7th Hole - Bradley Dredge, playing for peanuts!

Golf Pod Cymru – Episode 7: Bradley Dredge Special

Join Rhys ap William, Eryl Williams and Matt Dearden for another episode of Golf Pod Cymru, bringing you the latest stories, personalities and talking points from the world of Welsh golf.

Welsh Golf Round-Up

We begin with our regular look at the professional and amateur golf scene in Wales, including the standout performances from the past week. We also shine a spotlight on the Open Championship qualifying events, discussing the players chasing their dream of earning a place in golf's oldest major.

Special Guest – Bradley Dredge

This week's episode features an extended interview with Welsh golfing legend Bradley Dredge. Bradley reflects on his journey from amateur golf in Wales to competing on the biggest stages in world golf. He shares stories from throughout his career, discusses his greatest successes and The Masters experiences, and offers a fascinating insight into life as a tour professional.

Matt's Challenge

Has Matt recovered after being well and truly "Slayed" at Slaley Hall? We catch up with him to see how his game is progressing following a tough week at the PGA Championship and whether confidence has returned ahead of his next golfing challenge.

Welsh Golf News

We discuss the announcement of the Welsh teams selected for the upcoming European Team Championships, highlighting the players who will be representing Wales and what the championships mean for the future of Welsh golf.

Ask Matt

This week's question comes a little closer to home, as Eryl turns to Matt for some much-needed help on the greens. With the putter refusing to behave, Matt shares his advice on improving confidence, consistency and holing more putts.

Whether you're following Welsh golf, love hearing from the game's biggest names or simply want to improve your own game, Episode 7 is packed with insight, stories and plenty of golfing chat.

Golf Pod Cymru – celebrating the people, places and passion that make golf in Wales so special.

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:14

Hello and welcome to the seventh hole of golf pod Cymru. We're nearing the turn looking to pick up a couple of shots on the front nine before the brutal back nine on this course that we discuss everything about Welsh golf and beyond. Episode seven, hey, wow. Time flies. Erl, Matt, still happy with this three ball? Still looking for another one, possibly. Yeah, another one to join the group will be good. July. We're almost in July, guys. You know, the the month of the open. I'm sure we'll have a special part about the open at the Royal Burkdale this year. But we're going to touch on results in the amateur and pro game, how our Welsh golfers are doing around the world. Our topic this week is a little bit different because we're going to discuss our um interviewee, one of our best golfers of all time in Wales, Bradley Dredge. We'll have a little bit of reaction to that. We'll have Matt's challenge. We'll have a bit of Welsh golf news, and I will finish with the Ask Matt section. So we're all set then. Let's uh let's tee it up. And first on the tee is is Matt with the results for the uh the pros and the amateurs of Welsh golf.

SPEAKER_03 1:25

Obviously, with us recording the podcast fortnightly, we're covering results from the past week and from the past fortnight. So I'll start with the the open. The open, they hold regional qualifying to start with in order to progress to final qualifying. So this was taking place up and around the UK. 16 venues in total for regional qualifying. So our Welsh players at these venues at the Caldy Golf Club, Matt Totti, he actually won there with a score of 67, 5 under par. At Minchin Hampton, we had Owen Edwards and Ollie Farr, both tied first with scores of 68, 4 under par. The Island Golf Club in Ireland, Jake Hapgood was there. He finished tied third with a score of 68, 4 under par. So those guys progressed to final qualifying, which was actually held today, as we record in this podcast. So final qualifying is held at four separate venues, again around the UK. And we had two players that were exempt from regional qualifying, Toby Hunt and amateur Max Weaver. So they joined the other qualifiers at final qualifying. Now, unfortunately, none of our players made it through the final qualifying stages with the top five players from each venue getting an exemption into the open. Owen Edwards came really, really close. He shot a superb first round of 64 at Burnham and Barrow. He was actually leading, I believe, Errol, was he after round one?

SPEAKER_05 3:01

Yeah, I think he was still leading, I think, after 12 holes of his second round. He was doing fantastically well. But like yourself, Matt, I played Burnham and Barrow and it's a really tough finishing stretch there. So looking at his score, obviously the wind or the course got to him, and it's a real shame that he he kind of lost a few shots those last few holes.

SPEAKER_03 3:20

Yeah, it it looked like eventually he missed out by four shots. He came back on the back nine in 41. So yeah, that that's you know sad news really for Welsh golf and in none of our players actually getting through. But you know, we've got to give them all a credit for actually getting two final qualifying. And it it is brutal, you know, the the the two rounds in one day, you know, especially playing places like Burnham and Barrow. Uh I believe this morning it was flat calm, and no doubt those conditions would have changed, you know, dramatically come the afternoon round, so it would have been a lot more difficult. And look, you know, they're they're in good company there by by not getting through, you know, the likes of Sergio Garcia, Mark Leischmann, Danny Willett, all featuring at you know venues around the UK, and and none of those got through either. But you know, well done, well done to the guys for for actually getting there. It's just one step away, isn't it?

SPEAKER_05 4:12

So we're getting close, so it's good to hear these guys are are kind of knocking at the door.

SPEAKER_03 4:16

Yeah, it you know, it's a it's a great it's a great tournament. I mean, you know, I I can't really think without delving too much into other sports, where can you qualify for a a major championship and potentially be three rounds away from playing playing at a major? So yeah, well done to those guys. Moving on to some amateur news. We had the RA Amateur Championship at Royal Liverpool and West Lanx. So in the stroke play stages, both Tommy Bowen and Joan Rowe qualified from the stroke play element of the tournament. Um from the stroke play, they advanced through to the match play stages, but um both of those players drew each other in the first round. Yoan claimed the bragging rights with a hard-fought win, uh, winning on the first extra playoff hole. He progressed to the final sixteen, but he came up against Grape Stewart, who claimed the match with a with a five and four victories. In the women's amateur championship, uh that was being played at Muirfield in Scotland. Uh Gracie Mayo from Royal Puth Hall, she was the only Welsh player in the field. And the format year is is similar to the men's championship, starting with two stroke play rounds with the top 60 advancing to the match play stages. Uh now Gracie led the stroke play after round one with a superb first round of 65. She eventually qualified in fifth position after a second round of 73. Again, unfortunately, Gracie lost in round one, six and five to Shona Lu from Canada. But again, great signs that uh you know the both men's and ladies' amateur games are you know are looking pretty sharp at the moment. Moving on to the ladies' European tour. Uh the Dutch Open was at Goya Golf and Country Club. We had four Welsh players in the field, Luca Thompson and Darcy Harry missing the halfway cut, unfortunately. However, another solid week for Lydia Hall with rounds of 75, 66, and 70 for a share of 18th position. But our standout player that week was Chloe Williams with rounds of 69, 70, and 69 for a tied fifth position. So yet again, another top five finish uh for a Welsh player on the Ladies European Tour. Moving on to last week, uh the check open on the Ladies European Tour was held at Royal Baroon Golf Club in 43rd position. A tied 43rd position was Lydia Hall and Luca Thompson, both on eight under par. Darcy Harry missing the cut on three under par. The cut uh that week was five under. So again, another low cut on the ladies' European tour, so a very high standard of golf that week. Moving on to the LET Access Tour. Last week they were in Germany at Burgish Land Golf Club. Fionn Tynan finished in tied fourth position with rounds of 73, 69, and 68. So that's uh Fionn's second top ten finish in four out ins this season, which lifts her into tenth position on the order of merit. On the Hotel Planetor, last week Toby Hunt uh was playing at the English Open at the Vale Golf Club in Worcestershire. Toby rounds of 73 and 71, missed a halfway cut by a stroke. Now there's nothing worse than missing a halfway cut by a shot. It's happened to me probably more than well, more times than I care to remember. And the the the the second in thing for me is when you do miss a cut by a shot, if you're if you happen to be out very early on the second day, then your name appears right below that cut line, so you end up not just missing the cut by a shot, but you sort of dangling just below the players who have just made the cut, and you know that that's um yeah, that's not very nice. Moving on swiftly to the China Tour. Bangkok Open was at uh Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club, and Tom Froom, obviously our only Welsh man out there. Uh he's got rounds of 73 and 72. Unfortunately, he didn't miss the cut. Maurice, I think uh we're gonna try and get him on the podcast at some point. Is that correct?

SPEAKER_04 8:19

Yeah, I was just looking at the the China tone and then uh checking in with Tom and uh I touched base with him and asked him would he like to be a guest on Golf Pod Covery and he said absolutely, so we just gotta get it in um in the can somehow because obviously it's a different time zone and all of that, so you know we'll uh we'll we'll get it sorted and we'll get him on the on the pod as soon as we can. It's you know it's quite a story to be out there, and I look forward to hearing what he's got to say.

SPEAKER_03 8:45

Yeah, absolutely. No, it'd be uh it'll be great to get his sort of views on living out there and sort of the lifestyle and you know what the golf courses are like and sort of how he's dealing with it. So yeah, it'll be good to get him on the on the show. Moving on to um one of the other development tours that we've not talked about so far in the podcast, the Alps Tour. Uh so the Alps Tour, similar to the Clutch Tour, it's uh a development tour that leads towards the Hotel Planet Tour. This week they were in Player Serena in Andalusia. So um we've got one Welsh player who's playing over on the Alps Tour, um Tom Savile. Tom was a member at Glamorganshire Golf Club. Uh he was there when I was club pro as well, so I know Tom quite well. Uh Tom's been playing quite a lot of events this year on the Alps Tour, and last week he finished in a tie for 17 through rounds of 72, 74, and 69. That was the first cut he's made this year. And he's been unlucky actually in the last couple of tournaments, you know, talking about missing cuts by one or two shots. The last few tournaments he's he's just narrowly missed out. So hopefully this result for Tom over the last week will sort of enable him to kick on a little bit from year and hopefully we can see uh a few better results moving forward as well.

SPEAKER_04 9:59

I I got a question for you, Matt, on that, right? How how do you go about funding, you know, playing on the China Tour or on the Alps tour? Do you do you need sponsors then? Do you do you need backing to get onto the tour?

SPEAKER_03 10:12

Yeah, look, it's it's incr if it's incredibly expensive, especially when you start talking about sort of maneuvering around Europe and catching flights and you know hiring cars. So yeah, a sponsor would be a great start. But a lot of these guys out there, you know, especially a lot of the Europeans, they get looked after really well by members at their golf clubs. They've got wealthy members that sponsor them. We don't see so much of that in this country. I have no idea why. But um, yeah, it would be a great help if uh you know if you had a sponsor. Other than that, it's just sort of uh, you know, you're gambling on your own own ability, if you like. So you're you're hoping that you're gonna make the cut, you know, first and foremost, and then you're hoping that you're gonna make enough money to cover your expenses for the week. So yeah, it it it's really difficult. And you often see full fields at the start of a season, and then as the season progresses, you'll start to see, you know, a few gaps appearing in some of these tours where obviously players are potentially running out of money. And also, you know, the the golden carrot is to finish, I think it's in the top five, where then you get an exemption to play on the hotel planetur. So if you've got three or four tournaments left and you've had a shocker of a year, you can't then statistically qualify to get onto the hotel planetur. You're probably gonna jump ship because you're not gonna make any money and you're not gonna progress. So yeah, it's it's it's a tough one and it it's expensive. Moving on to some regional news, uh, Aspury's very own Richard Dinsdale won the annual Witchurch Pro Am on Monday. Is that right, Daryl?

SPEAKER_05 11:44

Yeah, I played with him yesterday actually. Um, so it was a pleasure to see Rich playing well and that background, he was three under. I could have easily been, I think about seven. He had three lip-outs, he had a double bogey in there. Um so he was delighted to to win that one. But um did the program itself was great. Witchurch was in great uh condition. We don't have many local West Region programs um in South Wales, so it was good to support and and be there yesterday.

SPEAKER_03 12:13

One last thing. This week, as we're recording this coming Thursday, we've got the US Senior Open Championship in Ohio at Skiotto Country Club. So, fun fact of the day this is where Jack Nicholas grew up and learned how to play golf. We've got a couple of Welsh players in the field, uh Stephen Dodd and Jamie Donaldson. So we'll cover this, I think, in the next episode and see how they get on.

SPEAKER_04 12:35

Thanks very much, Matt. Okay, let's get on to our topic, which is uh our interview. So, Eril, I'm I'm I'm guessing we'd we'd throw straight to the interview with one of the best golfers Wales has ever produced.

SPEAKER_05 12:47

Something a bit different. Uh, this episode on Golf Podcast. Usually we do an interview over Zoom or over a coffee, but this week I've been privileged to have a game with one of Wales's best ever golfers, Bradley Dredge. So we're here at Radar Golf Club to have 18 holes and a bit of a chat. And I've been lucky enough to play a few times with you, Bradley, and I know how uber competitive you are. So we'll probably have to play for lunch or something. So before we start, how many shots are you giving me?

SPEAKER_01 13:13

Let's not be like that now, Aaron. The last time we played, you played well. So we'll do what's your playoff?

SPEAKER_05 13:18

I play off three.

SPEAKER_01 13:19

Three, okay. Give me three shots aside. Three shots aside.

SPEAKER_05 13:24

Yeah. Okay. Are you thinking four, five under today?

SPEAKER_01 13:27

Yeah, around most course. I obviously I know this pretty well, and condition looks good. If I play any golf course, the restricting factor a lot of the times is condition. If the condition's not very good on the greens, then I can't hold pats, I can't chip my clothes, I can't make it close.

SPEAKER_05 13:39

Well, conditions days, perfectly. Not much wind, sun's out, it's really hot. Um looking forward to have a chat. Let's get cracking. Right. So let's go back to the early days, uh, Bradley. When did you pick up uh a set of golf clubs and what was your journey from junior to turning pro?

SPEAKER_01 13:54

Yeah, so um I think like a lot of guys, my father took up golf. I was about twelve at the time. So um my dad is really good in that whatever sport that myself and my brother wanted to play, he was always there with us, so it could be in cricket, we'd be football, golf, snooker anything. He was just like, yeah, come on, let's go and let's have a game. But but this this time he actually took up golf and took myself with him, Caddy and then he started a few balls on the course. Where was he? Well, we started then at uh places like uh Castle Heights and Cadlian. Um so it's just pay and play. And um, you know, you just get into golf and yeah, it was a good way to start. Those courses, both of them were certainly adequate enough, you know, for beginner golf.

SPEAKER_05 14:35

And then what kind of age did you then think I'm pretty good at this?

SPEAKER_01 14:38

So I was I always remember actually I was I was starting to do really well uh in junior golf. I was about 17, probably just turned 18. I felt that I was competitive at junior golf. I felt as though there was a possibility that I you know I could be a professional. So I remember saying to my father at the time, you know, I'd love to be a you know a golf pro. And uh he was very sensible and he sort of said, Well, that's all well and good, but stay in school to the A levels and you know you've got to have that as as packet. So and he was spot on, you know, I I do believe in that because obviously the odds of somebody making money in any sport is low. What was your handicap then when when you when you turned pro? I turned pro plus three.

SPEAKER_05 15:16

Plus three. Yeah. And that which club at that time?

SPEAKER_01 15:18

Uh so Brometto's. I was still a member at both Barga and Brometos, but Brometows mainly then because that's my my father's always been a member there um for all the years, he's still a member now. And I was originally at Bargaard because they had a really good junior section uh when I was like 12, 13, because a few of my friends were up there. So I joined Bargaard at first, and then I got to around age of about 16, 17, playing well then at junior golf. And um LaMorgan were there was one or two of us who were good enough to play county men's but wouldn't select us because we were juniors. But Gwent turned around and said to me, Well, if you if you make Romados your home course, you can then go into Gwent and we'll pick you for the Mainz County. I was like, I'm gonna do that then. So that's what I did. But think about my career, I want to get on, and uh so you know, in the next stage was county golf, and also you want to get into senior golf.

SPEAKER_05 16:04

So even now you look you look back at that time, and that was a decision you know that could have changed your You never know. You never know.

SPEAKER_01 16:10

Small things, but I wanted to be competitive, you know. Well at least at the beginning, I'm a very competitive person. We all are obviously you're doing well in junior golf, but men's golf is different. So I wanted to be playing county golf or men's county golf.

SPEAKER_05 16:21

I'm involved quite a lot with junior golf and that sometimes the opportunities that juniors need to get to to progress, and sometimes they get held back. And I guess that was potentially true of you, and you made the right decision.

SPEAKER_01 16:33

Yeah. So after schools and A levels, what happened after that? So I I started playing well then, uh pushed on 18-19. I started playing really well. And I think I was 19 when I in the same year I was runner-up in the European Amateur stroke play, and then lost in the final the British amateur as well. So also progressed a bit in my amateur career, and then that year then was the Eisenhower trophy at the time. I got selected for the Eyes Nower Trophy. Um first Welsh one.

SPEAKER_05 17:02

Right, okay.

SPEAKER_01 17:02

So that was a quick thing, that was a quick thing. So I played that and the following year then Walker Cup in America. So I got selected for that, so I was 20. And then I was um I was playing a lot of golf and being coached at the time by Paul Mayer. Paul had been on tour for a long time, you know, very knowledgeable about games as a whole, and was advised me a bit. And he said at the time, turn pro because he said there's there's nothing else you can do apart from winning the British amateur. There's nothing else at that time that's gonna help you going forward. So I was 20 years old, and he's saying to me, turn pro. The issue was I don't have any money, literally nothing. My parents don't have you know, don't have money. So I was under Nar in, and then I was exploring avenues to finance my golf because you know, pro golf and it's so expensive. So um, and then the Welsh Golf Union turned to me and said, next walk-up in two years is gonna be in postcore. Stay amateur for till then. Um at the time, you know, they would they would fund sort of practice and a little bit of help financially and pay for the tournaments or something when you go with me to this. That was a big thing. So I thought I didn't want to take the risk, I don't have any money. Stay in amateur for another two years. Worst decision ever made. Really? Other guys are turned pro. I'm just I'm playing two years, amateur golf, and uh I played my way out of the team. So I played played Paulie for two years. I I couldn't get motivated, and I was trying different things out swing-wise, and I felt as I wasted two years. Didn't get selected for the Walker Captain Plus Ball. I should I shouldn't have been selected, it's not like oh cell grapes, I should have been selected on playing one. So um I missed that, and I was in the same situation then at 20 uh, 22, 23. I'm like, I'm just gonna turn pro because I'm not in anything here. So the first year I was playing West Regent. It was the best thing I could have done in terms of a young career because then uh all I'm thinking I'm playing playing West Regent Primes, playing small tournaments. The primes are probably worth about 600, maybe 700 pounds first prize. One round again, I know uh against guys who played the courses before, good players, turn up and try and shoot a score. Win some money. I need the money. So it was quite a learning process because uh rather than just smacking driver everywhere, I did iron everywhere to keep reinplay, knowing that as long as I found it and I packed it okay, I'd shoot something in the 60s. I was yeah, it was pretty decent. So I knew he was gonna shoot something in the 60s, and I'd pick up a check. If I played really well, I'd shoot mid-60s and have a good chance of winning it. That's what I learned then how to play for money. Right, okay effectively. Right. It was really good for me as coming from amateur golf because there's no help then once you turned a pro. You know, you left by yourself and all of a sudden it was all about making money. I had to fund myself, had to find a way of getting the ball under cool. Is that added stress so I didn't know that's it? But I know it's stress and pressure, but ultimately to play good sport at a good level, it's all about playing under pressure. And if you can't do it, don't bother. Go and do something else.

SPEAKER_05 19:41

Yeah, great, great advice. I've started quite solid, two parts, but I find myself two down. You've gone birdie birdie, great start. Obviously, I did say you're competitive as taking the yeah. It could sound pleased for me. You're working a bit of enthusiasm there. Um you mentioned Paul Mayo there, so do you think he's he's the guy that influenced you most as a young golfer?

SPEAKER_01 20:02

As a young golfer, yeah. I learned a lot from him in terms of scoring, just how to score short game importance of how to practice a little bit, um, organise my time.

SPEAKER_05 20:10

So when you turn pro and or playing on tour, yeah, um, playing with a lot of the icons now of golf tag, words and the elves, Harrington, a Woozy, who were your kind of idols or heroes when you were growing up?

SPEAKER_01 20:23

So when I was growing up, it was we were definitely looking at Wuzzy because obviously being Welsh and World Number One doesn't know great, great player. He played an exhibition match down at Hoth Hall with Brian Haggitt, obviously Wuzzy, uh Peter Evans, and uh I went down to watch it and I would have been I have to guess a bit and say around the 1819 mark. So obviously I was a decent player at that time, and uh I remember watching Wuzzy play around a year and it was so impressive.

SPEAKER_05 20:47

Oh strange enough, I I interviewed uh Peter Evans uh for an earlier pod and he said exactly the same story about uh how he played so well that day.

SPEAKER_01 20:55

Yeah, but it was um when I was watching Wuzzy, it was the it was the strike on the ball and the control. And then I got lucky enough, obviously I played uh played uh a few world caps with him, and I think I never quite given enough credit for it. There was a lot of top players as a short game. I think the most lofted sandwich he had, I'll try not to exaggerate, I think it was 55 degrees, and it could have been 54, could have been 56, but I'll go in the middle and say 55. And uh I remember we're playing a practice round, he's in a bunker, deep bunker, and uh he's in the buck, and I said, Don't you wish you had a 60? And he's like, No, I'll just open this a little bit more. And he's got in there, and it's a tough shot. Opened it up, popped it up like this straight up, and it down to cut a thing. You're like, Yeah, he's just talented, isn't he?

SPEAKER_05 21:34

Is that the difference? Because you know, Sevi, he could hit a three-eye knot of a bunker, is it creativity? Yeah, um, is that lost?

SPEAKER_01 21:41

I think so, yeah. I think I think you're right, yeah. I think the equipment's definitely helped everybody in that regard. And uh Shaw came in particular. I I always remember when I first got on tour, Phil Price said to me, Um, if you get a chance, go and watch Sevi in a bunker. Um, so I was remembering I was playing the BMW in Munich and uh I was walking past Range and he was in the bunker. And I just stopped and watched him and uh he had so much control. You know, like we all sort of panic a bit, give a bit of a dip flick, get it out, you know. He had so much control and watch him, and he's like really rhythm and hitting some slightly different shots then and different lengths, and he thought, that's pretty good, that is.

SPEAKER_05 22:13

Not many people can say they've seen Sevi practicing up close.

SPEAKER_01 22:16

No, no. And let alone play with him. Yeah, I played him in in Madeira. Was that an experience? Yeah, in the so his game was was going a bit then, but Sevi story. So uh, you know, he was always a bit harsh on his caddies and that. So uh we're playing Madeira, and he's hit a poor drive in this whole shortage path four. So you've got the yardage books on tour, and the dot to sort of say start at 250 yards. Well he's only gone like 200 yards, he's hit three and row's come down. He's going mid-iron into a green, which is designed for a short pitch or a wedge. So his caddy's at the pace quite a long way to get the dot and get the distance from come back, Sebi's at the shot, you can see he's at a great shot straight at it, and it's flown the green. So what we can hear then going up the fairway is Sebi having to go to his caddy saying this tech the steps are too small. Give him the wrong yardage.

unknown 23:01

It was brilliant.

SPEAKER_05 23:02

So we're all just chuckling because we could hear him on the go at it. You uh you mentioned Sevi there, um, but you've you've got another story about another Spanish icon as well.

SPEAKER_01 23:11

So I was would have been, I think I was 21 years old, and I got invited for my first ever pro event, the Benson Hedges down in St. Malian. And um it was myself, David Howell, and uh a Swedish guy. We three were amateurs, and um at that time Olaf Abal used to play every year in that event, he used to play with three amateurs. So it was obviously myself, David Howell in the Swedish lad. Real privilege and added bonus, it was a year, I think it was '94, Lazaral just won the Masters. It was literally his first event back in Europe after winning. Wow. So we know really looking forward to it. And we're playing with Lazaral around St. Malian, one of the hardest courses I think he'll ever play. And he's got to play right off the back tees. I mean, I luckily it's just impossible and where he's playing from. And I've never seen anybody hit the ball that well. He was unbelievable. Uh and then a short kick. I mean, it was just me, me and my dad after the round, we were saying, I got a bit of work to do. It was it was in a different league. Like it was he was playing Danny Puff Cole, and he was a bit of a friendly thing. Lithaba was playing like properly, and it was so impressive.

SPEAKER_05 24:18

I was gonna ask you who's the player that impressed you most when you were playing with him.

SPEAKER_01 24:22

I guess is is He's definitely up there, um, because he was at his peak there. And for me, I think I've never played with Tiger. I always watched him on the range when he was playing tourness, always watched him because he was in a different league to anybody else, as far as I'm concerned. On the range, and he was just it was just different world the way he struck the ball, different shapes, how good he looks. But in terms of playing with somebody, uh the most impressive was Brooks Kepka the way he hit it. It was just yeah, a bit different. A lot of people say that the sound, the strike strike and the trajectory the way he hit it. Yeah, it was so impressive. Perhaps one of the best. I always think Tiger was the best, and he's probably number two in terms of being impressive. Okay. Interesting.

SPEAKER_05 24:58

So back to when you turned pro and got your tour card, and you know, Matt says on our podcast, making money from golf is not easy, making cuts isn't easy and winning is even harder. So I bet there's a lot of pressure on you in those early years to make a living.

SPEAKER_01 25:14

So even when I first got my tour card, which was difficult, then the first year on tour. So I got my tour card from Channel Store 97, so I played 98 season on tour, but all of a sudden it was quite different. Like the golf courses are much, much more difficult, much harder than I was expecting. And everything's different, the environment's different, uh, like I said, pressure, playing for money.

SPEAKER_02 25:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:35

And the competition is is stiffer than you think. So the first year I was really difficult because um I was playing a lot of golf with Phil Price then, and I played a lot of practice rounds with him at home. And uh I would beat him quite quite regularly in practice rounds and and and uh and at home. During that year, he had a good year. I didn't beat him once in a tournament and I lost my car.

SPEAKER_02 25:56

It was a it was a tough learning year. That was that was really difficult. Something you learn from, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 26:02

Oh yeah, I mean the thing is though, golf any sports, it's difficult. It's a very technical sport, and you're always gonna have ups and downs, always, how good you are. But you've got to have that ability to almost pray behind you, learn from it, and pick yourself up and keep going. So with the 99, then I played Channel again. I felt as though I was becoming more and more resilient, getting tougher as a mentally as a competitor and as a person. So it was good learning. Um, and then got my car back after that. So back on tour, and then from then on I I was on tour for a long time. But the early years, it's difficult, it's tough, but I learned a lot.

SPEAKER_05 26:37

But on no stage you were kind of contemplating kind of this wasn't for you, you were determined you were gonna make it. Yeah, and you did as well, you won two European tour uh events and and a world cup as well. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:50

Are they the highlights of your career? Yeah, definitely. I mean your first win it was in Madeira. Smallish event, but you know, still a win on the European Tour was obviously that was massive for me. Well, me and Stephen Dodd won the World Cup 2005, which is huge because it's very rare you get to play for your country. And to win World Cup, I mean obviously Wuzzy and David Lowell and it years ago. So for myself and Stephen Dodd to do it, that was massive. It was great, great feeling. Representative country said World Cup, that was brilliant. And then the following year won in in Cron in Switzerland. So uh yeah, that was nice.

SPEAKER_05 27:21

After one more, but what you say you win more, you've still got the opportunity now, because you're playing on the legends tour. Yeah. Um and obviously senior open the Glen Eagles this year, which obviously you'd be playing at, and then post call next year.

SPEAKER_01 27:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 27:34

Is that something on your radar?

SPEAKER_01 27:36

Very much so, yeah. As with a senior golf now, I don't I don't play full schedule. Um when I do play, I still prepare for it and I want to do well, but I want to have chances to win the majors because now I've still kept myself fit, and so I think my game would stack up against some of the best players now. Um so I'd have chances when I get myself in them and and play okay in the in the majors. So looking to do well in those really.

SPEAKER_05 27:58

So we're through uh how many holes? Through six holes, looking only two up. We're playing on a Monday, and last night was the conclusion of the US Open uh where Wyndham managed to just hold on to his lead and win. Did it bring any memories? Because obviously you played in the 2017 US Open.

SPEAKER_01 28:15

Yeah, the only one I ever played in. Um so I played Erin Hills when uh Brooks Kepka won it, and uh I was really looking forward to playing because it was an unusual golf course in that fairways are wide, there was some serious rough, but it wasn't really a US Open style golf course, and it really suited, I thought, European guys. Because I played it and I thought this is a bit of me. And uh Mr. Cut by two, I think. Yeah, you weren't five. Yeah, I was really disappointed that I can't remember the exact performance, but I remember leaving there thinking that was an opportunity for me to to do well there. Because for me, the times I went to America and played, it was only WGC and majors. Um I found it difficult. One was the heat, and then it was the different grasses and the speed of the greens. And it was quite hard to adjust just in a few days' practice rounds to to get into the the courses.

SPEAKER_05 28:59

Well, you played in quite a few majors. I know how many do you know? I haven't got a clue. Yeah, I've got a clue. Yeah. Well you uh apparently according to Wikipedia, you played in 12 majors. Right, okay. Do you remember which one was the most memorable? Um Masters. Have to be, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 29:14

Masters, yeah, and I was doing well in it. Uh Open at St Andrews. Uh that must have been special. That was special. When Louis Oosthausen won. US Open because that was my only one.

SPEAKER_05 29:24

So the Masters, Bradley, everybody obviously from us as amateur golfers, that's the pinnacle of of golf is to get to play Augusta, everybody's dream. Obviously, you've played it in the tournament. How was it?

SPEAKER_01 29:37

Yeah, it was um beyond expectations. The thing is in America you get treated quite different to Europe. Okay. So you come off a plane luggage, train to your own Kurtzcar for the week, and then I remember I just drove then straight to the golf the golf course, and uh you drive, you're allowed then to drive at my own lane. I mean, it's just you know, it's a bit surreal driving up there thinking, wow, you know, you've always it was that moment that you thought it to yourself, I've made it. Yeah, yeah. I mean, you're trying to treat it like any other event, but it's not. Uh it was a bit special doing that. And um, and then I remember going into the clubhouse, into the players' locker room. So I walked in and I remember Paul Casey was in there. He said he got over the view. And uh he took me out onto the balcony, and you're looking out over the golf course, and it just looked just amazing. And had some that week had some great experiences in terms of uh practice rounds who I played with. Thomas Bjorn was great. He was talking me through tweaks to the course that they made, and yeah, it was really, really interesting. And then I played nine holes with Ray Floyd, which was brilliant. Did he get to play in the par three? So part three contest, you gotta play in it. You know, it really you won a- Do you have to play in it? No, no, you you know it's a choice, but it's you know it's iconic. Yes. Gotta play. You know, it's my first time there and might never go again. I never did. So glad I did it. So par three contest. A friend of mine, John Booth, sponsored me with the cars, good friend of mine. So he caddy for me. So he's got the full body suit on. So I played the par three contest with David Howell, Luke Donald. He's there now, he's loving it. You know, he's going around a crowd of there. So the first hole. I remember hitting A Time. It's on the T. A Time. So you can imagine loads of people there. Uh big crowds. So the green now is tiny. I mean, really, really small. So the people are sat on the edge of the green. I mean, A-time, it's quite windy, from like 150 or I'm thinking they've never seen me hit an A time before, they won't be sat there. So it's quite it's actually quite nerve-wracking. But it was a great experience, and then we're playing the the last over the water, and uh the pins usually at the front of the green. Um, I'm gonna hit my shot. And David Howell said to me, he said, Brad, he said, what you do here is hit you onto the back of the green, and then as you're walking up to the green, your caddy, your friend's gonna give you the putter, and he said, You allow him to put. He says it's tradition, don't worry about it, it's tradition, that's what they do. So I fit this wedge stroll with a pin, start at the back of the green, perfect. So my mate said, Oh, I'm lucky, you know, I just missed the slope, would have been a good shot. Well, but yeah, mate, get it. So go up to the green, he's handing me the putter, and I said, No, I said it's your go. So he's got photos then of him putting out with I think Luke Donald's holding the pin. Wow. And David Howell's lining him up. That's brilliant. He's got photos of that. I mean, that's that's brilliant, isn't it?

SPEAKER_05 32:05

But it's great, they allow it. So onto the tournament itself. I've I've like we've spoken on the podcast before, I was lucky enough to go then and watch the masters, and the first thing, like everybody says, is they're taken back by the you know undulation, the up and down and how hilly it is. Yeah. Did did you find that?

SPEAKER_01 32:21

Yeah. Even though I was you know told by players obviously who'd been there and played it, you'd be surprised, you know, the slopes, some of the dog legs. What took me by surprise was was the approach shots in some of the green, you know, like playing number one. We were in four and five that green, and uh, it was such a small target. And I always remember playing 11, and you hit a good drive to the top, and again it's you know swirling wind, and you're looking down, I got some sort of mid-iron in my hand, and all you can see is the water, it just looks like the flag is just like a floating flag in this water to me, because I couldn't really see much of the green. And uh, you know that obviously the baylight's to the right, but what they don't show you on TV is there's actually some slopes there to the right, like some bumps, and the ball kicks right, and then you've got to chip back over them, and it's easy to chip the ball back in the water. It they make it look easy on TV, but I'm assure you it's difficult. So you're standing there on the lane, having it a good t-shirt, swirling wind with a four or five iron, and I'm just trying to hit this thing. If this thing finishes anything right edge of that green, I'm I'm more than happy. And if it misses right, then you know you you just you might take five, but it's not a bad score. But in terms of it in the green, I felt as it was a miracle to do. And then uh so we're in the week. I was with Pete Cowan at the time coaching, and Pete was brilliant with the short game stuff. So, right with Augusta, first thing we do is see Pete and meet him on the on the short game area. So he tells me straight away, got a new shot for the week. I'm like, lovely, right? So I'm looking then, Pete. And Pete could demonstrate. So he would tell you what to do, but he would demonstrate it. So he said, Well, this week, he said the turf there, as you can imagine, is so well manicured, so it's really tight, very tight knit, and uh it was tough to sort of get the club into the ball asset. He said, I've been working on a flop shot from this lie, so I'm thinking, well, I've got to see this. So at first way he tries to explain it, and it's just gone straight on my head. I'm like, Oh yeah, Pete, just show me. So he's gone like this, he's set up, he's got the butterfly grip, and he's got the blade, the blade like this, it's flat on the ground, handle back here, and he's taking a massive swing, gone like that, and the ball's popped up and dropped. I thought, honestly, it was amazing. And I thought, oh my god, if you know, if you get this wrong, what's gonna happen? So we said, well, try it. So I'm hitting a few shots now. First few, you know, you can thin them, you could shank it, you know, from that sort of thing. But I started getting the hang of it, and I was hitting some really good shots. I could start control the distance, and this thing, it felt like a miracle in that off the slide, it's popping up, and I can land it really softly within a few yards. So, you know, you're hoping you're you're praying, you're not gonna have to use a shot. So I'm playing the one day, if I'm playing 16, par three. And the pin is front right, just over the bunker. Swirling wind, I'll make my excuses, swirling wind, tough shot. Anyway, I've ballooned it out, it's gone out, and it's finished just short of the bunker. So now the pin is literally probably, I guess, around three to five paces the other side of the bunker. On the top. Yeah, on the top. You know what I mean? Where it is. There's a slope then. Yeah. Obviously, the greens are firm and you know how fast they are. I've got up there, I've got to fly it over the bunker and try and stop it on the tier somewhere. So I'm there now thinking, right, the only shock here. So I'm thinking, do I put it through the bunker? What do I do? So I'm there now, I've got I've got Pete's technique, take some practice swings, right? I've opened the blade up. Well, now, so because obviously you've got the patrons on it, they're all sat about three or four yards to the writing. Well, they're all moving back. And I'm thinking, I don't blame you. No, this could go anywhere. This could go anywhere. So I've taken this swing, a big swing, I've hit it perfect, popped straight up. It's gone over the bunker, landed, gone rolled down to about three and a half, four feet. I mean, I couldn't believe it. Everybody else couldn't believe it, right? It was like a career shot. So everybody's over applauding wherever else they're. I'm just relieved. So I get up now and I'm thinking this is a career up and down. Get up, Mr. Pipe.

SPEAKER_05 35:42

No, no. I'm sure that that shot will be on YouTube somewhere. We can find that in the archives.

SPEAKER_01 35:47

Because honestly, I I have my eyes closed, I think.

SPEAKER_05 35:50

So does the Masters remain the most memorable tournament you played in?

SPEAKER_01 35:54

I think as an overall experience in terms of interacting with the uh the members, the par three, uh, the experience then with friends and family. Um, you know, having watched on TV for years, experienced the golf course with yourself. And you did well, what with the yeah. Yeah, I was going well. I was so after three rounds, I was lying in either sixth or seventh position. So I remember I was I was at a rented house for the week and my friend and I were playing at a pool, we had a pool table in this house. I said, If I shoot 69, maybe 70 tomorrow, I could be wearing a green jacket and we're home. 81 or 82 shots later, I wasn't I finished like 40th. I was gutted.

SPEAKER_05 36:30

Get it, but you would have taken that on day one.

SPEAKER_01 36:32

Yeah, I know what you mean. But then all of a sudden, as as the round's going on, I'm thinking, well, if I finish top 15, roughly, I invited you back following year. So that was then became the goal. But then all of a sudden you just snowborn it. You just it was bizarre. Yeah, it was a it was a tough course anyway. And I was chasing it and just getting it slightly out slightly out.

SPEAKER_05 36:50

Well, must have been a great experience, but down to to this uh match where finished the front line, you are two up, so uh it's all all to playful. We had a conversation on a podcast uh a couple of uh episodes ago about technology. Uh, I see you you've got your GC quad here today, uh tracking every shot. Obviously, you like your tech, golf tech and analysis. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:13

I think that um you have to use every tool available uh because you know you're always looking to that extra 1% here, isn't it? Uh which makes a difference. Yeah, I've had the quad a long time now, and um I like it because it's portable, I can take it on the golf course like today. Um, and it just gives me the data of what I've done there and then at impact, you know, what the club has done and what the ball has done.

SPEAKER_05 37:38

If you had this technology back at your prime, would that have made a difference to your game?

SPEAKER_01 37:43

Massive. So you gotta think until really until Trackman came out, the ball flight laws that I was taught and were all wrong because we were taught that where the ball starts is swing direction and where the ball finishes is basically where the club face was at impact. Well, now we know that's totally wrong. So you imagine throughout my golfing career, paid for the best coaching advice in the world, and it was all wrong. I remember chatting to Padrick Harrington, and and if there's a move, you know, at all, Padrick tried it. And we were talking then about our era where we were brought up, and I said to him, 95% of the information we give him was wrong. And he said, no, I disagree. He said it was 100%. Oh, really? That's true. If you're if you're teaching somebody with ball flight laws, as in the swing dictates where the ball started, well, straight away you're wrong. You try and diagnose a swing fault like that. So we we we just sort of managed um to correct that correct it ourselves, really. And now and then you might have stumbled across something which might help you for a little bit, but I felt as though we improved in spite of the coaches.

SPEAKER_05 38:43

So do you feel are you playing better golf now with technology than no?

SPEAKER_01 38:48

Because physically I I don't practice as much. Uh my body, you know, just doesn't move as I want it to move now. I felt as though the biggest the biggest improvements I made were mental. So and that so the mental side always drove everything. So one of the big things for me was always trying to keep the ball in play. So I try to make a skull swing, so cut down the power, and really try and get the ball in play and try it as straight as I could. Uh and that's what I always try to do. And then I have a good short game. Now it's a bit different. I understand a bit more now technically what I'm doing wrong, and so I can work on it, I just can't do it now.

SPEAKER_05 39:18

We're on the 15th, your three up, four to go. Obviously, tough challenge for me. Um I'm not trying to put you off here, but we're talking about your successes and stuff. But I remember wheels open, runner up. Sterney. I think you were on the on the last tee needing a par to win.

SPEAKER_01 39:34

I thought they needed a par to win, but Sterney Birdie's a the 18th. So then they needed par to play off birdie to win. I remember well. It's very often you have a chance to win your your home open. Uh plan was, um, I can't remember the exact direction of the wind. I think it could have been a little off the left. And it was on the old course.

SPEAKER_05 39:51

Yeah, on the Roman road.

SPEAKER_01 39:53

Roman road. So there was bunkers that are about down the right. I think it was like 280 or 285 to carry them. And you can miss it left, it was OB, wrong side. So I just thought I was driving well, I thought I could just about fly the bunkers with a good one. Stood up, hit out the middle, I was even just inside and on the left of the bunkers, pushed it dead online with it, and I thought he carried it, caught the top back in the sand. Because he was a you could hit iron off here. He was like a probably a long iron or a fair wooden seven, eight iron, or he was a driving wedge. I'm trying to win. Got the driver out, and I th I think it was the right play still. And just caught the bunkers, came back in. I think that's I think I had some sort of wedge or nine-iron from the sand then. And I just missed it to the right of the green. I think I hit a pitch to about eight foot and missed it. And uh I was gutted because I think I'd buried 16 and 70 to get myself in that position.

SPEAKER_05 40:41

I was there, I remember I was off gutted for you. Another one that sticks in the memory is the Irish open. Irish open, yeah. A couple of times I had a chance to win that. And obviously he's the McElroy one, didn't he?

SPEAKER_01 40:50

Oh yeah, yeah. I'd come second a few times in there. Yeah. I lost a hound in the playoff. McElroy when he hit that five wood on the last. Yeah, that was it. So he's playing the last L. He's got a one-shot lead over myself and Russell Knox. And um we were watching the last L and so Roy's a good drive down then. He's got five wood out, and he's prone to a hook, and I'm thinking, well, you can hook this in the water easy. No, he flushes it to flip in you know, a couple of feet, wouldn't he? Great shot. So then Russell Knox then, he's got he's he's laid out a bit on the green, he's got 15 foot, and he's tied with me. If he holds that, he beats me. Me, the white paddy and the scorers. Cameras are on us behind us. So Russell Knox at this pack's just missed. My miss is gone.

SPEAKER_00 41:28

Yes!

SPEAKER_01 41:32

It was a sterile laugh because obviously it was big money. Yeah. It was like um I think I was tied second and won about 330,000 euros. So if he'd hold it, it was like a I don't know, I guess, around an 80,000 euro pattern, maybe more.

SPEAKER_05 41:48

So do those kind of near misses kind of stay in your mind?

SPEAKER_02 41:52

Yeah. Um for me, it was always about trying to win as much as I could. That's what I was always interested in. I'd only won twice, I feel as though wasn't as many as I could as I should have.

SPEAKER_05 42:05

Do you think if you'd maybe pipped that Welsh open or one of those Irish opens, would that have kicked you on even further?

SPEAKER_01 42:11

Yeah, it's a good point. I I always try to learn from it and try to think, right, next I'm in that position, what would I do differently? You know, would I have played something differently? Would I have um composed myself differently? And I was that became a um especially must play well mid to late 2000s when I was getting myself up there in tournament a lot more. That was one of the things I was working on. How do I finish it, finish off a tournament? But I don't know, I just I guess I just never seemed to think over the line as many times as I would have liked, only twice was disappointing, considering how many times I could put myself in good position and I never worked out what I needed to do differently.

SPEAKER_05 42:42

But saying that, you've had an amazing career. You've flown the flag for Wales, which as a proud Welshman, I've been following your progress throughout your career, and there's not many Welsh guys who have achieved what you have. I bet you're proud of your achievements wherever they are.

SPEAKER_01 42:58

Yeah, because I think when I started, all of all I was ever trying to do was just try to do the best I possibly could. When I first started off for sure, I didn't really think about winning tournament or money and things. You just try, I was just trying to get the most from myself I possibly could. That was always the target.

SPEAKER_05 43:13

We're on the uh 16th, I think we put it the 15th to lose the match four and three. So very well done. We'll have to have a rematch, that's the first thing. But we were put playing for lunch, but I've just remembered to Monday and there's no kitchen on Monday, so um it'll have to be a packet of crisps, I'm afraid. But another uh question we ask all the guests uh that come on a podcast. Your favourite course in Will?

SPEAKER_02 43:35

Yes, uh every pick of callers as an obvious one, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:39

Yeah, but for me, um I've always really enjoyed Harleck, Ryan David's. Uh I've really enjoyed that. Uh one of the toughest part of 69s, I think they've played.

SPEAKER_05 43:47

Yeah, great setting as well.

SPEAKER_01 43:48

Yeah, I always enjoy playing there. And I know that Abadovie is I've never played it, but it's supposed to be one of the better courses, but I've never played it. Uh and then Parkland, ooh, I think that's a tough one, really. I think for Setting and scenery, I'm gonna go rolls and mummer.

SPEAKER_05 44:02

Beautiful place. Brad, you well and truly uh beat me, but looking at your game, it seems to be in a great place. You you shot six hundred six birdies, no no bogeys. How is your game?

SPEAKER_01 44:13

Yeah, so today um I didn't think I drove the ball very well. And Iron Play was uh okay, I thought, and then I patted okay. So it was a bit mediocre um before I won it, but um you know, the these days I'm I'm gearing up to play, start playing sort of second week of July. So um I've got the Irish Open, and two weeks after that I've got uh the senior open at uh Glen Eagles. Um so I'm I I'm always practicing, I'm always in balls, but it is uh for me it's a matter of intensity and narrowing down my focus. So I was only getting close to the events now, I'll stop messed about with my you know swings and different swing thoughts, narrow it down to what I think is gonna work uh and work on my wages and show game a bit more to to hone in.

SPEAKER_05 45:00

Because obviously you're obviously eligible and part of the legends tour, um, but you're quite selective on the the the tournaments you play. Is that a personal choice or when I turned 50?

SPEAKER_01 45:12

I said to my wife, I didn't want the golf to dictate a time we had in terms of going abroad because of Brexit, because golf has taken up a lot of my time of my life so far. So dictated by tournaments practice. So I was taking up hefty chunks. So now I I just pick the events I want to go to. Um always no, uh have in mind I want to do well in those majors, but I'm only in one this year. So uh big focus on playing Eagles, hopefully get myself ready for that one.

SPEAKER_05 45:38

Going back to um obviously when you were coming through the ranks as a teenager into twenties, you mentioned the Welsh golf union advice and stuff you had.

SPEAKER_01 45:48

Has the pathway for aspiring elite golfers changed since the time you were not 100% sure because so when I first turned pro, it really was a case of you were amateur, looked after quite quite well, I thought, at the time for the Welsh Golf Union with the teams and and training and coaching. You turn pro when you were just left yourself. That was it, off you go. I was lucky because in the area, Holmeo, Philip Price, Steam Dodd, were eager players, successful in their own their own careers, nice guys, and uh I learned a lot from them, so that was great for me. But from the Welsh Golf Union, obviously you turn pro and that's it. I think it's a difficult transformation to go from playing amateur where you are looked after, to going pro where back then you were literally right off you go and just left yourself.

SPEAKER_05 46:30

Obviously, you've played on on the tour now for many a year. Have you kind of been surprised with a little amount of Welsh players coming through behind you?

SPEAKER_01 46:40

I think that's been a big shock really because I think um I try and think of the last we had Rhys Davis, Oliver Farr, Mark Pulkington do it mainly, obviously. Um but from the younger Eero to you know, Jack Davidson other than that, I'm really struggling to pick anybody who's actually had a tall car and certainly maintained it. I I know it's a Burban Numbers game as the you know the amount of golfers we have in Wales. And you do wonder then at previous years, you know, um in when I was playing, I think at one time there was eight, ten guys on tour. So were we punching above our weight then or something happened in the meantime? Tough one to answer. But then I think if you look at other countries like a Denmark, they've got so many good players coming through. Um I don't know what the numbers are in terms of player player pool compared to us, but um you'd be surprised if it's an awful lot bigger. Um so you have to then look at the coaching and pathway and priority also of of the Welsh Golf Union to bring guys from amateur through to the pro ranks.

SPEAKER_05 47:36

Have you given your advice to say Wales Golf or uh these aspiring elite amateurs coming through?

SPEAKER_01 47:42

I think for me, this is from a personal experience, I think this is one of the big issues I've seen so far. I know for a fact that with the Swedish golf union, they had Team Sweden. And with Team Sweden, they this is going back from years ago when I was an amateur. You had guys like Henrik Stenson, he was part of the Team Sweden setup. So you had guys like him would have to give time then to the amateur golfers when he was on tour. I mean, we all know how good Henrik Stensen is, and he's a lovely guy. So not only him but other Swedish pros would then give their time back to the amateur guys, not coaches, but in terms of advice on how to play, what to do, how to get a ball running. Well, you've been there, haven't you? And if there was one thing that could help somebody, then one thing is great. Out of out of 20 things you might say to somebody on a day, if one lad took one thing, that's a good day. And uh from a personal experience, I had a lesson with Neil Matthews a few years ago now. And Chuck came in. He was the I think he was the new guy for performance golf in Wales, and I made the offer as I've often done before. I said, I live twenty-five minutes from Callick Manor. I said to him, Anytime you want me to come down, play with the guys, have a chat, whatever. Free of charge, just give me a ring, no problem. And not once have I ever been asked. Not once. And I I just think, well, I just think it's crazy.

SPEAKER_05 48:58

Well, maybe if anything that golf pod committee can do is to highlight and spotlight these players. But if we can get some conversation going between the likes of yourselves and Wales Golf and get your knowledge through to these players who want to try and make it on top.

SPEAKER_01 49:11

Yeah, I I I'm like I said, I'm I'm I'm amazed. I know I think they've asked Phil Price a couple of times, and I think oh he's done the odd thing, but um, you know, it's just playing golf for them, you know, coming out nine holes here at Radder or whatever. Definitely.

SPEAKER_05 49:23

One one thing that we've spoken about on the podcast a lot is the lack of a a Welsh Open now. Um and that the opportunity that gives homegrown Welsh elite players to play in and the leverage that gives the host nation to give spots in other nations championships. What's your take on on that?

SPEAKER_01 49:42

Yeah, I totally agree. I mean, but uh I think Celtic Manor, to be fair to them, well they hosted, you know, I think it was at least 10, 12 Wales opens that they had and sponsor themselves. So I think they've they've done a lot of the heavy lifting in Wales. You know, Terry Matthews has done a great job of that, bringing Bright of Cup here. So I don't think you can keep on expecting Celtic Manor to keep on paying and hosting the Wales Open. I I think that um hopefully other companies or other people would step up and um and realise that you know golf is a big sport in Wales. And as you said, that whether it's the main tour or the hotel planet or now the challenge tour, um you know, you can use the leverage then from invites wherever to to get guys into other events abroad. And and give them that that first sort of step on the ladder, which is um you know, starting off, and it'll be the same in any sport, starting off is the hardest. You know, once once you get there and get going, then you you're on your way. But the first few rungs of the ladder are always the hardest.

SPEAKER_05 50:36

Well, thank you for your time today, Bradley. Uh it's always a privilege to play with players of your calibre, but also great to get some insight into your career uh and your journey from amateur to professional and um some of the big tournaments you've played. Um in terms of your golf, you beat me, which is well, it was actually quite convincingly in the end. Uh it's a shame that the K-trend was closed today, so I couldn't buy you your winning lunch. Uh, but enjoy the peanuts, I've got you. But more importantly, good luck for the rest of the season, Brad, and um we'll have a rematch soon.

SPEAKER_01 51:09

Yeah, thanks, Errol. Really enjoyed your company as always today. Unfortunately, it wasn't your wasn't your best golf, but um the peanuts and and the and the glass of water were lovely. Um yeah, it's it's great to be invited on on the on the podcast. You know, great to to chat about golf in Wales and golf as a whole. So anytime you want me back, I'll be glad to come back on.

SPEAKER_04 51:30

Well, Erl fantastic interview, but you know, I can't believe you you couldn't buy him a bacon roll because the kitchen was closed and you lost and you bought him a bag of peanuts.

SPEAKER_05 51:41

It wasn't my fault the kitchen was closed, but I I was I was happy. What did you have? I I went down the road and got a steak for myself after.

SPEAKER_04 51:51

But it his game his game sounds in great nickel. He he played really well that day.

SPEAKER_05 51:56

He was he was six under par and that was at a canter, really. I asked him what was it his target, and he he said you know about five under, but if he played well, he would expect to be nine or ten under, which it's mind-boggling how he could play to that level, but it it shows he he could. And there was a lot of interesting things. I obviously talked about technology there, and he was using the GC quad. GC quad, you've seen me play.

SPEAKER_04 52:20

I don't know it was a GC quad. Our listeners might know it was a GC quad.

SPEAKER_03 52:24

What is a GC quad? So a GC quad is is basically a launch monitor, okay? So it's a camera-based system which you sort of sit next to your golf ball, you hit the ball, and the launch monitor will read what you've just done to that golf ball. Now, speaking to Errol, he was saying that Bradley had the the dots on the faces of all his golf clubs, okay. So these reflective dots they run in conjunction with the GC quad. So basically you've got four cameras, hence the quad. Okay, so two cameras pick up the golf ball, and then the other two cameras pick up the clubhead. From those parameters, you can tell things like ball speed, clubhead speed, club path, face to path, launch angle. I mean, I could talk all day about what these launch monitors do, but it basically gives the player all the data that they need based on the shots that they've just hit. You know, where they come into their own is the GC quad is is used for simulation software as well. So, you know, if you've got an indoor studio, they're they you know they're magnificent.

SPEAKER_04 53:29

Fantastic, a bit of tech that sounds like, but he obviously is is a golfer that that believes in this area. You played with him, so is that the only bit of kit he had?

SPEAKER_05 53:38

No, he he had a bit of old-fashioned tech. Um I noticed that before we played he was on a range, um, he had his compass out checking the direction of the wind. And on every T then he he was getting his compass to work out exactly where he was and which way the wind was coming from. And it was that level of of detail that he went into his game um, you know, with a compass and the data from his GC quad. Very impressive to watch, obviously playing, but very impressive to to see how he was uh kind of analysing his game as well.

SPEAKER_04 54:12

Reese, have you got a compass? No, and there's no point in me having one of these quads because he never track where my ball goes, you know. But um it was quite interesting. What one thing he said was it doesn't really matter he's gonna score well as long as the courses that he plays are in good nick, particularly the greens. That that was quite quite interesting, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_05 54:30

Yeah, I guess that just shows how important putting and the short game is. Like he was saying when he was young, going to these programs when he was you know trying to get some money. He he said he taking irons off the T just to make sure he's on a fair way, then he's got a chance to get on the green, and if he got somewhere around the green, he was confident that he was gonna shoot in the mid-sixties, like he was saying. So I think that's one part of the game people don't realise how important that is. You know, we've like we always mention people go to the range and smash a driver, but it's the short game that makes the difference between a good player and a very good player.

SPEAKER_04 55:05

Yeah, agreed. You mentioned we'd played in twelve majors. Without looking at it, I thought Bradley Dredge would have won more than two European tour events when he he came close like he like he mentioned himself.

SPEAKER_05 55:19

He said that that's not a regret of his at all, but he kind of felt that he should have won more. It's that fine lines and it's it's to crossing that line like Matt was saying about making cuts. It's having that kind of mental capacity to get through that final hurdle. And I think if he if he'd have done it once more, one of those Welsh opens or the Irish opens, I'm sure that would have spurred him on to a lot more victories. So it it's it's kind of brutal, isn't it? That level of of success is it comes down to a shot.

SPEAKER_03 55:50

But uh he hasn't done too bad, has he? Winning the World Cup, you know, is uh is something that you know a lot of players can't say that they've that they've done.

SPEAKER_04 55:59

Well to represent your country in professional terms, you know, those those chances don't come around very often, do they?

SPEAKER_05 56:07

No, and and the World Cup I don't think it exists anymore. I don't think they play it, which is a shame. But yeah, it's great that well, like you said, we've had two Welsh winners of of the World Cup in in that tournament's history.

SPEAKER_04 56:19

And it was quite interesting what he said there, Ril, about sort of maybe not enough people knocking on his door from Welsh golf to help young pros, top amateurs, and he he was more than willing to give something back to the game. He he really wanted to get involved there.

SPEAKER_05 56:35

He did. He's he's very passionate about it, and like you said, if he was to have a chat with these players coming through and even the likes of you know, giving his I guess experience of just missing out and what he would do different if he had that moment again. It's those kind of experiences that you can't buy or you can't teach. It's gotta come from somebody who's been there. So um no, he was very passionate, and I think Wales golf should definitely call these guys up and get their wisdom and knowledge to to help.

SPEAKER_04 57:04

One of my favourite stories was w watching Serbi practice, just stopping and watching him practice out of a out of a bunker. You could just take one of those folding chairs and sit there all day and watch Sebi play golf.

SPEAKER_03 57:15

So I think it's it's so important that you know the the young players get to see what an elite player does and how they go about their business. And we we're actually very fortunate in Wales. We've got a lot of good professionals who have done very, very well, European tour winners. We've got a lot of professionals who played on the European Tour. And from my point of view, I think it's quite sad that these guys haven't been approached to actually sit down and and have a chat with these young players that are coming through, you know, men and ladies as well. How much information could these young players get from these experienced players that could potentially help them further their their career? I'm sure it'd help. 100%. It could only be good. So hopefully something will happen. Didn't do me much good playing with you, Matt, until you I'm sure you well, you played better, didn't you, last week uh than you did at Mechanis. Um, you know, there's definitely improvement. We'll bring a compass next time.

SPEAKER_04 58:13

Well, I hope you all enjoyed that interview with uh Bradley Dredge, but uh we want to get on to our own pro on golf pod Cymri. Matt Dearden, Matt's challenge. What have you been doing since our last pod?

SPEAKER_03 58:25

Yeah, so not much has happened, to be honest. Coming back from Slaley Hall. Obviously, we discussed that in in the last pod. It took a sort of a few days off just to sort of gather my thoughts, left the clubs in the corner. I I played a couple of times since just socially working at my game, looking at my stats from you know the last couple of months, identifying areas that perhaps I need to do a little bit of work on. So yet again it's more short game work that I've been sort of targeting. Switch back to my old putter, which I sort of got rid of a couple of weeks ago, so that's back in the bag. My 20-year-old putter is uh resurfaced. But yeah, that's you know, it it sounds probably every time you turn this pod on that I'm changing my patter, but I'm not. I've only changed it once this year, and I've changed it back, so technically that's probably three. But but yeah, just uh, you know, yeah, I I suppose it's a it's a good thing that you know the listeners can sort of get a little bit inside my head and and figure out exactly what's going on, you know, when I'm playing and sort of from me listening to that and playing with you, Matt.

SPEAKER_04 59:24

I I'm guessing you changing your pet uh means you're hitting the ball quite close, but you're not quite getting it in the hole off the blade, so you're looking for something to to score well. You're playing well, but not not quite getting the results, maybe. Is that the case?

SPEAKER_03 59:38

Yeah, I've gradually I've been I I think I've been hitting the golf ball a little bit better. I've I've I've changed quite a lot actually, you know, recently, like I discussed last time. And yeah, I'm I'm hitting a lot of greens. I'm not necessarily hitting it close enough to hold the putt. So you know the issues that I'm having are longer putts, you know, sort of 25, 30 foot putts. And yeah, you you you're correct, actually, when I do hit it close, I'm not sort of converting in those chances. So yeah, ongoing process in terms of um iron in ironing up my game. How's the body feeling? How's the how's the knee and uh how's your fitness? Fitness is alright, actually. Again, uh I've done a little bit recently, but I had a bit of a break over the weekend, so the body isn't feeling great today. It was my birthday on the weekend, so Pembroke. I've managed to have a few beers over the weekend. Uh something that I actually don't do a lot of. So, you know, when I when I do have a couple of beers, it uh it hurts at my age now. And it's not good for golf either, by the way. Beer. That's where I'm going wrong.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:36

Well, that's it to touch on Matt's challenge. Any Welsh golf news, Erl?

SPEAKER_05 1:00:40

What have we what have we picked up this week? Wales Golf have announced their teams for the European Team Championships. Um, the four teams all be competing between the 7th and the 11th of July. For the men's team, well done to Jonathan Bale, Tommy Bowen, Kaelin Burford, Sean David, Alex James, and Johan Rowe, who will be competing in Tarlin in Estonia. The European women's team consists of Millie Cottrell, Emily James, Isabel Kelly, Harriet Lockley, Saskia Owen, and Bethon Morris, and they'll be at Bally Connell in Ireland. The European Boys team they'll be in Cadiz in Spain, Thomas Carlson, Thomas McLean, Ryan Miller, James Palfrey, Paul Reid, and Harry Thomas. And then the European Girls they'll be at Zurich in Switzerland. A team of Morgan Bolin, Rebecca Dol Gonzalez, Alicia Kelly, Fionn Lockley, Ariana, Nikitades, and Fionn Richardson. So well done to all those players who made those teams and good luck in the next couple of weeks. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:44

Pope look. Right, ask Matt questions. We've had a question, a couple of questions come in. But Eril, you've got a question that you want to pop to Matt.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:54

Yeah, we have a few questions, but I'm going to jump the queue on this one. Well, you can, you know, you're the captain. Yeah, that's true. It's something that you've touched on uh uh already, uh Matt, and I'm struggling with my petting really, really badly. And I'm at a stage now I'm changing my grip three, four times within a round. I'm changing my pet and my head is in a uh an absolute mess. Should I kind of stick to one kind of thought or grip and and kind of stick with it?

SPEAKER_03 1:02:23

You could try hitting it closer. That might help.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:26

Well, that's your fault if I don't, because you're coaching me.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:28

Well, yeah, but I'm not hitting the ball, am I? Alright. Hey, look, um seriously, I think the the worst thing that you could possibly do is change your putt of grip mid-round. I don't think that offers any level of consistency at all during the round. I'd rather see somebody persevere with the way that they're holding the golf club for an entire 18 holes, and if you're gonna change it, change it on the putting green. Once you start changing it on the golf course, if the next one doesn't work, then you'll try another one, then you'll try another one, and all of a sudden you've tried, like you said, maybe four or five different ways of holding the golf club. Um, and that's not gonna help, I don't think, with you know, with feel. You know, in terms of changing your patter, you know, obviously don't change that mid-round unless you've got two in the bag. And if if I ever see anyone with two patterns in the bag, I know that that person has got some problems. Putting is is quite is quite personal. I think we touched on this before in terms of what my beliefs are on on putting. You you you've gotta you've got to get a putter that you enjoy looking at, you know, number one. And you also need to practice putting as well. So whether that being at home or whether it's being, you know, at the golf club. Ironically, I give a putting lesson this morning, and one of the one of the things we we highlighted was my my lesson's tendency to look to see where the golf ball is going before they even hit the golf ball. And this is something that comes up quite often. What that can lead to is inconsistencies in strike. You know, you you'll be hitting the golf ball from the toe or from the heel, and both of those issues, hitting it off-centre can lead to or and will lead to missed putt. So the one thing that I worked on with my lesson this morning was hitting putts from sort of three or four feet and literally not looking up until you hear the ball hitting the bottom of the hole. So you're you're keeping your head nice and stable, you know, you're rocking your shoulders back and forth. That temptation to look up to see where that ball is going will more often than not cause that club face to, you know, close or open, which obviously will lead to to missed putts. So, you know, there there's there's thousands of ways that you can, you know, sort of improve your putting. Uh but I I firmly believe that if you if you set yourself up a station on your putting green or if you get a putting mat at home, i if you bring that out and if you're allowed to have it in the lounge, if you're watching television, when the adverts come on, pick your putter up and hit some putts in the adverts and then sit back down and watch your television programme, do that, and all of a sudden you'll have done sort of five or ten minutes of quality putting.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:54

I do practice and I I'm sure I'm uh I'm not the only one to say this. On the practice putting green, I'm I'm Tiger Woods. But once I'm on the course with a card in my hand, I I'm gonna get so anxious over a putt, and I just want it to be over with, and you know, I'm rushing. I even close my eyes just to to negate my hands taking over, and it's for me it's a it's a mental block I have in my head.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:20

You need to work on your on your breathing and uh you you get your heart rate down. It doesn't work for me all the time, but when I'm playing well, I smile. I just smile, smile at the pet, and I usually strike the ball, you know, a little bit better. You know, who am I to tell you what to do? But I'm just thinking, you know, to negate those bad thoughts, you know. Well, you know, start smiling. Smile at every pet. I got this, I got it.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:44

You're right. I mean, you should be championing the fact that you've hit the golf ball on the green, and you should be getting onto that green, going, I love putting. I can't wait to put this golf ball. Because I bet you you get on the green and you're going, I can't wait to not put this golf ball. You know, you get you get you're getting anxious. You missed it before you even got the putter in your hand there, didn't you? You know, that's the thing. Correct. You you've you've got to love putting. You've got to love it. You've got to pull that putter out of the bag and go, This is my favourite putter, whether it's the first, second, or third one you've changed to this year. Um, you know, like me. I've gone back to my 20-year-old putter, like we said earlier, and I I love it. I think it's you know it's brilliant, and I'll probably always gravitate back towards that putter. But look, you you you need to enjoy putting a little bit more. And the reason why you putt better on the putting green is is because there's no consequence to whether you hole or miss that putt. So you're probably a little bit more relaxed, a little bit freer, and as soon as you get on the golf course, you're probably clamming up, you're gonna probably get a little bit tighter with your hands, you know, your your body's not working, your shoulders are not working, then it becomes a little bit jerky. And of course, you do that enough times, then you know you remember those bad times, don't you? But you need to be remembering the good times from the putting green where you're nice and relaxed. But this is probably more psychology than than tuition, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:01

Happy Gilmore's happy place. Didn't he go to the happy place? That's what Chubbs used to tell him.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:06

I'll think of you holding two two big pints of beer in your underwear, is that'll that'll sort my head out. That's enough to make anyone miss a putt, then yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:18

Well, Erl, hopefully you've got the answers to your to your putting problems there. I know this pod has been a little bit longer. It's been more like a par seven, really, than a than a par five. But we've had a a special guest on the pod in Bradley Dredge. And when you have one of World's best ever golfers on, you've got to find a a little bit more time for it. So hopefully you've you've all enjoyed. You go out, take a few tips, take a few things from that interview or from something that Matt has said, get on the course, play some great golf over the next couple of weeks. Play golf, enjoy, and of course, repair your pitch marks.