Team GLG Member Jessica Jolly talks LPGA Dow Championship

Team GLG Golfer Jessica Jolly talks about preparing for her second consecutive LPGA Dow Championship appearance. The Dow Championship take place this week in Midland Michigan and Jessica talks about the experience she will take from last year into this years event.

We dive into Jessica's introduction into the game of Golf, and how she landed at the University of Nebraska where she will be a junior on the cornhuskers golf team.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:12

Hey everyone, welcome back to the Not Salty Golf Podcast. We have a couple special episodes this week and next week. Uh the LPGA Tour, who just finished up the U.S. Open, which Nellie Corda won out at Riviera. Um, but they are in Michigan for the next two weeks, starting this week up in Midland for the Dow Championship, and then next week at the Meyer uh Classic, they're at Blyfield Country Club in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Team Great Lakes Gear, we are fortunate to have uh two ladies participating um in those events. Jessica Jolly will be making her second appearance this week up in Midland at the Dow Championship. And so we're gonna talk with Jessica today about just the experience of playing last year in an LPG event and what she's expecting going into this year's event. So it's a busy time right now for Great Lakes Gear. We have all of our golfers, all the guys are up at the Michigan Open this week. So uh if you listen to this, get on, uh, check out their scores. We're pulling for them. Good luck, all you guys up at the Michigan Open. But uh we're gonna dive right in here and talk with Jessica about the LPGA Dow Championship. So thanks for being with us, and I hope you enjoy. Welcome everybody back to the Not Salty Golf podcast. This week's guest, Jessica Jolly, and she's a special guest this week because this week is the how many times could I say this week in one sentence a lot? But uh this is this week is the um Dow Championship on the LPGA tour, and Jessica, who is a team Great Lakes Gear golfer, has qualified for that event for the second year in a row, and so we're happy to welcome Jessica to the podcast. Thanks just for being here, Jessica.

SPEAKER_00 2:10

Yeah, thanks for having me. Excited to be here.

SPEAKER_02 2:13

Yeah, so um we're gonna dive right in about Jessica.

SPEAKER_01 2:17

I think you meant to say excited to be here this week.

SPEAKER_00 2:20

Excited to be here this week. Thank you. I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_01 2:22

Yeah, yeah. We're all happy to be here this week, Miguel. Yeah, this week.

SPEAKER_02 2:29

Um we're we're obviously gonna talk about the Dow Championship and uh you playing in your second LPGA event in in a row in two years or back-to-back years. But you know, let's start from the beginning and give our viewers just a snapshot of who Jessica Jolly is. You're from West Michigan. Um are you born and raised West Michigan?

SPEAKER_00 2:54

I am, yeah. So I was born in Grand Rapids, grew up in Rockford. I've been in the same house my whole life and went through Rockford Public Schools, and yeah. So grew up here.

SPEAKER_02 3:07

Okay, so let's start with golf. How did you get into golf? When did you kind of figure out that you're a little bit better than the average golfer? Um, and then obviously that led to being recruited out of high school and then making the college choice. And can you kind of just give us a snapshot of all that?

SPEAKER_00 3:27

Yeah, absolutely. So both my parents play. That's actually part of when they were initially starting the date. That's how they would spend time together. So golf's been a huge part of my family forever. Um, so I've had a club in my hand, whether it's plastic or uh U.S. like kids' club or a real golf club, as soon as I could hold one, really. And so grew up playing Blyfield Country Club, learned the game there, um, loved it immediately, played a ton of sports growing up and kind of just narrowed it down throughout the years. Got to high school, played basketball through my freshman year, and then decided I just wanted to focus on golf. So put all my energy into that all of high school, and then ended up getting recruited to play in college, played my freshman year at Illinois State University, um, where I was recruited by Coach Hall there. And then got home for summer after my freshman year and found out my coach was leaving to go to take the Nebraska job. So I ended up entering the portal and thankfully it worked out where I got the opportunity to follow her there. And um, now I play at Nebraska, just finish up my first year there, and I'm loving it.

SPEAKER_02 4:32

Nebraska, corn husker.

SPEAKER_00 4:34

Yes, go big red.

SPEAKER_02 4:36

I know if your football team could get a little bit better, I know it would make the state of Nebraska a little bit happier. But uh, how about the golf team? What do you love about playing golf at the University of Nebraska?

SPEAKER_00 4:49

Yeah, I mean, being a student athlete in Nebraska is just an amazing experience, I think, for anybody on any sport. But I think we had a really awesome team culture this year, which was really fun. We had a big team, which we had 12 girls this year, which was fun to get to know everybody. It was very competitive. Um, facilities are amazing. Um, they just built a new indoor facility that was done for the first year this year. That was great. We have locker rooms, coaches' offices, sim rooms, putting room all there, which is nice, especially in the winter. Um, but I would just say it's like everybody there is proud to be Husker and it's fun to be a part of that. And um, I don't know, college golf is just fun. I think most people you talk to probably say that, and I'm I'm loving it.

SPEAKER_01 5:30

College golf is fun. McGee, did you play college golf?

SPEAKER_02 5:33

Um, I played one year, you know. I don't know if you know I went to college to play basketball, yeah. And then um that last year was kind of fell onto the golf team, and that's how I met Danny Jansen. So that's a whole different story podcast. Um but yeah, one year.

SPEAKER_01 5:59

Nice. I've never asked you that. I'm just curious. We're talking to all these collegiate golfers, and I'm just like, man, I wonder if Miguel's ever played college golf. Yeah, that's cool. So you still got eligibility, huh? You trying to go back?

SPEAKER_02 6:10

No, between uh basketball and then the year of golf, I have zero eligibility left.

SPEAKER_01 6:19

Jessica, what's what's been one of the highlights uh since being at Nebraska? Both uh golf team related and not golf team related.

SPEAKER_00 6:25

Okay, that's a good question. I would say golf team related, I keep coming back to the team culture. I think it's just a group that's become a lot of my best friends, um, where it's like I feel like we really push each other on the course, but then we get off of it and have a lot of fun together too. So that'd be a highlight, but also honestly, just the support staff that we have has been incredible. Like our trainers, our strength coaches, sports psychologists, like everybody is like very knowledgeable and also very knowledgeable. Wow, words are hard sometimes, but specific to golf. And so that's been really cool as I feel like we have people who know how to translate their area to the golf course, and that's been interesting to learn a lot there. And then outside of golf, um, I would say I don't know if you've ever been to Lincoln, but the Haymarket area in downtown Lincoln is awesome. It's got a ton of fun restaurants and just it's a good area, especially when you get to like game days, football game days in the fall. That place is so packed. Like I lived on it, and like you gotta plan to not really leave the apartment that day because you can't really get anywhere. It's crazy, but it's it's pretty cool to just see the support the university has.

SPEAKER_01 7:37

That's really cool. Did you so uh you mentioned following the coach? Did you have any experience or any any knowledge kind of what Nebraska was gonna be like and going to the university there was gonna be like? Or was this a clean slate for you entirely?

SPEAKER_00 7:50

Honestly, a clean slate for me entirely. Um, yeah, so I went on a visit before I committed, which I think helped. Um, I talked to some other schools in the process, and I think I had an idea I wanted to play for Coach Hulligan if I could. Um, and then I went on my visit, loved the campus. There were a couple girls there that I met that were really nice, but going into it, I didn't know anybody on the team. I didn't know anybody that went to school there, so it was um kind of taking a chance, but it's worked out well.

SPEAKER_01 8:17

That's one one experience. Um, two, I gotta imagine that was a little intimidating.

SPEAKER_00 8:22

A little bit for sure. I think it helped knowing the coach already because we already established a good relationship, and I think that made me feel a little bit better. But honestly, I was like a mix of excitement and nerves and not knowing how it was gonna go, both on the golf course and also just was I gonna fit in with the team, was I gonna like it, being further away from home? I was nervous about and sure, yeah, definitely a little scary going into it. But I'm glad I I'm glad I took a chance on it.

SPEAKER_01 8:51

Absolutely. That it's it's cool that you open yourself up to that kind of experience and and the vulnerability it takes to to do that and show up and and in a place that you otherwise probably never would have been, right?

SPEAKER_00 9:03

Yeah, definitely not. I think I think if my coach had stayed at Illinois State, I would have been there again this year. And I mean, who knows what would have happened, but I think I'd probably still be there.

SPEAKER_01 9:14

Sure. So curious question. Um for the most part, I've I've personally lived in West Michigan, southern Arizona, and coastal North Carolina. I've I've never been to or played golf in the state of Nebraska. So what is Nebraska area golf like compared to West Michigan area golf?

SPEAKER_00 9:33

Okay, so great question. I'd say there's some golf courses I've heard are incredible that I haven't been out to. One of them I think is called Lost Rail. Um, highly recommend that place, just from what I've heard. I'm not even out there. But um the golf courses that we play, so we don't have a home course. There's actually one being built right now that'll be done my senior year, but we play three or four different courses in the area. One is called Wilderness Ridge, one Hillcrest, one Firethorn, and they're all a little bit different. I'd say they're not crazy different from West Michigan Golf, but like grass-wise, it's it's all the same. And that was pretty familiar for me, which I liked, but still bent grass, still bent grass greens, all that.

SPEAKER_01 10:13

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 10:13

Yep. And so, but there's variety like from a course layout standpoint. Like Hillcrest is really tight. Fairways, you can hit a fairway or think you hit a fairway, and it's probably not in the fairway. Like it's um some interesting um T-shots, and the greens are firm, and then we have one where it's a little bit more open and some short part fives that are pretty gettable. We have one where it's just it's just a good golf course. Like it's called Firethorn uh in Lincoln, and it's like I don't know, almost every hole is just a good golf hole. Like you it requires good shots, and it's it's a good test, so it's kind of fun with qualifying. We'll usually play like three courses in the same set of qualifying, which I like because you get like it requires different things.

SPEAKER_01 10:57

Yeah, test your game in different ways, gives exactly interesting. So similar kind of topography, rolling, like kind of subtly rolling terrain, tree lined for the most part. Okay, interesting.

SPEAKER_00 11:09

It's pretty like similar. Lincoln, like Nebraska's pretty flat. There's a lot of cornfields, I will say. Like especially if you drive out there, it's uh especially from GR, like you hit Iowa and you're in Iowa forever, and then you hit Nebraska, and it's all all pretty flow cornfields and stuff, but there are some subtle like terrain and like elevation differences, it's never like any massive hills, but you get a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 11:34

Yeah, interesting. Yeah, I'm not really sure what my expectation was or what I pictured, but was definitely curious.

SPEAKER_00 11:41

Yeah, great question.

SPEAKER_02 11:42

Nebraska, too, is you know, like in Michigan, we have Michigan, Michigan State University. Um, Nebraska does not have that. Nebraska has the university of Nebraska, and then probably a couple smaller colleges in in Nebraska. So do you feel that difference where everything is kind of in the state put into your university?

SPEAKER_00 12:08

Yeah, a hundred percent. You definitely don't have that like same in-state rivalry that we have here with Michigan and Michigan State. And like I think I was kind of like alluding to this earlier, like the amount of university support that we have is crazy. And I think part of it is we don't have professional sports teams in Nebraska, so everyone kind of pours their energy into the university. Um, and I think that's cool. Is like you meet someone in Nebraska, everybody's gonna say they're a Nebraska fan. It kind of comes down to a rivalry more with like Iowa, for example, instead of something in state.

SPEAKER_02 12:41

Okay. Yeah, that makes sense.

SPEAKER_00 12:44

And then how far a drive is it for you from GR to Yeah, it depends on traffic. I think if you didn't hit any traffic and you didn't make stops, it'd probably take 10 and a half. Um, I came back um for summer and I stopped in Chicago with some friends to drop them off at the airport, but it took me more like 12 and a half, but I think it's probably 11 to 12, depending on traffic.

SPEAKER_02 13:10

I have driven through Nebraska a few times uh when we drove out to Colorado way back in the day to go skiing. Uh, we would leave Michigan and drive out. And they have Garrett, they have these huge swinging gates on the expressway because if they get too bad of winter storms, they actually shut the gates to the expressway to shut it down.

SPEAKER_01 13:41

Do they really?

SPEAKER_02 13:43

Yeah, if I remember correctly, yeah. It's like that whole stretch there, Nebraska, Iowa, because they get so much blowing snow and drift and all that. So they'll actually shut highways down and um never stopped, never stayed in Nebraska, but yeah, have driven through it a few times. Interesting back in the day.

SPEAKER_01 14:05

Truthfully, that's a shorter drive than I would have expected. You want to uh you want to take a not salty 2v2 on the road? Yeah, Nebraska. You want to drive out to Nebraska and take on Jessica Jolly and one of her teammates? I ain't scared.

SPEAKER_00 14:19

That's a great idea.

SPEAKER_01 14:20

His game, his game travels.

SPEAKER_00 14:22

That's right.

SPEAKER_02 14:25

Is the climate pretty similar to Michigan, or is it a little warmer in Nebraska than Michigan?

SPEAKER_00 14:31

It's a little warmer, which has been nice. Um, we were able to get out and play golf a lot sooner than you guys, especially this year. I know it was a pretty tough winter in Michigan. Um, they'd say the springs are very windy. Like it's like some of the windiest conditions I've ever played in, and it's pretty much every day we go out. Um, but temperature-wise, it's warmer, so we get to play a lot earlier in the year. It seemed stayed warm pretty late too. Like we I remember, I think it was, I could be wrong here, but I want to say it was mid-November, and I there was a day where I was playing in like shorts and short sleeves, which was pretty incredible. Um but yeah, definitely a little bit warmer than it is here.

SPEAKER_02 15:12

Sweet. Well, keep that in mind, Garrett and I might road trip and uh do that this fall, you know, like uh in September, October or something. Um let's uh, you know, why we're doing this podcast with you this week is obviously the the LPGA event in Midland, Michigan, the Dow Championship. Uh this is your second year in a row that you've qualified for it. Um I guess you know, I'm sure G's got a lot of questions. My main kind of question or question that has a couple parts would be what's it feel like to qualify again? What have you learned from going into this year from playing in it last year that you'll take with you during this week? And it is a team event, so can you just explain as well the process of how you find a partner for this event? Like, does that partner have to qualify as well, or do you get to just choose anybody you want like how that works?

SPEAKER_00 16:17

Yeah, great question. So there's an amateur qualifier that's been held for a handful of years now over at the Fortress. Um, and so it's just open at AMS, and a lot of times it's mostly AMs from Michigan that play. It's honestly a fairly small field, which is kind of nice. Um, but yeah, so it's a 36-hole event, two days, and the person who wins that event gets to play in the Dow. Um, they get a sponsor's exemption in the Dow. And then so if you win that qualifier, you get to choose a partner. And so last year, um, the girl who's my partner now, her name's Kayla Babanau. She's a teammate at Nebraska, she's from Texas. I actually met her for the first time a year ago at the qualifier. And she ended up winning it. I committed to Nebraska the day before the tournament, and our coach called us and is like, hey, like your future teammates at this tournament, you should introduce yourselves. So we chatted at dinner that night, kind of got to know each other, and she ended up winning it. And I remember being like telling her, like, hey, I'd love to come watch you. I think I have a tournament, but I'll try to come watch you. And she called me a few days later and she was like, Hey, I get to choose a partner do you want to play? And I was kind of shocked. I was like, I've known you for less than a week. And I would, but I was like, Yes, hands down, I'm so in. And so we got to play together last year, which was an incredible experience. And I'm kind of kind of gonna bounce between your questions here. So it was an experience we'll remember for the rest of our lives. Um, we both had our dads on the bag, which was incredible. Um, first LPGA tournament, there was definitely some nerves, but it was just taking everything in. I think we kind of let the nerves take over a little bit. I think it affected how we played. I think we were scared to let each other down a little bit, and I think all of that kind of like it was an experience we were super grateful for. We wanted to play better. I think we played kind of tight for many reasons, and I think knowing that going into this year is helpful because I think this year we're a lot more comfortable. We got here, and I think we're feeling just we feel like we have our footing a lot more than we did last year just because we've been here before, we've done this before, we feel like our games are in a great spot, and it's less of like looking around and being like, holy crap, it's more like okay, we're okay, like we got this. But coming into this year's qualifier, so both of us knowing how fun it was last year and how bad we wanted to get back, we were like, okay, we're both gonna play the qualifier again. If one of us wins, we're going back together. And so qualifier was last week. First round, neither of us played how we wanted to. I actually ball striking day one was kind of all over the place, and we were managing it, making it work, making smart decisions. And then I was, I think, one over through 15, and then I actually made a double and a triple coming in round one. Shot 78, started the second day five shots back, and we were like, let's just let's just go over day, let's see what we can do, see if we can make up some ground. It is what it is, and ended up going out, shot a bogey free 67, and it ended up being enough. I won by one, got the spot, and then Kaylee's joining me again this week. So pretty cool story, and got on properly this. This was last Wednesday, so it's not even Tuesday. Yeah, it's not even a week.

SPEAKER_01 19:35

Six days ago.

SPEAKER_00 19:36

We qualified, and it's honestly, it's just been pretty awesome. Like that was that day was so much fun. And then this week we got in town on Sunday, and it's just been awesome to be back here. Like we wanted this so bad, and I think we're a lot more comfortable. I think we're a lot more comfortable in who we are from a partnership standpoint, but also just who we are as golfers. I think we're coming in with a lot more maturity. I think last year, like the week leading up to round one, I think we were go, go, go, and we I think we wore our bodies out too early. Um, so this year we've been taking it a little bit slower from a practice standpoint of not from a not working hard standpoint, but uh just taking care of our body standpoint. So I think there's more maturity this year, and we're just excited. Our games feel good, and we're excited to go hopefully give it a run this year.

SPEAKER_02 20:25

Uh not to focus on anything negative, uh, but I'm very curious because at the fortress you said you made a double and a triple coming in after 15 and like 14's the hole that usually bites people, the water on the left and the right. There's no bailout. You're either in the or you're in the water.

SPEAKER_00 20:46

Yep, okay.

SPEAKER_02 20:48

What hole did you triple?

SPEAKER_00 20:50

Oh, I know, Mike. So it's kind of funny. That's 13. I made Birdie on 13 both days with a four iron in and a five wooden.

SPEAKER_03 20:59

Holy smokes.

SPEAKER_00 21:00

I know it was two awesome breeze. So, okay, 16 is part four, where you kind of you have to take less than driver off the T. Yeah. And I I blasted a four iron into the right weeds. I'm like, shoot, that's not ideal, but it's okay. We're good. We find the ball up on the hill, yes, like way right.

SPEAKER_02 21:19

It is up on the hill, way right.

SPEAKER_00 21:21

Oh, yeah, I could not see green at all. So I had to go like straight sideways. And like I just didn't finish the swing. I don't know what happened, but um, I chipped out because we found the ball, and I'm like, we're still in a good spot, middle of the fairway. Have I think I had a nine iron in and pin was front. I missed it short right, but it was still fine. Tried to, I thought I had a lie that I could take putter out of the rough. It was not the move. And uh yeah, walked away with double there. I was a little frustrated, but it was like, okay, let's just finish strong. And then 17 is over the water there. I don't know if you can picture it or not.

SPEAKER_02 22:00

Did you hit the brick wall?

SPEAKER_00 22:01

What's that?

SPEAKER_02 22:02

Did you hit the brick wall?

SPEAKER_00 22:04

No, no, I I wish my wall got to the brick wall, to be honest. Um yeah, I hit kind of uh like pop up fade and there's wind into us and it came down short and then um dropped, hit a wedge, hit it too hard, and then pre-play. It was a really unfortunate series of events. And yeah, it was it was kind of tough to swallow because I felt like I'd managed myself well all day, and then I was like, I just kind of handed away some shots there. But I honestly think it's kind of nice to be in a position where you're chasing a lead instead of trying to protect a lead. Like I think it kind of helped me be able to just go out and play like let's just I don't know, if that makes sense, but yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 22:48

I so I have so many questions here that are going through my mind. I'm trying to organize them, but your teammate that qualified last year was from Texas. Yeah, so did she fly all the way up to Michigan from Texas to try to qualify for an LPGA team event?

SPEAKER_00 23:06

Like yeah, she did. She did. It was crazy. I think she honestly might have been the only person not from Michigan in the field last year. Like it's so wild how it worked out, but it's that is crazy, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:19

But it worked out, and so here you are again.

SPEAKER_00 23:21

Um here I am.

SPEAKER_02 23:24

Yeah, gee, I mean, yeah, I would think that you playing in your second LPGA event growing up at Blyfield, which hosts the Meyer event next week. You know, have there been any discussions or have you had any conversations with the tournament directors there about any sponsor invites or anything for you there in the future?

SPEAKER_00 23:46

Good question. So, I mean, growing up, like I was in elementary school and the Meyer event started at Blyfield, and like I was hooked from the first year. I volunteered a ton of years growing up, always am out there watching, and like that was kind of for me part of what started a dream of professional golf for me is I we would post a player at my house, we would go out and watch all the time, and I was just kind of in love with what I saw. Um, and so that's always been a dream of mine is to get out there and play that event. So I've been fortunate enough the past couple years. I've played in the Monday qualifier, and first year didn't play that great. Last year I played pretty well, shot even, ended up missing it by one, but I was happy um to have a pretty good showing there. And then I sent another email this year reaching out just asking about potential sponsors' exemptions into the Monday, which is how I've done it the past couple years. And so I'll play Monday again this year, and hopefully this is the year where we get it done. And but yeah, we'll see. Hopefully, that's an event in my future because that would definitely be a dream come true for me.

SPEAKER_02 24:49

That's awesome. Well, we wish you the best of luck in that Monday. Um, thank you. Katie Lou, as you know, uh she'll be playing in in the event, so it'd be great to come out there and be able to see both of you teeing it up in that event.

SPEAKER_00 25:03

Um, yeah, that'd be sweet. Well, best of luck to Katie too. I'm excited to see how she does her great things.

SPEAKER_02 25:10

Yeah. So gee, you know, her second LPGA event. You know, most people go a career never playing one.

SPEAKER_01 25:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:21

You know, there's there's people that chase Monday qualifiers just trying to get that break or play well to get into one. And here Jessica is are you 21 yet, Jessica?

SPEAKER_00 25:34

No, I turned 20 in April. Yep.

SPEAKER_02 25:36

Yeah, so 19 still playing her second.

SPEAKER_00 25:39

Oh, sorry, I am 20 already. I meant to say turned, like past sense.

SPEAKER_02 25:44

Oh, turn 20. Okay, so anyway, 20 years old, still uh, you know, playing her second LPG event.

SPEAKER_01 25:50

That's G. It's incredibly cool. And I'm curious because I I'm not familiar with the Dow Championship event. And you mentioned the team format. What is the team format? Is it like the Zurich uh on the PJ tour? I mean, is it different formats every other day, or what's it look like?

SPEAKER_00 26:08

Yeah, good question. So it is so Thursday will be alternate shot, Friday will be best ball, and then if we play well and make the weekend, it'd be the same thing. Saturday, alternate shot, Sunday, best ball.

SPEAKER_01 26:19

Nice, okay. That is so cool. So alt shot is typically a nervy format for most golfers because you start to carry a little. I mean, you're not only feeling guilty for your own actions, but you're feeling guilty for yeah, exactly. Yeah, so I I don't want to talk about like because McGee, have you ever played alt shot, man? Like it actually like played true alternate alternate shot.

SPEAKER_02 26:41

I have played a couple events where it's true alt shot, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:45

Dude, I've done it a few times, man, and just the number of times I swear you hear the words I'm sorry is absurd. It's a different different format, different format, different mindset, different perspective. Obviously, you've got it sounds like a great partner.

SPEAKER_03 26:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:59

Um, do the two of you your games compliment each other? I mean, in an alt-shot format, how do you feel about that? And how do you approach that differently than showing up and playing your own ball?

SPEAKER_00 27:08

Yeah, absolutely. So I think that's one of the things that last year prepared us for for this year, because last year, too. I mean, I mentioned we had only known each other by the time we got to the Dow Championship last year, we had known each other for maybe two weeks. And so going into alternate shot, I think that added another level of like we wanted to, I mean, kind of we were gonna be teammates, and I think we both honestly wanted to impress each other going into the year and be like, okay, sure, I want to show that I'm gonna be a good, like, good teammate for her. Um, and so that was something with alternate shot. I think it was tough for us to find a rhythm. I mean, I think you mentioned you've played some events like that, and it's hard. Like it's hard to feel like you get into a rhythm. It's hard to play freely, feeling like somebody else's results are kind of depending on you a little bit. And I would say what we're trying to do this year is just understand that at the end of the day, like the golf shots aren't changing. The shots that we're hitting aren't changing. It's the same white ball, it's the same T-shots, it's the same holes as it would be if we weren't playing alternate shots. So I think we're doing the best we can to just treat the game as the game it always is, if that makes sense. And just I think going into it with the year under about knowing each other and doing it before, I think we kind of have more confidence in the fact that at the end of the day we're um neither of us are gonna be mad at the other person. And I think just doing our best to treat it like a normal round, treat it like a normal shot that's in front of me, have her treat it like a normal shot that's in front of her, and just keep doing that shot after shot until we get into the clubhouse.

SPEAKER_01 28:42

Sure. Um, do your games, do you feel like your games complement each other nicely? Um, uh are your strengths different from her strengths and vice versa?

SPEAKER_00 28:51

Yeah, sorry, I forgot that part of your initial question. I do. Um I think so. We hit it very similar distance-wise. So we have the same clubs coming in for the most part, anyways. Um like our irons are pretty much all go the same distance. If anything, she's slightly longer than me off the tee, but I've closed that gap a little bit. I'm proud of that because last year coming into it, I kind of was struggling from a distance perspective. And I'm happy that this year I've gained a lot of that distance back where I think we're very similar off the T now. So I think it fits well. And so we have to pick who tees off on the even holes and who tees off on the odd holes. And so we thought about that from a ball play, ball flight perspective this year because she hits more of a cut. Right now, I'm hitting more of either a tight draw or a straight ball. And so it kind of worked out where the even holes are more of where you want to see a cut off the T. So she's gonna take those, which I think works out well. And then I'd say our games honestly are pretty similar. Um, I think they complement each other well. So I think it'll be good.

SPEAKER_01 29:55

Nice. Um, obviously, like you mentioned earlier too. I mean, going into this a second time, you're more familiar and comfortable in that type of an environment. Um, when it comes to like the preparation for this, uh, you're there what practice round today? Practice round yesterday?

SPEAKER_00 30:13

Yeah, so we actually got in town Sunday, and then we played Monday and today, and then tomorrow's just practice. So yeah, gotcha.

SPEAKER_01 30:21

And will you play? Did you say there is a program tomorrow?

SPEAKER_00 30:25

Yeah, there is a program tomorrow, which we played last year. Um, this year we're not. I think because of how close the qualifier to the tournament was this year, those box were already filled. Like we technically we didn't get confirmation. Well, we knew we were in, but we didn't get like official confirmation um that we were in until yesterday afternoon, I think. Like everything got officially propped like uh processed yesterday. Um, but yeah, so we'll just take tomorrow as a practice day. Um, but the programs are really fun to play in last year. That was a really cool experience.

SPEAKER_01 31:00

That is cool. Um how how did you two fare last year? What is kind of the benchmark coming out of last year and just knowing where your games are at and where your expectations are this year? How tell me about that?

SPEAKER_00 31:11

Good question. So last year is not what we wanted from a score standpoint at all.

SPEAKER_03 31:15

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 31:16

Um, it was tough, honestly. We finished, I don't remember. I mean, we were very much towards the bottom. I don't remember if it was last or second. It was close, it was close to the bottom. And um I don't know, I think we're better than that from a game standpoint.

SPEAKER_03 31:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:32

And I think, but I don't think there's we're trying to go into this not feeling like we necessarily like need a result. Cause I think for me, that's something that um I've learned with myself if I go into it feeling like I have to do something. I play a little bit more tight. So I think we're trying to go into it more of like we're just gonna really focus on our process this week, really focus on like what we're doing with kind of trying to separate from the outcome while we're on the golf course. And obviously we'll care about it once we get done. But I think I don't know, we feel great about where our games are at. We're ball striking wise, we're both hitting the ball really well. I think we have the opportunity to go low the this week. And so I it's more of we're just gonna go do our best and see what happens type of mentality, rather than being like, this is where we want to finish. Obviously, we want to make the cut. If you ask about we want to make the cut, we want to play well, we want to be up there on the leaderboard, but I think we're trying to keep the focus less about that and more about what we can control.

SPEAKER_01 32:32

Sure. Control the controllables and and let the results kind of come to fruition. Nice. Exactly. I'm gonna spin it back real quick because I'm curious. Um, you were you smiled pretty big, you were pretty excited about closing the distance gap. Um, what'd you what'd you do last year to this year to get longer off the T?

SPEAKER_00 32:48

Um honestly, I gotta shout out my strength coach and athletic trainer and everybody at Nebraska. That yeah, um, I think because I used to be pretty long in junior golf, and then there was a stretch for like a year or two where it was kind of gone. And I kind of was honestly retaught from the ground up how to use the ground, how to apply pressure through my feet this year, and it made a big difference. I think I received like help from my people at Nebraska with exercises due to kind of train um those movements, those feelings. And I think just kind of over time, especially through the offseason, but all year, honestly, I feel like we've just kind of been building and building because I don't think it was much of a strength issue. I think it was more of how I was using that strength. And so I think I kind of just relearned how to actually use the ground, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 33:41

But sure, totally. Can you come teach me how to use the ground? Because all I know is hot yoga is a key to getting it longer.

SPEAKER_01 33:52

That's what I'm talking about. Plug in, Garrett, get less change. That's that is truly why I was curious because obviously, I mean, I so Jessica McGee's he he doesn't he's on the bandwagon here, he's on board with this. He's seeing the results. But I joined a hot yoga studio last November, and I've literally been doing hot yoga, and I call it hot yoga, but really it's more of a sculpt and high-intensity interval training and stuff. But balance, mobility, like all these things, like it just it creates a different golf swing, a different efficiency. And so yeah, absolutely. I was curious about your your journey there as a collegiate athlete and a collegiate golfer and and what you're doing to chase distance because everyone wants to hit the ball farther, right, McGee?

SPEAKER_02 34:31

Yeah, I'd love to. Yeah, but it it sucks every year. I come back off our winter break. I'm shorter and shorter and shorter. But uh I'm gonna work on that body this year. I actually had my first uh golf training session yesterday. Did you really? What did you do? Jackson Court, my boy Jackson Court set me up with uh Lady Robin Smith uh in Grand Rapids, and so I went and saw her and just we started getting after it.

SPEAKER_01 35:05

Nice. Is she is she TPI certified? Is did she take you through the whole mobility screening? How'd you do? Sorry, Jessica. Um we're gonna divert just for a moment. How'd you do?

SPEAKER_00 35:14

This is great.

SPEAKER_02 35:16

Um very weak legs, ankles, stability, very poor. Okay. Um you know hip mobility, very poor. Um, everything else I'd say is pretty good to average to good. Okay. Just from death you know, arms and hands and yeah, uh shoulder, you know, all that pretty average to good. But the the big red check marks were, you know, the scary areas were the waist down. Sure.

SPEAKER_01 35:51

I'm always interested in that. I mean, just fitness and nutrition and all that is such an important part of kind of trying to get to that athletic level that I think we all kind of strive for in one way or another. But I've never been through a TPI screening. I've I've seen them, I've I know about them, I understand them, but never actually done one. So I actually went through the blog list.

SPEAKER_02 36:12

I went through one a while ago. I remember calling Danny J afterwards, like, dude, I just went through this and I'm complaining.

SPEAKER_01 36:21

Um red flags everywhere.

SPEAKER_02 36:24

Right, but Jackson Court was really on me to start working on the body, and um it's it's interesting what I learned in the golf swing. Uh Jessica, I I feel like I'm taking up all your time, but uh all good. I learned what I learned yesterday, I didn't learn before, was my body makes a lot of compensations to generate speed. Sure. But if I swung it properly, I would be generate uh I'm not as flexible as I seem to be. I do a lot of lifting and raising with my arms and hands and a lot of um just a lot of compensations I make in the golf swing. Sure. That's why I like when the timing's good, it can be good, but also if your timing's off, it can be a little chunky, a little thin, a little this, a little that. Yep, so we're really just focused on like your body being in that the core engine of the swing and just staying in that box, and um that there is gonna be some resistance in the golf swing. Once my body feels resistance, it like something else wants to give out to compensate. So nothing is tight or hurts, if that makes sense. That's like understanding like there has to be some tightness and some firmness and some resistance to in the golf swing.

SPEAKER_01 37:52

So interesting. We and yeah, I don't want to take time away from Jessica, but we because we could side we could sidebar on this for a hot minute.

SPEAKER_02 37:59

We'll do a we'll do an episode on body, we'll get somebody on and do a whole episode about this.

SPEAKER_01 38:04

We will who knows? Maybe people just like to listen to you and I. Yeah, maybe you and I can just absolutely next week or something.

SPEAKER_02 38:10

Yeah, um, all right, Jessica, back to you. Uh this we're we're recording this on uh Tuesday. We're gonna put this out tomorrow, which will be Wednesday, so that means you tee off on Thursday. Um, I think Garrett asked some great questions about goals. Uh listening to your answer, I would say you know, I'm not trying to play sports psychologist here, but you have nothing to lose. Where a lot of people playing this event, that's their livelihood right now. Yeah, like they have to make the cut to make a check, and they have to, you know, this is a big week for them. Yeah, you and your partner are out there, excuse me, uh having the time of your life. You're just on summer from playing college golf. Like this could be a fun experience for you, and you know, so hopefully you don't go into it with too much pressure.

SPEAKER_00 39:04

Yeah, absolutely. I think that's a great way of putting it. We're in a spot where we get to just go do what we love on a stage that we've wanted to compete at for years. So I think the combination of soaking it all in and just going out and seeing what we can do is a fun spot to be in.

SPEAKER_02 39:20

That's uh I mean, we both I know wish you the best of luck, and I know I'm gonna try and get out there and support you this week. And um I have to come see you this week, and I have to get over to Marshall because we have a lady playing the Epson tour event over in Marshall. Awesome wearing our gear uh for that event and also the event at Boeing next weekend. So she's kind of a friend of the friend of ours. That's great. Yeah, so it's kind of busy, kind of a couple weeks here for uh Great Lakes Skier. We have all of our boys up at the Michigan Open right now, yeah, playing, and so there's just a lot going on with Great Lakes Gear right now, and our our team members, and between Jessica and Katie playing these LPJ events. Uh um, yeah, just a lot.

SPEAKER_01 40:11

So it is a lot, and then I I heard that the like the founder of Great Lakes Gear is competing in the city match play in Grand Rapids this weekend, too. So it's a little extra travel on the books.

SPEAKER_02 40:22

So we'll we'll get our tea time for that tomorrow. I put in our pairing request, so we'll see if that Nate takes care of us there. So a lot going on right now. Um, let's just let's jump in. You know, I we don't want to keep Jessica too long because she's got to uh get some rest and she's got to be up early tomorrow. Um, I'm sure she's enjoying hotel life there in Midland, Michigan somewhere. So Garrett's a tinker. Are you let's get into equipment, Jessica? Are you are you a tinker? Yeah, are you a tinker? Do you like switch equipment? Always try different things. Are you pretty pretty like once you have your bag set, you kind of stick with it for years? And but before you answer that question, like let's go through your bag. What are you playing? What equipment from driver down to your putter?

SPEAKER_00 41:12

Yeah, sounds good. So with driver, I got a Tailor-made QI 10. Um woods, I've got a title as three wood and a Tailor-made five wood, which is a little interesting, but I've got clubs there that I love. Um, and then I've got tricks on irons. I've got a whole mix of things, tricks on irons, and then I have Tailormade Wedges, and then I have a Scotty Cameron putter. So got a variety of things, and honestly, no, I'm not really a tinkerer. I've found what I like and I've had them for years. Actually, they got fit for irons before I came home for summer, and they said that the tricksons I have are still a good fit. So I've been working with the same bag for a long time now, but I'm comfortable. So I I don't know. It's part of the game I should learn more about, and I'm curious about learning more about, but um yeah, to answer the question, I guess I'd go with no. I'm not much of a tinkerer.

SPEAKER_02 42:08

Garrett's smiling right now. Garrett is happy because he's gonna start asking you questions because you have such a mixed bag. Before you ask her these questions, Garrett, I want to tell you a story real quick. Uh yeah, playing with McCoy a couple times this year, which we we got our match with them next week, I think. Playing with McCoy a couple times, he came back from school and he was had strict irons in the bag. He always had ping irons. Uh, so I asked him about them, you know, and he's like, Yeah, just put them in the the bag and just gonna get used to them and stuff. So when we were up at the state pro am, he was just saying, you know, I I feel like I'm hitting good golf shots, but I'm looking up and they're going left, and I don't know why they're going left. And so he comes back from the state pro am, goes gets fitted again, basically gets reaffirmed that you know the pings he had in his bag were you know, for him, like so he put the pings back in the bag, and then Wyatt told me he went out and shot like 62. You know, playing a casual round, but yeah, makes makes a big difference, man. Yeah, so there is something to tinkering, but at the same point, when you find something that works, you know, it it's it's hard to change. So I know you're gonna have fun with this bag, so go grill her, Garrett.

SPEAKER_01 43:27

No, I'm not gonna grill her about anything. I I enjoy the Taylor Made brand representation sprinkled in there for sure. Um, but no, truthfully, man, tinkering is I know I I kind of geek out on the equipment side and and McGee knows, but just fortunate to have access to a lot of product, which always leads to a lot of curiosity. But it is, it's a double edged sword. And on one hand, you're looking for all these incremental opportunities, and and when you're looking at strokes gain statistics and where can I save two tenths of a shot. Here, where can I save a half stroke there? And over multiple competitive rounds consecutively, that all adds up. And so you're you're chasing X. But to echo what you said, Jessica, having equipment in your bag that you trust and that you know and that you're confident and that you feel comfortable with, I mean, that honestly probably makes the bigger difference than anything else. So what ball are you playing, Jessica? That's the coin, man.

SPEAKER_00 44:23

Yeah, I'm playing uh Pro V1 X. So I've played Tylas balls for a long time. I've kind of bounced back and forth between the Pro V1 and the Pro V1 X's, but I've been in the X for a few years now, and I still really like it.

SPEAKER_02 44:36

Okay, so you're you're playing the Taylor made QI10. Um, you know, the the driver that's out this year is getting a lot of attention as uh being uh one of Tailormates, probably the best driver they put out since the QI10. Um for you, is there any interest in you know demo trying it out the new one? Or you're just like, no, I love my QI10, so it's gonna take until this cracks, I'm playing it.

SPEAKER_00 45:06

Good question. I would say I am never closed off to trying new things when it comes to clubs. Like I am always happy to try something, but I think it would take a lot for me to actually make a switch. Like I think I'd really need to love what I saw. Um, and I'm not really looking to try new things, but if like I don't know, I definitely like wouldn't say no to an opportunity to try something, but it'd be it would be really tough for me. I love my driver, like I'm hitting it well right now, and so it'd be it'd be tough.

SPEAKER_02 45:38

Well, this is the difference between Jessica and Michael McGee. Okay, main difference. If Michael McGee was at a playing in a uh tour level event, he would be going by every manufacturer possible, saying, I'm playing, here's my player badge. You know, do you mind would you make me up a putter? Would you make me up a wedge? Would you make me uh uh you know, I can go out and try. And I would be taking full advantage of equipment opportunities you get just from playing in a tour level event.

SPEAKER_00 46:11

You know, fair enough, fair enough. I get that for sure.

SPEAKER_01 46:15

Jessica gave us a much more Scotty Scheffler answer to your driver question there, Mickey.

SPEAKER_02 46:20

That's probably why she's played in a tour level event, and I never will play.

SPEAKER_01 46:24

If the QI 10 ain't broke, don't fix it, right? That's cool. What's your favorite club in the bag, Jessica?

SPEAKER_00 46:32

It's a good question. Um honestly, I love my that's such a good question. It kind of varies. Um, I think right now I'm loving my nine iron, it's just a great number for me, and I feel like I can attack pins with it, and it's just a very comfortable club right now.

SPEAKER_01 46:51

Okay, okay, cool pick. That's not one that you commonly uh driver, she goes with nine iron. I love it. Yeah, yeah. It's yeah, Tin Cups got a seven iron, but Jessica Jolly's got the nine iron. I've never I never missed with my nine iron. That's cool. I love that.

SPEAKER_02 47:08

Are you a club thrower? Do you get upset, Jessica?

SPEAKER_00 47:11

Um, I would say I don't throw clubs. I don't throw clubs. I do definitely like I can feel it internally sometimes if I get frustrated. I try to be as level-headed as possible, but there are moments where obviously if you want to hit a good shot and don't, it can be tough. But no, I try to try to keep it all internal. I definitely I think I think my parents would be pretty frustrated with me if I uh if I threw a club. I learned that young.

SPEAKER_02 47:36

Uh Garrett brought up tin cup, you know, and so I was like, yeah. She's got her nine iron. Does she need everything?

SPEAKER_01 47:43

Clink, clink, clink.

SPEAKER_02 47:46

Garrett, Garrett, how many uh thuds did you hear on Sunday?

SPEAKER_01 47:49

This is Jessica John I we're talking to, not Danny Jensen. I mean, shoot, you can edit that out. I mean Brent Motterman that was Brent Modern. You're right. Sorry, yeah. There are a few clanks and thuds, and although uh Jessica, have you met these guys? Have you met Danny and have you met Brent?

SPEAKER_00 48:09

I've not. No, I'm not.

SPEAKER_01 48:11

All right, so McGee, you can edit this out if if some of our listeners don't want to have names dropped and stuff like that. But Danny is our habitual like helicopter. You might see something things might go airborne, but he wasn't. He was on his he was on A1 behavior on Sunday, which is more common than we might make that out to be. But Brent Brent was Brent is also competing this weekend, so he's grinding, he's working hard, and his product was going airborne, but Danny was just egging them on. It was golf club bounces off the top of the golf cart, and Danny's over there in the cheering section. Like, I love that sound, and I'm like do it like a man, yeah. There you go. But good on you. No clubs thrown, no clubs broke. That's that's the mature way to play the game.

SPEAKER_02 49:03

Yeah, it is. What do you got for it, G? I'm we get we can't keep her too late. It's she's gotta get up.

SPEAKER_01 49:15

Not having a whole lot of experience in and following the Dow championship event. I'm excited to check it out on Thursday and and throw your name up on that leaderboard and and follow you along. So this is gonna be awesome.

SPEAKER_00 49:26

Thanks.

SPEAKER_02 49:26

Do you know your tea time yet?

SPEAKER_00 49:28

Not yet. I think we'll find out tomorrow morning sometime. So I'll send those your way once I get them figured out.

SPEAKER_02 49:35

Isn't that crazy? G that they don't give you your tea time to the night before the event. So you have no idea if you're early, late, late, early.

SPEAKER_01 49:43

That is that is a wild card kind of thing, man. I didn't know that. Is that common? Uh the only question that I didn't get to ask at any point in this, and this is gonna feel like we're taking two steps back. But Jessica, do you have any other professional competitive event experience besides these two Dow championship events?

SPEAKER_00 50:01

Um, I so not from a actual LPGA tournament perspective. This will be my second actual, but I've played two Monday qualifiers now for the Meyer, and then I'll play that third one next week. But no, this is this is whenever. So it's it's pretty it's pretty cool for us.

SPEAKER_01 50:19

Yeah, no, no, without a doubt. And it's always interested to kind of get the competitive lay of the lane because like McGee said, that does seem that seems crazy. Like I feel like if I were in your shoes right now, I'd want to know what time I tee off on Thursday. Yeah, yeah. At this present moment, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 50:34

I'm definitely I'm definitely excited to know. Um, but yeah, honestly, just trying to take it one day at a time right now and just stay stay in the moment.

SPEAKER_01 50:44

So whenever that time comes out, you'll show up and you'll be there ready to go.

SPEAKER_00 50:48

Exactly. Whatever is I'll show up. I'll go play golf.

SPEAKER_01 50:51

So that's what matters.

SPEAKER_00 50:53

That's good stuff.

SPEAKER_02 50:54

Make sure you uh text me the when you find out, Jessica. You shoot me a text and let me know the time.

SPEAKER_00 50:59

Yeah, absolutely. I will.

SPEAKER_02 51:01

Well, I appreciate you coming on. Is there anything you'd like to say to our listeners or anything before you go?

SPEAKER_00 51:08

We'll have to go with Go Big Red. Go Big Red.

SPEAKER_02 51:11

Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa.

SPEAKER_00 51:14

But thank you guys for having me. I really appreciate it. So have a great rest of your night.

SPEAKER_02 51:19

We we appreciate you being part of Team Great Lakes Gear, and we appreciate how you represent the the company and not Salty Golf and Team Great Lakes Gear. And uh, we're wishing you the best. And the whole team I know is gonna be behind you watching the scoreboard. Uh so just go out there and have fun.

SPEAKER_00 51:38

Thank you. I will.

SPEAKER_01 51:39

Yep. Last last question before you hang up, McGee. Jessica, what glg shirt are you wearing on Thursday? You got the scripted.

SPEAKER_00 51:48

So that's a good question because I know I have to wear red on Friday. So we're gonna rock and Nebraska polo. Gotta figure out, gotta figure out what Thursday is, gotta coordinate with Kaylee. So we'll see. We'll see.

SPEAKER_02 52:00

What do you have? Yeah, black, blue, yeah, black, blue.

SPEAKER_00 52:04

I wore color. Yep. Wore some orange on Monday. I wore, what did I where did I? No, wait, orange was Sunday. I think I wore blue yesterday. Today, oh my gosh, it was today. I should remember this. I don't remember what I wore, but I got a great, great collection of options. It's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 52:26

So while you're wearing the hoodie right now, right?

SPEAKER_00 52:29

I am so comfortable. So comfortable. So I love it.

SPEAKER_02 52:33

I don't think you'll need the hoodie. The forecast looks like 90 tomorrow. I saw and 80. So yeah, it's gonna be yeah, it's gonna be hot.

SPEAKER_00 52:40

It's gonna be hot.

SPEAKER_01 52:41

Well, whatever you land on for round one, send McGee a pick. I'm sure he'd love to throw it on his social media. Oh, I will for promote.

SPEAKER_00 52:47

Oh, yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 52:48

That's too cool. We'll be cheering. We'll be cheering.

SPEAKER_02 52:51

Uh yeah, maybe if it's all right, Jessica, you can give your mom my number and have her text me a couple picks while you're out playing.

SPEAKER_00 52:57

Yeah, that's a great idea.

SPEAKER_02 52:59

So awesome, Jessica. Jolly, thank you for coming on. You have a great week. And you know how you said in the day two of the qualifier, you're like, you know what? What do we have to lose? Go have a day.

SPEAKER_00 53:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 53:10

Well, get out there this week, start Thursday and you have nothing to lose, and go out and have a day.

SPEAKER_00 53:16

Thank you, guys. We're gonna we're gonna go try.

SPEAKER_01 53:19

All right. That's awesome. Good luck, Jessica. Play well.

SPEAKER_00 53:22

Thank you. See you guys.