Zac Blair

So we're back for another episode of the Frida Egg Podcast, and this week we're really excited to have PGA Tour player and golf course architecture fanatic Zach Blair on the podcast.

Zach is heading into his.

Third year on the PGA Tour and he is also you know, has aspirations of building his own golf course, which is going to happen called the Buck Club. So he you know, kind of fits perfectly with what the Frida Egg's all about, PGA Tour talk and architecture. So, Zach, thanks for coming on.

Yeah, no problem, thanks for having me.

So, you know, with the with the na lull here, with the PGA Tour season kind of you know, in the silly season, what are you doing these days to keep yourself busy?

I mean, honestly right now, just kind of taking care of regular stuff in life, you know, getting ready for the holidays, shopping a little bit and just kind of hanging out with family and friends, but getting ready to get it back going. So excited about that.

Cool. So what's the what's the golf season like in Utah these days in November and December kind of non existent?

I mean, you know, up until two or three weeks ago, it.

Was actually pretty nice. I mean it was around sixty degrees, which is I think pretty seasonably warm for around here. But it's snowing now, so not too much golf here at the moment. But that's kind of nice to be able to get a break from it.

As they do, you kind of try and stay sharp with a winter. Do they have like winter facilities or anything there.

Yeah, we just live right down the road from BYU, so you know, when I want to go practice, I kind of just hop in there at the indoor practice facility with the golf team out there bringing me on. So that's pretty nice to have when I need it.

Yeah, Yeah, it's it's nice that you're right by old stomping grounds, so exactly love to hear a little bit about, you know, your story about how you got into golf. I know, you know, your father had a big influence into that, and you know, going from college, you're one of the you know, rare guys that earned a PGA Tour card in less than a year. So I'd love to hear a little bit about your journey to the PGA Tour and how you got started in golf.

Yeah, I mean like you said, my dad was a big influence in my in my life and in you know, golfing. With with everything going on, I kind of just followed him around. He let me kind of caddy and stuff like that, and you know Section Utah section events or state opens and stuff. So I just kind of followed him around and just you know, like a lot of kids do, just tried to copy their dad.

And so it worked.

Out and kind of took a liking to it. Maybe, you know, sometime in junior high or close to high school is when I really, you know, thought about doing it seriously. I mean I'd been around it my whole life, so I thought I might as well not give it a try. And yeah, so it worked out. I went to BYU, and like you said, I was able to graduate and get my tour card that year following graduation, which was always nice. But I kind of took a different route than a lot of people.

I turned pro after a Q School.

Actually I went to Q School as an amateur and made it to finals, but kind of had a you know, an average tournament. I think I finished somewhere in the middle of the pack, around seventieth or something like that. So I was actually just gonna stay amateur and other year until I saw some of the people that finished, you know, where I finished at Q School were getting starts on the PGA Tour Latin America with how they'd finished at Q School, with their status.

Uh.

So I told my dad, you know, I asked him if he thought that would be a good idea, and you know, he basically just told me, yeah, you can do what you want, but you got to make sure you graduate. So I had to. I had to go down and play on the PJA Tour Latin America and graduate at the same time, which was, uh it was a little difficult, but I was able to make it work and basically I played pretty good down there for

A couple of web dot com events.

I was able to get a sponsor's exemption into Utah, and I was able to get into the Nova Scotia Web dot Com Tour event because I think there was like a hurricane or something that was supposed to hit up there, so a bunch of people withdrew and since I had conditional status. I was able to reshuffle in and kind of play the last half of the Web dot Com Tour season and was able to get into the.

Finals and get my card.

So it all worked out.

It was pretty awesome.

Yeah, that's it, And it's a kind of a cool story. It's a unique one in the sense that you know, you stayed amateur for a while, and you know you did. It's it's so many guys come up with the conditional status with Q school this week, I'd love to hear a little bit about, you know, your experience going through it and kind of just the pressure of each stage and kind of what it's like and and obviously you were an amateur, so you were in a little bit

It, you know, Q School.

Yeah, so for me, I had to go through every stage. I had to go pre qualifying, first, second, and finals. So man, it was it was an exciting ride. I you know, I played pretty well at pre qualifying. I remember kind of made it through that fairly easy. And then first stage and I got off to i mean just a horrendous start. I think I shot forty one or forty two. On my opening nine, I was just just like basically shot myself in the foot coming out

So that was nice to get through there.

And then second stage again I kind of you know, played pretty well and got through, you know, pretty easily, and then final stage, I don't really know, I.

Just played very average.

Obviously, there's a lot of good players, and you know, I didn't have my best stuff that week, and I finished like seventy, you know, mid seventieth, you know, middle

Yeah, I mean, I think that the Q School is.

One of the most undercovered events in all of golf. It's you know, it's kind of fascinating. You know, you see these guys that were coll phenoms. I mean that are you know, fighting for their livelihoods and yeah, are on the on the brink of hanging up the clubs, and you know, just seeing these guys under the you know, ultimate pressure it is is kind.

Of it's crazy.

It should should definitely get more coverage.

Yeah, I think I think, you know, like you said, it's definitely doesn't get the attention it deserves. I think a little bit has been taken away from it now that you don't get right out on the PGA Tour, So I think they kind of overlook it even more now. But I mean it's a really cool event. I know they changed it to four rounds, you know, a couple of years ago, but I mean those are those are some of the biggest rounds these guys will ever play. So it's it's pretty good, you know, it's pretty fun

Yeah, that's I got a buddy that's in a whole and they you can lock down full status. It's uh, you know, conditional. It's tough, too tough when you don't know when you're getting.

Your next start.

You were exactly lucky to get through and uh and uh you know, get into that reshuffle. So you know, with the with twenty seventeen and.

Kind of the break.

Curious how you go about building your tournament schedule for the year.

Do you like to block it out where you have a couple of.

Weeks on the road and then some weeks off. Do you pick certain courses? Do you look at, you know, your past performance. Love to hear a little bit about how your how you build your schedule.

I mean kind of all of those things that you said, I try and do. But you know, everybody that knows me knows that I.

Play a lot.

So uh, you know, I go into the first two years I got out here, I kind of said, I want to play as much as I can, kind of see what courses I like, what course I play well at, and you know, then start building a schedule from there and then so this year I kind of went into it, you know, the same way, thinking that I wasn't going to.

Play as much.

But I mean, I just love to play golf, So it's kind of hard for me to say I want to take this week off or that week off. But we'll see. I mean, this year, I kind of have the plan to you know, not play more than four in a row and you know, be able to get my rest, and I, like you said, I like to see kind of my past performances and see how I've played at certain places or see what courses set up

Play well at.

So I'm just excited to kind of get back out there and get playing.

Any new staffs that you're kind of looking forward to that, you know, maybe new courses on the on the schedule.

I don't know if they're the only new course that I can think of. Is that I think Tiger or the what event is that it's usually a congressional.

Yeah, I think the TPC.

Yeah, the Click and Loans. I think might be at TPC Potomac this year, which that's my wife's hometown, so that should be fun to go out there and play that. Uh were but well, I don't know if there's anyone right, Oh yeah, yeah, wells Fargo at Eagle Point. Yeah, I've heard a lot of good things about that place, so yeah, definitely looking forward to that. Qul Halla is always a sweet spot, so hopefully you know, I can make the

Yeah, what are what are your favorite some of your favorite spots in general, whether it be golf course or town or you know, combinations.

Man, they're all pretty good. But uh, definitely Nearfield.

You know, Jack tournament is pretty unbelievable.

The golf course is always set up awesome, and uh, you know.

The town's great.

You know, there's some good places for food.

Uh, you know, every week.

It seems like, but I mean, man, there's not too many bad weeks out there. Every week kind of you know, does the right thing to hopefully try and different differentiate themselves and try and get good fields. So I mean we get taken care of pretty good, and we play a lot of good golf courses, so it's tough to pick.

So what's your take on the new format for the Zurich.

Yeah, yeah, I think that should be really cool looking forward to that for sure. Played Zurich last year. We had some stuff going on and kind of worked out in our favor. I guess the weather down there was you know, a nightmare, So looking forward to getting back down there. You know, they got some good food down there. The golf course is cool, and that'll be a good format, is you know. I wish we could play stuff like that a couple.

More times a year, but we'll see how it goes this year.

What you know, you hit it in the you know, kind of nail on ahead with it, playing more different stuff. What other types of formats would you like to see beyond just the partner best ball or alternative shot? Is there any other types of formats you'd like to see more of?

I mean, I think I would love to see match play, you know, in in an event other than that World Golf Championship. I think that would be really cool. The Stableford format is is really neat, I think as well, so I think that's another one that I think should be maybe utilized one time in the fall and then you know, the in Reno and then like I said, I think if we played Stableford twice a year, the Best Ball tournament twice a year, and match play twice a year, I think, you know, it would be a lot.

So I think it's a it's.

Definitely a different format and fun. So I think if we could do that more, it'd be it'd be awesome.

Yeah, I think it's it's just more relatable to the everyday golfer also because you know, your your weekend warrior very rarely just goes.

Out and plays you know, stroke play.

When he plays with his foursome, it's usually some sort of team format.

Or match yeah, you know, yeah for sure.

So I think it brings a little bit more fan appeal into it as well.

So I have to, you know, ask.

About you know, the golf world buzzing about Tiger Woods's return. Did you watch much of it? And if so, what what do you think?

Yeah, I mean I was able to watch a little bit of it. We were I was playing this little member member guest tournament back in Sea Island, so we were kind of playing while they were playing.

But you know, I saw some highlights and stuff like that.

And I mean, everybody that knows me knows how much I like Tiger, So it was obviously nice to see him back playing. And I mean he played, he played well. You know, you could just tell he was just a little rusty, you know, not in tournament form, and uh, you know, it was pretty evident that he probably just doesn't have the stamina right now. In his first week back to kind of you know, play all the practice rounds in the pro ams and all the tournament rounds.

Yeah, I mean, first event back, and you're also the host has.

To be just.

Yeah, for sure.

You know, it was a I couldn't imagine doing that, so so it was good to see him back.

Yeah.

Yeah, I think I think the birdies are telling statistic with anybody for sure. If it's not like he was making a ton of long putts, he was hitting the ball close and that, yeah, a lot, and you know, you eliminate a lot of the mistakes and all of a sudden he's.

Up in the top five.

Yeah, exactly, exactly.

So you know, kind of what are your goals now going in You know, I guess you were in the middle of your third season now, but you know, going into twenty seventeen, do you get do you have any kind of cemented goals for the upcoming season?

Yeah, I mean some of them would just be you know, you obviously want to keep your card and make the playoffs. I would love to qualify for two or three of the majors this year, and you know, the ultimate goals to win out here. So those are kind of three to one three goals that are at the top of my list and hopefully I can get those done this year.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's uh, you know, win, Win's a great thing. You know, it's amazing how many kind of doors it opens up, whether it be getting into the Masters, the two year exemption, I mean, it's a that is the uh, the ultimate prize.

Yeah, it is pretty good.

Yeah.

So let's move on kind of.

Towards at golf course architecture and golf courses, and let's.

Start with the.

One project that's near and dear to.

Your heart, the Buff Club.

And I wrote You've met up this summer, and I wrote something just a little bit about the inspiration behind it, but for people that didn't read it, I think it'd be great to just kind of tell the story of, you know, the Buck Club and where you're at with it, and and.

We'll kind of go from there.

Yeah.

I mean, the whole idea about the Buck Club is just to kind of have a really good, old school, you know, Golden Age architecture type golf course in Utah with that, you know, that vibe or that feel that everybody likes when they go to their favorite courses. I just think Utah has a really big golfing fan base or whatever you would call it. There's a lot of good golfers here, a lot of people that love golf, and I just think we're missing a really truly great

Yeah, yeah, for sure.

It's I think the you know, Denver has some good Golden Age architecture, but for the most part, if you look at kind of from really Kansas West, it's kind of like a dead spot where it got passed over in the in the twenties when most of those courses were being built and all the courses got built in kind of the dark ages.

Yeah, yeah, we got plenty of those here, So.

There's a lot of I mean, I think that Arizona is another example of that. They have some really good courses there, but they also have some very very bad ones.

Yeah, it happens. That's for sure.

Yeah, but in terms of kind of where you're at with the project, you know, and in terms of influences architecturally, why don't you kind of share that.

Yeah. I mean again, anybody that knows me knows how big of a fan of Seth Rayner and Seephe McDonald I am. So those are two, you know, huge influences. But I mean anybody from the Golden Age, whether it's you know, Ah, you know, Perry Maxwell, Donald Ross, Alistair mackenzie, you know Cold Allison, any any of those guys. I mean, George Crump. You know, he did one course and he did it right and it's still the you know, number

Yeah. That's uh, that's cool. I mean I think that's the way to go. And I think another thing that we've talked about is, you know, restoring these courses to the original shot, you know value.

So yeah, for sure that you know, you've.

Got ridans where people have to hit long irons into.

Yeah, exactly.

Nowadays you play a lot of these places and it's amid to short iron in and you know that kind of defeats the purpose of it.

A perfect example of that was I played Piping Rock this year and there was a new back tee on their beer. It's green, and I can't remember how long it was, but I want to say it was like, you know, it was to a back pin and it was around like two sixty or two sixty five or two seventy or something like that, And I mean I keed up a driver low and just hit you know, a low chaser that kind of landed on the front part and rolled down the little swale and came back up.

Yeah, So how do you get into architecture in the in the first part with you know, just growing up? Obviously, you know a lot of golfers.

Aren't into it.

I think it's growing, but I'd love to hear how you you know, got such a love of architecture at such an early age.

Again, my dad, you know, he was a club pro and he ran a couple of you know, just like regulation nine golf golf courses and he designed them and everything like that. They're called Mulligan's golfing Games in Utah, and they were, you know, they were just little nine hole courses. But he did he did all the design work and stuff like that. So I mean I just grew up watching him, you know, doing all these drawings

Cool.

You know, I know you are a big reader in architecture, So you know what we're what are some of your favorite architecture books? And you know what's next on your list of things to read that you haven't gotten to yet.

Oh, I'm not sure there's so many of them. I've gotten a lot of books over the last couple of years. The evangelical golfer, Uh, that is a really cool book, you know, if you like CB McDonald and Seth Rayner talks about all their courses and and stuff like that. Man, I wish I had I wish I was in my little library right now so I could read off some other ones. But uh, I don't know. I can't really name too many that I like Live and Die by besides that book.

I love that book, Yeah, that one.

But you know where, you know where I read a lot. I just read a lot of stuff online though, too, just uh, just random stuff about golf courses. You know, I'll hear about a golf course and find it online and kind of re read up on it, and then you know, just I'd like to talk to my dad, and I'd like to talk to other architects just about it, kind of see what they have to say. So it's just kind of a combination of a lot of different sources where I like to learn from.

I think obviously the best, the best way to study architecture is being great architecture and action.

At the Teah courses.

So, you know, what were some.

Of your favorite courses that.

You saw this year?

And like the other question, you know, do you have any ones that you're really excited about it lined up for twenty seventeen, or places that are on the you know must see list.

For me this year, I was able to get to a lot of a lot of good spots, So I'm sorry if I miss any that offends somebody, but I was able to go a couple of them that were really awesome to me. Chicago Golf Club and Fisher's Island Yale was really cool. Those are all C. P. McDonald's and Seth Rainer spots, so again, you know, you can see how much I love those guys. But uh man,

It was.

It was a really cool day and to see that place it was pretty special. But some places I'm excited for this upcoming year. I don't usually like set anything up until kind of like that week before I'm gonna go, But you know, I really want to see Short Acres. I've heard that's a good spot, and I really want to see Marion. Never been out there, and a couple of my friends. You know, tell me, it's a tell me it's a must see, so I really need to get out there. And obviously, you know, like if Gusta

Yeah, as short Akers is my favorite golf course I've played, so I think that'll be a treat for you.

And then yeah, I've heard it's good.

Yeah, And then you know, Blue Mound is a really cool rainer in Milwaukee that if you're there you should check out. You know, very average land to say the least, you know, pretty pretty dismal property, but the green complexes are so good that it makes it just such a fantastic golf course and you know, ultimate template hole golf course.

Yeah.

Yeah, I was able to play there during the US Am Aaron Hills, that was the secondary course, So that was really cool. That was honestly one of the first rainer courses I had played. So, I mean that was kind of one of those aha moments where I was like, Wow, this stuff is like really cool. I need to I need to kind of read up and see what these guys were thinking and you know why they did this stuff. So that was That's a pretty special course to me. So I definitely like that spot.

Yeah, it's I think it's a testament of somebody said to.

Me one time. He's that.

They said, have you ever played a golfle, a great golfle that didn't have a great green?

Yeah? Probably not for me. I'm I'm big into green complexes, and Seth Rayner's by far my favorite.

Yeah.

I think he did a really good job of giving you a lot of pinnable surfaces and I just don't I mean, for me, at least, you play a lot of his golf courses and you get a lot of putts from long distance that you feel like you can make. I just think he made the golf. He just made golf really fun. In my opinion, it wasn't crazy hard.

Yeah, it's they They definitely go to extremes and for sure where they kind of try and defend par for.

The yeah, which I think is stupid.

You know.

I think the same thing is is that like they try and defend par that you know, I.

Really believe in the width that they have you know, started to do. But yeah, times the greens get so wacky where you know, if you haven't played the golf course like fifteen times.

You you don't understand where you're supposed to hit him. And that's also.

Yeah, it's fair, Yeah exactly. I just I just got I was playing Frederica last week. It's a I want to say if Fazzio of course and uh in Georgia and Sea Island and one of I mean on my first hole, I've never played the golf course before. In the first the tenth hole, the pin was back left, and my caddy was just like, yeah, I mean, you don't want to go in the water left, You just

And I think one of the things that Rainer, from my experience, was so good at was creating like small subtle piece and you know, you hit what you think is a perfect putt and it might not move exactly the way you thought it did, and it and it

Yeah, And I think, I mean, I almost think some of that stuff it just goes it goes to kind

Yeah, it's isn't it's interesting, It's it's.

They they've it's clearly that they.

That the ideas with and then defense of the green is kind of the that's bad right now?

Yeah, for sure.

So we got a lot of Twitter questions, So I I want to jump in.

Here and uh, you know, some of these.

Will be quick ones and some of these will be a little bit longer, so you know, we'll we'll jump in and the first ones from uh Kyle Nathan and he's he's asking this question for a friend. It's sounds like there's some money on the line here. If Tiger plays fifteen events this year, how many cuts.

Will you make?

I mean, if he plays fifteen events, he'll make fourteen or fifteen cuts.

I think, all right, that's it. I think I'm I think I'm in the thirteen to fifteen. Yeah, I mean yeah, his made cut streak is what I think is his most impressed I don't know whether what do you you're look say, what do you think is his most impressive feet? Is it the amateur you know, three straight juniors, three straight usns, the mad cut streak, the you know wins?

You know what what stands out to you?

Is it most impressive feet?

I mean, all of them are pretty unbelievable. And I think all of you know, his seventy nine or eighty wins, whatever he has, and his majors and his you know, amateur USGA titles and his made cut streak, all those things will never be like even sniffed again, I don't think so. They're all unbelievable. I don't think I could pick one, but the mad cut streak is unbelievable. I mean, the guy, when he's healthy, he knows he has the

Yeah. Good, It's crazy to think that, Like during that streak, his worst weeks, we're like twenty Yeah.

Yeah, I mean, he's just, it's crazy, better than everybody else. But you know, now he's when he's playing his best and he's healthy, I still think he's just as good, if not better than everybody you know, of those top echelon players. So yeah, he'll he'll make he'll make a bunch of cuts.

Yeah, I agree. So this one's from old Tom. Shout out to uh Saint Andrews here. But who do you wish to work with splash do the construction of the Buck Club?

Uh self? Yeah, and probably my dad more than anybody. But I mean, if a like, if a big time architect wanted to get involved, I mean I would be open to to working with you know some of those guys, you know, the Doaks or the core Crenchshaws. I would just have to make sure that I do the greens.

Yeah, so this one's from Tony Beer. Another architecture nut. To what extent do PGA two or players notice consider evaluate course design and can they explain why courses good or bad?

I don't know. I mean, I only know of a handful of guys really out there that really like talk about it or even bring it up and stuff like that. I know, Johnson Wagner is a guy who I've you know, spoken to throughout rounds, and I remember playing with him at the Barclays this year, and I mean the guy shot like sixty two or sixty one or something like that in the whole round. We were talking about, you know,

Okay, this is kind of along the same lines. Why don't you think more pros are publicly expressive about architecture. And this is from Drew ned Zsky ned Vinsky.

Yeah, again the same thing. I feel like, you know, there's a handful of guys out here that do openly talk about it and express like what they think. And then I think there's a big chunk of guys that really don't care, you know, they just have other interests, which I think.

I think it mirrors the general population of golfers.

Yeah, for sure, for sure.

It's all right.

So we we covered uh half of Chris's question here, which is what courses are on your bucket list? What's your favorite uh cev Rainer Banks template hole?

Oh man, I don't know if I could answer that, because I like a lot of them. Yeah, I really like you know, Radan's and virus is. I will say, however, the alp like you see at Fisher's Island and stuff like that could probably be my favorite hole though in the world. I just think it's exciting and fun and it's uh, you know, you can hit a bad shot

Yeah, punch bowls are pretty cool. It's so they're kind of making a comeback. I know the drainage is always an issue with them, but now as you see more modern architects creating them. I played a if you're out in Philly, I played this cool girl hands course called Applebrook.

Apple Brook.

Yeah, he had this really cool short part for it was like three hundred yards and it was like an Alps punch bowl.

It was a blind green.

And you know it had you know, big mounting bunkers that you know protected the front at like two sixty and then this great punch bowl green.

It was.

It was one of It was one of the cooler holes that I played on the year, just from like a you.

Know, fun to play hole.

Yeah, yeah, Southampton has it's a rainer course up in the Hampton has.

Yeah.

I'm sure he got the idea from that whole. It sounds exactly the same.

Yeah, pretty good one.

Yeah all right, So this one's from Buck Walter and he says, your best finish on the PGA tour came at a rainer design coincidence or does a good architect help your play.

I mean, I I think it's just a good golf course that makes you do a lot of good things. So I would say his architectural features do encourage just a solid, you know game from tee to green. Yeah, we'll go with that. Shout out to back. He was the one who helps me get the copy of The Evangelical Golfer, So he's amazing.

Yeah, that's the probably the hardest book to find.

Yeah, that's pretty unbelievable.

Yeah, it's unreal.

Anybody can get their hands on it.

I highly recommend.

So if the US Open headed rota, like the Open Championship across the pond, what courses do you think should be in it?

Uh?

Well, I think Oakmont. I think Oakmont and Pebble should be in it like every five or six years. I just think they're extremely fun to watch, and I definitely Oakmont should be in the rotation every five years. But I mean, you got courses like you know, Shinnacock again, who should probably get it every every few years. You know, those courses like Tory Pines. It does a good job. I think they had one a few years ago that was pretty exciting. But man, my big ones, I just

Yeah, it's I think.

Everybody wants to like, yeah, to talk about golf courses, but I think the ultimate ultimate defense.

Anywhere has got to be firm and.

Fast and if it rains, if you know, you guys are just too good to not, you know, you're going to eat up almost anywhere.

Right, Yeah, Yeah, you see it every week. You know, it doesn't matter how long the course is, how long, the rough is, how long anything is, the rains, the guys play it well. Another course that I would like I would love to see Riviera get a get a US Open, and then I'm excited to see the US Open at La North. That's one of my favorite courses in the world, so I'll be really excited to see that in a few years.

I know Rivs got the UF fan this year or so that could be in the they do.

Yeah.

Wow, wow, you know, I got to actually get my indoor putting that out and start start grinding, and.

I need to get out there exactly. Yeah, wow, that'll be really cool. That's a really that's a really cool golf course, and I think it's it can be really really challenging. But as you've seen the last two years at the LA Open, it's poured rain the first you know, Wednesday night and Thursday, and the guys that eating it up. So that just kind of that goes to show that any golf course can kind of be uh can be taken apart if the conditions are right.

Yeah, that place was one of my favorite courses I played this year. It's just there's very few weak shots on it. The par threes are really unique and interesting. I mean, that's spoors gotta be out there, it's got to be one of the best for dan holes in golf.

Yeah, that's pretty cool one, huh.

Yeah.

The problem is this the last couple of years, Like I said, it's rained so bad that that you just you can't play it quite the way you'd want to play. It seems to always be right in between clubs, and so when you have to hit a shot at the ten instead of playing it off the side, it just kind of takes away a little bit from the hole. That's a course where I've talked to a lot of people. I would like to see that course with no rough.

Yeah, if you look at old ariels, there were a lot less trees, and I mean everywhere I think was a lot There was just so much less rough on almost every golf course.

Yeah, for sure.

So this one's from Ghosts of Hogan.

The biggest surprise about the tour.

So far. To get surprised about the tour, yeah, I'd probably just say how nice everybody is. You know, how nice all the guys are. You know, whether you your stuff in the media about certain players, you know, everybody, the perception of how people are gonna be. And I just think, after you know, a couple of years out here, just seeing how genuinely nice all the guys are to each other, and you know, how good everybody gets a lot and basically.

Yeah, that's the lot of camaraderie. It seems like everybody that works for the.

Tour is really nice too.

For the moment, Yeah exactly. Yeah, everything kind of associated with the to learn they do a pretty good job. So it's nice to be out there.

So you know.

You also asked why why the dancing season when putting.

I couldn't really tell you. It's just how I've always been. I guess it kind of. I don't really read puts too much, so I think it's just kind of my way of kind of feeling it out, seeing you know, what the break's doing around around the ball.

Mm hmm.

Well, so then we have a bunch of interesting ones here from Zak Johnson or Nick Johnson, not Zack Cheeze.

And they're kind of like a rapid fire.

So these are all so all these are based off.

Of tour courses. So okay, best t shot on tour.

I would probably say eighteen at Pebble. That's pretty cool one. It's kind of like almost like a holy type ceiling out there. It's pretty awesome.

Yeah, you can't really go wrong with that one.

Best green green complex.

Well, we didn't get to play it last year, but hopefully we'll be back this year. But number three, the beer is green at the Greenbrier's probably one of my favorite green complexes or holes you know, throughout the year. So that's pretty good.

One is the best single hole you know, from a you know, entire hole. What's your think the best hole on tour.

Risk I would probably say seventeen at Stagrass just because of all the aspects of it. You know, you got the huge crowd, it's a neat little hole. It's challenging, but if you hit a good shot, you know you're gonna make it two. And it's kind of one of those holes you're thinking about the entire round, whether guys admitted or not. You know, from the time you get there, you're thinking, where's the tin hat, what's wind is it? You know what kind of club am I going to

Yeah. I mean it's a great interpretation of McDonald's short it's hit.

It or else.

Yep, yep, that's pretty good.

So best three hole stretch.

Best three whole stretch, oh Man sixteen seventeen eighteen at Stagrass are pretty good too. I think that's a really cool you know, it gives you a chance to score and at the same time people occasionally as well, So that one's pretty good.

Yeah, lots of risk reward.

Yeah, from die So best front nine.

Best front nine, I don't know, God, there was so many that that are. I don't know if I could give you nine the best front nine. I don't know if I could even give you the best course. They're all pretty there's a lot of good ones. So I'm going to plead the sint on that one.

All right, I'm gonna assume you're going to say the same for the best back nine or is there one back nine that's just awesome?

Oh? Man, I wish somebody would have given me choices to choose from, because I probably would have been better at that best back nine. I feel like I should at least be But the answer this man, the back nine at uh? The back nine? Dude, I don't even know.

Yeah, I don't know.

There's a lot of good ones. I could probably give you the best back nine of a not a tour course.

But let's hear that one.

The best back nine? What what's it called? I can't even remember the course was named. I played it during the during the PGA after I missed the cut. I would probably say probably Somerset Hills. The back nine there is pretty fun, it's pretty cool.

I feel like that's a course that flies under the radar.

I haven't pat my god.

Everything I've seen it's just spectacular.

Yeah. I mean, I've been on the record saying that it's not for sure. I'm saying it's in the it's in the conversation for if you had one course to play for the rest of your life, just one, you know, you could pick one course that you had to play every round out the rest of your life. It would be in my discussion for that course, because it's just I mean, it's it's awesome, it's fun. You know, there's

Yeah, Tilling has used a lot of template holes out there.

Yeah he did. They've kind of a yeah, that's a that's a really cool course. I really liked that. A lot of people are surprised when I say that, because I think a lot of people like it kind of flies under the radar, like you said, And you know, some people I talk to and say that, they're like, what, you know, what is it. You're not going to say Augusta or Pebble Beach or something like that. And I mean, yeah, those courses would probably be in the equation, you know,

Yeah.

I think it's one of those places.

And you see there's a bunch of them all over the country, but it's a course where the membership knows how good their golf course is and they don't care if anybody else knows, you know, yeah, exactly. They're very content with their course, you know, yeah, being not talked about in them being the only ones in on the secret.

Yeah. And I mean that's the type of people that I want like at my course, you know what I mean. I mean I've been I've said it a bunch and you know, I'm not afraid to say that some of the courses on the like top one hundred rankings, you know, I could name I could name so many courses that that should not be above Somerset Hills on that list. And you know, same with like Maids Down and some of the other courses, but they are and I think those type of clubs. I just think, like you said,

It's uh, That's what I say about Shore Acres is golf dig just has a number ninety nine, And I'm like, if there's ninety eight courses that are better than this in the country, like, you've got to be cat because I haven't found I've played, you know, a lot of great courses. I haven't found one that, like I could say it is better. You know, I think there are, yeah, on the same level, but I know that it's a lot better than a lot of the courses on there that I've played for sure. Yeah.

Yeah, but bad but true.

It is the It's I think it's almost impossible.

To rank golf courses, you know, yeah.

It's but it is possibly.

I think you can put them into tears, you know where exactly.

Yeah, that's what I was just gonna say. You can kind of put them in you know, a B but tough to rank him.

Yeah, it's but hey, I really appreciate you coming on and giving us an hour of your time here today. You know, we'll best of luck in twenty seventeen and you know, hopefully we'll have you on again after a win or you know, something really good.

Yeah, of course, anytime. Enjoyed it. Thanks for having me.

Yeah for sure. For anybody that doesn't follow Zach, it's one of the best Twitter followers. If you're in the PGA Tour golf and golf course architecture, I'll put his Twitter link and.

The podcast.

Page as well as the Buff Club. So thanks a lot Zach for coming on and we'll talk to you soon.

Yeah, no problem, buche Bye see