Podcasts about Hostplus

This episode is supported by Xero, helping businesses use AI with more control through JAX, its in-platform AI finance partner. Get 90% off your plan for your first 6 months at xero.com/highflyers. ________Mike Vernal is a General Partner at Conviction and one of Silicon Valley's most respected operator-turned-investors. He joined Facebook very early, spent eight years there working closely with Mark Zuckerberg and ultimately became VP of Product and Engineering, before becoming a partner at storied venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, where he backed companies including Notion, Rippling, Clay and Statsig.In this conversation, Mike joins Vidit to unpack the journey from Microsoft to joining Facebook when it was still only a few hundred people, helping scale it through one of the most important periods in technology, and later becoming a partner at Sequoia before joining Conviction. He shares what he learned working closely with Mark Zuckerberg, why Facebook's obsession with speed became such an advantage, how he learned to spot exceptional founders, and why ambition remains one of the traits he values most.They also explore why Mike believes people risk “overfitting” to a job after seven years, what Sequoia taught him about great businesses, why he came back to venture after some of the most enjoyable years of his life with his family, and what changes when the cost of creating software starts approaching zero. Along the way, Mike shares the habits, quirks and principles behind his reputation as a “nerd's nerd”, from obsessive curiosity and inbox zero to the belief that the best leaders make the people around them better.Please enjoy exploring your curiosity._______Get in touch with us via email at contact@curiositycentre.comJoin our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG,, Allens, Macquarie Capital, Xero, JP Morgan and more. Show notes and more episodes hereFollow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and InstagramGet in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly hereContact us via our websiteThis episode is supported by Xero, helping businesses use AI with more control through JAX, its in-platform AI finance partner. Get 90% off your plan for your first 6 months at xero.com/highflyers. ________TIMESTAMPS00:00 — The Nerd's Nerd04:00 — Growing Up in New York08:00 — Power, Internet and Caffeine13:00 — Working at a Startup in High School14:00 — Why Harvard Became the Goal18:00 — Meeting His Wife24:00 — What Microsoft Taught Him31:00 — Why Strategy Can Go Wrong33:00 — How Facebook Built High-Impact Teams37:00 — The Moment Facebook Felt Different43:00 — Facebook's Speed Advantage49:00 — Why Mike Left Facebook54:00 — Why Sequoia56:00 — Learning What Makes a Great Business59:00 — Why He Doesn't Take Notes01:01:00 — What Mike Looks for in Founders01:07:00 — Leaving Sequoia01:09:00 — Why He Joined Conviction01:14:00 — How Mike Spots What's Next01:16:00 — When Software Costs Approach Zero01:18:00 — What Makes Products Go Viral01:20:00 — Coaching His Kids01:22:00 — Inbox Zero and Productivity01:25:00 — What Mike Is Experimenting With01:27:00 — The Advice That Changed His Career________The High Flyers Podcast features in-depth interviews with the world's most influential figures in business, tech, finance, government and sport. Launched in 2020, it has ranked in the global top ten for past three years, with listeners in 27 countries and over 200+ episodes released, and featured in Forbes, Daily Telegraph, and at SXSW.Our guests include -- Malcolm Turnbull (Prime Minister of Australia), Keith Rabois (Managing Director, Khosla Ventures), Jason Collins (Head of BlackRock, Asia Pacific), Brad Banducci (CEO, Woolworths), Michael Schneider (CEO, Bunnings), David Eckstein (CFO, Legora), Kevin Hartz (Partner, A*; Founder, Eventbrite), Shiv Rao (CEO, Abridge), Jesse Zhang (CEO, Decagon), Vandita Pant (CFO, BHP), Elena Verna (Head of Growth, Lovable), David Haber (a16z Partner), Jodie Auster (Uber's Global Head of Travel), Rob Giglio (CCO, Canva), Jean-Michel Limieux (CTO, Shopify and Atlassian), Stevie Case (CRO, Vanta), Cristina Cordova (COO, Linear), Gautam Chari (Head of Capital Commitments, Bank of America), John Haddock (CBO, Harvey), Mark Suster (Partner, Upfront Ventures), Niki Scevak (Partner, Blackbird), Craig Tiley (CEO, USA Tennis), Jeanne DeWitt Grosser (COO, Vercel), Paul Bassat (Partner, Square Peg), Bowen Pan (Creator, Facebook Marketplace), Peter Varghese (Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Australian Government), Sam Sicilia (CIO, Hostplus), Jack Zhang (CEO, Airwallex), Tim Doyle (CEO, Eucalyptus), Sukhinder Singh Cassidy (CEO, Xero), Sanjeev Gandhi (CEO, Orica) and Philip Green (Australia's Ambassador/High Commissioner to India).

Welcome to the 14th episode in our special series with the Australian Government and their Centre for Australia–India Relations (CAIR), spotlighting the growing Australia–India relationship across technology, business, media, culture and sport.Other guests in this series include BHP's CFO Vandita Pant, Bank of America's Head of Capital Commitments Gautam Chari, Austrade's GM for South Asia Mukund Narayanamurti, Renowned Music Composer Tushar Apte, Australia's High Commissioner to India Philip Green, MUFG's CEO Vivek Bhatia, Australia's Secretary of Foreign Affairs Peter Varghese, NAB's EGM Sweta Mehra, Deputy Secretary of Australia's Home Affairs Brendan Dowling, Orica's CEO Sanjeev Gandhi, Sports Journalist Bharat Sundaresan, Cricket Legend Lisa Sthalekar and CAIR's CEO, Ryan Neelam, reflecting the breadth of Indian-Australian leaders at the most senior levels.________This episode is supported by Xero, helping businesses use AI with more control through JAX, its in-platform AI finance partner. Get 90% off your plan for your first 6 months at xero.com/highflyers. Get in touch with us via email at contact@curiositycentre.comJoin our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG,, Allens, Macquarie Capital, Xero, JP Morgan and more.________Amit Singh is Managing Partner of Mandala, a global economics, data and policy research firm. He has advised three Australian Prime Ministers, served as Uber's Global Head of Economic Policy in San Francisco, and more. Today, he leads Mandala and serves on several prominent government and public-policy boards.In this conversation with Vidit, Amit shares his journey from growing up amid political instability in Fiji and moving to Australia as a teenager, to running a $20 million organisation with 200 employees at just 21 — before going on to work at the highest levels of Australian government. He reflects on going from Freehills to Kevin Rudd's office in the space of two days, subsequently working for Julia Gillard and briefly Anthony Albanese, and the experience of technically losing his job five times during his political career. Amit also shares the equal-pay decision he is proudest of, which delivered a 23–45% pay increase for 150,000 predominantly female care workers. Amit also explains why he left government for technology, what moving to San Francisco and working at Uber taught him about ambition and taking risks, and how those experiences ultimately led to building Mandala as a globally focused economics and policy firm. They also explore Amit's Fijian-Indian identity, why he believes the Australia–India economic relationship remains underdone despite decades of intent, the opportunity across technology, AI and services, and why changing Australians' understanding of modern India could unlock a much deeper relationship. Please enjoy exploring your curiosity.______Get in touch with us via email at contact@curiositycentre.comJoin our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG,, Allens, Macquarie Capital, Xero, JP Morgan and more. Show notes and more episodes hereFollow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and InstagramGet in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly hereContact us via our websiteThis episode is supported by Xero, helping businesses use AI with more control through JAX, its in-platform AI finance partner. Get 90% off your plan for your first 6 months at xero.com/highflyers. ________TIMESTAMPS00:00 Who is Amit Singh01:28 From selling limes in Fiji to building Mandala03:43 Growing up Fijian-Indian amid political instability04:31 His parents' sacrifice — and the values they passed down08:11 Navigating identity after moving to Australia11:42 Finishing high school at 16 — by accident13:12 Running a $20M organisation at 2116:13 Law, Freehills & an unexpected career path17:52 From lawyer to Kevin Rudd's office in two days21:51 What working closely with Prime Ministers taught him23:21 The decision that changed pay for 150,000 workers26:10 Leaving government for Uber and Silicon Valley28:57 From playing it safe to “shoot your shot”31:38 The hardest parts of Amit's career33:36 What Uber taught him about managing exceptional people35:22 Building Mandala37:22 Why Australia–India remains underdone42:13 Why no one is truly self-made43:24 Rapid fire________The High Flyers Podcast features in-depth interviews with the world's most influential figures in business, tech, finance, government and sport. Launched in 2020, it has ranked in the global top ten for past three years, with listeners in 27 countries and over 200+ episodes released, and featured in Forbes, Daily Telegraph, and at SXSW.Our guests include -- Malcolm Turnbull (Prime Minister of Australia), Keith Rabois (Managing Director, Khosla Ventures), Jason Collins (Head of BlackRock, Asia Pacific), Brad Banducci (CEO, Woolworths), Michael Schneider (CEO, Bunnings), David Eckstein (CFO, Legora), Kevin Hartz (Partner, A*; Founder, Eventbrite), Shiv Rao (CEO, Abridge), Jesse Zhang (CEO, Decagon), Vandita Pant (CFO, BHP), Elena Verna (Head of Growth, Lovable), David Haber (a16z Partner), Jodie Auster (Uber's Global Head of Travel), Rob Giglio (CCO, Canva), Jean-Michel Limieux (CTO, Shopify and Atlassian), Stevie Case (CRO, Vanta), Cristina Cordova (COO, Linear), Gautam Chari (Head of Capital Commitments, Bank of America), John Haddock (CBO, Harvey), Mark Suster (Partner, Upfront Ventures), Niki Scevak (Partner, Blackbird), Craig Tiley (CEO, USA Tennis), Jeanne DeWitt Grosser (COO, Vercel), Paul Bassat (Partner, Square Peg), Bowen Pan (Creator, Facebook Marketplace), Peter Varghese (Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Australian Government), Sam Sicilia (CIO, Hostplus), Jack Zhang (CEO, Airwallex), Tim Doyle (CEO, Eucalyptus), Sukhinder Singh Cassidy (CEO, Xero), Sanjeev Gandhi (CEO, Orica) and Philip Green (Australia's Ambassador/High Commissioner to India).

This episode is supported by Xero, helping businesses use AI with more control through JAX, its in-platform AI finance partner. Get 90% off your plan for your first 6 months at xero.com/highflyers. ________Ryan Beiermeister is a Partner at Founders Fund, one of the world's leading venture capital firms. Before becoming an investor, she held senior roles at three of the most consequential technology companies of the past decade: VP at OpenAI leading AI safety work, Product Director at Meta across election integrity and social issues, and VP at Palantir, where she helped lead development of Gotham. At College, Ryan was the #1 ranked college policy debater in the US and won top speaker at the 2012 national championship, becoming only the fourth woman since 1946 to do so.In this conversation, Ryan joins Vidit to unpack the unconventional path from Houston and elite college debate to Palantir, Meta, OpenAI and now Founders Fund, including why Palantir took a chance on her at 22, what she learned building products for governments and billions of users, and why she believes there is still “no replacement for human judgement” in the age of AI.They also explore the risks of building technology and simply “throwing it over the wall”, the developmental impact of AI on young people, what makes humans uniquely valuable in an increasingly automated world, and Ryan's early lessons from making the leap from operator to venture capitalist.Please enjoy exploring your curiosity._______Get in touch with us via email at contact@curiositycentre.comJoin our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG,, Allens, Macquarie Capital, Xero, JP Morgan and more. Show notes and more episodes hereFollow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and InstagramGet in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly hereContact us via our websiteThis episode is supported by Xero, helping businesses use AI with more control through JAX, its in-platform AI finance partner. Get 90% off your plan for your first 6 months at xero.com/highflyers. ________TIMESTAMPS01:28 From Palantir to Founders Fund04:00 The mentor who changed everything07:05 Growing up in Houston10:00 Feeling different at an elite school12:00 Why high-performing women are different14:00 Nolan Ryan17:00 When debate became her superpower20:00 Why Meta used her whole brain22:00 Books, empathy & social justice25:00 No master plan 27:00 How Palantir bet on a debate champion32:00 From user empathy to building Gotham34:00 Learning to double down on strengths37:00 Trae Stephens41:00 Breaking the VC pattern-recognition playbook41:40 Can AI replace human judgement?44:00 What AI could do to young minds47:00 Why human imperfection matters51:00 Leaving Palantir for Meta56:00 When products meet the real world59:00 Why Ryan finally became a VC1:02:00 Why OpenAI felt impossible to ignore1:04:00 Building safety systems for AI1:05:00 The operator-to-investor mindset shift1:10:00 Her first deal at Founders Fund1:12:00 Why authenticity is an investing edge1:19:00 Ryan's one-hour reading habits1:24:00 Ryan's favourite interview questions________The High Flyers Podcast features in-depth interviews with the world's most influential figures in business, tech, finance, government and sport. Launched in 2020, it has ranked in the global top ten for past three years, with listeners in 27 countries and over 200+ episodes released, and featured in Forbes, Daily Telegraph, and at SXSW.Our guests include -- Malcolm Turnbull (Prime Minister of Australia), Keith Rabois (Managing Director, Khosla Ventures), Jason Collins (Head of BlackRock, Asia Pacific), Brad Banducci (CEO, Woolworths), Michael Schneider (CEO, Bunnings), David Eckstein (CFO, Legora), Kevin Hartz (Partner, A*; Founder, Eventbrite), Shiv Rao (CEO, Abridge), Jesse Zhang (CEO, Decagon), Vandita Pant (CFO, BHP), Elena Verna (Head of Growth, Lovable), David Haber (a16z Partner), Jodie Auster (Uber's Global Head of Travel), Rob Giglio (CCO, Canva), Jean-Michel Limieux (CTO, Shopify and Atlassian), Stevie Case (CRO, Vanta), Cristina Cordova (COO, Linear), Gautam Chari (Head of Capital Commitments, Bank of America), John Haddock (CBO, Harvey), Mark Suster (Partner, Upfront Ventures), Niki Scevak (Partner, Blackbird), Craig Tiley (CEO, USA Tennis), Jeanne DeWitt Grosser (COO, Vercel), Paul Bassat (Partner, Square Peg), Bowen Pan (Creator, Facebook Marketplace), Peter Varghese (Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Australian Government), Sam Sicilia (CIO, Hostplus), Jack Zhang (CEO, Airwallex), Tim Doyle (CEO, Eucalyptus), Sukhinder Singh Cassidy (CEO, Xero), Sanjeev Gandhi (CEO, Orica) and Philip Green (Australia's Ambassador/High Commissioner to India).

This episode is supported by Xero, helping businesses use AI with more control through JAX, its in-platform AI finance partner. Get 90% off your plan for your first 6 months at xero.com/highflyers. ________Ellen DaSilva is the Founder and CEO of Summer Health, the pediatric healthcare company that served 30,000+ families before being acquired by Doctronic in 2026. Earlier, she was employee #8 at Hims & Hers and worked at Twitter during its hyper growth years. She is an active angel investor and Sequoia Scout, and earned her MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School.In this conversation, Ellen joins Vidit to unpack the ambition behind her extraordinary career, the leap from Wall Street to scaling Twitter during its hyper gowth years, why she nearly became a Hims competitor before joining as employee #8, and what happened when she finally took the founder leap with Summer Health.They also explore how consumer software has changed, what makes great companies feel “inevitable”, why Ellen is “incapable of turning off founder mode”, and the philosophy behind living life on “maximum mode” and lots more. Please enjoy exploring your curiosity._______Get in touch with us via email at contact@curiositycentre.comJoin our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG,, Allens, Macquarie Capital, Xero, JP Morgan and more. Show notes and more episodes hereFollow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and InstagramGet in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly hereContact us via our websiteThis episode is supported by Xero, helping businesses use AI with more control through JAX, its in-platform AI finance partner. Get 90% off your plan for your first 6 months at xero.com/highflyers. ________TIMESTAMPS00:00 Ellen's “hot take” on consumer AI02:00 From Barclays to selling Summer Health05:00 Growing up ambitious in New York09:00 The family behind Ellen's drive11:00 “CEO of Coca-Cola” at age five13:00 Politics, Bloomberg & an early obsession with change15:00 Why Ellen studied English literature18:00 Raising three intensely curious kids19:00 China vs Wall Street23:00 “I knew I was going to marry him”26:00 Discovering tech from a Wall Street desk29:00 The 10-day leap from Barclays to Twitter31:00 Scaling Twitter during hypergrowth33:00 Why “every job becomes sales”35:00 How Twitter shaped Summer Health38:00 HBS, ambition & “colouring outside the lines”42:00 How Ellen spots exceptional companies early45:00 The startup she nearly built before Hims47:00 employee #8 at Hims to IPO48:00 Building healthcare like consumer software49:00 Why Summer Health removed the interface51:00 Why text-based products may win52:00 What Ellen would build next54:00 Why Summer Health sold to Doctronic57:00 Ellen's fundraising playbook01:02:00 The 5 people in her "hall of fame" room01:08:00 The hardest period of her career01:11:00 “I'm incapable of turning off founder mode”01:13:00 Parenting without slowing down01:14:00 Living life on “maximum mode”01:17:00 Food, health & learning Mandarin01:18:00 Vibe coding, robotics & what Ellen wants to learn next01:19:00 “Where are you an outlier?”01:20:00 Ellen's pet peeve________The High Flyers Podcast features in-depth interviews with the world's most influential figures in business, tech, finance, government and sport. Launched in 2020, it has ranked in the global top ten for past three years, with listeners in 27 countries and over 200+ episodes released, and featured in Forbes, Daily Telegraph, and at SXSW.Our guests include -- Malcolm Turnbull (Prime Minister of Australia), Keith Rabois (Managing Director, Khosla Ventures), Jason Collins (Head of BlackRock, Asia Pacific), Brad Banducci (CEO, Woolworths), Michael Schneider (CEO, Bunnings), David Eckstein (CFO, Legora), Kevin Hartz (Partner, A*; Founder, Eventbrite), Shiv Rao (CEO, Abridge), Jesse Zhang (CEO, Decagon), Vandita Pant (CFO, BHP), Elena Verna (Head of Growth, Lovable), David Haber (a16z Partner), Jodie Auster (Uber's Global Head of Travel), Rob Giglio (CCO, Canva), Jean-Michel Limieux (CTO, Shopify and Atlassian), Stevie Case (CRO, Vanta), Cristina Cordova (COO, Linear), Gautam Chari (Head of Capital Commitments, Bank of America), John Haddock (CBO, Harvey), Mark Suster (Partner, Upfront Ventures), Niki Scevak (Partner, Blackbird), Craig Tiley (CEO, USA Tennis), Jeanne DeWitt Grosser (COO, Vercel), Paul Bassat (Partner, Square Peg), Bowen Pan (Creator, Facebook Marketplace), Peter Varghese (Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Australian Government), Sam Sicilia (CIO, Hostplus), Jack Zhang (CEO, Airwallex), Tim Doyle (CEO, Eucalyptus), Sukhinder Singh Cassidy (CEO, Xero), Sanjeev Gandhi (CEO, Orica) and Philip Green (Australia's Ambassador/High Commissioner to India).

This episode is supported by Xero, helping businesses use AI with more control through JAX, its in-platform AI finance partner. Get 90% off your plan for your first 6 months at xero.com/highflyers. ________Dr. Shiv Rao is the Co-Founder and CEO of Abridge, one of the world's leading healthcare AI companies, turning clinician-patient conversations into clinical intelligence across 300+ health systems and 100M+ conversations annually. A practising cardiologist, Shiv previously worked across healthcare technology and investing at UPMC before founding Abridge in 2018.In this rare in-depth conversation, Shiv joins Vidit to unpack his unconventional path: moving from Pittsburgh to India at nine, skateboarding, programming synthesizers, selling records in Japan and nearly quitting medical school before becoming a cardiologist.He shares how a seemingly perfect career across medicine, technology and investing left him “incredibly restless”, eventually leading to Abridge. But success was far from immediate: Shiv spent nearly four years as a “languishing founder” before generative AI arrived, “the sky just opened up”, and Abridge made its pivotal move into enterprise healthcare.They also explore why “pressure makes diamonds”, the family sacrifices behind building when “every minute matters”, what changes when a company passes 500 people, why Shiv still practises medicine, and what he's learned from unlikely influences including Jensen Huang and Rick Rubin.Please enjoy exploring your curiosity.________Get in touch with us via email at contact@curiositycentre.comJoin our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG,, Allens, Macquarie Capital, Xero, JP Morgan and more. Show notes and more episodes hereFollow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and InstagramGet in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly hereContact us via our websiteThis episode is supported by Xero, helping businesses use AI with more control through JAX, its in-platform AI finance partner. Get 90% off your plan for your first 6 months at xero.com/highflyers. ________TIMESTAMPS00:00 Meet Shiv Rao02:00 Living on planes 04:55 Xero07:00 Pittsburgh and India12:00 Identity, India & belonging17:00 Skateboarding, music & creativity19:00 The moment that led Shiv to medicine23:00 Selling records in Japan25:00 Nearly quitting medical school28:00 Medicine's complicated relationship with technology30:00 Teaching himself to code & early product-market fit35:00 Why “pressure makes diamonds”39:00 Medicine → healthcare investing44:00 Leaving the “dream job” to build Abridge48:00 Family sacrifice & the reality of building50:00 Why “every minute matters” in AI54:00 Abridge's years as a “languishing” startup59:00 When “the sky just opened up”1:01:00 Abridge's YOLO move into enterprise1:03:00 The first customer “Love Stories”1:10:00 Why enterprise healthcare is so defensible1:15:00 Building AI that enterprises can't replicate1:21:00 Hiring, loyalty & scaling the team1:23:00 Leading 500+ people1:26:00 Lessons from Jensen Huang & Rick Rubin1:30:00 What everyone is missing about AI1:32:00 Rapid fire________The High Flyers Podcast features in-depth interviews with the world's most influential figures in business, tech, finance, government and sport. Launched in 2020, it has ranked in the global top ten for past three years, with listeners in 27 countries and over 200+ episodes released, and featured in Forbes, Daily Telegraph, and at SXSW.Our guests include -- Malcolm Turnbull (Prime Minister of Australia), Keith Rabois (Managing Director, Khosla Ventures), Jason Collins (Head of BlackRock, Asia Pacific), Brad Banducci (CEO, Woolworths), Michael Schneider (CEO, Bunnings), David Eckstein (CFO, Legora), Kevin Hartz (Partner, A*; Founder, Eventbrite), Jesse Zhang (CEO, Decagon), Vandita Pant (CFO, BHP), Elena Verna (Head of Growth, Lovable), David Haber (a16z Partner), Jodie Auster (Uber's Global Head of Travel), Rob Giglio (CCO, Canva), Jean-Michel Limieux (CTO, Shopify and Atlassian), Stevie Case (CRO, Vanta), Cristina Cordova (COO, Linear), Gautam Chari (Head of Capital Commitments, Bank of America), John Haddock (CBO, Harvey), Mark Suster (Partner, Upfront Ventures), Niki Scevak (Partner, Blackbird), Craig Tiley (CEO, USA Tennis), Jeanne DeWitt Grosser (COO, Vercel), Paul Bassat (Partner, Square Peg), Bowen Pan (Creator, Facebook Marketplace), Peter Varghese (Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Australian Government), Sam Sicilia (CIO, Hostplus), Jack Zhang (CEO, Airwallex), Tim Doyle (CEO, Eucalyptus), Sukhinder Singh Cassidy (CEO, Xero), Sanjeev Gandhi (CEO, Orica) and Philip Green (Australia's Ambassador/High Commissioner to India).

This episode is supported by Xero, helping businesses use AI with more control through JAX, its in-platform AI finance partner. Get 90% off your plan for your first 6 months at xero.com/highflyers. ________John Willett is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Rogo, one of the fastest-growing AI companies in global finance, used by leading institutions including Lazard, Jefferies, Rothschild & Co, Moelis and Nomura. Rogo has raised more than $300 million from investors including Kleiner Perkins, Sequoia, Thrive and Khosla, was valued at $2 billion in 2026, and John now leads its expansion across Europe and APAC.In his first in-depth interview ever, John joins Vidit to tell the story behind Rogo and the person behind the company. He reflects on growing up in Connecticut in a family of engineers, being academically far ahead of his peers, meeting co-founder Gabe Stengel at Princeton, and experimenting with AI for finance years before ChatGPT made the category obvious.John shares how early investor Kevin Ryan convinced them to quit investment banking and go all in, why Rogo spent its first two years with little external validation, and how ChatGPT changed enterprise demand almost overnight. He also explains how Lazard became the first major customer, what it took to earn the trust of global banks, and how Rogo evolved from an early product into a platform tackling some of finance's most complex workflows.They also unpack John and Gabe's co-founder dynamic, why Gabe became CEO, how Rogo recruits former bankers into operating roles, and what John has learned scaling the company from roughly 40 to 200 people while building out Europe and APAC.Please enjoy exploring your curiosity.________Get in touch with us via email at contact@curiositycentre.comJoin our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG,, Allens, Macquarie Capital, Xero, JP Morgan and more. Show notes and more episodes hereFollow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and InstagramGet in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly hereContact us via our websiteThis episode is supported by Xero, helping businesses use AI with more control through JAX, its in-platform AI finance partner. Get 90% off your plan for your first 6 months at xero.com/highflyers. ________TIMESTAMPS00:00 – The Real John Willett04:33 – Xero06:01 – The Family of Engineers Behind John11:11 – Meeting Gabe at Princeton12:22 – The Idea Before Rogo17:16 – Building AI Before ChatGPT18:46 – The Investor Who Told Them to Quit Banking20:11 – Rogo's First Fundraising Deck24:31 – Two Years Nobody Wanted Rogo27:16 – The ChatGPT Inflection Point29:16 – Landing Rogo's First Major Customer34:11 – When Enterprise AI Started to Click38:11 – Why Big-Name Customers Matter43:10 – Deciding Who Should Be CEO45:22 – Convincing Bankers to Join a Startup50:09 – US vs Europe vs APAC55:04 – Scaling Rogo From 40 to 200+People01:00:04 – Becoming a Better Manager01:02:44 – Rapid Fire________The High Flyers Podcast features in-depth interviews with the world's most influential figures in business, tech, finance, government and sport. Launched in 2020, it has ranked in the global top ten for past three years, with listeners in 27 countries and over 200+ episodes released, and featured in Forbes, Daily Telegraph, and at SXSW.Our guests include -- Malcolm Turnbull (Prime Minister of Australia), Keith Rabois (Managing Director, Khosla Ventures), Jason Collins (Head of BlackRock, Asia Pacific), Brad Banducci (CEO, Woolworths), Michael Schneider (CEO, Bunnings), David Eckstein (CFO, Legora), Kevin Hartz (Partner, A*; Founder, Eventbrite), Jesse Zhang (CEO, Decagon), Vandita Pant (CFO, BHP), Elena Verna (Head of Growth, Lovable), David Haber (a16z Partner), Jodie Auster (Uber's Global Head of Travel), Rob Giglio (CCO, Canva), Jean-Michel Limieux (CTO, Shopify and Atlassian), Stevie Case (CRO, Vanta), Cristina Cordova (COO, Linear), Gautam Chari (Head of Capital Commitments, Bank of America), John Haddock (CBO, Harvey), Mark Suster (Partner, Upfront Ventures), Niki Scevak (Partner, Blackbird), Craig Tiley (CEO, USA Tennis), Jeanne DeWitt Grosser (COO, Vercel), Paul Bassat (Partner, Square Peg), Bowen Pan (Creator, Facebook Marketplace), Peter Varghese (Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Australian Government), Sam Sicilia (CIO, Hostplus), Jack Zhang (CEO, Airwallex), Tim Doyle (CEO, Eucalyptus), Sukhinder Singh Cassidy (CEO, Xero), Sanjeev Gandhi (CEO, Orica) and Philip Green (Australia's Ambassador/High Commissioner to India).

This episode is supported by Xero, helping businesses use AI with more control through JAX, its in-platform AI finance partner. Get 90% off your plan for your first 6 months at xero.com/highflyers. Get in touch with us via email at contact@curiositycentre.com Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG,, Allens, Macquarie Capital, Xero, JP Morgan and more. ________ Mukund Narayanamurti has spent more than two decades at the intersection of business, government and Asia. Based in New Delhi, he leads Austrade across six South Asian markets, including India, after previously leading its work across Southeast Asia. Earlier, he founded and led Asialink Business and spent more than a decade at KPMG advising companies across Asia. Born in Bengaluru, Mukund moved to Australia as an international student at 18, later earning an MBA from MIT Sloan and pursuing a PhD at Melbourne Business School. In this conversation with Vidit, Mukund shares his unlikely journey from a cricket-obsessed teenager in Bengaluru to moving to Australia alone at 18 — where he struggled so badly that he almost left after his first year — and ultimately returning to India as a senior Australian diplomat. He reflects on working on an $8.5 billion deal at 23 that “broke” him, losing business pitches for nearly three years before the wins finally came, and being initially dismissed as too young before becoming Asialink Business CEO at 34. Mukund also explains why he still pursues a PhD despite a demanding career, what 55 pieces of “scathing” academic feedback taught him about staying humble, and the leadership lessons he learnt across 750 consultations with Nicholas Moore. They also explore why India offers a front-row seat to global competition, the rapidly growing commercial relationship between India and Australia, and what Mukund has learnt from building a career across some of Asia's most important markets. Please enjoy exploring your curiosity. ________ Get in touch with us via email at contact@curiositycentre.com Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG,, Allens, Macquarie Capital, Xero, JP Morgan and more. Show notes and more episodes here Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram Get in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly here Contact us via our website This episode is supported by Xero, helping businesses use AI with more control through JAX, its in-platform AI finance partner. Get 90% off your plan for your first 6 months at xero.com/highflyers. ________ TIMESTAMPS 00:16 — Meet Mukund Narayanamurti 03:10 — Australian Government Message 04:10 — Bengaluru, Cricket & Growing Up “Unfocused” 09:10 — Leaving India Alone at 18 14:40 — Feeling Lost & Almost Going Home 18:15 — The University Year That Changed Everything 25:00 — Why Senior Leaders Need Brutally Honest Feedback 31:15 — The $8.5B Deal That “Completely Broke” Him 34:15 — Returning to India & Betting His Career on Asia 37:50 — Three Years of Losing Every Business Pitch 40:15 — Why India Is the Ultimate Test of Global Competition 50:00 — The Surprising Scale of Australia–India Business 54:10 — Leaving KPMG to Build Something From Scratch 58:10 — Dismissed as Too Young, Then CEO at 34 01:07:55 — 750 Meetings With Former Macquarie CEO Nicholas Moore 01:13:30 — International Student to Australian Diplomat in India 01:16:30 — “Work Is Worship”, Family & What Drives Him ________ Welcome to the 13th episode in our special series with the Australian Government and their Centre for Australia–India Relations (CAIR), spotlighting the growing Australia–India relationship across technology, business, media, culture and sport. Other guests in this series include BHP's CFO Vandita Pant, Bank of America's Head of Capital Commitments Gautam Chari, Renowned Music Composer Tushar Apte, Australia's High Commissioner to India Philip Green, MUFG's CEO Vivek Bhatia, Australia's Secretary of Foreign Affairs Peter Varghese, NAB's EGM Sweta Mehra, Deputy Secretary of Australia's Home Affairs Brendan Dowling, Orica's CEO Sanjeev Gandhi, Sports Journalist Bharat Sundaresan, Cricket Legend Lisa Sthalekar and CAIR's CEO, Ryan Neelam, reflecting the breadth of Indian-Australian leaders at the most senior levels. ________ The High Flyers Podcast features in-depth interviews with the world's most influential figures in business, tech, finance, government and sport. Launched in 2020, it has ranked in the global top ten for past three years, with listeners in 27 countries and over 200+ episodes released, and featured in Forbes, Daily Telegraph, and at SXSW. Our guests include -- Malcolm Turnbull (Prime Minister of Australia), Keith Rabois (Managing Director, Khosla Ventures), Jason Collins (Head of BlackRock, Asia Pacific), Brad Banducci (CEO, Woolworths), Michael Schneider (CEO, Bunnings), David Eckstein (CFO, Legora), Kevin Hartz (Partner, A*; Founder, Eventbrite), Jesse Zhang (CEO, Decagon), Vandita Pant (CFO, BHP), Elena Verna (Head of Growth, Lovable), David Haber (a16z Partner), Jodie Auster (Uber's Global Head of Travel), Rob Giglio (CCO, Canva), Jean-Michel Limieux (CTO, Shopify and Atlassian), Stevie Case (CRO, Vanta), Cristina Cordova (COO, Linear), Gautam Chari (Head of Capital Commitments, Bank of America), John Haddock (CBO, Harvey), Mark Suster (Partner, Upfront Ventures), Niki Scevak (Partner, Blackbird), Craig Tiley (CEO, USA Tennis), Jeanne DeWitt Grosser (COO, Vercel), Paul Bassat (Partner, Square Peg), Bowen Pan (Creator, Facebook Marketplace), Peter Varghese (Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Australian Government), Sam Sicilia (CIO, Hostplus), Jack Zhang (CEO, Airwallex), Tim Doyle (CEO, Eucalyptus), Sukhinder Singh Cassidy (CEO, Xero), Sanjeev Gandhi (CEO, Orica) and Philip Green (Australia's Ambassador/High Commissioner to India).

Eagles coach Sam Jacobs previews Hostplus SANFL League 1st Semi by Zac Milbank

Norwood coach Jade Sheedy previews Hostplus SANFL League 2nd Semi by Zac Milbank

Sturt coach Marty Mattner previews Hostplus SANFL League 2nd Semi by Zac Milbank

Glenelg coach Matthew Clarke previews Hostplus SANFL League 1st Semi by Zac Milbank

This episode is supported by Xero, helping businesses use AI with more control through JAX, its in-platform AI finance partner. Get 90% off your plan for your first 6 months at xero.com/highflyers. ________ Keith Rabois is Managing Director at Khosla Ventures and one of Silicon Valley's most influential technology investors and operators. He held senior roles at PayPal, LinkedIn, Slide and Square, co-founded Opendoor and OpenStore, and has backed more than 15 companies that have gone public, including YouTube, Palantir, Airbnb and DoorDash. A perennial Forbes Midas List investor, Keith has ranked as high as #4 in the US and #8 globally. In this unusually personal conversation with Vidit, Keith goes back to the beginning: growing up in a middle-class Jewish family in Edison, New Jersey, reading the encyclopedia cover to cover and becoming what he calls a “high-credentialist kid.” He explains how that pursuit took him through Stanford, Harvard Law School, a federal appellate court clerkship and Sullivan & Cromwell before he abandoned the path “cold turkey” at 29 to join a startup almost nobody remembers. Keith reflects on the people who changed the direction of his life, including Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffman, Vinod Khosla and Sam Altman. He shares why Peter's criticism forced him to become more quantitative, why he waited to join LinkedIn until the company needed his particular strengths, and what the rarely discussed Slide chapter taught him about platforms, pivots, organizational design and failure. He also reveals how he identifies top 1% talent, why hiring exceptional people matters more than becoming a better manager, and why “the team you build is the company you build.” Keith explains why he still takes every note by hand, refuses laptops in meetings and measures how he invests every hour of his time. They also explore venture capital in the AI era: how to separate real product-market fit from corporate curiosity, why rapid revenue can conceal a fragile company, and why enduring advantages matter more than momentum. Keith also explains why his greatest edge remains becoming the first institutional investor in exceptional founders, and why launching a competitive venture fund today may require at least $500 million. Please enjoy exploring your curiosity. ________ Get in touch with us via email at contact@curiositycentre.com Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG,, Allens, Macquarie Capital, Xero, JP Morgan and more. Show notes and more episodes here Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram Get in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly here Contact us via our website This episode is supported by Xero, helping businesses use AI with more control through JAX, its in-platform AI finance partner. Get 90% off your plan for your first 6 months at xero.com/highflyers. ________ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – The Real Keith Rabois 02:51 – His Online Persona 03:25 – Childhood and family 05:45 – Spotting Talent Before Everyone Else 06:50 – Xero 07:40 – The Parents Who Shaped Him 11:05 – The Ultimate Credentialist Kid 13:00 – Why Tech Was Never the Plan 16:10 – Becoming a Lawyer at Six 19:00 – Stanford, Harvard and Status 24:00 – Quitting Law at 29 28:05 – Growing Up With Peter Thiel 31:00 – Learning From Tech's Best 36:00 – Between PayPal and LinkedIn 39:00 – Peter Thiel's Career-Changing Criticism 42:00 – Talent Beats Management 44:00 – Finding the Top 1% 47:00 – His Executive Assistant Mistake 51:00 – No Laptops, One Pen 53:00 – The Lessons From Slide 57:00 – Vinod Khosla's Best Advice 59:00 – Is AI Revenue Built to Last? 01:02:00 – Real Demand or Corporate Curiosity? 01:05:00 – Building a VC Fund Today 01:08:00 – Does Focus Still Win? 01:09:00 – Rapid Fire ________ The High Flyers Podcast features in-depth interviews with the world's most influential figures in business, tech, finance, government and sport. Launched in 2020, it has ranked in the global top ten for past three years, with listeners in 27 countries and over 200+ episodes released, and featured in Forbes, Daily Telegraph, and at SXSW. Our guests include -- Malcolm Turnbull (Prime Minister of Australia), Keith Rabois (Managing Director, Khosla Ventures), Jason Collins (Head of BlackRock, Asia Pacific), Brad Banducci (CEO, Woolworths), Michael Schneider (CEO, Bunnings), David Eckstein (CFO, Legora), Kevin Hartz (Partner, A*; Founder, Eventbrite), Jesse Zhang (CEO, Decagon), Vandita Pant (CFO, BHP), Elena Verna (Head of Growth, Lovable), David Haber (a16z Partner), Jodie Auster (Uber's Global Head of Travel), Rob Giglio (CCO, Canva), Jean-Michel Limieux (CTO, Shopify and Atlassian), Stevie Case (CRO, Vanta), Cristina Cordova (COO, Linear), Gautam Chari (Head of Capital Commitments, Bank of America), John Haddock (CBO, Harvey), Mark Suster (Partner, Upfront Ventures), Niki Scevak (Partner, Blackbird), Craig Tiley (CEO, USA Tennis), Jeanne DeWitt Grosser (COO, Vercel), Paul Bassat (Partner, Square Peg), Bowen Pan (Creator, Facebook Marketplace), Peter Varghese (Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Australian Government), Sam Sicilia (CIO, Hostplus), Jack Zhang (CEO, Airwallex), Tim Doyle (CEO, Eucalyptus), Sukhinder Singh Cassidy (CEO, Xero), Sanjeev Gandhi (CEO, Orica) and Philip Green (Australia's Ambassador/High Commissioner to India).

This episode is supported by Xero, helping businesses use AI with more control through JAX, its in-platform AI finance partner. Get 90% off your plan for your first 6 months at xero.com/highflyers. ________ Kevin Hartz is the Co-Founder of Eventbrite and Xoom, and Co-Founder and General Partner at A*, the early-stage venture firm whose latest fund is $450M. Xoom was acquired by PayPal for more than $1B, Eventbrite went public, and Kevin has backed some of technology's most important companies from the earliest stages, including PayPal, Airbnb, Palantir, SpaceX, Anduril, Ramp and Decagon. In this conversation with Vidit, Kevin goes back to the beginning: growing up in the Bay Area before Silicon Valley became Silicon Valley, studying history at Stanford and Oxford, returning home “fairly lost,” and nearly choosing medicine before the internet pulled him into technology. He shares how friendships with Peter Thiel and the early PayPal team shaped his trajectory, why he chose to build Xoom instead of joining PayPal, and what it felt like to later be “brushed aside” as CEO. Kevin also reflects on building Eventbrite with his wife Julia while raising a family, the relentless reality of being a scaling CEO, and how identity changes when a company that defined two decades of your life is no longer yours. He explains what the PayPal Mafia taught him about talent, why the best founders create leverage by surrounding themselves with exceptional people, and why some founders are simply an “automatic check.” They also explore A*, how Kevin finds the next generation of breakout founders, the extraordinary valuations and competition in today's AI market, why relationships still matter at seed, and what decades of building and investing have taught him about ambition, judgment and the people you choose to spend your life around. Please enjoy exploring your curiosity. ________ Get in touch with us via email at contact@curiositycentre.com Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG,, Allens, Macquarie Capital, Xero, JP Morgan and more. Show notes and more episodes here Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram Get in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly here Contact us via our website This episode is supported by Xero, helping businesses use AI with more control through JAX, its in-platform AI finance partner. Get 90% off your plan for your first 6 months at xero.com/highflyers. ________ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Meet Kevin Hartz 02:56 – Xero 03:56 – Childhood and family 16:00 – Stanford vs Oxford 21:00 – “I was fairly lost” 24:00 – PayPal, Peter Thiel and Xoom 30:00 – Getting pushed out as Xoom CEO 33:00 – Tech then vs now 35:00 – Why Eventbrite had to exist 43:00 – The reality of being CEO 45:00 – Building with Julia and becoming a dad 48:00 – What the PayPal Mafia taught him 53:00 – Investing in a wild market 56:00 – Who is Kevin Hartz after Eventbrite? 59:00 – Building A* after the SPAC era 1:02:00 – Finding the next great founder 1:04:00 – Why Ashwin was an “automatic check” 1:08:00 – Kevin's dream dinner table 1:11:00 – The question Kevin asks every founder 1:13:00 – Why “I'd be happy to” is banned at A* ________ The High Flyers Podcast features in-depth interviews with the world's most influential figures in business, tech, finance, government and sport. Launched in 2020, it has ranked in the global top ten for past three years, with listeners in 27 countries and over 200+ episodes released, and featured in Forbes, Daily Telegraph, and at SXSW. Our guests include -- Malcolm Turnbull (Prime Minister of Australia), Jason Collins (Head of BlackRock, Asia Pacific), Brad Banducci (CEO, Woolworths), Michael Schneider (CEO, Bunnings), David Eckstein (CFO, Legora), Kevin Hartz (Partner, A*; Founder, Eventbrite), Jesse Zhang (CEO, Decagon), Vandita Pant (CFO, BHP), Elena Verna (Head of Growth, Lovable), David Haber (a16z Partner), Jodie Auster (Uber's Global Head of Travel), Rob Giglio (CCO, Canva), Jean-Michel Limieux (CTO, Shopify and Atlassian), Stevie Case (CRO, Vanta), Cristina Cordova (COO, Linear), Gautam Chari (Head of Capital Commitments, Bank of America), John Haddock (CBO, Harvey), Mark Suster (Partner, Upfront Ventures), Niki Scevak (Partner, Blackbird), Craig Tiley (CEO, USA Tennis), Jeanne DeWitt Grosser (COO, Vercel), Paul Bassat (Partner, Square Peg), Bowen Pan (Creator, Facebook Marketplace), Peter Varghese (Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Australian Government), Sam Sicilia (CIO, Hostplus), Jack Zhang (CEO, Airwallex), Tim Doyle (CEO, Eucalyptus), Sukhinder Singh Cassidy (CEO, Xero), Sanjeev Gandhi (CEO, Orica) and Philip Green (Australia's Ambassador/High Commissioner to India).

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 insider says LIV will file for bankruptcy in the next 3-weeks, however there is a 'whale' in the background ready to invest in 2.005:00 Staff will be exited mid-September, with some rehired following the restructure07:00 Mark says that LIV has proved that golf starved areas will respond with big crowds and the PGAT will have noticed this.10.30 We discuss Brysons comments after the weekends LIV tournament.12.30 Nick says Bryson is a content dream and great for golf15:00Mark has an update to his watchlist, with a player making a move following the weekend.17:00We watch the video of Wyndham from the weekend....should he be penalised?20:00Nick - we need a shot clock in golf.21:30Mark has found himself on Golf Australia's watchlist after last weeks Top 5 where he listed 5 things he reckons GA have gotten wrong.22:00We chat to Heath McLeod, Tournament Director of the PGA tour of Australasia who addresses Marks comments about playing in pairs at weekend in the AO. He explains why the AO had 3-balls at the weekend last year.26:00For Hostplus, our plus for golf this week from Mark goes to Rory McIlroy....Mark explains.28:30And for BMW, Nick awards his touch of class to Scottie Scheffler, when compared to Rory McIlroy.After the turn:31:00We put our 6th person in the draw to play The Cliffs at Kangaroo Island with Mark and course architect Darius Oliver....two more people to go! Link to enter on our socials.32:00For Betr, Nick's Top 5 good, bad, and whacky things that LIV has given us.38:00Onto feedback....we start with a question about LIV players and the Presidents Cup40:00A comment on last weeks chat about some players being 'scared off the leaderboard'. Nick and Mark talk about playing in Canada and how much they loved it.42:00Comment on our 'weird and wonderful' putting strokes conversation from last week.43:00Comments on Aaron Baddely, and Mark talks about his irons and how unusual they were.45:30Last week Mark said most members of clubs wouldn't mind giving their course over to a major tournament, one listener disagreed and explains why.46:00Mark talks about the calibre of courses juniors used to play on in qualifiers years ago.48:00An interesting message on our hypothetical 'fast 3-ball vs slow 3-ball' concept from last week.49:30Plenty for Nick to discuss in the Global highlights.51:30And the boys got a message from Tour Pro Zach Murray who enjoyed the chat with Claude Harmon 3rd last week....if you haven't seen Zach's YouTube channel, do yourself a favour it's a ripper. Check it out here.59:00Mark saw a video from Jason Day last week with him trying something - Mark gave it a crack at the weekend and it worked well. He explains it for us for the Golf Clearance Outlet in todays masterclass.Big show, touch longer than usual, too much golf to discuss !!!!We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/603nLPAnd if you have a voicemail with a comment or a question for Nick and Mark, you can leave it here using either your phone or computer.We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Norwood coach Jade Sheedy at Hostplus SANFL League Finals Launch by Zac Milbank

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 over the last 20-years, and Gary says it absolutely has, and there are two key reasons why, which he explains.Gary explains what 'golden hour' is and why it is important.Nick asks Gary to name the most under-rated Sandbelt golf courseDoes Nick or Mark have a better eye for photography? Gary picks one of the boys out.Gary talks about the US course that imported a sand profile from Royal Melbourne in order to replicate the bunkering, and the sand, at that course.And he talks us through an enormously fun webpage where every hole from the 10 official Sandbelt courses are listed, with photographs of course, and you can create your very own composite course. The great thing is that if you do, and share it on your socials, you'll go in the draw to win an autographed copy of Gary's new book. The website to build your own composite Sandbelt course is here.And to order your very own copy of Gary's new book 'Great Golf on the Melbourne Sandbelt' visit the site here.We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Concussion is possibly the greatest threat to the football codes Australians love. Some insurers say head trauma has such potentially devastating lifelong consequences they won’t insure against it. So where does that leave the players who put their bodies - and brains - on the line? Read more about this story at theaustralian.com.au and see the video by subscribing to our YouTube channel. AFL concussion crisis deepens as players are stripped of head injury insurance Hostplus quietly targets AFL players with concussion cover as insurance crisis deepens Sponsor GMHBA ‘monitoring’ Geelong Cats closely over controversial concussion player pact Geelong Cats concussion waiver sparks push for mandatory player safety clauses Corporate standards forgotten by AFL directors ‘sniffing the liniment’ says Jeff Kennett This episode of The Front is presented by Claire Harvey, produced by Kristen Amiet and edited by Lia Tsamoglou. Our team includes Tiffany Dimmack, Joshua Burton and Jasper Leak, who also composed our music. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode is supported by Xero, helping businesses use AI with more control through JAX, its in-platform AI finance partner. Get 90% off your plan for your first 6 months at xero.com/highflyers.  ________ Dylan Babbs is the Co-Founder and CTO of Profound, one of AI's fastest-growing marketing companies, which reached a $1B valuation within 18 months and has raised $155M+ from Lightspeed, Sequoia, Kleiner Perkins, Khosla Ventures and others. Previously a design engineer at Uber, Dylan is a licensed private pilot and maps obsessive with a distinctive approach to engineering, product and design. In this conversation with Vidit, Dylan shares how an obsession with maps shaped his approach to product and design, why years of side projects eventually led him to leave his dream job at Uber, and how meeting James Cadwallader at South Park Commons led to Profound. He unpacks the three things every successful startup needs, why founders should stop “swimming upstream”, and how Profound grew far beyond even the founders' expectations. They also explore Profound's bigger bet on how AI is reshaping marketing, what Fortune 500 CMOs are asking today, the rise of the “marketing engineer”, product taste and speed, and why learning to fly taught Dylan to “run towards the anxiety.” Please enjoy exploring your curiosity. ________ Get in touch with us via email at contact@curiositycentre.com Join our stable of commercial partners including the Australian Government, Google, KPMG,, Allens, Macquarie Capital, Xero, JP Morgan and more.  Show notes and more episodes here Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram Get in touch with our Founder and Host, Vidit Agarwal directly here Contact us via our website This episode is supported by Xero, helping businesses use AI with more control through JAX, its in-platform AI finance partner. Get 90% off your plan for your first 6 months at xero.com/highflyers.  ________ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Meet Dylan Babbs02:25 Xero03:25 Growing up in Silicon Valley04:35 Why maps are fascinating19:35 Berlin + starting a business26:35 Puerto Rico + learning to fly30:35 “Run towards the anxiety”38:35 Uber + walking away42:35 Meeting his co-founder49:05 3 things every startup needs53:35 Product taste + speed56:35 Building Profound59:35 Fast tracked revenue growth1:03:35 What Fortune 500 CMOs want1:07:35 The rise of the “marketing engineer”1:10:35 Can the giants copy Profound?1:13:35 Profound's data moat1:16:35 Flying, surfing + rapid fire ________ The High Flyers Podcast features in-depth interviews with the world's most influential figures in business, tech, finance, government and sport. Launched in 2020, it has ranked in the global top ten for past three years, with listeners in 27 countries and over 200+ episodes released, and featured in Forbes, Daily Telegraph, and at SXSW. Our guests include -- Malcolm Turnbull (Prime Minister of Australia), Jason Collins (Head of BlackRock, Asia Pacific), Brad Banducci (CEO, Woolworths), Michael Schneider (CEO, Bunnings), David Eckstein (CFO, Legora), Jesse Zhang (CEO, Decagon), Vandita Pant (CFO, BHP), Elena Verna (Head of Growth, Lovable), David Haber (a16z Partner), Jodie Auster (Uber's Global Head of Travel), Rob Giglio (CCO, Canva), Jean-Michel Limieux (CTO, Shopify and Atlassian), Stevie Case (CRO, Vanta), Cristina Cordova (COO, Linear), Gautam Chari (Head of Capital Commitments, Bank of America), John Haddock (CBO, Harvey), Mark Suster (Partner, Upfront Ventures), Niki Scevak (Partner, Blackbird), Craig Tiley (CEO, USA Tennis), Jeanne DeWitt Grosser (COO, Vercel), Paul Bassat (Partner, Square Peg), Bowen Pan (Creator, Facebook Marketplace), Peter Varghese (Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Australian Government), Sam Sicilia (CIO, Hostplus), Jack Zhang (CEO, Airwallex), Tim Doyle (CEO, Eucalyptus), Sukhinder Singh Cassidy (CEO, Xero), Sanjeev Gandhi (CEO, Orica) and Philip Green (Australia's Ambassador/High Commissioner to India). 

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'. Both are correct and what has happened to Moore Park is nothing short of a disgrace.But onto Kell's questions.Kell watched Nick and Mark play The Lakes a few times, and followed them around, and his first question is around their early years as pros, and how they initially felt playing with the big guys, how they grew into feeling as though they belonged, and when they felt like contemporaries rather than the young guys making their way.Mark explains his career trajectory onto the tour, and Nick talks through his - both were different. Nick identified three areas that he had to address when he turned pro, and he focused on them right away. He explains what they were and why they were important. He talks about 'levelling up' his golf, and 'sliding door' moments.Mark talks about his first pro tournament, where he finished high up, and then proceeded to miss 13 cuts in a row, and had to turn that around (he did).Both Nick and Mark kick around some of the wonderful tournaments that existed back then, and how much they loved playing them.Kell's second question is about his driving, he's having trouble off the tee at the moment and he recently heard Nick talking about how much he loves his current Driver, and asks Nick about that, and his setup, Nick obliges. Mark discusses Driver technique, and talks about the difference length (of the driver) can make.A fantastic Monday Mini with Kell today, keep your comments and questions coming in, we love them! Hit em well !!We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 many holes the slow group would have completed by the time the fast group are done.03:30A wolfpacker says that LIV collapsing would be a disaster for Australian golf06:00Bit of talk about sandbelt bunkers lately, turns out not everyone likes them. One wolfpacker explains why he dislikes them07:00Mark talks about how to improve your bunker play09:00We've recently talked about great swings, and a wolfpacker reckons we missed Aaron Baddeley circa 98/99.10:30A comment on our Graham Marsh special recently and what his OWGR would have been.12:00And we head to the turn with a mea culpa on an error we made on the show last week, which was inadvertently disrespectful to the Elkington family. Our apologies.After the turn.14:00We put our 5th wolfpacker in the draw to win a trip to The Cliffs at Kangaroo Island...3 more entries left, if you've not entered, you can do it here. 16:30Following Marks introduction of his 'Talk Birdie Watchlist', a wolfpacker writes in with his own 'Anchoring' watchlist, and gives us three players to start with.18:00Excellent question from Sutto who is keen for Nick and Mark to outline the different levels of pros, in short, the differences between a Top 10 player and a Top 200 player. Mark talks about increasing by 'levels', or 'level jumping'.22:00Nick adds to it, he calls them 'slivers' and says that it is largely between the ears.27:00And we finish with a fun one, a wolfpacker gives us his excuses for when he has a bad round.A fun Friday Feedback show, have a great weekend !We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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=vSd0a2NjftkLove the pod! Thanks, Dave.So we decided to kick it around on the show. And oh boy there were plenty!Golfers we talk about: Bernhard Langer, Chris DiMarco, Sammy Snead, Bobby Locke.We also discuss the proliferation for a while there of Broomsticks, and of the Claw, and the 'Matt Kuchar' putting technique.Other players: Isao Aoki, Vijay Singh, the great man Jack Nicklaus, Paul Runyan, Retief Goosen, Robert Garrigus, and Raymond Floyd.And we wrap this Mini with a couple of fun things. Nick and Mark each choose the putting technique that they would have, if they could choose anyones, and have that for the rest of their life. And Nick tells us what it was like playing with the legendary Ben Crenshaw!!Happy Monday!We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 for the next ten years, why can't we, Mark speculates about the kind of courses it would be great at. Mark says that what the US has done is a plus for golf, thanks to Hostplus.14:00Nick talks about how good the Master of the Amateurs at Southern Golf Club15:00Massive LIV rumour from someone in the know. To do with this weekends tournament in Indianapolis. This is news that even the LIV players have not been informed of yet.17:00Have LIV players been paid following Bedminster?19:00Is the investment that has been talked about with LIV from an investor, or from someone providing a loan. Two quite different scenarios.20:30The two biggest LIV names are obviously Rahm and Bryson. Nick and Mark discuss where Rahm, should he leave, might end up. 25:00Nick and Mark call it, saying Rahm will play the DPWT next year, and that will be the end of LIV.27:00Scottie Schefflers performance at the weekend. Nick wants to get Jonathan Yarwood on to discuss Schefflers' swing.31:00Our BMW Touch of Class goes to Whitney Hillier for her words about Jessica Bang who passed away suddenly last week.After the turn33:00The Top 5 things that Golf Australia has gotten wrong over the years, according to Mark. Which ones does Nick agree with?41:00Nick runs through the Global Results highlights46:00Feedback starting with a possible serious copyright infringement from Kmart. We consider calling Denis Denuto to advise.47:30Rakepod update following a scathing critique of the rakes at a club particularly close to Mark's heart. Awkward.48:30Does AI have a role in golf coaching? And can it work?51:00Slow play and officials. Nick and Mark name a couple of the slowest players that they played with. Mark reiterates his view that officials should targeting slow players.54:00We discuss a slow play hypothetical sent in by a wolfpacker in NZ.55:00A couple of messages regarding the recent passing of Nick McCormack.57:00And a great masterclass from Nick on the 'fairway finder'.A massive show today, we had fun, hope you enjoy it as well !We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Claude and get his background, surprisingly he was never a golfer, however with his family pedigree he feels that he has been on tour since he was 2-weeks old!03:00His approach to golf coaching given he was not a player.04:00Claude talks about whether golf is a simple game (or not?)06:00He chats about his family history and some of the huge golfing names that the family has worked with, and he has been around08:00Claude tells us why his Dad was 'brutal' about Claude's early coaching sessions09:00How he video'd his Dad working with Tiger and what he learned from it.10:00Nick talks about what he witnessed when he saw Butch Harmon, Claude's Dad, working with players11:30How Claude disconnects from golf and how he uses that in his coaching12:30Claude explains his 'domino' theory.13.30Does golf coaching have something in common with the TV Show The Bear....you'd be surprised. Claude explains.15:00Why he focuses on 'quality of strike', the contact, and why he feels it is the main ingredient. Mark asks if that applies to all golfers Claude has worked with?18:30Claude says that golf coaching is similar to training a dog.20:00On working with Ernie Els, how it came about and what he said to Ernie when first asked for a critique of his swing22:00The one thing for all golfers to focus on for the rest of the year.After the Turn:27:00He explains how it came about that Cam asked him for some swing thoughts.29:00 Claude credits Cam's prior coach Grant Field with getting Cam to such a high level.speaking of cams old coach grant fields30:00Mark shows some stills of Cams' swing and what he is seeing.31:00Claude talks about Cams' driving.31:00He says that all great players have a superpower32:00Adam Scotts' putting35:00His Dad working with Tiger and what he learned from that37:00The one thing that he and Cam have worked on since mid April, and the drills they've been doing.39:00Cam has a short window to take advantage of40:00On watching his Dad work with The Shark41:00The surprising thing that he and Cam used as a training aid in the rain in Korea42:00The drill that his Dad would do with Tiger, and Claude's role in it, that he now gets Cam to do. (Tiger hated it)43:30The 3 phases of the golf swing, and the 1 phase that he believes everyone ignores46:00What he and Cam did prior to the PGA47:00Nick on Cams' swing development, swing positions, and why giving advice in different ways helps49:00The moment Claude says was a huge one for Cam in their relationship51:00Numbers vs Feel, and how Claude uses data.53:00Cams' short game is ridiculously good56:00Why the ceiling is really high for Cam58:00What's next for Claude, where does he see himself in a few years?59:00Claude bumped into Nick's old caddy Wilbur recently!A fantastic chat with Claude Harmon ||| for Hostplus, Claude certainly is a plus for golf, and we loved this conversation.If you've not had a listen to Claude's podcast Son of a Butch, it's a ripper, you can listen to it wherever you get your podcasts, Spotify and Apple links here:Listen to Son of a Butch on Spotify.Listen to Son of a Butch on Apple.We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 left coaching, and hasn't found a new one yet. Nick and Mark analysis 4 swings of Aaron's and give their insights into what they like, and what can be worked on.And Mark talks about the importance of practising the way you play.A short Monday Mini, about 10-minutes today so a quick listen !We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A big Friday Feedback pod today, lots of questions, comments and stories, and Nick 'names names' on a dodgy activity that some Tour Pros are doing.01:00We start with a question about our upcoming Claude Harmon 3rd interview, and a suggestion for another guest.01:30Mark is annoyed with an Australian Tour Pro - who is it and why?02:30This is somewhat surprising, a message from wolfpacker Stash who does not believe Keegan Bradley's putting time is too slow and we are too harsh on him.05:00David has a question on trenching, and Nick names two current Tour Pros who he believes 'trench'.06:00Andrew from New Zealand has a comment, and a question, about Kiwi golfer Michael Campbell.07:00Nick tells a story about getting towelled up by Cambo in WA08:00And Mark recalls when he led the NZ Open, and was playing with Cambo until the course commentator said something over the loudspeakers that was very unhelpful.09:00Last week we spoke about a new pace of play rule that they've put in place, Josh from Port has written in to clarify the interpretation of the rule.11:00Mark muses over a different system for teeing off, different to the 7 minute / 8 minute intervals which he feels puts too much pressure on golfers.After the turn:12:00We put our fourth Kangaroo Island winner in the draw to win a trip the play The Cliffs at Kangaroo Island with Mark and course architect Darius Oliver. If you're yet to enter, the link is here. 15:30A question about on Shiho Kuwacki's putting technique, which is somewhat unusual.17:30Mark talks about the Sharks putting.18:00Comment from John about Tour Pro Scott Werne who we spoke about recently on the show. Mark tells a story about Scott and the lengths he went to afford to be on the tour.19:00Billy has a comment about Nick's masterclass from last week on the 10-finger grip.A fun friday feedback pod, keep your comments and questions coming in, and have a ripper weekend....hit em well !We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to this weeks Main Talk Birdie To Me, and as usual there are plenty of things to discuss in the world of golf.01:00Mark raises Cam Davis' form, he really has fallen off a cliff, and Nick and Mark discuss what is happening with Cam.02:00Lots of LIV news, and it really seems to change almost daily. What to make of it? Nick and Mark discuss the latest news on the LIV funding situation, and the criteria around said funding - specifically that it appears contingent on the key players re-signing with LIV.07:00We touch on next weeks Claude Harmon 3rd chat, which we recorded this week and will publish next Tuesday....it's a ripper!09:00The next LIV events10:30Nick was in New Zealand last week and bumped into Elvis Smylie in Queenstown.11:30The Fedex Cup, we discuss a few of the players who missed out, and do a deeper dive on Jason Day.15:00This week our Hostplus 'Plus for Golf' goes to Brooks Koepka, for an unusual reason. Nick explains.17:00Nick says Tiger was the master of never making excuses when he played poorly, and we discuss Jack's consistent position that he never 3-putted in a tournament, or something along those lines.20:00Our BMW Touch of Class goes to a legendary figure in South Australian golf who we lost this last week - Nick McCormack OAM.After the turn:23:30Nick's Top 5 for Betr is the Top 5 players that he'd like to see turn their form around.28:00Feedback for Southern Golf Club, we have comments and questions on LIV and the player departures, OCM and Cypress Point, Marks comments about the Cypress bunkers, and some suggestions for Nick and Mark's bespoke designed golf course.38:00Nick talks about he has never played golf in Tasmania, Mark shares some memories of playing there.40:00Feedback on the Cathedral Invitational, there's been plenty of positives, and a couple of negatives - we deal with the negatives front on.43:00Nick takes us through the global result highlights from the last week or so.47:30There's been another 59! Mark rates it on his 'patent pending official Talk Birdie To Me 59 ranker'.49:00We look at, and discuss, an hilarious premature 'anti-celebration'.51:00And for the Golf Clearance Outlet, todays masterclass from Mark is on playing bunker shots out of thick, wet, sand.Big show, love your input in the comments, and if you're enjoying the show we'd love you to share the pod with a friend!We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Monday Mini today, with a question from wolfpacker David.01:00First a reminder of our competition where you could win a trip for you and a friend to play The Cliffs at Kangaroo Island before it opens, playing 18 holes with Mark and course designer Darius Oliver. A great prize. All flights, accommodation and meals included.02:00We read David's question which is essentially about how to maximise distance relative to swing speed when playing a cut.03:00We talk about Scottie Scheffler and how he does it.04:00Mark explains how he advises golfers who struggle for length when hitting a fade, and what he sees in their swing. When someone can't get their sequencing right, Mark says what he advises them to do.06:00Mark uses Viktor Hovland as an example and explains what he does07:00Nick talks about giving lessons to a guy who wanted more distance but didn't have the time to practise any changes, and what Nick advised him to do09:30Nick outlines the 'easiest way to lower your scores'10:00 Mark talks about how getting fitted can add distance to your drives and why. That's our Monday Mini, see you on Wednesday for the main show when Nick is back from New Zealand, hopefully presents in hand for Mark and Dan.We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friday Feedback show today and Nick is still enjoying the show in Queenstown with the family, so we're all remote today, rather than being from Titleist and FootJoy HQ....back there next Wednesday. Onto the show...01:00Question from Paul about Lucas Herberts putting, specifically his short putting. We discuss.03:00Nick talks about something he has noticed with Lucas' putting style.04:00Mark says Lucas' preparation is as professional as you will see from anyone.05:00Nick names one of the players who prepared exceptionally when he was on tour, particularly regarding his short game. This player was a World #1 so it obviously worked.07:00What is the most 'unsexy' thing about being a golfer? Nick reveals it.08:00Oh dear....Mark has bought a new gadget. Not from Temu this time...09:00This week Kevin Kisner made some comments about trenching, Nick didn't see them, Mark did, we chat about trenching and whether it qualifies for the 'watch list' After the turn:15:00We put our third entrant into the draw to win a trip to The Cliffs at Kangaroo Island to play the course with a friend, and Mark Allen and Course architect Darius Oliver. If you want to enter, there's about 4-weeks to go: enter here.18:00A question from Mitch about Nicks reflective learning technique that he spoke about on a Monday Mini recently.19:30Nick talks about, as part of reflective thinking, how he'd capture his thoughts and use them to improve his game...how he would use reflective thinking.20:30There was one aspect of his game that Mark always did when he made a cut, and when he missed a cut he didn't do, he explains.24:00And a fun question from Tim leads to Mark revealing his pickup technique form when he was young and single. Awkward.Have a great weekend !! We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Slightly different episode today as Nick is in New Zealand on holidays for a week or so with the family, so it sounds a tad different to usual, but plenty to discuss as always!01:00Nick is in Millbrook, near Queenstown in New Zealand and gives us a snapshot of what he's doing and how it looks (hint: it is beautiful!)02:00Royal Lytham hosted the WOmens Open, and Shiho Kuwaiti had a stunning playoff win to claim the title. Nick talks about what he loves about Royal Lytham, what a course.04:00On the Open, more specifically Mens and Womens majors, Nick feels they're too close together and explains why. Mark has a different view.05:00Yesterday we confirmed in a bonus news pod that Rory McIlroy would be staying in Australia after the AO to play the Cathedal Invitational, Nick is likely to play the tournament as well....can he take Rory?06:00Massive news on golf architects OCM - they have been appointed to redo one of the worlds greatest golf courses. Mark reveals the news that he has heard from a member at the actual club.08:00We discuss Cypress Point. Mark calls it a 'sacred place', Nick says arguably the best parcel of land that a golf course is on anywhere in the world. They discuss their experiences playing the course, and what they'd love to see improved.12:00Nick talks about playing Cypress with surfer Kelly Slater.14:00Plenty of LIV news. We discuss their search for sponsorships, and Mark is doubtful that the eyeballs will be enough for the money they want given LIV 'only worked in 2 or 3 markets'. 20:00LIV's player payments are reportedly unpaid, which does not bode well22:00Nick awards our BMW Touch of Class to Donald Trump for his 'humility' in 'winning' the Club Championship at Bedminster. If you missed his comments, Nick reads them out. And for clarity, we are being sarcastic over 1) him winning and 2) him showing any humility. 23.30Mark awards our Hostplus Plus for Golf to Nelly Korda for her gift to a young fan in the UK, a real plus for golf from a superstar.25:00We discuss the winner of the Rocket Classic in Michigan, Michael rocket classic winner Michael Thorbjornsen, a very talented young pro who we love.27:00Nick found some great stats this week - average numbers from PGA Tour Pros, they make for sobering reading for aspiring pros, and Mark points out a couple of stats that if you are aspiring, or know someone who is, to turn pro that you need to be all over.After the turn:34:00Our Top 5 for Betr, Mark lists the Top 5 golf course renovations at clubs he has seen, and why. He also defines great renovations in a slightly ususual way....37:00Okay - during the Turn we saw some breaking news from our mates at Flushing It Golf about LIV, specifically that they have given a number of employees and contractors notice that their employment will end in September. We discuss this evolving story which will develop further over the coming days.39:00Nick runs through the Global results highlights.42:30Feedback for Southern Golf Club....phew okay....last weeks Top 5 swings got a mountain of feedback, and we run through some of the names you said should be there. One was mentioned above all others. Do Nick and Mark double down on their list or do they amend the 'indisputable' list, rendering the name completely ironic?50:00 Few more bits of feedback on Lucas Glover's spikes video, Cam Smiths 9 birdies in a row, and we discuss if we can claim South Korea's Jenny Shin as an Aussie?53.00And we wrap on a masterclass for the Golf Clearance Outlet from Nick live from Queenstown where he discusses Michael Thorbjornsen's 10-finger grip. Note: audio on the masterclass is a touch dodgy this week, it's listenable, but not as good as we'd like - apologies.Big show today !!! We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There have been rumours for a week or so, but today Nick O'Hern and Mark Allen can confirm that Rory McIlroy has been confirmed to play the Cathedral Invitational in December following The Australian Open. It's big news and very exciting.Nick explains to Mark how it came about and the role Adam Scott played in getting Rory to come on this bonus Talk Birdie To Me pod today.We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Monday Mini today, and it is inspired by a comment from a wolfpacker who listened to our recent Graham Marsh episode, where Swampy talked about his career - including significant work designing golf courses. They suggested Nick O'Hern and Mark Allen should design a golf course....and we thought, okay, if Nick and Mark were to design a course what elements would they make sure were there, what style of course would it be, what would they build?So we asked.What are the must have elements?What par would the course be, and would it be different in tournament golf (of course).We pick the mix of par 3's, 4's, 5's.Are there any holes at other courses that they might take inspiration from?And a sideline where we chat about the time when Metropolitan Golf Course hosted the World Matchplay, Mark tells a couple of stories.Nick muses over whether the opening hole should be a 'warm handshake' or a 'kick in the teeth'.Mark is a fan of having a quirk on the course, he names a couple of quirks that he likes. He also would like plaques around the course, so it is 'dripping with history'.We discuss the style of clubhouse we'd build, and some of the elements that would be included in the clubhouse.Would there be a driving range? Mark is keen on having a Team Matchplay comp at the course.Nick is keen for the final hole to be a risk/reward hole. Mark agrees, as long as it is not a big green.So there it is. In about 15 minutes, Nick and Mark have designed a cracking golf course (and club house). Now we just need to find $100 million or so and we can build it !Let us know if you reckon we've missed anything that should be included in the course, or if you disagree with any of the inclusions.We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can't believe it's friday already, yet here we are....and another Friday Feedback pod, a big one today. We start by chatting about the inaugural 'World Thank a PGA Pro Day', which is today! 01:00We talk about World Thank a PGA Pro Day, what it's all about and what it is designed to achieve. 01:30Mark names the Pro he'd like to thank and explains why this person has had such an impact on him, and what they did for him04:00Nick names his Pro that he'd like to thank, and similarly outlines the reasons why. We'd love to hear your stories - who is the PGA Pro you'd like to thank and why?05:30Onto the feedback - we start with a comment from Robert in Canada about Moe Norman and Calvin Peete.06:30A question from (another) Robert in the United States about Aaron Rai's putting. It's an excellent question, and Nick and Mark discuss at length.10:00Robert Allenby's putting.11:00A question about pre-shot routines. Nick and Mark discuss why they're important and how to develop yours.14:00Mark explains what footballers could learn from pro golfers.17:30 Speaking of footballers.....what is Essendon AFL star Matty Lloyd's connection to golf and how did it influence his footy career? Mark explains.After the turn:19:30We announce the second (of eight) people to go in the draw to win a trip to The Cliffs at Kangaroo Island! If you haven't entered, hop to it, the details here.22:00Mathew from Port Kembla Golf Club in beautiful Wollongong on a slow play rule that has been implemented at the club. Do Nick and Mark rate the rule or not?23:00 Justin played, as did Mark, the Shell Schoolboys event when hue was 14. He loved it, his parents loved it more.24:30 We run through 3 or 4 of the pick in our Monty caption contest - at least the ones that were clean enough to read out - and Nick and Mark (okay Mark) pick a winner of $250 to spend at the Golf Clearance Outlet.27:00And we finish with a request from Jason for Nick and Mark to do something on a future show.That's our Friday Feedback show, have a ripper weekend!We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A couple of weeks ago we had a voicemail from Tim on the Gold Coast asking Nick and Mark to list their Top 5 greatest golf swings ever, Tim suggested that on his list Vijay Singh and Fred Couples would be a lock. Do Nick and Mark agree with Tim on that? Do they agree with each other!On today's Mini, Nick and Mark construct in real time their absolute, rock-solid, Top 5 Greatest Swings of All Time - using the criteria of fundamentals and rhythm as their reference points. It would be fair to see this list evolves through the episode a number of times, both in content and order. And there is one legendary golfer Mark wants to put on the list who Nick vetoes!We'd love your thoughts in the comments. Have Nick and Mark got it right? Are they off the mark? Is there an obvious name they've missed?Love your input when you've had a listen to our Talk Birdie To Me Mini today.We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another big episode today, what a win from Lucas Herbert, that was quite the performance - 10 under in the last round, 11 under in the first round, to finish 30 under!!!01:00We chat about Lucas' performance, and Team Ripper's win. 02:00Not a bad payday for Travis Smythe.03:00LIV's payments, are they being made, and what are the changes proposed by the LIV CEO - particularly with the teams event looking doubtful.04:00Elvis Smylie - we'll try to get him on, he's our guy and he may have some insights into LIV. Mark asks Nick should he play a few more DPWT events?05:30Mark gives Nick a new (hypothetical) job as life coach/manager for Lucas Herbert and wants Nick to outline next steps for Lucas.07:00Should the PGA allow the LIV players to play the Challenger Tour?09:00Should Lucas go to the DPWT or Challenger Tour?10.30Where should Lucas be ranked all things considered. He is 69th at the moment, but where should he be?11.30Mark and Nick talk about the emergence at the weekend of Jackson Koivun, his history, and his win at the 3M in only his 3rd professional start. We look at his performance, and his swing, which is brutal. 16:00Nick and Mark call it a 'young mans' swing, and Nick does not believe he will be able to have this swing in 10-years time.18:00Mark says that his spine is supple at the moment and can allow a swing like this, but it can't stay that way.19:00However, Jackson Koivun is our Hostplus plus for golf this week....he does appear to be a very special player.20:00Mark talks about Jackson's putting, and Nick has heard a few things about his mental strength and his confidence.23:00Mark awards his BMW Touch of Class to Mark Mark Calcavecchia, Cam Percy and Richard Green collectively and explains why.24:30Prior to the turn, Mark springs an idea on Nick and Dan without warning. He went to a fancy dinner last week, and had some feedback on his recent 'watchlist' of players he has a question mark over. He decides to have a running watchlist on the show.After the turn:30:00The first ever World Thank a PGA Pro Day is coming up this friday, we chat about it and on Friday Nick and Mark will name the PGA Pro they'd like to thank.31:00Nicks Top 5 for Betr - the young golfers who were touted as the 'next big things', however to some degree or another it didn't quite eventuate.38:00For Southern Golf Club, plenty of feedback to run through....39:00We start with Bryson, there was so much reaction to Marks comments about Bryson last week, we don't read any out, but there were a mountain of comments.40:00There was plenty on our Graham Marsh chat, and universally positive as you'd expect.43:00A question as to why we didn't discuss Scottie Scheffler's TIO relief at Royal Birkdale last week.46:00Some feedback on Marks Top latecomers to golf.48:00Nick takes us around the world in the Global Result highlights49:30This is fun...Mark has a 59 to rate. This time Michael Kim's 59 from the 3M in Minnesota.55:00And we wrap with a masterclass from Mark for the Golf Clearance Outlet, he has noticed Jackson Koivun doing something unusual with his practise swings on short putts, and talks through it.Phew...another big show !We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Monday Mini today following an email we received from Trigger. So, here's the scenario. Trigger's young fella is 6-years old, and loves his golf. At the moment he's just playing for fun, which is perfect. Trigger is wondering, and would like Nick and Mark's view, what is the right age to get his son some lessons or is it best to let him just keep playing for fun for now.Nick and Mark have some thoughts and chat through them, and give a couple of tips.We then talk about Nick and Marks first lessons, how old were they, who were the lessons from. Mark talks about what he learned from watching one guy at his club when he was a kid. Nick discusses the 'four ways' of learning to play golf, and explains how he rebuilt his swing using one of the techniques - which was coincidentally the same technique that Jack Nicklaus used.Mark tells a story, which he is unsure is true and asks if anyone can confirm or otherwise, about a golfer who went to prison for 15-years and rebuilt his swing successfully while in prison.And you may recall we offered a prize last week if anyone could provide video footage of Boo Weekley in the boxing ring with an orangutan....nobody was able to, but Pete did message us saying that whilst to his knowledge no footage exists, there was a chat on a US podcast where Boo talked about it. We play a clip on todays show - you can watch the full episode of that chat with Boo on the Dale Earnhardt Jnr podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBRgQo42t44Happy Monday !We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Plenty of conversations over the last week or so on Bryson's actions at The Open Championship, and various different perspectives. Anthony from Victoria has a different angle on it, and left Nick and Mark a voicemail with his thoughts.We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Friday Feedback pod today, with plenty on the agenda to run through, including announcing the first person in the draw (there will be 8 ultimately in the draw) to win a trip for two to play The Cliffs at Kangaroo Island with Mark Allen and course designer Darius Oliver! But first, to your comments and questions:01:00We had a lot of comments about Montys comments on slow play, and plenty of people sent the link to us. And many were interested that Mark and Monty might be in agreement on something. Nick and Mark delve into one of their favourite topics about things that should be banned, or enforced, in professional golf that would assist with dealing with slow play.03:00Mark and Nick discuss how a fast player like Ryan Fox would feel about being partnered with a slow player like Keegan Bradley.04:00Could a shot clock work in golf?05:00More feedback on Monty's comments06:00A few bits of feedback on Marks Tommy Fleetwood's comments from last week, including a MASSIVE whack for a certain Mr Allen.09:00Mark outlines why he believes Tommy absolutely wants a major, and relates it on a different level to his career.10:30Comment on Sir Nick Faldo's comments about tees from last weekAfter the turn:14:00Kangaroo Island first winner16:00Wolfpacker suggests a specific grip for driving and is interested in Nick and Marks thoughts18:00Mark tells a great story about a Tour Pro, and names him, who won a tournament and was drunk every single day of the competition19:00Carl saw something during The Open Championship that Lucas Herberts caddy was doing which he is curious about20:00Chat about Lucas Herberts caddy, and caddies more broadly and how hard they work22:00Slow play - specifically to do with the flag23:00A wolfpacker mentions that they play better on courses that they don't know - Nick and Mark discuss their experiences on new courses24:00Question about hole in one's - could be controversial.....26:00Nick talks about one of his hole in one's in the Singapore Open26:30Dan springs an idea on Nick.....need your feedback on this idea.....!Happy friday, have a great weekend, hit em well !We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Graham Marsh is, by any measure, one of our greatest ever golfers. In his career he won 70 events, including winning on the US Tour, winning 10 times in Europe, 20 times in Japan, and beating Raymond Floyd to win the World Matchplay Championship. Mark describes him as our most under-rated golfer ever, and it's hard to argue.Today, for Hostplus, we chat to Graham about his wonderful life in golf.01:30He tells us how it started, how he got into golf.03:00The advice his Mum gave him, and why he qualified as a school teacher before he could pursue professional golf04:00Mark asks Graham if he recalls the moment that he decided he wanted to be a professional golfer06:00Graham talks about playing internationally, and the one country that was tougher than anywhere.07:00The leaders and mentors who helped him, and other younger players, at the time he was coming through08:00Why going to Japan was a great move10:00Coming 3rd in his first tournament12:00Graham talks about the need for a 'sense of adventure'13:00 Mark recalls watching Graham win at Huntingdale as a kid, and his Dad telling him to watch how still he kept his head. Graham talks about that.14:00 He tells Nick and Mark the 'worst lesson' that golfers were taught back in the day.16:00Graham won the Scottish Open, it's a great story, he talks us through in detail how he came back from 5 shots down to win the tournament.20:00On beating Raymond Floyd in the World Matchplay ChampionshipAfter the turn23:00Nick recalls with great fondness as a youngster, his time in the Graham Marsh junior golf academy in Western Australia. Graham talks about how the academy came about, and the rules he put in place to ensure it delivered outcomes.25:00Graham has had a wildly successful golf course design career, what was the first course or hole he ever designed? It will surprise you!28:00 The favourite course that he ever designed and why.31.00Graham was consistently a strong performer in British Opens, Mark asks why that was the case, why did he perform so well there?33:00 One of the things that he admired about the games of Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Seve Ballesteros.33.30 He talks about his mentor in golf course design.34:00 And for Hostplus, what is next for him? What is the focus for his life these days, and how does the next period of life look?35:30 Graham tells us why he enjoyed playing Pro Ams, and how often he plays these daysA fantastic guest pod today for Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official superannuation partner, with an Australian golfing legend: Graham Marsh.We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What a weekend of golf!!! And Ryan Fox...so good, but a great performance by a number of Australians and Kiwis. We'll chat about that, and all the controversy today on the show.01:00 Ryan Fox, what a star. Wonderful win by the big fella. Mark talks about what he felt were Foxy's most important 2 holes and why. Nick says in majors, bogey's don't hurt too much, but doubles kill you. And Mark talks about the momentum Foxy had, and Nick loved the iron shot he hit on 17.06:00 We discuss Foxy's comments about his nerves on the final day.07:00 One thing (of a few) that annoyed Mark about The Open tournament.09:00 Mark was disappointed, for Lucas, that he couldn't hang on to finish Top 5 given what it would have meant for him in the US.09:30 LIV not looking good atm, and Mark reckons Lucas' is so talented that he should be playing with the top golf talent, Nick says that will l; have to happen via the DP World Tour.11.00 Mark loves Sam Burns game and thought that he had the tournament won, he reckons Burns is not the best player on tour not to win a major - and has overtaken Tommy Fleetwood for that title.12.00 Nick talks about Foxy's phone call home after the win. Very funny.13.00 Nick explains to Mark that Foxy has been copping flak for withdrawing from the 3M open this week, was it the right call? Nick and Mark discuss. Mark says that with The Open Championship next year at St Andrews, a course Foxy has won at before and that suits his game, next year will be very interesting.14.00 Cameron John, what a performance in his first major, and Mark awards him our Hostplus 'Plus for Golf' this week....Mark would love to get him on the show, homework for Nick to arrange as he has a contact.16.00 Okay, onto Day 2. Bryson. Nick and Mark comment that Bryson knew exactly where to stomp to help his situation, we discuss the scenario and what happened. Mark said Bryson knew what he was doing and would have known it was in violation, Nick is a bit more reserved and believes Bryson was very careless.18.00 Mark says that, in part, the officials are in part to blame for what Bryson did given they have been tolerating it.20.00 Nick talks about the reactions from other pros to what happened.22.00 Mark was unimpressed by Bryson's reaction to what happened, the threats he made, the display he put on, and says that Bryson is a massive wanker for this kind of behaviour, and awards the BMW Touch of Class to the R&A for standing up to him and holding firm on their decision.24.00 Mark asks Nick if Rory would have said what he did about Bryson if he was in contention.25.30 Brysons subtle dig at Sir Nick Faldo over his golf strategy comments27.00 The commentary team - Nick and Mark loved it, and explain what they loved about it28:00And notwithstanding Marks touch of class, a wolfpacker has a different ideaAfter the turn:32:00 Marks Top 5 for Betr: golfers who came late to the game and achieved great things. Foxy at #5.35:00 Nick and Mark talk about their age when they first picked up a golf club.37.00 Dan has a bone to pick with Mark over something from last weeks show.38.00 Nick runs through highlights from the global results40:00 Some exciting news from Mark on Claude Harmon, and we reveal that tomorrow we'll chat to the legendary Graham Marsh on the show!42:30 Nick has a ripping Foxy stat.44:00 Feedback for Southern Golf Club, heavily weighted towards Ryan Fox and The Open Championship. The results, pace of play.48:00 Feedback on Bryson being 'a target', and the results of our Twitter poll on Brysons 2-shot penalty.51:00 Questions about watering Open courses, and a comment on the changes to Royal Birkdale.53:00 A question about the draw on day 2 of majors, and why it isn't in lowest score order, like day 3 and 4 are.55.30And for the Golf Clearance Outlet Nick O'Hern has a Ryan Fox inspired masterclass today on how to play Fairway Bunkers.Massive show !We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to our Monday Mini, this week on Tuesday. Why? Truth be told, we were too busy watching the golf, and watching the World Cup Final to do the show....and we knew that you, frankly, with the Open Championship on and the Argentina v Spain final, had better things to do than listen to us knuckleheads.But, even being a day late, it's a ripper. Mark Allen famously uses, as a criteria to judge great golf courses, the yardstick of whether he'd be happy to play the course every day for the rest of his life. Today, a twist. Nick and Mark need to select a current, and a former, players golf swing that they can have, and only have that swing, for the rest of their life. It's a fascinating chat as they work through the options, the pros, the cons, live on the show before each settling on the two players that they each would select.And whilst Monty doesn't get a Guernsey for either Nick or Mark, he does get a (sort of) honourable mention from Nick - which reminds Dan of a pic sent in from wolfpacker Tim of Monty playing Tiger and the shot that Tim has given us is Monty in a, might we say, less flattering moment. We decide to run a caption contest - $250 to spend at the Golf Clearance Outlet for the caption that we rate the most amusing. We'll give it a week or so, and reveal the winner next week on one of the shows. The pic is on socials - comment on the post on either Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and you'll be in the draw. Fun stuff.Thanks for listening to our Monday, ahem, Tuesday Mini today!We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nick and Mark chime in on this voicemail question from Tim on the Gold Coast, and want your input into the question Tim has asked about the greatest swings ever. Have a listen, and let us know on socials and comments any suggestions you have.We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Plenty of comments and questions from you this week for Nick and Mark to discuss on our Friday Feedback pod. But we start with touching on our exciting new competition where you can win a trip for you and a friend to The Cliffs at Kangaroo Island to play 18 holes with Mark Allen and course architect Darius Oliver - the course is not even open yet, and you might get to play it! You can find out how to enter here: https://tr.ee/OAXE2MOnto the show:03:00 A suggestion from Rich on a Tour Pro who we missed in our recent Top 5 players who were (or are) cheered against.04:00 Tim asks Nick and Mark if pros were allowed to use different balls for different clubs and shots in tournaments would they? Nick and Mark run through the various scenarios and the ball, or kind of ball, they'd have used were they able to change it up.05.30 Drew on Aussie golfers underperforming, and makes some big calls on a few big names. Michael says something similar and asks who the next batch of golfers coming through here. Nick and Mark give their thoughts, and agree that our male golfers are generally underperforming, whilst the women are flying. Mark believes going to Europe would be helpful, and that covid did not help.08.00 We talk about the need for young pros, or aspiring pros, to have a sense of adventure if they are going to make it in golf.09:00 Nick talks through some of the young Aussie pros he rates as having potential.10.30 Mark discusses why limiting the number of limit of Pro Ams that you play in, as a young pro, is important.11.00 A question for Nick, a hypothetical (or is it) on a 'wine-based bet' on his performance of certain shots.After the turn:13.00 Andrew had a session with Nick a few months ago, and wrote in with the improvement (or otherwise) in his game, and he also saw comments this week from Sir Nick Faldo about reducing distance and is interested to hear Nick and Mark's thoughts on Faldo's comments.15:00 We discuss how shorter tees might work.17.00 Robert has written on a way has heard that some pros keep balls warm during winter. Nick and Mark discuss (legal) ways of keeping your golf balls warm.19.00 Al has a question about the Womens Opens' and where they are played.20.30 And we finish on a fun comment from Steve in France.A cracking Friday Feedback pod leading into a massive weekend of watching the Open Championship , and then figuring out how on earth we'll manage flicking back and forth between the final stages of The Open and the Argentina v Spain World Cup final ..... eeek !!!We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fehan from the Peninsula in Victoria has just finished watching day one of The Open Championship and had some thoughts on the commentary that he heard, and left a voicemail for us. Let us know in the comments if you reckon Fehan has nailed it, or you have a different perspective.We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well this is a bit exciting. A massive competition exclusively for Talk Birdie To Me listeners and viewers.We are giving one person, and a friend, the opportunity to win a Money Can't Buy Experience at The Cliffs at Kangaroo Island to play 18 holes with Darius Oliver - who designed the course - and Talk Birdie's own Mark Allen. The course is yet to open so this really is special. Inclusions in the prize are:Flights to Kangaroo Island from a major Australian or New Zealand airport for you and a friend.One nights accom in a Deluxe 2 bedroom villa at the Seafront Holiday Park in Penneshaw including breakfast.Dinner and Drinks at the Penneshaw Pub18 holes for you and a friend with Mark Allen and Darius Oliver, renowned course architect and designer of The Cliffs Kangaroo Island (and Cape Wickham!)Lunch includedTitleist and FootJoy gift packDetails on how to enter in a sec.Today we chat with Darius Oliver about The Cliffs at Kangaroo Island, he tells Nick and Mark how the course is coming along, if he's making any last minute adjustments, and whether he is excited, apprehensive, nervous - all of the above - about the official opening later this year. It's a stunning site, but one not without some water challenges, he explains the approach to water for the various parts of the course.Darius outlines the 3 highlight holes of the course for him, although he notes that because every hole is so different this will be different for everyone....but he does say that he wants everyone to fall in love with the things that he is in love with about the island and the course.It's very exciting, and The Cliffs at Kangaroo Island looks like being a very special golf course.So thanks to The Cliffs at Kangaroo Island, FootJoy and Titleist, how can you win this fantastic Money Can't Buy Experience?Send us a pic of a golfing moment that is special to you and why, could be a golfing experience, a golf trip with friends, anything, just something memorable to you.Each week, for 8-weeks, we'll choose one pic we like to go in the draw.This will mean there are 8 people in the draw which we'll do early September, and the trip is late November, you'll need to be available on November 20/21.Here's the link to enter: https://tr.ee/OAXE2MGood luck !We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Open Championship is here! What a tournament, what a history. And today Nick and Mark preview The Open.Mark asks Nick about when he played in The Open Championship in 2008 and Greg Norman led at 54 holes, tied for the lead with 8 holes to play ...and he was retired and spending his time playing tennis !!As usual we have a look at the power rankings, and we start with a convo about Tommy Fleetwood - this is his home course, and Nick says there is nothing like local knowledge of a course, and Mark says he is the best player to not win a major, so it could be a good weekend for him.Nick notes that Min Woo's iron play is looking much better, and his short game is on point. Mark says this course suits Min Woo, and he is one of the best stinger players he's ever seen, and he deserves to be considered the leading Australian in the field.Mark talks about how this course has seen plenty of great putters win, seems to suit them. Nick isn't looking forward to seeing Tom Kim play, describing him as 'brutal' to watch (in reference to his pace).Scheffler is #5 in the power rankings, and Mark feels he knows why that is the case. Nick's 'concern' about Scottie this week is his putting.Rory #4 in the power rankings, Nick saw a funny piece of footage featuring Rory this week which we have a listen to. Matt Fitzpatrick...he is red hot, both Nick and Mark are huge fans and reckon he's set for a big weekend.Mark cannot understand why Morikawa is #2 in the power rankings for The Open, Nick can and explains why. Nick goes on to explain the strategy for playing this course.With the tournament finishing at a similar time to the World Cup Final, Nick tells Mark that there is a contingency to adjust tee times if England are in the final to avoid the situation of empty stands, or cheering from the stands as people keep an eye on the World Cup.And before the turn we discuss some of the fun, new markets Betr have on the tournament, there are some crackers if you want to whack 5 bucks on a couple. And what will our Talk Birdie Betr multi be? We kick it around before the turn, and decide after. We text Hummer live, and get the odds back in record time. You can open a Betr account at their website here, or on the app, and you'll find out multi on the Betr Specials section.Enjoy The Open !!!We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Massive show today, what a week, it is Open Championship week and whilst we previewed the tournament yesterday, we chat more about it today.We start with Mark talking about the new FootJoy Legends Series, Harris Tweed Collaboration - with Mark deciding at some point to do a masterclass on how to keep your FootJoys' clean....don't worry, he'll forget about it and we won't remind him. We love FootJoy, but a masterclass on keeping them clean doesn't seem riveting....Onto the show:04:00 Haeran Ryu: a great win at The Evian, Nick watched plenty and tells us what happened - particularly the final day. Nick says that whilst it is not a great course, it consistently produces exciting finishes. The Aussie women had an ordinary tournament, the majority missing the cut.08:00 Royal Birkdale. We discuss some of the great finishes and performances over the years, Nick describes 2008 as the toughest course for an open he ever played. Mark talks more about Greg Norman that year, considering he was retired, it was extraordinary. And we trace back some of the notable moments, including being introduced (and how!) to Justin Rose in 98.13:00 Mark has an idea for The Open Championship which would pay respect to history, and reckons it needs to happen.15.30 Similarly, Nick suggests an idea for The Australian Open at Kingston Heath later this year.17.00 Nicks plus for golf for Hostplus is the Open's last chance spot, which was won by Joe Dean with his fiancee on the bag, a great story!19.00 Some changes to Royal Birkdale this year, Mark chats about some of the changes they've made to the course.20.00 Our BMW Touch of Class come from Mark this week, and he awards it to Tommy Fleetwood, we hear the audio23:30 We run the ruler over the Australians in The Open Championship.24.30 Cam Smiths' swing changes, the new Claude Harmon swing. It looks good, Nick and Mark are impressed27.30 Nick explains when, as a pro, he adjusted his swing under a new coach28.30 We chat about Min Woo Lees chances, Jason Day's lack of form, Adam Scott could be a chance, Cam John, Lucas Herbert's stinger capability, Travis Smythe.30.00 Three kiwis playing: Ryan Fox, Daniel Hillier,and Kazuma Kobori - Nick likes Kazuma this week and explains why.30.30 Nick and Mark give their tips for who will win, and their dark horses.After the turn33.00 Reminder of our Talk Birdie Betr multi which you can see here. 13 bucks for Matt Fitzpatrick Top 10, Bryson to miss the cut, and a non-US winner.34.00 A fun Top 5 from Nick - his Top 5 golf plaques around the world, in honour of the Grace Kim plaque at The Evian.36.00 Mark tells the story about nearly being killed by Tiger Woods driving the green in Thailand.37.00 Back to the top 5 - Mark is seemingly unimpressed by Nicks number 140.00 Mark has seen a trailer on Netflix for a new golf movie that he reckons looks good, he's forgotten the name, he'll get back to us later in the show40.30 feedback on our unusual swings Top 5, our chat around Michael Hollick's DPWT win as a 39 year old amateur from an unexpected source, and a question from Matt about the Scottish Open43:00 Nick and Mark discuss moving the Scottish Open to different courses.44.00 Feedback on Paddy Harrington from last week, Anton has a great story about Grace Kim from The Evian45:00 Craig asked about Minjee's form.46:00 Malcolm enjoyed the pod with wolfpacker Nigel earlier this week, Nigel has the yips, we'll check in with him in a month or two.47.00 Nick runs through the results from, around the world in the global highlights.49.00 Hold the phone.....Nick says something positive about the world feed!50.30 We offer a reward for anyone who can provide video of Boo Weekley fighting an orangutan. If you've got any...we want it!51.30 And we want to hunt down the footage from Channel 7 of Jack Newton's cross after the Scottish Open in the 90s53.00 For the Golf Clearance Outlet, Marks masterclass is on keeping your putter low - inspired by Jordan Speith.A fun pod today!!We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we've got a guest wolfpacker on our Talk Birdie To Me Monday Mini - Nigel from 13th Beach Golf Club in Victoria who is having some pretty serious, and long-term issues with his driving. But before we get into that, the more pressing issue is whether he can give us an update on the duck spring roll debacle at 13th Beach, where they were serving duck spring rolls in 3's rather than 2's or 4's. Crazy talk.But then, onto the serious stuff. Nige is a good player, he has gotten down to as low as 1.5, but at the moment his driving is killing his game, and he doesn't know how to fix it. That's where Nick and Mark come in. Plenty of fact finding questions and conversation to try and nail down the issue and the options. Nigel is very open about what he's doing poorly at the moment, so that's handy.We give him a few things to go away and work on, and Nick and Mark want to have a 'part 2' chat in a few weeks where we look at some video of Nige which he has homework to get to us.Mark makes the slightly bold claim that if he and Nick can fix Nigel's driving yips, we'll be national heroes....Nick wants a statue. Possibly a statue of Nick and Mark outside 13th Beach Golf Club eating a duck spring roll would be on point.A fun Monday (well maybe not for Nigel) but if you're having any yip type issues there might be a couple of tips you pick up.We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Friday and that means a Friday Feedback pod. Plenty of great comments and questions for Nick and Mark to discuss today.01:00 Following our conversation a couple of weeks ago about women golfers who were (or are) absolute flushers, there's a couple of suggestions on golfers we missed.03:00 Nick and Mark discuss the importance of not focusing so much on the quality of your good shots, but the quality of your bad shots....they explain.04:00 Our discussion about local rules really has sparked some comments, and yes gimmes come up again (much to Marks frustration)05:00 Mark notes that in the US it can be quite different, mulligans and gimmes are almost negotiated for.05:50 Last week Mark talked about 'airspace' on a particular hole being out of bounds, we get a message from Ray in the UK who had the same thing at his club07:00 An idea from Mission Hills on how to manage gimmes07:30 Ian has a comment and question about YouTube golf tips, he may have misunderstood a recent conversation on the show, but that's okay, we have a chat about it.10.30 Are bunkers still hazards, or are they too well groomed?11:30 Radar - A fun story about the great man.After the turn:14.00 A few messages and stories about the recent passing of Metropolitan (Melbourne) golf legend Brian Twite17:00 Can golf instructors destroy a swing?20:00 A story from Graeme about the Dunvegan22:00 Nick tells the story of how Jack Newton helped him win the PGA Championship at Coolum23:00 And into a story about Payne Stewart at CoolumAnd unfortunately the show ends on a low note with Dan cracking an appalling joke. A possible suspension for him from next weeks show is being considered by the Talk Birdie Team.We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.