Talk Birdie To Me

Strap in, this is a big pod - albeit a day late as Nick has been in Queensland - but we got there!

Also, before we start a reminder of our annual survey (there are prizes!), here's the link: https://access.itsmystation.com/s3/talk-birdie-to-me-2

Onto the show....Mark Allen in particular has come in hot over what happened on the Asian Tour event at the weekend, and we launch into it from the top. Cheating in professional golf. There are at least three instances we know of in recent times, Inhoi Hur's behaviour and actions at the weekend at the Namseoul Country Club were disgraceful. Mark Allen says the facts in this story have shocked him, saying what happened at the weekend has blown him away.

Nick and Mark explain what happened, and give their view on why it was a disgrace to professional golf, saying it can only be described as cheating. Essentially, he was given a mulligan on a professional tournament.

We compare Inhoi Hur's actions to those of Cam Young at the weekend, who called a penalty on himself incurring a one-shot penalty. Mark says what the penalty for cheating should be for a first offence, and a second offence...Nick agrees entirely. Nick spoke to a Tour Pro who played in the tournament and said that all the players were 'headless' with anger over what happened.

Is cheating in professional golf endemic? Well Nick says there was always rumours about the Asian Tour, and both Nick and Mark have experienced it. But there are other recent examples, and Mark names one player who was recently banned in Australia, and simply moved to another tour. And we discuss another Australian pro who was recently caught dropping a ball out of his pocket in a tournament.

Phew. Onto LIV. We talk about the Jon Rahm news, and Scott O'Neil's comments about the search for investment for LIV to continue beyond 2026. Does it survive? Nick and Mark give their view.

That's a plus for Hostplus this week is an unusual one - the plus for golf is that Inhoi Hur did not win the tournament, that's good for golf, he didn't deserve to and thankfully he didn't.

And into the turn, we chat about the Australian Golf Digest's Top 100 golf course rankings list which has come out over the last few days. Do Nick and Mark rate it? We discuss.

In the turn - speaking of cheating, Nick and Mark discover that the Tour Pro whose card they refused to sign was the same person! They don't name him, but they give a few clues if you feel like sleuthing....

For Betr, Nicks Top 5 is - if you are going to cheat in pro golf (which you should not) these are the 5 most common ways to do it.

Feedback for Southern Golf Club - we start with a few on our John Senden interview, could have read 100 out, there were heaps. Question about Adam Scott hitting the wrong ball at the weekend in a tournament, comment about Carlotta Ciganda's slow play, and a couple of LIV comments - there's been heaps, but we touch on a couple.

Nick takes us around the world in the PING globals, lots going on, and some great performances. Mark sidetracks the PING globals with a discussion about chocolate bars....which requires your input if you can help.

For the Golf Clearance Outlet, Mark's masterclass today is inspired by Cameron Young's wedges, and why he feels high bounce wedges are worth a shot.
We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:

Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partner
BMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;
Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
PING will help you play your best;
Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;
Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;
And Southern Golf Club.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Talk Birdie Monday Mini, a short episode where we typically discuss one issue or one question from a wolfpacker. And today, we've had a message from Peter who has disagrees strongly with Nick O'Hern's views on bifurcation which in fairness are largely shared by Mark, but it is an argument Nick has been prosecuting for a long time now.

Peter believes bifurcation is a bad idea and would be terrible for golf, he explains why. Nick and Mark give their views on Peter's thoughts and suggestions, which include the possible introduction of pot bunkers, and some other thoughts on distance control.

Nick says, as he has previously, that distance is out of control at pro level however many of the issues are caused less by distance, and more by accuracy - specifically the now negligible difference between driver and 3-wood. Mark relays a conversation he had recently with Geoff Ogilvy on this exact issue.

We also chat about the ball - this is an area that Nick and Mark disagree on, both give their rationale.

Not sure if we've solved the problems in this Monday Mini, but it was fun to kick around for 10 minutes. Thanks for the message Peter, hit em well !!

We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:

Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partner
BMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;
Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
PING will help you play your best;
Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;
Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;
And Southern Golf Club.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Friday, and that means time for a Friday Feedback pod, plenty of comments, and some questions , and Nick and Mark run through them today.

We start with a comment from Derek whose Dad had the opportunity to meet, and get an autograph from Jack Nicklaus - but chose not to for a very odd reason. Derek explains. Ouch.

Anthony is going to take his young fella Connor to the Australian Open later this year, and is after some advice on what the best day (or days) might be to see some of the big names.

Adrian played Moonah Links recently, got beaten up by the course but loved it, and wants to know if it will lever host an Australian Open again and if not, why not?

Last week we had some feedback about a club in Brisbane charging members who brought their own buggy or scooter, and we had several comments about that. Adam said that his clubs charge an extra fee annually for scooters for insurance purposes. Womble said that clubs charge a 'trail fee' for maintenance of the paths because buggy and scooters are more damaging than walkers. Keith said pretty much the same thing.

After the turn. Ian has a question for Nick and Mark about Justin Rose and Lydia Ko's pre-shot routines, why they do what they do and what they're trying to prevent happening. Leads to a great chat about pre-shot routines, and some of golfs more quirky pre-shot routines.

We had a comment last week from a wolfpacker who does not like handicaps, and reckons the system should be dumped and we simply play to our level with similar people, or cop a whack in a game. A couple of listeners - John and Sean,each pointed out that there are some other sports that handicap.

Frank is a newish listener who is currently working his way through all the back episodes of the show....sheez.....we give him a prize as a thank you, welcome and well done - 250 bucks to spend at the Golf Clearance Outlet, thanks Franky !!!

David saw Mike Harwood in action and messaged with some thoughts about just how good he was.

And we wrap with a pretty blunt comment from Dave saying that there should be only one mens major in the US.....Nick and Mark respond.

Mark casually drops that his monthly medal is on this weekend and he is sensing a course record coming on.....we'll find out next week.

A fun Friday Feedback pod today, hope you had as much fun as we did!

We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:

Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partner
BMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;
Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
PING will help you play your best;
Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;
Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;
And Southern Golf Club.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Breaking news this morning Australian time, it has been confirmed that the Saudi Arabia PIF is in the process of advising all parties that it will not fund LIV following the end of 2026. This means without significant sponsorship from external parties, LIV will either struggle to continue, or perhaps will continue in a far reduced form.

We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:

Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partner
BMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;
Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
PING will help you play your best;
Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;
Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;
And Southern Golf Club.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a great guest pod for Hostplus, we love this bloke - today John Senden joins Nick O'Hern and Mark Allen to talk about his career, playing on the Champions Tour currently, and how he manages his golf given his diagnosis a few years ago with Parkinson's Disease. A fascinating chat with one of golfs good guys.

Sendo has an exceptional record. He won the Australian Open in 2006, and he is a two time winner on the PGA Tour in the US - the John Deere Classic in 2006, and the Valspar in 2014. He's currently playing the Champions Tour in the US, and has made 87 out of 91 cuts on that tour if you don't mind !

Sendo tells Nick and Mark about the Champions Tour, what it's like, what he enjoys about it. And then we go a little earlier, and he tells us how he first got into golf at Keperra Golf Club in Brisbane where he met his then, and now, coach Ian Triggs. He talks about the relationships and environment at Keperra really got him on his way in golf.

Nick tells the story about first coming across Sendo playing the Troppo Tour in North Queensland, and Sendo recalls a hilarious story about Nicks car broken down an hour of Mt Isa on the highway....it's a ripper. But from playing the slightly less curated courses of the Troppo Tour to some of the best courses in the world, Sendo talks about making the adjustment from the Bermuda greens of Queensland to the Sandbelt courses in Melbourne, and what he had to learn very quickly,

Sendo is well known for his extraordinary ball flight, both Nick and Mark have admired it for a hundred years, and the boys ask him if it was a learned talent or if it came naturally, Sendo talks us through that.

He talks about going to Europe, how he did it and why, and explains why without his European experience he would not have survived in the US.

Mark has heard a story about Sendo and Tiger Woods....and is keen to go to the source and find out if it's true.....Sendo confirms that yes it is !

After the turn, we discuss his Parkinson's diagnosis. How did he first find out, what were the indications there might be an issue. Sendo explains what he did about it, and how manages it to stay as healthy as he can. He talks about how he handles his nerves when he is playing, and the tremors. Nick is curious to know if the tremors affect his putting in particular. Sendo reveals the area of his game that Parkinson's impacts the most, and how he handles that.

And we finish by finding out, what's next for him, what comes after golf?

A fantastic guest episode today with John Senden, one of golfs great gentlemen.

If you're impacted, either personally, as a carer, or as a friend or family member, by Parkinson's Disease, the best source of information is at the Parkinson's Australia Info Hub here:

We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:

Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partner
BMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;
Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;
FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;
PING will help you play your best;
Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;
Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;
And Southern Golf Club.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.