Golf Pod Kentucky

Brad Faulkner is the owner of CSS Mechanical which is sponsoring HOPE for Heroes on Monday, April 24 at Polo Fields Golf & Country Club.  Brad details the personal investment he has in this event and supporting Veterans on and off the golf course. He also goes into detail about his background within the sport, some of the things he's accomplished, and what CSS Mechanical offers its customers.

The Kentucky PGA's 2023 Assistant Golf Professional of the Year joins the program. Chad Douglas, PGA from The Club at Olde Stone joined a distinguished list of recipients of this award and is here to talk about what it means, his career path, why he loves being in the golf industry, and preparing to play in the PGA Professional Championship this April.

Blake Hardesty, PGA from First Tee - Louisville provides an all-encompassing perspective when it comes to everything taking place within one of the leading organizations with growing the game. The past Youth Player Development Award winner within the Kentucky PGA details his passion for getting kids interested in golf, the vast amount of expansion the company has encountered in recent years, and how people can engage with First Tee - Louisville this year. There is also plenty of NBA discourse at the end of the episode if you need your basketball fix.

Alec Fields, the Head Superintendent at Wildwood Country Club, plus Patrick Graycarek, Wildwood's Assistant Spray Technician, know about as much about grass as any two people you could find. They lead the core of a young maintenance staff at Wildwood Country Club and talked a little about what the future may hold for golf courses as a new generation starts to take the reigns of mowers and hole-cutters across America. Additionally, they explain some fact and fiction people personify with the upkeep of a golf course, unique quirks about maintaining Wildwood, and how to properly handle criticism when a golfer complains about a course's conditioning. 

You don't often hear of many golfers in their early 30s turning professional when their amateur careers "didn't feature much success," but Lexington's Andrew Strother knew becoming a pro golfer would pay dividends. He talks about what the last year has been like as a professional and where he sees his career progressing. Andrew also discussed his amateur days, which included competing in long-drive competions, plus the heart-warming story Ryan French from Firepit Collective first told about his relationship with David and Austin Buncher. https://firepitcollective.com/the-caregiver-andrew-strother/

TopGolf Louisville's Director of Operations joins the podcast to discuss what life has been like running Kentucky's first TopGolf. It's been a whirlwind year for Hollie Patierno  who moved to Louisville specifically to run this facility, but business is exceptional and she shares some insights on what more is to come. Additionally, Hollie dives into the behind-the-scenes details of working at TopGolf and what prospective job-hunters or customers could find that isn't immediately apparent when you visit a TopGolf.

Will Jacoby from Steurer & Jacoby, "the best kept secret in Louisville", joins the podcast to discuss some elements of golf not found very often in the 2020s. First is the craftsmanship and selling of traditional golf bags that you would have frequently seen 100+ years ago in Scotland. The second is hickory golf and what it's like playing with clubs that aren't supposed to go 300 yards. Feeding off that point, Will talks about the opportunities available through the Society of Hickory Golfers and why today's players should consider taking a step back in time by playing with hickory clubs.

The first podcast of 2023 features some familiar voices. David Hill (One Bearded Golfer) and Joey Sears (Louisville Metro Golf) are back for more tomfoolery, this time playing a Kentucky golf themed version of 20 Questions with Ethan. Each person has something or someone pertaining to Kentucky golf in their minds and it's up to the other two people to figure out what they have in mind. Play along as you listen to see if you can guess the person or thing in fewer questions than what the panelists needed.Item 1 (Ethan's): 20 questions needed.Item 2 (David's): 13 questions needed.Item 3 (Joey's): Conceded after answer was unknown following 20 questions.

In 2022 we welcomed 25 different voices onto this podcast to discuss their careers, their experiences in the sport, opinions on where the game is headed, and much more. After re-listening to each episode released over the course of the year, we identified the moments that will stick with us the most. Whether it's the emotional backstory, a great punch line, or some quality advice to take a heart, these are the clips that left the biggest impression on us this year.

Welcome to the official mailbag of Golf Pod Kentucky presented by KT Tape. In a change of pace from previous episodes, all members of the Golf House Kentucky staff will be present in this discussion as some listener questions are answered, while  FAQ's the staff are commonly asked get explained. It all ranges from the structure of the organization to the new Rules of Golf changes for 2023, the future of the KHSAA State Tournament, Foundational programming, handicaps, course rating, Hall of Fame... basically anything you can think of pertaining to golf in Kentucky.  If we didn't address something you're curious about, check out www.kygolf.org or call us at (502) 243-8295 and we'll touch base!

With each passing year, Trinity Beth of Marshall County turns more and more heads. What had been a good 2022 became a great 2022 when she won the KHSAA Girls State Individual Championship for the first time in her career. She discussed that victory at Bowling Green, plus her team championship titles at State in 2020 and 2021. Beyond those triumphs, Trinity documented her time at The Club at Olde Stone during the U.S. Girls Junior this past summer, the PGA Professionals who have helped her become such an elite talent, and what she's pursuing in 2023 and the immediate future.

For the second consecutive year, both of the season's KHSAA State Individual champions will be on the podcast. We begin with Brady Smith, a junior from Christian Academy of Louisville.  After winning this championship for the first time in his career, Smith reflects on the experience at Bowling Green Country Club and following in the footsteps of his good friend Matthew Troutman. Other topics include winning the Kentucky Boys Junior Amateur at his home course, competing in the U.S. Junior Amateur from Bandon Dunes, his training regimen, and possible college suitors.

You've probably seen Jesse Massie, PGA's name a lot recently given his victories at the Kentucky PGA Professional Championship and Kentucky PGA Member Match Play Championship. For good measure, let's also make mention of the fact he won the National Car Rental Kentucky Assistant PGA Professional Championship multiple times a handful of years ago. Now, the Director of Instruction from Woodhaven Country Club joins the podcast to talk about some his victories, shooting a round of 56 one time, and offer some instructional advice for golfers to heed. 

Ke'Asha Phillips, the champion of the 2022 Kentucky Women's Open, is on the pod to discuss a number of topics including her victory at Bellefonte Country Club earlier this summer. She recounts her junior golf career in Owensboro and how that led to an opportunity to play collegiately with the Xavier Muskateers. Ke'Asha also discusses the newfound journey she's undertaken to play professionally and what that process has been like. Lastly, she talks about her journey through the game as an African-American woman and how golf can continue its efforts to be more inclusive in the future. 

It's been a busy summer for Kevin Childers, PGA Director of Golf from The Club at Olde Stone. The facility hosted its first USGA National Championship earlier this summer, a widely successful edition of the U.S. Girls Junior. As his club now prepares to host the 71st Kentucky PGA Professional Championship, one of the Section's most successful Members documents his career in the golf industry. Kevin also touches on the U.S. Girls Junior and what that event may lead to in the future for the Bowling Green mecca. 

The newest champion of the Kentucky Open is on the podcast. A month after triumphing at Persimmon Ridge, Patrick Newcomb documents some of the key moments in his championship run and what it means to win a trophy he's been pursuing for over a decade.  The Marshall County native also discusses his roots, why his home county and Murray State are consistently producing high-end talent on the golf course, and the grind of trying to make it as a professional golfer. 

Representing Callaway Golf as an Outside Sales Rep, Tyler Chilson has impacted many within the Kentucky golf community ever since his arrival in the state in 2018. He's won the last two KPGA Sales Reprentative of the Year awards thanks to his outstanding customer service and knowledge of how to improve players' games. He joins the podcast to discuss how he ended up in this role, what his day-to-day schedule is like, and the impact the forthcoming TopGolf facility in Louisville will have on his job. 

Bobby Nichols Golf Course in Louisville has seen a resurgence in its appearance this year. A big reason for that is the work of Matthew Poff, who is the facility's new Superintendent. Matthew discussed how he manages on a staff of two at the course named in honor of the 1964 PGA Champion, coming to BNGC from Shawnee Golf Course, and what he has planned for the facility's future. 

Following her incredible victory at the Clark's Pump-N-Shop Women's Kentucky Amateur, Payton Carter joins the pod to discuss the biggest win of her career thus far. The Murray State star from Henderson also goes into detail on how she got into golf growing up, her junior career, and what's in store for her next both on and off the course.

Having just won the Clark's Pump-N-Shop Kentucky Amateur, Matthew Troutman joins the podcast for the second time in the last year to discuss his dramatic win at Indian Hills Country Club. Troutman never had a piece of the lead until the final hole of regulation before emerging victorious in a four-person playoff.

The 50th episode of Golf Pod Kentucky serves as a preview for the 108th Clark's Pump-N-Shop Kentucky Amateur. John Mullendore, PGA Head Golf Professional at Indian Hills Country Club sits down to talk about his facility hosting the oldest championship in Kentucky golf for the first time. He overlays a few holes that could be key in determing who wins, what kind of player he thinks will find success, and touches on the effect last December's tornadoes had on some holes. Beyond the tournament, John talks about his background within the golf industry and how Indian Hills has become a key part of his life.

The man leading the buildup of the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club joins us for a chat at a good time given the ongoing PGA at Southern Hills Country Club. Ryan discusses his roots and what his journey to Kentucky has been like, plus the behind the scenes of his job as he and his team prepare for the club's fourth PGA Championship two years from now.  

Matt Bloom won the Assistant Golf Professional of the Year Award in the Kentucky Section earlier this spring. The South Park Country Club worker joined the podcast to discuss his journey in the golf industry, what the award meant to him, and how he's working to inspire golfers at South Park in the years to come. Also, media intern Jocelynn Magan joins us for the first time as a co-host and introduces herself ahead of her summer with Golf House Kentucky.

Two-time Kentucky Women's Open champion, two-time U.S. Women's Open competitor and Big Break participant Mallory Blackwelder Trudeau is our latest podcast guest. The Lexington native discussed a number of topics, including but not limited to the vast experiences her family has had within the sport, the grind to become a college golfer and LPGA Tour member, plus how she went on the Big Break to take the next step on the course but wound up meeting her husband through the show.

Chris Nowak is the PGA of America's military and Veteran liasion when it comes to PGA HOPE. As one of the central figures for introducing the program nationwide in the mid-2010s, Chris has watched the program grow immensely in the years since. He lent some time out of his busy schedule to discuss the program's impact, his time in the Marines, and what the sport means to those who have served.

Kentucky has a new golf course opening this month just north of Bowling Green, with Park Mammoth Golf Course set to welcome golfers after a major revitalization project in the last couple years. Andrew Meffert is the superintendent of what appears to be one of Kentucky's next great golf courses. He joins the podcast to discuss how he ended up in this role, what players can expect from the golf course and why he enjoys his line of work so much. 

The Kentucky PGA revelaed its Special Awards recipients for the year earlier this week and Pete Garvey, PGA Head Golf Professional at Idle Hour Country Club headlined the group as the Golf Professional of the Year. He joins the podcast to discuss what the award means to him, what his career journey has been like, the state of the golf industry, and much more.

2009 U.S. Women's Mid-Am champion and Kentucky Golf Hall of Famer Martha Leach is on in one of the most insightful editions of Golf Pod Kentucky to date. Martha documents her life growing up and the dynamic with her four-time major winning sister, Hollis Stacy. Those two share a rare spot in golf history as sisters who have each won USGA championships, and Martha details her career highlight when she prevailed in Florida thirteen years ago. She puts into words what that accolade means to her before discussing the overall state of women's golf and how to continue advancing it. 

The Barbasol Championship has a new Tournament Director and it's Darren Nelson. The Kansas native is new to Kentucky but quickly finding his groove in the Commonwealth and determined to continue growing the PGA TOUR's stop at Keene Trace. He shares some background on his life and career and talks about how he's gotten to the spot he's in now. Then, it's all about this year's tournament and what's new following the schedule change to the week prior to The Open Championship. The episode concludes with some discussion on the Saudi breakaway league and Darren's take on its impact (or lack thereof) in pro golf.

If you've lost sleep wondering what Ethan, Joey and David would pick as their favorite back 9 holes throughout Kentucky golf, your long-awaited wait is over. The panelists pick up from where they left off and discuss why the 27 holes you'll hear about in this episode are some of their favorite holes in the state. Once each person is finished, some rapid reactions about the lists and how they turned out is provided. As was the case with part one, join the disucssion online and share your favorites!

Two past guests of Golf Pod Kentucky rejoin for a roundtable discussion about the best golf holes in Kentucky. David Hill (found on social media via @1beardedgolfer) and Joey Sears (found on social media via @kygolfnews and Louisville Metro Golf on Facebook) join Ethan to converse about favorite 1st holes in the state, then favorite 2nd holes... and so on and so forth. Be sure to join the conversation on social media with your submissions and where this episode's panelists went right and wrong with their choices! (Part 2 covering holes 10-18 will be released the week of February 14.)

PGA HOPE Kentucky's ambassador, Jen Nunez, joins the podcast to discuss how the program she now advises has changed her life. An Iowa woman who served with the Army, Nunez has a fascinating perspective on a variety of things pertaining to military Veterans. Now, as a HOPE graduate, she's working hard to ensure other Veterans can have their lives changed through the program as well.

Coach Milkman has been the only person to ever serve as Head Coach for the Murray State Racers' Women's Golf team. She's had a lot of success in 3 decades of work and has had a lot of fun during the process. She joins the podcast to speak about how her love for coaching began, her strategies of mentoring players, and the keys for players themselves to succeed in college golf among other topics.

One of the state's best golfers, Nick Johnston, welcomes Golf Pod Kentucky into the new year with what is truly a feel-good episode. Nick discusses his recent promotion as the Head Golf Professional at Wildwood Country Club, the vast success he's found as a player on the golf course, and the strong bond he has enjoyed with his mother and father.

After a great first year of Golf Pod Kentucky, we take a trip down memory lane to some of the funny, heartwarming, or impactful things we heard from our various guests throughout the year. Special shoutout to TaylorMade for being our presenting sponsor this year and helping us get this launched!

Louisville native Jared Wolfe has been a PGA TOUR member for a couple months now and joined the podcast to discuss life on golf's biggest stage. Additionally, Jared shares some thoughts on hot-button topics within pro golf right now and the advice he has for young Kentuckians looking to follow in his footsteps.

Matthew Troutman has a lot of good things going his way. The 2021 KHSAA Boys Individual state champion joined the podcast to talk about the amazing ride his golf career has taken him on lately and how it's leading to an opportunity to play collegiately for the Oklahoma Sooners. 

The 2021 KHSAA Girls Individual State champion, Macie Brown, joins us. Macie discusses some of the aspects that have helped her reach the level of one of the state's top junior players. She also recounts her victory at Bowling Green Country Club earlier this month and how it feels to win one of the top titles for young players.

The host of the Next on the Tee and Thursday Night Tailgate podcasts, Chris Mascaro, joins the GHK podcast for a spirited conversation about golf. Included within it are hot takes about the year in golf, how Chris found success in his current role, which of his guests have been most fascinating to speak with, and general joys of the game. 

This episode is something different! In honor of it being Ryder Cup week, take a step back in time to 13 years ago in the September of 2008 when Kentucky hosted the Ryder Cup for the first time with Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville being the venue. It marked the first time since 1999 the United States won the trophy and is still just the second most-recent American victory leading into Whistling Straits. Enjoy re-living the sounds, emotions and nostalgia of arguably the greatest week in the history of Kentucky golf. Legal notes: All sound bites courtesy of the PGA of America's "The 2008 Ryder Cup: America's Victory at Valhalla" Background music courtesy of Aesthetic Music on YouTube.

Dawes Marlatt, PGA Senior Director of Education/Talent Development joins the podcast from Frisco, home of the PGA of America's new Headquarters. Dawes discusses the benefits of a career in the golf industry, the appeals of PGA Membership, his journey to success, and off-the-course topics like the Seattle Seahawks and ironman competitions. 

Valhalla Golf Club's Head Superintendent John Ballard, CGCS joins the podcast to discuss all things grass. He documents the turf refresh currently taking place at his facility, how he fell in love with his line of work as a superintendent, the unique elements that shape the way he has approached working at the different golf courses he has, and working the PGA of America's premier championships.

The 2021 Kentucky PGA Professional champion, Andrew Stephens, and the 2020 Kentucky Women's PGA Professional champion, Sara Stephens, join the podcast for a lively discussion on golf and non-golf topics. On the golf front, their backgrounds in the game and the story of how Stephens Golf Center came to be are among the topics of conversation. Non-golfing related topics include which sports teams Andrew dislikes the most and what Sara's biggest fear is. 

The 2021 U.S. Women's Amateur champion is on the podcast as the University of Kentucky's Jensen Castle relives her victory earlier this month in New York. In addition to everything that happened before, during and after that tournament, Jensen provides background info on how she got into golf, decided on attending UK, and what's on her mind golf-wise this college golf season and beyond.

Kim Kincer, LPGA is the Director of Eastern Kentucky University's PGA Golf Management program and joins the podcast to discuss her career at EKU and before she ended up in Richmond. She and Ethan discuss the impact of EKU's program, how the golf industry can continue to grow, plus the benefits it offers. 

Two weeks ago, J.B. Williams came on here to talk about being a two-time Kentucky Open champion. Well, he's won it for the third time in a row making history in the process. So he's back! J.B. looks back on the week that was at Persimmon Ridge and what's to come for him going forward as the first player to ever win the tournament three straight years.

 The Host Professional of this week's Kentucky Open hops on for this episode. Steve discusses the history of Persimmon Ridge, how he expects the golf course to play and key holes that might affect how the tournament shakes out. Steve also talks about his background as a PGA Member and the life of being in a marriage with two PGA Professionals alongside his wife Kim. 

Before he goes for a Kentucky Open three-peat at Persimmon Ridge, J.B. Williams hops on the podcast. The 2019 and 2020 Kentucky Open winner talks about his victories at Kearney Hill and Triple Crown, his professional career thus far beyond those victories, the pathway he took to becoming a successful player, and what he's expecting from Persimmon Ridge on July 27-29.

The Twitter sensation Monday Q Info, known in real life as Ryan French, is on the podcast! Ryan and Ethan profile several Kentuckians who have become cult followings for golf fans nationwide based on their Monday Qualifier track records, the upcoming Barbasol Championship and its Monday Qualifier, and more! Be sure to keep tabs with coverage of the Barbasol Monday Qualifier on Twitter from both Golf House Kentucky and Monday Q Info (@acaseofthegolf1).

Gregory Mack, Jr. didn't have golf on his radar much when he was a child, or during his time with the Marines. Then he got involved with PGA HOPE in Kentucky and everything changed. Now, he's a staunch advocate of the game who participated in the PGA HOPE Secrtary's Cup at Valhalla Golf Club. Mack goes into detail about all of these things and more, including what needs to continue to happen to make golf more inclusive for people of color. 

Fresh off winning the Clark's Pump-N-Shop Kentucky Amateur with a new championship record, J.M. Butler discusses how it feels to be the 2021 State Am victor in this recap of the tournament. He and Miles recount how Audubon played and discuss their takeaways from a historic edition of this event.  J.M. also touches on his freshman year with the Auburn Tigers, what he learned from year 1 of college golf, playing against fellow Kentuckians in SEC tournaments, plus what's on his radar in the months to come.