Golf.com Podcast

Alan Shipnuck and Michael Bamberger are back to recap the U.S. Open and their careers covering the event. If you’re looking exclusively for a breakdown of the most recent major, well, you’ll be getting that and a whole lot more, including stories of U.S. Opens and Sports Illustrated from the 2010s, 2000s, 90s and 80s. Topics include: Why Erin Hills became the story of the event — 1:10What should the U.S. Open be? — 9:00How Bamberger caddied at his first Open — 17:30Shipnuck’s first Open — 23:55Bamberger 1999 flight alongside Fred Couples — 36:30Senior writers being on TV — 42:15How the Masters eclipsed the U.S. Open —47:18Reporting the 2001 U.S. Open — 53:15Reporting the 2010 British Open — 56:40Reporting failure at the 2011 Masters — 58:35

The 1992 U.S. Open ended with Tom Kite winning his first and only major, but it began strangely with Andy Dillard setting a U.S. Open record that will almost certainly never be broken. As we came to find out in his fateful story, he needed that record more than anything else in his life.

The Dave Pelz you see in 2017 isn’t all that different from the Dave Pelz you would have seen in 1957. The golf fanatic was then playing on scholarship at Indiana University, and competing against Jack Nicklaus, no less, so to see where he is today—as a world renowned short game instructor—comes without surprise. The astonishing part is how he got there, because shortly after enrolling at Indiana, and losing to Nicklaus on a number of occasions, he realized he wasn’t Tour ready. His ascension to the top of the short game world—which includes advising Phil Mickelson, one of the greatest short game players of all-time—begins at NASA, and has to do mainly with physics, his major at IU. As you can tell by listening, he’s pretty good at telling the story. Topics include: 2:25 — Playing junior/college golf against Jack Nicklaus 7:30 — How a college golfer ended up working at NASA 11:10 — His introduction of the 60-degree wedge on Tour 21:45 — Phil Mickelson’s greatest short game shot 25:20 — His annual work wit

Keegan Bradley took a circuitous route to the PGA Tour: down the ski slopes of the toughest mountains in the Northeast. With stops at St. John's and developmental tours, he splashed onto the scene in 2011 with a PGA Championship victory. Over the last couple of season Bradley has been battling to get back to that rarified air, playing through swing changes and the USGA’s anchoring ban. Alan Shipnuck caught up with him at the Players to talk about his unlikely journey, and where he goes from here. Topics: Playing with Phil Mickelson -- 1:10 PGA Tour money games -- 4:25 His relationship with Michael Jordan -- 5:45 The importance of golf shoes -- 9:10 The grind he's been on over the last few seasons -- 15:15 PGA Tour weddings -- 23:30 His first love (skiing) -- 28:00 The PGA Tour cliques in Florida -- 32:15 His dust up with Miguel Angel Jimenez -- 34:15 What he envies most about Dustin Johnson -- 37:02 His relationship with Jason Dufner -- 43:15

Tour caddie Kip Henley wasn't always a caddie. He was once an aspiring pro, until (in his words) he saw Jack Grout, Jack Nicklaus' famed coach. That's when his career as a golfer took the fateful turn. Since, Henley has made quite the career carrying bags and reading putts for a number of players on the PGA Tour, most recently Vijay Singh, whom he broke ties with just days after the recording of this podcast. You'll hear his thoughts on Vijay and much, much more. Topics: His failed Tour career -- 4:20 Why he began caddying -- 12:25 Caddying for Brian Gay -- 16:45 Are Tour caddies overpaid? -- 20:50 What works between player and caddie -- 26:33 The pettiness of certain caddies -- 31:00 The prevalence of cheating on Tour -- 34:07 How difficult it is to leave a player -- 38:20 Vijay's late-career abilities -- 41:43 His caddie dreams -- 45:10 How caddies make mistakes -- 48:06

Sean Foley is only 42 but he’s seen a heckuva lot in his career as a swing guru. His pupils have won a U.S. Open (Justin Rose) and now a Players (Si Woo Kim), but it is the man he took to number one (Tiger Woods) who made Foley famous. As you'll hear in this podcast with Alan Shipnuck, Foley is a philosophical thinker in his approach to teaching anyone around him. He's also a huge hip hop fanatic. Don't think so? Just ask him for his top 5. Here are just a few of the topics included: Hip hop music -- 1:42 His college experience -- 7:53 The roots of his teaching career -- 19:23 His time with Tiger Woods -- 27:10 How he works with young players -- 32:03 Why he can't watch live golf -- 38:32 Watching Justin Rose at the 2017 Masters -- 39:35 Why golfers practice incorrectly -- 56:40

Paul Casey might have the most infectious laugh on the PGA Tour, and just a few moments into this discussion with Alan Shipnuck, he shows it off. Casey and Shipnuck sat down at the Players Championship this week to discuss cars, cycling, his Ryder Cup status, how he views his career and much more. Topics: The Tour's FedEx sponsorship extension -- 2:10 Cars -- 4:15 Cycling -- 7:13 Stipulations of his Nike contract -- 12:10 Golfer injuries -- 13:30 His relationship with Peter Kostis -- 16:00 How he perceives his career -- 19:25 The Ryder Cup -- 26:35 The European Tour -- 31:50 His best Walker Cup memory -- 39:05

Danielle Kang lives a lavish life, and she'd even admit it, but she'll also be the first to tell you it takes a lot of hard work. Kang recently sat down with Alan Shipnuck to discuss every corner of her career and approach to competing on the LPGA Tour. The discussion goes as follows: Living in Las Vegas -- 4:00 Getting through struggles -- 6:40 Why golf is the family game -- 14:08 Her successful amateur career -- 24:40 Her relationship with Michelle Wie -- 33:45 Why she has a love-hate relationship with golf -- 35:47

The story of Arccos, a golf performance tracking company, begins in Pakistan of all places. That’s where Sal Syed, CEO and co-founder of the company, grew up. It’s where he first studied advanced mathematics and fell in love with golf. There are a number of steps between advanced mathematics in Pakistan and launching a golf app on iTunes in the United States with coworkers and plenty of champagne. Syed recently sat down with Sean Zak to tell the story of all those steps, how his company came together, how he brainstormed with buddies at Bandon Dunes. Syed also explained where his company is headed, and just how it plans to bring all kinds of golfers along with it. This is the story of Arccos and, more generally, a story about why you need to look into tracking your own golf performance like you never have before.

The 10-year LPGA vet joins Alan Shipnuck to discuss why he thinks she is the most versatile professional golfer in the world. Not versatile in the sense that she can do everything the game asks of her, but rather versatile in hobbies and skills. Yes, she has a budding music career, and is one of the most introspective golfers you'll meet, thanks to a commitment to meditation. Those are just two of the many examples they discuss.

Sports Illustrated Senior Writers Alan Shipnuck and Michael Bamberger discuss the most recent Masters, how Shipnuck covered it for the print magazine version, and how they both view various aspects of writing. The discussion includes: 1:20 -- Watching Sergio finally win 5:50 -- The art of reporting at a major championship 11:30 -- Chasing offbeat stories 13:00 -- Covering Tom Watson 21:40 -- Writing for a magazine 31:15 -- The lineage of SI golf writers 41:05 -- Tiger Woods' relationship with media

Sean Zak and Jeff Ritter take you through the story of the 2017 Masters, from Monday's rainout to Sunday's final putt. You'll hear from numerous players along the way, including their many thoughts from each day, as they chased the green jacket.

Our apologies if you've listened to all the Masters preview podcasts out there this week, but here's another one. Jeff Ritter joins Sean Zak to discuss every storyline ahead of the 2017 Masters. That means DJ, Spieth, McIlroy, Mickelson and others.

LPGA veteran Jane Park jumped onto the scene 13 years ago winning the 2004 U.S. Amateur. She is unequivocally one of the most beloved players on the LPGA Tour. Ask players, media, fans, etc. She loves life as a professional. She also loves butts. It's a long story, so you'll just have to listen to get her explanation. Park recently sat down with Alan Shipnuck and discussed the following topics: 7:25 -- When a player dates a caddie 14:15 -- Life after golf 32:00 -- Her sushi obsession 39:35 -- Weird interactions with fans 48:35 -- Why she likes butts 58:25 -- Tiger Woods' new book 1:01:35 -- The best butts on the PGA Tour

It's that special time of year where the takes are the hottest. Here on the GOLF.com Podcast, we've assembled some of the hottest takes in the sport, from some of the most provocative voices in golf's online arena. This is the second annual Hot Take Podcast. Included are the voices of Chris Solomon and Tron Carter from NoLayingUp, Brendan Porath from SB Nation and Coleman McDowell from GOLF.com. Kyle Porter from CBS had a nuclear take that we'll have to share sometime in the future. The timing just wasn't right today. The fiery takes are outlined below: 1:03 -- Jordan Spieth will win the Masters by four, and another three green jackets in the future 10:22 -- Sergio Garcia's happiness is leading him to a backdoor major victory 16:55 -- Pro golfers shouldn't wear hats 18:30 -- Patrick Reed is bad for golf 25:10 -- Tiger Woods must rescind his 2000 PGA Championship victory 33:05 -- Dustin Johnson will be the GOAT Note: Don't take these takes TOO seriously. That being said, if Spieth or Garcia misses the cut

One of the most varied men in golf, Peter Jacobsen, joins the podcast for the second time to share some of his greatest memories of Arnold Palmer, the Ryder Cup and Tiger Woods. Jacobsen and Alan Shipnuck roll through all topics listed below. 1:50 -- When he played with 13-year-old Sam Saunders 5:45 -- When he first met Palmer 9:50 -- Why players should have shown up for the API 12:25 -- His Golden Tee venture 16:55 -- The 1985 Ryder Cup 26:55 -- Is he satisfied with his pro career? 29:40 -- Mike 'Fluff' Cowan 33:30 -- Tiger Woods

One of the most polarizing figures in golf, Ian Poulter, joins Alan Shipnuck from the Arnold Palmer Invitational to discuss everything from his Ryder Cup dominance to his social media squabbles, and even details on why he was forced to fold his apparel company. The 75-minute conversation includes the following topics and much, much more: 2:25 — The 2008 British Open 7:20 — His current form 9:45 — His new take on social media 12:30 — How verbal abuse affected his game last year 23:00 — His humble beginnings in golf 29:24 — The 2008 Ryder Cup 38:10 — Why he’s been burned by the media 43:05 — Opportunities he sees in business 45:20 — The 2012 Ryder Cup 51:00 — How he took over at Medinah 1:01:30 — The 2013 British Open 1:04:22 — Why he hits shanks more than most players 1:07:38 — One of his most embarrassing stories 1:11:10 — How Shotlink once screwed with his head 1:13:10 — When he accidentally tossed a ball into a hazard

Golf course management company KemperSports claims some of the most impressive courses in the world. We're talking Bandon Dunes, Streamsong, Sand Valley, etc. KemperSports president Josh Lesnik joins Coleman McDowell this week to discuss why he thinks now is the best time to be in golf course development. The conversation includes: 5:15 -- The creation of Bandon Dunes 9:35 -- Symmetry between Bandon and Sand Valley 15:15 -- What makes Sand Valley special 22:00 -- How to build a golf resort 27:40 -- Why now is the best time to build 31:30 -- The most powerful people in golf

Lydia Ko, the top-ranked female player in the world, joined Marika Washchyshyn this week to catch up with all the changes she has made in and around her game the last few months. The discussion includes: 10:45 -- How her game feels right now 12:35 -- Why she thinks Ariya Jutanugarn is her best competition 13:35 -- Why she made so much change in her offseason 14:30 -- The difficulties with changing coachs 18:00 -- What's different about her new swing 23:15 -- Why she'd be honored to play with President Trump 24:35 -- Last year's rally to earning a silver medal 26:45 -- Why being an Olympic medalist is special 30:10 -- Her decade-long goals as she turns 20 years old

The USGA and R&A have proposed a revamping of the Rules of Golf. More than 100 rules changes have been proposed, more than 30 of them being major rules changes. The staff at GOLF.com hosted a roundtable Wednesday morning to discuss what is great, what is lacking and what we're still unsure about with the proposal. The topics included are: 2:02 -- Dropping a ball 5:45 -- Pace of play changes 12:00 -- Accidentally moving your ball 14:30 -- Leaving the flagstick in the hole 17:30 -- The Dustin Johnson Rule 19:50 -- Fixing spike marks 23:20 -- Bunker rules 26:15 -- Equipment rules 29:25 -- Empowering the player