No Laying Up - Golf Podcast

Soly, Tron and Neil are back in the Killhouse to recap Hudson Swafford's win at PGA West as well as the Euro Tour event in Abu Dhabi, the reaction to the US Women's Open purse increase, the LPGA tournament of champions, some listener questions and a quick visit from Akshay Bhatia after his first win on the Korn Ferry Tour (34:00).

Leona Maguire joins the pod to recap her rookie season on the LPGA tour and her sensational performance at the 2021 Solheim Cup.  We also get into her amateur and collegiate career, the positive momentum surrounding the LPGA tour, future venues for the majors and a ton more!

Soly and Tron are joined by longtime friend of the program Kevin Van Valkenburg to recap the wild finish in Hawaii as Hideki wins with an unbelievable shot on the first playoff hole. Plus a look ahead to the LPGA season opener, this week's announcements surrounding the PGA Tour Netflix series, recent developments around the Saudi event and a ton of listener questions. 

GOOD MORNING DAHMEN! Joel Dahmen returns to pod fresh off his week at the Tournament of Champions in Maui.  We discuss his progression through professional golf from the mini tours to becoming a winner on the PGA Tour as well as a number of current topics in the game from greens books to alternate tours, his practice round match with Phil and a ton more.

Cam Smith shoots 34 under (!!) and wins the Tournament of Champions in Maui as the field obliterates a soft and windless Plantation Course at Kapalua. We recap the birdie fest to kick off the calendar year. Plus, Bryson ditches the dumb hat, some exciting future locations announced for the US Women's Open, NFT country clubs and more.

Tommy Fleetwood returns to the NLU podcast with a recap of his struggles in 2021, his experiences in the Ryder Cup and a look to what's ahead in the 2022 season as well as his take on the future of the European Tour and the worldwide landscape of professional golf.

Much like the PGA Tour, the NLU Sunday night podcast returns from a brief holiday break as the guys gather to preview the upcoming year in golf.  We also play our "Who won that tournament last year?" game, answer some listener questions and make some season long picks with Draft Kings. Soly closes the pod with a chat with Alex Urban, Executive Director of the Tournament of Champions, to get an inside look at how the tournament operates and seeks to improve on a yearly basis. 

In our final episode of the year, we highlight some clips from Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Tony Jacklin, Andy Gardiner, Mike Whan, Bob Rotella, Mike Devries, Bones, Chris Dimarco, and many more. Thanks so much for supporting another year of the No Laying Up podcast. Can't wait to bring you more in 2022. 

It's time for the annual holiday medley! Part I contains highlights from the first half of the year, including Mike Whan, Jordan Spieth, Pernilla Lindberg, Madelene Sagstrom, Kevin Na, Hunter Mahan, Chip Beck, Mark O'Meara, and many others. Stay tuned for Part II. 

Rory makes his long awaited return to the podcast as we break down the state of his game, his performance in majors, his mentality on and off the course as well as the all the changes in his life and career over the last few years. We also get into this year's Ryder Cup, changing swing coaches, PGA Tour pros playing in the Saudi Arabia event, his plans moving forward and a ton more. 

For this week's pod, we dove deep into three significant developments in professional golf history. As today's golf landscape appears to be shifting on a weekly basis, we look back at precedent for potential breakaway tours. In our research, three significant events stood out: The breakaway from the PGA of America (and ultimately, the formation of the PGA Tour) in 1968, an attempted overthrow of Commissioner Deane Beman in 1983 by some of the the top players in the game, and Greg Norman's formation of a World Tour in 1994. Common themes that arise are similar to the refrains we hear today. This one was a lot of fun. (For a wild read about the 1969 Alameda Open, and how it relates to the topics discussed in this episode, check out this article from Nick Lozito: https://nicklozito.substack.com/p/sunol-valley-the-bay-area-kidnapping)

Longtime NLU podcast favorite Kyle Porter joins Soly to recap everything from the past year in golf and give us a preview of his new book Normal Sport. You can find out more information about Kyle's book at ANormalSport.com.

Collin Morikawa blows a five shot lead on Sunday in the Bahamas as Viktor Hovland survives some 72nd hole antics from Patrick Reed to win for the fifth time in his career. We recap the tournament and comments from Tiger about his recent accident and his future plans to compete on tour. We also dive into recent comments from various pros on golf in Saudi Arabia, the tour granting releases for the upcoming Saudi event, the upcoming ban on green reading books, Bryson's recent interview, the JupeLife photoshoot, and some F1 reaction as well.  

Justin Lower joins the NLU pod for the first time to chat about his winding path toward getting a PGA Tour card, what he's learned out on tour so far, what he learned after an excruciatingly close call in 2018, a devastating tragedy in 2005, and a ton more. 

The latest installment of The Match - Brooks v Bryson - has come and gone. We recap everything from the golf itself, the broadcast, the future of the event and why it does (or doesn't) work for the casual and hardcore fan. We also dive into the PGA Tour memo that was sent to players earlier this week and the Tour's response to the pending threat of competition from other leagues. 

Tony Jacklin joins to discuss playing in seven Ryder Cups before being tasked with transforming virtually everything about the event from the European side. He tells the story of The Concession, a hair-raising ride in Arnold Palmer's plane, Seve, and the challenges of trying to make it on the US Tour as a Brit. He also details heartbreak he experienced as his wife suddenly died at the age of 44, losing his fortune, differences with IMG, peers that rubbed him the wrong way, and so much more. Pick up a copy of Tony Jacklin's book "My Ryder Cup Journey" here: https://www.amazon.com/Tony-Jacklin-Ryder-Cup-Journey-ebook/dp/B09CLPF8YG

Jin Young Ko wins the LPGA Tour Championship while Collin Morikawa claims the European Tour championship and the Race to Dubai title.  Meanwhile on the PGA Tour, Taylor Gooch wins at Sea Island for his first career victory. We recap all three tournaments, plus the Cat's potential return, the LPGA Tour player of the year process, Rory's wardrobe malfunction, some reaction to our midweek PGL interview pod and much more. 

Andy Gardiner from the Premier Golf League (PGL) joins the podcast to discuss the format for the league, how the league's proposal has evolved in recent years, inconsistencies in the reports around the league, the issues that golf faces, and why the golf world could look a lot different with a bit of imagination. We discuss their desire to work directly with the PGA Tour, the confusion around their involvement with the Saudis, what PGA Tour players stand to gain from their proposal, and so much more. Thanks a ton to Andy for the time and transparency. 

Jason Kokrak wins at Memorial Park in Houston while Nelly Korda survives a four way playoff to win in Tampa as the LPGA season winds down.  We break down both tournaments and then catch up with NLU Young Hitter Lauren Coughlin who secured her LPGA tour card for next season with a t-16 finish this week. Then we react to the news from the week in golf and a few listener requested topics as well. 

He's back! Justin Thomas joins the pod to recap his 2021 season including his win at the Players and his experiences on the US Ryder Cup team. We also discuss his struggles on and off the course during the year, his recent visits with Tiger, and much more.