A Salute to Service and Sport: Golf's Role in Veteran Journeys

Our latest episode swings into action with tales from Deon Cook, a retired Air Force veteran whose golfing aspirations soared from winning a single tournament to clinching a national championship. As we go beyond the leaderboard, we explore the depth of what golf means to veterans like Deon and other veterans – a journey of personal growth, competition, and unbreakable bonds formed on the green.

Ever considered what a 'golf leave' might look like? Major Mike Miller, who's about to transition from a 25-year military service to civilian life, is living that very dream ahead of his official retirement in August. We swap stories of our service days, the challenges and thrills of military life, and how the game of golf becomes a sanctuary for soldiers seeking a sense of normalcy amidst the chaos. Join us as we reflect on our own paths from the structured world of the military to the freedom and camaraderie found in retirement – and on the golf course.

Concluding with a call to all the golf enthusiasts out there, we're peering into the future of our Golfweek Amateur Tour – from the stories of our latest tournaments to the anticipation of upcoming competitions. Get a sneak peek into our tour updates, the thrill of tournament organization, and how we're fostering a community that's as tight-knit as it is competitive. And if you've got a flair for design, we're all ears for your shirt submissions and look forward to connecting with you through our new website feature. Grab your clubs and join our conversation; this episode is all about embracing the game and the people who make it great.

If you have questions, send them to us at:
Tim - TimNATC@amateurgolftour.net
Chris - elpaso@amateurgolftour.net

Chapters

• 0:00 Golf Week Amateur Tour Podcast Episode
• 10:42 Life After Retirement
• 17:05 Golf Journey and Tournament Camaraderie
• 29:03 Retiring Military Veteran's Reflective Journey
• 40:17 Golfing Adventures and Tour Updates
• 54:39 Golfing Conversations and Tournament Preparation
• 1:04:01 Memorial Day and Shirt Submissions
• 1:08:48 Promoting Podcast and Tour Feedback

Transcript

Tim: 1:01

Welcome back, Chris. How you doing, bud? I'm doing good. How about yourself? Well, I'm doing good, but I don't know if you realize this, but we're going to hell.

Chris: 1:08

You know we talked about it earlier and I can't believe it. This is strike two for us.

Tim: 1:12

Yeah, it's funny, but it's not. We spend a lot of time talking about dads and golf Right, and where we don't have a lot of females playing golf. And when we spend I mean you know how it is, when you spend an entire weekend away from your family because you're playing golf there's going to come a time where your wife or your significant other is going to say Enough's enough and we go and not even think about mentioning Mother's Day, right, and we know that there's mothers out there that listen to us.

Chris: 1:45

So the fact or even play on our tour, so the fact that we miss that is not good.

Tim: 1:50

Yeah, it's not good at all. I'll tell you what if we do this again next year, if I say, if we do this, if we forget again next year, we're in trouble. Right, we? We've got a great episode. Today we're talking with two more members who are veterans. They both have very unique and good stories and been a part of the tour for a long time. One of them is a former national champion. Yep, yep, I'm looking forward to talking to both of them.

Chris: 2:17

Yeah, it's going to be some good conversations and it's going to be a blast. Let's get it started. Yep, let's go.

Speaker 3: 2:29

Ladies and gentlemen, golf Week Amateur Tour the podcast Talking about all things Golf Week Amateur Tour, including interviews with tour directors, players and course pros. Now here are your hosts Atlanta Tour Director, tim Newman, and El Paso Las Cruces Director, chris Rocha.

Tim: 3:01

Welcome back, Chris. We're about 10 days away from our trip. Are you ready to go?

Chris: 3:06

I am. I'm excited Starting to get everything packed up slowly and we'll see how I end up playing out there. I'm excited to try on these new courses.

Tim: 3:13

Well, I already know how you're going to end up playing You're going to do. Well, I think your playing is going to be just fine, because I'll be up there and I'll get you straight.

Chris: 3:23

Hey, I'll take all the tips and tricks that anybody has.

Tim: 3:26

Yeah, we're still a little too far out to look at weather, but I'm hoping Michelle is right in saying that weather is going to be sunny and 80, no wind nice calm.

Chris: 3:37

I don't want to jinx it so I'm not going to talk about it, but I'm hoping for good things. Yeah, I'm sure it's going to be nice.

Tim: 3:42

You know we've talked about maybe a military appreciation month and you know I'm still in Pennsylvania. You're helping taking care of the grandkids. You know my daughter was working tonight and the only thing I've asked is no change in poop diapers. It's the only thing I've asked for, all right, because when my kids were young it didn't bother me at all. Now, just the smell of it is bad. I mean, she said, oh, you'll be fine. My daughter went to work at seven. She said you'll be fine. You know, put them down about 730. It wasn't 10 minutes after she left that my two-year-old did what two-year-olds do and it wasn't pretty for anybody. I threw up my granddaughter as I'm leaning in to give her a kiss goodnight. After I cleaned everything up, she said please don't throw up on me. It was not a good night and so we're talking about these heroes and I can't even change a poopy diaper without getting sick myself.

Chris: 4:42

That's no fun. I don't miss those days, so bless your heart, but those are no fun times.

Tim: 4:51

So when my daughter gets home, when I see her tomorrow, we're going to have a little conversation. I don't know what the conversation is going to be like, but we're going to talk about something, Right? Right right.

Tim: 5:01

So we've got a really good episode this week. We've got some veterans and the first one we're going to talk about we've talked about how you and I don't have any national champions, but Atlanta does have one. He won the national championship the year before I got there. So let's bring in our next guest, dion Cook. He's the 2015 B-Flight National Champion, 22-year-old veteran of the United States Air Force. Dion, thanks so much for joining us tonight and thank you for your service.

Deon: 5:34

It's my pleasure and I appreciate being here.

Tim: 5:37

You're the only national champion that Atlanta's had in 30-plus years. We've been trying, but what was that actually, like you know, winning the national championship.

Deon: 5:47

Well, I tell you, first of all, it was, ironically, it's my first year playing on the tour. So I came out. I got pretty hot. I was playing in seat flight at first and I was just playing really good golf at that time. I started winning. My whole goal, believe it or not, that year, was to win one tournament. That was it. I would have walked away a happy man if I had just done that. And one one I started, you know, played pretty good and I was kind of like a mid 80's you know player at the time and it just started getting hot. And I had one round where I got really hot at Barrett's Bass and the guy, the tour director at the time, you know he, he didn't like it that good. You know you guys do. Yeah, the first thing out your mouth is is never congratulations, you're the first thing I would you're moving up.

Deon: 6:41

So I came to the clubhouse I had shot a 76, you know, and I was happy about it. He's all my guy. You got to move up, you know. And I said no problem. So ended up he called Dennis and did not get moved up that time, but shortly after that he moved me up to the B flight and I was just as nervous Like I'm not. You know, those guys are good, not ready, not ready and all that good stuff. And I remember my very first tee shot was pulled it hard left into the trees and whatnot, you know, like a trip on the very first hole. So I was like, yeah, I knew I wasn't ready, but I started. I started picking up.

Deon: 7:16

After that it was just a smooth year after that, just just continue playing good golf and went to the nationals and the only thing I told myself was pick your target and if you miss it, it's okay. And don't get mad. That was my thing, do not get upset about any shot. I went to nationals and still, by the way, like what's the chance on me winning? You know, first time being there, didn't know the magnitude of it. Played pretty good. I saw the 81.

Deon: 7:46

The first time being there, didn't know the magnitude of it Played pretty good. I saw that 81 the first day. Yeah, to me it was like 81, no big deal. This is B fight. These guys are like 70-something Top of the leaderboard, tim, yeah, like you know, I get out there. I'm looking around like wait, where's my name? I'm looking in the middle. Oh, you read the very top, okay, okay. So second day, I think I shot 86. Surely I'm moving down the leaderboard now. Still very top of the leaderboard. Couldn't believe it, maybe by one or two strokes. And then the last day, I think, I shot another 86, but everybody just trying to stay where they were at and end up pulling it out.

Tim: 8:23

And I think you played Bear Creek was for two rounds. I think think you played Bear Creek for two rounds.

Deon: 8:28

I think you were in Bear Creek for two rounds.

Tim: 8:30

And that's a tough course it is. You would generally think that 86, 87 for B-Fight is a high score, but that's a really good score for that course. Yeah, and I didn't realize that. So you're 81. That first day really was the pace setter?

Deon: 8:48

It definitely was, and I was. Uh, you know, I got into a room with a couple buddies that had been there before and I remember telling myself the night before the last day I just had an epiphany, said somebody got to win, why not you?

Deon: 9:00

yeah, you know, and I just said, why not you? You know you can win. And I just went out and just, uh, just played nice and steady, didn't get in any any, any big trouble, and, um, and I don't think everything hit me until maybe a couple of days later when I realized like wow, you really, you know, you went out and did, he won this thing. It was, it was a great feeling to ask you a question. It was, it was a great feeling.

Tim: 9:24

That's awesome. So you spent 22 years at the United States Air Force. You retired as a master sergeant, is that?

Deon: 9:31

correct. Yes, sir.

Tim: 9:34

What would you say is a highlight of your enlisted career?

Deon: 9:39

Well, I've been to two wars, tim. I went to Desert Storm, okay, and I went to Afghanistan Ironically, never felt threatened, believe it or not. Right, you know they surround you with guys and everyone has their weapons and whatnot. You just never feel like a real threat.

Deon: 9:54

Now, the one time I did feel threatened I wouldn't say it was a highlight, but it was probably my most memorable was I was in Saudi Arabia and I was there during the bombing of Khobar Towers, okay, and you know we lost 22 Americans. We were just, you know, at home in the dormitories. They called it at the time and you know it was a truck bomb. We lost 22 Americans there, wow, so, yeah. So that was probably my most memorable moment. But the highlight would probably have to just be making the rank that I did retire, as and because I made it relatively, they would say, like kind of early and I had no expectations that I would make it. They made the announcement, the numbers, they, you know they have numbers that come down. I was on that list, so that was probably a highlight. I felt like I finally made it. Then, of course, retirement, retirement, retirement.

Tim: 10:46

You know that was the highlight. Well, what was your MOS?

Deon: 10:51

I was a logistics officer. Okay, awesome.

Tim: 10:54

Yep, my brother was logistics in the Army, Okay. So you know I kind of understand that life and especially what you have to do, what you have to go through, you know, in times of war, making sure that the troops on the front line get what they need when they need it. So you retired and tell everybody what you're doing now, because I think what you're doing now is probably just as important as what you were doing before you retired.

Deon: 11:21

And a lot more dangerous? Yes, exactly, I would definitely say a lot more dangerous. Yeah, right now. So apparently the military. And a lot more dangerous? Yes, exactly, I would say definitely a lot more dangerous, yeah, right now. So apparently the military didn't give me enough action, you know in the field. So, uh, I'm, I'm teaching and I run an RTC program. I've been doing for the last 17 years since I retired, and that's an Air Force RTC program. Here we have a uh generally carry about, we have a general care about 120, 125 cadets a year. So I've been doing that for the last 17 years.

Tim: 11:48

Well, you're obviously doing good work. You know because it's you know the kids need it. They learn a lot. What are some of the challenges that you have? You know because you know when you're in the military. You know and the troops that you're leading you know they already have some. They already have some direction, some guidance Right. Talk about what you're doing now and the effect that you're having on some of these kids.

Deon: 12:15

Well, I think the biggest part, like our program is a character building program. Our mission is simply build better citizens for America. That's it. We're not trying to put anyone in military, we're not recruiters.

Deon: 12:27

So favorite part is like we get a kid, comes in, let's say very, very shy, and the parents bring them to me hey, we need little Johnny, a little Susie, here. So she needs to be in your program because we want them to you know started, you know reaching their potential and doing some more things and whatnot. And it doesn't have anything to do with the military, just that we're so structured. And then those kids come in, quiet as a mouse, sit in the back row or somewhere. We have them do a couple of different things. We have speeches that they have to do daily and briefings and whatnot.

Deon: 13:05

And I tell you, after the second, maybe the end of the first year, beginning of second year, we have to tell those kids, hey, sit down and be quiet, which is great, and that's the highlight, cause I'd rather much rather have to reel you in. They'd have to keep pushing, pushing, pushing, right. So, yeah, and some of the kids that we get is like they're just just that transformation they make from our program. It's amazing and another thing I really love about it me being there so long. We have a lot of kids that their first time ever meeting was was jrrtc. They are lifelong friend. Some of them, uh, get married, some of them have children together, have come back to visit and it all started in that one little classroom. That's awesome and it was pretty cool. Yeah, that's awesome.

Tim: 13:54

I mean, I love it Back to your service. You know what was it that caused you to enlist in the first place.

Deon: 14:00

To be honest, tim, it was more. I went to college first, okay, first, okay, I I played, I was pretty good basketball player, okay, so I went to cleveland state to uh play basketball. End up, uh, red shirting. My my first year, honestly, was not prepared for college. Right, you know, I was just there to you know, when everything that you do in college, except except for study, that's what I did. So my little half, half a piece of scholarship they gave me and never, never even touched the gym floor because I messed up.

Deon: 14:35

And then I remember like, uh, you know, when I had to get out, I remember talking to you know, the, uh, the old counselors. They were like, well, you know, mr Cook, you know you can't get these in college. And, by the way, you know, you went out the door that little piece of money that we gave you. We need that back. So, oh, really, yeah.

Deon: 14:56

So that happened and then ended up and I remember talking to an Air Force recruiter and I just called him up and say, hey, I scored pretty good. We took that, actually took this called ASVAB test while we were in high school and that score was good for two years and I scored pretty well on that test. Thank God I did and he was. He was very, you know, excited about having me come back and get in touch with him and had a job. Enough for me and that's truly, truly honestly, that's what made me, uh, going. I just, I just didn't want to stay home. You know what I'm from cleveland, ohio. You know I was like nothing's going on here. You know I just just get away and go travel the world, uh, getting free, get free education and and rebuy the benefits and whatnot. And somewhere, let's say probably third, I was like serve your country, yeah yeah.

Deon: 15:51

And that's what I'm doing. But that became number one Once you get in there and you see what you really signed up for. That's what I was there for.

Tim: 16:00

And what were some of your favorite duty stations?

Deon: 16:02

Well, I did a lot of. My first station was in Florida. Of all things you know, go from Cleveland Ohio, you go to Florida. Not bad, I did a lot of. I did Korea for a year and a half. I did more teeny-wise temporary duties than actual stations. I did a lot of stateside stations. There were Florida Eglin Air Force Base, miami I was down in when Hurricane Andrew came through down in Miami. I was stationed there, ended up going to Tampa right after that and then did another, what they call TVY. That's where I went to Saudi. All this stuff started happening Saudi Arabia, afghanistan and I did all that while I was fixing that backfield air force base, wow, yeah. And then, but as far as seeing the world, I went TDY to Germany. You know I did Japan. I would say I like Japan was probably my favorite place to be. Okay, yeah, it was probably. You know that's my favorite place to be.

Tim: 17:04

That's awesome. And when did you pick up golf?

Deon: 17:07

You would think, all that traveling Tim, I would probably have picked up a stick and played some of those nice courses around the world. Right, didn't think about golf. You know, we used to have a sports day in our squadron, the monster base. It's like one day we would take off and we would play against that squadron and play against ours. I played in real sports already, but this was the day where you could really just, you know, it's like, uh, they had golf, basketball, football, all these different sports you can do, you, you take off work and do that right. And I remember saying one day like our commander played golf and he said hey, hey, cook, um, you wanted, you know, playing a golf team. I made a, a joke, like I thought this was sports day. He gave me a funny look.

Speaker 3: 17:51

I'm like oh, man, you know to win it like that was too well, you know.

Deon: 17:54

So now you're playing golf. I wish I could find him now. Well, he probably would say I told you, you know. But I started playing. Like once I stopped playing, I played so much basketball. I played for the base. I went out for the Air Force team like two years in a row and didn't make it. But just to get an invitation was, you know, was an honor to be honest, and didn't make it, you know. So I said play so much basketball. Then when you stop playing, when you start getting your early thirties and late thirties and whatnot, you know, you start slowing down a little bit. Your body's not healing after a game. So I just stopped being as active as I was before.

Deon: 18:33

But I'll be honest with you, I always wanted to play golf but I was intimidated because I heard how hard it was and you know there's no way you can hit that ball straight and all this kind of thing. Man, if you don't know about it, you don't know the first thing about it. I need to go get clubs. Where's the golf course? You know what do I do when I get there, and you know. So when I got to my finals, well, my next to final station was Texas Shepherd Air Force Base and everybody played golf there. So I finally went out with a couple of friends of mine and kind of tinkered around with it a little bit, but didn't get the bug.

Deon: 19:11

You know, I was still trying to play a little basketball and when I left there I went to Montgomery, alabama. That's where I retired from, and one day it was time for me to retire. Funny story hey, sergeant Cook, we're going to have your retirement ceremony. I know we always have these luncheons and whatnot. I said everybody does lunch and I don't want to lunch it. You know what else we got? He said well, we can have a golf tournament for you. And I said that would be great Because I'm still thinking of everybody else, all my troops, everybody can get a day off.

Deon: 19:45

We can go to golf course, we can eat and all these fun things. And then I started thinking you don't know a damn thing about golf. So that very moment, to not embarrass myself, I went to the driving range, maybe a day or two after that, and just started taking around asking questions and whatnot, and that was it, tim. Ever since then I've been hooked on golf because of a little silly retirement ceremony that I didn't want to be embarrassed by. So that was it. That's 17 years ago when I started.

Tim: 20:21

And look at you now. Hey, who would have thought Exactly, exactly, exactly, yeah?

Chris: 20:27

I need to get some good luck like that and just be able to pick it up and then go win a national championship years later.

Deon: 20:33

You got it in you, man, you're on your way. I'm trying, man, I'm trying. So many things got to happen for that, you know so many breaks, and it is just you know I was in there last year.

Deon: 20:49

I thought it was. You know I tell you what tim last year I I would have bet anybody money. Matter of fact, the guys I traveled what I said. I am guaranteed I will probably come dead last this year. That's how bad I was playing up until up until the uh, the first, the first round I was. I was shaking the ball. You know we don't say that word. You know I was shaking. And I couldn't figure it out.

Deon: 21:11

Then on the range that day I said you are standing too close to the ball, idiot. What's wrong with you? Why are you trying something new right now? And I just backed up maybe an inch or two inches and I started playing a lot better. Just from that, that's awesome.

Tim: 21:27

I don't want to brag, but I think we've got a good bunch of guys.

Deon: 21:32

I do too.

Tim: 21:33

And that whole crew that we've got really kind of supports. Everybody chews everybody on. Yeah, we give everybody a hard time but it's all in the fun. I know a lot of the guys that were there were pulling for you and you know I'm obviously I'm always looking for Atlanta guys, you know, to call their names at the end and getting them up top. You know I had a dream the other night that Atlanta swept all five national champions. Oh, wow, yeah, and we five national champions take them to the team cup, and you know tell those guys from El Paso to pack up and throw them out I don't know who that'd be.

Deon: 22:11

But I tell you, tim, and we get to play with. I play, like, on a couple of different tours, you know, like I played with Augusta. I've been played in Nashville, alabama, went Alabama, went down to um, florida, a couple of times and, trust me, this is no knock on anybody else. But when you what you said a minute ago, like we got some of the best guys on the tour and it's 100% accurate, yeah, it's not. And and I have to give you a little bit of credit, you know for that, you know the way, the way you run things. But the guys I mean I've never had a a an issue. You know a blip or problem if we did, we, we resolve it. You know as quick as we can, you know, and they're just you. You're exactly right, you know they're great, great guys to be around.

Tim: 22:58

Yeah, I was telling, I had lunch today with, with an old friend of mine. Yeah, I've been running in tournaments for a long time. I said, you know, it doesn't really matter, tournament day is the best day of the week. It is because I love being around you guys. Yeah, tournament day for me, for me, is fun, just hanging out and being with you. All right, you know, we've got some. We got some characters from you know champ flight, all the way to d flight, you said, whenever you're coming in you, I, I know, know I'm going to be laughing most of the day.

Deon: 23:29

Yeah, it's a great time, it really is, and I always get you know. You kind of sign up for, let's say, you go on your next tournament and I don't you know. First thing you moan and groan about is two hours away, really.

Deon: 23:46

You know I got to go away. Yeah, really, you know I gotta drive to, you know, but the whole time you know this is a nice drive. You know you play your music, you're doing you know the things that you normally do, but I tell you I'll be when you turn that corner and you see those guys, you see that line up and you it just, it just clicks and you just like it's like a family reunion. You know it really is. And you're just coming in, you're shaking everybody's hand, how you doing and all these great things. So that's the best part of the tour, that's what I get out.

Deon: 24:12

Yeah, yeah, really, because I I didn't say like when the year I won, maybe I thought I was really badass or something, you know. Like I took the next year kind of off. You know, like I'm gonna go and do something else, you know, and I I don't know what, what I was thinking about. But then I really started missing and I was missing guys, and I remember that's when you came aboard, I signed up, but I kind of missed like the first few tournaments where you know, cause I figured I won last year, I'm just going to come out there. They're going to just hand me another trophy, you know kind of you know, they kind, you know, kind of.

Deon: 24:48

You know they're wrong, you know, yeah, and like my butt kicked a lot the next year, you know, because I I like mike tyson said something while ago. You know. He said, uh, he started this great philosophy guy. He said, uh, when I used to get upset about a lot of things, the way people treated me and blah blah, he said, because I thought I was somebody, he said I didn't, I didn't, I didn't get it till I realized I'm nobody. And that's when I started. I started thinking you're nobody, just you're nobody, you know, just just play, just go play go play.

Deon: 25:11

You know what we do. Yeah and so, but, yeah, but. But coming back and I realized you really miss. You know the people out there and it's a great atmosphere to be around.

Tim: 25:26

Yeah, it is. I agree, I completely agree.

Chris: 25:29

Yeah, yep, I completely agree.

Tim: 25:31

Well, dion, thanks again so much for taking some time with us. I appreciate our friendship. It's been great you know these last seven, eight years and thank you so much for your service. And now I won't see you at bear's best because chris and I will be on our on our world tour, but I'll see you at uh, we will, it's you, I think. I don't know if it's stonebridge or uh, yeah, stonebridge, yeah.

Deon: 25:54

So I'll see you stonebridge that's almost my home course, jim stonebridge. My mother lives in rome, oh really. Oh yeah, my son's there. So every time I go to rome I'm like that's where I play it, so I know it well, you know. So I'm not predicting anything, what I'm just saying.

Tim: 26:11

Well, I'll be looking forward to. You know that's another shotgun, so you know we'll be one of the first guys in and I'll be looking forward to you telling you hold on, we got to get all the D-flight scores in before we start doing anything.

Deon: 26:25

I won't be embarrassed. I'm actually going down to Myrtle Beach with some of the guys. We're kind of scattered, so I hate I'm going to miss that. That's one of my favorite courses. We always play well at Bears Best. But I'm looking forward to Storm Bridge.

Tim: 26:41

I think it's going to be a good time. That's our first time being there. Yeah, I've been there.

Deon: 26:46

So, yeah, yeah, I'm looking forward to it. And what you? I've learned a thing. I've started saying, like when a lot of people saying like you know, thank you for your service. You know, we're not matter If I put something on Facebook the other day. That's a hilarious Larry about uh, I don't know if you watch that curvy enthusiasm, but they have a bit on there where this guy is a veteran and everybody's thank you for your service. Thank you, sir larry david. He's been the butt that he is, you know, he's just like nice to meet you. You know, he didn't say anything, you know. So it really hurt the guy's feelings, you know. But I heard this other lady say well, when, when she hears that now she simply says says well, you were worth it, so that's all I'm saying oh man, that's a good one.

Deon: 27:28

You were worth it you know, and it was worth it. It definitely was yep Awesome.

Tim: 27:34

All right, my friend, you take care and we'll talk to you soon.

Deon: 27:37

I appreciate y'all.

Tim: 27:41

I'm really glad that we got to get Dion on. He's the only national champion from Atlanta. He won that championship the year before I got there, so I can't claim him, but at least my tour has won. But it was really interesting talking to him. Not only is he retired Air Force, but he's about ready to retire from teaching JROTC program. He's been there for 18 years. Wow, yeah, that's huge right.

Chris: 28:07

I mean it's you know he's done everything that he could, what he was serving, and then decided to continue to serve afterwards. So it's awesome this now he can finally just enjoy golf and not have to worry about teaching little kids or I guess, my little kids growing kids on the things that they need to learn.

Tim: 28:24

Yeah, and you know he's still got, I think, two more years left, but after that he's done. We've talked over the years some of the things that he's doing with these kids. He's really kind of modest in our interview, but some of the things that he's told me that he's been doing with these kids and some things that his graduates have gone on to do because of just being involved with the JROTC program at his school it's really huge?

Chris: 28:51

Yeah, it is, and I mean that's where you know the stories are never ending and we can't fit them all in one interview, but hopefully we can have some more stories when we meet up at the Nationals.

Tim: 29:03

And so our next guest. He's also just retiring. I've known him for a while. Maybe that's the theme of this year's Military Appreciation Month for us. All of our guests are either retired or were just retiring. This guest again. I've known him for a long time. He's a 25-year veteran of the US Army. I'll let him tell the story, but let's welcome Major Mike Miller from Milwaukee. Mike, welcome bud.

Mike: 29:32

Hey how you doing guys.

Tim: 29:33

Thanks for having me. It's our pleasure. You're retired, but you're not actually fully retired yet You're on. You're just on leave until August. Is that what we're calling it?

Mike: 29:42

Yeah, well, yeah, they call it transition leave now. It used to be terminal leave, but yeah, basically, I guess if you were civilian you'd be taking your uh, the rest of your paid time off that you have left, basically your pto.

Tim: 30:00

So until august, so I really just hanging around golfing and uh between now and then. That's awesome, it's well deserved, and I hope that you truly enjoy this summer of of being off yeah, I, I do too.

Mike: 30:08

I I it's been real nice. Uh, I, luckily, uh, you know we we got some good weather up here in wisconsin early in the year, back in february, so, uh, I've been able to golf a lot this year and I've been taking advantage of it. Unfortunately, the, as you know, you start working on the golf game and sometimes, uh, the more you work on it, you know you have the ups and downs and sometimes you get worse before you get better. So I think I'm kind of there right now, but hopefully we'll take a turn for the better here soon, eventually it will, it always does.

Chris: 30:42

I hope so. I feel like I ain't going to do that right now. So I know it's struggle, it's real, it's a good start, absolutely so 25 years in the struggle, it's real, it's a good start, absolutely so.

Tim: 30:51

25 years in the Army. Tell us a little bit about your journey.

Mike: 30:56

Well, journey began back in 1999. As a 19-year-old just graduating high school. I did try out the college bound initially where I joined the reserves. I only served about a year and a half or so in the reserve, tried to do college. College didn't really work out at the time, so decided to switch over to active duty and went active duty from there I got stationed. My first duty station was Fort Campbell, kentucky. By this time it is about 2001, 2003. So I think we all kind of know what happened. Later in I had my first deployment. I was in the desert of Iraq pretty quick and from there just kind of bounced from station to station.

Mike: 31:59

Several MOSs went from being enlisted, did start out as enlisted, went all the way to become a staff sergeant and then in 2009, decided after many, many years and some coaxing from the wife, to go to officer candidate school and become an officer. And probably one of the top three or four decisions, best decisions I've ever made in my life, especially for setting myself up for the future and what it's done for me, looking forward 16 years now as an officer and retiring as a major and the retirement's not so bad. So, looking forward to it, it's been a great journey. I can't say anything bad about the Army. Over all my time it's had us moving a lot and I've had to do a lot of things, but it's been really good to me. I can't really say anything about it and probably I don't think my family really can either. You know it is. It's been really good to us. We've seen a lot of places, done a lot of things and have really been blessed at this whole journey and I'm going to miss it.

Mike: 33:03

It's bittersweet. The retirement is is a bittersweet thing. So I don't think it's really set in. I got a retirement ceremony coming in June and then I'm officially retired on August 1st and then I think maybe this will hit me a little bit more. But it's been a journey and it's tough. It's all I've known for 25 years. Like I said, straight out of high school, this is what I did. I've had maybe one other part-time job in my life other than the army, so this is really all I've known. So, as you can imagine, you know, going from that lifestyle to you know, this is almost like being a civilian, is like being, you know, going into another world for me. You know you and I talked a little bit about you know, one of the things that you're really going to miss is the routine.

Tim: 33:50

You know going into another world for me, you know you and I talked a little bit about. You know one of the things that you're really going to miss is the routine. You know the structure of military life and you know my suggestion is maybe, you know, civilian life could really use a little bit more structure. You know we may be better off.

Mike: 34:07

Yeah, but you got to be careful with it through the thing. But you got to be careful with how you uh uh, the way we, we can do things and you know it's just kind of understood. You know the way we talk to each other in the military and the way our, the civilians, like talking to each other is does. It doesn't work the same way it it doesn't. I have money, you can't night fan the civilian and expect to get the same sort of reaction.

Tim: 34:34

Reaction yeah, I understand, I understand. You know I night fan my kids and they still look at me like yeah, what are you doing?

Chris: 34:43

I hear what that is.

Tim: 34:46

Chris, let me tell you what you don't even want to know. If I started doing this to you, that means that there was a problem. Oh man, so you said you bounce, bounce around, uh, with, with a few different MOSs. What were the, and which one did you do for the longest amount of time?

Mike: 35:04

current MOF or specialty, which is signal or, I guess, information technology, which would in civilian speech. I've been doing that since I became an officer, since 2009. So about 16 years prior to that, when I first came in the army I was a fueler. Then I switched over, did some generator mechanics stuff and then became a medical lab tech. So I have a wide ranging, I guess the jobs in my, in my tool bag of things that I've done over the over the years.

Tim: 35:48

Yeah, but that's actually pretty good because, like you said, now you've got different skills and you actually got to experience a number of different things, and maybe that's something that was also beneficial in going from enlisted into Officer Cannon School as well.

Mike: 36:04

Absolutely. I think it was nice. And then ultimately I ended up landing on the signal position, you know, because once again I was looking at the future. I was looking for, you know, the best job that was going to suit me when I got out of the army for this time right now, information technology is probably Kirk can tell you isn't going anywhere. It's a growing field and there's plenty of jobs out there. There's jobs all over. So it was like, once again, great decision and I'm glad I did it.

Mike: 36:40

Oh yeah, you're going to be able to find a job real quick once you're ready to get back into it because, like you said, you look anywhere, you throw a dart anywhere and they're gonna need some some type of technology person on on their staff yeah, well, I'm actually looking at uh, I've already, I've already got uh job offers out there to to go back to basically just doing a government, a gs, uh government position, working for the government doing, doing the same thing I'm doing now actually here on Fort McCoy, just kind of waiting for that to go through the wicket and I'm probably going to end up with that job doing the same thing. It's one of those comfort things. It's real easy, real easy transition. And then you stay there for a certain amount of time and then you get the second retirement on top of it and you're good to go. Yeah, absolutely Uh. And then it's it's easy to move for the government. You know there's government positions everywhere, so so we can move if we decide to move.

Mike: 37:42

I know, I know we we've talked in the past him, you know I got a uh, I got a daughter up here that's a junior, my daughter alexa, and she's going to graduate uh next year, uh, and then you know, ultimately that's we're going to relook at what we're going to do, where we're going to end up, whether we're going to stay here, where we're going to, we're going to move, uh, move in the future. But that's kind of that point. But if I can get it, get my foot in the door from there, it'll make it a little easier to transition and move around.

Tim: 38:11

Right, right. So of all the duty stations that you had, which, would you say, is your favorite?

Mike: 38:17

Well, my first one was definitely my favorite. Fort Campbell was by far my favorite. It was really nice down there. I was really young at the time but it was a great experience. It's a great installation.

Mike: 38:36

I've been to the Fort Braggs of the world, the Fort Bennings of the world, fort Stewart, fort Gordon in Georgia, dc, which was at the Pentagon. I was at Fort Belvoir in Virginia, out in Chris's neck of the woods, there in Fort Sam Houston and San Antonio Fort Bliss in Texas, fort Hood. So I've been around the country, seen a lot of places, but I never did manage to get back to Fort Campbell after I left it after my first duty station. But it's always near and dear to my heart. May have something to do with after my first duty station, but I think it's always near and dear to my heart. It may have something to do with being my first duty station and just you know where I kind of deployed to, you know, to Iraq there the very first time. But it's always held a special place and it's probably I'd say that's probably my favorite.

Chris: 39:26

Well, I am sad to hear that Fort Bliss wasn't your favorite, but we'll let that one slide for this in your game.

Mike: 39:32

I don't think Fort Bliss is anybody's favorite.

Chris: 39:34

Hey, hey, hey, we're going to take that one out. All right.

Tim: 39:42

At what point did you start playing golf and how much of a? How much was golf a part of your military career?

Mike: 39:51

Well, I started playing golf shortly after I graduated high school. I had friends that did it. I never really did it in high school, so I started playing with them. I played golf my whole time in the military. I've traveled around, you know, find people. You know golf is kind of you can always find somebody that plays golf. It's played, maybe not initially, it wasn't important. So probably around 2008, 2009,.

Mike: 40:17

When I got to Fort Gordon, georgia, I did, you know. I got with some buddies and we started making it a regular every Saturday thing where we'd all travel a lot every Saturday thing where we go, yeah, travel a lot. You know, being down in Fort Gordon, you know, right in the neck of the woods, that's where you know Augusta National is and stuff. So a lot of golf courses down there, a lot of great golf. The On Post Golf Course, gordon Lakes, is a great place there. I really started golfing a lot there and then, you know, shortly after that, moved down to Fort Stewart no-transcript. As you know, I ended up in DC up there with you and Jen there for a while.

Mike: 41:22

Dc Metro Did some time up there and now here I am in Milwaukeewaukee, so got to got a little bit of everything and, uh, I you could probably ask my wife I probably, uh, probably golf too much, but I do and I do enjoy it. Um, I do kind of go when I I tend to like say, used to be billiards when I was younger, yeah, playing a lot of pool, and then I kind of saw him golf and I kind of go all in. You know, when I go to stuff I want to be. You know, I don't want to just be mediocre. I try to get you know the best I possibly can. But golf is not that easy to master, I will tell you that.

Tim: 41:59

No but that, but that's okay.

Mike: 42:01

Yeah, yeah, but I have a great time meet a lot of great people, and it's.

Tim: 42:11

I enjoy it. Uh, it gets me outside. Yes, so your, your first year on tour was in 2012, like that was in, you know, the hilton savannah tour, and then you came to dc in in uh, 2016, 2018. That's where we got to know each other and I was surprised when I was up helping out in milwaukee and you showed up because it was like, you know, long lost brother. I wasn't expecting it, so, but you're. You're now. You've progressed to the point now where you're helping Edmund Rose. This is Ed's first year as tour director and you're really kind of stepping up and helping him out. How are things going up there with that?

Mike: 42:47

So far, so good Things are going. We just, uh, we just finished off our second tournament of the year. I know we're we're, if not the latest, uh, we're one of the latest starting tours. You know we don't get our first tournaments in until uh first week of may every year. Uh, we did just finish up our for our second tournament of the season. It was abby Springs. It was a major actually. It was beautiful weather for it had a great turnout. It was a co-event with Chicago and it so far, so good.

Mike: 43:21

I mean it's a, as you know, anytime you change directors there's a learning curve there. But he's, you know, ed, he's he's real energetic and and he's all about growing the tour and doing great things and, uh, I think it's going to be good and I, I know I can't get back, you know, back last year at nationals you know me, you, chris, ed there was a whole group of us that uh talked for quite a long time at length about the tour in general and moving, how Milwaukee was going to go, and just all kinds of tour stuff. And I'm glad that I can help them out and I'm kind of learning the wickets of this and stuff and we'll see where it goes from there. Yeah, I think it's going to be a great year. Like I said, it's a learning year for everyone, but overall it's great.

Tim: 44:13

Has Ed broken down his wrestling voice for you guys yet, or is he saving that?

Mike: 44:18

No, he loves to do his announcements. I mean, if you listen to the podcast, he's now the intro to the podcast. He was out there last weekend announcing people off the first tee with his speakers. So that's Ed for you. He loves to be out there last weekend announcing people off the first team with his speakers. So that's Ed for you. He loves to be out there doing that.

Tim: 44:35

Well, just one little piece of advice. I told Chris earlier that he and I are going to hell because, you know, in our last episode we forgot to say anything about Mother's Day and Mother's Day just passed. Everybody who played in your tournament is really going to hell, because you all played on mother's day and you had a big turnout. I don't know how you know that I need to find out how you all pulled that off it was.

Mike: 44:57

It was great, you know it was. It was a tournament that was. That was scheduled last year by. You know it wasn't milwaukee scheduled it. We won't play on Mother's Day again. I don't think there was some, but you know I will. Just in my defense, I did make sure that I did take my wife out and we did have a Mother's Day dinner on Friday before I did go to the tournament. So hopefully I have a little. You know that gives me a little something from there. But I don't know. But I tried I understand, I tried I understand.

Tim: 45:39

It is what it is, it's done. But you know, I would kind of like to know how some of those guys pulled off you know, not being home for Mother's Day Not that I would ever do it, not I mean, I wouldn't miss mother's day to but you know, just just have that in my back pocket to you know. Right, if anybody ever needs any advice yeah, you know.

Mike: 45:58

The crazy thing is this is the exact opposite of father's day, because you know, when father days comes it's like get out of here, go do what you want, and you know everybody can. You, the fathers just want to be alone and want to go golf. They want to, but you know mother's been completely opposite. You know it's. Everybody wants to be together, family. Complete opposite holiday, exactly.

Chris: 46:21

But we need Ed to step up the game and start getting some of these shirt contest participants from his tour, because, I mean, he was kind of the person who came up with the idea, unbeknownst to him. So we need to see some entries from his tour out there.

Mike: 46:44

Yeah, I was thinking about it myself, you know, as I've been listening to your podcast. You know, all year, waiting for our season finally to kick off, I've been debating on putting in a shirt and doing it, at least, you know, at least for a free shot at nationals. That'd be, you know, a paid entry in a national. That'd be great. It's definitely worth it.

Chris: 47:13

Don't debate, just do it.

Mike: 47:14

Yeah, ed doesn't usually wear anything too crazy either. He's very contemporary, but we'll see if we can get him into something crazy.

Chris: 47:24

We've seen a crazy shirt.

Tim: 47:26

Don't worry about that. You should have seen the shirt that started it all.

Mike: 47:33

There's plenty of them out there.

Tim: 47:35

So, of all the rounds you've played on tour, which course has been your favorite?

Mike: 47:40

You know it's hard. You know of all the places and all the. I just have to go back to Whistling Straits. Honestly, it's probably the most famous course that I've played on. I think it was just immaculate. I mean, both times I played it it was great. That was also where I think I ran into you surprise, surprise, uh-huh, but I really enjoyed that. It was really nice. That was probably. I loved it.

Mike: 48:09

I mean there's been a it's uh, that was probably I, I loved it. I mean there's been a lot of courses that I played. It was great. But I mean that that was probably my favorite or probably one of the best courses. Just the, you know the uh, the, the views you get out there on the lake and then just you know, just brings is uh it. Taking nothing away from some of these other courses, like this abbey springs that we played this past weekend great course, very hilly, very challenging. You know a lot of uh, a lot of up and a lot of up and downs, but, like I said, it just you know it doesn't have the uh, doesn't have the horsepower that a whistling straights doesits, does. I don't think.

Tim: 48:49

Yeah, but it's Whistlin' Straits. I mean, how many courses really do?

Mike: 48:53

Absolutely, and I played, you know, not tour, but I've been down to GPP, sawgrass and stuff and some of these other great courses, and that's a great course too. They all have their own thing, and, of course, you, I, while I was down in Augusta, it was also on Augusta national. I would love to play that sometime, if I could ever get myself to get down there and get a volunteer opportunity. Uh, augusta national was just a you know gorgeous place to do too. If you haven't been there, uh, or been on it, that is a. That was a really does nothing for it.

Tim: 49:26

It doesn't. Yeah, what's the US Open course? That's down there in Milwaukee. It's right down the road from one of the ones that we played.

Mike: 49:37

Well, they played. Did Aaron Hills have a US?

Tim: 49:39

Open. Yeah, aaron Hills. Yeah, hey, have you played that?

Mike: 49:43

I have not got on it yet. The Milwaukee Tour doesn't play that. The on it yet. The milwaukee tour doesn't play that um, the thing about that, that's another one like listen straight, walking, only walking on the um, so it's so limited to you know the people and the numbers that you can get through there and stuff. But while I haven't been there yet, uh, I do have heard a lot of good stuff about it and it's a beautiful course.

Tim: 50:04

A lot of people speak highly of it so you're playing on being in Hilton Head again this year, right, I do.

Mike: 50:10

I do Awesome Yep. Just checked out the information I saw. It just came out the other day, as a matter of fact.

Tim: 50:16

Yes, it's funny, it's right around the corner and you know we don't even realize it. It's, I mean, may is almost over, we're June is 10 days away, and you know.

Mike: 50:28

So that puts Hilton had three months you know 14, 14, 15 tournaments a year. You know they go quick. Before you know it it's over, and you were in September and you know in October is right around the corner and we're and we're, we're there. Um it, it does, it does go very fast. And then was happy to see the uh, uh, the courses, that uh, my, my flights plan, though you know, deep light, the atlantic dunes and golden bear this year.

Mike: 50:58

So uh haven't been on either of those. Yes, man, that's fun. Yeah, yep, looking forward to it those are.

Tim: 51:08

Yeah, again, here we go. Here we go, chris, those are two of my favorite courses. I love those courses, so um, you're gonna enjoy them.

Mike: 51:17

Yeah, like I said, I haven't been on them. You know, usually atlantic dunes, you know you got the champ plate on there all the time, uh, and I think we're actually sharing within this year or one of the other flights, but I'm looking forward to playing that a lot this year. I haven't been on that one yet.

Tim: 51:32

Yeah, I actually just pulled the course list up, so will I. So A flight's got Trent Jones and Arthur Hills, palmetto Dunes. They don't even have to go anywhere, they're back and forth there. Let's see what B flight has Country Club of Hilton Head and Hills of Palmetto Hall Two good courses. C-flight man, they've got Hampton Hall and Worcester Reef. Now see, I'm not a big fan of Worcester Reef, but that's all right. But they've got Hampton Hall, which literally is probably my favorite course on the rotation.

Mike: 52:04

Hampton.

Tim: 52:04

Hall.

Mike: 52:04

Mine too.

Chris: 52:06

That great roundaway loss here.

Tim: 52:07

Hampton Hall is so wide open, yeah, always in perfect shape, but it's so wide open you could bomb it. There's no real trouble, yeah, for high handicappers I mean just a lot.

Mike: 52:20

There's a lot of very tight courses down that way in Hilton and a lot of them are tight. I played Hampton Hall. I want to say I actually played it in a national champ maybe one of the first national championships I think we might have been on ours. But I I also played it, uh with uh the hilton head savannah tour and when I was stationed in fort stewart back then. So it's been a long time since I'd been on that course as well.

Chris: 52:44

Yeah, well, all the country club, one that one's.

Tim: 52:47

I don't like that one you don don't like Country Club with Hilton Head.

Mike: 52:50

A lot of people did and I didn't mind it. We played it a couple of years ago. I didn't think it was too bad.

Tim: 52:57

Well, chris, your only other option, then, is just to get better and go to an A-flight.

Chris: 53:01

Okay, yeah, yeah, right on. Yeah, I guess I'll be too far from sea flight, so I might as well wait to bullet it right.

Tim: 53:10

Yeah, remember now, I'm going to see you here in about 10 days and you're going to have two weeks of me Helping you with your putting. We're going to get you putting. We're going to get you about 28, 27, 28 putts. There you go. I'll save you, alright, and that'll do it.

Mike: 53:26

Yeah, I just hope all the work I'm doing on my game doesn't, doesn't, uh, doesn't end up moving me up before the end of the season and then I miss out on the atlantic dunes thing but we'll see.

Tim: 53:37

Well, let's just say, even if it does, you're a winner either way. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, absolutely, bye. Well, mike, thank you you so much for joining us again and for those listening. This is a redo for Mike. We had technical difficulties the first time, so this is a redo. So Mike spent two evenings with us doing this and, mike, I really do appreciate your time, I appreciate our friendship and thank you so much for your service, and congratulations on retirement. You really do deserve it.

Mike: 54:08

No, no, I appreciate it, thank you. It's always good uh uh, talking to you, tim, and you as well, chris. Uh, I appreciate it, um, and I look forward to uh.

Chris: 54:19

I know you guys are going on your trip soon uh around the country here, but uh, see you at any of the regionals this year, but uh, I look forward to seeing you guys in hilton head when we get down there. Sounds good, bud, take care. All right, take it easy, guys, how we go. Yep, tim, always a great conversation with mike. It's great to to hear what he's doing outside um of his, outside of the military, but also that once he's retired he's gonna. He has a plan set, but hopefully he gets to enjoy some golf before that.

Tim: 54:50

That next chapter in his life, yeah number one, mike, is such a a good guy. I mean he, he's laid back, he's a good guy, fun to be around, pretty much always has a smile on his face. Think about what it'd be like sitting around. He's on terminal leave essentially. You know most of the month of of may, all of june, all of July and a good portion of August. Could you imagine just sitting around being able to play golf?

Chris: 55:16

all summer long. That's everybody's dream, isn't it, to be able to just do that.

Tim: 55:20

But he deserves it. I mean, I don't begrudge you know any of our veterans. If you can do that, good on you.

Chris: 55:28

Right. I hope that you enjoy it. Yeah, definitely, um, take the time to, you know.

Tim: 55:36

As they say, smell the flowers as you're walking by, because it was well earned absolutely, and you know the the bonus for him is you know he's working with ed up in milwaukee and I'm not gonna to say try and reign Ed in, because I think you need to just let Ed go.

Tim: 55:53

You know, let Ed be Ed right, yes, yes, we tried to do that at Nationals and it didn't work out, so but they're doing really good stuff up there, although we kind of joked a little bit about it when we were talking to him. You don't have a two-day event on Mother's Day, don't do that?

Chris: 56:13

again, you know, I mean I thought we messed up, but that's a lot to do.

Tim: 56:20

Yeah, Living Lord, I guess, yeah, I guess. But again back to it. Good on them. They had a pretty big field.

Chris: 56:29

Yeah, they did. And if it works. It works, If it works.

Tim: 56:33

It works Again. I'd like to know how they sold that. So again, so I can keep that in my back pocket to help other guys in their time of need.

Chris: 56:45

Yeah, I'd be curious to see what the percentage was of the guys that got in trouble, that are married or had to do something for Mother's Day.

Tim: 56:55

Yeah, I'm sure there was a lot oh boy, but you've got a good van coming up this weekend, you're, you've got a two-day yeah, I mean we we did have the beat, the heat and rio doso that one's always fun for us played two challenging courses.

Chris: 57:15

Yeah, I mean it was a good time, didn't have any any crazy weather like we usually do, so it was fun. I mean I can't really complain about it, I enjoy going out there.

Tim: 57:24

Outside of that, it's a little bit cooler. What is it that you actually like about being up in the mountains and playing those courses?

Chris: 57:31

I mean the courses are fun because they make you think you know they're challenging. I kind of am mean with it. So the first course is it's link style, but it's real open. So if you miss right or left you know you're on another fairway. You just got to come back to your correct hole.

Chris: 57:47

But the second course rainmakers will humble, will humble any golfer. That's the fun part, because they don't get a chance to to really think, having to go on the next day. I mean, I think the first three or four holes are the hardest holes in a what 250-mile radius from there I would challenge anyone to come out and try to at least, you know, at least be even or plus one, plus two through those four holes.

Tim: 58:15

So when you set those courses up, do you actually put them back into the distance suggestions?

Chris: 58:22

Not necessarily, I think, the Rainmakers ones. If we went to the back distance, it would really at least have some really really high scores. So it's really a placement course and if you've never played it before, you're going to struggle, I guarantee you, Because if you don't know where to place it, or know that if I go you know a hair too long on this hole, I'm not going to find it, it's going to be down the mountain, okay. So that's what I enjoy is being able to have to think and you know, do your math and do your distance control and things like that. Or you know, there's some holes where you can go over these patches of trees and if you clear it you're on the green, but if you don't, you're hitting back from the tee blocks. So it's a fun time, awesome, awesome.

Chris: 59:10

I'll take some pictures and I'll send you some pictures so you can see some of these holes, because there's one par four, not very long, but on the left side is probably a 30-foot drop canyon on the left side. So if your ball goes in there, you're not retrieving it, and then that canyon cuts through the fairway and then goes all the way down the right side and cuts right before the green too, and this fairway is like a dog-legged left fairway and if you don't, they have this one rock right in front of you, and if you don't clear that rock, you're in the canyon. So it makes you think, because it's not an easy course whatsoever.

Tim: 59:52

Just take your triple bogey and go to the next hole.

Chris: 59:56

Honestly, a lot of people just do that. They're just like you know what. Mark me down for a three over and let's go. I've seen people just one person on the green just putting.

Tim: 1:00:08

Oh my gosh, that's funny. Did you get your wedges fixed?

Chris: 1:00:12

I did get my wedge fixed. There was only one. There's no need to say wedges, there was only one.

Tim: 1:00:19

Well, I don't know if you want to just get another one, just in case. No, no, no, no I got one.

Chris: 1:00:25

Hopefully we're able to see a wedge doctor on one of our trips. Still got to reach out to find that out. If not, I don't know. I still haven't decided yet. We'll see. We'll see how I do at these tournaments. Okay, I think you'll be fine. That might be. The determining factor is how I do in these tournaments. I haven't even swung this club, I just got it. I went to my guy local guy that I've known for forever and I said, hey, I need this, I need this fixed and put whatever shaft you want to put in there, I don't really care, I just need I need to be able to swing this club. And it made it work. All right, why do you say it?

Tim: 1:01:02

like that, we'll see. I mean, we'll see what it looks like Right, right, right. We'll see what it looks like after second day in Michigan. How about that?

Chris: 1:01:14

Well, I mean and keep in mind, like I only use this in the sand trap and the whole point of the game. We'll see what it's like after Michigan, right, we'll see what it's like after Michigan, right? Right, because the whole point of it is not to be in the sand trap, but not making any promise.

Tim: 1:01:26

Oh, it'll be good times. It'll be good times.

Chris: 1:01:29

It will. I'm excited, and who knows, maybe I'll come out with a win and then we won't have anything to talk about. I hope that for you.

Tim: 1:01:35

You're not playing the Memorial Day weekend, are you no? Cash weekend, are you no? Okay, so you can take that weekend off and then you can go. You know we're back on the road.

Chris: 1:01:45

Yeah, I think that's why I decided to take that weekend off. I know a couple of guys are going to the California event, which is nice, yep, so good luck to them. While they're out there, stephanie's trying to go out there and repeat, and then it's you and me, my friend.

Tim: 1:02:00

It's been good times, really really looking forward to it. So that really means, between now and when we leave, we only have two weekends left of tournaments in the month of May. Yeah, so we know what that means. Right, there's a lot of things that it means, oh, first and foremost, from my perspective we.

Chris: 1:02:22

We need shirts, yes, and not shirts for us to wear.

Tim: 1:02:24

Let's just clarify that real quick, right, right, you know. So I believe over the next two weekends, I think like 30 of the 47 tours are played.

Chris: 1:02:31

Wow, that's if one person from each tournament submitted a shirt. The thing about that's 30 shirts. Yep, that's easy. Easy to do, you would think, correct.

Tim: 1:02:42

You would think you don't have to just wear the shirt. Remember now, you got to take pictures. You got to post it on Facebook.

Chris: 1:02:48

It's not hard but it just needs to get done. I mean, look at it this way if you were to go anywhere, right, and they say, hey, we're gonna. You know, congratulations, you're one out of eight that has a chance to win $600. I just need you to sign your name right here. I mean, who wouldn't say no? Exactly, and that's basically what we're giving everybody a chance to do. Now, it's one out of four, because there's only four left. There's four left right, so it's really not that difficult. So it's really not that difficult. I mean, I guess the only difficult thing I could see is if they don't have Facebook, maybe, but what are the odds of that, though?

Tim: 1:03:32

They have somebody in their house that has Facebook. I promise you Right right, right.

Chris: 1:03:38

And if it's the question of well, I don't know what to tag, okay. I mean, how many times do we give our emails out on this podcast? I'm pretty sure, if you stay till the end, I'm pretty sure we'll give it out there too. You know, if you just email, we'll get you a response real quick, exactly, and then you have a chance, and then all you got to do is have people vote for you.

Tim: 1:03:59

Easy See, easy see, it's not that hard, just do it.

Chris: 1:04:01

I mean and don't get me wrong, tim you know I'm gonna keep pushing at every event I have, and if I have all eight contestants in the final bracket from my tour, I won't complain one bit. I know some people will. Oh, I'm pretty sure a lot of people will. But hey, everybody had a chance everybody.

Tim: 1:04:18

you're right, I'm not knocking that. Everybody does have a chance.

Chris: 1:04:21

Everybody does have that chance, but believe me this though For June I think we're going to have a good showing, Because if I'm at these tournaments first weekend of June, I will be pushing for people to put entry fees, because I will be seeing shirts up there and I will promote it at those events.

Tim: 1:04:39

So really, this is kind of a free month for anybody until I start getting a lot of these entries to start popping in and remember, you know, for these, for the two regionals that we're going to, if somebody from those regionals wins June, they'll be reimbursed for their cash gain money both days. But they got to get in Right. Got to get in right. Got to get in, you got to get in. I'm not giving you free 80 dollars or right, whatever it is you got to get in got to do it, man, we can.

Tim: 1:05:08

We can say it to our blue on our face, and who knows what would happen well, I'm fairly certain, you know, with, with people coming from all over the place it was in michigan and louisiana somebody's going to come strong.

Chris: 1:05:22

Right, right, right. I really feel that. But show us, we're not wrong, guys. See, show us, we're not wrong.

Tim: 1:05:33

So this last episode for the month of May, and I just wanted to thank all of our active duty people, our veterans, for their service with maybe in military appreciation month, and they make make up such a good portion of our membership. Without them we wouldn't even be able to do this. So thank you very much for for your service, thank your families for your service. It's very much appreciated yes, yes, we.

Chris: 1:05:58

We are always constantly saying that when we have these special episodes, I think, uh, throughout the season. You know, we really mean it and we want to give you the opportunity to understand some of the memories we have.

Tim: 1:06:11

Absolutely. Now you know we got Memorial Day weekends coming up and I really do hope that everybody enjoys Memorial Day and really remembers what Memorial Day is all about. It's not about playing golf or having barbecues or getting together with family. That's all the bonus stuff for this. The entire purpose of Memorial Day is to give remembrance for those that have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.

Chris: 1:06:39

If you can just take some time to to reflect on that and think about that over the coming weekend, it really makes a big difference yes, yes, it does you know, even if you have some people that you can reach out to make sure that they're okay, but it does make a huge difference yeah, so again enjoy memorial day weekend, but again remember what it's about.

Chris: 1:07:00

Make sure you some shirt submissions and, chris, I don't know if you noticed this, but you know, on on the web page there's a new feature hey, you see you're saying you know, I know we've been updating our web page and it looks great, you know, but every time we had a new feature we got to slow it down here and walk people through these new features, like how to find the regionals and how to find the podcast page. So now you're throwing another wrench in here. Okay, so if you go, to the podcast page.

Tim: 1:07:29

It says click here to send us a message. It goes right to messengers, right To us. You don't even have to worry about our email address anymore. Chris, how about that? Again, making it super, super, super easy.

Chris: 1:07:44

Yeah, it's as easy as a click of a button, yep, and look at those pretty shirts on our podcast homepage, see, look at them. Don't you want to be a part of that? You know I do, oh boy. And remember maybe this is the thing, maybe this is it. It that they've already submitted and they're afraid oh, I can't submit again. No, you can submit every month every month. Yeah, win or lose, win or lose. Yeah, win or lose, you can submit so although you can't submit the same shirt twice correct, but doesn't mean you can't submit anything right.

Chris: 1:08:19

it's just let's have some fun with this, because if we flop this year, who knows if we'll be able to do it next year. And I mean we want to see this thing grow.

Tim: 1:08:30

Well, you got to remember something, chris we don't flop Right, maybe sometimes.

Chris: 1:08:36

Well, we don't.

Tim: 1:08:36

Sometimes we do. Well, we forgive Mother's Day. That's bad, that's real bad. Yeah, well, we forget Mother's Day. That's bad, that's real bad. Yeah, anyway, if you have questions, hit that you know, send us a message, link, or you can still email us. You can email me at tim n-a-t-c at amateurgolftournet, or chris at el paso at amateurgolftournet and I'm just going to ask our listeners, you know, for one more favor.

Tim: 1:09:03

I know I'm starting to say oh, what next? What next? I was always asking for stuff. Please make sure you give us a like or a review on Apple or Spotify or wherever it is that you're actually listening to the podcast at. It really goes a long way and it helps us in promoting the tour, promoting the podcast to an even wider audience.

Chris: 1:09:25

Yes, definitely. I mean you'd be surprised who is listening to our podcast? I had my son ask me the other day what the name of our podcast was, because his friend's into golf and wants to listen, so he's 12. So if he can listen to it, I mean you guys can too. Absolutely, absolutely. All right, my friends, you enjoy it. So if he can listen to it, I mean you guys can too, absolutely, absolutely alright, my friend, you enjoy it.

Tim: 1:09:45

Have a good World Day weekend and I will see you in. See you in 10 days. Yes, sir, I can't wait. It's going to be good times. Buddy, travel safe. Talk to you soon, take care. Thank you.