Talk Birdie To Me

A Monday Mini today where we look at a question from Postman who is frustrated by slow play, and wants Nick and Mark to list their tips for 'Ready Golf'. The boys list the things that they reckon you must do, and we read through a few tips from wolfpacker Tony who has given his own list.

So Nick and Mark are listing their 'ready golf' tips, have they missed any that you feel are important? Let us know in the comments.

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We've been talking a fair bit about the challenges of Pros hitting the ball farther, and what technological adjustments are required....the ball rollback, driver heads, and a variety of creative things on the golf courses. But wolfpacker Paul reckons he's nailed it, and it doesn't require any redevelopment of equipment.

Have a listen to this voicemail from Paul with his solution to solve the issue. Let us know if you think he's onto something.

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It's Friday, and that means a Friday Feedback pod. Today some great questions and a number of whacks for the team...ouch....but we start the show with a Friday Feedback jingle, should we keep it or dump it? We'll whack a poll up on Twitter, whatever the Wolfpack say goes.

Onto the feedback....Jonny reckons we missed a few obvious nicknames in our chat last week, a couple of 'animal inspired' ones, and Aussie golf legend Mike Harwood's nickname, Mark tells the story of how it came about and the fellow pro who christened him...

Big pod today, and of course we start with the fantastic win by Aaron Rai, he came from behind, but what a final day - particularly the last 9 or 10 holes on (his) Sunday. Mark says if you're going to win a golf tournament, that's the way to do it....Nick says that the finish was insane. We discuss the clubs he had in the bag.

Aaron of course was the headline, but there were other notable performances. Cam Smith had a cracking tournament, and was in the hunt until midway through the final day. We discuss...

A Monday Mini today and we're chatting with Craig from Western Australia, who now lives in Warrnambool in Victoria. Means he gets to play the beautiful Warrnambool and Port Fairy regions....lucky duck....

However, Craig is looking to develop his game further and he is unsure of how to explain to a prospective golf coach exactly what he's looking for. It's obviously an investment in time and money so you want to get it right. He's come to ask Nick and Mark for a few thoughts which they are happy to share.

Mark...

Friday Feedback pod today, and it gets off to a rough start with Mark suggesting that we are overworked and he feels like the kid in Conan the Barbarian.....bit of mayo on that tbh.

But onto your feedback!

Darren has some comments on Justin Rose after our chat last week. Keith has written in about Marks 'creating space' video (see it here). Carl heard Nick and Mark talking last week about the demise of the bump and run, and had a comment.

Fun question from David who wants to...

A bonus Feedback pod today, specifically focused on the news from last week that Golf Australia head honcho James Sutherland revealed on the Talk Birdie To Me podcast, about the Australian Open moving to North Adelaide in a multi-year deal.

We've had mountains of feedback from wolfpackers, and it is mixed. Some love the idea, some hate the idea, it would be fair to say that there appears little middle ground, the feelings are strong either way.

We start by replaying some of James comments about his excitement about the news, and his...

Huge Talk Birdie today, we start with the great win from Lucas Herbert on the LIV Tour, and how his record just gets better. Mark talks about when he played with him in the Vic Open, and Nick shares a story about playing with Lucas on the Gold Coast. Nick describes him as 'streaky' and says consistency is the next goal for Lucas. Unfortunately not in the PGA Championship this weekend which is a shame, and we talk about where he may end up, and have status, should LIV fold.

The Korean cheating incident continues, with...

Big week this week with the PGA Championship at Aronimink. Nick has mixed memories of the course, and by mixed, we mean ordinary ones....he's played it a couple of times and in his words the course 'beat him up', Nick and Mark discuss the course, the style, and how it plays. Nick says that it's all about the par 4's on this course, they grind you down, and you need to control the spin.

Mark has loaded in all the players he wants to follow on the Find My Player app - it's a ripper...

Sheez we've had some feedback on the cheating incident in Korea a week or so ago, and we have some very interesting inside information from someone who was at the course in a role where they saw everything - we'll read out some of what they have said on the main pod this Wednesday....it is WILD !!!

We'll also hear a bunch of your feedback on the show, some comments, some questions about that incident, and cheating in golf more broadly. Today though, a couple of voicemails talking about the Korean incident, broadly, one from Owen...

A fantastic Monday Mini today where a question has come in from wolfpacker Craig, and it's a ripper. Essentially Craig asks Nick and Mark if, at the peak other careers, or when they were struggling, if they had a phone call from LIV (in the hypothetical scenario LIV was around then) would they have said yes or no.

Both Nick and Mark answer the question. And they discuss other players who have gone, and whether it was the right move or not, one Australian player Nick and Mark name and say he timed it perfectly. Another...

Tour Pro Scott Laycock was listening to the main pod this week where Nick and Mark were angry about the cheating in professional golf, specifically the incident last weekend in Korea. Scotty also had a poor experience in this vein in Asia when he was on the tour and left a voicemail outlining what happened.

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It's a Talk Birdie 'Friday Feedback' pod today with plenty of great questions and comment, and one offensive one (we're talking about you Greg....).

We start with Glenn who has some more info to add to the discussion last week about Nelly Korda and her Australian connection.

Onto Ange who has just returned from the US watching The Masters, and poses a fantastic hypothetical question to Nick and Mark about what he might shoot if he played Augusta with some criteria....very funny.

Steve, and separately YouTube viewer 'Found1...

Big news today with Golf Australian announcing that The Australian Open will be moving to the North Adelaide Golf Club, following a redesign from Greg Norman, from 2028. It is a multi year deal and suggests the South Australian government is very keen to retain top level golf, particularly with LIV's future uncertain.

Nick O'Hern and Mark Allen spoke to Golf Australia CEO James Sutherland this afternoon, live from North Adelaide Golf Course about the announcement, and the launch of Golf Australia's 'BIG SWINGS' strategy'.

All went well! Until the line went dead (ouch...

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...

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...

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...

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.

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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...

A big pod today, and we start by chatting about Nelly Korda's big win at The Chevron, and it was a clinic, she won by a mile in a dominant display. Mark is amazed that she's only won the 3 majors, it felt like more. As good as Nelly's win was, the crowds and viewership was light, and Mark saw a tweet from Tour Pro Meghan MacLaren who posed the question as to why the interest was down, what is missing? Nick and Mark are huge fans of the women's game and have been for a long time, however we...

A bonus Mini episode today. Wolfpacker George wrote to us about a comment made by Nick recently where he said something along the lines of Johnny Miller would sometimes oversimplify his putts, he sent a clip to a video which we'd seen before but it is well worth another look.

Even if you're listening, rather than watching, you'll get the idea. Nick and Mark discuss the video which involves Johnny and the great Jack Nicklaus which shows say the boys just how 'cool' Jack was. Nick talks about how fascinated he was by Jacks putting style...

Every Monday we'll do a 'Mini' episode, and you'll never guess the name.....we're calling it a 'Monday Mini'. Nice.

Today, Nick and Mark are discussing an issue that consistently comes up, raised by wolfpacker Stockers, on the 'tyranny of distance' and the challenge of the 'big boys' hitting the ball longer all the time. Stockers has a couple of suggestions on this, and on bunkers and how they are treated. It's a ripper point and he has a couple of interesting ideas....but do Nick and Mark agree with them?

We discuss...

David from Mornington left a message for Nick and Mark telling us a great story about meeting the great man, Jack Nicklaus, in 1988 and what surprised him about the conversation they had.

Great experience David...that's a ripper!

Got a comment or thought to share? Leave a voicemail at the link here: https://tr.ee/TbNhho

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Every friday we do a feedback pod, and from today we'll call them what they are - a Friday Feedback pod!

Today we get off to an average start when Nick and Mark start giving each other feedback on their FootJoy shirts....perhaps they misunderstood the concept of a Friday Feedback podcast. But after we clear up that misunderstanding, onto the good stuff.

Ando is from NSW Golf Club and has messaged us about our comments on how windy the course is, he has a story about a Victorian Golf Course which, at...

Well we start today chatting about the incredible Hannah Green, a superstar who just keeps getting better. And at the outset, Mark explains why he is ashamed about something he did at the weekend to do with Hannah's win. Nick and Mark discuss her performance, not only this week, but the year so far, and how good her swing is. Nick reiterates his view that she'll win a major this year which he has been saying for months now.

Then. LIV. Well what a few days it has been. After Ryan French at Monday Q revealed...

We start today's pod with stretching tips from Mark, he's discovered a new technique which is working wonders. And Dan shares with Nick and Mark is shonky shoulder, and that he's been recommended dry needling to fix it. We're all falling apart at Talk Birdie HQ.

Onto some comments and questions from wolfpackers. Steve has just returned from playing a bunch of the big Tassie courses, including 7 Mile Beach and gives his review. Era Golf enjoyed the chat about commentators last week, but felt that it was an oversight to not mention Sandy Roberts and the...

Steve left us a voicemail on Monday, he was struggling to maintain his focus when he was close to making par - which he's never done before - he'd get nervy, and his game would fall away.

So he hit Nick and Mark up for some ideas on how to address it. Steve went out onto his local course at Ocean Shores near Byron Bay, and put Nick and Marks advice into practise. He left us another voicemail to let us know if the advice made a difference (or not). Over to Steve.

...

Today we read through some of your questions and comments, and we start with a comment about Magnolia Lane at Augusta which Nick made last week. Whilst talking The Masters, it was exciting to see the GolfLoot prize drawn on Sunday - Geoff from Moonah Links won a trip to next years Masters with a friend!! Unbelievable !!! Heaps of other great prizes on offer at GolfLoot, including playing with, and having a lesson from, Nick O'Hern. Details here.

After Mark revealed on the show last week that he does not eat fruit, not most fruits anyway...

Masters Review this week, and we start of course by discussing Rory. Where does he sit in the pantheon of Mens Golf? Mark saw a tweet from Flushing It that he reads through which outlines his wins beautifully. Is he the best European golfer in history? Nick and Mark discuss, and list the other Europeans who would be in the discussion.

Rory was brilliant, but he had a couple of wobbles on Saturday, we chat about some of the players who were coming for him - Cameron Young and Justin Rose in particular. We talk about...

A mini today where Nick and Mark have a listen to a voicemail from wolfpacker Steve whose goal is to break par for the first time, yet whenever he gets close, nerves take over. Steve is keen to know if Nick and Mark have some tips for dealing with the nerves in this pressure situation. They do!

Nick explains how he'd deal with nerves and relax himself when he was on tour, and Mark talked through his approach.

Mark tells a story about when exactly what Steve is talking about happened to him...

A feedback pod today, and we start with a very blunt question from a wolfpacker about Marks eating habits - following the revelation a week or two ago that he has never eaten a cucumber. And we find out some other, surprising, food items he has never (and says he will never) eat.

Mark tells a very funny story about playing in a tournament , about to be called to the first tee, when his mother turned up with something he had forgotten to bring...hilarious, but also quite sweet.

But enough food chat...

A mini today where Nick and Mark have a listen to a voicemail from Mick in the UK who has a suggestion for a Top 5, in fact two Top 5's. We don't do the first one, and the second is impossible, because we cannot fit the answers into just 5.....Mick has asked Nick and Mark to name their favourite commentators, on or off course.

As we talk, more names come to mind, and a Top 5 is simply impossible...but what a wonderful chat about some legendary people in our game.

If we've missed...

Phew this is a big pod today, one of our longer ones....we try to keep the main pod no longer than an hour, but it's a tad hard in Masters week! We start today with Mark asking Nick how he prepared for The Masters given he played it 4 times. Nick explains what he did, and he talks about the first time he saw the course, and what he did. He explains the how the wind works on 11,12, and 13.

We talk about preparation in the lead-up, and Nick explains why living at Isleworth in Florida was...

It's Masters week and today Nick O'Hern and Mark Allen preview the tournament. You'd think we'd start off by chatting golf, but no, Mark brings a fun fact about trees (albeit Augusta trees) to the table, and Nick counters with another 'tree trivia' item.

But after we get 'tree chat' out of the way, it's onto the real stuff. Nick and Mark discuss the Aussies and Kiwi, and what their chances are. Nick likes Min Woo the best of the Aussie and Kiwi players, Mark feels Adam Scott is in a purple patch and is the...

It's Masters week and today Nick O'Hern and Mark Allen spend some time reminiscing and sharing their memories of what is, in many eyes, the greatest golf tournament ever played - the 1986 Masters, during this week, it's 40th anniversary.

Nick and Mark focus on the Sunday, when Jack Nicklaus started the day with 7 (incredible) players ahead of him and through the course of the day chased them all down.

We hope you enjoy this Talk Birdie To Me where we go down memory lane and enjoy the wonderful memories, and hear some of...

A Talk Birdie Mini today where we read out a handful of the hundreds of messages we've received on what your first ever set of clubs were!

It's fun to reminisce, and to simply hear some of the old brand names again...some flashbacks to an earlier time! And of course, your messages on clubs lend themselves to some interesting stories from Nick and Mark....including finding out that one of the two had 'cleaning golf club toilets' as their first ever job! Sheez.....

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Today on the pod we have a special guest. Jayden Hunt is a former AFL footballer who played 172 games for Melbourne and the West Coast Eagles, you don't get to that number of games unless you're a gun! These days, his (sporting) life revolves around golf, and he has embarked on a challenge to play 52 of the Worlds Top golf courses in 52 weeks.....we wanted to find out why, how, the plan....so many questions!

We start with Jayden telling Nick O'Hern and Mark Allen how he got into golf, where the bug came from....and...

Another massive pod today, we start with Mark reviewing Huntingdale, he played it at the weekend. Does it play as good as it looks? He tells us.

And then. Gary Woodland. What a performance, what a story, and what emotion. A fantastic and very popular win in Texas, nobody deserved this more. Nick and Mark discuss his performance and how he has come to this point. We listen to/watch the winning putt, and hear some of the post win interview.

Are challenging pin placements late in a round good or bad for...

We must apologise for the start of today's pod. Mark and Dan were ready to go, Nick was extremely unprofessional and decided to send a text just as the show began, so there's a slight delay while Nick finishes his extremely important, far more important than Mark, Dan and the Wolfpackers, text message.

But...once we get through this hiccup in the Talk Birdie Zen, we get on with the show! JH has a request for Nick and Mark which the boys don't mind....and this leads onto a chat about a very famous, and very...

Peter from Commonwealth Golf Club in Melbourne left a brief voicemail on Sunday outlining something quite special that happened at Commonwealth at the weekend.....surely this is a record? Have a listen to Peter's voicemail and let us know if you have ever seen or heard anything like it previously.

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