The Measured Golf Podcast

Journey Through Golf's Heart

• Michael Dutro, PGA • Season 6 • Episode 1

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Standing on the first tee of the Old Course at St. Andrews, a strange calm washed over me. The nerves that typically plague my game had vanished. Six holes later, after holing out an eagle on the ninth, I turned to where my father would have stood and whispered, "That's for you, Dad." Twenty years after his passing, I broke down in tears on golf's holiest ground, feeling his presence in a way I hadn't experienced since losing him.

This transformative journey through the UK revealed the stark differences between American and Scottish golf cultures. While American courses often emphasize manicured aesthetics and cart-based play, Scottish links golf embraces the natural terrain and walking. At Carnoustie, I watched children and women casually enjoying the same championship courses the pros struggle with during major championships. The local clubs function as community centers where golf is accessible to all – with memberships at world-class venues costing a fraction of American prices and programs ensuring every child receives free lessons and equipment.

Course design philosophy differs dramatically as well. Conversations with architect Mike DeVries reinforced that great courses should be playable and engaging for everyone, not just elite players. This contrasts sharply with American golf's obsession with length and difficulty that caters to professionals while forgetting that most golfers shoot in the 90s and drive the ball modest distances. The Scottish approach treats golf as more than a game – it's a communal experience, an honor code, and a way of life connecting generations.

After playing 169 holes in seven days (all rounds under four hours while walking!), I've returned with a renewed connection to why I love this game. The experience at St. Andrews wasn't just about golf – it was about reconnecting with joy on the course and feeling my father's influence once more. If you have the means to take the person who introduced you to golf to St. Andrews, do it. There simply isn't a better way to honor what this game truly means.

Speaker 1:

Hello and welcome to another episode in a new season of the Measured Golf Podcast hosted by myself, michael Dutro, where we kind of take a look at all things golf and try to make a little bit of sense or maybe add a different viewpoint or, who knows, maybe we're just rambling into the golf ecosphere, but at any point we're excited to start a new season. I was really kind of thinking about, you know, how this season is going to look, what we're going to try to do, what we want to accomplish, and you know in the past that you know this all started with me just rambling driving down the road in my, in my Honda Accord. It gave me something to do because that car didn't have many frills. But yeah, you know it started there and it was just me. And then we've had a lot of guests and we've had a couple of seasons where it's pretty much been a guest on every episode and the feedback's been incredible and the guests we've been fortunate to have have been just amazing and shared so many great insights. But you know, this season is maybe going to be a little hybrid of the two and maybe there will be an episode or two where maybe it's just me and maybe there will be more episodes where there's guests. But, to be honest, we're just kind of shooting this one from the hip a bit and I'm excited because I know we've got a few people that I'm really excited to have on as guests and I know they're going to bring a lot to the table and I think we're going to try to maybe look at some differing perspectives, dive into some different things than what we normally have and maybe try to I don't know just be more fans of the game of golf and maybe a little less critiquing golf swings and golf swing evolution and things like that. So, without further ado, some sad news.

Speaker 1:

I wanted to start by, you know, expressing the loss, you know, that the golf industry has felt in the past week of Mira San, you know the founder of Mira Golf. And a little personal story. I kid you not. You can ask my wife. We've been married for 15 years together, for 17. On the second date I took her to a golf store. By the way, that's not not a good move. Don't do that. It's not why we've been married all these years. But on our second date, I took her to a golf store and I showed her a set of Mira Blades. On our second date I took her to a golf store and I showed her a set of Mira Blades and I remember being like baby, one day I'm going to, I'm going to afford these and I'm going to play golf with these. And you know, I'm very fortunate. I just got back from the UK playing golf and I was playing with my Mira Blades. So it's kind of a full, full circle story a little bit for me and my Mira obsession and passion and my appreciation of that brand and what it strived to be. And I just wanted to take a moment and recognize Mira San. It's just a, it's a big loss, you know it's. It's just, it really bothered me, to be perfectly honest, and I since, since it's happened, you know it's just, you know I've never met him. We were supposed to go in April and that trip was canceled. We were supposed to go to Homenji and tour the facility and that was kind of canceled last minute and maybe now I understand why. A little bit more.

Speaker 1:

But long story short, you know, to take nothing away, I'm just, I'm a big fan of what he stood for and what he believed in and he really did change the industry. I mean, he quite literally was a maverick and it's one thing to be a maverick in an environment to where change is constant and change is current, but at the same time, where he was at that time, in that place, in a very traditional old world sense, you know, nobody was being lifted up to be a maverick, nobody was was inspired to go against the grain. But he did in a very real way, in a very old industry making steel, and he had a vision and he had a belief system and you know, in my opinion, I think he found a better way through it all and I think a lot of people feel that way. So I just wanted to spend a few moments and share that. It's just heartbreaking news. And I know his sons are there and I know, you know, I don't want to be a stick in the mud ever. I never want to be this person who just stands on something and refuses to budge forward. And change is good and definitely I believe change will happen at Mira, not necessarily bad change, but change Nonetheless. It's already started happening, as the sons of you know, taking a more vested role within the organization over the past you know, 10 years. But I hope that, you know, we don't lose. We don't lose what Mira, what Mira Sun stood for and we don't lose his vision and I hope that we find a way to honor him and I hope that the golf industry at large, you know, kind of finds a way to recognize his incredible contribution to the game. So, without further ado, um, I just wanted to share that.

Speaker 1:

If, uh, if you're interested in Mira man, there are, there are so many great things online you can find. Um, there's some. There's an amazing video with Adam Scott, uh, visiting the Mira factory. I've watched it probably 10 million times, but, uh, there's some really great stuff out there, but it's, it's very interesting. Uh, if you appreciate golf clubs and you appreciate, you know, people trying to do something different and better and for reasoning uh, other than just because they think so, uh, I encourage you to check it out. It's pretty cool stuff.

Speaker 1:

So, as I alluded to, um, you know, I just got back from the UK. Uh, actually, believe it or not, went on a golf trip to play golf. It was weird. I took my golf clubs. It was kind of surreal, uh, but we played golf in London. Uh, played golf in the. Scotland was fortunate enough to be at the home of golf and play at St Andrews the old course, which was just absolutely unbelievable.

Speaker 1:

I'll talk more about that in a little bit. I'm going to save that. So they call that, you know, baiting the hook, I think. So I'm going to make you stay tuned a little bit. But I do have a pretty cool story, a pretty personal story that happened to me, an experience at St Andrews that definitely goes well above golf. So, uh, I'll warn you now. Maybe, uh, if you're one of those people who tears up a little bit at the father son stuff, maybe have the Kleenex ready for later. Uh, I know I've got some right here, so, but I think it's worth sharing because I think that's what you go to St Andrews for.

Speaker 1:

I think you go to connect to the game of golf and, and you know it's kind of where it started and you feel that and I've said this before, but you know I've been fortunate and been there a couple of times, but you know the game of golf is just so much more than a game of golf when it comes to St Andrews, it's just it's it's, it's an honor code, it's a way of life, it's your standing in society, it's just it's a lot and it means different things and I think that you know a lot of Americans go over there and kind of get taken aback with how serious the game is taken over there and it's just a lot different. American golf is way more about driving the cup holder and taking five and a half hours and trying to hit the ball far and it's really just about hitting a ball. And I think that most people in the US who play golf hit a golf ball and I think that's not their fault. I don't see that as a less than statement, but that's the way the game is played in the US. To where the courses are long, the courses are soft and the ball doesn't really advance very easily.

Speaker 1:

When you get over to link style golf courses in the UK or if you get over to Australia and you play some link style golf there, if you really play some true link style golf, the ground is very hard and firm and while there are bunkers, there isn't typically a lot of water hazards. So essentially you can kind of top the ball and beat it around and get it up to the hole relatively quickly within two or three strokes, just because the ball will roll 30, 40, even 50 yards, so you can get away with a lot when it comes to ball striking over there, which creates the opportunity at a much earlier stage of development for the golfer to start working on hitting those pitch shots and those chip shots and making putts. And I think that over there, when you play golf in the UK, where you play these link style golf courses, it just it turns into more of playing shots versus trying to hit perfect shots and it's just, it's really beautiful over there that way. Um, it's, it's really amazing, it's an incredible opportunity.

Speaker 1:

We're going to kind of dive into that, uh, a little bit, because I've had so many people ask me about the trip, the trip that saw the pictures that I shared on social media. If you don't already follow me, you can find me at the force plate guy on Instagram. I've got a ton of photos up there of the trip. Please, you know, make sure you take a look at those are pretty amazing. But yeah, just you know, I thought that it's a cool story to share. A lot of people were interested. I definitely want to be the best ambassador that I could be to encourage you to go tomorrow. Don't wait.

Speaker 1:

A lot of Americans don't understand that the buggy, or the drink holder as I call it here in the United States, or the cart as most of you call it, it doesn't really exist when you get over there. So you know, if you're one of those people who's thinking about saving that trip for later on in life, you know, think about your health, think about your well-being, think about being able to carry the bag for 18 holes and enjoy a round of golf, you know, even with a caddy it's still you've got to be able to walk. So if you get out to the castle golf course it's a tough walk. So, you know, make sure you're doing these, these trips, when you can really enjoy them, when you're physically fit, when you, uh, when you still kind of have your game about you, because nothing could be worse than going to one of these places and just playing. Awful, because if you get on the wrong side of some of these golf courses especially like when we played at Carnoustie you can just see where there's just there's nothing you can do and honestly, there's certain positions on that golf course to where you can just kind of hit it, bunker to bunker, back and forth, and just be there all day. So I really, uh, I really appreciate you know the differences in the styles.

Speaker 1:

Like I said, I've I've been over before, but this was kind of the first time I really spent a lot of time playing golf and appreciating it. And, like I said, as much as I love golf in England and I think English golf is amazing, you know St Andrews is just it's the home of golf and there's the golf which is incredibly pure and amazing but seems kind of like how it is in Scotland, at least the courses I've played in Scotland. And then there's like the experience that you have there as well and it's just incredible the experience that you get playing the old. It's so much, it's so far removed from golf in a way, but everything about golf in the same way. It's just really incredible. So, um, that trip was absolutely amazing. Um, right before that trip, I had been out to LA, uh, los Angeles, and had played at the North course at Los Angeles country club and my business manager was nice enough to take me out there and let me check out the golf course and see what I thought Incredible experience being able to go out to LACC, kind of. You know, it's one of those very storied courses. You know they're most famous for not letting the celebrities be members. It's a pretty big deal out there, but really cool golf course.

Speaker 1:

Obviously he's hosted the US Open, but just a very, uh, very different presentation and and not, once again, not in a bad way at all. But I had literally just come back from Augusta national. I'd been in Augusta national all week for the masters and when you think of Augusta you think of perfect, and I honestly think that Augusta national is some kind of simulation because it's so perfect. And I honestly think that Augusta National is some kind of simulation because it's so perfect. I go year over year and just really can't find anything that isn't perfect on that property and it's just manicured wall to wall, and not just the golf course, but the concessions, the bathrooms, the merch shops, every piece of pine straw is immaculate. It's just the place is manicured wall to wall and the presentation is just off the charts. And you know, I think that's why we're all so mesmerized by it in a way. But in the same way that you know, augusta is manicured wall to wall.

Speaker 1:

I would say LACC very much feels like a unfinished painting in a lot of ways and they've taken the center of the canvas and they filled it with the hole and the surrounds. But then out towards the edge of the canvas they've just kind of left it blank a little bit and it's not finished wall-to-wall's, it's not finished wall to wall and it's not manicured to a tee. But even though the presentation isn't this illusion of perfect, it plays very, very, very well and it plays firm and fast and it's it's really cool how they've done that and when you think of la, you kind of think of glitz and glam and then you get out to LACC and it really feels more like something that's evolving and changing and growing with time and it's just a very different experience and very, very cool, um, just different presentations. So, uh, to say I've been on a little bit of a run here with golf courses, uh is a bit of an understatement and has just been really wild. But you know, the privilege and the honor of getting to go to some of these places and play at them and enjoy them and walk them and just experience them is amazing. And they all offer different things. They all kind of bring a different presentation or a different spirit or a slightly different spin on what they want to show you, as you know, their version of golf, and I think that's what makes golf so great is you could. You know, and I've done this, and you know I've played some golf courses that are ranked in the top, you know 30, 40 courses in the in the country and I I honestly I didn't, didn't really get it, didn't really see it, didn't really didn't really feel that, didn't appreciate that, um, but I've also played some golf courses that are nowhere near any list and I thought that they were utterly amazing and truly spectacular. So, you know, I think one thing that we lose sight of is, you know, golf courses, you know they, they have stature based off the tournaments that they've hosted or the members that they have, or the size of the clubhouse, or their ability to to manicure and present their golf course in a certain way. But at the end of the day, every golf course you know, has, you know, golf has a way of contributing to what golf is going to look like, moving forward. And I just think that all of these golf courses do that in a very different way, and I think that a lot of these golf courses are really starting to envelop these ideas of being playable, and I think that's where golf is really changing a bit in terms of design. And you know, we were very, very fortunate last September to go.

Speaker 1:

I took a few of my friends out to the Kingsley club. Uh, mike DeVries, the designer of the Kingsley club, was so nice, uh, to join us for the round. I've had him on the podcast. Mike's an incredible guy. If you don't know much of Mike's work, check him out. Mike DeVries golf architecture he's Clayton DeVries, dupont. Just they do amazing stuff. But I would really recommend checking that out.

Speaker 1:

But Mike took us out and we were playing golf with him and I really am not much of a golf course architecture snob. I don't really I haven't dove into that yet. Uh, at this point in my golfing journey, I just I haven't got. I want to. I have some books I'd really love to read about this, but I just haven't had the time yet.

Speaker 1:

But I was talking to Mike DeVries about this and I was like you know, when you're designing a golf hole, I mean, is it?

Speaker 1:

Are we going for spectacular?

Speaker 1:

Are we?

Speaker 1:

Are we looking for something that's understated? Are we just looking at what the land provides? You know how, how do you go about making a hole of golf and you know, I kind of expected this like mystical kind of evangelistic answer almost from Mike and he was like it's just got to be playable and he, he, he went into further detail but he was talking about the, the course being playable and enjoyable and intriguing and, most importantly, engaging for everybody. For everybody, whether you know, they're a very, very good player, maybe they're a college player trying to play professionally, or whether they're somebody who's a relatively new golfer, who's on a golf trip and they're playing maybe the forward tees, you know, those things are very, very different. How that hole presents from the back tees versus the forward tees is very, very different. So how do we make the hole as engaging for everybody? How do we make it doable for everybody? How do we make it to where somebody can only hit a ball, you know, maybe 180 yards, and has a dispersion rate of 50 yards? How can we make it to where this is still doable for them and they can enjoy this a little bit?

Speaker 1:

And I, I, I can see that in Mike's design and I can see that in the courses that are really these, these courses that are considered to be top-notch golf courses, and, like with LACC, like with a gut. You can play Augusta National or LACC from any place on the property you want to play it from and the whole is still great, like that's that's design, that's the ability to really maximize that piece of land, and it's it's so funny because when you, when you, look at LACC, you know it feels and, like I said, they've done an amazing job with their presentation of making it feel like it's not and I mean no disrespect, but it just almost feels like it's unfinished and like it's changing and evolving and growing, kind of, almost as you're playing it. And it's a very surreal kind of thing. And Augusta even really feels different now and you know there's a lot of trees that aren't there anymore, that were there A lot of trees, and a lot of trees that aren't there anymore, that were there a lot of trees, and a lot of the sight lines are different. And I think that we saw Augusta National play a little bit different this year because of those trees not necessarily being as dense as they have in years past. So I mean it's got to be interesting, it's got to be intriguing, it's got to play for everybody and that's where I think great course design comes from.

Speaker 1:

I haven't. I mean, I don't want to take anything away from any of these great golf courses, because they're works of art, they truly, they're living, breathing art, and we need to thank the superintendents and the committees and the crews and and the and the people who just work hourly maintaining these pieces of art and keeping them perfect. For us, I mean, it's the job that they do is incredible. But you know, if you go to a place like Pine Valley uh I don't think I'm talking out of school it's a tough track and it's not necessarily doable for everybody and it's certainly not doable for a lot of people who play golf. And I think that that's where you know there's this kind of like what do we do? Do we go for spectacular? Do we go for the list? Do we go for sublime? Do we go for holy smokes I've never seen anything like this in my life or do we go for hey, everybody can enjoy it and everybody can have a good time, because that's how I think you know, golf has got to really see things moving forward. It's, it's gotta be enjoyable for more than just the tour player.

Speaker 1:

And so much of what's talked about in the industry whether it be swings or whether it be equipment or whether it be courses or whether it be whatever. So much of this is driven by what the professional players do. Where play like whatever right, the professional players the top 0.0001% are the ones that are literally driving the game and at the end of the day, that doesn't pay the bills for the game and the game is played by people who are playing exactly that a game. And if you think about this, like, I have a Monopoly set at my home, you have a Monopoly set at your home. I hope everybody has Monopoly set at their home and I hope you turn off the TV and play some board games with each other every now and then. It's good for everybody.

Speaker 1:

But, with that being said, if you come to my home, we play Monopoly by my rules. If we go to your home, we play Monopoly by your rules and that's totally fine because it's a game and nobody cares. But if we were to go and play Monopoly for the world championship the Monopoly world championship we have to play by the written rules and nobody cares about our interpretation and like. That's what playing professional golf is. We play by the rules and it's very serious and there's millions of dollars to play and it's a whole different environment than where 99.9999% of the industry is, and that is just people generally who shoot about 90 to 95, who hit it about 200 to 220 yards, and they kind of aren't great golfers. That's the industry, that's who plays the game, that's who pays the bills, and I get it Like there is prestige and there is these things associated with joining a club.

Speaker 1:

But I think if you're, you know somebody who has a golf course and you're trying to think about long-term strategy and you're trying to think about developing that next generation, I think you've got to find ways to really make the golf course interesting for everybody who plays it. And it's not always making it longer, it's not always making it harder, it's not always doing these things that every other club is doing, because it's a very monkey-see, monkey-do industry. It's about figuring out ways to include more youngsters. It's about figuring out ways to include more youngsters. It's about figuring out ways to get kids on the golf course. It's about figuring out ways to get women on the golf course. Uh, if you look at Asia, half the people that play golf are women. It's awesome, like that's great. We need this to happen because, honestly, like if, if, golf isn't inclusive and we don't have access, then golf eventually goes away.

Speaker 1:

And after being over in the home of golf and seeing the purity and seeing what we saw, I mean it's no wonder it's lasted through the generations. I mean it's unreal. The, the, the generations, I mean it's. It's unreal. I I can't begin to count. So a lot of Americans aren't aware of this, but a lot of the golf courses that you hear about over there have more than one golf course. So, for example, st Andrews is actually seven golf courses. Uh, they have the old course, which is the one that we're most familiar with, but they also have six other golf courses.

Speaker 1:

If you go to Carnoustie they have, I believe, two other golf courses, two. They call them junior courses. They're nothing junior. One of the junior courses at Carnoustie that we played called Burnside. It's actually one of the top ten courses in Scotland as well. So they have the championship lengths, which is obviously very highly ranked, and then they've got Burnside as well. So they have the championship links, which is obviously very highly ranked, and then they've got Burnside as well.

Speaker 1:

So when we were playing Burnside at Carnoustie after we'd played the championship links that morning, I think we counted three or four children that were out with parents or grandparents and we counted three or four women that were, just, you know, out playing leisurely golf by themselves, and I can't tell you how awesome that is. And when we were talking to the locals who we were playing with about it, they were telling us that all the youngsters in the community get so many free lessons a year as long as they use them or, I'm sorry, as long as they play golf and they get free equipment and there's no charge, and they're literally developing and getting these kids into the game at a very early age and getting them the training they need and getting them the resources they need and involving them in the golf club. And and the same with women, there's so many more, there's so much more women, women's involvement in the, in the club and in the courses, and it's it's a community effect. And the reason I bring that up is because I think really, golf, uh over in the UK, what I've witnessed personally, the golf course is the center of the community and it's it's almost revered. It really is. It's it's almost like the church that the town shares and, unlike churches that tend to be divided based off belief systems, everybody believes in this church and this golf course slash church within this community creates an opportunity for people to come together, do something that they both enjoy and both can engage in, while potentially discussing topics that maybe are a little tough, but it gives them space and it gives them time and it and it creates an opportunity for discussion. So I think that the, the, the golf courses in the UK, uh, in Scotland in particular, just really they serve a higher purpose, almost they. They are there, as you know, pillars of the community. It's beautiful. I wish that we did more of those things here.

Speaker 1:

Memberships there are very, very inexpensive. You hear people throwing around numbers of less than $10,000 to join one of these top courses in the world, than $10,000 to join one of these like top courses in the world, and it's it's just when you go to a golf club outside of the U? S, you're you're likely to see a bunch of golfers. When you go to a golf club within the U? S, you're likely to see a lot of business people, and it's it's just a different, different game, altogether different kind of societal viewpoint of what golf does. And, like I said, I think you know for the most part, outside of the US. Golf is very much this communal thing that brings people together and is shared, enjoyed, and you know, it's just this kind of like almost semi-religion, if you will. But then when we get to the US it's more of a leisurely game, it's more of an activity, it's more of something we do maybe to get away from.

Speaker 1:

You know the work stress, the life stress. You know why is golf played so slow here in the US? Well, there's two reasons. One I don't think people want to go home. I think that's the biggest reason. It's much more fun to be out in the sun drinking beers and your cart holder, that you're your cup holder, that you drive around that's. That's like way more fun than going home and dealing with the kids and the wife and all that stuff. So I understand it from that perspective. But I think the biggest thing that really slows us down is the cart, the drink holder. It just, you know, the guy sits there and watches his buddy do his thing and then they drive over and watch him and it's just, we're tied at the hip.

Speaker 1:

And the funny thing is is I I can't remember I believe we played 169 holes, um in about seven days. And I believe the wildest thing is that every round we played was under four hours and we walked every hole, um, and I mean a lot of those holes that we walked. We didn't have caddies. It wasn't like we had a caddy and we were hustling. No, it's, it's just it's.

Speaker 1:

It's a brisk walk, you move, um, and it's, it's, it's great. You know, it's gets the heart rate up a little bit. You, uh, you gotta like control your breath, maybe over a shot if you had a long run to that one. Uh, but it just it. It connects you more, I think, to to the environment. It connects you more to the game. It's easier to stay present. Um, I love it.

Speaker 1:

I've I've been a walker. I committed to walking a couple of years ago. Uh, I've been walking a lot and it just has brought so much joy back to the game for me that I really I just I hate being in the golf cart now. It's just not. It's a different experience. I love walking. I'd love to get to a point. My feet aren't really tough enough, but I'd love to play barefoot, like if I could guarantee that I wasn't going to step on something sharp and hurt myself. I'd probably play barefoot because that sounds pretty good too, but I just think that there's there's a lot of good that comes from being able to go out and, you know, play a golf shot and connect to the environment and try to gauge the wind and engage the bounces and the rolls and the humps and the bumps, and you know, and and try to play golf shots and and worry less about being you know tech, you know technically perfect or creating this optimal launch and spend because of the green, super hard and you're hitting it in there from 185. And it's, you know, that's. That's a lot different game. So I think it's great and I think you know coming up with ways to make the golf courses, you know, more accessible. You know making them more, you know, within the community's reach, making them more of a good steward of the game and less of a profit center and less of a real estate play. You know, I think that that would be good, but it's just.

Speaker 1:

You know I'm very much riding the high of St Andrews. I left my heart in St Andrews, if you will, and maybe I'm romanticizing a little bit more than I usually do, but you know, it's just. It was a great experience. I consider myself to be a bit of a golf hipster, if you will. And you know the place just really speaks to, speaks to me over there and there's something about it, to where you know the clothes you're wearing, the clubs you're using, like none of that matters. You know the ball, it doesn't matter, like you're just there and it's.

Speaker 1:

You know the caddies it was so funny, the caddies actually warned us before the round. They're like hey guys, just really take every chance you have to like soak it up, because it's going to go by quick. And I was like thinking to myself like you know, I've played a lot of golf like how quick can I go? And by the time I got my wits about me. We were on like the sixth or seventh hole and it's like wow, that just flew by and it just kind of stayed that way the whole day. But Kleenex morning, here here comes the Kleenex talk. But you know I'll be a hundred percent honest.

Speaker 1:

If I was to show up to a golf tournament at a PGA section level or show up to just an event and play golf, and if I just played like I normally play, like I know how to do, everything would be totally fine and I would shoot a score, probably right around par, maybe a couple under, and life would be just peachy right. But in reality what happens is my internal things get in the way, like most of us, and sometimes I don't manage them as well as I do others. And when I don't manage them well, I tend to shoot higher scores, like we all do, because of the stress and the pressure and just not managing ourselves and regulating our emotions very well. So, generally speaking, I would consider myself to be a bit of a nervous, kind of twitchy player, especially now that I don't play much competitive golf at all and I generally spend most of my time teaching and coaching. So, with that all being said, you know I know some people in St Andrews. They're very, very nice people. They were great with us. But I kind said, you know, I know some people in St Andrews. They're very, very nice people. They were great with us, but I kind of, you know, waited a bit too long and did not get my request in for a old course tea time in time.

Speaker 1:

So essentially what we had to do was we had to go into the ballot. So we as a group went into the ballot and found out that we did not make it through. So that was a bit disheartening and we were all a bit bummed out and it didn't matter. We were still going to play golf at St Andrews and it was all going to be amazing. We were there for a few days. But long story short, the old course. Obviously everybody wants to have that experience.

Speaker 1:

So we went into the singles ballot the next day, uh, and Aram, my trainer, uh, that works here at measured golf. He's amazing, but Aram was fortunate enough to get in, as was I. So Aram and myself both were able to get through the singles ballot, uh, and I was able. I had a tee time. Aram actually was on standby. He was able to get out about an hour, hour and a half after me, I believe.

Speaker 1:

But I teed off at 6.40 AM, bright and early on the old course, and I wake up that morning at about five and I am it's like a kid on Christmas morning and I'm very excited and my stomach's in knots and I feel like I'm going to a US Open and I'm just beside myself a little bit and it's just, you know, a little surreal. But I'm very aware of me. So I kind of know I'm on edge and I'm kind of trying to take it easy and I'm trying to calm myself down and I get over to the starters starter shed and then there's a little bit of a of a mess around and then eventually we get everything sorted out and we're getting ready to go. And keep in mind, it's 6 40 AM. No range balls have been hit and no practice putts have been rolled either. There's no swings, no, nothing. 640, they call your name. You're up, they're in front of the RNA club apps with my caddy, jim, best caddy. I've ever. Had More on him later. But there I am.

Speaker 1:

We're at the old and if there ever was a tee shot you wanted to see to open a hole, it might be the opening tee shot at the old course of St Andrews. Because literally you don't want to hit driver because you don't want to hit it into the berm, so you can hit whatever you want and you can like the short of the berm, which I think was playing about 250 max, and you can just hit it forever left and as a player that has a left miss like that's kind of something comforting to see. So, like I said, I'm aware that I'm a little nervy, I'm aware that this is a big moment. This has been something I've been dreaming of my whole life and I could not have been calmer, if I tried, never been so calm, just unreal. And I actually posted the video of the tee shot. Aram took the video of me hitting the tee shot Thanks, bud and I just smoked this thing down the middle and just felt calm as could be, and then felt calm hitting the approach, shot in and just felt so calm the entire day, calm the entire day. So after a couple of holes, um, it kind of dawned on me that my dad passed away 20 years ago and, uh, it dawned on me that it felt like my dad was with me in like a very kind of tangible, real way and it was just like the most calming feeling. But it felt like my dad was with me every step of the way. So it was just like a very kind of nice. I'm having a nice walk, the weather is incredible, my like, there's no wind. My caddy gym is incredible, just feeding me great information and just unbelievable great caddy.

Speaker 1:

So we get to, uh, the ninth hole and I blast a really nice drive, a ripa up, uh up about. And I blast a really nice drive, a rip up, up, uh up, about you know, 30, 40 yards short of the green, yeah, the 34 yards short of the green. And uh, I pitch it up and it goes in, goes right in the hole. So I make a whole out Eagle and the guys that I was paired up with because I went through the singles ballot, all congratulate me and kind of throw their hands up and everybody gets excited for a moment and like I go get the ball out of the hole and uh, kind of walk over the side and, and you know, hand the ball to Jim to clean, and and he's like, hey, man, great shot. And I said thank you and everything was pretty normal. And uh, jim's like hey, I'm going to run get your water bottle filled. Why don't you head over to 10 and I'll meet you there. Sure, jim, no problem. So I'm not overly excited. It's not like I'm wound up because I just hold out.

Speaker 1:

Um, so I make the Eagle and I'm walking over to 10. Jim just went to get the water and I turned to my right and I've done this before on the golf course, but I turned to my right and I'm like, just say it out loud, I go hey, dad, that's for you, bud, I love you, I wish you were here. And I just absolutely lost it, and I do mean lost it, like I had to put my hat over my face, bald, hysterically for about three minutes and then, like proceedly proceeded to double 10. And it was just the most surreal thing, but it it just it kind of stayed with me the whole day. Uh, it felt like he was with me.

Speaker 1:

Uh, if most people don't know this, my the, the the bag inside of my bag that I used to put all my teas and ball markers and stuff in. It's the one my dad used. So I always have that with me. So I, I, I play golf because of my dad. It's all kind of dad driven. So it was just this very I feel like I'm with my dad for the first time in 20 years. It's this great experience. I played really well. I think I shot 75 at the old Nice trip around, great day, whatever. So we get done with the round. Shake hands, thank Jim, take care of him, everything's settled. And it hits me again and I just cried like a baby. And you know it's so funny because I don't know, you know, and my wife is a therapist and I'm sure a few therapists to reach out to me and explain this to me. But you know, it was just like a lot of therapy for me and I've just had this great sense of calm, uh sense, and it's just been really, really nice. And you know, I've I played golf once since I've been back, I was, you know, fortunate once again.

Speaker 1:

Murderers row went down to the Inverness club and played golf, um, and it's it's like. You know, it's easy to get away from what makes us happy on the golf course and it's easy to kind of lose that joy. But you know, the greatest thing probably from the trip, especially the part when we were in St Andrews, is just finding my joy on the golf course again and remembering why you love it and letting yourself kind of fall back in love with the game. And you know I was with you know, my business partner, paul, who I love to death. He, and you know I was with you know, my business partner, paul, who I love to death. He's like my older brother, uh, aaron was with us. I and I love Aaron. He's he's like my younger brother, uh, and just to like have your mates with you and to have that experience.

Speaker 1:

Man, it's just been this. You know it feels very life-changing, uh, but it's been great. I mean, it's just been wonderful. I can't recommend going enough. Carnoustie was, you know, st Andrews is the experience and you have the city and it's just unreal and it's very Harry Potter and I don't know Harry Potter at all, but it's just a very it feels like a fairy tale. It's just a very it feels like a fairy tale. But then you know you go to Carnoustie and it's like, hey, this might not be the fairy tale you're looking for, it might be a little bit more of a nightmare, but at the end of the day it's like. The golf is so pure, the course conditioning is so great. It's not what we're accustomed to seeing here it's a lot of greens and browns I love browns on a golf course accustomed to seeing here it's a lot of greens and browns I love browns on a golf course but it's just amazing the way it plays and the quality and the rollout. I mean it's just phenomenal, just incredible. I mean just a great trip altogether.

Speaker 1:

So I don't know if we accomplished anything with any of this, but I wanted to take a few moments to share a few thoughts about of this. But I wanted to take a few moments to share a few thoughts about, you know, st Andrews, carnoustie. Um, I want to give a special shout out to James Day. Uh, urban golf over in London. Um, james, thank you brother. Uh, didn't deserve that good of a trip, but James is, uh is a cool dude. Uh, really cool dude Actually. Uh, if you're looking for some cool threads and you don't want to look like everybody else, check out sounder golf. Uh, they're incredible, they make really cool golf stuff. But, uh, my mate James, you know, had us.

Speaker 1:

We started in London so we were fortunate enough to get. I mean, listen to this. So day one we go to St George's hill just incredible, like I mean incredible. The second day we go over to Hankley Common, which it's just not what you expect to see. I mean just so cool. Such a big piece of property, incredible conditions, every hole, just breathtaking, beautiful right.

Speaker 1:

Then we go to probably my favorite place in the world and we go down on the English Channel and go to the Rye Club and have a day at the Rye. So we had our 13 holes at the Jubilee in the morning, which was incredible, and then went in, had our lunch, coat and tie. You have to do that lords and ladies kind of place, uh. And then back out on on the big course at the rye, which is always a treat, always special, uh, and then we finished it up with going over to, um, highgate, and highgate maybe had some of the best greens that we saw on the whole trip. I mean incredible, just great, super hilly golf course, a lot of fun, a lot of character to the land, um, but you know that that was London.

Speaker 1:

And then it's like, hey, we're going to St Andrews and then hey, we're going to pop in, uh, pop in on Carnoustie to finish this thing out. So, and then landing and going to Inverness. So pretty good round, a pretty good little lineup and, uh, and and golf Mecca there that we've got to enjoy in the past month. So I just I wanted to take some time and tell you that if you're thinking about going, you know, do it. If you have the means to take the person that introduced you to the game, take them, share that with them. I don't think you could spend your money any better than that.

Speaker 1:

Just truly an incredible experience. I mean, I can't say enough good things. I'm also not being sponsored to say any of this, so maybe it would be nice. You know I'm happy to go back, so but I just I think it's incredible and I think, I think, I think you can go and you can have an incredible personal experience there. But I also think that you can have an incredible kind of community experience and understand what golf means to the community there and then bringing some of their grassroot initiatives and efforts that they have been doing for years over there and start applying them to some of the places around our country, because I know that the biggest problem that we have right now is there's just no access and it's not getting any better.

Speaker 1:

You know, the more golfers we add, the worse it gets. And people tell me that's not true. But I strongly disagree and the reason I disagree is because there hasn't been a public golf course built in the past 10 years in this country and people go well. That's absurd and I go well. If it's over $50 for the green fee, it's not public and that's the facts Like I get it.

Speaker 1:

Like you know, a lot of these destination golf courses are public, but at 500 to 1250 around, I don't think that's obtainable for very many people, plus the flight, plus the hotel, plus the food, plus the caddy, like you're talking about, really serving a very small percentage of the golfing population. And once again, that is a bit how golf is here in America. So I don't know what the answer is and I don't know if both models are sustainable, but I know that the way they've been doing it in Scotland has been the longest way possible for golf and people rake the bunkers and people fix the ball marks and people really respect the game. So I think if we could find a way to incorporate some of that back into the game and then also find a way to ensure that golf has a future, I don't see why we wouldn't be inclined to do those things. So, just food for thought. I I'll get off my high horse and stop lecturing, but it's awesome, man, if you can get there. Go Um and yeah, check out, check out the photos, man. I posted a ton of them. I was going to do kind of like a photo slideshow, uh, with the podcast, but I was like, well, that's kind of weird. So, uh, yeah, they're posted. You can check them out. Like I said on Instagram, the Forceplate guy If you want to follow us at Measured Golf, it's at Measured Golf.

Speaker 1:

A lot of people don't know this, but we actually do have a YouTube channel. We actually post the videos from this podcast to the YouTube. But then we also have a lot of swing instruction stuff there on YouTube as well, where we talk a lot about ground forces and golf biomechanics and all that fun stuff as well. But you can go to YouTube, you can search measured golf and it'll all pop up for you right there. Make sure you hit that subscribe. That really helps a ton. And then, if you want, leave a comment. Let us know what you think. If you've got a question, hit us up. If you want to see something in the future, let us know. And we're always taking that stuff under consideration, because there's no reason to make this stuff if it's not the stuff that you guys are interested in. So, with that being said, I don't know if this was interesting to anybody other than me, but I sure enjoyed it and I hope you did as well. So, if you haven't already, make sure you subscribe to this podcast. Once again, helps us a ton. And otherwise, you know, let your friends know if they're looking for a golf podcast.

Speaker 1:

We're going to kind of cover some different stuff this year. Somebody that's coming on the near future is a good friend of mine. We're going to talk a lot about kind of the juniors and not so much the juniors that have their own logo and their name on their bag and all that stuff but we're actually just going to talk about like hey, maybe you're a young parent and maybe you're like wondering if it's too early to introduce a plastic golf club or things like that. So we're going to talk a little bit about that and how to get your kids interested in golf without kind of shoving it down their throat, because, unfortunately, I think that's why a lot of the youngsters really don't attach to golf all that well. So it's going to be a fun conversation.

Speaker 1:

We'll talk about some of the serious stuff as well, like we always do, but, like I said, I think that there's a lot of different avenues to golf and a lot of different topics that bear a little further discussion. So we're going to try to get into a little bit of that and try to keep you entertained at the same time. So, once again, you can find us on Instagram, you can find us on the podcast, you can find us on YouTube. Got a lot of different things out there for you and a few other things coming in the future that we're excited to share more about coming up. So thanks again for listening and until next time, keep grinding.

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Michael Dutro, PGA

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