Talk Birdie To Me

What a weekend, all the excitement of the LIV Adelaide event, Mark Hensby won in Texas, and in Japan Lucas Herbert quietly wins his third DP World Tour title! So exciting!Nick O'Hern & Mark Allen talk extensively about LIV, Nick was there commentating, Mark was on the couch watching, so we've got it covered from both perspectives. Nick describes is as a party with a bit of golf, but he thought it was fantastic. Mark loved it and said it was compelling viewing but says fans are essential to the success of LIV, the crowds made it. Nick said that at Grange, what stood out to him was that music was playing everywhere all day, and the infrastructure was exceptional.Mark says that LIV showed how starved we have been in Australia of superstar lineups in tournaments, outside of Presidents Cup. And Nick says this brought non-golfing fans into the sport.Obviously a highlight was the great performance of Talor Gooch, with a dominant first two rounds leading to a victory - two rounds of 62 was impressive. And of course what about Chase Koepka's ace on the watering hole. Brilliant.Nick spoke with Greg Norman in Adelaide, and Greg made some fascinating comments about the LIV prize money. Nick explains on the podcast.And did Nick roll out the 'don't you know who I am' card to get an early car to the airport?Mark says that as much as he loved LIV, if you want to win majors, LIV isn't for you and the PGA is the main game. Nick agrees and whilst he also loved LIV, he says it has an exhibition feel rather than a tournament feel to it.But where to next for LIV? Nick and Mark discuss. Adelaide was great, but it's the first LIV tournament that has been so successful - Mark says Adelaide was the best LIV event by a squillion miles. Is that now the benchmark?Whilst LIV dominates conversation, understandably, the boys were very excited about Lucas Herbert and his great win in Japan - Mark talks about the luck with the drop, but Lucas took advantage of it. Nick and Mark talk about Lucas banging the ground with the club - Nick's not convinced it was legal, Mark is okay with it. Nick says that Lucas has the X-Factor. An exciting win! Mark Hensby won in Texas, a great win leading to Nick telling a story about being with Mark being at the White House and Mark accidentally setting something on fire in the ballroom of the White House. Mark makes a tip on Richard Green and reckons he is sure to get a big win at some point, he's that good. Nick agrees, and says it's a matter of time before Richard does something special.Mark talks about the international series of events that the PGA is putting on around the world, and he is 100% sure that Australia will get one of the events. He believes it will be in Victoria and explains why.The Top 5 today is from Mark, and he lists his Top 5 loudest moments in golf. Unsurprisingly, it becomes a Top 6 or 7, which is proving to be a pattern lately.And on the masterclass today - bouncing your putter, and moving your feet, before the shot to calm the nerves. Mark explains and refers to it as 'don't be a statue'.Talk Birdie To Me, new episodes weekly wherever you get your podcasts.If you've got a friend who is into golf, we'd love you to share the podcast with them, and rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.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 Apr 202342min

This week on the podcast Mark Allen is away, and tour pro Craig Spence covers for him again in a big show.Plenty of discussion points, particularly with the Aussies performance at the weekend - a great win from Grace Kim in Hawaii, Nick is a huge fan and explains why he loves her game. Strong performances also from Brett Drewitt, who nearly won at Arlington, and moves to #2 on the Korn Ferry points rankings, and Kevin Yuan had a great weekend in Vietnam.Nick and Craig discuss how strong the Korn Ferry tour is.A discussion around the PGA designated events, particularly around Rory McIlroy pulling out of the event which has attracted criticism. Including from Nick who calls it poor form from Rory.Nick has a problem with golfers playing slowly, his key target is Patrick Cantlay and Nick says something has to be done. He supports the introduction of a shot clock in golf, and tougher enforcement by rules officials. Nick's Top 5 this week is the slowest golfers of all time - Nick names them, Craig has one to add, and we'd love you to let us know if you've got any to add.Craig asks Nick what his secret is to handle pressure putting. Some great advice here from Nick for any golfer.They discuss Hilton Head and how great the course is, and how nice the people of South Carolina are.And this weekend, it's a big one, LIV comes to Adelaide - Nick and Craig discuss Greg Norman being everywhere at the moment, Nick bumped into Greg at Cathedral at the weekend and had a good chat. Craig says the list of LIV players in Adelaide is impressive, and is looking forward to seeing them play. Nick is not enamoured with the LIV format, but is still excited to watch it this weekend from the commentary box. The course they're playing, Grange, is an impressive track and Nick and Craig reckon it will play beautifully but will be a good test for the players.The Masterclass this week is on Matt Fitzpatrick and his shot into the final hole at the weekend, and the importance of reacting to the target rather than the ball. Video up on socials.Talk Birdie To Me, new episodes weekly wherever you get your podcasts.If you've got a friend who is into golf, we'd love you to share the podcast with them, and rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.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.

18 Apr 202341min

This week Mark Allen is away and Nick O'Hern brings in his good mate Craig Spence off the bench to cover the void. Craig has his own solid pedigree of course, as a tour pro of 14-years, player on the US PGA for 3-years, and winner of the 1999 Australian Masters - so he's no slouch!Nick and Craig look over what happened at The Masters, with the fantastic win from Jon Rahm. They discuss the rules infraction of Koepka's caddie on day 1, was it a violation? Does it matter? Tiger Woods brave performance given his injury challenges. And the weather, and the trees falling! How nobody was injured, or worse, is unbelievable.Nick and Craig discuss Brooks Koepka's performance, and if the weather played a role. Nick believes professional golfers have to adapt to conditions, and he reckons in bad weather if you're leading, you're a good chance as it's harder to chase.Phil Mickelson - what a performance! Nick says that his form coming in was terrible, but he nailed it today, and his last round was awesome. Phil inspires Nick's Top 5 this week, where he lists his Top 5 golfers over 50 of all time. This leads into a discussion around anchoring, and what the solution may be.Nick and Craig discuss Rory and JT missing the cut in Augusta, and the disappointing week for the Aussies. In the Masterclass this week, Nick talks through bunker Jon Rahm's ripping 128 metre 8-iron little 3/4 cut around the trees onto the green - and how you can have this shot in your arsenal.Talk Birdie To Me, new episodes weekly wherever you get your podcasts.If you've got a friend who is into golf, we'd love you to share the podcast with them, and rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.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.

12 Apr 202343min

The US Masters are here!This is a bonus episode of Talk Birdie To Me with Nick O'Hern & Mark Allen talking everything Masters. The Chairman of The Masters has laid down the law to the media about how much LIV discussion they can have during The Masters. Mark hypotheses what will happen if a LIV golfer wins, and the other 17 players join for a big celebration. Mark reckons it could change golf forever. Nick’s got some great stories about when he played The Masters - including the time he was asked to tee off in incorrect order due to weather delays. Mark and Nick watched the Par 3 competition this morning, and Mark wants to know what it’s like, given Nick has played it a few times. The boys refer to it as a ‘celebration of golf’. Nick loves it, but it can get out of control if you’re behind some of the superstars with the autographs and photos.Nick and Mark discuss the new 13th tee at Augusta. Mark describes it as the most important hole in the world, and one of the most beautiful. Nick agrees, and says it is beautifully designed and it teases you. Nick is interested to see if the players take it on, or lay up. Nick tells a great story about over-riding what his caddy suggested on the 15th hole at Augusta ending with Nick saying ‘never again’.Sir Nick Faldo has an idea for slowing the ball down, Mark and Nick discuss, Mark is hot for it and reckons it's a ripper.Nick and Mark discuss Gary Players comments in recent days. They don’t hold back!There is a rumour about Mark missing his tee time at Augusta. Is it true? Mark explains. It has a tragic end, Tragic for Mark, funny for us.Nick and Mark run through the Australians in the masters and discuss their form and how they reckon they’ll go, and then they put their flag in the ground and name who they think will win. Nick is confident with his pick, Mark reckons a different player will win and gives his rationale.Whoever wins - it's a big weekend on the way !!Talk Birdie To Me, new episodes weekly wherever you get your podcasts.If you've got a friend who is into golf, we'd love you to share the podcast with them, and rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.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 Apr 202341min

David Micheluzzi is in a purple patch of form, and after numerous phone calls, emails, texts, faxes, our people talking to his people, finally Nick cornered him on a golf course and he agreed to come on the pod.In this bonus episode of Talk Birdie To Me, Nick O'Hern and Mark Allen get under the hood of David Micheluzzi's stunning 2022/2023.Including the story of when his coach said to him: 'How are you so good, yet this one aspect of your game is so shit', and what part of his game he needed to address.Talk Birdie To Me, new episodes weekly wherever you get your podcasts.If you've got a friend who is into golf, we'd love you to share the podcast with them, and rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.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.

5 Apr 202319min

What a massive week in golf, The Masters is around the corner, and The National has just finished. Mark can’t believe how Tom Power Horan marked his ball at The National, and Nick thinks he might be onto something. Mark played a round with a 'kid' who marked his ball with something even more unusual. The National was great - even with the 'commentators curse' - and what Tom Power Horan did on the 8th hole was magical. Nick and Mark explain on the podcast. Mark talks about the opportunities that now present for David Micheluzzi after his recent performances, and we'll chat to him in a bonus episode on Wednesday this week (if he answers his phone!). Nick and Mark touch on Michael Wright holing a 40-footer for a birdie on the last to keep his tour card. So good.Nick talks about playing at Royal Pines back in the day and being mic'd up whilst playing.Mark reads a message he received from Bradley Hughes where he outlined one of his teaching philosophies. Both Nick and Mark love it. Particularly one line from Bradley, the boys discuss.Mark was surprised to hear that there are 18 LIV players who are in The Masters this weekend, and he talks about Greg Norman's comments about a potential LIV celebration should one of those players win. Will be fascinating to see, if it happens. Nick doesn't feel the LIV players, generally, are coming into The Masters with the best of form - Nick lists his favourites.Mark had homework, which was to arrange Graham Marsh as a guest - has he done his job? Well no. Maybe next week. Letters to the Editor is back, we love your feedback - plenty of comments on Jason Day and whether he can win The Masters.Baseball has introduced a new rule which has shortened games by an hour or so, and Nick and Mark reckon there is a lesson in this for golf. A 'no-brainer' is what Mark describes it as.Nick runs us through all the results from the last few days, including the disappointing result for Justice Bosio. Dimi Papadatos got so close in Chile, but not quite the win - still a great result. Masters is on this week, and we'll have a Masters special later this week. Nick counts down his Top 5 Masters Moments - we want to know your great moments, let us know on the socials.In the Masterclass this week, Nick talks through bunker shots and the importance of acceleration.Talk Birdie To Me, new episodes weekly wherever you get your podcasts.If you've got a friend who is into golf, we'd love you to share the podcast with them, and rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.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.

4 Apr 202340min

Nick O'Hern and Mark Allen are back with another episode of Talk Birdie To Me, and it starts with a disagreement. Mark loves the matchplay when there is World Cup style groups prior to the Top 16, Nick isn't a fan and prefers 1v1. Ironically, Mark reckons Nick is the reason why it is the way it is given he knocked out Tiger twice.Oh they don't get to that until after a bit of chardonnay chat. Ridiculous. This golf podcast is going downhill fast.But back to the golf, and it's all about The Masters.The boys are excited about the results of the matchplay - in particular, from an Aussie perspective, Jason Day's performance. Mark asks Nick if Jason can win The Masters, and if he is mentally capable of winning. They boys discuss. From a guy who has played the course, Nick outlines the hardest walk on the course - it may not be the one you'd expect. Mark talks about the involvement of Annika Sörenstam, he's a fan and reckons it's wonderful. Nick loves the ceremonial aspect of the event, and Mark tells a great story about meeting the legendary Sam Snead - a hilarious story about Sam being tanked in the bar at The Masters. Mark is excited about Justice Bosio and asks Nick if she were to win would that be back page on every paper in the country? It should be.We've got feedback asking Nick and Mark about Cam Young from the weekend. The boys discuss. Moves into a discussion about line of sight relief and disqualifications - Nick tells a great story about abusing rules officials from Wayne Riley - very funny.We get an update on Mark's performance in the Pro Am at Box Hill last week, where he had predicted he'd shoot a 64 or 65. Spoiler alert, he didn't. But Jay Mackenzie shot a 61 to win. What a performance! And we get an update on Nick's Pro Am performance at Eynesbury at the weekend. This leads to a chat about Graham Marsh and his secret career, he's a golf legend, and also from a famous sporting family. Mark wants to get him on to chat about his career, and that sets some homework for Nick to arrange.Mark's Top 5 is a cracker. This week it's the Top 5 things that amateur golfers do, copying from pro's, that they shouldn't. And this leads to Mark's Masterclass this week, which is on maths, okay not quite, but sort of. Mark talks about using the aim line on your ball from 30+ feet, and he's going to use maths to prove that you shouldn't do it and it's a waste of time. On the aim line on your ball, Nick gives Mark a different idea on how to do it - which Mark has never done.Nick talks us through the results this week. Matt Wallace wins on the DP World Tour, not a great week for the Aussies at the Puntacana Championship in the Caribbean. In the Asian tour, Travis Smythe has won a spot in the Open after his Hong Kong performance. And Gabi Ruffles with another strong performance, not a win, but a strong performance. Locally the Women's NSW Open in Foster/Tuncurry with a great win from Kiwi Momoka Kobori, and this week....what a week coming up....The National, the final event on the PGA Tour of Australasia, and Nick and Mark are commentating on Kayo/Fox Sports, and Nick is playing the Pro Am with Elvis Smylie.Talk Birdie To Me, new episodes weekly wherever you get your podcasts.If you've got a friend who is into golf, we'd love you to share the podcast with them, and rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.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.

28 Mars 202343min

After Nick murdered a bottle of chardonnay on the show last week, the show opens with a discussion about a drink or two during the pod.But after that, Nick and Mark are both pumped about Gabi Ruffels great performance from the weekend, what a great win, big future coming up. Mark talks about Gabi’s early days, her first ever swing, and her performance as a 15-year old at Victoria Golf Club.And how about David Micheluzzi, great performance in NSW and he’s now in the Open, and has a DP World Tour card for 2023/2024. The boys run through how he played at the weekend.Mark raves about the PGA drama this week, Nick and Mark talk through some of the notable performances from Valspar where Taylor Moore had a great win, impossible not to love. Nick has played this course multiple times, and talks through what the holes are like - particularly the challenges on 17 and 18. What about that putt on the last hole!Putting is front row and centre this week, Nick counts down his Top 5 clutch putts of all time, and the Masterclass this week is on how to nail your putting. In the wake of Taylor’s win, particularly the putting, Nick and Mark chat about the importance of the mental aspect in golf.Talking LIV, Mark and Nick talk about Marc Leishman going from a 2-shot lead, to, well, not the the result we’d have liked and his demise in the event. The boys talk through some of the poor performances from the LIV stars over the weekend, and comparing that to the drama in the PGA. Nick and Mark chat about the importance of scrambling well, Nick believes one of the most important stats each week is the scrambling stats.The Champions Tournament. The boys love watching Fred Couples play, and they love his tweets! Controversy corner: Mark makes a big claim about a golfing legend, an icon, accusing him of ‘cheating’. He names the player involved and explains why: “He’s a star, but he’s cheating, we need to have a chat”.The boys saw the snake that Leishman had to walk past at the weekend - nothing like a bit of snake chat. Mark reveals the animal that he saw at Kingston Heath recently and scared him…..hint, it isn’t a scary animal….The ball is big news. What is going on. There’s an update which comes courtesy of the LPGA and their view on distance, and the ball discussion. Sounds like the LPGA has had a whack.Feedback is back, we love your comments, and love to chat about them….plenty of feedback on last weeks comments about Scottie Scheffler from Nick and Mark. Always want to hear what you reckon, let us know on socials.We had a Twitter poll after last weeks show where Nick was drinking chardonnay during the show to find out if your preference would be chardonnay, sav, red or a beer….results on the pod today. And we get an update on how Nick played at Cathedral.Both Nick and Mark are playing Pro Am’s this week, Nick at Eynesbury and Mark at Box Hill. Mark makes the claim that he will shoot a 64. We look forward to it, and to hearing about how he did it on next weeks show, he’s convinced he’s a sure thing!Talk Birdie To Me, new episodes weekly wherever you get your podcasts.If you've got a friend who is into golf, we'd love you to share the podcast with them, and rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.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 Mars 202343min