Ep166: Nick & Mark: 'Being Trash-Talked' in Tournaments, Alex Norén's Win, and What 'All Golf Clubs Must Do" (according to Mark).

Mark Allen, you might recall, last week promised to shoot a 65 in the Portarlington Pro-Am. As you'll know if you follow our socials he did not in fact shoot 65. We discuss. That said, both Nick and Mark had a lot of fun, and the hits on the link following the players scores were at record levels - naturally Mark takes credit for that. Nick explains why he thought at one point he was going to be DQ'd.Nick and Mark discuss Charlie Woods attempt to qualify for his first tournament, and that whilst not qualifying will hurt, it may take some pressure off him. Nick would have preferred Charlie wait another year or two before jumping into the cauldron. Mark believes he has one of the most pure swings he's seen.We chat Anthony Kim, a very confident golfer. Nick talks about playing a round with Kim when he spent much of the round on the phone to his agent discussing deals.Onto LIV. The PIF has said the fund is expanding to 2 Trillion Dollars. Mark can't believe the money and calls it the biggest shot over the bow towards the PGA in history. Nick describes the money involved now as pure greed and sickening. Nick and Mark crunch the numbers on how a revised, and more lucrative, prize money structure for the PGA could look.World ranking points remain an ongoing bone of contention. Nick discusses them, and the discrepancies that he is seeing between something called Data Golf and the official world golf rankings. Lots of variances. Mark runs through the criteria for a tournament to qualify for world ranking points.Just as Mark is about to hoof into a party pie, Tim from the Warratah Golf Club in NSW calls on the hotline to pump up Warratah and their Pro-Am which is on tomorrow (28th).A great Top 5 today, Nick counts down the longest players that he ever played with. There are some big names there!We then call Michael from Leongatha in Victoria who has a question for Nick and Mark about tee time etiquette. It's a good question and a ripping conversation. Lots of feedback this week as usual, keep it coming, and Nick tells a great story about his Top 10 finish in the US Open in 2006...he was on the winning score with 9 holes to play, he tells us what happened next.Some great performances by Aussies and Kiwis around the world, which Nick discusses in the PING global results - Mark again expresses his 'concern' for Momoka Kobori, and hopes her family haven't forgotten her. Masterclass this week is on a new chipping technique that Mark Allen reckons is a gamechanger.We're here each week with the great support of PING, see your local golf shop or professional for a PING club fitting. Just like they have with Nick O'Hern, PING will help you play your best. And the Golf Clearance Outlet, great prices on the best gear. See them instore in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or Perth, or online here.Talk Birdie To Me. New episodes weekly wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and you'll never miss one! And we'd love you to share the podcast, and if you can rate and review us that would be great. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, or send a voicemail to us here. And all our Masterclass videos on YouTube here.We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:BMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;PING will help you play your best;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;And watchMynumbers and Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

27 Feb 202457min

A ripping bonus pod this week. Following an email from Talk Birdie To Me listener Ross asking how often he should be upgrading his clubs, Nick O'Hern and Mark Allen decided to go to the best in the business - Matt Austin from PING - to give us his perspective. You might expect someone in the business of fitting and selling clubs to say upgrade often, but Matt didn't do that, he gave us some fantastic rationale for how often you need to, and when you might need to.Talk Birdie To Me. New episodes weekly wherever you get your podcasts, subscribe to never miss an episode. And we'd love you to share the podcast with a friend who loves golf, and if you have a moment to rate and review us that would be great.Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, or send a voicemail to us here. And all our Masterclass videos on YouTube here.We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:BMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;PING will help you play your best;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;And watchMynumbers and Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Feb 20249min

This weeks show kicks off with a prediction from Mark Allen. He and Nick are playing today (Tuesday 20th February) in the Portarlington Pro-Am in Victoria, and he is determined to shoot 65. Nick is hoping to shoot par given he is out of practise following his recent injury.Nick and Mark discuss 'ambush marketing' where players were getting paid cash to wear hats in tournaments, and they each tell a couple of fun stories about how it worked.Riviera: Mark watched Tiger closely and was impressed with his swing, his walking, and thinks he is well on the way back following the car crash. That said, both Nick and Mark thought Tigers explanation for his shank, a back spasm, was very funny and not accurate. Which reminds Nick of a similar story from Jack Nicklaus at Turnberry when he refused to admit that he had ever 3-putted a final hole. Mark discusses the new Tiger 'Sun Day Red' range, and is unimpressed that there is a hoodie involved. Still on Riviera, Jordan Spieth was DQ'd. We discuss how the rules work now with regards to signing an incorrect scorecard compared to how it used to be. And Nick talks about why he disliked playing Riviera.Hotline rings - and it's an ambush. Talk Birdie To Me listener El Chappo is calling in to ask Mark a very curly question.Mark has a theory, which he has read about and feels has merit, it is to do with the DP World Tour and the PIF. Interesting. Nick and Mark discuss.And we get a voicemail from the weekend, a message from pod listener Fehan who spotted something in the Hunter Valley tournament, and is after clarification. We call our rules guru Stu from the Golf Rules Questions podcast to get the answers. Ripping pod, you can hear it here.The Top 5 this week is inspired by Hideki Matsuyama's great win at Riviera over the weekend, and Mark counts down his Top 5 memorable Asian Mens professional moments in golf. It's a ripper.Nick takes us around the world with the PING global results - one of the most popular parts of the show. And then we get to feedback, and there is lots as usual - including Patrick who we get on the phone who has some thoughts on Tiger, and a couple of book suggestions to add to the reading list.A great masterclass this week from Nick where he has found something in common with Matsuyama and Daniel Gale's swing. It's to do with the transition from the back swing to the through swing. Video on socials.Talk Birdie To Me. New episodes weekly wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and you'll never miss one! And we'd love you to share the podcast, and if you can rate and review us that would be great.Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, or send a voicemail to us here. And all our Masterclass videos on YouTube here.We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:BMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;PING will help you play your best;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;And watchMynumbers and Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20 Feb 20241h 2min

Another big week in golf with lots to discuss on the Talk Birdie To Me podcast.We start at party central, Phoenix, what an event it was and what a finish! They shut down alcohol service at one point, and they had to lock the gates. 200,000 people through the gates. Huge. Nick and Mark loved it and discuss how the players handle the noise and excitement, and how some don't. Cue audio of Billy Horschel. Nicks view is, as a player, that you know what you're getting into and if you can't handle it, then don't play the event. Mark asks about the famous 'cheat sheets' on players weaknesses that are rumoured to be handed around the crowd - Nick confirms that it is true, and it happens.Mark discusses the newly christened King (Kazuma) Kobori and says that it is clear that he is the best putter on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, and it is no coincidence that he is also the best player currently. Mark doesn't believe that aspiring pros practise their putting enough, and we hear some extraordinary stats about Scottie Scheffler to do with his putting. Conversely, Nick Taylors putting in Phoenix was exceptional.And we get a voicemail from Chris with a ripping question about Par 3 courses for Nick and Mark.Following Phoenix, Nick counts down the Top 5 courses he has played around the world and both Nick and Mark each have a great story about the Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus.Into feedback, and a question from Ross about his clubs and how often to update. Nick and Mark give their view, and Nick decides that we should go to an expert, so we call Matt Austin from PING to put it to him. Unfortunately (for us, not the person), he is fitting someone for new PING gear when we call so we get bumped to voicemail.....the perils of a live podcast. But who are we to interrupt a PING club fitting !!!! If Matt doesn't call before the end of the pod, we'll get him next week.Also in feedback, we get a massive whack. Not from one person, but from a bunch on the same issue.....we fall on our sword, we're guilty. When you get it wrong, you have to go with it. But some feedback is great, and as a result Mark has an idea that he'll raise with Sam at the Golf Clearance Outlet about Talk Birdie To Me merchandise....watch this space.Nick takes us around the world for a run through of all the PING Global results and he outlines what he'd like to see Scheffler try with his putting. One global result he is unhappy about is the Superbowl - he was keen on San Francisco, but unfortunately Kansas City got there in overtime.Mark's Masterclass this week is on the importance of practising like a professional if you want to be a professional, or even play at the highest level you are capable of.Talk Birdie To Me, new episodes weekly wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and you'll never miss one! And we'd love you to share the podcast, and if you can rate and review us that would be great.Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, or send a voicemail to us here. And all our Masterclass videos on YouTube here.We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:BMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;PING will help you play your best;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;And watchMynumbers and Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

13 Feb 20241h 1min

A fantastic bonus episode of Talk Birdie To Me today, Nick O'Hern and Mark Allen chat to Gary Lisbon, who is a hugely accomplished Melbourne based golf-course photographer, and has been for over 25 years. His photography journey has seen him visit and photograph over 650 courses in 25 countries around the world. How do we get a gig like that !!!We chat with Gary about his photography, some of his techniques, the backstory to some of the amazing photos - including the story of a photo he took of the 7th hole at Barnbougle Dunes in Tasmania which he had to wait a year for!Nick, Mark and Gary all list their favourite 5 courses in the world - there are some surprises and some conflicting views.Gary's new book is in panoramic form, it is stunning. It's called 'Great Golf Courses of the World' and you can find out more, and order it here. And you can follow Gary on Instagram here.Talk Birdie To Me, new episodes weekly wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and you'll never miss one! And we'd love you to share the podcast, and if you can rate and review us that would be great.Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, or send a voicemail to us here. And all our Masterclass videos on YouTube here.We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:BMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;PING will help you play your best;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;And watchMynumbers and Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 Feb 202440min

Another week in the world of golf, and another show where we barely have enough time to discuss it all! But we'll give it a red hot crack.We're at Australian Golf Headquarters today for the pod and there is a long drive competition happening, which reminds Mark of the time he was paired with Jason Zuback and at the time didn't know his reputation. Have a look at some of Jason's work here.Since the last pod, the PGA have announced a huge investment from a private equity syndicate. What does it mean? Is it enough? Nick and Mark discuss the comments Rory McIllroy made about it. Nick talks about how the US based players typically don't like to travel, they prefer to play at home.LIV was in Mexico at the weekend, and it was the first tournament from Jon Rahm. His team won, although he had a tougher day out. There were some slight tweaks to the LIV structure as well, which Nick talks through. And the PGA was at Pebble Beach with, ironically, the tournament being shorted due to weather. Mark was rapt with the changes at Pebble Beach, which Nick outlines and explains why the changes were done.Mark was at a swap day on the weekend and he reckons the groundskeeper rigged the greens to make it more difficult. Does this happen? Nick and Mark are keen to hear from any groundskeepers who have done it, and what you may have done.A fun Top 5 from Mark Allen this week, he's listing the Top 5 wanker moves that golfers do when they're playing with their mates - some very funny ones. Love to hear any that you have to add. Let us know on the socials, or leave a voicemail at the link below. We call Talk Birdie To Me listener Eric from Brisbane who wants to pick Mark up on some inappropriate language on last weeks podcast.Nick O'Hern's mate Lachlan Wood, a gun all abilities golfer from Queensland, is having a fundraiser this friday arvo (Feb 9) in Hervey Bay to help fund his travel to the US. If you're near Hervey Bay and can attend, you can get tickets here, or shoot a message to Lachlan here if you might be able to make a donation.Massive week for PING players this week, and Nick runs through them all in the PING global results. If you needed convincing that PING helps you play your best - this weeks results should be evidence enough! Last weeks masterclass from Nick was on uphill lies, and this week he talks about downhill lies.And we finish the show with a tribute to one of the worlds most iconic golf figures for anyone who loves Caddyshack.Talk Birdie To Me, new episodes weekly wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and you'll never miss one! And we'd love you to share the podcast, and if you can rate and review us that would be great.Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, or send a voicemail to us here. And all our Masterclass videos on YouTube here.We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:BMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;PING will help you play your best;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;And watchMynumbers and Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6 Feb 20241h 1min

Lot of fun this week on Talk Birdie To Me, and if you can, we'd love you to subscribe, rate and review the pod wherever you listen. It really helps with the algorithms of the pod platforms to share us more widely.We start this week with some of the fantastic French commentary of Matthieu Pavon's win at Torrey Pines last weekend. Fantastic! Nick and Mark both watched a bit of it and discuss the tournament and Pavon's win. Mark was pleased with how well the internationals were doing. However, both are not fans of the Torrey Pines course, saying it's just a bad course - Mark describes it as a joke of a course.As expected, Nick Dunlap turned pro last week, Mark feels that Nick not playing Torrey Pines was a smart move as he could have cost himself a lot of cash if he'd missed the cut.Nick and Mark discuss the club head speed drills that they are seeing more of.Whilst Mark has failed miserably with his homework on guests coming on the pod, Nick has arranged for Gary Lisbon to have a chat with us about his new book, we'll chat with Gaz over the next week or two. We then have a chat about what golf books Nick and Mark would recommend you read.LIV seems to be a bit late on confirmation of the teams, particularly as it starts this coming friday. Nick and Mark discuss, and Pete from Brisbane calls in with a rumour he's heard about the name of the new Jon Rahm team. Maybe Pete is our new 'breaking news' reporter?** update: since the pod was recorded, this rumour has been confirmed by LIV **Mark has an idea about a grand slam of hole in ones that he runs by Nick.A ripping Top 5 this week, Mark counts down the Top 5 dodgiest things in golf that he's seen. Very funny. One particular golfer gets lined up big time.Voicemail today from Fehan with some LIV questions and comments.A big week of PING global results with PING players killing it all over the world, as you'd expect given they're using the incredible gear from PING.Lots of feedback to run through, which we love - lots of feedback on the Huntingdale development by OCM, plus a challenge for Nick O'Who from Darren....one which Nick reckons he would fail at the moment. And a great question from Ben about the Grand Prix of Golf concept, which the boys discuss - Mark has some info direct from Scottie Scheffler's brother in law, from Scottie.Great masterclass is on uphill lies inspired by a few poor shots in the Torrey Pines and Rosebud tournaments at the weekend.Talk Birdie To Me, new episodes weekly wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and you'll never miss one! And we'd love you to share the podcast, and if you can rate and review us that would be great.Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, or send a voicemail to us here. And all our Masterclass videos on YouTube here.We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:BMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;PING will help you play your best;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;And watchMynumbers and Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 Jan 20241h 3min

A bonus episode of Talk Birdie To Me today, and it's a ripper.OCM are arguably the most sought after golf course designers in the world, and they are based right here in Australia. With multiple projects on the go around the world, Nick O'Hern and Mark Allen sat down with Mike Cocking of OCM to talk through how their redevelopment of the famous Huntingdale Golf Club is going, and some of the things we can look forward to.Talk Birdie To Me, new episodes weekly wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and you'll never miss one! And we'd love you to share the podcast, and if you can rate and review us that would be great.Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, or send a voicemail to us here. And all our Masterclass videos on YouTube here.We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:BMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;PING will help you play your best;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;And watchMynumbers and Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Jan 202425min