11 Dec
published in category: Sports Talk Radio on Monday, December 11th, 2023 – 10:51 am
In this week’s ‘Pittsburgh Pop,’ Tim Benz and Rob Owen discuss the Golden Globe nominations, holiday movies, and some new shows that are set to debut.
06 Dec
published in category: Next on the Tee on Wednesday, December 6th, 2023 – 6:59 pm
This week I’m joined by Champions Tour Pro and member of the University of Texas Hall of Honor Bob Estes, Pittsburgh native and now Director of Golf at the Golf Club of Houston Adam Lockwood, Top Instructor and Host of The Golf Kingdom TV Show Rob Strano, and Champions Tour Pro and 1987 US Amateur Champion Billy Mayfair.
This week I got all four guys to weigh in on the rollback of the golf ball. It is certainly the hot topic around the game and will have reverberations for years to come. In addition to that:
Bob Estes talks about his Texas Longhorns run at the National Championship in college football. We also talk about this season on the Champions Tour, the great history of men’s golf at Texas, and the complicated formula for players to qualify to play on the Champions Tour.
Adam Lockwood is from just outside of my hometown of Pittsburgh. He had a very successful high school golf career at Apollo-Ridge which launched him to attend PennWest California and enter their Professional Golf Management program. We get into that, the internships he did around the New York City area, and now being the Director of Golf at the Golf Club of Houston, the former site of the Houston Open.
Rob Strano is one of the Top Instructors in our game plus the Host of The Golf Kingdom TV Show which you can check out on Amazon Fire, Roku TV, Blab TV, and Rob’s YouTube Channel. He shares his thoughts on the rumors of the day including an interesting idea for what could happen if Jon Rahm defects to LIV and Rory moves to England. We also get a playing from his Time To Build segment and a pointer on Don’t Be That Guy.
Billy Mayfair and his wife Tami are two outstanding people. I got to spend some time with them on the practice tee prior to the Mitsubishi Electric Classic in Atlanta. Billy went out and had his best tournament of the year that week, which I’m totally taking credit for. Along with that, Billy shares memories from his win at the 1987 US Amateur Championship, the pressure of being an Arizona State grad standing on the 16th tee at the Waste Management Open knowing the fans can’t wait to boo or cheer you. We also learn one of the best parts of playing in the Greater Milwaukee Open which had nothing to do with the golf and what it feels like to have how much money you earned publicized every week.
04 Dec
published in category: Sports Talk Radio on Monday, December 4th, 2023 – 10:52 am
In this week’s “Pittsburgh Pop,” Tim Benz and Rob Owen talk about the defunct Pittsburgh Sammy Davis project, local TV ratings, streaming bundles, and “Masters of the Air.”
29 Nov
published in category: Next on the Tee on Wednesday, November 29th, 2023 – 12:49 pm
On this episode, I’m joined by Top Instructor Tom Patri, Pittsburgh Sports Talk Radio Host Paul Alexander, Wisconsin Golf Hall of Famer Gary D’Amoto, and US Kids Top 50 Master Professional Chris Knobloch.
Tom Patri and I talk golf conspiracy theories like Jon Rahm leaving for LIV, why Rory resigned from the PGA Tour Policy Board and looking at moving back to England, why NBC Sports let Paul Azinger and 15-year Producer Brandt Packer go, and what happens if the LIV/PGA Tour merger doesn’t go through.
Paul Alexander can be heard on 93.7 The Fan up in Pittsburgh. He is an expert on not only Pittsburgh sports, but also Western PA golf. I get his thoughts on the Steelers now that Matt Canada is gone plus if the Penguins can make to the post season. Paul recently emceed the Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony and we hear about that night and in particular Mke McGee, Annika Sorenstam’s husband, inducting his father Jerry McGee. Jerry was a 4-time winner on Tour and a part of the victorious 1977 Ryder Cup team. Paul also shares a great story of how he went from caddying for Arnold Palmer at a Pro-Am to teaming with Hale Irwin to beat Arnie and his partner.
Gary D’Amoto is an Officer for the Golf Writer’s Association of America and is also a member of the Wisconsin Golf Hall of Fame. He’s written several books one of which is autobiographical titled, A Perfect Childhood, Growing up in the 1960s with Baseball, the Beatles, and Beaver Cleaver. He shares his stories about what it was like growing up in the 60s, stories many of us can related to. We also talk Wisconsin golf, the 2017 US Open at Erin Hills, and the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. Gary has covered every Masters since 1993 and we hear about his chance meeting with a young Tiger Woods in 1996 and what it was like watching Jack Nicklaus make a run at a 7th Green Jacket at age 58 in 1998.
Chris Knobloch is a US Kids Top 50 Master Professional. He takes us inside his junior golf school and how he gets kids excited to play golf at a young age. We also get some advice for us as parents on how to allow our kids to enjoy the game without the pressure of our expectations for them.
27 Nov
published in category: Sports Talk Radio on Monday, November 27th, 2023 – 10:45 am
This week’s Pittsburgh Pop features author Dick Roberts to talk about his new book “Growing up Yinzer.” We also get into the latest “Fargo” series and Pittsburgh ties to”Squid game: The Challenge.”
24 Nov
published in category: Next on the Tee on Friday, November 24th, 2023 – 9:25 am
Jim McLean has been inducted into 4 Hall of Fames. His list of awards and accolades as an Instructor are too numerous to list. I get Jim’s thoughts on how we can build confidence in ourselves and our game’s, how to raise our play to tournament level, and the one thing we can do today to lower our scores this weekend. Give him a follow online at www.jimmclean.com and on social media @mcleangolf
Frank Nobilo won 14 times around the world, he finished in the Top 10 of all 4 majors, and is now an all-time great Analyst. We discuss why PGA Tour players are overpaid, what could happen if the PIF/PGA Tour partnership doesn’t go through plus, we go back to his T4 finish in the 1994 US Open at Oakmont, and what it was like being on the course at Augusta National as Greg Norman was collapsing in 1996.
Ron Reed worked for the USGA for over two decades and was the Starter at the US Open from 1986 to 2010. We hear his memories of announcing Arnold Palmer in Arnie’s final US Open at Oakmont in 1994, who Ron thought was the most nervous player he ever saw standing on the first tee (his answer will surprise you), being there for Payne Stewart’s triumph in 1999 and Phil’s heartbreak in 2006. You’ll also hear the heartwarming story of presenting Tom Watson’s caddie Bruce Edwards with the flag from the 17th green from the 1982 US Open. We also get the story of the beaver who halted the 1990 US Amateur Public Links tournament. Follow Ron on Twitter @golfdinosaurrr and get his book, Starting the US Open, Shinnecock to Pebble Beach online at www.ronread.com or on Amazon.
Stephen Cox has been a PGA Tour Rules Official since 1997. We hear about some of the unpopular rulings he’s had to give out over the years and the players who didn’t agree with him. We learn about the job the Rules Officials do which goes way beyond riding around in a golf cart handing out penalties. They are responsible for course setup and playing conditions and sometimes they are working on those things a year in advance of the tournament. We also discuss the rule he thinks the USGA & R&A need to take another look at. You can follow Stephen and his peers plus send them your rules questions on Twitter @pgatourrules.
20 Nov
published in category: Sports Talk Radio on Monday, November 20th, 2023 – 11:29 am
“Rustin”premieres. Urkel is back. We look at “Ghosts UK” A special deal for MAX. Fake sideline reports. And we have the Thanksgiving NFL lineup.
15 Nov
published in category: Next on the Tee on Wednesday, November 15th, 2023 – 1:49 pm
On this episode two of the Top Instructors in our game, Tom Patri and John Hughes, join me along with Champions Tour Pro Rob Labritz and PGA Tour SuperStore Chief Merchandising Officer Randy Peitsch.
TP and I also reflect back on two great feel-good stories from the Bermuda Championship in the performances of Tyson Alexander and Camilo Villegas’s inspirational victory.
Champions Tour Pro Rob Labritz and I go back to his journey through Champions Tour Q-School in 2021. He was the medalist which earned him his Tour card. You’ll hear about his grind to get there. We also talk about perhaps the best bogey save I’ve ever seen which earned Rob the final spot in last week’s Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
Randy Peitsch is the Chief Merchandising Officer for the PGA Tour SuperStore. Randy shares several great gift ideas for the golf enthusiast in our lives, even if that person is us. We hear what his Top 3 gift ideas are plus some great new tech items that have recently hit the shelves. Next, we get into the new TGL League. Arthur Blank not only owns the Atlanta Falcons, he also owns the PGA Tour SuperStore and the new Atlanta franchise in the TGL. We talk about the team, the players, and how the SuperStore is going to be involved with the League.
We round out the show with more from John Hughes. John is a PGA Master Professional so I tap into that to get us tips for how to make more putts when we’re faced with fast downhill lies. He gives us some mental tips when we’re faced with pitching over a pond, and how to get more distance off the tee. John also hosted a couple of golf schools up at McLemore this year. He got a firsthand look at the second course that Bill Bergin and Rees Jones are Co-Designing up there called The Keep. Rees shared with us a few months ago that it’s so good it could host a major tournament one day. John walked the course and shared his perspective on what we’ll see when that course opens in the Spring.