Golfweek Amateur Tour - The Podcast
Welcome to the Golfweek Amateur Tour Podcast!
If you love amateur golf, the thrill of competitive golf events, and the camaraderie of the golf community, this is the podcast for you!
Join hosts Tim Newman and Chris Rocha as they bring you the latest from the Golfweek Amateur Tour, covering everything from all of the local golf tours through the road to the National Championship. We’ll break down recent golf tournaments, highlight standout players, and dive into what makes amateur golf competitions so much fun.
But that’s not all, we sit down with tour directors, course pros, and players from across the country to hear their stories, get insider perspectives, and maybe even pick up a few tips along the way. And, of course, we’ve got Roger’s Rules, where we tackle the quirkiest, most debated rules in golf (because let’s be honest, we all need a refresher sometimes).
This isn’t just another amateur golf podcast, it’s a golf podcast for everyday golfers who love the game, the grind, and the great people that make up the Golfweek Amateur Tour. So hit subscribe, grab a drink (or a range bucket), and let’s talk golf!
Golfweek Amateur Tour - The Podcast
Teeing Up Change: North Carolina Course Highlights, and Chicago Tour Ambitions
Curious about how amateur golfers are shaking up the scene and tackling issues of fairness and diversity on the course? Join us as we spotlight the inspiring journey of Chuck (A flight) and Sola Smith (D flight), our first Directors' Cup champions from Central North Carolina, and explore the passionate community that is the Golfweek Amateur Tour. We'll share personal tales of triumph and collaboration, highlighting how players like Patina Martinez are leading the charge towards more inclusive play with custom tee boxes and growing female participation. It's a conversation filled with hope, equality, and the vibrant future of amateur golf.
Our journey doesn't stop there. We take you to the heart of North Carolina's golfing haven, where courses like Quail Ridge and Tanglewood captivate both locals and visitors alike. Discover how the favorable climate allows for nearly year-round tee times and why these regional gems have become beloved for their welcoming atmosphere and rich history. We'll also dive into the logistics of managing a golf tour, ensuring each tournament is a memorable experience for players of all levels. With insights from new Chicago Tour director Bill Prosecky, we reveal ambitious plans to connect with the robust golfing culture in the Windy City.
As we gear up for the 2025 season, the spirit of competition and camaraderie is stronger than ever. Explore our regional tournament schedule, featuring iconic venues like Firestone and Sequoia National, and learn why these events are not to be missed. From family-led tour management to the excitement of registration and tour planning, we celebrate the dedication and teamwork that fuel our tour's success. Whether you're a seasoned player or new to the greens, there's something for everyone on the Golfweek Amateur Tour.
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Hey, Chris and everybody, welcome back to the Golf Week Amateur Tour, the podcast and, Chris, you know, you and I we talked about some big changes we've got coming for the podcast for the year and I don't know about you, but I'm really super excited to share this big news today with everybody.
Speaker 3:Yeah, completely correct. You know we've been growing. It's been a great journey and we want to invite you and your businesses to join us on this amazing journey we've been on. So, as of this episode, you know, we're officially opening up sponsorship opportunities for the podcast.
Speaker 1:Chris, exactly. You know we've got an amazing community of listeners and members and golfers you know that are passionate about amateur golf and the tour, amateur golf in the tour. So, whether you're a golf brand, local business or just somebody who loves the game, this would be a perfect chance to connect with an engaged and enthusiastic audience.
Speaker 3:And it's not just about reaching our audience. By partnering with us, your brand becomes part of the story we're building here, one that celebrates the players, the courses and the incredible energy of the Golf Week, amtour.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and we could tailor any sponsorship packages to meet your goals, you know, whether it's shout-outs on the show, mentions on social media or even custom segments where we highlight your brand. And, chris, you know, the first one I'm thinking about is Roger's Rules, roger, needs a sponsor.
Speaker 3:He sure does. So if you're interested in partnering with us and getting your name of your business out to the amateur golfers across the country, reach out today. Just email us at DMACC. That's D-M-A-C at AmateurGolfTournet.
Speaker 1:Yeah, let's team up to make this podcast and golf and amateur tour community even stronger, to make this podcast and golf and camping tour community even stronger. And just remember, you know, the sponsorships is what allows you know, Chris, you and I to travel to the regionals, to be able to go out and see everybody. So you know, we can't wait to hear from you.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean thanks for tuning in and, as always, keep hitting them straight, all right.
Speaker 1:Let's go ahead and get the show started.
Speaker 4:Let's go ahead and get the show started. Let's go, ladies and gentlemen. Golf Week Amateur Tour proudly presents Golf Week Amateur Tour, the podcast Talking about all things Golf Week Amateur Tour, including interviews with tour directors, players and course professionals. Now here are your hosts, tim Newman and El Paso Las Cruces tour director, chris Rocha.
Speaker 1:Chris, welcome back. Hope you and your family had a happy Thanksgiving. You got your Christmas lights up. You're ready to go, because there's no stopping. Now. Registration's open and the 2025 season is underway, so hopefully your Christmas shopping is done. It's time to get busy.
Speaker 3:I mean, I wish I could say yes, but that's not the case. Christmas lights have been on, I want to say, since probably november 1st. Um, wife and and son really love the christmas lights, so you know, you gotta put that up for them. But uh, we say, you know, we really hope for a break and we get a tiny little break and that's it, um, but no, I'm ready, I'm excited, you know, I'm ready to get this show started yeah, and and just for everybody that's listening, remember, if you haven't registered yet, excuse me.
Speaker 1:now's the time. Registration's open. You know we are a month away from, you know 31, 32 days away from icebreaker season getting ready to kick off. You know, if you want something for Christmas, drop the hint to your wife, girlfriend, husband, brother, sister, whatever. Or if you want to actually give the gift of golf, you should do that too. I mean, now's the time to get in. I know a lot of tours are running specials on yearly registration. A lot of tours are doing giveaways, so now would be the time to go ahead and jump on it yeah, definitely, if you're a turning uh member, definitely check out with your tour.
Speaker 3:Um, I know, with my tour, you know we do uh giveaways for people that have already put their membership in for tournaments, you know things like that. So, um, definitely check with them. And uh, like you said, tim, it's always a great gift to just go in and give somebody a tour membership, because then that can last all year long.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, absolutely. So you know this episode we're going to continue with our Directors' Cup champions our first ever Directors' Cup champions and you know we're going to have them talk about their experience at National Championship, winning the Directors' Cup, and what they've got planned for the 2025 season. So let's go ahead and bring in our first guest. There we go. Let's bring in our first guest, chuck Consolos-Smith from Central North Carolina.
Speaker 5:Chuck, welcome, bud hey man, thanks for having us.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's our pleasure. You know we've had this first competition for the Director's Cup this year, which I think was a brilliant idea. I don't know whose idea it was, but I thought it was great and you and Sala, both tour directors, won Director's Cup on the senior side, so congratulations.
Speaker 5:We appreciate that, but I want more participation next year. I want more of the guys to get out there and the ladies to play.
Speaker 1:Yeah, me too, but Chris is only 40. I mean he won't be playing in the seniors, yet for another couple years.
Speaker 5:I'm at the 66-year mark right now.
Speaker 1:Well, you got to hang out until he gets 50. That's for sure.
Speaker 5:Hopefully I'm still here yeah.
Speaker 1:So, chuck, you're in the A flight and you shot a two-day score of 175. What courses did you play on the senior side?
Speaker 5:We played Palmetto Hall and Palmetto Dunes. I mean Palmetto Hall the first day and Palmetto Hills the second day. Excuse me, there we go.
Speaker 1:So did you actually tie with Tim Sumption?
Speaker 5:Yeah, yeah, but he took off. So default, man, that's the way you got to look at it.
Speaker 1:The last man standing. See, that's what happened. I guess he didn't want to play you in that playoff. He knew it was going to happen anyway.
Speaker 5:Hey, I'm looking. I had fun. I played bad. I had fun. Of course, the Arthur Hills is always a tough course for any of us. Anyway it is. I'm looking forward to it. I'm already scheming on this year. I'm going to try to play better this coming year.
Speaker 1:Well, I think that's the goal. I mean, you know, Chris is in the B flight, but he says he's going to be playing in the A flight this year and in the B flight, but he says he's going to be playing in the A flight this year. And again, we talk a lot about, you know, one of the purposes of the tour and one of the purposes is getting better, and so we encourage our players. You know, if you're on that cut line, go ahead and move yourself up. You know, play a little bit stiffer competition, and that's something that's going to help you get better.
Speaker 5:anyway, you know you got a good point there. I mean, over the years I've been playing golf for a long time and I've owned tours before I got on this one. Uh, with the golf week and the senior tour, and you know the goal for any especially younger golfers is to get better. You want to beat the best. I've got a few guys that are playing in the champ flight that probably don't need to be there but they want to beat the best.
Speaker 5:But you know as a young person the golf tour it's a great place to challenge yourself, meet good people and have fun. But you always want to play the best and you know you always got a few people that say that's not always going to be an easy sport. You do got a few people that's saying bad, that's always going to be an easy sport you do, but uh, nah, I you should strive to beat them the best.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I completely agree with that. I mean, I'm a 9-2 and what's the point of me being a 9-2 and b flight when I can just jump up to a, not lose any points and try to get better? So I completely agree with what you're saying yeah that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 5:It makes it fun. I it's like me. I think I'm a six-something in the senior and probably I think it was a 7'5 or something in the golf week and you know, excuse me, but at my age you start getting about 66, 6700 yards. It gets a little tough, but it's fun though man. I enjoy it. Fun though man, I enjoyed I really did beat.
Speaker 1:Trying to beat the young guys is fun yeah, and you've got a, you know, pretty good size tour, but you know, on both sides, both the golf week and the senior side. So I mean, again, you've got good competition every tournament it's not like it's only one or two, two guys.
Speaker 5:So now we do pretty good. Our a flight's's pretty stacked. You know the champ flight. You know all of us on all tour directors know that we're always trying to build the champ. Flight's always tough. You know everybody's competing. We've got champ flight guys on these other tours and everywhere. So you know I do little gimmicks to try to get more of them to play. But the A flight on down man it's, you know you usually got to beat 15 to 25 guys every week and that makes it fun it makes it fun, absolutely so.
Speaker 1:Is Silas still in earshot, because I want to get her one here too. Give her her due.
Speaker 5:Yeah, here she is. She's coming. We just put the Christmas tree. She was over messing with it, but she's coming around now. Here she comes. Oh yeah, she won over messing with it, but she's coming around now. Here she comes. Oh yeah, she won that D-Flight thing. She was one happy lady when we left Hilton Head a while back. Here she comes. She's coming in behind me now. All right, there she is.
Speaker 1:Hey Silo, hello, how are you?
Speaker 2:I'm good. How are you?
Speaker 1:Awesome. We wanted to wish you congratulations for winning the Director's Cup and get your thoughts on what the competition was.
Speaker 2:It was tough. It was tough. I haven't been playing my best. I tend to play better on golf week because I have a practice round on the senior tour. So this year I was able to move up. They moved me up to seaaflight in the golf week. I don't know how long I'll stay there, but I was excited to get, you know, bumped up. But we'll see. We'll see. Well again.
Speaker 1:You know I'm telling Chuck. For me it's always exciting when people get moved up, because that means they're getting better, and for you all females, I love it when you all get better and get moved up. And you're beating some of the guys and they complain. I just tell them to just be quiet. If you want to beat them, you got to play better. They're starting to play better, so you got to play better.
Speaker 2:That's right. You know we pluck in the red tees, but it makes it fair Exactly. If they can get on from their teas in two, we should be able to get on the green in two.
Speaker 1:Exactly, absolutely.
Speaker 3:That's the statement I'm using. From now on, if we can get on in two, they should have the opportunity to get on in two, because I hear it all the time and it's like you know, just get better.
Speaker 1:You two are going to start a battle of the sexes on this thing. Well, sometimes it just takes some of the guys a little bit of education. I mean, when they just don't understand that, they, you know. Number one we need more females to play so that they could understand, so the guys could understand what it's actually like and you know, it's more about educating them and say, look, this is what makes it fair, this is why we have slope and ratings, this is why we have different T's, you know. So it's what levels of play and feel for everybody within that flight.
Speaker 2:Right yeah.
Speaker 5:That's what I was saying. You know everybody. We got a few people to complain. You hear a little mumbling down in the, in the, in the backgrounds there once in a while. But you know, and I tell them the same thing. You know that's what the slope ratings everything is for. We make it as fair. You know where I, a couple years ago, I started doing my own tee boxes. We actually spend the time to go out to every course before we tee off. I made my own disc. I got tired of the golf courses complaining because I moved their stuff around, so we did our own and we go exactly and I and sometimes I make the I. I believe in our rules. I, if it says play 6200 yards, I play 62. If it says 7 000, I do it. And it makes some of them, man, you know, oh, we're playing too long. I said, well, when you get to nationals, it and it makes some of them mad. You know, oh, we're playing too long. I said, well, when you get to nationals, it'll make it bounce itself out Exactly.
Speaker 5:Yeah, but it's also fair. It makes it fair for the women to participate and that's what we're trying to do. Sala's got some friends that play on it every once in a while, and you know, and Patina plays on it down in the Eastern Tour. So I mean, you know we need the tours are for everybody and that's what we want.
Speaker 1:Exactly.
Speaker 2:I'm going to try to promote it this year, you know, to try to get more females to play.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, Patina won the Director's Cup for the Golf Week side and we're going to have her on. She doesn't know it yet, but we're going to have her on next episode.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she doesn't know yet, but we're going to have her on next episode.
Speaker 1:She won our regional.
Speaker 2:This year she won our regional.
Speaker 1:She sure did she was actually in the hunt for national championship too, for a while I think she finished like third or fourth. Yes, you know, I love seeing it. I really do. And actually there was a female that won A-flight on Golf Week side.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I heard about it since I got there. That was pretty cool.
Speaker 2:I think it's awesome.
Speaker 1:It really is. So let's talk about you know your 2025 schedule.
Speaker 5:What's that kind of looking like this year? Well, we TR stuff off. Our first one it february, the 13th and the 15th. You know what we always do thursdays we play the young or the senior tours and then on saturdays I play the golf week, the same week always. So our first one's at highland. So, like I said, I've got uh 19 scheduled for the seniors already and 21 for the golf week, and I say 21. I got three two-day events for the golf week tour this year. So you know we got our.
Speaker 5:We started our cups in North Carolina I guess we're all about trying to beat up on each tour. So we played an Eastern tour at Riverwood yeah, we played an Eastern tour at Riverwood in a two-day up in Raleigh with Clayton and then we played a Charlotte tour at Bryan's Park up in Greensboro for a two-day. So that's two of them. Then we're going to do our finale here in Sanford at Carolina Trace. It's a two-day. We had two golf courses there. So we got three two-days for them and for the seniors. All I got for them on the two days is our regional down at Pioneer, down at Talamore, mid-south Right. But we got a good schedule, we got some good golf courses and I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker 5:What would you say is probably the best course that you all play? Well, you know I own Quail Ridge. I would say my golf course, we love Quail Ridge. So I would say my golf course, we love Quail Ridge. But no, you know me personally. I like Tanglewood man. You know that's the old-school golf course. We played a champions course here. But you know they used to have the PGA and you know they had the PGA tours up that way and we played Forest Oats, which you know that was the Greensboro Open all the way to, you know, about 10 years ago or so. But me personally, I like Tanglewood, the champions course on the senior tour. And then I like Bryan's Park man, the champions course. There. I love them. They're just great golf courses and they're just fun to play. Colonials, yeah, and Colonial at private.
Speaker 1:Nice, yeah, she's won a bunch in her D-Flight stuff, so she has a few favorites. Well, any time you win, that course then becomes a favorite, yep.
Speaker 2:That's just how it works At Tanglewood in a playoff.
Speaker 5:Yeah, she won at Tanglewood. She beat the Preacher on about a 60-foot putt on the first playoff hole, so I'm sure that's on her favorite.
Speaker 2:I would say that's my favorite right now. That's awesome.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. I love that you have so many tournaments and, being in North Carolina, you have that climate that you can play pretty much from. Really, you can pretty much play all year.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we do.
Speaker 1:You Save maybe a week or two, depending on some bad weather coming through. But this really kind of opens it up for pretty much everybody in North and South Carolina. I mean, you're really not too far from where you all play.
Speaker 5:No, like I say, the Charlotte tour is two hours from us and the Eastern tour, technically, is a two-hour deal. So anywhere, and that's what we try to do I really try to get my players to go to the places and play. I mean I want everybody to play. But you know Central and North Carolina, we got it made. You know Pinehurst, we're 25 minutes from Pinehurst and you can get to Raleigh in 30 minutes, greensboro in 45 minutes, charlotte an hour and 50 minutes. So you know you can hum right. When we're central, north Carolina is literally we are in the middle North Carolina and we got a ton of golf courses around here yeah, well, even let's just say you're I don't know you're in Charleston.
Speaker 1:that's probably two and a half hours, which isn't really two, it's not maybe three hours, which still isn't too bad if you're going to go up for the weekend 26.
Speaker 5:Oh yeah, we got a lot. We got a couple players. They come from everywhere. I mean, you'd be surprised. We got the guys from Virginia driving down now and playing. You know, on the south side of Virginia when they come down and we got a lot of them. You know we put on a good tournament we really do, and we try to make sure our players are happy. You know we give them food when we bring snacks around drinks, so you know we look out for them. You know we're catering to them. But you got to nowadays you have to right. You know we got some schools around here. You know you got the 18th.
Speaker 1:You know it's about the value proposition. You know, why would they come play with us as opposed to another tour? And you know, I think we can just start listing reason after reason after reason, but again, we still have to show them that you know, we have to get them here and show them why we should be their first choice. Well, you know, brother, have to get them here and show them why we should be their first choice.
Speaker 5:Well, you know, brother, it's like I always said, it's just like fast food restaurants you always want to strive. How does McDonald's, hardee's, all of them, stay competitive? They give the best they can, the best product they can to their consumer. So that's what we do. We try to make sure, when you come to Central Carolinaolina, the golf week tour is well represented and senior tour is well represented. You know, we, we, we try to give them the best experience they can, because we want them to come back. So, and it's about being fair too. So you know, the hardest thing I ever do as a director is kick somebody out, or, you know, or. And you got to. You know, that's one thing we, that's one thing I admire about dennis them. You know they stick to the guns and that's what you got to do. You can't be flip-flop and play buddy-buddies with people and once that gets out, you've ruined your tour.
Speaker 1:Exactly so. Talk about the regional that you all do.
Speaker 5:Oh, man, talamore and Mid-South, the regional at Pond hearse is unreal. Oh, you know, I, I, we average 120, I get I can have 144 players and uh, they treat us so good down there. Man, you know their beautiful golf course is right in the middle of downtown pine hearse. And uh, you know, we had mid pines earlier in the year and pine needles a couple of years ago and we read the punch greens is hard, you know that time of year. So I'll switch to Tallymore and Mid-South and they treat us really good so I want to stay there at least two more years. You know Dennis wants me to try to get like number. Well, it's hard to get on number two, but I'm going to try to get on four and eight.
Speaker 5:But it costs so much it does Up here. Now you know, if you don't stay at the resort it's like $600 to play number two, just walking off the street and think about that. It's pretty pricey but they're getting it. We got people coming from all over the world here to play golf. So you know it's really hard as me as a director to I hate to say it is nickel and dime on the debt to get it to. Where I can, we can afford it. Our average tournament for the senior tour this coming year is going to be about 90 to 95 dollars and and I tried to keep it to about 100 110 dollars on the golf week that's playing on a saturday and that's because I own a golf course. I got a lot of friends that own golf courses. I get good prices but I want to make it a competitive league and that's what we try to do and I think we do that. We keep our price point where we need to be competitive with all these other tours.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that price point is a lot better than a lot of tours in atlanta. We don't have anything for, I think, under 125, 130 bucks.
Speaker 5:You just can't do it, yeah, yeah, yeah. How's it up? Mirror here, chris, how do you? How's it?
Speaker 3:about the same. You know I was actually doing that uh today before we were recording and it's prices are going up and you know, for a while I was a little spoiled and didn't have to worry about it. But, um, now, now we're getting part of that, um, you know, prices going up and uh courses buying other courses and trying to make them the same, so it's it's getting tough over here. But you know, like you said, you, we try to give the best product we can and hopefully, you know, the new members enjoy it and they bring their friends and their returning members. They see a difference every year and you know that's our goal here is just to try to make it memorable every tournament.
Speaker 5:Yeah, it's that being consistent. You know it's like you say. You know you're dealing with that price point too. But you know it's like you say. You know you're dealing with that price point too. But you know the thing is, this year everybody went up because of covid. You know, just, our golf lee, all golf has really become popular again and uh. But here's the thing you stay through it. You keep a tight pencil with all the golf courses that you can and pick good venues, but the golf will come back around. It's a popular deal now, but you know, nowadays and even Dennis is running into it and he'll need it You've got to beg to play golf now, but it will come back around.
Speaker 5:You know, I had a few guys that jacked it up $30 this year and I talked to them and I said, man, my golf course is better than yours and I don't even charge that much, and that's right. We're playing carolina lakes and trace. You know, carolina trace, we're playing the two quarters at the end of the year, right, I mean, he was crazy and he's a new gm though, but I got. You know, everybody's buying. Like you said. We got, uh, bob levy bought, uh, the legacy golf course and we used to play it every year in february. But it got to. It was stupid at my cost. They weren't 150 bucks. I laughed at them. I can and I only play, you know, with a tour wheel. It's only playing 100 bucks to play there with the tour and now they wanted 150, not counting my, you know, the prize money. I said you're crazy. Crazy yeah.
Speaker 5:You got to be careful, but it's a good golf course.
Speaker 1:And and I think you've positioned yourself you own a course, so you have a little bit of that better negotiating power which you can go to other owners and say look, here's a deal.
Speaker 5:You're in a good spot to be able to do that. Yeah, well, you know, and we just got some more to go. Of course I got three partners. I just bought one of them out and I'm in the process of buying the other one out. So that was my retirement plan. But you know we do, I and I and I don't flaunt that, I mean, I'm very nice to people and I I go around but it over. You know I've been between the, the golf week stuff and my tours. I used to own back when bruce had the blonde tour and I had the triangle golf tour 30 years ago. You know a lot. I met a lot of people, man, and they're still around. A lot of them are still here and that's I around. A lot of them are still here and that's I hate to say it and I hate to say it, but that's how I get the good prices. I've known these guys for so long and you know you stay friends with them and golf is a friend business. You know you meet a lot of good people.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's all about relationships. And, Chuck, it doesn't matter what business you're in. I don't care if you're an accountant sitting in a cubicle, right. You're not going to be successful if you don't build good relationships with people.
Speaker 5:I got a friend of mine from India. He told me a long time ago. He said, Chuck, don't be bashful, Ask somebody for something. The only thing they do is say no Say no.
Speaker 5:So if you don't, ask people to get a good deal at a golf course, you know you hurt yourself. All I can do is say no, go to another place. Exactly, you got to have that little bit of thick skin. But you know, if you want to do a good product you got to hustle. You got to play some good golf courses and be consistent. That's all I tell everybody consistent.
Speaker 1:That's it. Well, chuck, thanks so much for joining us. I really do appreciate it. Congratulations on the Director's Cup, and you know we're going to get out to some of the senior regionals and so you'll probably go see at least me up in Pinehurst.
Speaker 5:I'd love to see you guys All right bud. Thanks for having me on. Oh, no worries, thank you.
Speaker 1:Tell Silo we said congratulations and we'll talk to you guys soon.
Speaker 5:I will Thanks a lot guys.
Speaker 1:Let's take a break from the show to hear about Strixon's ZX Mark II irons.
Speaker 6:A great iron set needs more than good looks. It's got to be fast and got to be pure, but good looks never hurt either.
Speaker 3:The all-new ZX Mark II irons from Strixon Tim. What a great interview with Chuck and Sala from Central North Carolina. You know, I think it's cool when these couples, you know they're both really involved in their tours. And then the fact that they get to play a national championship together and both be very successful is I don't want to say bragging rights for them, but it kind of is, because I mean, you know, if one won and the other one didn't imagine that bragging right for a full year, but at least they both got to be very successful in their events.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I can't wait to get Marty and Patina Smith on and talk about that, because you know Patina won Director's Cup for Sea Flight and Marty didn't, so can't wait to get them on and hopefully next time to talk about that and see where that conversation goes.
Speaker 3:I mean I know, if it was me, I'd put that thing right there in the front of the house every time she walked in. She'd see it. But that's me. I'm very competitive. I mean it's just cool to see that this isn't just a business. You know, this is a family thing. That tour is family oriented and you know, eventually I'll have my'll have my, my kids out there helping out and giving them part of the tour experience and maybe they'll be playing as well. But uh, it, it just it makes a full circle. And when you have that help I mean gabe and his wife and family help him in arizona all the time um, and it's just good to see them. All you know, as members, it's good to see them and, uh, knowing that as a tour, you don't have to worry about helping both sides.
Speaker 1:Right right, you know there's a lot of tour directors that have their wives or significant others help you know across the country.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:We mentioned Chuck and Sala, you me. You know his wife Dwayne and his wife. Derek and his wife, I mean Derek Barnes from Denver, matthew Matt. Yeah, you're right for the most part. You know, when we at least from my perspective, when we started doing it, I knew that if Jen wasn't involved, it wasn't. I wouldn't be doing it long. Let's just put it that way.
Speaker 2:Right, right right.
Speaker 1:The time that you have to spend away from home on the weekends you know, if we actually put in so much time that if Jim wasn't involved it just wasn't going to happen.
Speaker 3:No, I agree. I remember when I was asked to take over, first thing was you know, let me sit down with my wife and talk with her about it Because, like you said, without their agreement, I don't want to say approval, but their agreement to do it with you. Um, agreement, I don't say approval, but their agreement to do it with you. Um, I mean, we stay up late at night cutting score, score cards and card signs. Uh, for for the, the event the next day, and um, it does take a, a whole village to run a tour. Um, and when you have your, your sniffing another with you, running it, with you, it, it can make a big difference yeah, and at least from my perspective.
Speaker 1:You know jen has a, has a much different style than I do, and uh, oh, I know I've texted her when I need her help and she goes.
Speaker 3:That it's. We have a rain delay. I'll get back with you later. I'm like, oh, oh, sorry, sorry, exactly you know, so um it's 80, it's 80 degrees and sunny over here, sorry, yeah, but you know that's, it is what it is.
Speaker 1:And and uh, with, yeah, I tell people, I tell our players all the time. You know I may be the face of it, but the reality of it is, jen does pretty much all the work, you know, behind the scenes, al pretty much does all the work on on tournament day. I'm just the guy that uh walks around we talk, talks to you, you know, joke around, shake your hand, give out the trophies, um, you know so. You know, most of the time their relationship with me is it's either we're having a good time cutting up or I've got to be the one telling them hey, if you don't pick it up, I'm gonna have to give you a two-stroke penalty, you know. So it's. It's really the extremes with me.
Speaker 3:But you know I love the guys love being there on on tournament day I mean, but I think that's with every tour director we're able to be that person to shake your hand and chit-chat and have a good time and get those serious questions, while we have our team able to support the heavy duty work. Yeah, exactly, it takes a whole tribe. Maybe one of them will have some assistance on here and ask them how they really feel about us tour directors. But I mean, we take care of them and they're a joy to have.
Speaker 1:We try, we try.
Speaker 3:You're right, we try.
Speaker 1:So you know, speaking of tour directors, we got a bunch of new ones this year, yeah yeah, and we're going to try as best we can to get them on and learn about them, see what they're going to be doing with their tours this year, and give them a little bit of exposure. And so everybody across the country knows as well Because, again, you know, if you kind of can put a face to a name with the tour director or other members of the tour, you're much more likely to travel to that tour to play in an event. And so we have a new tour director in Chicago this year. It's Bill Persecki. Bill Persecki.
Speaker 3:We saw him at American Dunes. We did.
Speaker 1:And we're going to have a quick conversation with him. I know you've got to step out to go.
Speaker 3:I got to do that retail life.
Speaker 1:You got to go to work and so you enjoy that, and we'll see you when you get back.
Speaker 3:Sounds good All right, bud.
Speaker 1:Bye, all right, welcome back to Golf Week Amateur Tour. The podcast. Chris had to step out to go do some work for Black Friday preparation. But you know we've got a number of new tour directors this year and we're going to start with the first new one from Chicago Tour, bill Prosecki. Bill, welcome to the show, bud.
Speaker 7:Thank you for having me Good to be here.
Speaker 1:You know, you and I talked for a little bit, you know, last year at at the at american dunes. Um, we won't talk about the weather. That first day. Second day was really nice, but the weather the first day wasn't so good. Hopefully this year will be better and, uh, we hadn't had a chance to talk since then.
Speaker 7:I told you I'd get you on the show and so this is our first opportunity and I apologize for that, uh, great timing though, because uh know we definitely are not going to be short on things to talk about as we move into 2025 season, so actually turned out to be good timing after all.
Speaker 1:Yeah, let's go with that. So you're the new tour director for Chicago. You know there's been a little bit of growing pains over the last couple years in Chicago, but tell us a little bit about yourself. You know what you do for a living, how long you've been on tour, all the good stuff.
Speaker 7:All right. So this is going to be, I believe, my fifth season on tour, um, and for a living, uh, currently I'm working for Geico, uh, in their marketing department, uh, more on like the marketing analytics data side of the house. So, uh, uh, basically I've spent my whole career in that kind of industry. So, uh, that that was sort of my my selling point, uh, when, when I was interviewing for uh to be the director for this tour, uh, is, this tour is that that's sort of been. Where my wheelhouse is is in marketing, communications to people, outreach, targeting things like that, you know, trying to structure communications to your customers or to prospective customers to try to get them to do whatever it is that you want them to do. So that's kind of like what I do for Geico. I'm not, I'm not on the side of the house. That's, you know, create, creating the commercials with the gecko and the caveman and all that stuff. I'm on the side of the house. That's you know, uh, email marketing, direct mail, the, the, the ads that you see on like social media stuff like that. Most of that is all the targeting for that kind of stuff is coming through my team, so hopefully it can bring some of that experience to the golf week side here.
Speaker 7:And, yeah, to your point, I think there definitely have been some struggles, I guess we'll say, with the Chicago tool in the past couple years. But, um, you know, our goal I, I think, is to to bring the tour back to to what it once was. I think, uh, four or five years ago, you know, right around my first year or, and even before I joined, uh, the tour it was chicago was the largest tour the golf week had and it was not uncommon to have fields of, you know, 90, a hundred, over a hundred golfers, um, and uh, uh, yeah, I've, I've no doubt that we can, we can get back there, um, and that's going to be our goal, uh, for this year and going forward.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's's. You know that's the thing with Chicago. I mean, even when I was up there, you know 2020, 2021, you know things were good. Things were good. You know the course selection that you all have up there is phenomenal. Even if, let's just say, you know you partner up with the Milwaukee tour every once in a while, some of the courses that they play are really good and you know you've got a ton of golfers up there and this really does kind of the tour, really does kind of fit into that whole mindset that the people from Chicago have in terms of playing and competing with golf have in terms of playing and competing with golf.
Speaker 7:Yeah, and I mean, that's part of the reason that that I I don't have any doubts or concerns that we're going to be able to to bring the Chicago tour back to one of the largest in the country. Because, you know, if you ask you ask any golfer in Chicago, especially in the past year or two, they'll tell you how hard it is to get a tee time, especially in the past year or two. They'll tell you how hard it is to get a tea time. Um, you know, especially post-pandemic golf has, I mean, I think golf has boomed nationwide, but it's really boomed in chicago, uh, and so that, to me, is one of the selling points of the tour.
Speaker 7:It's not just that, the competitive nature and, and you know the camaraderie and all that, it's just the fact that for a lot of people, this presents a great opportunity to play some courses that otherwise you might have a very hard time getting a tea time at, because we try to get some of the most popular, some of the most premier courses, uh, in the Chicagoland area, uh, of which there are many, so, uh, so, so we're excited for next year, um, you know, currently working on a schedule, a schedule now, hoping to have something out by maybe later in December. But yeah, I think we've got a lot to look forward to, definitely here at Chicago.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you do, and you've got a really good, strong base. Again, I know a lot of the guys that are up there and that play up there and I know they're going to be excited you know to to have you running this thing. Um, you know, luke, luke did a pretty good job last year, stepping in kind of last minute and and and trying his best to keep things going and and God bless him. I think he did a pretty good job with that, uh. But but having you on board full time you know from not only your experience from the marketing perspective but from being on the tour you bring some good skills and some of that, some of that grassroots types of things. That really is what makes this tour tick. You know, I don't think a lot of people truly understand that. Yes, we have a marketing machine from a national perspective, but the growth really comes from the grassroots local tour directors, local players talking about the tour.
Speaker 7:Right, and word of mouth too. I I it for anybody who happens to be listening to this who, uh, has never played on the golf week tour. If you happen to find this podcast someplace, or or you know you happen to hear about it in some way. I, I think a lot of people probably, who have not played on the tour before you know it's. You got to get over that hump and get out there for the first event. You know, everybody sort of has that, that initial, I think, hesitance, especially if you've never played competitive golf before. Um, you know you to to go out there and, and you know, feel like you're kind of under the gun, right, you know, now, all of a sudden, you're, you're playing in a competition. You're not just, you know, playing on a Saturday afternoon with your buddies, but, as it turns out, a lot, and so I think I think one of the biggest drivers we have to grow membership and to grow the tour is actually that word of mouth.
Speaker 7:Um and you know. So that's going to be, that's going to be one of my priorities, you know, between now and you know, basically April, when, when we start our season in 2025, is how do we, how do we get people talking, how do we get you know members to to tap some of their other buddies on the shoulder and say, hey, why don't you come on out? You know, and, and and give one of these events a shot. I think you'll like it.
Speaker 1:You know that that's going to be. That's going to be the best way to grow this thing. Yeah, I completely agree, and you talked about playing some of the premier courses. You've been around for a while, just from the Chicago area. What's your favorite course and why is it? And I don't want to hear it's my favorite course because I won there or I shot the lowest score there, that's all you know. That's all good stuff. But what's your favorite course in? I won there or I shot the lowest score there, that's all you know. That's all good stuff. What's your favorite course in in in the Chicago area, and why?
Speaker 7:Without hesitation uh, mistwood golf club down in, uh, um, uh, I believe it's in, I don't know if it's in Romeo, bill or Plainfield, but it's around that area in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago but absolutely without hesitation, it's Misfit. I think the course is phenomenal. It's always in fantastic shape and it's one of those courses I've played several times. A good family friend of ours is a member there. He's one of the original members, he's been a member there for 20 plus years and so I've played that course a number of times and I think what I like about it is the fact that you can play that course really from any tee box and it's not any easier. You know, I've, I've, I've played it from the tips, I've played it from the up tees of, you know, 62, 6,300 yards, something like that, and it's not any easier at all.
Speaker 7:You know it's, and to me those are personally my, my favorite types of courses, the courses that that place an emphasis on precision. You know you can't just step up to the tee and rip driver up every tee box and then, you know, go find it and hit it again. You really got to stand on the tee box and think about where am I going to hit this ball? Am I going to hit, you know, am I going to try to carry this, am I going to try to lay up? Am I trying to hit the left side of the fairway, the right side of the fairway, you know where am I trying to go with it? And so so to me, absolutely without a doubt, miss Woods favorite course been a couple of years since we've had a tournament there. So we're we're trying to get that one back on the schedule for 2025 for Golf Week. So I guess what I'll say to members who are listening is stay tuned, because hopefully we can get back out there on 2025. But that's absolutely, without question, my favorite.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. Yeah, I actually remember us being there and that is a good course. You already have two, I think two courses already scheduled with Cantini and Bowes Creek, and I really like Bowes Creek as well.
Speaker 7:Yeah, I do as well. We're actually going to do that as a two-day Saturday at Bowes Creek and Sunday, just up the road, at Highlands of Elgin. So, and both of those I think it's been a couple of years since we've been here. Actually, I'm I'm probably of maybe it's a minority opinion, maybe it's not I actually like Bowes Creek better than Highlands of Elgin. Those who are familiar with with golf in the Chicago area will know that that Highlands is is touted as as the more premier of the two courses, which is why we're going to do it on a Sunday.
Speaker 7:But I don't know something about that. Bowes Creek golf course is just I it, just the layout. You know those courses, just the layout of it kind of suits your eye and you just really enjoy playing there and and um, so we're excited to come back there too. That was that was, uh, you know they were. You know, when I first found out I was going to be the tour director and you know my next, uh, my next duty was to start contacting courses and setting up a schedule. Um, they were toward the top of my list because it's been a while since we've been there been a couple years since, since golf week's been there, um, and you know, it was definitely a priority for me to return, so we're glad to get that one set up.
Speaker 1:Uh, I think that would be a fun tournament in august yeah, it's actually, you know, a pretty good, pretty good two-day there, because because, again, I agree with you, I like bowes creek better than highlands, but you know, you can't go wrong with either one of them, right, they're both great courses and having them back-to-back for a two-day, that's going to be a really good tournament as well. You know, one of the things that Dennis says a lot and I don't know if he talked to you about this when you talked to him or not but one of the big drivers for the success of large tours, right, is the champ flight, and what I was well, was and will always tell people, chicago has some of the one of the deepest champ flights around Um and and we got some players up here for sure.
Speaker 1:If you play with these guys every week, what's that actually like? I mean because you're a champ player, I mean so you're a good player, but you know, when you're playing with these champ flight guys week in and week out, what's it like and what would you tell somebody who you know, the, the, the, the Chan play player, who's who's only playing in, you know, in in in the local PJ section event no-transcript.
Speaker 7:We, we've got so many good players. Um, I, I, I welcome it because you know it a few years ago it used to be that if you shot, let's say, somewhere around 75, you were probably going to be toward the top of that champ flight leaderboard. And now, if you shoot 75, you're probably going to lose by three, four shots. Um, and, and you know that's I I love that motivation and I love that drive personally, and I would say that that, um, what I would say to people who maybe are looking to get into it more or looking to play a little bit more, is it's still a healthy competition, though you know it's not. It's you feel like you're competing and you feel like that drive to be better, but it's not it's to me, it's not an overwhelming amount of pressure. You know it's because it's the right environment.
Speaker 7:You're, you still have a lot of that camaraderie with the other guys in the group and you know it's one of those things where and and you know, I know you've talked to Luke a lot on this podcast Luke will tell you too he and I have had, you know, some, some, some battles over the years and you know, when you're there in the heat of it. It's like it's game on man, and then once you're done, once you put out the 18th hole, it's you know we're friends again. You know let's go to the bar grab a drink and you know, talk about how that went. But when you're in the moment, you're in the moment and it's, you know, it's you got the game face on, and that's sort of what I love about it is that you know that two sides of the coin, right, when you're out there on the course, you know it's we're still friends. But I also want to win right, right, and now, when we're done, then we're done and then we can talk about it later.
Speaker 1:But you know, to me that's the big draw of Golf Week, is that mix of competition and camaraderie? Yeah, and I'm just looking at the points raised from last year. I mean, obviously, luke, you got Jake, gary yourself.
Speaker 7:Jake Gary is an awesome player, yeah.
Speaker 1:The kid Christian Wakeford. I mean I saw him play when you guys were up at American Dunes. That kid can play.
Speaker 7:Oh yeah, christian's a machine. Yeah, if he's in the tournament, he's the guy to beat. He didn't play as much last year or this past year in 2024. So I'm hoping he'll be back out there for more in 2025.
Speaker 1:But if he's in the field, he's the guy you're going after. Yeah, he won the regional at American Dunes Right and when I talk about regionals Over some good players in that field.
Speaker 7:Matt Green from Cincinnati was in that field, john Shupp from Michigan was in that field, so he beat some superstars in in that tournament yeah, you, you got to come and play.
Speaker 1:I mean you've got to be able to, I mean to win a regional, I don't, and I don't care which flight you're in, you've got to come and you've got to have two really good, solid rounds to be able to win, um, and that's just so important. Yeah, but let's actually talk about some regionals. I mean, you know, last year, you, you came down to Hilton Head for the icebreaker and then you went to American Dunes. Obviously, you know two very different types of tournaments and fields and weather and those types of things. Which ones are you going to look at for this year, because you know the regional schedule is out? Which ones are you looking at doing this year?
Speaker 7:So I'm looking at I've got my eyes on Firestone in the end of April because that's a new one for us, or that's a new one for Golf Week at least, at least as far as I know, that's a new one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's brand new, brand new.
Speaker 7:Yeah, looking at Sequoia National as well. I know those are in back-to-back weeks, obviously. American Dunes was great, had a great time last year, so looking at that one as well, something that I'm doing, or we've had some other trip planned or something going on, but you know I'm looking to get down to French Lick too. So I would say, of those four, I'm hoping to get to three of those four. We'll see. You know, as the summer goes on and you know, other plans come up and things happen.
Speaker 7:But that's what I'm looking at Firestone, sequoia, uh, american dunes and french lick, I think those are, and and actually I'm hoping, um, that we can get a good contingency of chicago players down to some of those, because you know, all of those, sequoia is probably a longer drive, but but the rest of those are, um, you know, within pretty reasonable driving distance of chicago, I think. I think akron is about five hours, american Dunes last year is about a three-hour drive, I think French Lick's about four and a half five-hour drives. So you know that's also, I think, going to be a goal of ours is to get a good contingency of Chicago players down to some of those this year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, obviously you can't go wrong with any of them, but I think the number one that everybody should be looking at this year and again we've got a good slate of regionals, but the Firestone regional, I mean that is going to be phenomenal.
Speaker 7:Oh yeah, that's going to be huge yeah.
Speaker 1:And you know this may be the only year we do it too. I mean, you know, for any number of reasons you know this may be the only year we do it too.
Speaker 1:I mean, you know, for any number of reasons you know this could be a one and done, but you know for the price and what you're going to get for it. I think everybody needs to put that on the top of their list. You know I actually spoke with Dennis yesterday, so we're actually recording this on Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I spoke to Dennis on Tuesday and he told me a number of different things that are going on. There's lodging discounts, lunch before both days, all kinds of other good things. A four caddy on Sunday is included and again, this is not knocking any of the other ones because again we've got a really good slate and Chris and I are discussing which ones we're actually going to. But I think Firestone, I think, should be probably number one on everybody's list.
Speaker 7:Well, how often do you get to play some of the same courses and walk some of the same fairways that the PGA Tour got to play, exactly, and again, not knocking some of those other regionals, um? But that's part of the reason why I went down to Harbor town, um, this past January and I know that's a public course, anybody can book a tee time and go there. But there's there's there's something about walking down that same 18th fairway that you've seen on TV, right, you know, there's just there. There's, there's something irreplaceable. Uh, you know about that feeling, and even even to me, even if you're playing terrible like I remember a couple of years ago when we, when we went up to whistling straights, um, and I actually played a good round at whistling straights on that Sunday. I didn't play well on the day before, on the Saturday, so I was out of contention in the champ flight, but it was just that I remember telling my caddy because I hit the green in two on that 18th hole of Whistling Straits. It was a really long carport.
Speaker 7:It's a tough green to hit in two and I remember telling my caddy I said give me my putter, because I want to walk up to this green with putter in my hand and just have that feeling. And you know that that's something that I think you're going to get at Firestone, that that I'm really looking forward to for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you actually did have a too bad round. You shot 80 at Whistling Straits.
Speaker 7:And again, that 80 was with a nine on the card too, because I got screwed in one of those bunkers at Whistling. Straits and had to take an unplayable lie and all that jazz.
Speaker 7:So if you take that nine on a par four out of there and it's a pretty good round. So that was a little feather in my cap a couple years ago, um, but yeah, I mean there's, there's it. You can't beat that feeling of walking up those fairways on any, any course like that, any of those premier courses, um, you know, it's it that that's what keeps you coming back at least keeps me coming back to these tournaments every year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and again, please, everybody, it doesn't matter what tour you're on please check out the regional schedule and I would suggest you start registering for them as soon as you can, because I know some of them. We're going to fill up Firestone again. This may be a one and done so, if you want to play it, you better get in, get in on pretty quick. But uh also, I mean, you've heard me talk about the, the uh, I just lost the one in in, uh, indiana, oh, french Lick, french Lick, french Lick. Oh my gosh, you got to go there too. I. I mean, that place was phenomenal. So Chris and I have a work cut out for us on which ones we're getting to, but I can always yeah you got a lot of travel ahead of you to all these as well, but French Lick.
Speaker 7:I'm hoping to get down there, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but yeah, so we've got some work to do, but yeah, so so we've got some. We've got some work to do. But but, Bill, thank you so much for joining us. I know you're going to do great. So, Chicago players, go ahead and get signed up and get ready to get this thing started.
Speaker 7:Thanks so much, Tim. Appreciate it.
Speaker 1:All right, buddy, you take care. Have a happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas. We'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 7:Same to you Happy holidays.
Speaker 1:Take care. Let's take a break from the show to hear about Strixon's ZX Mark II drivers.
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Speaker 1:Chris, welcome back. I'm glad the day didn't hurt you too much. You made it home alive. Hopefully there were no fights or curse words said Things thrown.
Speaker 3:No fights, nothing thrown. But you know, when you work the retail life, once Thanksgiving week comes it gets pretty hectic. But it is what it is.
Speaker 1:I understand. I understand you would think this is the time of year. People should be happy and thankful. You would think you would think so.
Speaker 3:It's not as bad as it used to be. I mean, now that everything's done online, right, it's not as bad as it used to be. I mean, now that everything's done online, it's not as bad as it used to be. But you still have the people that come, especially where I'm at that, come across the border to buy everything and then take it back. So I mean, sales are crazy, but there's no doorbusters per se as there were. What?
Speaker 2:20 years ago.
Speaker 1:Right, right, well, I mean, apple doesn't really need to do that stuff anyway. I mean, people are going to buy it.
Speaker 3:Right, regardless, regardless. Apple gives a little bit of gift cards here and there, but nothing crazy, like everywhere else.
Speaker 1:Exactly Well. You missed a good conversation with Bill Prosecco from Chicago tour. You know we mentioned that we talked to him at American Dunes this past year, but I think he's going to do a really good job getting Chicago back to where it was. Really thankful for Luke and what he did last year to be a stopgap, but have Bill in to come in and do it full-time.
Speaker 3:I think we're going to be in good shape. Yeah, definitely Anybody that comes in. It's not just we're going to pick some random member to come in and be a director. It does take a lot of consideration from Dennis and his team before they even pick somebody. So I think he's going to do a great job from when we did meet him and can't wait to see what happens. Maybe we'll have him again at the end of the season and see how he feels it went.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we called him earlier. Actually, I told him we'd probably see if we can get him back on later in the year. Maybe mid-year would be a good time to you know, to make sure he's. Make sure he's okay.
Speaker 7:Exactly, exactly.
Speaker 1:So but uh, anyway, I also want to congratulate the winners of the raffles from a national championship.
Speaker 3:Yep, um, enjoy your toys and enjoy everything that you got. Cause uh got, because I mean there were some very good prizes out there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there were really good prizes, but now it's time, you know, for things to really really start moving along. You know registration opened up on Green Monday Still trying to figure out what that is but uh, I'm glad that that opened up and excuse me. I want to also, you know, give get some shout outs to some people. You know, the the very first uh membership that came in was not a golf week membership, chris. How about that? I mean it was a senior membership well, it was a senior membership.
Speaker 3:Let's let's take a step back. I'm not trying to be mean, but the seniors are up before the sun even comes out, so, depending on what time that thing got launched, I'm pretty sure it's from the east coast uh, two hours ahead.
Speaker 2:So it's gonna always be the east coast.
Speaker 3:but um I'm, so it's going to always be the East coast but um, I'm not surprised, as a senior, to be honest with you, yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, I, I was um because, and here's why and again I want to preface this that I don't mean nothing by it. I'm not trying to hurt anybody's feelings, right.
Speaker 3:Right, right, how feelings are right now. Right Disclaimers Right right, right, how feelings are right now right, disclaimers Right, but it was in Florida. Right, okay.
Speaker 1:So you know they don't tend to get up real early in Florida because you know they've.
Speaker 3:I mean, if I lived in Florida I probably wouldn't get up early anyway.
Speaker 1:so so it was Senior Jacksonville Wayne Brandt Wayne Brandt, congratulations to be the very first member to pay membership for the 2025 season.
Speaker 3:New member or returning.
Speaker 1:That I don't know. I didn't ask that question.
Speaker 3:That'd be interesting because if he's a new member, that's awesome because he's excited. Someone invited him and he's super excited to join. Right, it's a returning member, obviously. Jacksonville is doing a great job over there, so glad to have him back. Um, but just curious, I mean honestly, I would be curious, and maybe just off off the air topic of uh, who was the first in east coast, central and west coast um, both different time zones, to see who who was the first in East Coast, central and West Coast, both different time zones to see who was up and early ready to register.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what I will do is I will, I'll give. I kind of felt bad when I asked Susan. You know for that, because I asked her on Monday you know?
Speaker 3:You know what, though? I asked her on Monday. You know what, though she? From now until probably February, she's one of the busiest persons on tour. She is, and that's why I was kind of nervous to ask her I mean, I open my emails and see you know a handful of emails every day, which is great to see. Yes, absolutely.
Speaker 1:But I almost was a smart ass about it and I almost said I know you don't really have anything to do right now.
Speaker 3:Can you don't, but I didn't. We don't need to piss her off.
Speaker 1:I didn't do that, and so um, but yeah, that was was.
Speaker 3:She needs an assistant, no, just saying we.
Speaker 1:We can't do what we do without her right that's all kidding and joking aside, and, and you know, our members really don't ever really come in contact with susan, unless there's a problem or an issue or something, something on those lines. She's the one that sits at the table at national championship and everybody sees her there and it's always leave susan alone. But understand, we can't do what we do as tour directors. The tour does not function without Susan and she is a godsend to us. And we love her.
Speaker 3:And she's always cool and collective.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:Which is awesome, especially National Championship.
Speaker 1:And that's really no matter how hectic we are, or and I try not to do this, you know, I actually have a buffer with Jen, so if I have to go to Susan for something, um, it's, you know. I usually ask Jen to get information or whatever, but if I have to go to Susan for it, I try and be really respectful of her time because of what she does and what she has to do on certain timeframes and what her work schedule is. But she's amazing, absolutely amazing, yeah, so she is.
Speaker 3:But yeah, I mean registration's open.
Speaker 1:I got more shocking news for you All. Right, talk to me. The second registration.
Speaker 2:Hold on.
Speaker 1:Let's back up the first combo registration.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:It was in Ohio, oh wow, cincinnati. Okay, it was in Ohio, oh wow, cincinnati.
Speaker 2:Cincinnati Okay.
Speaker 1:Came in at 8.15 am.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:So we still don't. At this stage, it's 8.15 am we still don't have a golf week registration A pure golf week Pure just solely golf week registration. A pure golf week. Pure, just solely golf week. Now, obviously I'm sure that others came in between 7.55 and 8.15. Right, those would be seniors would be my guess. Right, right At 8.26 am on Green Monday got the first golf week. Huh, Sold Interesting Any ideas.
Speaker 1:on Green Monday Got the first golf week sold Any ideas, you should be able to tell by the smug look I've got on my face over here.
Speaker 3:Let me just go ahead and say Atlanta.
Speaker 1:Yes, and it's my very good friend, donald Price. He came in at 826. Donald, thank you so much. You are the epitome of what we're looking for for the tour, donald Price. He came in at 826. Donald, thank you so much, bud. You're the epitome of what we're looking for for the tour. Oh, I got to go back. Well, I'm going to keep talking about you, don, for a second, and then we'll come back to the Cincinnati.
Speaker 5:I'm going to hell.
Speaker 3:No, no, no, You're fine.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, I'm the worst, chris. I'm the worst. Oh my God, I'm the worst, chris, I'm the worst, oh my goodness. But Donald, you are again. You've been a good friend, You've been a loyal member of the tour for a long time and again you're the epitome of what we're looking for in tour members. So thank you so much for coming back and seeing this for 2025. But the Cincinnati combo was Kelly Woods, so Kelly again for you.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for coming back and being a member of the tour. We love having you guys and can't wait to see you. You're coming up in a few months.
Speaker 3:And now that I know this, I'm going to have one of my guys stay up super early or wake up super early, and we're going to be the first one next year. It's on now.
Speaker 1:Everything is a competition around here, man.
Speaker 3:It is what is it Two hour difference, but we're going to make it happen.
Speaker 1:That's all right 730, 530?
Speaker 3:Somebody is going to be awake at 530.
Speaker 1:I'm awake at 5.30, but you know, and don't start calling me a senior, don't start calling me a senior, we're not going to go there. Well, you know, speaking of registrations, you know we've got, we're not too far away from the season actually starting. You realize that. You know we joke and play, but you know I believe the Icebreaker Yep In Hilton Head. It's 32 days away. Man, it's a month away.
Speaker 3:And it's a holiday month, so it's going to be. It's going to feel like it's 32 days away. Man, it's a month away and it's a holiday month, so it's going to be. It's going to feel like it's 15 days.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's going to fly by. So you know as you start, as you all as members, as you start, you know looking at the schedule and start planning. I think the very first thing that you need to do after you pay your membership is start figuring out what your regional schedules are going to be and start start registering because how do I get to the regional schedule, Tim oh boy, I know, I know it's hard for a new members, at least for for, for, I guess returning members too.
Speaker 1:Let's, let's, let's be real, that's that's it, and for Tim too sometimes, but anyway, I guess returning members too, let's be real, that's. And for Tim too sometimes, but anyway. So normally and I'm hoping this will be updated by shortly Normally it'll show up right on the tour homepage.
Speaker 2:It'll list it.
Speaker 1:I'm hoping, hopefully it'll, because I thought that was great last year, just listed them out. But you can always go to under find a tour near me and go all the way down to the bottom where it says regionals and click that button and a page will pop up. They'll be listed there and that's where you can find a schedule for that as well.
Speaker 3:Right and just a cheap plug. I mean we're right above the regionals. So if you ever want to catch up on old episodes. We're right there as well.
Speaker 1:Or tune in. And, chris, I don't know if you noticed this, but I have been putting the videos on that page too.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we're videoed now, so we're on there and we have all the episodes there for you. So that's a website. If you just want to share a website, all the episodes there for you, so, um, that's a website. If you just want to share a website for just the podcast, you could definitely do that as well there.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:You know, if you remember, uh, Trey O'Neill keeps saying he wants to see our faces. So we're there. Be careful what you wish for, Tregg.
Speaker 3:At least we're not in the bathrooms. We have a good background in everything.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we do. Oh boy, let's talk quickly about some of these regionals. I know we've mentioned some of them already, but I think it's really kind of important to look at some of these, kind of important to look at um at at some of these, like, for sure you know, the the uh, the Ohio regional at Firestone.
Speaker 1:Um cause I, I think this is going to be a one and done. I don't know that for sure, but but I believe it's a one and done. And so if, if you've, if you've ever wanted to play, or this is your to do it, and I would suggest you, just you. When registration opens up.
Speaker 3:I'll go and register, I mean my, my guy group, where we always go and travel to one regional year. That's the one that we circled immediately and hopefully, you know, we leave a good impression that they want us back. Yeah, that's, that's all we can ask for. But, um, if it is a one and done that, that'd be one right there. But I mean you have, you know, the two that we went to last year american dunes you have, uh, gina's one in in louisiana. Those are on there. Um, you want to go hit the sun in florida? You got, you got that one there. You have the one in california. If you want to go be with the surfers out there, I mean, you name it, there's, there's a spot everywhere yeah, I mean, I mean again, you go, you go down the list, you can't go wrong big cedar, that was a fun one that.
Speaker 3:I went to a couple years back. That's a good one if you're going to take your family out. They have a lot of stuff to do there in that resort.
Speaker 1:Cabot Citrus Farms we talked to Brandon about last week or over the last episode. That's a good one. I don't know why anybody would want to go out to Scottsdale. That's a good one. I don't know why anybody would want to go out to Scottsdale. That's horrible.
Speaker 3:I gotta. I don't know what Dave's doing out there he's doing some good things out there he is, isn't he, it's fun to play that one, but I know you guys keep pulling on my leg to get out there to French Lick and good luck, he's the boss man out there to French Lick and good luck, he's the boss man out there in Scottsdale. He might not let me go, but we have all year to talk about it with him.
Speaker 1:I think we probably need to start making some plans here soon about what we're going to do, because there's a ton it's hard to pick honestly a ton it's hard to pick.
Speaker 3:honestly it is. It's hard to pick.
Speaker 1:Now, there's not one that I don't want to go to Right, you know what I mean, and so it's.
Speaker 3:I mean even the two last year. I would go back to them in a heartbeat.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:If I could be at every regional and if there's somebody out there that wants to sponsor me for every regional, I'll see what I can do there you go. Like I said, you look down this list and you could throw a dart at the schedule and be happy at one of those courses.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and just back to Firestone for a second here. I mean, I think we're committed to Firestone. Yes, we've got to go out and see Mick, mick and the guys, and you know the 1.30 shotgun both days. Room nights are really cheap, especially if you double up Lunch before each day, plus you get to play one of those two courses. Man, that's a really big deal.
Speaker 3:Good deal too I mean it's. I'm stoked, I cannot wait.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's going to be a good time.
Speaker 3:And we're playing with the big boys. Not the big big boys, but the big boys, the bigger boys, the bigger boys. Yes, you're going to be fine, I'm not worried about it, I'm excited. You're going to be fine, so what about your schedule? What?
Speaker 1:are you working on?
Speaker 3:You know, still working on it Like one. Um, you know, still working on it. I, I like we talked off the air. I try to convince myself every year to start early and I have nationals and I got to recover from nationals because it's a, it's a party for a good five days. So it takes me two weeks now to recover from that and then next thing, you know it's it's work and all that, but uh, it's gonna be fun. You know I can't wait this. This month we have our, our rider Cup against Arizona. We moved it back this year, so hoping to defend the belt there in Arizona and then we'll see if we're at the Western States Icebreaker. I might go just to see everybody for the weekend, and yeah, and then my season starts.
Speaker 3:I can't believe it already. I mean, just you know, like like you do, um december we have membership raffles for the next year for anyone who becomes a member. Those are always fun. Uh, my youngest wants me to start buying christmas outfits for this, so you may see me in a Santa outfit, you may not.
Speaker 1:Let me stop you right there. If you dress up as an elf on a shelf, okay, don't you do it. No, I won't do the elf. That's too easy.
Speaker 3:That's too easy for any joke, so we won't do the Elf on the Shelf.
Speaker 1:Oh my goodness.
Speaker 3:Oh my goodness. But no, I mean, it's a fun time. It's a fun time right now, and the schedule will be released for my guys real soon. I think me and Jordan Morrow we do the pick'em for our tour this year. I think we're going to do a schedule release I don't want to say podcast, but a show next couple weeks and kind of release the schedule that way, which will be kind of fun. That'd be nice.
Speaker 1:Generate a little bit of interest and some anticipation Right and then you know, with it being on social media.
Speaker 3:Maybe it'll get some shares out there and we might have some on-the-air raffles that we do, if any of my members are listening, so be ready for that announcement to come out, all right.
Speaker 2:Maybe he'll for that announcement to come out, all right.
Speaker 3:Maybe he'll be my elf on the shelf, oh my God and I know he listens every week, so he's going to hear this, and then I will have to relay the message that he sent me.
Speaker 1:Oh Jordan.
Speaker 3:Oh, my goodness gracious. And we have you know details are still pending, but you and me might have another fun contest this year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, we've got to work out the hammer out the details on that. And uh but I think what we've been talking about is is going to be fun. I think people are going to enjoy it. Um tour directors members all across the board. I think are going to going to really enjoy it For sure, as soon as we get those details hammered out, we'll let everybody know. But we've got here's the deal, man. So this comes out December 2nd. We have two more episodes.
Speaker 3:Don't say it.
Speaker 5:That's it, man.
Speaker 3:And we're in the new year already. Man, I'm not ready.
Speaker 1:You better buckle up, man. Hey, I got another question for you. Did I send you the reel of a cobra on the the golf course?
Speaker 3:uh, you might have you sent me a couple, one close by or recently, but I've seen some with. I've seen rattlesnakes on the golf course, so cobras on the golf course don't scare me. I guess they would scare me, but well, so I'm, I'm, I'm not proud.
Speaker 1:You know that. You know, if I, whatever, I'm scared to death of snakes, right and so, and you know how you are with your brother and so my brothers, they sent me these things on purpose, okay, and so he sent me the Cobra one and I, I just replied, I, I just replied. It's time to find another place to play golf. And you know, they just start laughing at me.
Speaker 1:But I was thinking about you when I saw it, because you know where you are, and and arizona in particular you know, right, you get some, you get some nasty nasty snakes out there, I mean oh yeah, oh yeah, and, and you gotta be careful, but that that Cobra one was, I mean he, he was up, had his hood up and he was coming after whoever was taking that picture. And I can tell you, if it was me taking that picture, I wouldn't be taking the picture, because I only have to be faster than you.
Speaker 3:Right?
Speaker 3:Well, I mean that, that the the way you are is the way we were when we go to nationals and we hear that there's gators all over these ponds. Because we walk up to the ponds over here like we don't have nothing to worry about, and we're walking up in nationals and everyone's like be careful, there might be a gator. It's like whoa, whoa, whoa. What do you mean? There might be, they might be, there might not be, like you got to keep an eye out or somebody will ask to keep an eye on the lake while they're hitting real close by like what am I looking for?
Speaker 1:oh, just saying that that looks like it's floating oh okay, you'll know when you see it yeah, that makes it easier, but, like you said, I just gotta be faster than than my riding partner yeah so, but but the rattlesnakes out there where you are I mean generally they're not they're not slithering around and coming at you, they're curled up and waiting for you to come, bother them. But it just made me think about that.
Speaker 3:Unless they're chilling down the middle of the fairway. I've seen that too.
Speaker 1:Now. I'm okay, it's time to find another place to play golf. I'm okay, it's yours, you can have it. Oh, my man. Well, it's been good seeing you Tell your family. I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving Likewise. Get done what you got to get done. Buy everything online.
Speaker 3:Be nice. Be nice to the people at the stores when you go, please.
Speaker 1:Yes please online and be nice, be nice to the people at the stores when you go. Please, yes, please, it's. It's.
Speaker 3:Whatever the issue is, it's not that person's fault right and and if you do not want to go to the stores to shop for anybody that plays golf, get them a membership right here. It's easiest one. You don't have to go any store, you just register them. They'll get everything in their email and you'll be good to go.
Speaker 1:Exactly, exactly. All right, my friend, you take care and we'll talk to you soon. Likewise, be safe.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thank you.
