Talk Birdie To Me
Tour Pro's Nick O'Hern and Mark Allen talk golf every week on Talk Birdie To Me. The latest news, issues, and stories from Australia and Worldwide. As two golfers who played at the highest level, they tell it like it is, and take you behind the scenes to get an inside look into the world of golf.Nick O’Hern reached #16 in the world rankings and is the only player ever to beat Tiger Woods twice in matchplay. Mark Allen is a former Touring Pro of 15 years - played a British Open at Carnoustie, and in his career has hit 12 ho...
Friday Feedback: Australian Mens Golf, ideas to improve; An email saying 'Mark you are uneducated', we find out why. A fun Friday show (just not for Mark).
A Friday Feedback show today and Mark, not for the first time, gets lined up.
On todays show we have a message from one person calling Mark 'uneducated', and we have a myriad of wolfpackers criticising Mark over some recent behaviour....we'll get to that through the show.
01:00 Mark is back on the fashion advice path...seriously...
01:30Wolfpacker Alex heard the No Laying Up guys having a crack at Australian Mens golf on a recent episode, he gives his view and asks Nick and Mark for theirs.
02:00 Nick and...
Guest: Hollywood Star Michael Peña on playing the Dunhill Links Championship last weekend, and he tells us his favourite Australian courses to play.
Bonus ep today as we catch up with wolfpacker, friend of the show, passionate golfer, and occasionally in his spare time Hollywood superstar Michael Peña, who played in the Dunhill Links Championship last weekend in Scotland....we wanted to find out about the experience, so we gave him a buzz.
02:00 Michael tells us how it felt playing there, and his feeling of 'wow this is where golf started'
04:00 How did he actually get to play? How did the invite come about?
05:00 The perils of those pesky Scottish pot bunkers....
06:00 M...
Ep225: Nick 'My Entire Year came down to one shot'; Why we want Mickelson back; And how many Majors should The Shark have won?
Huge show today, plenty to talk about, and a few big issues to dissect.
01:00Mark has an experiment he wants to try to do with his body to see if it helps his game.
03:00The 'greatest putting transformation' Mark has ever seen, he saw it over the weekend, and he explains what he saw, what was done, and the results.
03:30We also find out another gaping hole in Marks music knowledge, with a massive artist he has not heard of. Embarrassing.
10:00Nick talks about the fairytale Tom Kim story, and...
Monday Mini: Understanding the Process of having your Toe up at address
A Monday Mini today where Nick and Mark discuss a question from a Canadian wolfpacker Gavin who has a question around understanding what having your toe up at address does, and how it works.
Great question, we discuss how it works, why you'd do it, and the pros who do in various forms. Gavin also made the point that setup changes can feel counter-intuitive, and Nick and Mark explain how to work through that process as well.
A good fun Monday Mini today, thanks for the question Gav - keep them coming wolfpackers !<...
Friday Feedback: Uh Oh...Why was Mark Allen accused of 'Stealing' by a Tour Pro. A Slow Play solution? And more genius from Seve.
A Friday Feedback show today, and there is plenty to get through !
01:00 We start with a question from Jeff about centre shaft putters, and their benefits. Nick and Mark talk about how they work, how it adjusts how you putt.
04:00 John with a comment about playing in the wind that he read from Tom Watson.
05:00 Wolfpacker Mark listened to our recent mini on managing mental and physical fatigue, and reminded us of the great Jack Nicklaus' philosophy and his promise to Barbara when he was on tour.
06:00 How do Pros...
☎️ Voicemail: Mark from Concord - Your Recent Top 5 didn't include 'Australia's Best Putter!!'
Mark from Concord in Sydney had a listen to our recent Monday Mini where Nick and Mark were putting together the best player, using different attributes from various players - mental game, short game, driving etc etc....However Mark reckons that we have neglected to include who he says is Australia's best putter, and this pro should have been in that Top 5.
Have a listen to Mark's voicemail, and let us know in the comments if you agree with him or not!
We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:<...
Ep224: Presidents Cup Wrap, the return pathway for Leish, Cam, Lucas, and Mark: 'I Blame Laura Norman for what happened to The Shark'.
At the start of the show we avert a near disaster when we realise that, despite our soundcheck running fine, sometime between that and the start of the show Mark has banged the mic again loosening it!!! Thankfully we realise only a few seconds in.....phew....
So on with the show....
01:00Presidents Cup chat. Great event, disappointing result on Sunday.
02:00Nick again makes the case for a mixed event
03:00What it is like when you are paired with a megastar player
04:00We look at how the international...
Presidents Cup Mini: 'It was a Crushing Day', and despite the loss, why Ogilvy out-captained Snedeker
A quick little 5 or 6 minutes on the Presidents Cup today, what a tournament and whilst the internationals were ahead going into Sunday, it was always going to be tough in the singles. Nick is depressed about the result (and about Fremantle) and Mark is disappointed that the 2028 Presidents Cup at Kingston Heath won't be coming in with the trophy held by the Internationals.
Nick and Mark feel that, on paper, this was the weakest international side however Geoff Ogilvy nearly pulled of the unthinkable in a masterful display of captaincy over Brandt Snedeker.
...
Bonus Feedback: Mark: 'That's the Stupidest, Most Pathetic, Email we have ever received'
So much feedback, so many questions, so we thought we'd smack out a quick little extra feedback show today.
It's a themed feedback show today - every question or comment has to do with courses of some kind, except for two, which we included because they were amusing.
01:00Comment from a UK wolfpacker on Lahinch and Royal County Down
02:00A few comments on The Lakes in Sydney, including one from course architect Mike Clayton
05:00A comment from a self-described 'grumpy' member of The Lakes
06:30Mark gives some...
Monday Mini: How to Take Spin off, or Put Spin on, the Ball - Nick and Mark explain.
Monday Mini today and it's a great question from wolfpacker Glenn who heard Nick and Mark discussing playing in the wind last week, and in particular Shane Lowry's masterclass at the Irish Open. Glenn is an excellent golfer, he's off around 6 or 7, however he doesn't know who to take spin off the ball or how to adding spin to the ball. He hears it a lot during commentary, and on Talk Birdie To Me....and would love to know how to do it.
Nick and Mark explain some tips and tricks to do exactly that. If...
☎️ Voicemail: Tour Pro Scotty Laycock on Daniel Chopra's 'Iron Man' reputation
Tour Pro Scotty Laycock had a listen to our recent mini where Nick O'Hern and Mark Allen spoke about managing fatigue (mental and physical) as a golfer, and left a voicemail recounting a conversation that he had with Swedish Tour Pro Daniel Chopra on this exact issue.
Have a listen to Scotty's voicemail, and if you've got any comments or questions for Nick and Mark you can leave us a voicemail here.
We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:
Friday Feedback: BREAKING: Has Patrick Reed been bumped off the Talk Birdie watchlist for being 'flexible' with the rules? And Mark asks 'What are these People talking about'!
A Friday Feedback Show...and could we be seeing Patrick Reed bumped off the Talk Birdie To Me watchlist????!!!?!???
01:00Wolfpacker Richard has sent in a video of Shingo Katayama which looks veeeeery suss. We watch it, listen to it, and discuss it.
04:00Nick gave out some putting stats a week or two ago, plenty of feedback, some thought they were accurate, others though they ignored some key contributing factors
07:00Mark gets fired up....''what are these people talking about?'
08:00A wolfpacker has a question about their head being in...
Bonus Mini: Help Needed!!! How is your Club Championship Structured? A Wolfpacker needs ideas for their club.
An emergency bonus Mini today as we've had a question from wolfpacker Justin in Western Australia that cannot possibly wait until Monday, that's how important it is.
But first, the show is nearly derailed by 'fashion chat' from Nick and Mark. Anyone would think they're wannabe runway models or something...feel free to complain.
But onto the show, it's a Mini so time is precious if we want to keep within the rules of our podcast license.
Justin is on the committee at his club and has been tasked with...
Presidents Cup Preview: 'An Internationals Win Would be One of the Greatest Upsets in Sport'. We look at the teams, the matchups, and the course.
It's Presidents Cup week and today Nick and Mark run the ruler over the teams, some of the likely matchups, the course, and look to build a fun little multi with our mate Hummer at Betr.
Can the international team get close? Well it's no surprise that the US are favourites, raging favourites in fact, and Nick and Mark agree that an internationals win is highly unlikely, but if they are to have a chance the pairings will (obviously) be crucial - we look at what they might be.
We discuss Geoff Ogilvy's...
Ep223: The PGAT return pathways for LIV players, Presidents Cup: can the Internationals make it a contest? And a Phil Mickelson story you won't believe....
Big show, it's Presidents Cup week and we're a bit excited about it....even with the dismal record from the internationals, fortunately one of the hosts on this podcast played for the international team twice so is well placed to give some insights.
01:00Presidents Cup - the numbers are depressing says Nick, and he talks about whether Geoff Ogilvy's Medinah knowledge, as one of the designers of the course with OCM, will play a role.
03:00Mark says Medinah will look incredible on the coverage, the redesign has been spectacular
04:00We relive some...
Monday Mini: Managing Mental and Physical Fatigue as a Tour Pro (and even as a Social Golfer)
An excellent question from wolfpacker Evan in todays Monday Mini. Evan is a touch fatigued with golf, which can happen, and whilst he loves the game he's interested to know if this ever happened to Nick and Mark, particularly when they were on the tour.
Before we get into that we start with Evan's other question, which is a bit of a cheeky one - but worth a shot...
Onto the fatigue question. How did Nick and Mark manage both physical and mental fatigue as pros? Nick gives some amusing insights into the...
Friday Feedback: Re: Gary Player, Mark says the 'Evidence is Damning', and we draw the winner to The Cliffs at Kangaroo Island live!
Friday Feedback show today and this is a bit exciting as we draw the winner of our trip to play The Cliffs at Kangaroo Island - huge thanks to Titliest and The Cliffs for the prize, it's been a ripper competition and we are excited to draw the winner live on the show after the turn.
First to some feedback.
02:00Huge reaction to last weeks Friday Feedback show where Mark Allen said that he believed the evidence was clear that Gary Player, at times, was a bit loose with the rules. We had...
Ep222: 5 Things that Golf Needs to 'Kill Off' right now! The Solheim, how good was it! And Nick gives tips for playing in windy conditions.
Massive show today, one of our longest ever in fact. Could be due to great content, could be due to us just banging on about stuff....you're better placed to decide than us...hopefully the former.
Onto the show!
01:00How great was the Solheim Cup, and the course was brilliant. Mark didn't see too much, Nick saw plenty.
02:00Great to see the European Women win
04:00Nick on why he feels a connection to the European players
06:00Nick does his Seve impersonation. Is it good? You tell us.<...
Monday Mini: Australian Golf Course Redesigns. What are the great ones? What are the bad ones? Plus fashion advice from Mark.
A Monday Mini today and we start with 'fashion chat'. Apparently Mark is considering applying for an extra role in Devil Wears Prada 3, so he's getting up to speed on fashion, colours etc....or so it appears.
Onto the Mini ! Message from golf pro Pete Townsend who firstly, asks after Marks health given his challenges with cancer over recent years (it's in a good place btw), and then asks a few questions about golf course architecture. Specifically, what are some of the great course redesigns in Australia, and what are some that are less so...
Friday Feedback: Was Gary Player a Cheat? And the golfing legend Mark says: 'When he Talks, I Listen'.
Friday Feedback pod today, and one that might possibly be a touch controversial around a discussion about a certain legendary South African golfer....more on that shortly.
02:00 Feedback on other countries, in addition to Norway, that require a golf license.
04:00 Ryder cup / Presidents Cup discussion.
05:00 Should the Presidents Cups be a mixed event with women and men?
07:00 Snedeker made some interesting comments about Cantlay's opponents....what do Nick and Mark think of them?
08:00 A question from a wolfpacker who is in the market for a set of clubs...
Ep221: A 'Dumb, Stupid Idea that needs to change', and Why are our Amateur Tournaments not on our Best Courses?
After last weeks debacle when Mark broke our equipment resulting in the scrapping of half of the main show, let's see if we can get through this weeks without him destroying anything. No guarantees.
But it is a fun show!
01:00We loved the Walker Cup, not only for the golf but for the course. Stunning. How good is Lahinch!
02:00Which raises the issues of Walker Cup venues, Nick runs through the list....incredible.
03:00Mark asks why aren't Australian amateur tournaments at some of our great courses, and while they're...
Monday Mini: We build the Perfect Prototype Golfer, Using 5 Categories and the Best Player from each
Monday Mini, cracking question from Martin in Western Australia. Martin asks Nick and Mark to build the perfect prototype golfer, choosing from 5 categories of golf play - Driving, Irons, Short Game, Putting, Mental Game.
Nick and Mark build a prototype golfer made up of Australian players, and then an International version, with a different player being selected for each of the attributes.
There are some players that the boys say picked themselves and had to be selected in that specific category, no-brainers...but there's bound to be some controversy! And of course there...
Friday Feedback: 'Golf Would be a Better Game if Titanium was never allowed', Golf Etiquette, More on Wyndham Clark, and why 'Weeds' in golf are a real issue.
Controversial start to the Friday Feedback pod as Mark Allen defames Dan, there will be legal action being instigated as soon as Dan has sought counsel from the official Talk Birdie legal representative Dennis Denuto. But in the meantime, on with the show.
02:00 Some feedback from a few wolfpackers on Wyndham Clark and his recent actions, Mark reiterates that Wyndham is on the watchlist for the moment, and he clearly is not careful enough being 'seen' to do the right thing.
06:00 Can you legally smash your club into the ground before hitting the ball...
☎️ Voicemail: Brett from Sydney on Trumps Courses
On yesterday's show we kicked around the idea that the LIV whale might be Trump, not investing himself but doing so through the US government and thus positioning himself as the 'saviour' of LIV.
Were he to do so, we suggested he would be insisting that LIV plays at primarily golf courses that he owns or bear his name, seems a very Trump thing to do and Nick listed off a few that fit that criteria. Brett from St Michael's Golf Club in Sydney heard the show and wanted to clarify that one of the courses...
Bonus: Presidents Cup Teams are a Lock. Nick and Mark analyse the Players picked. And name the pick they'd both have left out.
Today saw the announcement of the final teams for the Presidents Cup teams, both the US team and the Internationals.
On our show earlier this morning, prior to the announcement, Nick and Mark picked who they thought would make the teams, how did they go, did all their picks make it and who did they miss?
Jason Day was not picked, we suspect due to injury, and there was one great surprise in the US team. And who is the player picked who both Nick and Mark say that they would not have...
Ep220: By numbers, Scheffler 'Twice as good as Rory', Who's the LIV 'Whale'? We pick Presidents Cup Teams...and Mark Destroys the episode...literally.
We all know the famous line from Jim Nantz 'a tradition unlike any other'. Well today we're paraphrasing Jim and it is a Talk Birdie To Me episode unlike any other. We'll start at the end.
At the 38-minute mark of the show, Mark accidentally hit Nicks mic with his hand (see the moment here), disconnecting Nick's mic and meaning the rest of the show (Global Highlights and Feedback) had no audio from Nick. So we had to scrap those segments and cut from the Top 5 straight to the Masterclass (which uses different microphones).
<...
Monday Mini: Cutting Shafts, Gripping Down, and how do Swing Weights work?
Todays Monday Mini is inspired from a voicemail from wolfpacker Asher in New Zealand who has a question about his irons.
Asher was listening to our recent ep where Kell was on and was missing to the left with his driver, and Asher is interested to know rather than cutting his shaft, does gripping down achieve a similar outcome?
Nick and Mark run through Asher's question and kick around grip techniques, and talk about some pros who grip down. Mark talks through swing weights and how to ensure that if you dod cut...
Weekend Mini: Could a Tri-Series comp work, if so how should it be Structured? Nick and Mark discuss.
Cos why not? We thought we'd smash out a quick weekend Talk Birdie Mini today.
Wolfpacker Andrew has an idea for a new tournament that he believes would match the Ryder Cup. It's a tri-series featuring three countries.
Nick and Mark hear Andrews idea, put it on the blocks and see how it could work in this hypothetical situation and run through the players that would be eligible for the teams, Could it match the Ryder Cup? It's a big call....do Nick and Mark agree?
A fun hypothetical weekend...
Friday Feedback: A Listener tells Mark to 'Get Over Yourself'...ouch. Plus, we talk Tapering on Tour, and a Slow Play Enforcement Idea
The weekends nearly here, hope you've got some downtime, some family time, and some golf time planned! Today on our Friday Feedback pod we have a lot of fun, although we start with Mark thinking for some reason he is qualified to give medical advice and makes some observations on the cut that Dan has on his head from the kitchen cupboard. Helpful from Mark.
After we get through that, onto the golf chat....!
01:00Peter has some thoughts on bunker play to run by Nick and Mark.
02:00We chat about some...
Bonus Mini: Nick on Playing with Bryson: 'He was Different, Unusual, and Unbelievable Length'
A fun mini ep today where Nick and Mark answer a couple of questions from wolfpacker Jeff about a conversation on last weeks main show.
Mark was talking about cutting the shaft on your irons, and Jeff is interested to hear Nick and Marks thoughts on running the same length irons in your bag across the whole set, the same as Bryson does. What are the advantages, what are the disadvantages?
We kick it around for a whole and discuss the pros and cons. Given Bryson is an obvious reference, he comes up...
Ep219: Our LIV Insider says: 'Jon Rahm, Tyrell Hatton, Ian Poulter are Gone'. Has Wyndham Clark been dodgy (again)? And Nick wants a Shot Clock.
HUGE show today. So much to discuss, and we start with some more inside info from Mark's LIV insider in the US, he reads the texts.
01:00 Info from inside LIV Golf from Marks LIV insider. He names four players who are definitely (according to his intel) leaving LIV, three players who are likely to be out, and one (not Bryson) who is all in.
02:30 The players who are bullish on LIV 2.0, are bullish pending access to the majors, in other words whether they get meaningful ranking points on LIV or not.
04:00 The...
☎️ Voicemail: Paul from Wollongong on how the advice he actioned from Claude Harmon III went for him
Paul from Wollongong enjoyed the Claude Harmon III show last week, and took one piece of advice from Claude and applied it to his game at the weekend. Did it work? Paul tells us in this quick voicemail.
If you've not heard or watched Nick O'Hern and Mark Allen's chat with Claude, it's well worth it.
Watch here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zWZSn0n5cMk
Listen here on Apple Podcasts: https://tr.ee/4KZrvO
Listen here on Spotify: https://tr.ee/603nLP
And if you...
Guest: Gary Lisbon, the World's Premier Golf Course Photographer on his new Sandbelt Golf Course book
A Talk Birdie To Me bonus ep today, with a special guest dropping by - the world's premier golf course photographer, Gary Lisbon. Gary has a new book out today (August 25) called 'Great Golf on the Melbourne Sandbelt', it is a panoramic book and perfect for anyone who loves the Sandbelt, or as a fathers day gift for a golf-lover.
Nick and Mark chat with Gary about why he believes that 'pound for pound the Sandbelt is the best golf course region in the world'.
Mark asks if golf course photography has changed much...
Monday Mini: Nick O'Hern - 'Three things I had to fix in my Golf Game when I turned Pro'.
A Monday Mini today, and we chat with wolfpacker Kell who has a couple of questions for Nick and Mark.
Kell is from Sydney and was a junior at Moore Park, which has been in the news for the wrong reasons lately with the NSW government making some appalling decisions, and Kell starts with a fantastic snapshot of how he started learning and enjoying golf at Moore Park, and of his school holidays spent at the course. So good. Kell describes what has happened to Moore Park as 'really sad', Mark describes it as a 'shiteshow...
☎️ Voicemail: Phil on the late Nick McCormack
South Australian golfing legend, Nick McCormack, passed away a couple of weeks ago leaving a wonderful legacy. Phil left us a short voicemail with a memory of Nick's time as the local Pro in Goulburn, NSW.
We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:
Friday Feedback: Mark Allen - 'We'll never see anything like LIV Adelaide again, and it will leave a huge hole in our Summer'
The weekend is thisclose and that means a Friday Feedback show. Some ripping questions and comments from you this week to discuss and debate.
01:00Firstly Beau Hossler is not exactly the fastest player around, and a wolfpacker noticed something funny in the Wyndham tournament last weekend to do with Beau.
02:00In our Main show this week we talked about a 'pursuit' style comp with Keegan and Cantlay vs Aberg and Ryan Fox. Today we extend the hypothetical to add Beau to the slow group, and Nelly to the fast group, and figure out how...
Mini: The Weirdest and Strangest Putting Styles of Tour Pros through the years
A bonus Talk Birdie To Me Mini today, which comes following a question from wolfpacker Dave who wrote:
Hi Nick and Mark, Watching the Wyndham Championship, I noticed Tony Finau putting one-handed. Apparently he struggles with short putts and he tried it based on Tiger's well-known one-handed practice drills. He made the cut so I guess it worked! I thought it might make a good discussion - weirdest putting styles of Tour Pros. Here's one for starters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSd0a2Njftk
Love the pod! Thanks, Dave.
...
Ep218: LIV Cutting Prizemoney this weekend? An Insider says yes. We read the message. Scheffler tears up the field. And more on Slow Play.
Big show today, and a massive story out of a LIV insider that we reveal for the first time. We'll get to that in about 15 minutes or so.
01:00Mark is 'heartbroken' over the US Amateur Championship from the weekend at Merion. He explains why.
02:00Nick and Mark discuss the player in that tournament whose putting technique breaks all the rules.
04:00Why Merion was rivetting.
05:00We discuss the Australian amateur tournament, from back in its hey day when it was huge.
09:00If the US Amateur can plot their courses...
Guest: Claude Harmon III: His Coaching Philosophies, Coaching Cam Smith, Watching His Dad Coach Tiger and The Shark.
Well this is a bit exciting. Earlier this year Cameron Smith joined with Claude Harmon III to turn his performances around, and since doing so there have been some significant changes. Today, for Hostplus, we speak with Claude about his career, some of the great players he has worked with and been around his famous Dad working with, and how the relationship with Cam came about and what they're working on.
01:00Nick and Mark give a background to how Cam got to the point of deciding to look at a new coach.
02:00We welcome...
Monday Mini: What is Pod Listener Aaron doing right, and wrong, with his swing? Nick and Mark analyse it.
A Monday Mini today and today Nick and Mark are looking at a wolfpackers swing, he is having some issues and is keen for some input from the boys. So although the swings are on video and therefore visual, on the pod Nick and Mark talk through what they're seeing, and what some areas to look at are, so whilst it's visual, the audio version of the show is very easy to follow and get some takeaways from.
Aaron from Perth is having issues with his swing, he's just finished up with his coach, who has...
