Parker McLachlin, aka @shortgamechef, is a winner on the PGA Tour and is now helping some of the world’s best players revamp their short game using modern techniques. We sat down with Keith Mitchell and Collin Morikawa’s greenside guru to better understand how pros approach wedge play, why our understanding of it needs modernizing, why amateurs make it harder than it actually is and who the best to ever hold a wedge is. Broken Tee Society members can get $70 off all of Parker's short game instru...
Mar 22, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Harry Higgs would like you to know that these are his opinions, and his alone. The PGA Tour veteran joins the pod to give his unfiltered thoughts on the USGA and R&A’s recent distance ruling, criticism from “Twitter warriors,” designated and no-cut events, LIV Golf, the emotional work he’s been doing to play better golf and much more.
Mar 16, 2023•1 hr 41 min
You’ve watched JJ Redick knock down three-pointers since his freshman year at Duke two decades ago. These days, when the 15-year NBA vet isn’t talking hoops on your TV, he’s likely grinding over his short game. The legendary sniper joins host Tom Coyne to discuss how he’s redirecting his competitive fire into golf. He also nerds out on club logos, ponders the art inherent in golf course architecture, compares swing thoughts to shooting thoughts and fires off a truly NSFW Greg Norman take. Tom Co...
Mar 13, 2023•1 hr 9 min
Five years after they first started recording their quest to a 0.0, Mike & Eli of Chasing Scratch are still doing exactly that. The co-hosts of golf’s favorite game improvement buddy podcast join host Tom Coyneto to unpack their up-and-down journey to this point, and help our audience avoid any pitfalls along the path of better. For example: Are training aids a scam? Is speed necessary? How many wedges do you actually need to hit to get better? This lively back-and-forth includes a live Q&am...
Mar 01, 2023•1 hr 24 min
Should I attack this pin or play it safe? How do I move on from a bad shot? How do I get better during the offseason? For the answers to these and many other questions from Broken Tee Society members participating in The Index Experiment, we turn to Practical Golf’s Jon Sherman. As a self described "player coach," Sherman is less concerned with your swing than he is with what you do before, between and after them. He joins host Tom Coyne to answer questions submitted from within the members-only...
Feb 25, 2023•1 hr 3 min
Charlie Warzel writes about technology’s effect on culture, people and ideas for The Atlantic . This makes him the perfect person to ask the question: Why are we all addicted to watching the Trents and Big Randys of the world play golf on YouTube? Warzel consumed “a weapons-grade amount of YouTube golf” for his story in TGJ No. 23, and joins the podcast to unpack it all with Tom Coyne. They also discuss the future of AI and writing, the work-from-home movement, Warzel’s Index Experiment goals, a...
Feb 18, 2023•1 hr 8 min
Nearly 20 years ago, TGJ Senior Editor Tom Coyne put life on hold, moved to Florida and dumped everything he had into chasing his dream of playing pro golf. He chronicled his journey in the NYT best-selling book Paper Tiger, and recently sat down with TGJ contributor Matt Chominski to reflect on what he learned whilst doing so.
Feb 08, 2023•1 hr 37 min
This February, pro golf will receive the F1 treatment thanks to Full Swing: an eight-part Netflix docuseries showcasing what life as a pro golfer was really like in 2022. Vox Media's Chad Mumm—a Broken Tee Society member known to pop into our Discord server—is the man behind it all. He joins Tom Coyne on TGJ Podcast 126 to give a behind-the-scenes look at making the show, the process behind getting access to players, and why fans have a certain multi-major champion all wrong.
Jan 26, 2023•53 min
Mike DeVries has learned from the best. The Michigan native first picked up the game at Crystal Downs, trained under Tom Doak and worked for Tom Fazio. He's since made a name for himself by designing celebrated modern courses like Kingsley Club, Cape Wickham and Greywalls to name a few. On TGJ Podcast 125, DeVries joins host Tom Coyne from the site of his next project in Tasmania to speak to what makes for "engaging" golf," his personal top five and why, for him, everything comes back to Crystal...
Jan 14, 2023•1 hr 34 min
It’s not easy to pin down Bill Murray, but one way to do so, as podcast host Tom Coyne learned, is to ride shotgun with him across Georgia. In this candid conversation from the midst of a golf road trip to Ohoopee Match Club, the two discuss what they love about golf, where they love to play it, and with whom. It’s Bill Murray as you haven’t heard him before–not the movie star but your pilot across the low country, both of you late for a tee time.
Dec 29, 2022•1 hr 25 min
Andrew Green has become one of the hottest names in golf course architecture thanks to his renovation work at Inverness, Congressional, Oak Hill, Scioto, Wannamoisett and many other golden age classics in need of a refresh. But does he want to build something from scratch? He joins Tom Coyne on the TGJ Podcast to discuss his passion for history, his start in golf course design, love for his job and why William Flynn is his spirit animal.
Dec 19, 2022•52 min
In 2004, software developer Mark Sweeney was fed up with missing putts. So he dedicated two years of his life to creating a system that delivers perfect reads. He called it AimPoint. You’ve seen players from Keegan Bradley to Lydia Ko to Adam Scott straddle their line and read their break in finger-widths. Now, hear from the inventor of this peculiar but effective strategy, as Sweeney and host Tom Coyne dig into this method that took 100,000 lines of code to get right. Along the way, you’ll lear...
Dec 08, 2022•1 hr 2 min
Tron doesn’t hold back on Twitter. Soly shared his No Laying Up origin story in #7, and DJ’s byline is a regular in The Golfer’s Journal. But what about the member of No Laying Up whose presence, quite literally, overshadows them all? Phil Landes (aka Big Randy) has become one of golf media’s favorite characters via his appearances across NLU’s platforms, yet a part of him is ducking the spotlight–not an easy feat at 6’8”. He joins the podcast to talk with Tom Coyne about how a former accountant...
Nov 22, 2022•1 hr 5 min
You know Rick Reilly from the back page of Sports Illustrated , where he delivered 800 words of humor, heartbreak or heroism every week for 15 years. And though you’ve seen him at St. Andrews and read him at Augusta—his ‘96 opus on Norman’s collapse is an all-timer—you’ll be surprised to discover just how deep his golf obsession goes. Reilly, who joined the Broken Tee Society earlier this year, jumped into our members-only Discord server to talk with Tom Coyne about his lifelong love of the game...
Nov 07, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Conor Moore believes he has no accent. But when the Irishman is impersonating the world’s most famous athletes, he’s got them all. Though this episode sounds like a cast of many, it’s just Moore and host Tom Coyne going deep on the art behind his sketches (hint: don’t call them impressions), the toughest athlete to impersonate, and the time he was (jokingly) cursed out by Tiger Woods. Cameo appearances from Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Greg Norman and Rory McIlroy highlight this lively conversati...
Oct 24, 2022•57 min
We've all heard it: "Drive for show, putt for dough." But after speaking with Mark Broadie, the godfather of the game-changing Strokes Gained model, we're rethinking that position. Professor Broadie joins Tom Coyne live in the Broken Tee Society Discord server to unpack golf's ongoing data revolution, and why you're trying to shave strokes in all the wrong places. Mark Broadie is the Carson Family Professor of Business at Columbia Business School. In the mid-2000s, he developed the Strokes Gaine...
Oct 08, 2022•48 min
Ryan Carey wasn’t looking to become the world’s foremost golf memorabilia auctioneer. A lawyer by trade, Carey started Green Jacket Auctions as a side gig to feed his passion for the game’s history. 16 years and one very expensive set of irons later, Carey and his team are riding high and traveling the world in search of the next great golf item. Carey joins Tom Coyne live in the Broken Tee Society Discord server to offer a glimpse into the career that’s taken him everywhere from Tom Watson’s ho...
Sep 15, 2022•54 min
Unless you’ve already dug into Charlie Warzel’s profile in TGJ #21, you’ve probably never heard of Ben Garner. You’ve likely never heard about the kid who used to beat Tiger Woods (sometimes) and who buddied around SoCal with the future superstar, two kids who understood what it was like to live beneath the shadow of demanding golf dads. Ben Garner joins the Golfer’s Journal podcast to discuss what happened between being unbeatable and being beaten, to where he couldn’t even look at a golf cours...
Sep 08, 2022•51 min
Tom Doak has a reputation for being difficult. Golf media has described him as socially awkward and emotionally remote, traits that are often overlooked in favor of the brilliance he’s brought to course designs around the world. But there is much more to Tom Doak and his public persona than people have discussed or know about–until now. With unflinching candor, Doak digs deep on “my media reputation as an asshole,” discussing what he’s learned about himself through group therapy and addressing h...
Aug 24, 2022•1 hr 16 min
Dottie Pepper has little sympathy for the modern professional golfer. But you can’t blame her—the beloved CBS analyst and 17-winner on the LPGA never had anything handed to her. She turned down a Dinah Shore sponsor's exemption in college because she couldn't afford to travel; she borrowed $5,000 from her grandfather to play in the 1987 U.S. Open; and her parents rented out their house to horse jockeys and trainers every summer to pay for her junior golf. So, no, she’s not interested in hearing ...
Aug 06, 2022•49 min
Ward Jarvis has gone from caddie to theology professor to firefighter to yip fixer. He joins host Tom Coyne to explain the science behind what he calls a “periodic loss of an automatic ability,” and how he helped three-time PGA Tour winner Brendon Todd overcome them. Jarvis also details how his own struggle with stuttering led him to teaching players of all skill levels how to build new memory patterns and find their flow. Website: https://www.wardjarvis.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/wjarvis...
Jul 23, 2022•50 min
Thomas Friedman has been the foreign affairs Op-Ed columnist for the New York Times since 1995. He’s also in the Western Golf Association Caddie Hall of Fame. He’s been to Saudi Arabia, and he’s been inside the ropes, caddying for Chi Chi Rodriguez in the 1970 U.S. Open. In short: He knows the Gulf, and he knows golf. Friedman joins the podcast and explains how the reality on the ground in Saudi Arabia is much more complex than what’s being reported in golf circles and why the LIV golf experimen...
Jul 06, 2022•35 min
Brad Faxon joins the podcast on the heels of a thrilling U.S. Open finish to reflect on what made Brookline such an enjoyable venue, and why we’re now seeing the fruits of his labor with Rory McIlroy. The pride of Rhode Island also dives into the current state of the flat stick, giving context to the rise of mallets and AimPoint green reading. But stick around for the time Greg Norman called Faxon to an impromptu players-only meeting before the 1994 Shark Shootout. Those details might sound fami...
Jun 21, 2022•52 min
Alan Shipnuck puts it plainly: "The professional game is at a crossroads. This is a monumental moment." Shipnuck joins the TGJ Podcast to unpack all the factors at play with LIV Golf, including money, ego, legacy, morals and the PGA Tour's own culpability in creating competition. He also takes us into the phone call with Phil Mickelson that became national news and ultimately forced Phil into hiding.
Jun 08, 2022•1 hr 3 min
If it sometimes feels like the future of golf is here, just wait ‘til you see what’s coming next. Transhumanist, Futurist, and avid golfer David Wood walks us through the approaching impact of artificial intelligence, automation and biotechnology on both golf and our daily lives. Good news: You’re going to get better. Bad news: So is everybody else.
May 28, 2022•1 hr 9 min
When one of the great talkers in golf has a few minutes to talk, you do precisely that. Paul McGinley rejoins the pod to pick up where we left off, diving into his life as a broadcaster, Champions Tour player, and traveling dad trying to keep up with his family.
May 13, 2022•35 min
Jane Coaston doesn’t like golf, but when you listen to her explanation, we think there’s a very good chance that you’ll like Jane Coaston . In her recent piece “How Loathing Golf Taught Me to Confront My Own Prejudice,” the New York Times columnist and podcast host confronts golf not for what it is, but for what she perceives it to be. On the pod we discuss her story, and attempt to change her mind....
May 06, 2022•56 min
In TGJ No. 19 we met Mike Shade & Eli Strait—hosts of the wildly popular Chasing Scratch podcast. Now, we hear from them live in the Broken Tee Society Discord server. Mike & Eli join host Tom Coyne to discuss their newfound golf celebrity, their distaste for that word, inside jokes, pursuit of a 0.0 index and the magic behind their inimitable bond.
Apr 16, 2022•1 hr 5 min
Re-Teed—the series where we relive golf’s most exciting tournaments—is back. And this time we’re going deep on the 2011 Masters—the one where everything went right for Charl Schwartzel after everything went left for Rory. Featuring host Tom Coyne, TGJ editors Travis Hill and Casey Bannon, and ESPN's Kevin Van Valkenburg.
Mar 31, 2022•1 hr 26 min
In TGJ No. 18, Daniel Riley’s “The Man Riding Clouds” introduced us to Peter Beames and a golf life that is hard to believe. We had a feeling that Peter might have more to say about his adventures if we put him in front of a microphone. So that’s what we did. And he proved us right.
Mar 18, 2022•1 hr
