Neal Shipley is back to discuss The Masters! After a run all the way to finals of last summer's US Amateur, Neal joined Henry for a discussion on that week and a very early precursor to the week that we are now in. In today's conversation, Neal and Henry discuss: - Neal's off season and how he prepared for The Masters. - A few specific holes and shots Neal has given extra attention to. - Some of the intricacies of Augusta National that Neal has picked up on in his multiple trips to ANGC in the l...
Apr 10, 2024•43 min•Season 4Ep. 27
It's Masters week! Truly the best week of the year in so many ways and of course we are doing another #mudballmonday on The Masters. Today we're breaking down some of our scenarios that we think are possible yet not super likely that we think would make this week even better than it already trusts to be! The Main things you can expect today are: - Some of the things we are most excited for at the Masters this year. - 6 "What ifs?" for this year's Masters Tournament and the repercussions of each....
Apr 08, 2024•55 min•Season 4Ep. 26
Kyle Franz has been doing great renovation and restoration work for a number of years now and, as he describes it in today's conversation, feels like he is just now getting his "big break" on exciting original works. Although it wasn't original, his reworking of Cabot Citrus Farms (formerly World Woods) feels like our first chance to see what Kyle's true original work will look like, and if it is ant indication, we are in for some fun! In today's conversation, Kyle and Henry discuss: - Kyle's in...
Apr 04, 2024•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 23
Two of the great parts of The Masters are the inclusion of the Amateurs as well as past champions in the field. It gives the field texture, half of which being new excitement and half of which being a consistency of players we have seen for years, whether they have any chance of playing well or not. Today we discuss how the old heads stack up against the young guys not playing for a check and who may have the upper hand based on this exact crop of guys as well as what history would tell us to ex...
Apr 01, 2024•50 min•Season 4Ep. 24
If you were playing competitive golf at my age, you knew who Rachel Heck was. She made it look easy- always has. Despite wrestling mind, body, and soul the last few years, she came back a few weeks ago ready to play. Her freshman season accolades alone fill up a page, and her appearances for professional and team events only brightened the lights. We forget that the people playing at the highest level have to make a choice – is this… it? Is this what I am going to dedicate my life to? Wright Tho...
Mar 26, 2024•42 min•Season 4Ep. 8
Round 2 of our MBM pre Masters series! This time we're talking about who CAN as well as who CAN'T win The Masters this year. A lot to think through these days on who our real hitters are as we get to these majors given all the complexity in the golf world. The majors have been made that much more special by the fact that we only get to see the game's best players together a handful of times these days. Today we talk about: - 2 players who will not be winning the jacket. - 8 players who could win...
Mar 25, 2024•57 min•Season 4Ep. 23
Mike McGraw has spent his entire life as a teacher, mentor, and coach. Starting out in Edmond, OK as a high school teacher and golf coach at the age of 25, moving on to be the assistant at Oklahoma State for a number of years, spending 8 years as the head of the Cowboys, and now as the head at Baylor. Coach McGraw, as you'll learn in this episode, has as much passion for coaching as anyone I know. He has dedicated his life to making others better whether that is in the classroom, as a golfer, or...
Mar 22, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 4Ep. 22
We both really enjoyed season 2 of Full Swing so we decided we would enjoy doing a conversation on why in particular we enjoyed season 2. In this conversation we talk about: - Players we really enjoyed in the season as well as ones we didn't. - Who they are leaving out that could in future episodes. - ZJ, Cantlay, Cam Young, JT, Keegan, and the whole Ryder Cup mess. We think this show has really been cool for the golf hardcore fans as well as the general sports fan and hope Netflix continues to ...
Mar 18, 2024•55 min
Cabot Citrus Farms! It's really good. And it's fun. And not just the Karoo course, but the whole place. Today, in a solo episode based on his article that can be read at our website link below, Henry breaks down his thoughts on Cabot Citrus and what he thought about it as well as what a course like it and Kyle Franz's architecture means to the game. We also checked out Mike Nuzzo's Squeeze and Wedge courses which were both a blast as well. Thanks for the support as always! Cheers, - The Tie Guys...
Mar 14, 2024•14 min
Conditions matter, let's be honest. We all enjoy playing a very well conditioned golf course but the importance of conditioning goes far beyond the enjoyment of "aesthetics." Conditions affect the way a golf course plays and how we can and should go about trying to navigate it as golfers. Further, the way different parts of the country and world are conditioned at their best and in different times of the year is an interesting thing to think through. In today's conversation we cover: - How condi...
Mar 11, 2024•47 min
Derek Duncan is the head of gold digest's rankings system as well as editor for all of golf digest's architecture publication. He has been in the game of golf architecture from a work and passion standpoint for a very long time and has a wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion for the space. As you'll learn from this conversation, Derek is as passionate about the history of the company he works for as well as the industry he covers as he is about inserting his own thoughts and opinions into...
Mar 07, 2024•1 hr 11 min
5 weeks out! Hard to believe we're already this close to The Masters! That said, it feels like we need a major more than ever. Golf is in a weird spot and to gain clarity on why we all love this game and how great it can be at its best, what better way to right the ship than with the best week of the year? To start to get the engines firing for what always trusts to be an awesome week of the masters, today we are looking back on a few of the best years in recent memories at Augusta. Notably: - 2...
Mar 04, 2024•1 hr 1 min
This was originally a writing piece that released on Wednesday, if you want to see that with full photo, head to the link below at our website. Also, this will release on our YouTube page if you want to watch and listen in on that, so for that one, also go to the link below to check out our YouTube. My 3 main points on Crystal Downs were as follows: - Modern green speeds have somewhat belittled the genius of Mackenzie's wild designs. - The good stuff at Crystal Downs is truly special and some of...
Mar 01, 2024•16 min
Jeff Marsh has been en fuego for the entirety of 2023 as I've seen it - but with all great stories, there's a lot more to it. Publishing his first periodic photo journal, "Golf is Art", it was a treat to hear stories that will appear in the book firsthand. Jeff has an unusually deep understanding of the game from a photographers lens having caddied on the PGA TOUR for Ryan Moore, running the caddie program at Chambers Bay, and leading the creative branding for TRUE Linkswear. He has been commiss...
Feb 29, 2024•1 hr 31 min
Pinehurst No. 2 Augusta National Merion Three of our favorite 6 hole stretches in the game and the ultimate tournament test if we were to put them together. In today's episode we cover: - What makes a good 6 hole stretch. - Why is the specific stretch of the course it falls in important? - What could potentially be better about each of these stretches? Today we are joined by our associate, Trey Wren at Sticks Golf for a 3rd member of mudball monday today. We have a lot of stuff cooking with Trey...
Feb 26, 2024•41 min
Isaiah made the 2019 US Walker Cup Team as the capstone of a highly successful amateur career before falling into the wilderness of pro golf created by the pandemic. Those who didn't have status were significantly set back from a traditional career arc, especially for the class of player Isaiah is in. After enduring an up and down 3.5 years, Isaiah won on the Korn Ferry Tour 2 weeks ago in Panama by 8 shots to set himself on a path towards the PGA Tour for next season. A massive win for all thos...
Feb 22, 2024•44 min
The bag man. An important part of the game's past, present, and future. Whether we're talking competitive golf, casual golf, or really any part of the game, caddies have there place. That said, it's interesting to consider how caddy culture differs in different parts of the country or world. It's easy to think that the way you or I have experienced caddies is the only way they work, but that is not the case, and that is what we are here to think through. In today's conversation we discuss: - The...
Feb 19, 2024•54 min
For the second time, Henry and TC are here to talk about how many majors a certain set of players REALLY have. Today's selections will be Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, and Nick Faldo. Today's episode will break down: - What is the actual value we place on each of these players' major tallies? - Why do we value certain major wins higher than others? - Who is the biggest over and under achiever we each can think of in major championship history. The Masters is only 2 months away so the...
Feb 16, 2024•55 min
Some don't use them altogether, so it makes enough sense as to why practice facilities are not talked about as often as they perhaps should be, but today we are going to change that. When designing any golf course, you are clearly going to have a practice facility and like all parts of the process, it needs to be thoughtful so that it fits the proper criteria based on what you are looking for out of the club as a whole. In today's conversation we: - Break down what type of club we would want to ...
Feb 12, 2024•47 min
Always an absolute pleasure to be joined by our friends across the pond at Cookie Jar Golf. The boys just returned from a trip to our neck of the woods in the Southeastern United States and we are here to get a sense of what it is like for British golfers to come over and experience the new american articulation of the game. We chat about Peachtree, Old Barnwell, Ohoopee, Tree Farm, and of course some stops along the way at Starbucks, Chick Fil A, and everything important! Thanks for the support...
Feb 08, 2024•1 hr 18 min
Another big week in the pro game! PGATour Enterprises has been created as an alliance between tour execs, players, and Strategic Sports group to help maximize revenues of PGATour Enterprises, and grow the game globally. There's a lot to unpack here for what it means for players, LIV Boys, the overall product of golf, and the fans. As always, we have the inside knowledge on what has gone down here and what it means for us as fans as well as our thoughts on what we would like to see this mean for ...
Feb 05, 2024•51 min
Micah Woods established the Asian Turfgrass Center (ATC) in 2006 to develop and provide turfgrass information for the golf and sports turf industry. Through the ATC, he provides turfgrass advisory and soil testing services to golf clubs, sports facilities, and select clients around the world. Since 2009, he has been an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Tennessee. Since 2022, he has been director of the PACE Turf information service. We approached this epi...
Feb 01, 2024•1 hr 6 min
The early season lull seems to have formally exited stage left. LIV, amateurs no longer, big names making big moves, AK!!!!!!!, there is all sorts of craziness going on and we of course are here at mudball monday to break it down. Meronk and Hatton are two of the "have nots" in the world of pro golf, but clearly both wonderful players who seem to be making the move to LIV Golf. Nick Dunlap is the first amateur to win on the PGATour in 33 years and will now be making the jump to the professional ...
Jan 29, 2024•58 min
The 2024 World Record holder for "most golf courses played in a single year" joins us to talk about his quest and what he learned along the way. In 2018 he played 405- raised over $40k for charity, rode over 35k miles, and met over 800 people on course. We discuss the 'vacuum' that exists when playing golf around the clock (and calendar)- where you're almost removed from the world, yet spending quality time with locals or travelers alike.... seeing things in a whole new way. Thanks for the suppo...
Jan 25, 2024•54 min
A true #mudballmonday is upon you today. 30 questions. 15 for each of us to tackle, about a plethora of subjects in the world of Golf, food, fitness, and many other things that we like to cover on mudball monday. While sometimes we like to bring a specific topic to mudball monday to perhaps add a bit of value to you all, sometimes we like to just grab a can and kick it down the road. That's what we're up to today, and we hope you enjoy the conversation. BACK. This week with an interview by Walke...
Jan 22, 2024•52 min
Josh had Henry on his podcast @mentalgolfshow (episode linked below) a number of months ago where they talked about Henry's background in and passion for competition and one of the things discussed was Henry's long time struggles with chipping. That left a note to have Josh on The Tie to talk about what those struggles have looked like and how Henry can work on improving. So today, along with fellow chipping struggler, Walker Simas, we talk through our backgrounds with chipping and what the path...
Jan 18, 2024•1 hr 25 min
2024 is here, and the major season isn't all too far away at this point! As has become tradition, we are here today to talk about the 4 majors and who we think are good guys to look at as likely winners at each of them this year. This feels like a 7/10 sort of year golf course wise. Valhalla, meh. Pinehurst. Great. Troon, functions but not the best. That said, all majors provide a ton to look forward to. Today not only will we talk a bit about the courses in terms of what we look forward to in w...
Jan 15, 2024•1 hr 4 min
The locker room. Every course has one. Some courses go all out and some keep it bare bones. There are certain things that every locker room should have. There are certain things that are optional. And there are certain things that just do not belong. With all the new golf clubs popping up these days, we are here to discuss what should be in a locker room, what needs to go due to being out of the times, and what could we consider adding that most places have not traditionally incorporated in thei...
Jan 08, 2024•46 min
Here it is. We have received so much interest in these two projects both online and offline and finally we are going to get deep in the weeds to go hole by hole and decide who wins this matchup. If you haven't already, be sure to head to our website to read our piece on the two clubs and how they are similar and different. These two courses certainly have similarities, but they are also vastly different in many ways so for more on that, head to the link below to find our writing. This matchup wa...
Jan 04, 2024•1 hr 41 min
Hello everyone and welcome to the first mudball monday of 2024. Today we won't be talking and new topics just yet, but rather bringing a close to 2023 by revisiting some of our favorite #mudballmonday moments of the year. We talk about all sorts of stuff on mudball monday, most of which being completely ridiculous, but not all of it is crazy. There is some valuable golf chat buried within the episodes as well. Have a listen to today's 2023 Mudball Monday Medley where we rehash some of the highli...
Jan 01, 2024•37 min
