8th Hole - The Open

Golf Pod Cymru – Episode 8: The Open Championship Special

The biggest week in golf is here! Join Rhys ap William, Eryl Williams and Matt Dearden for a special Open Championship edition of Golf Pod Cymru as we look ahead to golf's oldest and most prestigious major.

The Open Championship Preview

The team discusses everything surrounding this year's Open at Royal Birkdale, from the course and conditions to the players most likely to lift the Claret Jug. We also reveal our own predictions and debate who we think will come out on top.

Rhys Behind the Scenes at The Open

Rhys shares stories from his time working for The Open TV, offering a fascinating behind-the-scenes insight into one of the world's greatest sporting events. From the atmosphere around the course to what goes on away from the cameras, it's a unique perspective that golf fans won't want to miss.

Special Guest – Oliver Farr

We're joined by Welsh professional Oliver Farr, who reflects on the honour of competing in not one, but two Open Championships. Oliver talks about qualifying, what it feels like to tee it up alongside the world's best players, and shares some memorable stories from golf's biggest stage.

Welsh History at The Open

We take a look back at the proud history of Welsh golfers at The Open, celebrating the players who have represented Wales over the years and revisiting some of the nation's greatest performances in the championship.

Matt's Challenge

It's the busiest time of the year for Matt with the coaching season in full swing, so Matt's Challenge is taking a well-earned break. We'll be back with more challenges once the summer coaching schedule eases.

Ask Matt

This week's listener question is all about entering scores digitally. Matt explains the best way to record scores using modern scoring apps and systems, while also discussing why accurate score entry is so important for maintaining a fair handicap.

Whether you're glued to every shot of The Open or simply love hearing great golfing stories, Episode 8 is packed with insight, nostalgia and expert analysis from a distinctly Welsh perspective.

Golf Pod Cymru – celebrating Welsh golf, one episode at a time.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:15

Well, hello everybody. Welcome to the eighth hole of Golf Pod Cymri. It's open week, so it's a par force like dog leg, most probably into the wind. Big hitters will take it on at Royal Burke Dill. Avoid the traps on the right hand side. What is it about? 450, 460, not sure off the tease these days. When I was last there, it was somewhere around that. But that's what it's gonna be about on Golf Pod Cymbrie this week. We're gonna cover, of course, everything Welsh in terms of golf, but we're gonna be a little bit open heavy because it is the major that everybody on this side of the pond loves. Eril, Matt, how are things with you guys to start with? All alright in this tropical heat?

SPEAKER_02 0:54

Yeah, looking forward to, well, probably the second most exciting week for me of the year in golf. I think the Masters just about pips it for me. Masters has that something start of the season element to it. And as it happens now, the open is the last major and kind of signifies the end of the season, really, which is kind of a bit sad. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

Matt, how are things with you? Are you uh uh a Masters or an open man?

SPEAKER_03 1:17

I I like all the uh the majors, I've got to be honest. Um, but I do favour the Masters, you know, only for the particular reason that it's on in the evening, and I tend to find that I can watch a little bit more, you know, of the coverage at that time of night. And you you often find that you know things like work uh get in the way when the open is on, unless you booked a couple of days off. So um yeah, I I'm with Errolong, the Masters. You know, that there is something really nice about watching uh watching the open, watching the players test themselves on the you know the links in the British Isles.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

Yes, I've got a broad rush, a foot rush, and yeah. I've got my collection of of open hats, so it's it's always been the open for me, especially in this kind of weather. I'm looking forward to seeing the coast. Hopefully, it'll be a little bit burnt and brown in places and and the rough quite thick and wispy. But let's start as we normally do on Golf Podcamry and talk about the Welsh talent across the globe. Amateur and pros been representing our country. How's it been going, Matt?

SPEAKER_03 2:17

Yeah, so in the amateur game uh over the last week we've had the amateur team championships. Uh we had uh the men's team, ladies' team, boys and girls team. So it's a full outfit of Welsh teams, if you like, compete in the format of the European team championships is that there's six players in each category, and five of those scores per day they create the overall score, if you like. So one score gets discounted, so you know, obviously, the the worst score of the day. So that's over two days of the stroke play element of the tournament, and then the top eight teams progress through to the match play stages. So we'll start off with the men's. Uh our men's team finished in 14th position out of 16 teams, so they failed to qualify for the the actual championship match play knockout stages. That was one actually overall by Ireland. The ladies' team they finished 19th out of 22 countries. The boys were 14th out of 16 countries, and the girls were 11th out of 19 countries. So all of our teams failed to make the match play stages for the championship. The ladies, boys, and girls event were actually all won by Spain. So they took three out of four of the championships there this year, so that shows really a huge strength in depth in terms of what's going on in in obviously Spain and you know over in Europe. So I you know, at a disappointing week, I could say for our amateur teams over there. Moving swiftly on, the Tucker Trophy. This was won by Theo Baker from Celtic Manor. Uh so the Tucker Trophy is played at combined, if you like, played at Whitchurch and Newport Golf Club. Theo finished three and a par and he's had an amazing year. He's won a couple of other titans, Arrow, is that correct?

SPEAKER_02 4:10

Yeah, I think that's his third big tournament this year, which begs the the question why wasn't he selected for the the Welsh team if he's uh he's a player on form? Uh I'm not sure that how the the teams are selected, but it seems that Theo is is definitely the one who's who's striking it well at the moment. But yeah, well done, Theo.

SPEAKER_03 4:28

Moving on to professional golf, the Legends Tour where they were at Carton House this last week for the Irish Open. And our highest place Welsh player there was Bradley Dredge, who featured on our last episode. Bradley finished in 19th position on 300 par. Phil Price finished in 33rd, and Mark Mouland in 50th. On the Ladies European Tour, um, they were in Belgium for their latest event. All Welsh players featured there, they they missed the cut. That wasn't last week, that was the week before. This week we had the Amandy Evian Championship, which is one of the ladies' major events on tour. Again, no Welsh players in the field this week, so nothing to uh to report there. The LET Access Tours Fionn Thailand, she recorded a tied 16th finish in Sweden, that was the week before last. This week she was at the Women's English Championship at the Manchester Golf Club, and also competing in the same field was amateur Gracie Mayo. Fionn finished in a tie for 16th position on four under par. And impressively, Gracie finished for a tied ninth position on seven under par. So going back to talking about amateurs representing Wales at the European team championships. Obviously, we also had Gracie competing on the Access Tour, so she wouldn't have been featured out in the European Team Championship either. So similar to Theo.

SPEAKER_02 5:51

Yeah, I was just looking at uh Gracie Mayo's um world ranking. Actually, she's leaped 400 spaces up uh the the ranking boards to 1,350, which is uh a huge leap. Um so well done, Gracie.

SPEAKER_03 6:04

Yeah, I think that came down to the fact that she did really well in the stroke play element of the um ladies' championship where she progressed into the match play stages. That would have been obviously probably heavily um in her favour in terms of the points that she would have got for world rankings there, I would have thought. Moving on to the development tours, the clutch tour were at the Herefordshire Golf Club. Uh, but a few players in the field there, James Ashfield finishing 35th, Luke Harry's in 40th, Jake Hapgood and Joe Kelly both missing the cut. Um just finally, just on a um maybe like a scoring side of things, uh at the Amandy Evian Championship, the ladies' major this last week, Ryu, a player in fine form. She shot um a round of 60 on Saturday and then backed that up with a 71 on Sunday, so an 11 shot difference in in two rounds of golf. And on the Hotel Planet Tour, we had uh Dutch player Lars van de Vijt. On Friday, he actually shot a round of 59, and on Saturday he shot a round of 72. So I just wanted to sort of highlight like the the two sort of those two very, very low scores, and backed up with scores which are 11 shots higher and 13 shots higher. So I mean it it you know it gives a little bit of uh encouragement, if you like, to to players out there to know that, you know, it's okay. It's okay to shoot a higher score on the secondary.

SPEAKER_02 7:29

It sounds like our kind of golf, you know, 75 one Saturday and then 92 the next week. It's uh it's it's reassuring to hear that.

SPEAKER_01 7:36

Yeah, on a slightly different scale, I would have thought, but yeah, definitely. I don't want I don't want to shoot 13 shots worse off than what I usually shoot. You know, I'd be getting close to triple figures.

SPEAKER_03 7:46

If I shot 59, I'd be quite delighted to back that up with a 72, to be honest, the next day. Because you never know what you're gonna get if you shoot 59. I'd be still at in the bar.

SPEAKER_02 7:55

You'd be starting the back line.

SPEAKER_01 7:59

Yeah, very good, Eddie. Very good, very good. Uh that that is the uh roundup of how our Welsh amateurs and pros have done around the globe. But like I said at the start of this golf podcast, it's gonna be open-centric. Royal Burkdale, the venue. It's it's a fantastic place, right right on the course, like all the Lynx courses are, but uh the the clubhouse for me is special at at Burkdale. One of you guys played there?

SPEAKER_02 8:25

Never played there. I haven't played there, but that opened in 1991 was the first golf event I ever went to as a 15-year-old, and I remember it vividly. I was walked in from one of those car parks, and the first player I saw uh teeing off, I think the third or fourth, was Ian Baker Finch, who went on to win the actual championship. So it's always been in the back of my mind that wherever I go to a tournament, the first player I see live is the player's gonna win. So I always put a bet on that player which has stuck since uh the Burkadel 1999. Are you are you up or down? I'm very, very, very well down. That system's working well for you then, yeah? No, the system's not quite working. Another memory from that opening Berkadel, Chip Beck threw me his ball when I was uh stood next to a green. Um remember Chip Beck, who used to play a lot on the US tour? And I remember then going back, that was on a Friday, and then a Saturday I was playing in a comp in Denby, and I used the ball and I shunked it off the first team of the trees and never saw it again.

SPEAKER_01 9:33

I I was just reading uh Ian Baker Finch and little bits of things he said because you know that's it, that's his his only major, wasn't it? You know, and uh his game went off the boil in in the years following that sort of major. But he he said just to play at the open is fantastic, he said, but to win it is a dream, you know, and I think that that is so true for me growing up watching the icons of golf playing on the the links, and that was the one tournament for me. Maybe because I was younger, you didn't stay up, you couldn't get real coverage of the masters, and so the open was on in daytime. So as a young boy, I could I could watch it, you know, and uh and I'd been lucky enough to to work on opens for the RA and Open TV. So I I've got to get inside these clubhouses to walk these courses and and watch some of the greats close up. But Burkdale was a very fond one for me, particularly because of the the whitewash of the clubhouse, and it you just you just got there and you think, oh wow, I've really seen this place on TV, and now I'm walking in through you know the main entrance. It was it was great but also scary at the same time.

SPEAKER_02 10:41

So what were you doing at the open, Chris? What were you what was your job?

SPEAKER_01 10:44

I was presenting for open TV then, you know. I did uh from 2013 to to Port Russian in 2019, so I'd work for Open TV. So we'd we'd cover all the fan zones, the course, we'd be on all the screens then that were around the the open venue and a lot of the social element of open TV, you know. So you you just you got in there and tried to show the fans where to go, positional places to go if you want to watch golf and access more than one hole and not move around too much. And the scoring apps and the open app was coming out, so we did we did a lot with our phones to show people how to get around the course. And you you meet some of the legends of the game. You know, I I sat down with you know with with player and didn't get to to meet Woosie and unfortunately, but um a lot of the former winners. And when Zach Johnson brought the Claritjug back one year, I interviewed him when he stepped out of the car, you know, to s to talk about his year with the Clarit Jug and what what he'd done and how he feels about giving it back and the fact that of course he won he wanted to win it again, but he he he didn't. And um but it was an absolute pleasure to work on the open. It was a it was a dream, as Ian Baker Finn said, he won it, which was like a a dream, you know, but for me it was a dream just to get inside the ropes and and and walk these great links courses, you know. Amazing experience. It was great. You know, what you see on TV, it's not quite what what it's like in real life. You know, they they adapt a lot of the courses and they create walkways and and bridges to get to first holes, so then the thousands of fans can still walk easily around the course, so the the players would come over a big walkway, or the fans be underneath them, come down into this amphitheatre of the first tee at Burkdale, you know, and the fans would be all around you in this one grandstand and off you'd go, you know. And I stood on that first tee and I was shaking. I didn't have a ball, didn't have a club, and I was still trembling. It was pretty special, very, very lucky. I'd um I'd love to go back and and work on the open, but uh uh I'm gonna go back as a fan and and enjoy it as well because it is a great couple of days, especially in some of the hottest weather we've we've had. You know, uh what do you think the course is gonna be like, Matt? You know, do you think it's gonna be even more challenging? How much water would they be putting on it? Are they gonna let these fairways really dry up and the ball is gonna gonna run to places that it's never run before?

SPEAKER_03 13:05

Yeah, well I think we're experiencing quite a bit of that at golf courses around the UK at the moment, is you know, obviously, with the extremely hot conditions that we're getting currently. No amount of water that you put on those fairways are gonna bring them back to life. You know, that that grass now has has has gone dormant. And uh I I can just imagine that they're just gonna let the fairways do whatever they need to do. They will, of course, water the T's and the Greens they have to water the greens, otherwise that test of golf will be it'll be almost unplayable if you know the greens aren't receptive in some fashion, you know. But uh Errol and I were talking earlier, and you know, that there's players out there hitting three or four idols in excess of 300 yards, which sounds amazing, and you you automatically think, Oh, this is gonna be an easy test for them. Hitting the golf ball that far with that type of golf club becomes very unpredictable, you know, and you you you can get some bounces, as we know, which can put you in some real, real danger. And your golf ball is is gonna be going further, but how much further? They're not gonna know, really, are they?

SPEAKER_02 14:06

It could be the same as we were talking earlier about the 2006 open when Tiger Woods won, where he didn't hit his driver once in the four days. Could it be a another repeat of one of those where iron play off the tee is gonna determine the winner?

SPEAKER_03 14:20

Yeah, but but there's some there's a lot of players out there who could just can't help themselves. You know, we have Bryson De Chambeaux of this world, and the players that believe that they can overpower a golf course, hitting a driver as far as they possibly can, they're still gonna do that, I I believe. And of course you've got the added benefit of fans there. You know, they very rarely lose a golf ball in these tournaments unless it's deep, deep in the hay, because there's always people around, they always find that golf ball. So that's the benefit of playing with large crowds, is that within reason you can hit the golf ball quite a long way and still find it.

SPEAKER_01 14:56

See if I can get a few people to come and watch us tomorrow, that'd be quite handy for me, maybe, you know. We'll bust them in, we'll get a couple of busloads in. I was looking at the weather, that's what I was uh quickly googling out in Southport, you know, and and it's gonna be it's glorious, and there's there's not a lot of wind, you know, sort of seven, eight mile an hour wind, so the the course needs some protection somehow, and I guess it'll get that from the the firmness mark, won't it, you know? Because i if they do take three irons drivers, they they're almost going past where these bunkers are on these older courses now, aren't they? Yeah, they are.

SPEAKER_03 15:30

You know, so long as they've got the you know the strategy in place so that they, you know, like Tiger Woods did. I mean, I think he figured out that he could hit particular irons off particular holes, you you know, hitting different shapes, different, you know, flight in his golf ball, controlling his golf ball, so that he actually didn't put himself in the position you know, in a position whereby he'd be hitting the bunkers. So I think his mindset that week was to make sure that he didn't go to bunker. You know, and you know, because bunkers on these golf courses are very strategic. They're gonna need to factor that into the equation if they're hitting a three eye just as far as their driver, both bunkers are still gonna come into play. So will they benefit from trying to get over the bunkers, getting it as close to the green as possible? I think we'll just have to wait and see.

SPEAKER_01 16:10

What about what about discussing who's gonna who's gonna win? Because, you know, you look at you know, Peter Thompson, Palmer, Trevino, Johnny Miller, Watson, Ian Baker Finch, Mark O'Meara, and uh Patrick Harrington and Jordan Speath. You know, there's there's not been a British winner here, is there? You know, so why is that, you know, on one of the most iconic British courses?

SPEAKER_03 16:30

Well, I think it's it it's largely down to pressure, I think, when it comes to our home players playing at a home venue. Arguably one of the favourites, or in my eyes, should be, you know, coming up this week would be Tommy Fleetwood, with that being, you know, what I would say is his home golf course. But he, you know, he's played that golf course a lot. He knows what he's doing. But with playing a golf course that you know around people who are going to be following you and watching your family, friends, comes that added bit of pressure. The the expectation is there then that you should do well and it never really materializes. But if we if we're going down the lines of picking a winner this week, how many how many can we pick? One, two, three?

SPEAKER_01 17:08

Well, you could pick as many as you want. So, but you know, let's let's let's keep it reasonable. Let's keep it, you know, let's let's your number one pick would be who? Tommy Feetwood?

SPEAKER_03 17:16

No, uh my number one pick um is going to be Tyrol Hatton, okay? Um largely because of the reason of these guys, the the British players, they played a lot of Lynx golf as amateurs. They've played a lot of Lynx golf over the years, they know how to play these golf courses. Surely it's only gonna be a matter of time before we get, you know, somebody coming through winning an event like this, like Tyrrell. I'd say Tommy Fleetwood would be there, and I'd also throw into the mix um somebody like Shane Lowry. I'm not gonna go for the big guns this week. I'd rather I'm just gonna root for the you know the other guys. I'm not gonna say they're underdogs, but you know, let's let's look at the other guys around them. But that that those would be my picks.

SPEAKER_02 17:52

What about you guys? I was gonna say Shane Lowry as well. I think he's although he's not playing particularly well this year, he's brought up on a links in Ireland and he's gonna shape shots um and you know he was the contours. Um so uh he's he's gonna be one of my picks. I'd love to see Tommy Fleetwood uh win it, but I think I agree that I think the pressure of a home open might not suit him. But having seen McElroy over the weekend, I know he had one and a half bad rounds, but the other two and a half were quite impressive. I think he's gonna be up there as well. Um if his driver performs or stays on the fairway, I think he'll have a chance. So I think he'll go I'm gonna go for the big gun. I'm gonna go McElroy. McElroy.

SPEAKER_01 18:32

I'm gonna go uh Victor Hovelland. I just l love the way he plays the game, and I think if he if he starts well, uh he'll he he'll just keep going and he he can produce amazing golf. But I I'll also say Justin Rose, because he he won the silver medal here at at Royal Burke Dale in 1998, and that's when he kind of came to everyone's attention. So I think he'll have fond memories from here, and and he's still producing top golf at his age. So uh yeah, Hovland Rose, and I I agree with what Erl said about uh McElroy, but it's it's a tough one. It is a tough one.

SPEAKER_02 19:09

Yeah, it's definitely an open, open, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 19:11

An open open. You are bang on there, Eril. Right. Well, we discussed former winners and mentioned them and uh our thoughts on who's gonna win this open at at Royal Burkdale. But let's get a little bit more Welsh-centric and and discuss the open with uh one of our pros that you caught up with uh earlier this week, Erl, Oliver Farr.

SPEAKER_02 19:30

Yeah, I spoke to Oliver Farr earlier this week. He qualified for two opens. He turned pro um in 2011 off plus four, and that's the old system handicap, so much better than a plus four currently. His best year was in 2020 on the DP World Tour, where he finished a year at 250th in the world. So he was a really highly ranked Welsh player. So it was an interesting chat with him, which I had last week. Yeah, let's have a listen. This week I've got the pleasure of having an interview with Oliver Farr, one of uh Wales's most successful uh professionals over the last 15 years or so. Thanks, Olive. Thanks for joining Golf Podcamry today.

SPEAKER_00 20:11

Not a problem. Pleasure to be on.

SPEAKER_02 20:13

Um obviously, with your father Graham being a professional, I guess he was uh instrumental in introducing golf to you. So where and when did you fall in love with golf?

SPEAKER_00 20:24

Yes, he was uh very much and still is, to be to be quite honest to you, still sort of a mentor and probably gone done the whole bush of bang um with myself through throughout the years. Um between seven and ten was when I sort of started getting on the golf course. I think I was about ten when I first got my handicap, and then um obviously just progressed from there, really, um you know, down to normal scratches, like sort of 16. Yeah, that was my sort of introduction to golf, really was obviously through my dad. And I remember as a kid was literally standing on the driving range with my mates, like probably 30 versus my dad, obviously was the coach. It was a little, you know, a little different. But it was just what we're trying to do was just trying to beat each other, and that those are the some of the best memories now. Looking back at my time in golf, is where you know some of the some of the fondest memories are actually playing junior matches uh for the club and just being on the driving range or you know, playing 54 rolls a day in the summer. Like those are the sort of memories that my happiest, but I that's what attracted me to golf by how I look at it.

SPEAKER_02 21:20

Yeah, all of us as as golfers who are juniors love of those summer six weeks we had of playing three, four rounds a day.

SPEAKER_00 21:28

I was in obviously a very safe place that my dad was there most days. So uh my mum, you know, I'm on a four, so I was I'm the eldest and I was just dropped up with my dad because it was probably a lot easier. As I've got kids now, it was it was probably a lot easier to just to get rid of me and um deal with the other three. So um yeah, I was literally at the golf club all the time.

SPEAKER_02 21:45

And where was that? Where where did you play as a junior then?

SPEAKER_00 21:48

So I started uh um my dad was the head professional at Clipbury Morton Golf Club, um, which is in Worcestershire. So obviously across the border. Um and then when we moved he moved the club pro role, uh Um I actually joined Ludlow, which is where my grandfather joined. We we we lived in Orlando for um four years. Um so I went to high school there. We used to come back in the summer, so I wouldn't didn't play much junior golf um in that regard because I was playing mainly in in America um and then we didn't move back till I was like 17 or 18. So I didn't play much international junior golf. I was pretty good, but when you're playing in America, you don't feel that good sometimes. So um it was uh yeah, it was a great experience for for me as in my golf.

SPEAKER_02 22:31

So at what age did you realise possibly you could make a career out of being a professional golfer?

SPEAKER_00 22:37

It's probably that when we moved to America, to be honest with you. Um we moved there when I was 14, and you know, I I was pretty decent at other sports at school. I I played rugby for the school, football for the school, basketball for the school, played as many many sports as I possibly could. And I think that was ingrained for my dad, really. He wanted me to play as many sports as I could, could many team sports as I could, because it golf is very much a very individual sport. You learn things from other other other sports, but golf really became to me at like 14, 15. Fortunately, in a way, I was in in America, and when you're decent at something in America, they tell you you they tell you you're good and they try and make you be become better, which I'm not saying doesn't happen here, but it's not as enthusiastic. But for me, being the best in my school was a big thing, and then I played in events like uh Florida State events and you know becoming quite good at those. I was like, oh, actually, I'm I'm beating guys from America, and be I was surrounded by other pros, not just my dad. Uh we had spells where PJ Tor Plosers could come and sort of visit and stuff like that, and I would just be there, uh watching the best, you know, the best and all looking up to them and going, Well, actually, that's I th I could do that. And it gave me some inspiration, definitely.

SPEAKER_02 23:49

So then you you came back from America, and obviously being a proud Welshman, you you got to play and got into the Welsh squads as well?

SPEAKER_00 23:57

Exactly, yeah. So so when I came back, um you know, we obviously we moved back to sort of the Ludlow area, and it was obviously the time where I didn't really know what to play in because I hadn't played any junior golf to some degree. I've sort of played county golf, but with being so close to the border, somebody suggested I should go and play in in like some of the Wales order of merit events. And I thought, oh, actually that's a really good idea. The Clouid and like the um the Tucker Trophy and the Gold Cross that first year I got I got into the squad straight away, which is great. And then from there, just that team aspect I really really enjoyed being part of a squad and being you know, having that extra knowledge that um that that Nigel Edwards helped with, you know, I really enjoyed that side of it. You know, it was it was different from what I'd been brought up with, but you know, I obviously had my dad as my main mentor and coach. And so there were some different aspects, but we all worked really, really well in that period. And yeah, so my first year, I don't think I won anything in my first year of playing, but I got myself in positions to win, and then the next year I uh I got myself over the line, if you like, and then yeah, became quite competent in that uh environment to sort of um start winning.

SPEAKER_02 25:07

So, did that experience kind of prepare you then for that transition into professional golf? Definitely.

SPEAKER_00 25:12

I think for me I transitioned pretty well from amateur, I was you know, I didn't play Walker Cup or anything like that, but I was uh very, very good amateur golfer in Wales. On the GP and I seam I was okay, but then I what I got jumped into pro golf very, very quickly, um, winning on EuroPro, then straight on to Challenge Tour, winning on Challenge Tour. I played in a Challenge Tour event as an amateur for Wales and uh it was at the Vale of Gramorgan, and I think that was both just before the Ryder Cup. But I um I made the cut there a couple times, um, and then the one time I was in the last group and I played with Reese Davis and James Morrison. And I'm like, when I went to Challenge Tour, those memories of like this sounds daft, but like, well, knowing where the the office is, knowing where the referees are, knowing how things work, and I'm like, well, like it just felt normal to me to some degree. I think actually that for me is probably where I transitioned so well because I actually had exposure to to tour life in the or I it being at home in Wales, but I had eight rounds at it, you know, and I made the cut both times. I was under pressure for the first day. I remember that first first hole at um the veil on the on the Saturday, playing with Reese and James, who were literally number one and number two on the Order Merit. Cameras around, I thought, blum it. I I remember being like, Christ, this is quite a big deal. But at the time I didn't know about it, I had no idea what Challenge Tour was. But when I obviously got to Challenge Tour on when I was a professional, I was like, Well, I've done this as an amateur, I can do this as a pro as well. So transition-wise, there was obviously there's many other factors I'm sure accounted for it. But when I look back now, that was a huge part of my transition was actually having exposure to pro tournaments as an amateur.

SPEAKER_02 26:51

Yeah, stepping stone up to you know the hotel planet tour, which you played, I think, 166 events, winning three of them, I think, in Morocco, China, and Turkey, which is fantastic. And then DP World Tour as well, you played 144 tournaments on that. So looking back on all those tournaments, what what's the m most proud event or success you've had in your career?

SPEAKER_00 27:14

Uh there's a number of them. I think winning is obviously always a proud moment. Um yeah, there was that you know the the f my three wins were all at different stages of my sort of time on Hotel Planetor. Uh the first one was uh was literally my fifth event uh of the season, so and my fifth event on a as a as a talent tour member. So to get off to such a good start, I think it sets the tone really, doesn't it? For so yeah, I was I was really pleased with that one. The the Fauxhan one, the one in China was probably my biggest win um i in in my career. But the the Morocco one was probably I felt prouder of that one because you know that was for 2019, so that's six years since my last one, and it was um at a time where my game, I felt my game was good, but you start questioning things when you've been when you've sort of I classed myself as a bit of a yo-yo um tour pro, if you like, up and down off of the tours. Um I'd I probably had my best year that year uh consistency-wise, you know, as a as a tour pro, you just you're trying to find consistency all the time. And I was I was as consistent as I've ever been that year. Uh and then to win it, uh to win at the end of the season was quite was quite a nice way of capping off a really, really good year. But some of the proudest things have you know have been, you know, I played really well at Wentworth one year and had all my family around, you know, that was quite a nice, proud moment for me. And you know, obviously I played majors and the majors are proud to get to, don't get me wrong. At the minute I'm still like I would like to play more majors, obviously, but uh my performance wasn't great. If I'd have played well in a major, that would have been the top of it. But I didn't I haven't played quite as well as in majors.

SPEAKER_02 28:50

So we'll we'll come on to the majors in a minute. But um back to life on tour. I obviously spoke to Bradley Dredge on uh previous episode, and when he was young starting through, he he he kind of mentioned how difficult it was.

SPEAKER_00 29:02

Did you find it a difficult period, um especially in the start being on tour to learn and it's funny you say that like actually no, and I I knew Stuart Manley quite well, I knew Philip Price quite well through Wales Golf. Um they would always get them involved, which is I think it's a fantastic idea to get the experienced professionals in front of wannabre professionals, that was great. But then when I got on tour, I was on my own, literally, like I didn't know anybody on tour. Walked into the Range Amber Dabby, you know, massive event, and I'd never met Bradley in my life. And Bradley walked over to me and was like, Hi, I'm Bradley. I was like, Yes, I know that. And I was like, he's like, right, here's my number. We're going for dinner tonight at seven o'clock. You come with me, I'll pick you up. Perfect. I was like, that's the sort of things that you know I I would I then would do for other lads to come in through. I it was such an impression on me. And then yeah, I spent a lot of time with Bradley that year playing practice round with Richard Bland, Oli Wilson, the guys that like Bradley would introduce me to, and I'm like, that settled me in. So I didn't have a great year that year, but it made that transition quite comfortable. Yeah, I I do thank him a lot for that. And and even like the young lads that come through now, like you know, Jack Davison, your James Ashfields. I would be like, right, where are they? Let's go play a practice round. The tours have changed a lot over the last 15 years because you get you make mistakes in the travelling aspect of it and you know the the schedule planning and all that sort of stuff. But you you have got this going experience it yourself to sort of know that. But the early stage was alright. It was towards the end the last few years I sort of struggled as I've had a family. Being away from home and not playing very well isn't nice on anybody, so that we've had to rethink about that going forward, and that's why I'm in the in the position I am in now.

SPEAKER_02 30:38

Well, I was gonna come on to that. So you've stopped playing on the Hotel Planeton and the DP Wooltour, and so you've moved back to Herefordshire and you you've you've recently got some good news as well.

SPEAKER_00 30:49

Yeah, so it's been it's been yeah, it's been it's coming um a nice period. I've I've I was in I say I was in Italy last year in in October on the challenge tour, and just wasn't quite um my game's been my my game's been pretty good pretty good, but it's not transitioning it on the golf course. My results haven't been that good, excuse me. And so I've been doing it for 20 odd years where it every day is is I'm trying to get better, trying to get better, trying to get better. And I don't want to say it wear thin, but there's a element that I needed to my but my life work balance wasn't quite right, and probably that's where my results weren't quite right. You know, um my goals in life had changed drama dramatically, but my life my goals for golf and how I practice and uh hadn't changed. Uh I still wanted to, you know, wanted to achieve all these things, but but when you've got three kids, it's not as easy to do that, and you know, and I was getting frustrated that I was having to do the gym at nine o'clock at night rather than doing it in the daytime, and you know, just uh and that that's then it doesn't help performance. So but I yeah, I wouldn't say I've fallen into coaching, but I started coaching in um basically October last year, uh um a couple down the road called Burkhill Valley Golf Club, who I've been attached to for the last 10 years, looked at it, I see I could see a pathway with my coaching now, I can take that forward. And then through that, I've obviously created uh a brand, if you like, with with my name um from obviously tour, tour sort of status, and now my coaching. And yeah, the Herefordshire came to me um and with with a with an offer to sort of run my own um academy at the Herefordshire Golf Club, um, which is obviously a fantastic opportunity for me. Um and so early into my sort of coaching sort of career, if you like, um yeah, so we you know we literally I started on Wednesday, um, which was which was great, and um yeah, got a track man studio um already built in, really nice chip and green. I'm you know, I'm as you can probably hear, I'm quite excited about the opportunity to to get to get started and get going and you know it and not not just it for facility-wise, but actually, well, can we make the junior junior sort of section here really good? Can we can we help the ladies section? Can we help the senior section? And then from there, you know, where can I take my coaching and um you know help help develop players not just at club level, can I help them at a high performance level as well? And you know, you can go back to sort of my Wales days if you like and go actually the structure that Neil Matthews and Nigel had in place of actually that they they had a vision of their where they wanted to take it, and I was at the very start of that. I I can sort of see myself being in that role at this club at the minute. And I'm I yeah, I said I'm really excited by what the opportunity brings.

SPEAKER_02 33:32

Congratulations on having your own academy in your name. Fantastic. You you mentioned Wales Golf there. Uh, how do you see the state of elite um Welsh golf? Obviously, the the women are doing fantastically well. The men seem to be not struggling, but it's difficult to see any on the major tours. Yeah. How do you see it?

SPEAKER_00 33:51

Uh well, uh yeah, you know, you you're definitely right. Like the the volume of players that have come through over the last 15 years, you could put them on, you could put them on your hand, really. Obviously, um Jamie Donaldson, Dredgie, obviously now moving on to the seniors tour, Pricey's obviously on the seniors tour. Me, myself, Reese Enoch, Jack Davidson, or I said the the names are on our hands and on tour, I was like, but what's happening? Where's the lads coming from? The the tour is a bloody hard to get onto now. You know, we talk about the progression from an amateur to main tour, right? You've got to go through three stages to to get to that main tour stage or bypass it at a tour school. Tour school's nails now to get through. Um, you know, there's they're reducing the cars left, right, and centre. Uh it costs an absolute fortune. So opportunity there is limited to what it used to be 15, 20 years ago. Now, is that the main reason? You'd have to look at how many lads from from like the last home internationals or the last Europeans team, statistically wise, could they cut it on Challenge Tour? Could they cut it on DP World Tour? And that for me would be how I how I'd have to evaluate it. Because, like I said, it's to actually get on there is blooming hard now. You know, the EuroPro used to give five cards to Challenge Tour, and now it's only two from clutch. You know, it sounds horrible, but you've you've either got to have deep pocket yourself or you've got to have a real good sponsor because you can buy your way on to Challenge Tour to some degree now. There's 50 invites every every single week. And I'm sure you could you could message most of those promoters and they would offer you, they would give you a number and you could buy them. That's seven invites right there. That they used to be given to the best amateurs back then. The best amateurs don't give them up, get given them anymore. They have to have sponsors to get there. Now, we all know what with Wales itself that sometimes the sponsorship isn't quite there, is it? So is it Wales golf's fault, or is it just the politics of golf have changed so much that it's not quite there anymore? Now I talked about it initially. Like we used to have a um a Town Store event. How many Wales golfers probably benefited from that? You know, in that doesn't happen anymore. You know, that was 50 invites to not to Wales Golf, but to the the promoter would get 50 invites. That would be a really good way to start, I think, to actually get exposure to tour life. There's never been loads of Wales golfers coming through onto Townstall straight away. It has been drips and drabs, you know, but it's it's harder to to assess if you're just going on numbers because, well, there's more countries playing golf, and there's less spots for golfers. Okay, on to the open.

SPEAKER_02 36:29

Uh this episode is a bit of an open special, obviously, which starts this week. Um, and yeah, there's not a huge amount of Welsh players who've played in the open over the last hundred and fifty years, and you being one of them, and you've played twice. You've also played at the US Open as well at Chambers Hill back in 2015. But back to the Open, were were those two opens kind of special for you?

SPEAKER_00 36:52

Oh, yeah. Um first one I was I was actually on tour and um yeah, qualifying for an open is always uh in an awkward part of the schedule, and um I was always like focused on you know keeping my card and doing and doing it, and I wouldn't say the open, you know, it sounds horrible, but sometimes you could class it, you could get in the way of a tournament or get in the way because you it it interrupts the tournament you're playing because you've got to qualify on a Tuesday. And because I hadn't done it for a while, I was like, I'm doing it. And my dad was like, Ollie, can you just qualify and qualify for the open? Turned up at Hollingwell. My caddy had gone to Ireland and my dad said, Oh caddy for you, that's perfect. I didn't play that great, but it's literally was one of those days where I just chipped and put it fantastic, and yeah, the the buzz that I had afterwards, so you know I can go to sleep the next day. I'm like, oh my god, I'm playing in the open championship. And then they officer it was St Andrew's, it was the 150th. Um we got you know, took the whole family up, got a house and all that sort of stuff. And you feel like you're on cloud nine, you know, you're in the locker room, new pairs of shoes, new wedges, new bags, everything because it's the open, it's all everything's just everything's new. Stuff that you used to on tour, but it's a different level sort of thing. You know, go to the shop and just absolutely ram raid the shop. You're something you don't normally do, you know, and it's yeah, the the cars come to pick you up with the big open, the open logos are absolutely everywhere. And this is really this is a special, special event, obviously and it being St Andrews as well. I say I look at it now and I'm I'm I'm disappointed in myself that I I was so focused on playing well because I was on tour and I might all have to have a good week here. This is a really good week to push on and sort of move on at the rankings. I I focused too much on that and rather didn't enjoy the experience as much as I should have. Um they did some stuff with Five Live for me and stuff like that, which is great. But I just wish I'd enjoyed them a bit more, you know what I mean? Obviously, then I'll be qualified again the next year. I was like, I'm gonna enjoy it more. And but then you get on the first, I got so absorbed with like, I've got to play well, I've got to play well. In those environments, you just want to play, you just want to play your best. I just didn't quite play my best, but I'm I'm I'm still gutted about it to some degree. But the experience and the memories of not just for me, but for my family walking around, I think, yeah, it's it it that's that's probably some of the the nicest memories that you know that that we've had.

SPEAKER_02 39:10

Certainly good, yeah. St Andrews 2022, obviously Cam Smith won and 2023, Hoyleck, Brian Haman. I was at both actually, and I I I was in the crowd watching you. Um, did you feel intimidated in front of all those crowds? Um in at a major, did that kind of affect you at all, or you just used to it by now?

SPEAKER_00 39:27

No, I mean it was more nerves than probably normal, but I I I only nervous the fact I think it was excitement, probably more than anything. Um but no, I didn't feel particularly nervous. I again I was so focused on wanting to play well. Yeah, I was just probably too focused if I'm honest. You know, obviously a lot of people send me videos of when I was on the first team and stuff like that. It's quite nice to see them, you know, have a look back at them and um every now and again. But I wasn't that I was I didn't feel that nervous. I if I'm honest, I was my I've say this quite a lot. My first my first lesson, I was probably more nervous in my first lesson than I was um at the opening. It's quite weird that in it.

SPEAKER_02 40:02

But there was um more history was made when you qualified for the open first time because you emulated your your dad, who also qualified for the open. And there's not many father-son professional golfers who could say they both qualified for the open. And he also played at St Andrews as well back in 1990 when Faldo won. I bet that was a hugely proud moment for you for your family.

SPEAKER_00 40:24

Yeah, and I think you know, at those those three or four days where we were just he was able, obviously my coach is able to be around uh with me, you know, the old picture on the bridge and all that sort of stuff. I will probably look back at those, you know, certainly we look back at them occasionally now and again. Those are the memories that it can make make everyone feel proud of. I think for for me that it was it was nice that my first open was the same as his first open and quite unique in that regard. I was I was I was I was there when he played, but I was I was in like two or something like that. Yeah, I think it's a nice stuff a nice story, is probably as the Americans say.

SPEAKER_02 40:58

Yeah, fantastic story. Who would who'd win a uh a match play? Graham Farr, father, or Ollie Far, the son?

SPEAKER_00 41:06

Oh, I'd have him, I'd have him all day. It took me a while, it took me a while to beat him when I was younger, but he uh could be we from the age of like 12, I played we're like, no, you're not having any shots. Yeah, when we when we lived in America, I was obviously at that stage where I was like 16, 17, probably too cocky. My mum my mum would we'd come back from playing whatever, and my mum was like, What's happened now? So either I was upset that I lost the dad, and dad was upset because I was I was probably being too cock or something, but yeah, so no, we we we play we are we're playing tomorrow actually, so but we s we we've always tried to play quite a lot, just just you know, uh be competitive. Yeah, he's a super senior now, so I've got a he's not having shots yet though, so he's still he's still adamant he's not having shots. Um he was a very good club club professional in the Midlands region. I I think he represented Wales in the PJ uh championships and stuff like that. And but he um he he was a really solid player, qualified he qualified for two opens himself, so I need to get one more open really to get to to knock him off his obviously with the US Open, I think three majors to two is obviously a win, but I'd like three opens so I could uh knock him off.

SPEAKER_02 42:11

Well that lead that leads me on to the next question. Looking ahead, you've mentioned you've you've got a new kind of um role now with with your academy, but in terms of your golfing career, what's the the plan going forward?

SPEAKER_00 42:24

So for me, I I literally took six months off. Didn't hit a ball at this coached. If I'm honest, I actually enjoyed not having the pressure of being ready as a tour pro has to be. You have to be ready to be, you know, you can't really you can drop it for a few weeks, but you can't drop it for months. Do I miss it? Yeah, I do miss it. But I do miss that com the camaraderie, the the travel. But I uh I am really enjoying being at home and I say this project that I can see here at the Herefordshire is is a project that I'm really, really looking forward to. Future-wise, do I see myself playing? Yeah, I still see myself playing like PJ stuff and you know, trying to qualify opens. Do I see myself on tour? I don't know, not I at the minute at this present time, no. I'm never saying never, but at the at this present time, no. You know, like I played in the in the Witchers program and last week, you know, I play a lot of those sort of things where I feel like I can keep that competitive edge because I feel like that's for even from for coaching, I think that's a good good thing to have to show performance as well, you know.

unknown 43:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 43:25

Just a couple of questions before we finish. Um the first one we ask all our our guests. Your favourite golf course in Wales? Tenby. Tembi. Okay, you've got a lot of history in Tembi, I think.

SPEAKER_00 43:36

Yeah, we we used to go on holidays there all the time. And um, my mum and dad brought a um place down there, um, little holiday home. And we used to I used to go there a lot and play. Yeah, I just I just really like Tenbi. I can't wait for to take my my my two boys when they start playing a bit more, uh take them down there and just you know I I think it's I wouldn't say it's my like my first links experience, but it was like it's uh it's you know you got some quirkies and quirkiness. to it and you know uh you could be there all day trying to hit the fur green sometimes that yeah I quite like that.

SPEAKER_02 44:04

That was a great course. Um and then just before you leave Ollie um who's gonna win the open this year?

SPEAKER_00 44:10

Uh that is a really good I've actually thought about that. I've Birkdale I would say I think it's gonna be an American. I think Sheffield's gonna win it. I think he's he's just back to back I think I'd love Tommy to win it but I think She I think Sheffla's just coming around.

SPEAKER_02 44:25

Yeah okay we'll we'll wait and see later on this week. But thanks for your time Molly it's really been an interesting chat with you and it's great to to hear your kind of background and your story through as a professional and obviously good luck with a new project and yeah hope that goes well.

SPEAKER_01 44:40

Yeah brilliant thank you very much Oliver Farr discussing all things golf and and open and night story you know father and son playing and qualifying for was it two opens a piece Erl was it you know that can't have happened very often.

SPEAKER_02 44:55

No yeah two opens a piece and yeah looking back through the history books there's not many of father and son or two generations who've played in the open you're looking back like old Tom Morris and young Tom Morris back 130, 140 years way back. Percy Alice and Peter Alice and uh another famous one was Davis Love Jr and Davis Love the third and there's not many others I I could find. So they're in a small handful of of players who've achieved that family double which is an amazing story.

SPEAKER_01 45:24

And the other thing we can pick up on is the pressure that he put himself under. You've made it to the open but it's still quite difficult to really enjoy yourself because you still want to perform but you then you you heat the pressure on you and then you end up not playing your best golf.

SPEAKER_02 45:38

Yeah like he was saying he saw that as an opportunity to improve his rankings in wh while he was playing for a European tour at the time. And I I guess Matt you know what pressure does or different kind of pressure does to you when you play in a big competition.

SPEAKER_03 45:52

Yeah it again it's you know it's one thing making it through the you know and qualifying for the open if one of your goals is to play in the open unfortunately that goal is it needs to be reset. When you get to the open I need to try and win the open. Sometimes we set the goals probably a little bit too low and you get there and you go it's a bit of a relief I'm here now and then you quite quickly forget that you need to then sort of g yourself up and perform a little bit. You know that that that added pressure then of going into a tournament like that with you know what are the best players on the planet basically at that moment in time. I can imagine it's you know it it can be quite stressful. I've never experienced playing in a major myself. You know I've played in some big events but um I can imagine the old lease will be uh shaking a little bit on the first team.

SPEAKER_01 46:41

And he he picked Scotty Sheffler to win it. That's uh someone we didn't mention and he he will be right in the mix won't he?

SPEAKER_03 46:47

Oh absolutely yeah he'll be there or thereabouts he's all he always is you know even if he's not there on on Thursday which is his least favourite day at the moment I'm sure he'll be there or thereabouts on Sunday going down the stretch.

SPEAKER_02 46:59

Well it's very good to hear from Oliver Farn he he's not on any tour anymore really is he and he he's starting at an academy and his his priorities uh in life have have changed a little bit errors yeah like um a lot of players when when kids are involved your priorities change and the travel that you have to do is a disruption for the whole family and um yeah he's come back and he's got an opportunity now to to kind of go into coaching but he's not gonna give up on the dream of getting into that third open as well which he's desperately trying to do to beat his dad to get that third open so yeah look out for Olifar over the next couple of years.

SPEAKER_01 47:34

Certainly will do but what about Welsh connections with Royal Burkilla and and the open error you're our resident historian so uh spit some facts out.

SPEAKER_02 47:42

Well quiz time now we had a quiz when the the Masters was uh a leather quiz lever quiz no here we go okay who's the Welsh player who's played in the most open championships Dyson Willin I'll go for Jamie Donaldson okay well you're both incorrect so you get zero points um it was actually Dyrees who uh played in thir 30 uh opens um he was s in the top ten seven times and he was actually second place in three opens 1953 just lost out to Ben Hogan 1954 Peter Thompson and in 1960 just lost to Arnold Palmer and incidentally 1954 and 1960 were both at Burkdale so that's uh Burkdale do I get a half a point for saying die well die Kellyn played eight times not quite uh as much as 30 so who's second in the um most times played in the open well woozy's gotta be in into double figures there hasn't he twenty-three times he's played yeah so he's he's he's second on the list yeah second on the list and he was in the top ten five times in his career tied third in Turnbury in 1986 but most famously in 2001 at Litham when the 15 club incident happened uh which he had a two shot penalty for another interesting fact on on that opener David Duval won in 2001 and won 600,000 pounds so that's 25 years ago jump forward 25 years to this year the winner gets well I think it's over 2.5 million so that's how much money in golf has kind of progressed in 25 years is a huge leap.

SPEAKER_01 49:29

Massive it's not about the money in this one it's not about the money it's all about the claret joke.

SPEAKER_02 49:34

Another notable um Welsh players who've played in multiple opens Brown Huggett uh 19 times um and he was actually tied second in 1965 and guess where that was Burkdale at Burkdale yeah and there's one other interesting uh link back to Birkdale Paul Mayo we spoke about Paul Mayo previously he he qualified for the Masters we said the story that he played with uh Jack Nicholas there he qualified for the open in 1991 he's played twice actually but 1991 and he was drawn again with Jack Nicholas and uh which open Birkdale Burkdale so we've got a lot of links back to Birkdale so it's a shame what we haven't got any Welsh players because the stars are aligned something with Birkdale to do well.

SPEAKER_01 50:24

A lot of links back to Birkdale I like that I like that I like that any more Welsh uh golfing stats linked to the open?

SPEAKER_03 50:31

Well another one for Paul Mayo um which I didn't know actually in 1987 he won the silver medal as the lowest uh amateur uh which is a fantastic achievement and something that we should be celebrating because you know in a way we have a an open winner be it an amateur and a silver medal but something that we should be very proud of right that's enough on Royal Birthday we'll leave it to the uh professionals who have made their way to Royal Burkdale hope you all enjoy watching some great golf over the next uh couple of days Matt's challenge is our next section on uh this eighth pod of golf pod commary Matt what have you been up to be honest completely honest Matt's challenges on pause for the time being for all the golf coaches out there this time of year for us is uh what we deem as being silly season where there's a a combination of you know your regular clients that we coach um you get then thrown into a mix of um the odd phone call from somebody who's been invited on a golf day who's never played golf before and you've got to try and teach them how to play golf in well 28 minutes it'll be after after you had two minutes sort of digesting what they've just told you. And also it's this time of year, you know, with the weather being so good, you know, there's just so many people out there wanting to play golf that they've not played golf all year. So it's incredibly busy when it comes to coaching. So my time has been spent on the range helping people with their games. I've continued to spend some time working on my own game also I am I'm still working away in the background. I'm not sort of resting on my laurels I've taken a little bit of a break but I am still sort of hitting golf balls and practicing my putting and chipping and obvious we've had a couple of games recently and we've got another one lined up so you know that's extra motivation for me. Look unless unless I'm playing competitively I I may play the odd round of golf year and there with some friends who are also professionals. Those games become competitive we don't just have a game of golf we we play for something that you know keeps you on top of your game puts you in a you know a not a pressure situation but even if you're playing competitively against you you know your friends I still want to win. I want to beat anyone that I play golf against regardless of who they are.

SPEAKER_01 52:49

Yeah and I'll pick up on that thing that Oliver Far said about the sort of life balance really you're you're older you have a family, children, things change don't they you know your priorities change and school holidays around the the corner so all of a sudden you you've got to prioritise things a little bit differently.

SPEAKER_03 53:07

Absolutely and I sort of you go back to um Ollie's interview there and certainly a few things hit home. When I was attempting to sort of play full time golf I was scratching a living around Europe playing on development tours and if I had a phone call and I could get into an event in you know Lithuania tomorrow then I'd do my best to get there and when you sort of put yourself in those scenarios you've got to sometimes sort of put yourself first and go right okay I'm ready to go I've got to go and then years down the line you sort of look back and you think well you know probably not selfish but you know you you then you sacrifice that time at home with your family and certainly from my point of view what one of my biggest regrets was I was still playing when my daughter was born and I still continued to play the first two or three years of her life so I missed a massive chunk you know of that that time of being with her being you know with my wife and being with the family but I was doing it for the you know for the greater good in terms of you know trying to make a living trying to get myself on tour trying to earn some money you know for the family. You know unfortunately I never quite got to that level and you know you you look back at it and you go well yeah you know could I have maybe stayed at home or you know could I have spent a little bit more time with the family but hopefully I'm making up for it now. I can be uh be that dad now that I wasn't in the in those first couple of years but it's it's so difficult. It's so difficult in in sport the sacrifices that you've got to make not just for your family as well but but for your friends. You know if you've got a group of friends that go out every Friday and Saturday night for a couple of beers I I couldn't do that for years because I was away and if I wasn't away I was going away on a Monday. Couldn't afford really to go out on a Friday to you know have a few beers when I'm trying to prepare for a tournament so you've you lose that side of things as well it's uh it it's tough it's a tough gig.

SPEAKER_01 54:58

Okay guys so that's uh that's enough about me and uh my golf and my family life what about you guys have you been sort of playing outside of our matches have you been practicing and getting yourself ready for our big big money matches um uh practice absolutely not um the club's come out of the cupboard into the car onto my back back in the car back in the cupboard I played Cardiff Golf Club big thanks to to them over there Chris O'Neill had a great welcome there and of course it's a fantastic nick but I I got there relatively early I had three pets a two wedges and that that was my warm-up you know and I think I shot 82 around uh Cardiff for for the first time played played really well still had a couple of nightmarish holes but really happy with my golf but since then the clubs have been in the darkness of the the Kutch dan star as we say in Welsh but actually they're next to the boiler. Keep them nice and warm in these tropical conditions.

SPEAKER_02 55:55

You know but that that's about my golf really well after last episode I went through my petting woes with you Matt you you told me to stick to the same petter and stick to what I was doing. So I uh totally ignored you and I've changed my petter three times since I've been listening to Bob Rutella's audiobook uh I can even recite the whole thing but I borrowed my son's petter um which felt really good so I I I've trolled the internet to find exactly the same one so hopefully that's like my last petter now for a while and I'll stick to that um sticking to the same grip error you still got the the claw grip you not changed anything there? No I've still I've still got a claw grip that seems the the the most stable for me but it's it's a mind over matter thing for me. It's not nothing to do with technique or putter really but um I'm trying to desperately get over like a lot of golfers the the yips um which is a horrible thing.

SPEAKER_01 56:51

How many times have you changed your putter? I've I've had I think three putters in my senior years of playing golf since I had a I had a Wilson what was the one that Woozy had the mallet zebra zebra yeah yeah a zebra but I had one of them and I've had this ping for pffff uh tw 20 years.

SPEAKER_03 57:09

I've personally used the same patter I've still got it that I've had um for I've had it 20 years now so that that's the two ball blade. Well before that I had a two ball anyway so same family but for 20 years I've had this putter and I can honestly say in the 20 years since having that putter I've changed my patter back and forth six times. So I'm on my sixth patter in 20 years. So that I don't think that's that too bad.

SPEAKER_02 57:33

I only had six patters in the last three hours so you know I'm not gonna say I've changed them much but I've got golf clubs for cash coming around with a lorry to to clear my shed tomorrow so I've come through a few.

SPEAKER_01 57:48

We see how we all put tomorrow we've I had a a a question from um from Kerry who I paid with the other day and we always have an ask Matt section and and he was honest and he wants to get his handicap down right so it is a question if electronically you can enter your your score on on on the app now with with Fexi Golf and Wales golf and but he he was kind of asking do we do you have to put all your scores in if you're trying to get your handicap down should you submit your card after playing five or six holes or should you have to decide before you hit the first ball off the first tee?

SPEAKER_03 58:27

Look this is my own personal point of view on this that if you go to a golf club and before you go up and play you m you must really have an intent either way whether you're gonna go out there and play just socially without marking a card or mark a card because that puts that edge into your mind then in terms of your mindset. So if if if you go out there going well it doesn't matter what I do if I start off crap then I I'll just won't bother marking a card or subsequently like you like you're talking about there if I start off really good maybe then I'll mark a card because I want to get my handicap done. I don't think you can pick and choose. I I I wouldn't like it if somebody said I'm not gonna put my card in because I've played really well. I don't want my handicap to come down. You know and we do see that we see that a lot at golf clubs where people protect their handicap and whereas in the past it was monitored in such a way that really your handicap was based on your competitive rounds of golf and then you had the option to put in supplementary cards but they would be reviewed by the handicapped committee. So therefore if you're planning to go out and play a round of golf to mark a card you should do it you shouldn't wait for three holes to see whether you're playing bad or good to put a card in.

SPEAKER_02 59:38

You should decide before you hit the first ball there we have it.

SPEAKER_01 59:42

There we have it the authority of all things good in golf in Wales has said yes you have to decide and be prepared to submit your card. So if you're playing well or if you're playing badly after five six holes that card still goes in. Okay well I think that's it for this uh golf pod company the eighth hole attesting par four is coming to an end next time we'll be on the ninth we'll be discussing the winner of the claret jug the champion golfer of the year the gold medal winner see whose predictions played well see whose predictions maybe didn't make the cut. I usually finish with remember to repair your pitch marks but I doubt they'll be repairing that many at Royal Burkdale is gonna be that firm but please do whatever you're playing repair your pitch marks and our advice for anybody listening including you you know who I'm talking about enter your card before teeing off on the first Ta-da.