Get a Grip with Shane Bacon

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...

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 previo...

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 l...

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 i...

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 i...

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 abo...

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'...

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 f...

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 ab...

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 w...

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...

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...

It's easy to view the PGA Championship as the "other" major championship. The Masters is The Masters, the U.S. Open is the toughest test in golf and typically humbles the best in the world and the Open is the lone international major with a ton of history and a unique rota of courses.  But the PGA? The PGA Championship produces drama. A ton of drama. CBS Sports' Kyle Porter jumps on the pod to dis...

On the latest Get a Grip, Shane welcomes Golf.com's Claire Rogers (@kclairerogers) back to the pod for a fun conversation about the 5 things they'd each like to see changed in golf. Their lists are not specific to professional golf, or their own personal experiences, but just 5 things they'd like to see changed in the sport. A good chat and a big thanks to Claire for joining once again.  A reminde...

It has been quite the start to the Korn Ferry Tour season for Sam Saunders, who stopped by the program today to discuss his 2023. Sam and Shane catch up on the year, Sam explains why this season is his make-or-break year, the mentality of being the "old guy" in a sea of youngsters, and plenty more.  Shane and Sam discuss how broadcasting the Zozo Championship helped Sam see things from a slightly...

We all know the tradition unlike any other is the actual Masters Tournament, but in terms of a podcast tradition that never stops, it's ESPN's Scott Van Pelt joining Shane to preview the Masters. Scott and Shane discuss the special week for the both of them, what it was like last year prepping for a potential Tiger Woods return to Augusta National and the week that followed, the pressures of winni...

The golf world's attention has turned to Augusta, Georgia, with Rose Zhang doing her thing at the Augusta National Women's Amateur, and the Masters just a few days away. Three-time Masters champion Sir Nick Faldo joins the program to chat with Shane about his wins, the changes to 13, and what he expects at the much-anticipated Champions Dinner. Nick and Shane go back over each of the three Faldo w...

You may be asking, what is a flusher? In terms of golf, it's near the top in terms of a compliment, meaning you can do things to a golf ball that even your peers aren't capable of doing. A flusher is someone that makes that whizz sound with their irons and can move a 3-wood in any direction with any trajectory.  The Fried Egg's Andy Johnson joined Shane to rank the top 10 best flushers of the last...

Sneakers have never been more popular and we are seeing more and more style sneak into the golf shoe world. Jacques Slade (@kustoo) joins Shane to talk about the growing popularity of golf shoes, the changing style, the most important golf shoe ever made, and plenty more.  A big thanks to Jacques for the time and insight. His YouTube channel is absolutely worth your time so give it a follow: https...

We conclude our "Full Swing" recap series with Rory McIlroy at St. Andrews and Episode 8 of the Netflix show. Shane and Golf.com's Claire Rogers talk about the incredible history that comes with winning at the Old Course and just how short the window is for someone like Rory to actually get it done. They discuss the awkward Cam Smith interview after he took home the Claret Jug that included a LIV...

The penultimate episode of "Full Swing" is one of our favorites, as Netflix follows Sahith Theegala and Mito Pereira for a wild ride through the ups and downs of a professional golf week. Shane and Golf.com's Claire Rogers speak on Sahith's laundry basket, the amazing families and friends that both have around them, and go through their usual segments including the winner and loser from the episod...

We continue our recap run of "Full Swing" with Episode 6, which focuses on two stars in the game of golf with very different resumes and at very different points in their respective lives. Shane and Golf.com's Claire Rogers dive into the episode and immediately fall in love with the Finau family. Claire and Shane discuss their winners and losers of the episode, what they learned about Tony and Col...

The recaps continue of the Netflix series "Full Swing," and Episode 5 is when we really get into the LIV vs. PGA Tour narrative that dominated the second half of 2022.  Shane and Golf.com's Claire Rogers dive into the episode, how pumped Claire was to get some Paulina Gretzky in her life, the totally different approaches of Matt Fitzpatrick and Dustin Johnson, and how adorable the Fitzpatrick fami...

A jolt to the system in today's "Full Swing" recap, as the focus of the episode, Joel Dahmen, joins Shane and Golf.com's Claire Rogers to talk about the episode, how he initially said no to "Netflix" when they came asking if he'd be a part of the series, how the whole stroller thing worked out and a lot more. After Joel departs, Claire and Shane break down the episode and dive into segments, givin...

With Netflix's "Full Swing" officially out, Shane and Golf.com's Claire Rogers take on the start of the LIV discussion with the series. Ian Poulter is the focus of this episode, so the two break down their thoughts on Poulter, him as a dad, the moment it appeared he would be joining LIV, and plenty more. After that, Claire and Shane dive into segments, giving out the winner and loser of the episod...