Episodes
Shane has his longtime buddy Ashdon Woods on the pod to unpack into their recent trip to Streamsong Golf Resort in Florida. They cover the highlights from the three courses and the Chain, a new short course on the property, before reviewing the surrounding amenities, like the stellar hotel and food scene. All great tips for those looking to plan a trip to the Florida resort in the future. They end the pod with some fun stories from their days on the mini tours, Ashdon's hole-in-one this year...
Published 12/08/23
Published 12/08/23
A great chat this week with LET Tour player Meghan MacLaren about her life as a professional golfer. Meghan talks about growing up in a golf family, her experiences playing on the Epson Tour in the States, and why writing has been such an amazing outlet for her while chasing her dream.  Meghan has an awesome series that dropped this year with Skratch that is definitely worth your time so give the first episode a watch right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC3ji4YhxpY Also, her website...
Published 11/16/23
This week's guest is a great one as Patrick Koenig joins the show to talk about his RGV Tour. Patrick and Shane discuss his recent world record-breaking moment on the golf course, how much you still love golf when you've played nearly 500 courses in a year and plenty more!  Patrick is one of the good guys in golf so make sure to give him a follow (@pjkoenig) and check out his website for all the tales from the road! https://www.pjkoenig.com/   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...
Published 11/10/23
It's been long overdue to have Kate Smith on the podcast so we are happy to report she is in fact this week's guest! Kate talks about her great season Epson Tour, what flipped from her rookie year to this level of consistent play, and what she will do to prep for Q-School later this year. Then, Kate and Shane talk about how they got into business together and started Ground Under Repair. Kate talks about the balance between owning a business and playing high-level professional golf and how...
Published 10/25/23
If you missed the Korn Ferry Tour Championship earlier this month, you missed one of the most gutting moments in the history of professional golf. Shad Tuten was right around the top-30 number on Sunday needing to finish strong to get his PGA Tour card for 2024. Shad got penalized on the 15th hole and that two-shot penalty cost him his PGA Tour card, eventually finishing 32nd on the points list. After a couple of months to reflect, Shad joined Shane on the pod to talk about that Sunday, the...
Published 10/18/23
If you live in the northeast you know that we are getting closer and closer to simulator szn. It's basically here for us cold-weathered people and that means the attention turns to indoor golf options so I thought it made sense to chat a little with a man who started a company to make simulator work easier for the consumer. Carl (The Carl behind Carl's Place) chatted about the business, the Covid boom for his business, and what makes a good simulator room. A huge thanks to Carl for the...
Published 10/13/23
Max Homa returns to the podcast after his first Ryder Cup experience to break the whole week down.  The two open the podcast talking about the Dodgers run in the playoffs and what a real offseason will look like for Max before diving into the Ryder Cup that wrapped on Sunday. Max talks about playing with Brian Harman, the vibe of the event, and how word spread internally about the whole Cantlay/Rory/LaCava situation. Max and Shane also talked about the state of American alternate shot and...
Published 10/05/23
One of the best events of the entire year in golf is upon us, and who better to have than Golf Digest's Joel Beall on the show to break it all down? Joel is live from the media center at Marco Simone to give us his initial thoughts on the golf course, who he thinks it favors, why it'll be an awesome match play course and plenty more. The two then dive into which player on each side must have a good week for their team to win, the Rory struggles as of late in Ryder Cups and who is likely to...
Published 09/27/23
Fresh off his third U.S. Mid-Am title, Stewart Hagestad swings by to chat with Shane about the win at Sleepy Hollow. The two discuss the difference between his first mid-am to the most recent one, what he still has left to accomplish in his amateur career, and how cool it will be for Hagestad to play in a U.S. Open (in 2024 at Pinehurst thanks to his mid-am win) where he played his first ever USGA event (2008 U.S. Amateur). They cover a variety of topics like the recent Walker Cup experience...
Published 09/20/23
One of the most fun pods of the year is here with Joel Dahmen and Geno Bonnalie, who were gracious enough to have a little fun at their own expense. Geno, who has looped for Joel for nine years, presents his top-five list of the worst shots and/or worst caddie calls of the two's partnership. It's an amazing conversation between two of the nicest guys in golf and a fun offseason reminder that even the best in the world can hit awful, awful golf shots at times (and pro-level caddies can...
Published 09/08/23
A fun change to this week's podcast, as Shane traveled to Scotland last month to check out a true links course that is getting a makeover. The Links Golf Club recently purchased Spey Bay and hired the DeVries Designs team to do a full renovation of the property. Mike DeVries, Michael Clayton, and Frank Pont join Shane from Spey Bay to chat about the job, the architectural excitement of getting a chance to work on a true piece of links land in Scotland, and plenty more. Plus, Jim Daily and...
Published 09/01/23
The pod is flipped today with Claire Rogers of Golf.com fame taking hosting duties to ask Shane questions about his U.S. Amateur experience. Shane chats about the week, how tough Cherry Hills played and the difficulty of competing at a championships level. The two then dive into the comeback season for Bryson DeChambeau, what's left the rest of the year for both in terms of golf travel and plenty more! A big thanks to Claire for her time - make sure you're following her on all social...
Published 08/18/23
Before Shane departs for Denver to compete in his first-ever U.S. Amateur he catches up with the 2016 champion, Curtis Luck. Curtis and Shane talk about the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour season and what has worked as of late for Curtis before reminiscing about his win at Oakland Hills. Curtis talks about a fairway bunker shot he hit in the stroke play that got him really going that week, how the two previous U.S. Ams he played in helped in terms of a conservative approach to stroke play, and then...
Published 08/11/23
On this week's Get a Grip, Shane chats with Golf Digest's Joel Beall about the Justin Thomas debate surrounding the upcoming Ryder Cup. Should JT's incredible Ryder Cup record (and ability to get under the skin of the Europeans) be enough to earn him a spot even with the very spot season he's having?  Joel and Shane discuss JT on the team, then move to what this American team might actually look like considering how many guys from Whistling Straits won't be a part of the 12. A reminder to...
Published 08/02/23
One of the coolest events in all of golf wrapped last week in Pinehurst, and we have one of the most impactful players in the field here to recap the championship. Alex Fourie joins Shane to chat about the second U.S. Adaptive Open, what the week means to that community, and how cool it is to see this tournament alongside historical events like the U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open. Alex then gets into how he got into the game, what it means to be a role model to so many people out there and...
Published 07/20/23
The old guy gets through! A day after qualifying for his first U.S. Amateur, Shane chats about the day, the experience, and how hyped he is to get out to Colorado.  Shane discusses what has clicked lately with his golf game, his mental game, and his approach to competitive golf and then gets into the day at Bonnie Briar. He also gives a huge shoutout to Kevin, his caddie for the day, for leaning into the aggressive play that led to some late birdies and helped him snag one of two spots into...
Published 07/12/23
It's always a good time to catch up with No Laying Up's D.J. Piehowski, who is fresh off another launch of the highly anticipated and acclaimed "Strapped" series. Shane and D.J. talk about "Strapped," how the idea came to life, what it's like producing such a popular series, and how close they were to ending the series after the South Carolina finale. After that discussion, D.J. and Shane talk about the U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach, how excited they've been for this major championship,...
Published 07/07/23
Fresh off his best finish on the PGA Tour, Zac Blair stops by the pod to chat about his awesome week at the Travelers. The two get into the pressures of playing for your livelihood coming down the stretch at a big event, how Zac keeps pressing the gas during low rounds, and the satisfaction of all but wrapping up his PGA Tour card for next season. After that, the two talk about The Tree Farm, Zac's new golf course in South Carolina, and how he balances an online business, a new golf course,...
Published 06/29/23
A final preview for the U.S. Open and this time with one of the men integral in bringing Los Angeles Country Club back to its roots. Gil Hanse joins Shane from LACC to talk about the honor of seeing one of his restorations displayed at the highest of levels, the sneaky 17th hole and then the 3 most strategic shots at LACC. A big thanks to Gil for the time and the incredible insight. ______ Don't forget to check out the latest PING Proving Grounds Podcast episode:...
Published 06/14/23
An exciting Monday episode as Max Homa returns to the podcast to preview a golf course he knows oh so well. Max and Shane talk about the two-week break before the third major of the year for Homa and then dive deep into Los Angeles Country Club. Max, who held the course record at LACC for nearly eight years, talks about that record-breaking 61 in the 2013 Pac-12 Championship, what he remembered about the day, and plenty more.  After that the two dive into the golf course and chat about what...
Published 06/12/23
On this week's Get a Grip, Shane opens with his thoughts on the exceptional Rose Zhang and her victory on Sunday. Then, one of the most exciting athletes of the last 25 years, Reggie Bush, jumps on the pod to talk about his journey to golf, his obsession with getting better, and what he wants to do to help more kids that have similar upbringings to his get into the game.  The two also talk about what makes an athlete electrifying, when Reggie realized he was different than the rest of those...
Published 06/06/23
Fresh off a great trip down to the Pinehurst area, Shane chats with his buddy and Fox Sports college football expert (genius??) Joel Klatt about the time spent in North Carolina. Shane and Joel break down the dos and don'ts of a Pinehurst trip, where to play, how much fun they had on #8, #4, and #2, and the proper way to experience Tobacco Road. They also give some love to the Talamore Resort and Villas where the group stayed and spent way too much time out on the putting green at night. A...
Published 05/31/23
What a week it was at Oak Hill, and Shane opens the show talking about how impressed he was with Brooks Koepka and the Michael Block phenomenon. After that, Shane chats with his new podcast co-host, Marty Jertson, about their new venture with the PING Proving Grounds Podcast (subscribe to it!). The two chat about Marty's journey through golf and how he became one of the most influential figures in club design.  A big thanks to Marty for his time and make sure to subscribe to the new PING...
Published 05/26/23
In the first episode of the PING Proving Grounds podcast, our hosts, golf broadcaster Shane Bacon and Marty Jertson, PING’s Vice President of Fitting and Performance, give us a brief overview of their backgrounds before diving into the history, culture, and importance of the PING Proving Grounds. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Published 05/25/23