Talk Birdie To Me

Former Tour Pro Scotty Laycock was listening to this weeks Talk Birdie to Me episode and had a story about 'Two Ball Worst Ball'. If you have a comment over the break, feel free to leave a voicemail, you can do it on your phone and we'd love to hear from you - particularly if you, or someone you're playing with, have a great shot, or their first round, or anything that you'd like to share! It's ea...

Final pod of the year, and there is plenty to discuss! Mark opens with some news that he says is good but can't tell us. Confused? We were as well. Mark asks Nick if he thinks Golf Australia have any firm thoughts on the Australian Open moving forward. We discuss what next steps might be. Mark says that if Golf Australia are not preparing for the next Open, the format, date and structure now, ther...

As we get closer to wrapping the year for Christmas (see what we did there?) another Q&A bonus pod where we run through some questions from the Talk Birdie Wolfpack. Sammy has written in about a young star called Riley, a year 8 fella, who he met at Lonsdale Links. A good reminder for Mark that he needs to play Lonsdale Links. Dan from Brisbane has a rules question from the Australian PGA in B...

It's a big pod today, and we start with Mark telling us about being sacked as a young commentator, who was responsible, and whether he has forgiven that person? (Hint: He hasn't). We discuss Anthony Quayle's very unfortunate 7-shot penalty at the Vic PGA from the weekend, and Nick explains how it happened. Nick and Mark discuss players who copped penalties and still won. Nick brings up one of the...

Talk Birdie to Me Wolfpack member Mark from Hawthorn in Melbourne has an idea about how to treat and acknowledge the various national opens around the world. It's actually not bad, have a listen and let us know what you think of the idea. We'll discuss on the pod. If you want to leave a voicemail - it's easy, head to our website here on your mobile or computer, hit the record button, tell us who y...

Bonus pod this week where Nick and Mark run through a few questions from the Talk Birdie Wolfpack. Daniel from Ballina has a comment on the rakes at his course - he loves them, Nick and Mark a little less so. Jeremy wants to know if there is a chance the Australian Masters will ever return, Mark is biased of course given his beloved Huntingdale hosted the event for so long. Patto is about to head...

Talk Birdie to Me Wolfpack member Damian from Melbourne was at The Australian Open at the weekend, loved it, but saw a moment where he felt Curtis Luck was hard done by and explains to us in a voicemail today. If you want to leave a voicemail - it's easy, head to our website here on your mobile or computer, hit the record button, tell us who you are, where you're from, where you play your golf, an...

What a weekend! The Open was great, with some exceptional golf played. Congratulations to Ryggs Johnston, Jiyai Shin, and Simon Seungmin Lee. We're live from Titleist HQ surrounded by about a million boxes of Pro V1's and the simulator right behind us. We start with the Open and Johnston - his 'classic college swing', how he's come out of nowhere, and Mark asks Nick if he would have won if Kingsto...

It's Australian Open week, we're back at Kingston Heath and today we chat with Hollywood royalty, the brilliant actor Michael Peña. This is a real treat. We start with the obvious - finding out why is he in Melbourne. As well as being an extraordinary actor, Michael is a massive golf fan, if you're at the Open this weekend at Kingston Heath, keep an eye out, he'll be there. He plays off a handicap...

What a week, a wonderful Australian PGA, and it's Open week. We're live at Kingston Heath in the leadup to the Open. A slightly longer pod today given we're at Kingston Heath and there is so much to see and discuss, and we also got excited! Mark entered Monday Qualifying, and whilst he wasn't necessarily expecting to make it through he had a lot of fun and he talks us through the scores that the 4...

Talk Birdie to Me Wolfpack member Shaun McCorkell heard Nick and Mark discussing hitting the ball into nets to address changes or technique refinement with your swing, and he had a story about hitting into nets as a kid - where it went slightly pear-shaped. If you want to leave a voicemail - it's easy, head to our website here on your mobile or computer, hit the record button, tell us who you are,...

Bonus Q&A pod today. We hear from Alex who heard Nick and Mark talking about Corey Lamb's nickname and wants to know what some other tour pro nicknames are (or were), very funny, including Markos story about Lumpy the Caddy - which he has told before but never gets old. Daniel has a question about 7 Mile Beach in Tassie and whether it is potentially Australia's Tara Iti, which we discuss. Hef...

This week on Talk Birdie, Nick and Mark discuss Rory McIlroy locking himself away and hitting into a net to fix his swing. Both highly recommend this as a way to address any swing technique issues. And it has clearly worked given his performance at the weekend. Mark talks about Jonathan Yarwood's comments on Rory's swing, and talks through when Steve Bann was making changes to K.J. Choi's swing. N...

A voicemail from former tour pro Scott Laycock from Royal Hobart today after listening to Nick O'Hern's Top 5 Q School moments, he had a funny story to do with the one ball rule. If you want to leave a voicemail - it's easy, head to our website here on your mobile or computer, hit the record button, tell us who you are, where you're from, where you play your golf, and leave your message. Couldn't...

We're live at the Golf Clearance Outlet in Preston today, the latest store for them in their quest to take over the world, and it's a ripper. Nick is running late for the pod, he's been playing at Lonsdale Links in Victoria and has had a mad dash to get to the pod in time, thus his tardiness. Mark hasn't played Lonsdale Links, and given Nick was their all day as part of a left-handed day, he is th...

As regular listeners know, at Talk Birdie to Me we have a wonderful relationship with PING, who Nick O'Hern has played with his entire career, and they're absolute guns. And as Nick always says, there's a heap of golf companies doing great things, and we love hearing their stories. Titleist are one of those, and their balls are used by something like 90% of pros around the world, and Mark has used...

Peter has left a message with some suggestions for issues to cover on the upcoming  potential podcast on rakes that Marko has been banging on about. Truth be told, we have a slight suspicion that Peter is ripping the piss, but hey who are we to judge. If you want to leave a voicemail - it's easy, head to our website here on your mobile or computer, hit the record button, tell us who you are,...

We always love feedback and questions, and often we can't get to it all in the normal pod, otherwise it would go for far too long, so we occasionally do a bonus feedback pod - and here's another one! Today we hear from Cameron who is looking to get fitted in Melbourne and is after some advice, which Nick and Mark are all too happy to give. Stewy messaged us about local courses with difficult holes...

A big pod this week, plenty going on as always, and we start with the news that Adam Scott will not return for the Australian Open, Nick and Mark discuss. And we get onto the date, and if moving it would make it easier for players to come home for the Open, and to get the big international names. Mark calls the Australian Open date 'poison' for the tournament and says it has to change. We chat abo...

Cracking voicemail from Scott in Melbourne this week, who went to see the great man Matt Austin at PING for a fitting, and wanted to tell us how it went. If you haven't heard our bonus ep a while ago with Matt, just search 'Talk Birdie Matt Austin' wherever you listen to podcasts and you can hear that chat. If you want to leave a voicemail - it's easy, head to our website here on your mobile or co...

This is a fascinating bonus pod, we're at Flinders Golf Club overlooking the water, the waves, and of course the stunning golf course. And today we're going to learn about the course, it's history, some of the quirks of the course. We start by chatting with Andrew Kirby, who talks us through why he loves Flinders and why the course is so special. He says the views are better than Pebble Beach. The...

Always great to get your voicemails, and after hearing Nick and Mark chat about shortening courses to help younger players, older players and newcomers last week, Jake from Charlestown Golf Club in Lake Macquarie left a voicemail explaining what they've done. He even sent us a video of their tees, which you can see here . If you want to leave a voicemail - it's easy, head to our website here on yo...

We're live from Flinders Golf Club on the Mornington Peninsula, what a view! If you haven't been here, it is stunning, and a wonderful course. We're having a yak, enjoying the views and a coffee, not a bad way to spend a day. Nick raises the TGL in the US, an indoor golf league, and explains how it works. Mark talks to the simulators in South Korea and how they work. Could it work in Australia? Ma...

A few voicemails this week, and we love them! Simon from the beautiful Bonnie Doon golf club in Pagewood heard Nick and Mark talking in this weeks podcast about the ludicrous ticket prices at the Ryder Cup, and wanted to clarify one point . If you want to leave a voicemail - it's easy, head to our website here on your mobile or computer, hit the record button, tell us who you are, where you're fro...

Another voicemail this week, this one from Scott in Brisbane who has some comments on Cam Smith, and on the PGA TV coverage that Nick was commentating with for the WA Open at the weekend. If you want to leave a voicemail - it's easy, head to our website here on your mobile or computer, hit the record button, tell us who you are, where you're from, where you play your golf, and leave your message....