My Golf Source
Attention Golf Enthusiasts! Level up your golf game with hosts Darren Penquite and Noah Horstman, PGA as they keep you up to date on the latest trends, equipment, training aids and more. Learn tips and tricks from PGA Professionals to lower your score and grow your love for the game of golf.
My Golf Source
Mastering Golf Techniques with a Super Bowl Champion
Have you ever wondered how a simple change in golf equipment can revolutionize your game? In our latest episode, we unravel the transformative power of a high-lofted 69-degree wedge, sharing personal anecdotes and insights into how even the smallest adjustments can elevate your short game. Join us as we explore the fascinating individuality of golf techniques, learning from athletes who have transitioned from other sports like a Division I tennis player turned golfer, and discover how their unique approaches can offer valuable lessons in adaptability and skill enhancement.
We're thrilled to welcome Super Bowl champion Jermaine Kearse, who shares his incredible journey from the NFL to the world of golf and entrepreneurship. Fueled by a competitive spirit, Kearse has turned his passion into a blossoming business with indoor golf facilities, illuminating the challenges and rewards of life after football. He offers inspiring insights on perseverance and "failing forward," providing a fresh perspective on personal growth that is both motivational and relatable for anyone looking to transition in their careers.
As we wrap up, we delve into the importance of mindset, culture, and community in sports. Drawing from experiences in the NFL and NBA, we illustrate how embracing one's role can lead to enduring success, featuring stories from junior golfers who have thrived in a supportive environment. With insights from legendary coaches and personal experiences, this episode underscores the immense power of a competitive community in achieving greatness. Whether you're a seasoned golfer or new to the sport, the stories and wisdom shared promise to ignite your passion and refine your game.
Welcome to the my golf source podcast. Welcome to episode five of the my golf source podcast. I'm Darren, I'm Noah, so I did a thing. Tell me about it.
Speaker 3:I caved to the internet pressure and I bought the 69 degree wedge. No, you did not, I did why.
Speaker 2:And I used it in SimLeak tonight. How'd it go? I am in love.
Speaker 3:It's not just a number, it's a number all right. So what was so?
Speaker 2:good about it. It allowed me to take a short chip right off of the green, drop it within six feet of the pin and it'd stay there.
Speaker 3:Well, I guess that makes sense. So there's a lot of different ways to chip. And what were you missing in your game?
Speaker 2:Yardage. Was there a certain yardage you just didn't like? I think it was reading the green. Um, I think my 56 or my 60 had some variables in it. So if I laid it too short then it it would roll out but it would take. It would take a lot of the break and take a lot of the green. That I that I didn't see. If I tried to fly it to the pin then I rolled too far past it and the 60 just kind of allowed me to place the ball with some forgiveness and it just stayed there you know that's super interesting.
Speaker 3:The 69, yeah, there you go. So just having that backspin gave you that feel, allowed you to kind of fly it to where you wanted to.
Speaker 2:It popped it in the air right out, right out of the sand or right out of the rough that's awesome.
Speaker 3:So I, uh, I used to give lessons this guy and he was a division one tennis player from ucla and what was unique about it was he was a new golfer and he was a terrible chipper and he decided to get the 62 degree wedge and everything was about feel with this guy. So he started just grinding. Like six months he was out there six hours a day. It was was insane. So what was really cool about it was we go into this chipping lesson and I go in and I say, hey, uh, we're 20 yards off the green and you know middle pin, probably, you know 30 feet. You had probably three or four shots to choose from and I'm I'm a pretty big proponent of getting it on the ground as fast as you can using the green. Use the slope, you have control of that. You don't know what it's going to do in the air. And he's just like I'm going to use my 62-degree wedge, okay, is that what you use everywhere? Yeah, that's my club.
Speaker 3:So I watch him hit a shot and he hits it to about three feet. On the first try I'm like, okay, nice, let's see another one. It's it to about two feet. On the next one I'm like, okay, there's a little trend, let's see what's going to happen. And he chips in on the third. I'm like, okay, well, you're one of those guys that you can just hit that club right. I mean, and that's the unique thing about golf is that there's not one way to do it. And he's one of those outliers that just wants to fly it all the way there. And he played tennis. He's got feel he knows how to do it and he just figured it out on his own. And I think that's a unique thing about the sport is it's not always about what YouTube says, it's not about what I say as a golf pro. It's about what you believe in, and that self-belief will get you there.
Speaker 2:Well, you know, for for the longest time I only had a 56 in my back. That was my highest lofted wedge and when I got a 60 degree wedge a few years ago, it improved my game a lot. Um, and now I've. I used to use the 60 inside of 20 yards or out of the bunker. Now I'm to the point where I'm using my 60 inside of 20 yards or out of the bunker. Now I'm to the point where I'm using my 60 inside of 60 yards, and I was having trouble with the little short chips where I'm not taking a full swing at it. I just want to pop it up out of the rough, fly it three or four yards, six yards onto the green and have it check up, and I was having a heck of a time with the 60 and getting this 69. I'm like this is speaking my language.
Speaker 3:There you go, there you go. Well, and it's interesting too. I mean, golfers are so different, so you, you have different ways to play those shots. Ricky Fowler is a unique player because he's got let's say he's seven yards out. He's going to hit a full shot or something whatever, probably more like 100 yards out, right With a 60. So he hits a full shot 95, he grips down a half inch, okay, and he makes a full swing again. So he's one of those guys that just says I'm going to grip down and make the same golf swing but, knowing that that grip down gets me five yards less, manipulating what you already have in your tool 100.
Speaker 3:And then someone like you, where you have um, you know, maybe you just have a swing and you're like, hey, this feels good, this is my chip shot, and because you know where you're at and how little you do get to play. But when you go out there, there, you're like I want to play good, so instead of fighting it, why not just say, hey, I'm going to put another club in my bag, I'll make the same swing and this one goes this far. So my 69 goes 10 yards, my 60 goes 15 yards and I think you can just work down the bag that way too.
Speaker 2:So here's a question I have for you.
Speaker 3:If you have 16 clubs in your bag and you go to play in a tournament, what two clubs do you take out? Um, it depends on the golf course. So it depends on condition and golf course. So if I'm playing a link style course, firm, fast, right, you know, sandy, and I know I got to keep that trajectory down with wind Um, I might take a hybrid out, because why would I play something that launches high? I might put a two iron in my bag instead. You know, for me I'm always going to keep wedges in my bag. I've got four wedges. Those are the scoring clubs. I will rarely ever manipulate that.
Speaker 3:I'm also one of those players that I feel like I can close down the club or open it up in any turf condition and hit it. I've just practiced my my tail off for so many years. I played at a par three course growing up. So, having the ability to understand how to get up and down from any situation because if you miss a green on a par three old course, you know they're push up greens, which means that's how they drained Everything's a volcano you have to know how to get up and down. So I think it's all um, strategically based on external factors, right, that are. You know what's going to happen with the weather? What kind of course are you playing and you go from there?
Speaker 2:so, by default, do you have a hybrid in your back or do you go with like three wood driver?
Speaker 3:I do. I have a four hybrid of a tailor-made four hybrid in there and a three wood and a driver and a three wooden driver.
Speaker 2:No five wood.
Speaker 3:No, five wood, um, I have. So when I was younger, um, I'm not a big guy, I'm like five, seven, one, 25. Right, so, um, when I started playing golf at the age of 12, um, you know, I I was, I hit it pretty far from my size, but it was because I just ripped it from baseball just way inside, crushed it, but I would have, um, I met somebody and they gave me this instead of hybrids, we had nine woods, 11 woods, seven woods, right. So I had a King Cobra nine wood. It was my one 50 club. It was all day long.
Speaker 3:I did just rip it. I'm like here's the whole number eight at bear Creek, uphill, boom, you know, that's, that's my club. So I think a lot of it comes down to, um, that was the equivalent of today's hybrid, okay, and it was pretty awesome. And now some of those clubs, those manufacturers are making seven woods and if you look at the lofts they're around 20 degrees. Well, that was what my five wood was. So you know, when they say we're hitting it far, they're de-lofting it, they're adding length to clubs, they're doing things differently, um, a bunch of different shaft preferences that allows, you know, any golfer to hit a little bit further than they used to right so taylor made we talked about this briefly just released the um qi 35, qi 35, sure.
Speaker 2:What's so great about this club? I know you've been raving about it, but but why?
Speaker 3:yeah, I would just say that you know, for my high speed players last year, um, the old driver, the face popped a little bit. Um, center hits, our center hits, but you know somebody that swings at over one 10, we were popping faces and as a college golf coach I think I sent back like seven or eight clubs and it's no default to the manufacturer, right? I mean, this is quality control stuff. You know, overseas it happens, everybody's got it. Um, I remember when Callaway came out with a multi-material back in the day, the crown came off and, and, and it happens, everybody's got it. Um, I remember when calloway came out with a multi material back in the day, the crown came off and, and, and it happens. I think the biggest factor now is I think they've learned from their mistakes and it just looks cool.
Speaker 1:I don't know what to tell you it looks cool.
Speaker 3:I I love it and I think when something looks good, I think sometimes you play better. I mean, it's like that look good, play good feel.
Speaker 2:It feels good too, it does.
Speaker 3:That's the biggest thing.
Speaker 2:That's kind of grippy, rubbery, spongy face.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but it's different. I would say last year it felt soft, this year it feels more like a metal face, even though it's multi-material with all that carbon. So it's good. Good so it's good Yep.
Speaker 2:Good, I'm excited to try it. I know my son has been playing with it a little bit, that you've let him use the club and he's like I'm in.
Speaker 3:I've got in my office right now. I'm waiting for him to come back. You know, the thing is too. It's not just about Taylor made. Everybody's got something good right now. Um, ping drivers are insane. Um, you know, cobra irons are really hot right now. The Mizuno clubs are good. The new Callaway we have four different head shapes right now.
Speaker 3:Titleist just came out with a new one as well. Titleist is incredible and the funny thing is is what people need to realize is off the center of the face they're all equally as fast. So the difference now is, with the USGA standards everyone's trying to be faster on toe hits, heel hits, heel hits, miss hits. So with simulation and what I have at golf garage, they're tracking everything. So the the companies that own those launch monitors are tracking it and that's what they're selling to the club manufacturers. And then club manufacturers are testing nonstop too. So when the average player hits it off the toe, let's say 10 millimeters because that's what they're looking at they're going to try to figure out how to make it faster 10 millimeters out there, and so it's like literally points on the club that they're trying to make faster. So that way the average golfer and their mishit becomes a faster ball speed and those technology you know the launch monitors out there on demo day they can prove it further straighter, further longer ball speeds are higher excellent.
Speaker 2:So yesterday we literally covered three states. Right, you were in la. I was here in medford, oregon, and we interviewed jermaine curse in seattle. I'd say I had the best weather. Indeed, nobody's gonna argue with that. How did sou do?
Speaker 3:what a great way to kick off the season. Um, ladies finished in second place and the men have finished in third place. And you know, gosh, the men were right there. The ladies, they just had that second place locked up. It was going to be tough to win the tournament, so I was really proud of them for just continuing. And we played at Angeles National in Sunland, california, just outside of LA, and we had great weather. The golf course is insane. It was Hideki Matsuyama's home course, so the greens were running at a 12, which is really fast but the slopes were incredible.
Speaker 3:So if you hadn't played there, you would literally not know where to hit it, because you're trying to use these backboards on the greens to get the ball to go from point A to point B, and it's not just like landed by the hole, because they were firm too. So, you know, I I definitely think that we learned a lot about strategy, um, and I think that, um, the men this is kind of interesting, but through 14 holes of play yesterday on moving day, final day, they were within one shot of the lead, 13 or 14 shots going into the day. So they were grinding. We had Oliver Oslin was three under par, we had a couple other players right around, even, and you know we just struggled on those closing holes. They're tough holes but you know we gave it away a little bit and ended up dropping a couple spots to third. But you know everybody was happy.
Speaker 3:It was a great trip, weather was perfect. It was a great trip, um, weather was perfect, course was great and everyone's like motivated to get ready for our conference tournament, which is like two months away. But they're like that's how we go to nationals coach. So you know, game on right, that's what we're going to work on. Would your flight on time come? Coming home it was um we. Everything was pretty much perfect on travel, this time Good.
Speaker 3:Yeah, got back at 11 o'clock last night. Yeah, I crawled into bed around 11.30 and got up about 5.30 am and I was ready to get in the office.
Speaker 2:We went to the golf garage and we just wrapped up our first round of finals in our simile.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And you beat me, your team beat mine.
Speaker 3:It was a team effort. We'll just say your team started talking trash first. We did, because that's what we do, and I had to tell one of your teammates that that's how I play better. And we'll just say that on the 17th hole I might have gotten him back a little bit. All right, hitting to do about say that on the 17th hole I might've gotten him back a little bit, all right, hitting into about two feet on the par three.
Speaker 2:And then my, my teammate came up to me on 18 and said you know, one of us won, one of us lost. It's all on you now. Huh, If you tie this hole, your handicap wins it. If you lose this hole by one, you lose.
Speaker 3:How'd that go? Double bogeyed.
Speaker 2:So is this like the chime in that we say hey we have a mental coach.
Speaker 3:His name's Daniel Shuler. He's amazing. Oh yes.
Speaker 2:We need to have him on the show.
Speaker 3:Game on.
Speaker 2:All right. So yesterday we sat down for about 35 minutes with Super Bowl champion Jermaine Kers from the Seattle Seahawks. What a guy, what a guy. It was, jermaine. Welcome to the show.
Speaker 1:Thanks for joining us yeah, thanks for having me. How are you guys doing?
Speaker 2:thanks so much for coming on our show, and although we do a podcast about golf, we like to have pro athletes on from all spectrums, uh, and we know that after your pro football career, you got pretty heavily involved in the golf industry as well. Can you tell us about what intrigued you to get started in golf?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I started playing golf in 2014-ish. My stepdad got brothers and I into it and I think I remember the time we went playing, we played on this nine hole course and we were just all hooked and you know, my competitive spirit just just couldn't get enough of it. And you know, just trying to hit this little white ball that's not moving and get it to a direction that you want it to go and it's not doing what you want, so it just kind of draws you in and you know I'm super competitive and so that I wanted to kind of master and just kind of draws you in and you know I'm super competitive and so that I wanted to kind of master and just kind of really enjoyed it. And I would say around 2016 is when my golf addiction really took off.
Speaker 1:Um, I spent some time in the northeast and I was doing some pretty much spring ball our otas with the new york jets and teammate and I. We were done by noon every day and we were on a golf course by one o'clock every single day. At the time, my wife and my first born still in Seattle, and so I was going back to Seattle every other weekend and so had a lot of time on my hands and spent a lot of that time on the golf course with my, my teammate, andre Roberts, and that's where it really took and just kind. And I just love the grind of the sport. I love the symbolism of golf and life and everything that comes with it and all the ups and downs and the light bulb moments that happen and the two step backs to go one step forward. I just love everything about the game.
Speaker 2:No matter how great of an athlete you are, golf is hard.
Speaker 1:It is hard. It is such a hard sport.
Speaker 3:And I think that's why Ray loves it and, jermaine, I mean, you loved it so much that you are now a co-owner of not just one but two indoor golf facilities up in the Seattle market. Can you talk a little bit about how that got started? Because I mean, you've got to really be passionate about this sport to do what you're doing up there right now.
Speaker 1:Yeah for sure, I retired from football in 2019. And I spent some time during the COVID year actually working with the University of Washington football team and seeing if I wanted to get on the other side of the game of football and into coaching or some element type of role. So I spent about six months there and I had a conversation with TGA tour player Andrew Putnam, who's a good friend of mine, and we were kind of talking to each other about an indoor facility and my vision for it, and he eventually introduced me to his cousin, greg Bodine, who was at the time caddying for Tony Finau for the past six years. He spent some time with Patrick Rogers after Tony, um, and then he had uh, had retired, um, and so Andrew introduced us.
Speaker 1:Greg had no similar vision and so Greg and I met at a Starbucks for about four hours just talking to each other, getting to know each other, um, talking about our vision of what we wanted to create.
Speaker 1:And, you know, after that four hour conversation we just decided like, hey, let's do this. Um, we knew what we wanted to look like and then instantly we started looking for spaces to kind of create this and, um, you know, we found a place in Redmond Washington and was able to create evergreen golf club. Um, and you know I just found a big passion in it. And you know, none of us, neither Greg or I, have ever started a business. I have no business background, I don't have no business degree, but you know I'm a type of person that learns through experience and there was a lot of learning through this experience of starting a business Some good, some bad, but you know we kept at it, we kept grinding and you know, personally, bearing through all the different challenges we faced, and you know we we were able to create something pretty cool every successful businessman has failures right we could.
Speaker 1:We had an advisory board, just you know, filled with some people through our network and Josh Decker, who was a part of that board, who he created this company called Tag Board, which is, you know, if you look on television or at any arenas and you see people pulling up tweets and put them up, that's his company. And so we got, we were able up that's his company, um, and so we got, we were able to kind of pick his brain. And one one thing that you know there's moments in life where people say things and it just sticks in your head, right, um, one of them. One of them was my coach, steve Sarkeesian. He told me you can't find a way. You got to find a way to find a way. That stuck in my head and you know, sometimes you can't find the path and sometimes you got to find a path to find the path, and you know that's something that always stuck with me.
Speaker 1:But this particular thing that Josh said to us is you know, when it comes to life and you know doing things, there's always going to be points in your life where you're going to fail. He said the important thing is to fail forward, and to me that just stuck in my head and, you know, it just gave me the encouragement that like, hey, there's going to be mistakes, there are going to be failures, but if you're failing forward, that means you're continuing to learn, continuing to persevere and build grit in your endeavors and all the things that you're doing. And so we kept that in mind all the time, and, you know, that's something that we kind of, you know, put in our foundation of how we go about our everyday lives, and it was something that just really stuck with me.
Speaker 2:Those are great words. Let's rewind back a few years here. Pro sports is incredibly demanding. What did you do to set your eyes on that goal and achieve it, from the high school level on up?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I mean, growing up I was a basketball player. I never really consider myself a football player. I remember my freshman year. I even told my my mom I was like hey you know we don't need to buy cleats this year.
Speaker 1:You know, I played in, you know, fourth, fifth grade and I was like you know, we don't need to buy cleats, I, I don't think I'm gonna play football, um, and then I quickly realized my whole friend group played football and I'm like I don't know what I'm. I wasn't that good my freshman year but I'm just very competitive. My competitive nature and my competitive spirit just allowed me to continue to develop my skills. I just kind of enjoyed the competition and that just kind of led me throughout high school. I don't think I really played full-time varsity until my junior year, it's that.
Speaker 1:And you know, I eventually earned some scholarships to some schools, went to the University of Washington, went 0-12 my freshman year. You know I'm talking about a rough freshman year and this is before the transfer portal. So this is you're stuck at where you're at and not saying that I would ever had transferred out. I really enjoyed my time at u-dub and um, that season taught me so much in life of building perseverance and and building grit. You're going to hear those two words a lot out of me because, um, you know, I think those two things are one of the biggest traits of having success in life.
Speaker 1:And so, um, you know just my mindset, just you know I, I just really didn't have any doubt that you know I could succeed in the things that I were, I was pursuing and, um, it kind of just led me to to where I was at. I didn't get drafted, I went undrafted um and signed with the Seattle Seahawks, um as a undrafted and signed with the Seattle Seahawks as a undrafted free agent. But my mindset never wavered and I was still confident in my ability. And you know, I just figured if I had an opportunity I was going to be able to showcase what I was, my worth and my talent. And I was able to do that. And you know, pete took a chance on me and you know, the rest is history.
Speaker 2:Were you always a receiver.
Speaker 1:I mean, yeah, I mean I played some defense, I played safety, I had a couple of scholarships to play defensive back, but I'd rather avoid getting hit than trying to hit somebody.
Speaker 3:Jermaine, I've spent a little bit of time with you, obviously, with our matches between our academies, and you know it's interesting. This is the second time now I've gotten to really hear you speak and every time I'm just taken back. Like you said, the grit that you have, I just, you know, I'm at a college golf tournament right now watching my players go through the ups and downs at the level they're at with this, uh, unique opportunity that if they had that same drive, that same grit, they would be 10 times better today. But you're just seeing them um waver with the adversity of golf and what it brings. What. What changed? I mean, you can't always have that ability to have grit all the time. What really? What do you think really drove you through? What was the drive? What was that factor that you had? Because some people have it but they still have the low points. So what really got you through those low points and those, those highs and lows? That's, that's a huge one for us yeah for sure.
Speaker 1:Um, you know he would take Pete Carroll I'm speaking about. I think he might disagree with this because he always believed that you could teach grit and teach perseverance. And I've always kind of disagreed a little bit about that because I feel like those moments that you learn how to build those characteristics is through experience. You know, for me, you know some of the low points that I had, you know, throughout my life, you know it's just a mindset that I just kind of created. You know, like you kind of just have to like really think.
Speaker 1:You know, I always tell a lot of our juniors golf is a really hard sport. It's becoming a harder sport to be a professional at and make it to the top leagues. For me, I always tell them you have to feel like you belong before you even belong To me. That's just I like that. To me it's not a level of arrogance, it's just a certain amount of confidence that you have in, you know, your, your preparation and how, um, the work and effort that you put in. You know I I always had confidence in my work ethic and you know the work that I put into my craft.
Speaker 1:And you know, sometimes you have to believe that you belong, because a lot of it's not that people don't believe that they have the skill set or whatnot, but some people doubt whether they're worthy to be at the top spot, or they doubt as crazy as it sounds, as scary as it is for people to fail, some people are afraid to succeed too as well, which is, you know, it kind of doesn't really make sense.
Speaker 1:But you know you talk to a lot of more people and you know some people are afraid of the success and you know it kind. Some people are afraid of the success and you know it kind of confuses me a little bit, um, but you know I always tell them like hey, like you have to, like you have to feel, like you you've, especially if you put the work in, you have to feel like you belong, like way before you even get to that point, because you know there's going to be moments where you're going to be tested, you know. And then another big thing that kind of helped me, you know, kind of get through some of that adversity is just figuring out why I'm doing it, you know.
Speaker 1:Yes, I think that's probably going to be the biggest thing you know. That's going to help people persevere and, um, you know, build grit and whatnot is you. You can always rely on your why, but if you don't know what your why is, what was your?
Speaker 2:what was your big? Why?
Speaker 1:My why. I mean, I'm just, naturally I'm just, I just love competition, I'm just very competitive. Um, you know I, you know I I came from. You know I grew up in a military family and there's a lot of you know grew up around a lot of military kids and you know I wanted to prove that I can, I can do it. You know, and you know some people's situations are a lot different. I mean, especially in the NFL, a lot of players come from some real traumatic upbringings, come from some real traumatic upbringings and you know, maybe their why is to get their family out of certain situations. You know, to help their family financially. You know the why's are all different and you know, honestly, it really doesn't matter what the why is. You know some people's why's might be. You know, I just want to be rich. You know, but the why is going to always be the thing and the main reason of what's going to help you build internal motivation to, you know, overcome certain obstacles and adversity, to be able to achieve something.
Speaker 2:Tell me about some of the adversity that you had to overcome, something that's like most memorable or most difficult.
Speaker 1:I mean, you know personally when my dad passed away my dad was a huge was. My dad passed away right before my senior year in high school. I was heavily involved in my sports life. Oh man, Um, going to Owen 12, my freshman year, uh, in in college, um, having a new coach come in and kind of getting put buried at the bottom of the depth chart, then having success after working my way back up and then having a difficult senior year. There were some changes, Quarterbacks, leaving, coming back in. You know it's just start kind of starting over. Didn't have a great year going undrafted. Uh, you know there's, there's always, you know there's definitely fork in the road, moments in my life where you know you choose the wrong direction and you go down a different path. And you know, unfortunately for me, I was blessed enough to you know, choose the right direction.
Speaker 2:Jermaine I had. I have a very close friend of mine who played for a little while in the NFL for the, for the Denver Broncos and then for the Houston Texans for a little while. His dad played very, very successfully in the NFL a long time ago. I was talking to him about competitiveness and drive and what it takes to get to that level and he kind of jokingly said that his three brothers were far better athletes than he ever was and never made it to professional sports. And I said why, what? What made you different than them? What allowed you to succeed? And he said simply because I'm coachable.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean there's gotta be a certain level of humility to have um, to, to be able to, you know, reach full potential. It's actually funny you say this is because you know, like even in for my career, like you know the reality potential. It's actually funny you say this is because you know, like even for my career, like you know the reality is is like not everyone's going to be the, you know, max contract guy. You know and always say, you know, not that you not saying that you can't and not saying that you shouldn't, strive for that, but I always say, like you know, strive for that. But I always say, like you know, knowing your role. You know, whether you know, for me on a football team, um, or or in anything, you know, sometimes it's better to be an elite batman or an elite robin over a okay batman. I like that, um, you know. I know a bunch of guys you know in the nfl who's played 10, 12, 15 years just playing special teams and probably was the dude on their college team or high school team. Um, you know, I actually saw a recent podcast, um.
Speaker 1:It was, uh, um, gilbert arenas, and he was talking to patrick beverly two n NBA guys and he was talking about Patrick Beverly and most people. If you watch the NBA, patrick Beverly is a guy that's known as just like the defensive guy. He's the attitude kind of like, you know, the bruiser of the team. You know he kind of does the dirty work. But he went on and explained that Patrick Beverly averaged 30, 35 points in high school. But when he got to the NBA he understood those opportunities are very slim and so he wanted to play for a long time and so he understood what his role was. And so he understood what his role was and he became elite in his role, which allowed him to play a lot longer than if he was to try to be a guy who was going to shoot the ball 25 times, not get that opportunity, be upset about it. And now he's putting his energy in things he couldn't control and find himself out the league two, three years after it started. Find himself out the league two, three years after it started.
Speaker 1:So it's just, you know, having the, you know the humility to. You know sometimes just play your role and you know sometimes that might take you further than your own. You know selfish reasons or your the plans that you have, um, and you know, for me, you know, were, were there moments in my career where I felt like I was better and deserved more opportunities and whatnot, of course, and you know, sometimes, you know, when you focus on the wrong things, it can distract you. And there were moments in my career where it hurt my career, and you know, but I've learned from it. And you know, I my career, and you know. So, you know, but I've learned from it. And, uh, you know, I decided to, you know, change the way I thought and my perspective on things, and you know, I was able to play eight years that's great advice, jermaine.
Speaker 3:um also, you know, looking at what you're doing up in seattle with evergreen golf club is nothing short of remarkable. I know that I heard about your facility just after I started looking into building Golf Garage and then in talking with you throughout and the successes you've had with those junior golfers every player is so different. It seems like now you are almost like this full-time golf coach at some level and you have a coaching staff up there. Can you talk a little bit and tell us a little bit more about Evergreen and what you're excited about for the future and then some of the up-and-coming juniors? It's your turn to brag about the facility.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, when we created the facility, you know, the number one thing we, you know I wanted to make sure that our facility had was culture. A lot of the things I've learned in terms of culture come came from Pete Carroll and to be able to have him, you know, be able to learn from him and still be able to call him and talk to him about things. It's a great opportunity to have. But a culture was a big thing, whether that was from our juniors, um, to our uh members. You know I I wanted it to all feel and look the same and you know it's something that we preach a lot to our juniors.
Speaker 1:You know, one of our juniors uh, no, you got to see him play a little bit was Walker Lamb, a kid who played golf. He didn't have any offers. He was shooting okay scores, was talking about taking a gap year and whatnot, was talking about taking a gap year and whatnot. And you know we were able to get him involved in our junior program stuff, our Evergreen Elite stuff, and I always say it's funny, like I always knew Walker had the skill set. But what I think really helped out Walker the most was the culture, culture. He was around the conversations that we constantly had, the, whether it was, you know, off the, on the course, off the course.
Speaker 1:You know, a certain type of mentality um, I think that's what kind of switched in and walker's mind, and dude had probably one of the best golf years his, his very last year and was able to earn himself a scholarship, you know, at seattle university, and, you know, played in. He played in all the tournaments in the fall, just started their spring session, had a top 10, took seventh place in Mesquite this past week, and just kind of just shows you, you know, you bring the right culture and you're around the right culture, and you pair that up with a skill set and content that eager to continue to develop, you know it can bring a lot of success. I mean, we have a lot of great players Ethan Schwan, tygen Chia, jack Duffy, a lot of kids at our facility that can play. I think what they're getting is just a mindset change. The only way you do that, though, is if you surround yourself with people who are thinking the same way. Who's more competitive? You?
Speaker 3:were uh me or tigan.
Speaker 1:I don't know if there's too many people more competitive than me. I mean they might, they might be competitive. I remember, I remember yeah, because tigan wanted, tigan wanted to play davis. Yeah, that's right and he was he asking me he wanted to play him, you wanted to play him, but that's just. That's just a mindset that we like to enforce, and you know, and that's just kind of the mindset that Tiger has as well.
Speaker 2:Jermaine, what, what skill sets? What lessons have you learned on the football field that you've been able to bring into the game of golf and teach to your students?
Speaker 1:Great perseverance. Like I said, those are the two things. You're going to hear a lot out of me. You know, I think for me those are the two main things. I mean there's there's a lot of things that are happening on the golf course. You know and ups and downs, you know different flows of the game, you know having good stretches of holes, of holes, and then you know finding yourself making back-to-back bogeys. It's like how do you bounce, how do you keep yourself mentally in that?
Speaker 2:and so you know I I think those are the the two things that are transferable the most and honestly, in every sport what advice do you have for kids, um, that are growing up and not not just in golf but in any sport that they want to be, you know they want to do on a professional level. What advice do you have for them at, say, the junior high school level or high school level uh, to accomplish those goals?
Speaker 1:I mean there's a couple of things I would say control what you can control. You know, I think we kind of get into a we're in an environment where social media is very prominent in our lives and constant comparison to others. You know, especially in junior golf, like that's one thing that I've noticed a lot in junior golf. You know there's, there's some kids that might not be as developed at their age than you know the kid that's winning all the top junior tournaments at their age when they're like, only 13 years old. I tell a lot of our kids I'm like junior golf success doesn't guarantee success in high school, it doesn't guarantee success in college. Or even, you know, like just because you're the top junior right now doesn't mean, you know, it's going to guarantee anything in the future.
Speaker 1:You know we got a kid at Evergreen, lincoln Hitt. You know he wasn't the best at his age, you know, two, three years ago. But the kid grinds and he continues to put the work in and you're seeing the results from it. He didn't care about others around him and what they were scoring. He's fallen in love with the process. That's one thing we say a lot too is like you got to fall in love with the process, because without the process the results don't feel what they should feel like. Right, you know, if the process was easy, I mean then you're going to get through the result and you're not going to feel as what you thought it was.
Speaker 1:But results feel good because you know what that process and how hard that process was, the validation through that process, the affirmation absolutely and you know, if it was easy, then any everybody would be doing it right and so and then the next thing is it's a core quote that we always say is how you do one thing is how you do everything.
Speaker 2:That's the truth.
Speaker 1:And that's the reality in everyday life on the golf course, at home, in school, in your workouts. How you do one thing is how you do everything and it's going to show.
Speaker 2:A couple quick, lighthearted questions for you. What's your favorite golf course that you ever played?
Speaker 1:I got to play Augusta National in November. I had to play it twice, uh no way it was an unbelievable experience.
Speaker 2:Yep, that's everything you would think, and more my next question was going to be what golf course is on your bucket list, but I don't think that's applicable after you play the guys I mean I would like to play cypress.
Speaker 1:Um, I played pine Valley one time when I first was probably like around in 2016. I wasn't that great at golf so I'm like I shot like a 92 and I want another crack at it. I love my favorite golf architect is Alistair McKenzie. I love my favorite golf architect is Alistair McKenzie. So I like to knock off as many Alistair McKenzie courses as possible, so Paso Tiempo is one of them that I would like to get down to. I got to play Crystal Downs in northern Michigan, which was a phenomenal golf course. It was so much fun. I really enjoyed that one.
Speaker 3:It was hard and it was cold, so I had to go back in a warmer time, jermaine, I think our next junior match play might have to be down at Posta Tiempo. What do you think?
Speaker 1:I think that would be great. Maybe we throw the coaches in the match.
Speaker 3:I think that's a mandatory at that point. Yeah.
Speaker 1:What are you eating for dinner? What's your favorite food? Well, I'm at Evergreen Tacoma and we have Evergreen Elite tonight that I'm coaching, so I'll probably be ordering from Chipotle before our session. Yes, so that's probably what I'm eating.
Speaker 2:Real quick before we let you go what is your most memorable time? What sticks with you in your professional career? What, what specific instance, what game, what catch, what when what? What sticks with you the most?
Speaker 1:um, I mean, I mean probably has to be winning super bowl. You know, the first super bowl you know being, you know, from the state of washington, going to the university of was playing for the Seattle Seahawks and winning the city's first Super Bowl. I mean that's a pretty special story for myself, a huge blessing I mean you don't get to hear a lot of stories like that and just super blessed and honored to be able to, you know, own that story I've heard this from from receivers.
Speaker 2:When you're out on the football field, there's so much pressure on you, especially in a game like the super bowl what do you do to get that tunnel vision that receivers talk about to not be taking into account the fans, the pressure and the three or four guys that are about to just clean your clock, the second your hands touch the ball?
Speaker 1:um, you know. Here's another pete carroll thing is pete did a lot in terms of training our subconscious level and how he went about that is repetitive training. So and saying so every, every time, every day, every single day, whether it's practice, a game, you heard championship opportunity, championship opportunity. You know you build these skills and you know these conversations that you're having. You know your mind is and your consciousness is always listening right, it's always paying attention, it's always recording. You know you have to be mindful with how you talk about certain things, with how you think about things, and it's honestly a skill set to train this. You know your subconscious level because always look at it. You know your subconscious is, you know what you do when you don't really have the time, or you know to think about it right, it's just happens, right, and that's whether it's training your, you know your, your skillset, or you know developing your skillset, and so you know getting into those big moments I mean, honestly, the Super Bowl just felt like another game is because Pete had a training that way, as if every day was that game, every regular season, every preseason was that game, and so I mean when you get out there on the field, I mean, at the end of the day the field is going to be 100 yards.
Speaker 1:You know you're going to play four quarters and football is still going to be football. I've been playing that game my whole life, and it's something that I now am trying to retrain when it comes to golf. So it's a whole new journey for myself, because I like to compete in golf as well, and so it's something that I'm trying to train, you know, with my competitiveness in golf, and so it's a whole other journey in itself.
Speaker 2:Jermaine, thank you for your time. It's much appreciated and you've had a lot of wise words and advice that our listeners can certainly take to heart and help them in their personal life and in their golf game as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, thanks, jermaine. Yeah, I appreciate it. Thank you guys for having me on. It's great being with you, jermaine. Thanks guys.
Speaker 3:It was such a pleasure having Jermaine on the show, wasn't it?
Speaker 2:It was, it was, he was humble to tell. And just so much wisdom, as a professional athlete, of what we as an amateur can really take to heart and apply to our game and apply to our personal life as well.
Speaker 3:Well, I would just say that I have already told all my players from SAU they have to listen to this podcast because I've been so fortunate to spend time with Jermaine and he is just a genuine individual and what he's doing in Seattle and I mentioned this yesterday when we were recording it's it's nothing short of exquisite, like his vision. I know he says you know perseverance, grit, all this stuff, and I got to play golf with him at running Y last year and it was so much fun because he he's one of those guys like when you play with someone that's so competitive, they get mad, he doesn't? He just literally understands that this is part of the process and, even though maybe I lost today, like I'm going to grind and I'm going to come back and beat you the next time.
Speaker 2:Well, he said that repetitively, that you know he's the most competitive person he knows.
Speaker 3:Well, and that's why I was joking with with Tygen. I was like I remember this Tygen kid. I'm like this kid is so competitive and he's like, no, I'm, I'm more competitive than Tygen is. So you know what it it's. It's so cool though.
Speaker 3:So, going back to what they're doing up there um, you know we do similar things. We we have an indoor golf Academy at golf garage. We have a global golf Academy, which is different than what they're doing Um, but you know, they have so, so much to offer. They have a tour caddy um in Jibo which is Bryson DeChambeau's caddy Um, and I know Bryson's been up there and spent time with the kids. I mean, that's insane. You have this multi-major champion up there that just loves giving back to these players, and they don't have one, but they have two of these, these facilities.
Speaker 3:So, you know it, it's really cool to see this up and coming, and I didn't know they had that facility um about to open when I started my project. So, naturally, jermaine reached out to me and said hey, we're going to have this tournament and the tournament's going to be an academy based and we want to play against your academy, and so when they came down to running. Y. It was so much fun to be able to play head to head match against another indoor facility and their guys were great and a lot of it was when they first started.
Speaker 3:They weren't necessarily swing coaches, they were just coaching the game and in general life and all this stuff. Now they do have some swing coaches. Um, they have more of an Academy field, definitely, but it's so cool to see and, like in his words, I wanted to build a culture and ultimately, before I met him, that's the whole thing about golf garage too, so I feel like there's a lot of similarities, but they're doing it right up there. I'm really excited to know him and to um to be able to be on this. Like, have him on this podcast was so cool, right.
Speaker 2:And that's that culture and that that mindset, the mental game, is what differentiates the great golfers from the professional golfers, right.
Speaker 3:Well, it's so funny. I mean him saying that I played Cyprus and I play, or I want to play Cyprus. I played Augusta, I want to play Cyprus.
Speaker 2:You played.
Speaker 3:Augusta. Twice I played Pine Valley, oh, but I want redemption because I shot 92. It's funny.
Speaker 2:I was going gonna ask him. I was gonna ask him one, what court, what's your dream, or what's your favorite course you've ever played? And then I was gonna ask him you know what? What course do you want to play the most that you haven't played? And he said, well, I played Augusta National twice.
Speaker 3:I'm like, okay, well, that no one voids my second question yeah, it's like where do you, where do you go from there? There's some good ones, but no, it's pretty unique, um, to have someone like that that has literally won at the highest level of their craft and right and and so now they're going back into another sport and you can just see the drive is already there. That I want to. I don't know what he wants to do with it, but it's like man, is he, where's he going to be senior tour? What's he doing with this? It's pretty cool.
Speaker 2:How did you beat him when you played him at?
Speaker 3:Absolutely. I beat him Good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, good.
Speaker 3:Yep, no, it was a lot of fun. I mean I would, I would just say it. It was competitive, but I would just say we were, we were thinking about the kids during that that event, we were thinking about what we were going to do, we were talking a lot about, we were talking shop, but we were just having a good time. I mean, I think that's the unique thing about him too. As a professional athlete, I've gotten to play golf with a lot of professional athletes. I've coached a lot of professional athletes, just being director of instruction at private clubs. Um, and man, he is down to earth and he is a giver and um, yeah, I mean, if you get the opportunity to go to evergreen golf club, please do. Um, they're going to. You know, just open up their arms to you, yeah, so, um, they're a little East of Seattle on one and then I think their second one's evergreen Tacoma, so down South, All right.
Speaker 2:What do we have to look forward to next week?
Speaker 3:Yeah. So I think in the coming weeks what's unique about this podcast is we're looking at supporting some local talent as well. So, you know, I think you and I both know that we've got maybe potentially Adam Rutledge, you know, and a few other guests from our area, and I think that would be really, really fun to get them on and talk off. That might be a wild time, didn't he call in last week? I?
Speaker 2:don't know, adam did yes.
Speaker 3:Yes, he did so so we'll get that maybe a little bit.
Speaker 2:Uh, conversation about juggernaut open excellent which is at uh centennial golf club. This summer.
Speaker 3:So, uh, we'll have to get those, those guys going on I have a 9 10 t time at centennial tomorrow hey, good luck thank you.
Speaker 2:I'll let you know how I did next week.
