mitchell carries himself like a through player and he's just just a great athlete. And I think as I get older, from a physical standpoint, I'd love to, you know, kind of be as as physically as haptics as he is.
He hits his driver so well, he hits a driver so well.
He just looks like a tour pro, you know him and him and Brad Wilder, Like you look at those guys on the range and you're just like you definitely played the cash cans. So those two guys for sure. I'll put Mike McCloy's short game up against the majority of the PGA tour. It fascinates me how well he he ships in his bunker play and how well he pitches it. I mean, Mike, I have so much respect for Mike. I mean, he missed playing. He was in a playoffs to go to the US Open this year
for an altern shot which ended up getting in. But I mean he played in the Senior Open this year. But he nearly played in the US Open. It's just it's so much game and it's just it's super fun to watch a guy that I've gotten pretty close to on the East Coast being betting back there in the city is an old if. He's an older guy named George Sanranger. And George works so hard on this game. Is he has a great just great tempo, a great rhythm.
It's a great plutter. But I've always been ask him, like, George, how how are you competitive? For so long? He is response about missine beat was like you get it up and down from the garbage camp. He just ships and pitches it so well. And whenever I see him, I always try and kind of pick his brain. You know, a lot different shots around the greens, and it's just just fun to be around and like to see how
some of these guys get it in the hole. And I'm trying to think Gene Elliott uses a long clutter and he's a long cutter, so I you know, like to I mean jeans just best in every way. He's like so much fun to be around. But yeah, it's it's it's a great group. But I would definitely those are kind of the first guys to come to mind and in some of the some of the ways that their games are kind of geared towards for sure.
Yeah, I feel like Mike McCoy would be just the word guy to see in match play just be like, oh God, just grind it, grind it out.
We played together at the Thomas, and I'll never forget there was beside the fact to put every bunker shot to like and I was just like, wow, amazing. But he was behind the green on one. I don't ever played la to a that left pin me and the shots impossible. You need to just have the ball, fight that base and pick up as much as you can. And he hit this little ship shot where he just took the legs from under the ball and this thing bounce once and stop on a dime, and then it
rolled the next six feet like it literally stopped. The ball stops because the slip was supposed to be rolled another six feet to it. But and I just kind of shook my head and I'm just like, oh my gosh, that's I don't have that shot. That's so impressive.
Yeah, that's uh, that's a guy I played with at the mid aam He was. He was hitting it everywhere, and like we get off it and he was. He hit some of the like probably like four or five of the most incredible flap shots I've ever seen, like Darren Overson who's from Utah, and you could tell he was fighting a swing.
But like he put he didn't he didn't make match play.
But like you know, if I if you put me where his ball was, I would have probably shot ninety ball days. And this guy just was getting up and down from everywhere. I mean, it's it's incredible how some of these guys get it done. And it it just his short game saves you so many shots.
You know, you can hit it. You can hit it pretty much everywhere.
So if you had to play one course every day for the rest of your life, what course would it be?
M I guess his tough to be Cyprus is really fun. I love going out there. What a neat spot. I played National Ball blanks out on Long Island. It's got such a unique kind of cool vibe to it. It's just it's really fun. It's a great match play course also a great stroke play course, and you've got to go out and post a number the vistas and the finishing holes are are absolutely amazing, you know, having a having a south had on the porch, as as anyone
that's settlement out there, you know, as has done. I mean, as the sun goes down over there, you know, come over the sound, you gotta take a step back and just realize how how lucky you are to be there. But one that one that I guess is kind off the beaten pat that I'll throw you is this place up in Montana called Rock Creek. It's it's a really really neat spot and it's just a really fun golf course.
It's not super demanding off the tee, but especially you can make a bunch of birdies, but there also has plenty of teeth and plenty of length things. It's twenty tea boxes you can play for or play from. Just a really just a fun golf course and a really great kind of finishing stretch.
That's a that's a good little sleeper there. National National Golf Links is like number one on my bucket list. I'm a huge seth rain er CB McDonald fan. So it's kind of like the Mecca.
It's it's a special place and I've got the opportunity to play out there a couple of times, and it's just when you get there, and you will, it's just a just a really neat, cool golf course, just a special place.
So I think you know, I want to get you out of here. We've been talking for an hour fifteen. I really appreciate the time, and we'll look forward to kind of tracking your progress as we get closer to the Masters.
And thanks so much for coming on. Anybody that doesn't follow Stewart on Twitter and Instagram, give a follow.
I know, I know we'll probably be seeing something from you when you get your get the best Christmas gift you're going to get this year.
Yeah, I love my mom with goad that that one's awfully tough to beat.
So thanks, thanks so much for coming on. I really appreciate the time.
Oh well, thank you very much for having me. And you know I look forward to seeing you down the road and can't wait to follow from your content as it goes on. So thank you very very much.
Hey, I have a good one and I have a great holiday season.
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