Divots & Skins

A fake hole-in-one, a real hole-in-one and a couple of tournament wins make for a packed Episode 11 of Divots & Skins.

Jake and Brett start with one of the craziest golf cheating stories they’ve heard. A former college golfer tried to claim a hole-in-one by dropping his ball into the cup when nobody was watching. Unfortunately for him, a nearby camera caught the entire thing. That leads to a bigger conversation about cheating in golf, questionable scramble scores and why integrity remains such an important part of the game.

Cheater Story: https://www.espn.com/go...

Bryson DeChambeau found himself at the center of a rules controversy, and golfers have plenty of opinions about it. Was his two-stroke penalty justified? Does intent matter? And what about his initial reaction to the ruling? Jake and Brett break it all down, including Rory McIlroy’s comments and why this particular rule isn’t as gray as it might seem.

Then it’s time for some golf of our own.

On the way to Turning Stone, we made an early-morning stop at Fox Run Golf Club in Johnstown, N.Y., for a head-to-head round. Eighte...

In this episode of Divots & Skins, we sit down with Ryan Trueba, co-founder of Play It Foreward 518, a family foundation based in New York's Capital Region dedicated to supporting local children and families navigating serious illness and hardship. Ryan shares the deeply personal story behind the foundation's origin — inspired by his brother Joe's own health battle and the outpouring of community support that carried their family through it — and how that experience shaped Play It Foreward 518's mission of paying that generosity forward.

We talk about the foundation's annual golf tournament, now entering its 11th year, along with...

On this episode, we're catching you up from two different rounds, our Thursday league night at Brookhaven Golf Course in Greenfield, New York, and our trip out to Frear Park in Troy for a Capital District Golf Tour stop. I talk about coming one bad stretch away from finally breaking 80, and Brett explains how a positive mindset carried him to a birdie on 18 and a pocket full of skins money to go with it.

We also get into the bigger story from the PGA and LPGA this week, Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda both missing the cut...

Think you need to be a scratch golfer to play competitive tournament golf? Don Frame, director of the US Am Tour Albany Region, joins us to explain why that could not be further from the truth.

Don breaks down how the US Am Tour creates competitive opportunities for golfers of nearly every skill level through six handicap-based flights. He explains what tournament entry fees include, how live scoring works, how handicaps are monitored and how golfers earn trophies, prize payouts and Order of Merit points throughout the season.

We also discuss senior and women’s co...

In Episode 7 of Divots & Skins, Jake and Brett break down a busy golf weekend that included league play at Brookhaven, a US AM Tour stop at West Point Golf Course and a trip to the Travelers Championship.

The episode gets honest as Jake talks through the frustration of feeling like his golf game is broken, from first-tee nerves to struggling through tournament rounds and trying to figure out what needs to change. Brett shares his perspective on pushing through golf slumps, focusing on fundamentals and remembering that even the best players in the world go through rough...

In Episode 6 of Divots & Skins, Jake and Brett cover a busy stretch of amateur golf filled with tough courses, tournament pressure, clutch putts and a few painful mistakes.

The episode begins with a surprise scramble at Brookhaven Golf Course, where the tight layout and difficult greens proved that even a four-person team can get into trouble. After shooting far lower at a previous scramble, the group quickly learned just how demanding their home course can be.

Next, they recap their latest US Am Tour Albany Region stop at Thunderhart Golf Course in Freehold, New York...

Episode 5 begins with some of the biggest stories happening around golf, including Nelly’s latest major victory, the difference between a Grand Slam and a career Grand Slam, and the young amateurs earning spots in the U.S. Open.

Jake and Brett also discuss the growing world of YouTube golf, where personalities, production and massive prize pools are changing how fans experience the game.

Then it is time to recap their latest US Am Tour Albany Region event at Wahconah Country Club in Massachusetts. They talk about the mountain views, changing weather, difficult greens, elevation ch...

In Episode 4 of Divots & Skins, Jake and Brett dig into the highs and lows of amateur tournament golf.

Brett shares his recap from the latest US Am Tour stop at Normanside, where swirling winds, thick fescue, rough putting, and late-round pressure made for a grind to the finish. Even without his best stuff, he held on for a one-stroke win and proves one of golf’s biggest truths: sometimes your best round is not required, just your best effort that day.

The guys also celebrate Erin’s back-to-back tournament wins at McGregor and Normanside. Her stor...

In Episode 3 of Divots & Skins, Jake and Brett cover two very different golf experiences: competitive tournament golf at McGregor Links Country Club and a fun charity scramble at Hiland Park.

The episode starts with a recap of the latest US Am Tour Albany Region stop at McGregor in Saratoga Springs (Wilton), a course that recently went fully private. Jake and Brett talk about the course conditions, the challenge of playing tournament golf, and Erin’s win in the event.

They also dig into the Rule of the Day, focusing on provisional balls and why knowing th...

Episode 2 of Divots & Skins is all about adjusting when the course refuses to let you get comfortable.

Jake and Brett talk through their early rounds at Brookhaven in Greenfield, N.Y., a course that has already forced both of them to rethink club selection, course management and the urge to pull driver on every tee box. They also get into birdie tracking, breaking 90, Jake’s chip-in birdie and why golf can feel like one big Rubik’s Cube.

The episode also covers a few practical golf rules, including embedded ball relief and whether stakes can be m...

Welcome to the first episode of Divots & Skins, a golf podcast for everyday golfers who love the game, the stories, the competition, and the occasional bad decision.

In this episode, Jake and Brett introduce themselves, share how they got into golf, and explain why they decided to start a podcast built around amateur golf, local courses, tournament stories, golf rules, and the conversations golfers have before, during and after a round.

They also break down their first Albany-region US Am Tour event at Fairways of Half Moon, including tournament nerves, fast greens, course management, mental-game...