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
Hurricanes, Hilton Head, and Heartfelt Tee Shots, Featuring Steve Kubik & JR "The Mayor"
This week on Golfweek Amateur Tour - The Podcast, Tim Newman and Chris Rocha tee it up with two incredible guests who represent everything we love about amateur golf and our amazing golf community.
First up is Steve Kubik, Augusta Tour Director and proud Marine veteran, who gives us a behind-the-scenes look at running competitive golf events—even when thousands of trees are down after a hurricane! From course conditions at Orangeburg and Parris Island to the camaraderie on the Senior Amateur Golf Tour, Steve’s stories are the stuff of legend. And get this: he’s rocking a 2.8 handicap... with zero formal lessons. (Marine grit for the win!)
Then we welcome our February Player of the Month, John Robinson Jr., aka "The Mayor of Hilton Head." JR shares the powerful story behind his pre-shot ritual—a tribute to his late father that’ll hit you right in the feels. He also dishes out local secrets for making the most of the RBC Heritage tournament, including where to watch, where to eat (hello, Stu’s Sub Shop 👀), and how Hilton Head hospitality makes it all unforgettable.
And don’t miss the big giveaway! We're raffling off a brand-new set of Srixon ZX7 MK2 irons (4-PW) to help fund our podcast travels. Just $10 per entry gets you in the running to upgrade your bag and support your favorite amateur golf podcast!
Whether you're into local golf tours, chasing that next national championship, or just love hearing real stories from everyday golfers, this episode is packed with inspiration, laughs, and heartfelt moments.
HIGHLIGHTS & TAKEAWAYS:
- Steve Kubik on managing Augusta’s golf tournaments post-hurricane
- Why military discipline helped him thrive in amateur golf competition
- Favorite courses on the Golfweek Amateur Tour and Senior Tour
- JR’s emotional pre-shot tribute to his dad
- Insider tips for Hilton Head and the RBC Heritage
- Southern hospitality, great subs, and the ultimate golf community vibe
- A can’t-miss Srixon irons raffle for just $10!
ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:
Win a set of ZX7 MK2 Srixon irons (4-PW) and support the podcast!
Just $10 per entry – details in the show notes and on social. Venmo - @TimNATC (note it as Srixon Irons Podcast)
LEARN MORE & JOIN THE TOUR:
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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. Interviews with tour directors, players and course professionals. Now here are your hosts.
Speaker 2:Tim Newman and El Paso Las Cruces tour director, chris Rocha. Welcome back, chris. Hope you're feeling a lot better. You know, last time we talked you were in dire, dire straits.
Speaker 3:Yeah, man, it's been a battle, but I'm feeling a whole lot better. I just need these little windstorms to go away from my area and stop looking like a Star Wars movie set and we'll be okay.
Speaker 2:Well, good luck with that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's not as easy as it looks, but I'm anxious to get back on the course to start playing again.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I know you got a tournament coming up this weekend, but were you at Pikachu your last tournament? Was that your last tournament at Pikachu?
Speaker 3:Yeah, Pikachu Is that coming up.
Speaker 2:No, it's pikachu man just you got kids yeah I, I, I just I like saying it.
Speaker 2:And here's why why I like saying it because you know there's there's a senior regional coming up. There's actually two senior regionals that are this coming weekend and I obviously the the podcast is going to come out after that but one is the heart of dixie regional and that's at Purcell Farms. But the other one is at Mission Inn Resort and that's in a town called Howie in the Hills. All right, howie in the Hills, florida. So when there's funny names of things like that, to me it makes me laugh. So you played a Pikachuachu and I'm going to howie in the hills, howie in the hills, howie in the hill.
Speaker 3:They were very clever when they named that little town.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but that's uh, uh, tell us about uh pikachu, and I know you, you were, you didn't play, but um, how'd that go for you guys? It?
Speaker 3:was was great. You know, honestly, this season has been really successful for us. We had over 60 guys come out and play. We had a playoff in Champ Flight where the guy one of the guys made three straight birdies on the last three holes to push the playoff and then birdied the playoff hole to win.
Speaker 2:Oh, my goodness.
Speaker 3:So that was pretty cool to see. I mean for him, the guy who lost probably not so much um because he went pars all the way through, so it's not like he blew up, it's just the guy played lights out, uh, and then d fly we. We came down to a three-person playoff um, which I've been wanting to have a multiple-player playoff in a while. At one point this year we almost had a five-player playoff, which was pretty cool to have. But I think what was even better is the winner of D-Flight is a 15-year-old high school kid that won that's awesome.
Speaker 2:He came out and won. We've got to get him one.
Speaker 3:Yeah, well, I'll talk with him about that, um, but uh, you know, he was excited and then the, the restaurant that we were in kind of blew up with with cheers for him when he walked in, and you know, and that's what it's all about is is giving credit where it's due and, uh, giving him the chance of moving them up and and all that fun stuff. So so it was a good time.
Speaker 4:I was glad I was able to make it out to day two because it was a major.
Speaker 3:So day one I was at home and my assistants rocked it like they always do. And then day two, I was able to make it out there and do awards, take some pictures, you know.
Speaker 2:all that fun stuff to make it out there and do awards, take some pictures, you know all that fun stuff. Well, I'm glad you got out there and you're feeling better, but you got to take care of yourself, right, and that's what everyone kept reminding me.
Speaker 3:So I would have tried to play if I could, if I could get out of bed, but that wasn't happening.
Speaker 2:It's a long season, so take it easy. Like I said, I'm heading out to Howie in the Hills, the mission resort for the senior regional, this coming weekend and we'll report back on that. We talked to Jeff Helbig last episode about the Shoals Regional. That's coming up in April, so if you haven't registered for that, I would get on it and get on it quick. But we got a good episode this week. Why do I say it all the time, don't?
Speaker 3:we always have good episodes. I mean, that's what everyone always says when there's a sequel, it's the best sequel ever. This is your fifth one. Fast and the Furious Fast and the Furious 12 is the best one ever. Well, it should be. I would hope so, because if it's not, what are you going to do? Or like the iPhones and the iPads, this is the best one ever. I would hope so.
Speaker 2:Well, I would hope so, because technology isn't getting worse. It's making us worse, but it's not getting worse. But that kind of is what it is, and I'm glad you brought that up, because I've been needing a new iPad for a little over a year.
Speaker 3:Well, they just released the best one ever.
Speaker 2:I know that's why I'm here, but I'm hoping that the one I've got will last one more year until they release the real best one ever Right, right, right, but we'll see. But I do need a new one. The screen is cracked. The battery lasts probably about 20 minutes, so I've got to have it plugged in.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's time.
Speaker 2:It's time to go, but we'll see If I can hold it out for just a little bit longer.
Speaker 3:But everybody says, but everybody says, and it crashes out for you when you're needing it the most, and then you're scrambling and then I get mad.
Speaker 2:Yep. Anyway, we've got a really good episode. Um, we're going to talk to a tour director. Um, we've got our february player of the month and we're going to talk about the opportunity for for somebody to win a set of strict sign irons.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's exciting. It's the first. You know, this year we've had a lot of firsts for us and and this is going to be a first, but I'm excited.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so hang in there with us and let's go on this ride. But let's talk about our first guest a little bit. You know he's been around for a long, long time and he's been running the senior tour in Augusta for three or four years now, taking over the Golf Week side of things and you know getting that back on track to where it needs to be. But I'm really interested in talking to him and hearing some of his stories especially. You know he's a Marine veteran and I know he's got some good stories about his time in the Marines and playing golf.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean, you basically gave a great summary about it, but you know we've had great guests this year, so you know, let's just keep the tradition and the best one we've had so far, to go with everything else. We talked about this one, but yeah, let's jump right into it. I'm excited, all right, but yeah, let's just jump right into it.
Speaker 2:I'm excited, all right, so let's go ahead and bring in our Our first guest of the show, the Augusta senior and golf week director, steve Kubik. Thank you, I appreciate that, steve. What you've been around for a long time, um 15 or 16 years, um, and so, uh, you know you're not new to this. You've been the senior tour director for Augusta for how long? Four years.
Speaker 4:Uh yeah, senior, on the four years Yep.
Speaker 2:And now this year you're taking over for uh the, uh the golf week side. Um, so so you've got a long, long history with the tour. Let's start with golf week, because you just had your first tournament a few weeks ago. Tell us about that, because you were on a really good course.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so we played Westlake. I have a good rapport with a lot of the golf courses because obviously I do all the club repair in town for all the courses as well, as, you know, the mini tour players and some pros, so I got a lot of flexibility when it comes to scheduling and most of the courses are very adapted to my needs for the tours. So it makes it easier. And since Westlake's a semi-private golf course, we were able to do a zero nine shotgun last Monday, or actually this. Yeah, last Monday, a few days ago, we had 48 on the golf week, which it was. Yeah, last Monday a few days ago, we had 48 on the golf week, which it was good.
Speaker 4:It's going to grow as time goes on and the word gets out publications and things of that nature. It's just getting back those veteran players that used to play and then getting their buddies. But I can see it starting to take hold now, which is good. And then on this Monday coming up, we have the same event, except the senior side on the same golf course, with a shotgun start. So that makes it a little easier for people getting out. So but it's, it's getting great traction. I mean, I think I just gained, I think, three or four more members for the senior side that were only playing golf week, but they're over 50. And they're like we're going to do this again next week. I'm like, well, I need you to sign up and register. I think I'm almost 30-something dual-membered right now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's phenomenal because you know you're guaranteed almost those 30 for each tournament. Let's just say 20 for each right? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:About 65%, I would say, because you got kids' birthdays, holidays, great-grandsons, things of that nature Right.
Speaker 2:So at least 20 per event. And again it's getting those golf week guys back who may have dropped off or you know, for whatever reason. But Augusta has always been a a a hotbed for for the tour, whether whether it's golf week or or or senior when you, when you started that a few years ago.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it's a, it was good and and you know, mr Phil, you know I love him to death. I played on his tour for so many years and it was. It was simply phenomenal. I mean, we were a tight bit group of guys and girls here and golfers for the augusta tour and, uh, so sad what had happened and I'm just hoping I can bring it back up and and honor phil and keep this thing going, because he was a legend and I'm just like john lavoldi. Those two are just legends in my eyes.
Speaker 2:I played for John too when he was at Myrtle yeah, you know, I've told people this all the time Phil was one of my favorite people of all time. I mean of all time he just a wonderful human being, nice man, even keel. But you always knew where you stood with him, whether he was upset with you or not.
Speaker 2:He's the same thing but you always knew where you stood and he told you what he thought. And just an all-time you know, genuine person. Yeah, so tell us a little bit about let's start with a senior tour, for example. I mean, you got 162 members, so you're, you're getting you know large fields out there. What's the favorite course that you guys are playing out there and that really people should be coming out and playing if they can only go to one tournament?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I get a lot of. I was shocked when I did my tournament results for Westlake on Monday on the golf week side and I'm filling out the form and it talks about you know what tours did you have players come from and I've never put down five tours and I had five different tours all the way from Vegas, you know, charlotte, columbia and charleston. So I was like, wow, I never had to insert an extra line in this form here to put it on tour. I said this I seem like I'm getting a lot more work as bigger as I get yeah, which is a good thing, you know, because I try to tell everybody. I was like, hey, this isn't my tour, this is our tour. We are what makes it. I'm just, you know, trying to run things in the right directions and help everybody out, but it's our tour, you know, I said so and it was uh.
Speaker 4:But I get a lot of guys that are calling me from tennessee and and out of state, that will have played in other events, and they're like, hey, steve, we want to come down to play, what do you think? And they'll talk to me at the regionals too. And I I'm like, well, you just, you know, give me a call, shoot me a text, whatever, and if you're going to be available and I'll take. I mean, every tour has some good tracks and you're going to have some mediocre tracks and I'll be like, I'll make sure. You know you want to play a Westlake, you want to play a river club, you want to play Orangeburg country club, paris Island island, you know monticello, where ronico sorensen played. You know you want to play all these really nice tracks, uh, that are very affordable and um, and then there are some that I'm not going to mention that are not as nice and that's why the price is a little less, but at the same time they're still really nice.
Speaker 2:Golf courses and they do, you know, bend over backwards for us well, you know you mentioned orangeburg and I was a guest on another podcast last week and you know now I've never played Orangeburg, but I know we've, we played there for years. When I say we, the tours played there for years and all I ever hear is great things about Orangeburg, great things about Orangeburg. And the host who I was talking to said, you know, he's from Columbia, and he said he's heard the same thing and has never played out there too. So I mean, that just tells you something that everybody's going to complain about some course right.
Speaker 4:Right.
Speaker 2:Nobody's going to like every course, but when you hear everybody saying good things about one course, that tells you something that you really should make some some time to go out and and give that a shot yeah, orangeburg is really good.
Speaker 4:I mean it's, it's just the way it is and the way it handles itself. I mean, obviously tim knows a lot more because he deals with the head guy there, which is jp. But it's just when it comes up and we're going to do a combo event there and then I'm going to run the combo event on the Paris Island side with Tim. But when it comes up for Orangeburg, I mean I'll tell you from the Augusta tour we're going to have 25 to 30 sign up for it.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's to me that's a must go play. You really need to be there. And you know again's a must-go play. You really need to be there. And you know, again, you bring up Tim and Parris Island and I'd be remiss if I didn't bring this up because you know how I feel about it. Anyway, marine veteran, thank you so much for what you do and what you've done.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for what you do and what you've done, and you're a true testament of what we look for from a tour director. I mean, you bring the skills and those mentalities from being a Marine over to the tour and it really does show.
Speaker 4:Thank you, I appreciate it and, like I said, a shout out to one course. If you have to go play one, go play parasailing when we have our tournament down there, get signed up or just make a. If you're down in the Hilton area, you've got to play parasailing. It is phenomenal. And they just completed the All-Arm Forces Championship there just literally four days ago. Wow, they're going to head over to South America or South Africa for the Citizen World Military. Wow, that course is unbelievable.
Speaker 2:That's impressive, and I haven't heard anybody again. I haven't heard anybody say that about Parasite, but I haven't heard anything bad either. But so, Chris, that's something that we need to make sure that we keep an eye on.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that Paris Island tournament, I mean usually like me and you know everybody knows Chris Martinez and that's why I'm trying to grow this. I'm trying to get my numbers to his numbers. You know we're both Marines, we both played on the armed forces together, we both played on the Marine golf team together and it's I'm just. You know he's been doing a lot longer than me. We both have a club repair business, both in two different cities. You know we both know same guy. So, um, if I can get his numbers, that would be crazy. But um, but that's also a lot of work. Thank god he has, you know, his wife, patina's there to help me and all his friends. But, yeah, parris Island, uh, when we come down for nationals we usually have our own little get together at Parris Island. The prior we usually have 20 to 35 guys playing, you know, a side little money game at Paris Island, cause it's that nice of a golf course.
Speaker 2:That's awesome. That's awesome. What, what, what, what are the another, another course that you have on the schedule, which, which I love a lot, are the are the ones in Savannah lakes.
Speaker 4:Yep.
Speaker 2:Yep, yep. You know those are to me, those are hidden gems, they are they are.
Speaker 4:A Monticello, I would say, is the nicer of the two. Yeah, both of them are extremely. They'll give you all the testaments you want. You know you may see a nice little short par four and then the next thing you know you just made double bogey. So it's, yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's nice, very deceiving, hilly, beautiful tracks. And the director got out there and the head pro, he's phenomenal. I mean, when he took over, I think he started two or three years ago the new one that based them. But I called up to put a tournament on and he's like, yeah, he says well, why don't you come out and play? I'm like, dude, you know I've already played these courses already numerous times. But okay, I'll come up and play with you, sure, but yeah, those two are a really nice track.
Speaker 4:It's almost like Oconee, except Oconee's a different breed. Oconee's very different. There are so many beautiful golf courses at Oconee. If we had to say if we had anything kind of like that, it would be the Monticello Fair, the Savannah Lakes. Those two golf courses kept up really nice shape. Not, you know, oconee's beautiful though, don't get me wrong, only Pinehurst can compare to Oconee. It Coney is that little subdivision area and they're on their own, but Coney is beautiful.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I, I a hundred percent agree with you and I think, I think, if, I think, if, if the Monticello, the Sven Lakes courses had a little bit more around, that would be a good regional.
Speaker 4:That's right.
Speaker 2:That would be a good offer. Yep, so I mean there's. We did a two-day there last year. Obviously, we did Airbnb and you can find some deals there, but there's really no place to go out and eat.
Speaker 4:You're 30 minutes away from everywhere, minimum three minutes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but again, if it was a little bit more built up, that that'll be. I think that'd be a great place to to have a regional. Um, those two courses do rival. You know some of the ones that are that are in oconee, which, which, like you said, again, beautiful, phenomenal. Hopefully we can get back there real soon yeah, uh, we did.
Speaker 4:I did harvard club last year and it was the first one I did as a as a tour director out there in the Oconee area and those guys were great and, of course, harbor Club was always a treat as well.
Speaker 2:Harbor Club's phenomenal. Again, that's a private course out there To be able to get on that. You know, steve, I don't know if you know this, but a couple years ago, you know, we were Atlanta and Augusta was doing a joint event.
Speaker 4:Oh I remember I played in that. I think you told me to get to the tee box and I teed off earlier. You moved me up like three different tee boxes. Remember that?
Speaker 2:I mean I would just pull up. I mean nobody could get to the course, chris, there was a storm trees were down everywhere, oh man and everybody made it, but two people, which I thought was phenomenal. But you know, we had champ A and D players playing together.
Speaker 4:There were some threesomes.
Speaker 2:There were some foursomes. It was a mess, but again, Harbor Club worked with us. Obviously they understood that people couldn't get there, but again, great course. Now let's talk about the playing side, Chris. What do you think Steve's index is, Chris, what do you think Steve's index is? I'm going to pull up a senior index.
Speaker 4:I'm looking at his golf week. You don't want to look up my index?
Speaker 3:I'm looking, it's too late. I'm going to say a 5 to 7.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 4:His golf week index is a 2.8. Wow, a triple bogey will kill you, man.
Speaker 2:See, so Steve can play. Yeah, steve, when did you get good, I mean did you always have the talent.
Speaker 4:No, no, actually you will be shocked, but I actually didn't pick up golf until 1998. I was in the marine corps. I just got selected for warrant officer and I met a really good friend of mine, my best friend, who's coming in town tomorrow to play my tournament. Um, he's coming from, his name is tony aberson and obviously chris martinez. We're all at camp lejeune. Together had a bunch of other guys and I didn't start golf until 1998 and I just kept on wearing it out.
Speaker 4:And then, you know, we went to, went overseas to Okinawa. We played in some money games and we had a rule over there you don't get strokes, so you play what it is. If you're a 10 and you play as someone, that's a 3 handicap, well, play harder. So either you learn to play or you learn to pay. And I learned to play. For a while I was able to get that handicap down and then start competing with guys like marty and tony. And then, you know, they made the uh, you know, they made the all marine golf team before I did, and so I was like, well, man, you know, that's kind of cool. So I just kept on going, never had a lesson and just kept plugging away at it Playing with better players makes you play better, so you've never had a lesson.
Speaker 4:Well, technically, I think I had. My first lesson was about three years ago with the head coach of Paris. I'm really great. I'm with my best friend, andy Henson. I got down there before a tournament one day and about a couple hours ago I'm like you know, I've never had a lesson, but you owe me a lot of favors, so you need to give me a bunker lesson right now. I can get out of the bunker, but got no chance of getting it within even a halfway decent, so we spent about 30 minutes and that was about it. Man, I just deal with it. Whatever works works.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 2:Well, Chris, his senior index is 3.3.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I like longer distances. I mean the senior tour is fun, but I hit driver, I think at nationals and the icebreaker. I'm sorry, I think I hit driver three times in two days. Yeah, people say, if you hit it straight, but when it goes farther, straighter is not always better. You know there's still water, I understand so, but yeah, so I was shocked, though. I mean it was the first time I played a GWAT event and I don't know it's been two years.
Speaker 4:Yeah. So I was kind of scared after, I think, around the ninth hole I looked. I just happened to look because my buddy next to me who was playing he said, yeah, we're both in first and he was in A-flight and I was in champ and I was like huh didn't expect that, looking at the college kids and these other young guns, you know.
Speaker 4:And so when I left the table after I hit live and got everybody on live score and I left the table, I was putting my shoes on, walking to the tee box and so I lay, hit and I kind of did the old stretch and hit a three wood down there and then we started from there. There was no range when I play, so I sit up. I know that feeling.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so, but it was good. No-transcript, and how things are viewed if someone goes too low, Even though I do vet every, I call every new player. If they don't have an index, I call them and we discuss their scores and where they play and what tee boxes. But we have a lot of mulch piles, we have debris to be removed. Then you have stuff that's not debris to be removed tracks all over the place from skid steers and everything else, and this is even at west lake yeah, just the other day. So it does. That's going to be probably my biggest challenge, probably this year. Well, maybe not so much. At monticello and terra they didn't get probably hit as bad, if I remember correctly, as the ones right here in the evans area. Uh, parasol, no, it's fine. I don't know about Orangeburg, tim would know that, but that's going to be my biggest track is every golf course lost 1,000 trees plus, but no greens will hurt. It's just so much damage that the rules are you have to be careful.
Speaker 2:That's something I didn't even think about, because you know it's hurricanes came through when In September, October, Yep, and you know when you're not directly affected by it. Now, obviously, we still hear about things are going up in western North Carolina and all those problems that they're dealing with, but people don't realize how bad the Augusta area got it.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we got hit pretty good. I'm not going to lie. They just did our final debris pickup. There's still so much stuff out there that hasn't been picked up, so I don't know what they're doing, but it's the courses. The courses are playable, that's the good thing. Like I said, no greens for hitting. I mean we lost some bathrooms on some courses, don't get me wrong.
Speaker 4:There's nothing there, but a wall pipe sticking up on a private golf course or a semi-pipe, but they're all playable, they're looking good. You know the putting greens and the ranges, everything's fine. It's just a matter of the playing conditions. And I actually reached out to every one of them and I got replies from them all. I did it about, I guess, three to four weeks ago. I wanted to make sure I was going to give some accurate data to Dennis for the database and I said, hey, is this going to change your index and slope based on accreditation? And they said no, everything is the same. And I'm like okay, so they're not, they're not going to do any reaccreditation early. They're going to wait for the original schedule that they're on, which is every so many years that, of course, gets reaccredited.
Speaker 2:So we're just going to go with it. Well, good luck with that. Again, it's. You know people don't think, uh, you know we, we just go on back, back. But you know our regular lives. You know, when I was driving back and forth to Atlanta, and this was even in December, um, I would stop at the same gas station in matter, uh, to get gas. And you know, talking to the lady who runs a shop there and this was in December, um, she said that she still hadn't gotten power back yet from wow, yeah. So, uh, it was again a lot worse than than people realize.
Speaker 4:Oh, yeah, we were. I was 11 days. I mean, I have a generator, I wired it into my house, so we were good. But and then when they started picking up all the debris, of course they would knock out more power because they'd be swinging those debris trucks around with the hooks. Numerous times power got knocked out or cable on top of it, because they're doing damage. But they're trying to get the stuff cleaned up as well and at least they're being safe about it.
Speaker 2:Again. God bless you. Hopefully things from. My guess is everybody is at least back online. Yeah, Get the courses back to the playable First world problems.
Speaker 4:The debris is right of the cart path on the right side or left of the cart path on the left side. So if you hit it over there, you you're on your own anyway. Right, exactly, you got to find your golf ball and, uh, you know, if you don't find it you just can't say, oh yeah, it went inside this little pile of mulch or just things like. All right, now, you know. So I didn't take that rule. I'm like you have to find your ball and or, you know, you go back and retake it.
Speaker 2:I'm just going back because I'm not digging through that, because you don't know what's going to be in there.
Speaker 4:Yeah, Now is not a bad time, but give it about two months and you don't want to be digging in no piles.
Speaker 2:I'm not digging in it. Nope, not happening, not happening. So, chris, do you have any questions for Steve about your favorite course?
Speaker 3:Besides Augusta National.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I haven't been out there yet. I'll go out about five days before the Masters. I'll go out, obviously, you know, because I work out there as gallery and I'll go out and do some setups and stuff. But yeah, I haven't seen the course. I've heard some information from friends of mine that work out there but I'm interested to see you always hear some stuff and then when you get out you're like that's not what I was told. I don't really relay anything on anybody else because until I see it with my own eyes or hear it from a friend or person, I'm not going to relay some of the things I've heard. You know there's so many trees that were down or they're not putting the trees back up in certain areas. You know Augusta National does whatever Augusta National needs to do.
Speaker 2:Exactly, that's true. That's true. So do you know about the argument that Chris and I have about the majors? Mm-mm. Okay, so I say that the Masters is not the best major of the four.
Speaker 4:To watch or to be at Either. I mean to watch. I'll tell you right now I love the British Open and I love the US Open. I think every guy whose wife is not a golfer she'll watch those two because those guys get put through hell and that's what I love about them. Women like it when they struggle and they can't break. So those are always nice, us open and the british open. You know, when the wind and the rain? Uh no the masses is phenomenal.
Speaker 4:I'm not gonna lie, it is. Yeah, it's a, it's a. It's a different event. It's not like any other major, though I've played the old course, you know, trust me, I've played over there. So it is not like any other major, though it is. Think of it. I mean, I don't want to say anything that's going to get me in trouble with the work out there. So it's just the Masters is the Masters.
Speaker 2:The Masters is the Masters. We'll leave it at that Period. But for me, the Masters is awesome, right. But to me, the best major is US Open, right. It's our national championship. It's our national championship, it's an Open and the winner is crowned on Father's Day. That, to me, is why it's my favorite, because, you know, most of us got involved with golf primarily because of our fathers and it's our national championship and know, and it for me, it's that pride, it's, it's those things and also the US Open.
Speaker 4:There's actually a qualifier so an amateur can go play in it. That's right, just like the senior US Open, which one of my members, as a matter of fact, played in Alaska, wisconsin yep, I thought he was gonna do good, because he kicks the crap out of me every time. I haven't beat him yet.
Speaker 2:I think I've been playing with him for five. He's my nemesis.
Speaker 4:I've been playing with him for like.
Speaker 2:Well, I was going to ask you how you play when you play against Brian, yeah, yeah, I already have the same name and you already know who it is, and good dude too.
Speaker 4:Yes, very good, big, tireless guy like myself. But yeah, he told me he says that was the nastiest ruck we ever saw out there. He said it was bad. He was hoping it got paired with. You know some really cool, you know like legends of golf up there in the senior open.
Speaker 4:But yeah, I remember as a matter of fact it was that major that we were doing down there at Harvard Club, the other one down there in Oconee, and I was sitting there getting ready to hit balls. Because you go down that hill down there to the right to the range and you take the shuttle and anyways, brian's sitting over there and he's got this like nine-torque TS driver and my buddy Tony's there with me and I'm looking over at his driver and it's just sitting there he's hitting his irons right. So I go and he knows what I do. I help him on his gloves, I grab his driver and I'm not kidding you.
Speaker 4:You know, you see the putter on a pro, how they got like little dime sweet spot and all that. That's what he had on the driver. I mean I'm just like guys around Augusta that have won. But I mean he's won the, the Augusta City Amateur twice against the collegiate players and everything you know, and I tried to make my reign as far as I could until he hit 50. But no, I love him to death. He's a great player.
Speaker 2:It, but no, I love him to death. He's a great player. It pushes me too. Yeah, well, steve, thank you so much for joining us tonight. I appreciate it. I know you're going to keep doing good things in Augusta. Thanks, guys, and I know that our paths will cross this year. Oh yeah, keep it up. All right, so you take care and we'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 4:All right, so you take care, we'll talk to you soon. All right, I'll see you boys. You guys Appreciate you guys and everything you guys do for the tour. Thank you.
Speaker 2:Let's take a break from the show to hear about Strixon's ZX Mark II drivers.
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Speaker 3:Tim. Great conversation with Steve. You know, it's just, it's cool to meet people that are and I know I squeak, so apologize for that Anybody that's doing it loud in the car but it's cool to meet all these people from around the tour and just get to know everybody you know, regardless of whether you're a tour tour director, member, um, you name it, I.
Speaker 2:we just have so many cool people on tour that that it's just it's fun to have these conversations with yeah, it really is, and you know he he talked a little bit about his time in the marines and and playing golf on the marine golf team uh, but what he and Marty did Marty, the Eastern North Carolina tour director, did for the Marine golf team when they were stationed at Camp Lejeune was incredible Introducing people to the game of golf, taking them around to different tournaments and those types of things, and how they touch other people's lives just through golf. You know, even though some of those people aren't on the tour, just introducing them to the game and giving them those experiences really says a lot about who they are as individuals.
Speaker 3:Yeah, definitely. I mean, that's just you know, we touched about it, excuse me, we touched about it, you know, during our memorial special and all that. But just to hear these stories again is just it's a fun listen. And everybody, I'm pretty sure, has stories whether it is military or just golf related or just life related that you wouldn't realize but could also affect your life in ways that you don't think about it until you actually have to.
Speaker 2:Anyway, looking forward to seeing Steve throughout the year. He does a great job with the senior side and I know he's going to get the golf week side back to where it needs to be. They're on some really good courses. He talked about them. You know Orangeburg You've got to go to Parris Island, play there and some of those other places that he mentioned. But I know he's going to do great things and I'm looking forward to seeing him throughout the year.
Speaker 3:Yeah, definitely, and hopefully I'll see him on the grounds of Augusta one day.
Speaker 2:Well, you know it's possible.
Speaker 3:I'm going to keep pulling that thread until it unravels because Trying to win that lottery, you probably have a better chance winning the actual lottery than that one.
Speaker 2:Well, probably. Actually, speaking of Augusta, I would say I got to go one time, master Chief. You know, ken, he got tickets and was unable to go and he gave to me one year and so we got to go. So I've been twice. But he got the tickets because he was former military Nice, and so they get, they give. I don't know how that works, but I think it's a lottery system as well, um, that you enter as as as a veteran, you know, or I don't, I don't, don't quote me. I don't know how it works, but but he got him specifically because he was a veteran, uh, or retired veteran, and, um, he couldn't go.
Speaker 3:he got four tickets and right it's got to be something like that, because I know when billy went. Billy went last year because he won the national, the vga national championship, and they invited him to go out and uh for a couple days and then do uh an event for the vga at another course. Um, I think that's Saturday, so he was able to go out there. But I mean for this guy to be able to get to play every year it seems like, that's just cool, that's pretty awesome.
Speaker 2:So, anyway, let's move on, because we've got our February Player of the month and this guy he means so much to to the tour he's been on.
Speaker 3:Let's put it this way. You know we had this. We switched up our contest because we wanted to highlight what is it? Eight members that I guess you could say are like that show golf week and what we look for, and you know the best members, so it's pretty cool that what truly exudes what we are as a tour.
Speaker 2:I mean because we've got 6,000 members and they're all great and you know we need to make sure that they know how much we appreciate them and what they mean to us in the tour. Right, I wish we could honor all 6,000 plus, but this is a way that we can actually highlight some members from across the country that are being nominated by their tour director as people that they truly view as standouts and assets to the local tour and the tour as a whole.
Speaker 3:Yeah, completely, and it's exciting that we get to get started now.
Speaker 2:So let's go ahead and welcome in our next guest, the February Player of the Month. I don't think he can hear this because it's supposed to be a surprise for him, but we welcome him.
Speaker 3:That's a good point. Hopefully he can Chris.
Speaker 2:I'm going to figure this out I know, I know it's like we've never done this before, right, but oh my gosh, I just get so excited. I'm like you know, jojo the Circus Clown. But oh good gosh, let's go ahead and welcome in our next guest. Let's just leave it at that, our next guest, and hope God he can't hear us. Let's go ahead and welcome in our next guest. Let's just leave it at that, our next guest, and hope God he can't hear us. Let's go ahead and welcome in our next guest, the mayor of Hilton Head, john Robinson. Jr. Welcome to the show, bud. And I've been doing this for how long? And we still can't get it right. Jr, welcome back bud.
Speaker 5:It's so good to see you. Good to see you guys too.
Speaker 2:You know, chris, I didn't mention this to you but you know, when we look back so this is like our 67th or 68th episode and we look back at the people that we've had on, um, I think there's only one person that's been on more than you and that's Roger, with Roger's rules. Um, I, I, I love, I love having you on, for any number of different reasons. I mean, you're, you're, you love the tour. You're so insightful about everything, especially the Island, and you give everybody great information. But I got to tell you something.
Speaker 2:You know, a couple of weeks ago I was, I was just kind of doing some research on Hilton head. You know, for some other stuff that I'm doing, and I came across your podcast that you did for the realty group and I watched that and I, they did an okay job. I mean, I mean you know, but you know, one of the things you know you you talked about was, was where to go eat, and when you started talking about lunch, I said, before he said it, he says he's going to go to Stu's and get that sub. For those that don't know, when you're down here, chris, you've got to go to Stu's because that bread, you know, you can say you're going to get a small sub, but you're going to go for the big sub and you're going to eat it because that bread is so good. Am I right or not?
Speaker 5:Well, you know, know, a sub is a sub, but it's really not. You know, what's inside of a sub is all the same. It's either lettuce, tomato, onion, uh meat, ham, turkey cheese, mayo, mustard. That's it, that's it. You know some other things, but what really makes it is either the sub roll or the bread or the wrap. That's really what makes it.
Speaker 3:And if you want the islands hilton heads best sub, um, you go to stew sub shop down in caligny plaza near the beach I think I went there this past year, I think you you told me to go there tim you have to, you have to you have to yeah's.
Speaker 5:you know, when I go I usually get the wrap version. But I tell you what if you get the sub, with the sub roll, it's state there's no other.
Speaker 2:That bread is that thick and it's soft and it tastes so good. Can't beat it. Can't beat it, john, why are you going and getting a wrap when you can have that bread?
Speaker 5:Well, I'll tell you why. Because typically when I go to get something a sub or a wrap it's usually a wrap because I'm taking it on the golf course and they roll it tight so you can put in your golf bag. And sometimes I bring a few extras to give to the guys I'm playing with.
Speaker 2:But okay, I'll give you some slack on that one then, because if you get the sub, if you get the sub number one, you can't take that to to play golf.
Speaker 5:And number two if you eat it, it's not, it's nap time after that, exactly, yeah, but the wrap, maybe have half of it when you're playing golf and the other half, you know, when you're done. It's uh, at least. Now somehow we're turning talk of sub stew, sub shop and we're turning it into golf.
Speaker 2:So we are off chat so so anyway, john, you know what I text you. I said we had something for you and you know I'm not sure how much you know but our contest this year it's not a shirt contest. We're looking for members who truly exemplify what we're looking for in our tour members. And I got to read you something about somebody that sent something in about you and this is why I wanted to have you on. I'm going to read it pretty much verbatim, although I may leave out a couple of words, but this is pretty much what he says.
Speaker 2:He says JR truly epitomizes the member that every tour wants. He loves the tour, promotes the tour, plays somewhere every week. Players request all the time to play in his group. This is my favorite. He's not afraid to gamble while playing, especially with Andres Lopez as his partner. Is that true? Is that true? You better believe it.
Speaker 2:He plays both on the Hilton Head Golf Week Tour and the Coastal Georgia Senior Tour. He posts everything about the tour that he possibly can on all the social media platforms. He plays in a ton of regionals every year, always plays in nationals, donates a ton of money to the V Foundation charity raffles, which we thank you so much for. Really do appreciate it and maybe we can talk about why here in just a second. He's been a sponsor of the tour. He's been a sponsor of the local Hilton Head tour. He knows everything and everybody on Hilton Head Island and you came here to Hilton Head as a golf pro excuse me, as a tennis pro and golf came second, and you know. So what we wanted to tell you is you are the February tour member. National tour member of the month.
Speaker 5:Well, I'm honored. I'm honored. I sort of wondered what our topic was today, and that's a beautiful surprise. You going to tell me who sent that in? I think you can guess.
Speaker 2:I think you can guess. So how it works is all the tour directors are taking charge of this and they're nominating people throughout the season from their tour. So Dennis submitted this and I actually had a nice long conversation with him today and we talked about you and how appreciative both he and me and Chris are that you're a member of the tour and that you're so willing and giving of your time to the tour. It's really special.
Speaker 5:Well, I appreciate this very much. It's almost for what we do. It's almost like getting an Academy Award and it is. I tell you, it is a nice surprise to hear this and I just almost speechless. You know, the things that he wrote are true. The truest comment was yeah, I'll bet you any amount of money as long as Andres Lopez is my partner and he'll usually roll it in for a birdie and we're both collecting money. That's how it works. Occasionally I'll put one in for a par to free him up, but that's my contribution.
Speaker 5:But I tell you in some of our other conversations that we've had together about the tour and about golf, it's all you know. It's all um. You know the the same. As far as I'm concerned, this is the the um. I don't want to say the coolest, but it's. The coolest thing I do is play this tour, and when I have to miss a tournament that's on our schedule, I don't like it. When I can't play one of the tournaments, partially because I want to support Dennis and support the tour and support the winner of my flight, because we all need extra money, you know, for whoever's going to win.
Speaker 5:So but it's, I look forward to it, you know, to playing. We have a tournament coming up on Monday at Savannah Quarters Country Club which, unfortunately, I can't play. You know, it's one of the few that I can't play, partially because we're taking a few of us are taking a trip down to florida for a little golf trip nice and uh, it just happened that these friday to friday to monday were the best days that we could do it. So we're gonna have to to miss Savannah Quarters, but I'll be at the next one. I think it's Old Field Country Club. You don't want to miss that one. Yeah.
Speaker 2:So you know I did mention that you donate a lot of money to the Jimmy V Foundation. Do you want to share why that's so important to you?
Speaker 5:Two reasons important to you. Two reasons. One it's, you know, it's the charitable function that Dennis McCormick, who is our, you know, he's the national tour director, but he's also the Hilton Head Savannah tour director. That's the one he chose for various reasons, you's reasons why he chose that charity for us to promote.
Speaker 5:And my father succumbed to cancer eight, nine years ago, and everything I do I think of my father. You know he was a great golfer and, um, every time I put on my tailor-made hat to go to go tee it up, I think of my dad. And because he loved to play so much, in fact, he, he played in an amateur tour also. I think it was called tournament tournament players association or something like that. Um, this was years ago, but he, he played in a very similar amateur tour that that I'm playing in, the golf week amateur tour, and so I think of him every time I tee it up.
Speaker 5:In fact, every time I actually tee it up, I do, and only maybe two people in the world know that I do this, but now everyone's going to know I do this because I'm going to tell you what I do Every time I tee up the ball. You know, 18 times I'll tee it up, and when I put the tee in the ground and then I put the ball on top of the tee, then I'll touch the grass with my hands, just with my fingers, just touching the grass. And the whole purpose for that just touching the grass is to remind myself how great of a sport it is and that my father loved it too. And it's really just my way of reminding myself that my dad is still with me playing golf.
Speaker 2:So that that that's awesome. And you know, Chris, go ahead. I got to collect my thoughts on that, right.
Speaker 5:No, it's deep, I mean I think, tim, I didn't overtake you, tim, I have that way about it.
Speaker 2:You did and I'm glad that you did. Sorry, chris, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I had a, a couple things that have happened, you know, to me over the last let's just say 48 hours um, one that really reminded me of my father, um, which is again why most of us get into playing golf. And the other one, um, you know, I'm interviewing a for the other podcast I do JR. We talk about I help people become better communicators and I'm actually interviewing one of the play-by-play announcers for Kansas City Royals tomorrow and I was reading in one of his books and basically he talked about his grandfather and who his grandfather was to him.
Speaker 2:And literally this is about an hour ago I read that part in the book and I broke out in alligator tears Because what he was saying about his grandfather was exactly my wife's grandfather. That was his same philosophy, his same who he was, and he was the first person to welcome me into Jen's side of the family. So those people that know me know me that you know I'm an emotional person. It happens and I'm okay with it. So, john, it is what it is. Go ahead, chris, you're up now.
Speaker 3:Top that, top that Right? I don't think I can. But I mean, like you say, you say it all the time. You know, 95% of us, our fathers, got us into golf. So when we bring it up or we have those memories, I think it touches a little bit of everybody's heart, heartstrings.
Speaker 3:I mean, you know, I lost my father and I remember golfing with him to his final days, that he could um and got into golf because of him. Granted, it was a little later in my life, but I think I got into it because I knew those would be the times that I'd be able to spend with just him, you know, out in nature and and not having to worry about whatever it may be going to the movies or whatever, like you, just just you and him and you're just hanging out. So so it. It touches everyone's heart and now that I have little ones that want to start playing golf, it's like okay, now I get to give them what I was able to experience for five, six, seven years of his life. So, um, you know that is pretty cool. Next time I'm golfing with you, though, I'm going to watch for it, you've got 18 chances.
Speaker 5:But I tell you, you know, I think you know, when we're little kids, you know fathers typically, you know they'll coach your teams baseball, basketball, football, um, and then you know, so dads were sort of built-in coaches. You know all your teenage years and then you know, maybe into your 20s, but you know he, a dad, is always, always your coach, no matter how old you are, and um, so, anyway, when so our tournaments, uh, whenever dennis, you know, has a raffle, um, then you know, there's no question, there's no question and and I've been lucky enough to to win a few of them, um, but uh, even if I don't win, I'm just glad that money's raised and it's gone for a great cause and I'm glad for whoever wins. So it's just great that we're all out there playing golf and supporting and just being there together and doing our best and just you know being there together and doing our best.
Speaker 3:No, I mean to go back to your coaching. You know, my very first golf week event as a member I think I was on the range hitting hosel rockets every shot and it's like, okay, let me call my dad and see what's going on. You know, I'm so nervous here. Maybe he has advice and I mean, that's the first person you think about calling. So you're right, they're not just a life coach, they're an everything coach. At that point, right?
Speaker 5:Everything, no matter how old you are, you know you never grow up to that, exactly, exactly. But I very much appreciate this special ceremony I guess you could call it, but it's pretty cool and it really means a lot to me.
Speaker 2:Well, you mean so much to the tour and you know we're exactly a month out from one of the best weekends of the year. One of the best weeks of the year. One of the best weeks of the year, you know, rbc is coming up here.
Speaker 3:Oh, I thought you were going to say the.
Speaker 2:Masters, don't start. Why start to cause problems? We're having a good moment here Anyone who calls problems.
Speaker 5:So what advice do you have for people coming in to one of the best weeks of the year on the island Are you talking about, for people coming to Hilton Head during that week, during that week? Yep, well, I'll tell you what it's turned into. I've been on Hilton Head for 35 years and the first 10, 12 years I was a a tennis pro, and so everything was tennis. But one of the greatest weeks of the year in tennis was the family circle magazine cup, which is no longer you know here in hilton head. It went to charleston and there's a different name, I think it's called the city open or something. But we had a professional, a women's professional tennis tournament on Hilton Head for 30 some or 40 or 50 some years, and it was the week before, I think the week before the Heritage. So it was two weeks of amazing professional sports, but then that the tennis tournament went to Charleston. So it's all been focused on the heritage now, and the very first heritage tournament was 1969. Arnold Palmer won that first event. Jack Nicklaus was co-course designer with Pete Dye at the Harbortown Golf Links, of course. So Jack was in that first tournament and I'm sure many more after that, and we've had some of the greatest players in the history of golf win our tournament since 1969.
Speaker 5:The one the negative, I guess, for our tournament not a negative, but it made it tough was our tournament, the RBC Heritage. It used to be called the MCI Heritage but now it's the RBC Heritage, but it's for many years. It was tough to get the greatest players to come because our tournament was literally the week after the Masters and oftentimes some of the greatest players would skip the next week after such a mentally draining week at one of the majors. So the following week was us here in Hilton Head and we had great players come and win our tournament, like Davis Love III won it many times, boo Weakley won it, I think twice. But we had some great champions back in the day.
Speaker 5:But in the last few years the PGA I guess has created has made this tournament one of the top tournaments on the schedule. So we have players like jordan speed and we have players like scotty shuffler and we have players like rory mcelroy and all the greatest players you can imagine. So it's it's, um, probably the best week of the year for for an event. You know, we we just had our Hilton Head St Patrick's Day Parade, although it was canceled due to rain, but that's usually one of the top days of the year for locals, for islanders and for visitors here during this week actually.
Speaker 5:But the Heritage which is this year it's April 14th to the 21st, I believe, or the 20th, and it's the beginning of spring. It's still spring break time for high school kids, I believe it's close to Easter and the weather is turning nice and it's sort of the beginning of a beautiful season here in Hilton Head every year and we have some legends coming. This year, just like the last few years. And I'll tell you if you do get a chance to get a ticket to go one of the days Thursday, friday, saturday, sunday.
Speaker 5:It's a tremendous opportunity to look at one of the prettiest golf courses in the world and watch some of the best golfers compete on a narrow course with some of the smallest greens on the PGA Tour. And if you've had a chance to play Harbortown, you know it's difficult but it's an absolute pleasure to play, although it's a little bit tougher. I think one of the toughest shots for me is the second shot on number 18. You know I don't hit it real long, but especially if it's breezy coming off the Calabogie Sound, you know, along the fairway of the 18th, hitting that second shot is, I think, one of the most daunting shots there is, with the marsh on the left and short, and most players bail out right and then chip up hoping to par it. But it's one of the prettiest golf courses on the planet.
Speaker 2:This year it's going gonna be a little bit difficult. Um, you know, I always got tickets from um, uh, from jay, and uh, we'd be right there on the 18th and watching with jay, not with us anymore. Uh, it's, it's gonna be a little bit there, but a couple years ago when the playoff with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jordan Spieth, they played that hole three or four times and the shot that Ryan Fitzpatrick hit in there so close for Birdie to win, it was amazing and, like you said, john, if you've not actually ever been there and seen how difficult that shot is, that's a tough, tough shot. He put it within six feet, didn't he?
Speaker 5:Yeah, it's amazing. You know these guys can hit their drivers. You know 300-plus yards, so I don't know what they have coming into that. But still that's a tough, because when you're in the fairway looking at that green, you know from the TV tower, you know what you see on TV. It may not really show you how difficult it looks. But the second shot and Chris, do you agree with that?
Speaker 5:You know, when you're playing Harbortown, the second shot, it's almost like there's nothing behind the green. There's water and boats. You know, behind the green and to the left of the green it's almost like a peninsula green. If you hit it left of the green then you're in, you know, an area where water comes up and down. It's sort of like the edge of the Kalaboke Sound right there. But then you see, on the right side side you see all the green fairway. So it's it's it's so uh easy to to bail it out right and it's not a not a bad chip, it's not a real difficult chip. The green is fairly flat, although there's some little moguls to the right of the green if you have to chip from the right side. But if you're left or if you're short, then you're in trouble. If you're short, you're in real trouble, big trouble.
Speaker 5:Big trouble. If you're left, you're in trouble. If you're short, you're in big trouble, because then you've got a long drop. So anyway, I just think it's for those who are coming to Hilton Head. So, anyway, I just think it's, you know, for those who are coming to Hilton Head, and if you get a ticket or two to the Heritage anytime this year, next year, then, you know, put on some springtime clothes. There's a lot of pink and yellow and light blue out there that week. There's a lot of neat southern hats, a lot of the ladies are wearing hats, everybody's carrying a drink, either a bottle of water or something else, and there's many spots, just like PGA tournaments all over the country. There's many spots to have fun other than watching golf. You know there's some things. You know tents and little booths to purchase golf apparel and you know neat things from the sponsors all kinds of food and you know neat things from the sponsors all kinds of food and it's just a great place to be for the week that week in April every year.
Speaker 2:And don't come to try and get any work done.
Speaker 5:No, yeah, I tell you. And then afterwards, what do you do after the tournament's over and when you leave? You know, historically, there is a legendary restaurant right there at the bottom of the lighthouse. You know, the red and white lighthouse, the very bottom of it. Uh, years and years ago there were two of them. One was called the quarter deck, which is still there, and then the other one was called, uh, cafe europa. Do you guys remember cafe europa?
Speaker 5:no, long time ago that was at the bottom of the lighthouse but that's gone and the quarterdeck has since rebuilt their bar restaurant to one of the most beautiful restaurants on Hilton Head with viewing the water and the marina and the golf course, and it's two levels. But historically, years and years ago after the golf you would just head over to quarter deck and stay there all night. You probably wouldn't be eating, you'd be drinking and you might see some of the golfers come in there too. So there's lots of places in Harbortown to go to after the tournament. You know if you're there Thursday or Friday or Saturday. Afterwards you head over to CQ's for some nice dinner or you head over to the quarter deck it's much bigger now, so there's a lot of room or there's other.
Speaker 5:There's a crazy crab which is in in Harbortown Marina Great seafood and real fun. It's a great family place. And then there's other places in Sea Pines and then right out the front gate there's more places. One of my favorite is the Char Bar. I love going to the Char Bar, which is right out of the front gate of Sea Pines. So there's after the tennis, sorry, after the golf. There's all kinds of fun things to do.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there really is. You know, we stay in the Motorcoach Resort and there's a few golfers that stay in there too. Oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 5:I did hear that. Doesn't Spieth have an RV? He does, that's what I heard. Yeah, does he stay there?
Speaker 2:I don't think he did last year, but he definitely did the year before. Jason Day as well, doesn't he? Actually there was a rumor going around that Jason Day bought a lot. I don't know if that's true. Oh yeah, I know somebody who was stalking Jordan Spieth had to kind of rein her in a little bit.
Speaker 2:I know who you're talking about, it wasn't me Well, JR, thank you so much for who you are and what you bring for the tour. I can't thank you enough for all of that. You're such a good, rich person, personality, and we are so lucky to have you as part of the family.
Speaker 5:Well, I very much appreciate it, guys, and I love coming on your show and talking to you about golf. There's nothing better than that. And you know, last night I was talking I met somebody and I was telling him all about the Golf Week Amateur Tour and he didn't know anything about it. But he sure does now, of course he did. So I think it's great and what you guys do is just sort of really supports the tour and gets the word out. And I'm just tickled that I know you guys and that I've been a guest on your show, so hopefully there's more times coming this year.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm hoping that we could. We could find some way to do to, to have a JRS, you know, named segment. That's kind of what I'm what I'm searching for. We've got Rogers rules. We need something for you. Let's put our heads together.
Speaker 3:We'll get closer to nationals, because I think you have so much information that you could give everybody that's visiting, especially for their first time, I mean that's true.
Speaker 5:Let's, let's put something together. Let's do it.
Speaker 2:Love to do that all right, buddy, well again. Thanks so much, and and I I do need to see you more than just on here and and passing editorial I saw you at the uh the icebreaker in january yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 5:We need to see you more than just on here and and passing editorial. I saw you at the uh the ice breaker in january yeah yeah yeah, we need to probably meet at stews, or or oh, I see, yeah, we'll go get a rat and talk about a char bar for a drink all right, all right we can do that, definitely all right, but you take care of yourself, john.
Speaker 2:Good seeing you guys, all right let's take a break from All right, we can do that. Definitely All right, bud you take care of yourself, John.
Speaker 5:Good seeing you guys, all right.
Speaker 2: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. The all new ZX Mark II irons from strixon so it's just a cool time talking with jr.
Speaker 3:We do need to get him on more um, because he just has so much knowledge of the island. You know um, the sub sandwich place. I text you about to go get take my wife somewhere special to eat, because there's only so many places that I've been to um that I go every year and and man, what a, what a home run that that place was. It was. I almost ordered another sub and had to hold back because I could. I could have gone for two.
Speaker 2:It was good it's I, I love it, man it is. It is so good, oh my and there's soup.
Speaker 3:I got a soup too. A cup of soup. Yeah, man, that was, it was stellar.
Speaker 2:So, uh, if you do go to nationals, or anytime you go to the island, go to that, go to that place because it's it's top notch well, you know, after, after we did the call um, we're kind of giving away how we do this, but after we did the call, I told Jen we've got a friend in town. I said take him over to Stu's for lunch. And then Jen and I have a meeting at 6 o'clock tonight and I said what are we going to do about dinner, because the meeting is going to go from like 6 to 9. I said you know, it's not really going to work. They didn't check with me when they scheduled the meeting. I said what are we going to do for dinner? And she said I don't know. I said well, this is what I want you to do. I want you to go to Stu's and I want you to. I'll eat a sub. And she said you want to eat a sub. And she said you eat a sub right in the middle of the meeting.
Speaker 2:I said hell yeah, I'm going to eat a sub right in the middle of the meeting. I'm going to make noises. I'm going to make the oh, it's so good noises. And she said well, you sit up front. I said yeah, I do, and you're going to do that. She said well, that's rude. I said why is that rude. What am I supposed to do? Not make it's good noises. I said you got to, let me be me. And she said I'm not doing that. So yeah, but I tell you what Stu's is phenomenal. Oh my goodness.
Speaker 3:And the little area is pretty cool too, Like just walking around the little shopping center is pretty nice.
Speaker 3:You know, we went to the beach. Unfortunately that day it was cold. Out of all seven days we were there, that was the only coldest day, so the water was freezing. Me and my wife, being tourists, are the only ones putting our feet in the water and everybody else is like 30 feet away. But it was a good time and can't wait to do it again. But, like I said, JR, you call him the mayor of Hilton Head and you can ask him. He should be doing tours paid tours, the week leading up to Nationals. Get him a big van and just hop on there and he'll drive you around the island, tell you everything.
Speaker 3:He would do it too, and he'd do it with a smile, oh yeah, he loves the island and you know just a great addition to the roster of members of the month and I enjoyed talking to him. He just has so many cool stories about that island and you know the tournament that goes on there and I would have never known of a tennis tournament that happened the week before unless we had this conversation. So it's just pretty cool. It's trivia knowledge that he has about the island.
Speaker 2:That's pretty cool he's a lot of fun to be around. It's trivia knowledge that he has about the island. That's pretty cool. Yeah, I mean he's a lot of fun to be around. And Dennis is right, I mean people do gravitate towards him for a number of different reasons. I mean he's just an all-around good guy Again, loves the tour, loves the island. And you know, I don't see him let's just say I don't see him every day or maybe even every week, but I don't know that I've ever really seen him without a smile on his face. Yeah, and you know, when you, when you go around the island and you start talking to people you know especially locals and you bring up JR's name, you know they just go on and on about who he is and what a great guy he is.
Speaker 3:You know all he's done for the island and those types of things and for him to be one of our biggest cheerleaders is really does mean a lot it does, and I'm going to have to take his advice on that rap and try it this year and see if it works, just keeping that rap in that golf bag for the tournament, and then, if it does, at Nationals, I'll have to go every day and get a rap for the next day to eat during the round.
Speaker 2:I think he just has a lot of self-control because you are right, the bread was good.
Speaker 2:Number one, I don't know. I had that self-control Even with wrap because, okay, the meats are the meats, he's right, but it just tastes so good. I mean, and then you and you know so seriously, when we go, jen and I go to Stu's, obviously there's two sizes. And when I go in there she says Jen says which size are you eating? I'm getting a small one. And I start looking at the menu. I said, now just give me the regular size one. I won't eat it all.
Speaker 2:I eat it all. I eat it all. And as I'm eating you know three quarters of the way through it, I said, oh, I should not have eaten all this. And she says, well, stop. I said, well, I might as well just go ahead and finish it. And she says, well, stop. I said, well, I might as well just go ahead and finish it, because what am I going to do with a quarter of a sub If I just eat a quarter of it? Later I'm going to say, man, I wish I had more.
Speaker 2:Yeah, makes sense, so I just eat it. It's great. And again, this is. I want to make sure that everybody understands it's not about stew subs. Stew subs is good, but it's really more about JR and who he is as an individual and who he is for us in the tour. Thanks, jr, for all that you do for us. We really, really really do appreciate it. Looking forward to many more memories with you down the road.
Speaker 3:For sure. Now the big announcement no, no, no.
Speaker 2:We still have time in the month of March for you tour directors to submit nominations. We've got four so far, really good nominations. Dennis is going to have a tough time choosing. I can tell you that now because I've seen him and he's got a tough time yeah.
Speaker 3:The competition is heating up, and now's your time. Now's your time for the tour directors Now's their time to, or for the tour directors now's their time to get their nominations in. But I'm really enjoying this one. I like the way we pivoted.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, because you know we talk to people all over the country with this and you know we're talking to different people for different reasons. You know, a lot of times you know we may pick a winner of a tournament or tour director may say you know, this is an interesting guy or lady, we need to have more and they've got a great story, but whatever, it is right, right, but this contest is is is a little bit different. And being able to talk to these people, these members who truly live and breathe the tour, and getting their stories and honoring them, it's just a little bit different, yeah it's it.
Speaker 3:I think it makes it a little more meaningful as well.
Speaker 2:Yep, absolutely, absolutely, absolutely. So get your nominations in. It's going to be great. And you know, chris, one of the things I think we should do is, even if the people who haven't been nominated, I still think we should be reading what the tour directors say about them, so that they do get their due in some way. So let's think about that as we move forward too. Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 3:It's something to consider.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Now next big announcement. Who wants to win a set?
Speaker 3:of Strixon irons. I mean I think anybody's willing to win a set of any irons, but yes, strixon for sure. I mean I play Strixon and I enjoy them. Can I win?
Speaker 2:Well, we're going to tell you how you can win. Let me ask you a question. Yeah, so you've gotten your new irons right? Correct, you like them, I do.
Speaker 3:No, I like them. It just feels like the ball just comes off real smooth off the club face A little bit longer in the distance than what I previously had, real forgiving, which is something that that's nice, because you know, even if you go off the toe or off the heel, you're not in real big trouble. Um, so yeah, I really like them and and to be able to to give away a set is is kind of cool, because now you get to see what Strixon has to offer as well.
Speaker 2:So how are we going to do it? Strixon has been gracious enough to give us a set of irons for us to raffle off, and the money that's raised is going to help defer some of our costs to travel around here buddy. Yeah.
Speaker 3:I mean, we want to keep the travel series going and, uh, you know as much as me and Tim would love to have it for free. Uh, it does cost. But uh, this, this, this will definitely help out with that. And, uh, you know, one lucky winner gets, gets a new set that they probably weren't even counting on for this year, right, um? So what better way to to be able to do that as well?
Speaker 2:So what we're going to do is we're going to raffle off. Like I said, raffle off a set of irons $10 a chance. We're only going to sell 100 chances, okay. So what you do is, if you Venmo me, it's at TimNATC and I'll put the QR code on the webpage or in the show notes for you all to go over where to send the money. And as soon as we get 100 entries, we'll wrap them off and from there, maybe we'll do a driver, maybe we'll do some wedges and go from that point. Yeah.
Speaker 3:I mean, I would hope, you know, we're able to see success in this and have more opportunities to give away a lot of other things. I know we have, you know, a ton of listeners. I believe we're not having a limit on how many you can buy. Is that correct? No limit? Okay, so I'd be think of it as a an easy way to come out with with a new set, and I believe from because, from what I got, it's four through Pitching Witch. Yes, I believe so. So there's ZX7s, mk2s, four through Pitching Witch yeah, a great set, and for $10, you could be a lucky winner and walk home with a brand new set for 2025.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and what we'll do is we'll do the Wheel of Names once we get 100. We'll do it live right here on the podcast. Everybody knows there's no funny business going on, right, and everybody will get it Pay $10, everybody will get a shot at it. So, like I said, I'll put a QR code and my username for Venmo in the show notes for everybody. Just go ahead and all go ahead and take care of that and kind of to go along with that. Chris, you know, just for anybody that's out there that's a business owner wants to sponsor the podcast, please reach out to us and let us know we can put something together for you. Please reach out to us and let us know we can put something together for you, and all that money would go to help us produce a podcast and get us money to be able to travel around and see everybody.
Speaker 3:Yeah, definitely Any help helps is what I tell my guys because, just like your local tour, you know how they look for sponsors. We're doing this for you all. I know me and Tim. We really enjoy talking to each other, but we do it for you guys and for information for you all and we'd love to see you guys in person than just nationals.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so anyway, like I said, we'll put that in the show notes and we'll see how that goes, and that's all I've got this week, bud. I mean, I get to go to Howie in the Hills, howie in the Hills, that's.
Speaker 3:I think that's the front runner for funniest unique town names this year Howie in the Hills, howie in the Hills.
Speaker 2:And that's a sold out senior regional, so it's going to be fun. I'm looking forward to seeing everybody down there. Obviously, this is going to come out after I've already been there. We'll highlight the winners in the next episode.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and a lot of tours are starting to play, starting their seasons. This madness of March. You got the end of, or start of, basketball tournament Tours starting all over and we're on full swing, exactly Full swing.
Speaker 2:That's what we haven't talked about full swing yet. We did a little bit at the first episode, but we should probably talk about that sometime soon too, because very, very, very interesting things going on in there, oh yeah.
Speaker 3:You know whoever thought of that idea. I know it's a spinoff of the F1 series, but to be able to get these guys and it's not like it's you know the second-tier, third-tier guys on there They've got the top-notch players on there talking about it and you know what's going to happen. Like we know Scott, they're going to talk about Scotty getting arrested. You know they're going to talk about this and that, but to be able to see what's going on in the back end is pretty cool. I binge watched it. Yeah, I've got one episode left to go, but the one with Gary Woodland.
Speaker 2:That was cool. I binge watched it. Yeah, I got one episode left to go, but the one with Gary Woodland that was. We kind of knew what was going on because they talked about it a little bit before that, but we didn't really know what was going on and some of those things it's like I can't imagine.
Speaker 2:Right, it takes a lot for him to agree to put that on there but if that helps somebody else that's going through that too, and I think that's what he understands, that that there are some, there is some treatment out there for that and you're not alone. And um, that's just. I didn't bring it, sir, right, right, anyway, let's. Let's end on a positive note.
Speaker 3:Yeah, for sure. No, I mean it's we'll talk about maybe next one, because, because it's pretty cool, but I think again having jr, I think again having JR in the running giving away a set of irons, I think we're going to be busier this year. Much busier right, but it's going to be fun and, before you know it, we'll be doing this live in nationals Exactly, exactly, exactly and where this was our best episode ever.
Speaker 2:Just wait till next episode. All right, bud, you take care of yourself, we'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 4:Likewise, Thank you.
