Tales from the first tee

Send us Fan Mail A $1.76 billion compensation fund can sound like justice in one headline and like political payback in the next and that split is where we start. We talk through the emotional math behind “restitution,” why accountability feels necessary to some people, and why others see selectivity and retribution hiding inside the language. The same policy can read as repair or punishment depen...

Send us Fan Mail Josh Salzman shares his journey as a fitness coach to golf champion Ernie Els and his philosophy of "super aging" that focuses on mindful nutrition, thought patterns, and exercise for optimal health at any age. • Super aging starts at birth and depends on how you handle nutrition, thinking patterns, and physical activity • 95% of fitness is in the mind and eating habits,...

Send us Fan Mail A former Republican, Vietnam veteran, and longtime US diplomat joins us for a blunt look at what breaks first when a presidency runs on loyalty instead of limits. We talk about the “guardrails” that used to stop bad ideas in their tracks and what it means when those guardrails disappear: fewer people willing to say no, more governing by unilateral moves, and more public retaliatio...

Send us Fan Mail One bad swing can expose more than a flawed tempo. On a Shenandoah Valley morning at Heritage Oaks, I get paired with a young, highly informed golfer who starts out striping it, then unravels the moment the first mistake shows up. What follows is a front-row look at the mental game of golf: self-talk that turns toxic, blame that spreads from club to course to fate, and the exhaust...

Send us Fan Mail Anger can feel like rocket fuel, but on a golf course it usually detonates your round. We start with the clearest proof: a Masters moment where emotion goes sideways right along with the tee shot. Then we bring it down to everyday golf, watching a calm, talented senior player slowly unravel after one mistake until he’s no longer playing golf, he’s arguing with it. That shift from...

Send us Fan Mail Back at the microphone after a three-month break, I return with fresh perspectives on golf, aging, and finding that elusive perfect swing. This episode begins with stories from my recent birthday weekend in Charlottesville, where a Three Dog Night concert became an unexpected meditation on aging and nostalgia. Sometimes, as I discovered watching once-vibrant performers now moving...

Send us Fan Mail Your shoulder hurts, your social media feed is screaming, and the years keep moving. So what do you actually do if you want to feel stronger in your late 60s than you did in your early 60s, and still keep your head clear while the world argues in loops? We sit down with Josh Salzmann, a lifelong friend and a strength coach who’s built his life around “super aging” and practical re...

Send us Fan Mail A huge win should sound like a concert, so why does it feel like silence when a champion barely reacts? I start with a moment that stuck in my head: the stone-faced celebration after a major victory, and the uneasy feeling it creates for fans who want to share the release. We dig into emotional expression in sports, why we connect so hard to fist pumps and tears, and how the moder...

Send us Fan Mail The quiet before a three-foot putt feels a lot like the hush before a quadruple jump—or the breath you take when a headline tries to hijack your day. We open on Jacob Bridgman’s breakthrough at Riviera and live inside that moment where hands go numb, galleries roar, and a life can tilt on a three-and-a-half-foot stroke. What does it take to close when the stakes stretch beyond mon...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a beloved pro-am trades its soul for a signature purse? We unpack Pebble Beach’s $20M pivot—fewer celebrity swings, more surgical golf—and the ripple effects on how fans connect with the sport. The charm of mis-hits and Bill Murray lore gives way to Sunday fireworks as Scotty Scheffler drops three eagles and Colin Morikawa turns a 20‑minute fairway wait into a st...

Send us Fan Mail A teenager shoots 60 on the Nicklaus course and suddenly the game looks younger, faster, and braver. We open with Blades Brown’s breakout and the ripple effect of a prodigy who can go low under cameras and crowds, then zoom out to what early crowning means in a sport that remembers both fireworks and flameouts. It’s a celebration and a caution: talent draws a spotlight, and pressu...

Send us Fan Mail A golf journey through St. Simons Island, Georgia showcases both travel recommendations and insights into match play dynamics against memorable characters. Thoughtful putting drills examine perception challenges and alignment solutions for better performance on the greens. • St. Simons Island offers excellent biking, dining at Dorothy's, and nostalgic ice cream at Frosty&apos...

Send us Fan Mail A few unfamiliar names, a 70-page indictment, and a flood of betting data set the stage for a candid look at how games get bent and why so many of us still want to believe the scoreboard tells the whole truth. I walk through the mechanics of a recent point-shaving scheme at mid-major and D2 programs, how sportsbooks and integrity services flagged coordinated prop bets, and why sub...

Send us Fan Mail Ever left a party without goodbyes and felt oddly right about it? That’s our jump‑off point for a fast, funny, and candid ride from a midnight move out of Charleston to a new life in Harrisonburg—where a sore back, a pool streak, and a golf addiction spark a deeper look at how we chase joy and manage wear and tear. We talk about the quiet power of leaving at the right time, then g...

Send us Fan Mail Finding your zone in golf requires mental clarity, physical precision, and an ability to get out of your own way when it matters most. • What being in the zone feels like - the ball feels "like nothing" at impact • Three Charleston National players share their unique mental strategies • Wright Blanchard's comeback story - from hole-in-one to victory • Brady Nash&apo...

Send us Fan Mail Rich Easton dives into the controversial LIV Golf Tour, examining the hypocrisy in responses from the PGA Tour and certain players regarding the Saudi-backed competition. He explores the fundamental differences between tours, questioning why players can't compete across multiple platforms and suggesting how the PGA could innovate to retain talent rather than forcing ultimatum...

Send us Fan Mail Tales from the First Tee returns with a heat-soaked episode full of Southern expressions, golf course characters, and the peculiar relationships we form with our equipment. Your host Rich Easton shares stories from the sweltering fairways of Charleston where even alligators have more sense than the golfers braving triple-digit temperatures. • Team play at Charleston National where...

Send us Fan Mail Pressure doesn’t need a trophy to feel real. We start with Bethpage Black and the Ryder Cup’s unique voltage—captains orchestrating pairings, European chemistry in foursomes and four-ball, and a home crowd that couldn’t keep the line between passion and taunting. Golf asks for silence; fandom doesn’t always listen. You’ll hear how that tension plays out in shot routines, heart rat...

Send us Fan Mail Dan Gaeta from Operation VetFit discusses PTSD in veterans and their revolutionary approach to preventing veteran suicide that has resulted in zero suicides among their members. • Clinical definition of PTSD including exposure to traumatic events, intrusion symptoms, avoidance behaviors, and negative alterations in cognition • The "masculine warrior paradigm" that create...

Send us Fan Mail Harry Farthing, author of two novels Summit and Ghost Moths, shares his extraordinary life journey from motorcycle enthusiast to high-altitude mountaineer to writer. His experiences—from boarding school at age eight to climbing Mount Everest and riding motorcycles across continents—have shaped his descriptive storytelling style that brings readers into vivid worlds informed by his...

Send us Fan Mail Journey into the mind of a passionate golfer as Rich Easton delivers an energetic analysis of the upcoming Ryder Cup showdown at Bethpage, New York. With razor-sharp insight, Rich breaks down Team USA's three critical advantages—the raucous New York crowd, Keegan Bradley's all-star coaching staff, and a roster brimming with talent. But don't mistake his patriotism f...

Send us Fan Mail Business golf differs significantly from recreational, competitive, country club, gamblers, and drinkers golf because it's entirely about relationship building rather than winning at any cost. Understanding this distinction can mean the difference between business success and failure. • Business golf is about developing relationships, not winning trophies or small bets • Recr...

Send us Fan Mail Tommy Fleetwood's long-awaited breakthrough at Eastlake marks a pivotal moment in golf's mental game saga. After years of Sunday heartbreaks, watching Tommy walk up the 18th with a three-shot lead felt like witnessing the final chapter in a redemption story we weren't sure would ever be written. The revamped FedEx Cup format—where all 30 finalists started on equal f...

Send us Fan Mail Ever found yourself in a heated political argument with a friend or family member and wondered why you're fighting so passionately for politicians who don't even know you exist? In this thought-provoking episode of Tales from the First Tee, I explore this peculiar human tendency and question whether we've become a society that needs coaching just to make it through...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever made a decision so spectacularly self-sabotaging that you couldn't help but laugh at yourself afterward? That's exactly where we begin this journey—with my confession about renaming a successful golf podcast and promptly losing half my audience. Much like my previous marketing disaster involving overpriced plastic plates during the anti-plastic revolution,...