Shownotes
We focus on Tom Coyne's management of a golf course and his assertion that professional golf has become increasingly removed from everyday golfers. I describe how my father introduced me to golf and how links golf in Ireland changed my life. Tom argues against rolling the ball back and supports bifurcating equipment to protect the game for ordinary players. We discuss the current messy state of professional golf, its entertainment value, and the widening gap between elite earnings and weekend play. Tom shares personal details about books, music, retirement plans to play and read more, and a last meal choice of pizza. We close by urging listeners to play golf, enjoy the game, and be kind.
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Painted Hills Natural Beef
- Charles Schwab
- United States Golf Association (USGA)
- Advil
- Rocco's Pizza
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Transcripts
Welcome to Grilling at the Green After Hours.
Speaker A:The conversation that took place after the show ended.
Speaker A:Hi, everybody, it's JT and this is a special version of Grilling at the Green.
Speaker A:Grilling at the Green is brought to you in part by Painted Hills Natural Beef.
Speaker A:Beef you can be proud to serve your family and friends.
Speaker A:That's Painted Hills natural Beef.
Speaker A:Hey.
Speaker A:Welcome to After Hours on Grilling at the Green.
Speaker A:I'm JT along with Tom Coyne.
Speaker A:Today, Tom's got his hands full these days, not just on battling the keyboard, but also his creative juices going in his mind to work on a golf course all the time.
Speaker A:And if you missed the top part of the show, Tom's in the Schwab commercial.
Speaker A:You see him there about.
Speaker A:I don't remember the actual lines, but it was like, you never thought you'd be doing this, managing a golf course, and there's a picture of you walking off with a shoulder bag and stuff.
Speaker A:It's pretty cool.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:So these are some questions that I kind of ask everybody these days, and we'll see if.
Speaker A:See if you're up to it.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:All right, let's see.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:If you could play around a golf with one of your golfing heroes, who would it be?
Speaker B:Oh, a round of golf with a golfing hero.
Speaker A:They can.
Speaker A:They don't have to be alive, you know.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:If they don't have to be alive, then I'm gonna go with.
Speaker B:You gotta go with the old.
Speaker B:Old Tom.
Speaker B:Who would want to play with.
Speaker B:With old Tom?
Speaker A:That would be pretty cool.
Speaker B:Yeah, right.
Speaker B:If I can go all the way back that far, I would love to see how they played and how they played so well with those.
Speaker B:With those clubs they were using.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah.
Speaker A:They're like shillelies and stuff.
Speaker A:They're not exactly.
Speaker A:They're not like an AP one from tit.
Speaker A:Know who.
Speaker A:Who was the biggest influence on you personally in the golf.
Speaker A:In your golf life?
Speaker A:Was it like your dad or your brother or.
Speaker B:Yeah, definitely my dad.
Speaker B:That he, you know, took me g. Basically gave me golf because he played golf, and that's why I started to play golf.
Speaker B:Something I wouldn't have done.
Speaker B:You know, I. I growing up sort of pre Tiger woods, it was something you really only did if your mom or dad did it.
Speaker B:So I have my dad to thank for that.
Speaker B:So, yeah, he taught me to love golf, and he took me to Ireland, where I fell in love with links golf, and that.
Speaker B:That changed my life.
Speaker A:Do you think, Tom, professional golf is getting, if you will, further and Further removed from everyday golfers.
Speaker B:I think it, yes, and I think it's been removed from everyday golfers for a very, very, very long, probably since the beginning.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:They, they play a very different game.
Speaker B:The state of, of pro golf is a little bit tricky right now and a little bit messy, but it doesn't faze me.
Speaker B:I think, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's still entertaining.
Speaker B:I like watching good players hit good shots and as an entertainment product, I think it's great.
Speaker B:It's just very different than what I do on a Saturday.
Speaker B:And sure, that's fine.
Speaker A:I think it's also, it's my soapbox here.
Speaker A:I'm a capitalist at heart.
Speaker A:But when you see somebody win 25 million dollars and they've already won 30 million that year and you go, man, I wish I'd played more golf and got better at it or something, you know, it's crazy.
Speaker A:Name something that you were really enthused about when you first saw it or heard of it.
Speaker A:And then with time your excitement kind of fizzled out.
Speaker A:Oh,.
Speaker B:Let's see, I was pretty.
Speaker B:Well to stay with pro golf.
Speaker B:I was excited to hear that, that the tours were coming back together in some way.
Speaker B:And my excitement is definitely fizzled out around that as there seems to be very little, very little happening.
Speaker A:Yeah, I, I, I honestly don't really see that happening very well myself.
Speaker B:Yeah, who knows how it's going to happen?
Speaker A:But yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker A:So if, if Tom Coyne was declared Supreme Leader of golf for one day, what would you as supreme leader of golf decree?
Speaker B:H. I would decree that we bifurcate equipment because the idea of rolling the ball back for even if it only costs the people who play at my golf course at their swing speeds, if it cost them half a yard, yeah, that's half a yard too many.
Speaker B:Golf is hard enough.
Speaker B:Golf has always been a game of technological innovation to help golfers hit it further and enjoy their golf.
Speaker B:Golf is too long for 90% of golfers.
Speaker B:So the I am just couldn't be more opposed to, to that initiative insofar as it affects everyday golfers who to me are golf.
Speaker B:And I think we often make the mistake of when we talk about golf, we think of the 1%.
Speaker B:And you know, that's, that's not how a very top down view, but that's just not how I think about golf.
Speaker A:Yeah, I look at it like I, I live three blocks from a golf course and within five miles of probably four more.
Speaker A:And that's what I think of golf, you know, I think of what I see on television as entertainment like you just mentioned a minute ago.
Speaker A:And I, when I think of golf, I think of the men's clubs, the, the duffers like myself out there, whatever.
Speaker A:That's what I think of golf is anyway.
Speaker A:Do you have a favorite golf book besides any of the ones you've written?
Speaker B:You know, it's funny, I don't read a lot of golf books just because I spend so much time around the game reading articles, pitches, you know, in my day to day that when I, when I get to read for, for the, for pleasure, I, I, I definitely steer away from golf.
Speaker B:But I, I remember, you know, to the Lynx Land by Michael Bamberger being a book that, where I felt like, ah, there is a, there's a way to write about golf in a.
Speaker B:And it still be literary and smart and insightful and emotional and all those things and sort of helped show me that good golf stories are, are about much more than golf.
Speaker A:So I, I'll tell you something, Tom.
Speaker A:I had not read that and I just ordered it and it will be here tomorrow.
Speaker B:I think you'll enjoy it very much.
Speaker B:Yeah, they just re released it, so.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:I had never read Michael on.
Speaker B:I saw Michael on Sunday and he looks like he's doing well and it's nice to have a book being re released.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:If we put your skills to music, Tom, what would the music be?
Speaker B:Well, I think it would be some sort of easy listening.
Speaker B:Yeah, I try and take it easy and keep it all in front of me.
Speaker B:Yeah, People say I, I swing easy.
Speaker B:I feel like I swing hard, but people like, oh, look at that smooth tempo.
Speaker B:I'm like, man, I think I, I ripped it that as hard as I could.
Speaker B:So, so maybe I'm just like a sort of tortoise kind of approach.
Speaker B:So yeah, something smooth and easy listening.
Speaker B:We'll take that.
Speaker A:You were talking about.
Speaker A:I'm going to interject something here.
Speaker A:You're talking about in the regular show getting fitted for clubs and all that.
Speaker A:A few weeks ago I went and got fitted and I hadn't been fitted actually legitimately probably ever, but I spent two hours with this gentleman.
Speaker A:He did a really nice job.
Speaker A:But in the past couple of years I've tried to slow my swing down, which is maybe the antithesis of thought for most people.
Speaker A:But I found if I slowed it down, it was smoother, my ball striking was better, what have you.
Speaker A:So we, we get there and he's doing this and he goes, I can't figure out how with that slow swing speed, you can get the ball to come off the face of that club.
Speaker A:So hot.
Speaker A:And I. I said I.
Speaker A:Nobody's ever told me that.
Speaker A:I have no idea.
Speaker A:So, anyway, it's just kind of interesting that you said that.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:A couple of personal things here.
Speaker A:What's your favorite movie?
Speaker B:Oh, favorite movie.
Speaker B:I'm gonna go with A Gentleman's Game, based on my first novel.
Speaker A:There you go.
Speaker A:There you go.
Speaker B:I'm contractually obligated to say that.
Speaker A:No, I got it.
Speaker A:I got it.
Speaker A:What's the worst movie you ever watched?
Speaker B:A Gentleman's Game, based on my first novel.
Speaker B:No, I'm just.
Speaker B:I'm just.
Speaker B:Just kidding.
Speaker B:No, no, no, no, no.
Speaker B:That.
Speaker B:That was a really fun experience.
Speaker A:I bet it was.
Speaker B:Daddyshack2.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:That.
Speaker B:The best golf movie to.
Speaker B:Maybe not the best.
Speaker A:Maybe not the best.
Speaker A:Tom, if you could dine with, who would it be and what would be on the menu?
Speaker B:Oh, okay.
Speaker B:I'll go with.
Speaker B:I'm kind of interested in Napoleon recently, but I'm getting really into World War II, so maybe Churchill and so.
Speaker A:No,.
Speaker B:Okay, I'll go with Churchill.
Speaker B:And he probably won't be eating much, drinking more, but I'll go with a beef Wellington just because that would be appropriate.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker A:Have you read Our Finest Hour by Trisha?
Speaker A:Good.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's a great book.
Speaker A:I thought if you could erase one mistake from your past, what would it be?
Speaker B:Oh, one mistake in high school, anytime.
Speaker A:You pick it, I dropped.
Speaker B:At homecoming, I dropped a pass that would have been a touchdown, and we would have won the homecoming game.
Speaker B:And I'll never, ever, ever forget it.
Speaker A:Never live it down.
Speaker A:Never go back to your hometown.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:They know who you are.
Speaker A:If you were an animal, what animal would you be?
Speaker B:I would be.
Speaker B:I would probably be.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:What animal would I be?
Speaker B:I'd be a hippo.
Speaker B:Because, like, you know, they're just kind of chilling there.
Speaker B:But, you know, there.
Speaker B:There's a lot more going on under the surface than you think.
Speaker A:And you don't.
Speaker B:You know, they seem pretty gentle, but now they got a lot going on.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Here's kind of a head scratcher for you.
Speaker A:Do you think golf can help kids that have trouble with math or have difficulty with social skills?
Speaker B:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker B:I think anything that is not involving a screen can help kids with their social skills.
Speaker B:And so golf is.
Speaker B:Is good in that regard.
Speaker B:And the math that.
Speaker B:That one has to do as a junior golfer, figuring out pluses and minuses.
Speaker B:So you get your integers there and doing some addition.
Speaker B:Yeah, I mean, it's not going to make you a mathematician, but I mean, golf generally, there's a lot of healthy practices associated with it.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker B:You're doing it the right way, so.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's definitely good.
Speaker A:Couple more here.
Speaker A:Tom, what's one thing you miss about your twenties?
Speaker B:I miss about my twenties is not, is the lack of pain.
Speaker A:You're not the only one that's ever said that.
Speaker B:Yeah, just waking up and always being ready to jump out of the car and go play golf and.
Speaker A:Yeah, not happening these days.
Speaker A:A little slower.
Speaker B:Takes a little longer.
Speaker B:Takes a few Advil.
Speaker A:Yeah, no, I get that.
Speaker A:We already covered, but I'll.
Speaker A:Is there a change you think that should be made to amateur golf at, you know, USGA competitive levels?
Speaker B:I would probably, if I was.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know what?
Speaker B:I would bump the mid am back to like maybe 30 years old or 35, because I feel like at 25, you're still getting a lot of players who.
Speaker B:The pro, you know, not the problem.
Speaker B:But the USAM is a college tournament and the Mid Am is supposed to be.
Speaker B:Not, it's supposed to be the other thing.
Speaker B:But I think you're still getting a lot of people in the mid AM who play golf full time and good for them.
Speaker B:It's great.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:But I just think what it's supposed to be, you know, a mid AM is someone who has a job and golfs for, on, you know, for fun after work or on the weekend.
Speaker B:It doesn't, it doesn't really feel that way when you, when you look at the field sometimes.
Speaker B:So, yeah, I would, I would, I would try to reshape that a little.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Two, two more.
Speaker A:What do you want to do when and if you ever retire?
Speaker B:I just want to play a lot of golf.
Speaker B:I have no other hobbies.
Speaker B:I have no other interests.
Speaker B:I, I, I, I sleep, read and golf.
Speaker B:So I will catch up on a lot of books and, and play even more golf.
Speaker A:Okay, last one here.
Speaker A:What would your last meal be if you were on death row?
Speaker B:Well, last time I was on death row.
Speaker B:I'm gonna go with.
Speaker B:I gotta go with a nice.
Speaker B:I'm a big pizza guy.
Speaker B:Rocco's Pizza from South Bend, Indiana.
Speaker B:I'll have him ship it in.
Speaker B:Best pizza out there.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:Because, you know, you don't have to worry about caloric intake at that point.
Speaker A:Oh, just cholesterol or just bring it, you know.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker A:Tom Coyne.
Speaker A:Good luck, buddy.
Speaker A:With your golf course up there at Sullivan county and kind of keep us surprised.
Speaker A:And I'll keep an eye on you.
Speaker A:And then, like I said, after the first year in the spring, we'll have you back and give us some progress report.
Speaker A:How's that?
Speaker B:I love it.
Speaker B:J.T.
Speaker B:I appreciate you having me on.
Speaker B:And come see us in Sullivan County.
Speaker A:I will.
Speaker A:That's going to wrap it up for after hours for Tom and myself.
Speaker A:Like we say before, go out, play some golf, have some fun.
Speaker A:But most of all, be kind.
Speaker A:Take care, everybody.
