Golfweek Amateur Tour - The Podcast
Welcome to the Golfweek Amateur Tour Podcast!
If you love amateur golf, the thrill of competitive golf events, and the camaraderie of the golf community, this is the podcast for you!
Join hosts Tim Newman and Chris Rocha as they bring you the latest from the Golfweek Amateur Tour, covering everything from all of the local golf tours through the road to the National Championship. We’ll break down recent golf tournaments, highlight standout players, and dive into what makes amateur golf competitions so much fun.
But that’s not all, we sit down with tour directors, course pros, and players from across the country to hear their stories, get insider perspectives, and maybe even pick up a few tips along the way. And, of course, we’ve got Roger’s Rules, where we tackle the quirkiest, most debated rules in golf (because let’s be honest, we all need a refresher sometimes).
This isn’t just another amateur golf podcast, it’s a golf podcast for everyday golfers who love the game, the grind, and the great people that make up the Golfweek Amateur Tour. So hit subscribe, grab a drink (or a range bucket), and let’s talk golf!
Golfweek Amateur Tour - The Podcast
From Marathons to Mulligans: Traci Taylor’s Inspiring Rise plus Tour Director Secrets with Tim Horan
This week, we celebrate grit, growth, and the golfers who make the Golfweek Amateur Tour feel like home.
Meet Traci Taylor, the first female Member of the Month to be featured on the podcast. After a fractured hip ended her marathon career, Traci turned to golf and never looked back. Now a fierce competitor with over 120 rounds under her belt, she’s proof that perseverance, passion, and a strong putting game can carry you far. Even while blind in one eye, she’s climbed from D-Flight to C-Flight, recruited more women to the game, and become a true ambassador for the Arkansas Golfweek Amateur Tour.
We also go behind the scenes with Tim Horan, Tour Director for the Philadelphia and New Jersey Golfweek Amateur Tours, to find out how he’s built two of the most sought-after local tours in the country. From locking down private country club tee times to balancing schedules and player expectations, Tim shares the hustle it takes to make each weekend unforgettable.
Oh, and yes, we talk birthdays, scheduling chaos, and what happens when a golf tournament lands on your kid’s big day. It’s equal parts heartfelt and hilarious.
In this episode:
- Traci’s transition from marathons to competitive golf
- How she’s grown the Arkansas Tour’s female presence
- The power of putting, even when vision is impaired
- Why course quality and community matter more than trophies
- Tim Horan’s strategy for securing elite venues
- The art (and chaos) of scheduling tournaments
- Honoring all June Members of the Month nominees
Whether you’re chasing a trophy or your next round with friends, this episode is a reminder of why we say: Where Amateurs Play Like Pros!
Explore more at amateurgolftour.net
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Welcome back, chris, hope you're feeling better I am.
Speaker 2:It's been a rough couple weeks, but everything's working out great and glad to be back on, you know, ready to start playing some golf again.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so sorry you missed the Tupac Open, but the more important thing is you broke the first rule of being sick. You got everybody else sick.
Speaker 2:Actually I was the one who got sick. I didn't break the rule, I tried to avoid it so I could go play at Tupac, and that, just it, caught up to me.
Speaker 1:Well, the good thing is, you're feeling better.
Speaker 3:I got to go to.
Speaker 1:Hawaii. You don't want to be sick for the big trip.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, no, no, I'd be very depressed at that point. I'd still go, but I'd be very depressed.
Speaker 1:Well, let me you know that's a long flight, and being sick for a long flight like that would be eh, take some NyQuil on the way to board.
Speaker 2:Knock out before the instructions that nobody listens to is done oh my god and then wake up. Did you know? So one year coming back from the TPC's Glastonbury Regional, I hurt my back. I don't know if you remember that. So one year, coming back from the TPC Scottsdale Regional, I hurt my back. I don't know if you remember that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:And I had to withdraw after five holes and I couldn't even. I was laying on the floor in a tee box the second day trying to help pace a play.
Speaker 1:All I was doing was holding people up because they're looking at you. Why are you laying on the ground?
Speaker 2:Well, no, so it's one of the holes where it's super short, so everyone tries to drive the green, so it was a matter of me trying to be. You know, hey guys, I'll wave you down. If we're going to hit onto the green and let them head on and then you guys put out, type of thing.
Speaker 1:But at one point I was just laying on the ground like all right, guys, come here.
Speaker 2:Let me tell you what we're going to do. Red flag, red flag. But anyways, I got some very nice muscle relaxers for my back for the flight home, and the flight attendant had to come and ask me if I was getting off in El Paso because the board has deplaned and they were going to let the next group of people on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think I'll get off and I'm like, oh my God.
Speaker 2:So I was out from the second. I hit that C apparently until she realized that there was one person still on the plane and they had nobody on the carryover.
Speaker 1:Dude, that's awesome, that is awesome.
Speaker 2:I've done it before.
Speaker 1:I'm not afraid to do it again well, a quick story about my worst flight. So I was, I was in thailand, I did some teaching over there. I was over there for a few weeks doing some teaching. Last night there, you know, we went out and, you know, did what we do and didn't really go to bed because I had an early flight.
Speaker 1:So I get to the airport and for some reason my ticket was canceled um yeah, I mean, I'm kind of in a state of get somewhat drunk, somewhat hungover, very tired, shocked. So what ended up happening? They did let me go. They did rebook a ticket. They rebooked a ticket, and then I go and you actually have to pay money to leave the country I didn't know about. So I had to call my handlers back. Jesus had to pay money. And then I get on the plane and it's a jump seat, a backwards facing jump seat. So I was on that from Bangkok to Tokyo, japan, and it was not fun, dude, it was not fun.
Speaker 1:It was not fun dude it was not fun.
Speaker 2:It was not fun, you were canceling it?
Speaker 1:I didn't. It was. I didn't cancel it. It was some sort of you know crazy mix-up. Why would I cancel my flight back from Thailand? I want to go home. I don't know, but it was bad, dude't know, but it was bad, dude, it was bad, it was bad. Anyway, well, we've got a really good episode. I don't think anybody really wants to listen to our travel escapades.
Speaker 2:I mean, we have some stories.
Speaker 1:We do, we do, we really do, but we've got like usual. We've got a really good episode. We've got a really good episode. We got our June member of the month. We've got a tour director who we've never spoke to before, who's got a really interesting story. He's got a fun job. You guys are going to love it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I can't wait, let's get started.
Speaker 1:Let's do it.
Speaker 5:Ladies and gentlemen, golf Week Amateur Tour proudly presents Golf Week Amateur Tour, the podcast Talking about all things Golf Week Amateur Tour, including interviews with tour directors, players and course professionals. Now here are your hosts Tim Newman and El Paso Las Cruces. Tour Director, chris. Course professionals. Now here are your hosts Tim Newman and El Paso Las Cruces. Tour Director, chris Rocha.
Speaker 2:Tim, we're back at it, another episode. You know I can't wait, I think, for this one at least. I'm excited for our June member of the month and you know, I think this year we're on the right track.
Speaker 1:I do. I agree. I do think we're on the right track. Yeah, this is a good one. The other ones haven't been good. They've all been good, all track. Yeah, this is a good one. The other ones haven't been good. They've all been good. All been deserved, but this is a good one just the same. A lot going on this weekend is supposedly the most event of any other weekend of the year it's our golf solstice yeah, how about that?
Speaker 1:so I I'm hoping that you know, as, as you're out there playing, you've got the podcast going. Listen to the podcast as you're, as you're playing golf and um, and if not, what are you doing?
Speaker 2:right, right, that should be top of mind. But when we start laughing like crazy, don't blame us for you missing a bad shot. You don't Blowing you off.
Speaker 1:Not my fault. I'll take blame for a lot of things, but I'm not going to take blame for that. Okay, you know.
Speaker 2:That one hurt my mind a little bit, but we'll go with it. I know, I know that one hurt my mind a little bit but we'll go with it.
Speaker 1:I know, I know, I know, art, did you have something this weekend?
Speaker 2:We had one event, yep, okay, this year was kind of interesting. So, granted, we have, as tour directors, we have the power to make our schedule right. As tour directors, we have the power to make our schedule right and we try to avoid holidays, especially Mother's Day. Father's Day we can play on, but Mother's Day we try to avoid. I try to avoid Master's Weekend because I mean, everyone really wants to watch the Masters, the best major of the year. But this year, for some reason, I scheduled events on my son's birthdays you're going to hell and yeah but you're not, because you're taking him to Hawaii.
Speaker 1:So I think that kind of helped out.
Speaker 2:But I thought it was pretty funny because you're taking them to Y Right, so I think that kind of helped out. But I thought it was pretty funny because, as you look at the, you know we look at the whole year and we're like marking the dates that we can put before we even call courses. This is the date that we're going to use and we're going to see what we can follow, where everybody can fall into place. And yeah, it just happened that those two weekends were available and we needed to do something. And I mean sorry guys.
Speaker 1:Hey, get over it yeah.
Speaker 2:Grow up, man God.
Speaker 1:Oh man, it is what it is. You know I'm taking it, why, get over it? But sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. I'm taking it away, get over it. But sometimes you got to do what you got to do. I mean it's because here's the reality, right? If you don't book it on that weekend, then you're stuck doing it on a weekend where membership isn't going to come out and play Again, whether it's a holiday, whether it's Father's Day, 4th July, memorial Day, labor Day, easter, whatever that is. And you know, again, if we take everybody's schedule into account when we do the calendar, do our schedule, then we'll end up with like two tours.
Speaker 2:Right, right. Yeah, it's a slippery slope, but I thought it was. It was pretty funny that they've landed on on both their birthdays and who knows if it ever happened again, but it was kind of cool. So my, my oldest the members saying happy birthday to him Cause we were out of town and he really enjoyed that and my youngest he'll just have to celebrate in Hawaii, I guess.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he'll be okay, oh sure, well, again, we've got a good episode this week. June member of the month and then tour director. We haven't had one ever. And here's I meant to bring this up.
Speaker 2:He's done something that you and I have not A hole-in-one?
Speaker 1:Nope, I've got a hole-in-one.
Speaker 2:What the I don't? What are you doing, man?
Speaker 1:What are you doing with your life?
Speaker 2:Make better choices. I'm not hitting greens, he has a national champion Like he's won a national championship.
Speaker 1:No, he has a national champion. He has a national champion on his tour. Nice, one of our next guests also has. He's got actual multiple national champions. Let's just go ahead and bring him in.
Speaker 2:He's just actual multiple national. Let's just go and bring him in.
Speaker 1:He's just rubbing it in, hey. I don't have any, I want, I want one.
Speaker 2:The closest chance I had was HB.
Speaker 1:All right, chris, let's just go ahead and welcome in our our June member of the month. We've got it's our first female, which is, you know, as far as I'm concerned, you know it's.
Speaker 2:First of many.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a highlight for me. I love that and she's a familiar name. You and I haven't talked to her before, but she won the Icebreaker Regional so she's had a segment here on the podcast. Let's go ahead and welcome in from the Arkansas tour, tracy Taylor, and the Arkansas tour director, jerry Homoschack. Guys, welcome to the show. There we go, there we go, hold on.
Speaker 3:One more.
Speaker 1:I get these pop-up things over my buttons. Yeah, that's what we want to hear. Right, I get the pop-ups over my buttons. Tracy and Jerry, welcome to the show, thank you.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I really appreciate you guys coming on and spending some time with us. Tracy, we've known each other for a few years and we'll get into this as we go on down the road here, but I love it when females win tournaments. A few years, and you know I we'll get into this as we go on down the road here, but you know I, I love it when, when females win tournaments. I love when they win regionals, and to have you as our first female member of the month, uh, it, just, it just makes my day so, so congratulations thank you, it's an honor well, first thing I want to do, just like we've done with all the others, is I just want to read the nomination that Jerry sent in.
Speaker 1:And Chris we've talked about this before. The nominations that we get most of them are really really good. Right, this one is the same and, you know, it's given us a little bit of an opportunity to see a little bit even more behind the scenes than what we have. You know, when we're talking to players and we're talking to directors across the country, we're learning a lot, but to see some of the things that individual tour players are doing that we don't know about has been, has been great.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure. I mean the way that they get worded and presented to us. Anyone can be selected.
Speaker 1:So it has been cool to see how this new contest that we've had, kind of, has evolved throughout the months. Yeah, so let me just go ahead and read this real quick. This is from Jerry. I would like to nominate Tracy Taylor from the Arkansas Tour. Now, jerry, I don't know why you had to mention Nick in here. This is all about Tracy. This is Tracy's moment here, but this is what he says.
Speaker 1:Tracy and her husband, nick, have been on my tour for many years and they've never missed a tournament. She started in a D flight and has been moved to C flight this year. She plays in every event and multiple regionals every year. She won the Icebreaker Open in January of this year. They never missed the Tour Finals and she has brought at least five other ladies to the Tour Nice. She is very active on social media and always has pictures and videos from every event we play. Everyone loves to play with her, except for Nick. They play together every day. She's always talking up the Tour and is a great ambassador for our tour. So, tracy, thank you so much for all that you do and congratulations. And again, I'm going to mention Nick in a minute, but this is your moment and again, congratulations.
Speaker 3:Thank you, thank you so much.
Speaker 1:Jerry, talk a little bit more about Tracy and some of the other things that she brings, and maybe some of the other intangibles, because again we'll get into how many rounds she's played here in a little bit. But you're right, she never misses, never. So what are some of the other intangibles that she brings to the tour outside of the enthusiasm and recruiting players?
Speaker 6:Well, you know, tracy I don't remember exactly how many years, but has relatively new to golf. If I remember correctly, just what? Three or four years.
Speaker 1:She joined the tour in 2019.
Speaker 6:Okay, and I think that's basically about when she started playing golf, so it was fairly new to her. She's a big runner, does a lot of marathons, cross-country type stuff, and so always been very athletic in that. I believe one of her goals was to run a marathon in every state. I think you've accomplished that, haven't you?
Speaker 3:No.
Speaker 6:She's getting close, but she's just great. Her enthusiasm is fantastic. She always getting close, but she's just great. Her enthusiasm is fantastic. She always tries to get better. You know, not only does she play on our tour, she plays on women's tours and they literally almost play every day, if I'm not mistaken. If they don't play five days a week, I think she's sick, something's wrong somewhere. But she's just. You know, she talks to other ladies out there. Get them involved, get them to come on and enjoy the tour as well as men.
Speaker 6:Tracy doesn't really like to play with ladies. She has told me multiple times I want to play with the men, except for Nick. Don't want to play with Nick, but no, she loves to play with the guys. She loves to see, uh, if she can uh bring her game up to that level, which she has done and getting promoted this year was fantastic. She's already won in the sea flight this year as well, so congratulations for that. So she's proving she can move up the ladder. But she's just great. She loves social media. So she's always, you know, at the beginning, taking pictures with her and all the people in her group and her flight and putting that on and doing videos of the course and where we are and just things like that that. She loves to promote what we do and why we do it, and so she's just a super person.
Speaker 1:Well, again, I agree with everything you said and, Tracy, you've played in 121 rounds on tour since 2019, 121. You know when you figure, Jerry, I think you average like 12 events a year.
Speaker 6:On the regular tour about 12 a year correct.
Speaker 1:Yeah, events a year On the regular tour? About 12 a year, correct? Yeah, so 12 times 6 is 60, so you're doubling up. Not only do you not miss, you don't miss really a weekend. If there's another tour going on, you're there. If there's a regional going on, you're there. What's the thing that kind of really inspired you to not miss?
Speaker 3:well, um, in in 23, nick, and I wanted to really chase the points. I believe it was in 23 that we we set out and we were gonna chase the points and um, I got pretty close in 23, but then in 24 is when, um, my game really turned around and um, and I started like I initially had the goal is I needed to finish in the top five. I wanted to be in the top five, um finishing and if, uh, like, like, we looked at our schedule and we knew that if a regional was hitting, when one of our Arkansas, we went to Texas and we played down there with the Texas crew a couple of times last year and so we were just really chasing those points and it paid off because I won D-flat points.
Speaker 2:There you go.
Speaker 1:And this year you're really on fire. This year, I mean, you won the first tournament of the year, the Icebreaker in Hilton Head, with really kind of going away there as well. I mean, if I remember correctly, it wasn't really close, but you got bumped up to the sea flight. You won a two-day event just recently and you shot an 83, which I believe is your lowest round on tour. Is that your lowest round ever?
Speaker 3:no, I actually just on fourth of july at my home course I shot an 82 and uh won a flag tournament that we did at our home course for fourth of july and I beat um men and women there.
Speaker 1:Nice, that's awesome, that's awesome.
Speaker 3:My student in 82. It was pretty awesome.
Speaker 2:That is awesome, Tracy. I've got a couple questions for you. First off, congratulations on being our first women winner. So I want to just kind of throw some questions at you. You know, have some fun with it, For it to be something cool to do. But what's your favorite club in your bag right now?
Speaker 3:and why the one in my hand. I like that one I like that Always, but my putter, my putter is my strength of my game. I think um a quick fact about me is that I am blind in my right eye and my ophthalmologist thinks that it is amazing that I can not only golf but that putting is one of my strengths wow that's pretty cool.
Speaker 3:He's a really good chipper of the ball as well, too as I, I did the stack system and when I did the stack system, I gained about 30 yards. Um, and since jerry likes to make me play from the tips, see, but way to go, jerry the forward tease all year round, like I will at nationals. But um but no, and I love my driver and my putter for sure awesome.
Speaker 2:Uh, last question if you could play any round with any golfer, who would it be? And don't say Nick.
Speaker 3:That's a given um Like like any golfer sure still alive or doesn't matter I. Think, I think Arnold Palmer would be pretty cool. Jerry already threw me out there, where I don't like women, um, but tiger nick always calls me a tiger worshiper. So that's a one, two I guess, but I'd love arnold palmer. He's just got such a sweet, sweet beard about him. I think he'd have fun too. But now, anybody on the Golf Week Am Tour that I'd like to play? I'd like to play Tim. I'd like to beat him.
Speaker 1:Oh me, that wouldn't be hard at all. I'll stipulate to that now.
Speaker 6:You have to give me strokes, see, I make her play those back keys. So when she goes to nationals, you boys better watch out. Come see, fly people.
Speaker 1:Look at you. Well, that's the thing, though, tracy. I mean, I think the breakthrough that you had this year at the Icebreaker showed I mean, you've been close a couple of times, but the breakthrough that you had at Icebreaker really shows that you know you can compete against the men in a high-pressure situation and not only compete but do well. Like I said, if I remember correctly, you won that one going away I don't even think it was even close and then to turn around and win another two-day event a couple weeks ago. You're really building that momentum and that confidence to be able to go into nationals and put up a good showing. And again, the thing with nationals I think everybody knows this anything can happen, but you have to put together three solid rounds in a row. That's what you have to do.
Speaker 3:It's going to be different this year because it's going to be three different courses each day, so that's going to be interesting as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know I. You know with Jen working for the national office and I actually worked from home today and I was listening to. You know she, she talks to players and tour directors pretty much all day long on the phone and you know she talked to two or three to. You know she talks to players and tour directors pretty much all day long on the phone and you know she talked to two or three players you know from across the country and they were raving about it. You know, really looking forward to the three different courses. So, ben, whatever it takes to get people out there, to come down to hilton head and have fun, I think it's going to be great I'm excited do you know which courses you're playing?
Speaker 3:I do. Um, I'm going back to golden bear, which I played last year, um country club of hilton head, I think, and then Hilton Head, I think, and then I really wanted Robert Trent Jones. But Arthur Hills, I get. Arthur Hills, palmetto Dunes, arthur Hills, is that one? Yeah, I think that's what it would be.
Speaker 2:Pretty good courses.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but you know, chris, you know my favorite courses are Are any course. Are pretty much anyone on Hilton Head. But of those three you know I really like Country Club and Hilton Head and I really like the Golden Bear Hills is a great course. You know, for me it's a lot tougher of a course but I really like Country Club and I really like Golden Bear.
Speaker 3:I have a funny story about country club Hilton head. So the very time we came out to nationals I want to think it was in 21. And so I played that course and um, is there like bear track or something like that? There's another bear. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Okay, so I played those two. So my first day going to country club of Hilton head I had to pull up to the guard shack and I have a hat on that says um, women, golf too, or girl, it says girls, golf too. My hat. And the the guard said are you here for tennis? I played at my house. Oh, I'm here for golf. I'm playing in the golf tournament. Oh, excuse me, ma'am. Awesome I thought that was funny.
Speaker 1:So who's winning between you and Nick now? I mean, you're handicapped, you're tour handicapped, you got him, but are you beating him on a regular basis?
Speaker 6:I hope he's watching this. Let's hope. Oh yeah, you know.
Speaker 3:I'm going to give my husband a lot of grace. He had a heart attack last year.
Speaker 1:I didn't know that.
Speaker 3:He did, and also his worst handicap is his temper, and so if I can get him mad, I can beat him. There you go.
Speaker 6:I guess it's not hard to be mad, though. All she has to do is make two putts in a row and he's mad, so it's not hard.
Speaker 1:I see he's got to worry about what he's doing, not what Tracy's doing, and he doesn't have to worry about it. So, tracy, I did not know that you were a marathon runner. How many marathons have you run?
Speaker 3:So I've I've ran six school marathons and I've lost count on half marathons, and the half marathons is what I was doing in all 50 States and in 2020, I had three states to go and COVID hit and so all three of my states it was Maine, connecticut and Rhode Island and I had already had them paid for, already had everything booked flights and all of that and COVID hit and the races got niched, and so we took all that airfare and everything and put it to golf and really, truly, um. I know a lot of bad things happened with covid, but it really is what brought me into the golf world. Um, I fractured my femoral neck inside my right hip in 2017 and Nick said then we're going to buy you better golf clubs and you're going to golf more and run less. And that's exactly what happened, and I um have since in 22,. I needed something to to keep me going and so I went and I did Rhode Island and I knocked that off. So I still have Maine and Connecticut to do.
Speaker 3:Um, but I just love golf and I I can golf 36 holes in a day and I can walk home and still feel fresh. I couldn't go run two miles now and I'd be died. So, um, I I went too far not to finish that quest and I will finish that quest, but it's not number one right now.
Speaker 1:But that's still a great accomplishment. I mean, you're doing everything in all 50 states. That's an incredible accomplishment. So when you do it, let us know and we'll have you back on and we'll see the medal from number 50 we need to get a tour in Maine. We need a tour so that you can go play. Nobody lives in Maine. You can play golf in Maine for like 5 days a year when we went and did Rhode Island.
Speaker 3:We actually then went up and we played. It was his brand-new year at Upstate New York. He had just kicked off that tour and so we went and played with him and played a tournament up there. It was really cool.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. Yeah, he's doing a great job up there too. I think he's going to his third or fourth year up there and he's doing really well, but we need some, some dirt on jerry, you know, when it comes to the national championship time. You one of the things you have to give us is some dirt, so that when we we meet his tour directors, you know we can share this. So so what do you got?
Speaker 3:I call him boss. Okay, that's his nickname. I've always called him boss, um. But no, jerry can throw the dirt out on me, just like you can Tim, because, um, you have. You have seen the ugly side of Tracy before and Jerry has definitely seen the ugly side of Tracy a couple of times, because, because I'm so passionate exactly about the game and I'm very competitive, and so when I, when I I, I don't have a problem speaking up for myself.
Speaker 3:Let's just say that. But jerry, I I got a good story about jerry, let's hear it so my very first, my very first win on the tour was in probably 23, maybe 21. It was Mountain Ranch.
Speaker 6:Be careful what you say.
Speaker 3:And I'm high-fiving everybody because Tracy Taylor has just won her first event and one of the guys in C-Flight nobody wanted to play with him. He was just a very, very negative person, very negative person. And he comes into the clubhouse and threatens to kick Jerry's honey and I'm being PG because I don't know if we're live or not and in the middle of me, high fiving Jerry flips that table like he was Jesus and he starts storming them and Chris Smith, which is one of our champions, is Chris Smith. He's champ, right, he's champ, he's big on and I mean he like barrels Jerry back and holds Jerry back while the little kid goes running out the door mouth and everything. But anyway, that's one of my funnies about jerry, because it was right in the middle of doing high kicks and I ruined.
Speaker 6:I ruined her day, or hopefully I didn't ruin it. It was really him. I don't know what his deal was, but he was calling me every name under the sun. He was, he was. I don't know sure what was going on, but yeah, anyway, I ruined her day. Way to go, jerry. I mean, you're pissing everybody off. I apologize. I think I even bought her lunch.
Speaker 1:That's what tour directors do. You know we rain on everybody's parade man.
Speaker 2:Forget it, hey, settle down. Settle down, speak for yourself.
Speaker 1:Hey, I've got stories on you too, so don't go anywhere. Hey, I've got stories on you too, so don't go anywhere. So, jerry, you know you've got you always have good things going on in Arkansas and you know I love some of the things that you're doing and you're always on really good courses. Number one how did you build that relationship with that one place where you have a lot of your torrents? You know it's the community that's got all those really nice courses.
Speaker 6:How did that come about? Yeah, it's called Hot Springs Village, and if anyone is coming to Arkansas, call Hot Springs Village and put you together a stay-and-play package for four guys or 74 guys, it doesn't matter, but it is a phenomenal community. It was built in the mid-1970s. The first course was built in 1976. But they have eight courses, actually nine courses. They have eight courses available to be played by any member or guest in the village, and then they have a private club called diamante that you have to be a member of, even if you own or live in the village as well. So you have to be.
Speaker 6:Um, me and my dad bought a lot in 1974 for a hundred dollars. On the side of a mountain is an unbuildable lot, just so if they happen to do what they said they would do, we would have the ability to play and to use the facilities. So here we are, what, 50 years later? And we've got eight golf courses. We have spa and fitness centers. We have five private lakes, three, three beaches. Uh, I actually own a condo in the village now, since I live three hours away. So when I go down to play, I have a place to stay. I rent it out when we're not there, um, but it is eight of the best golf courses you will find pretty much anywhere, um, especially in a state state in an area that literally you can drive 15 minutes and be at any of those eight golf courses. And, yeah, we play every one of them every year.
Speaker 6:Um, two big two-day events. We have one coming up at the end of july if anybody wants to come down and play. It's a sunday, monday tournament. It's isabella and diamante, which is the private course in there. Um, top of the line, I've already got probably 10 guys from north louisiana tour and the dallas tour that come every year just for that tournament.
Speaker 6:Because of the quality of the courses and things that they're in there, um, and they're all, they're all top of just top notch. I mean, they're kept immaculate, um, and the price is really, to be honest, compared to most public or private courses anymore, are really fairly reasonable. Um, you know I can get on most of the courses for about $80 a head, um 80 to 90. Whereas you know, when we go to mall mail or Hot Springs Country Club, these places it's $100, $120 a round. So it's also very reasonably priced to be able to get that quality of a course and to play on them. So, yeah, anybody's coming our way I would highly recommend.
Speaker 6:But I've been doing that. I've been a property owner out there for 50 years, so you know, I've known those guys for a long, long time, had that relationship for a long time and, uh, and was able to to get involved with them at the beginning of this tour, which back in 2012, they didn't allow a lot of outside play because the members got upset with people coming in and playing and so I was able to do a lot of things that way that other um tournaments and charity events and so I was able to do a lot of things that way that other tournaments and charity events and things weren't allowed to do. And now, to be honest, I'm kind of grandfathered in um stay and play packages out there going for 120 bucks a round and I'm still getting 80. So I've been very fortunate, grandfathered, been able to to get my guys on great courses. It's still reasonable prices.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean again looking at your schedule and some of the prices that you have, really good. So, like you said, you're on Isabella and Diamante at the end of July for $280.
Speaker 2:That's not bad at all.
Speaker 6:And these are both like, isabella has 27 holes, so I can pick the rotation that I want, so we can change that up every year. And then diamante is the private course. Now diamante, several years ago, was a host to the buycom tour, which is now, uh, you know, the the ferry yeah, corn ferry tour. So they've hosted many um championship tournaments out there and pro events as well, a lot of charity pro-am events out there where a lot of the big name pros and guys have come out and played. So it is, it is a a tough well from the tips guys, it plays 7900 from the tips and it it is is every bit of it. Yeah, the diablo they call it the diablo. It's holds uh, 11, 12 and 13. It's a par 4, par 4, par 3 and it's um, it's 480, 474 and 225 from the tips now just give me triple, I'll just take, take triple, triple, triple, triple.
Speaker 6:It's absolutely stunning. So it's a great trip, and on Monday they're normally closed, so we're the only ones on the course. They'll open the bar for us, so they'll have drinks and hot dogs and stuff for us as well, and treat us pretty much like a king and there's nobody on the course but us. That's awesome, tracy.
Speaker 1:Treat us pretty much like a king and there's nobody on the course but us. Nice, that's. That's awesome, tracy, what's your favorite course to play in on the arkansas tour?
Speaker 3:hot springs we did our that's our end of the season um tournament there and, uh, it has two different courses. We play the park, course um, on the first day and we play Arlington and I have named them the Beauty and the Beast. The park is open and beautiful and then you go over to Arlington and it is a bunch of blind shots up, down, up down all around. But that by far Hot Springs Country Club is my favorite.
Speaker 6:That's awesome. And the side note, hot Springs Country Club is one of the oldest country clubs. It's actually 111 years old. It has been in Arkansas forever. It has hosted multiple PGA events with Miller, barber and a bunch of the old guys that played. It is an old style. You better shape the ball left to right and right to left off of each tee because if you don't, man, you're in Pine Tree, central buddy, and it's a long day.
Speaker 6:The greens are like playing at Harbortown. They're small, every one of them they're undulated and when Barry wants them running 12s and 13s, buddy, it's a nightmare. And every year they have the us open qualifier there and last year us open qualifier they took three people from there in that qualifier and 68 was the best score. Four under on that course was some of the top people in the country. That's crazy. And the funny thing is from the tips. The course is only about 6,700 yards from the tips, so about half the time, matter of fact, probably don't pull out your driver, but three holes. The rest of the time you better be hitting irons or hybrids and you better put it in the fairway.
Speaker 1:You better be smart and think your waybrids, and you better put it in the fairway, you bet you. You better be smart and think your way through that. So, chris allen, not do.
Speaker 6:Well, I would not do well, you put the ball above the hole and barry's got him rolling 13s.
Speaker 2:You will three putt all day I mean I want to go play that now. Now that might be my arkansas course, because I'm doing like you, tracy, I want to play at least one in every state, so that might have to be the one I go to for that either come for the finals that's our tour finals every year in September or come to the Isabella Diamante.
Speaker 6:I'm telling you, either one you will thoroughly enjoy yourself.
Speaker 1:Chris, you could be in Hawaii during that one.
Speaker 2:I'll be in Hawaii during that one. I gotta knock out that state real quick.
Speaker 6:Oh, I'll go with you. I get hit and run and I go to Hawaii with you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but I'm glad you brought Vic up because he's doing a really good job with Senior Tour. When Chris and I talk about, I heard this, I heard that, and then we talk to players all over the place. When Chris and I talk about you know, I heard this, I heard that, you know and then we talk to players all over the place and hear really good things about Vic all the time.
Speaker 6:Yeah, vic's been with me since my second year, I guess 2013. He's just super. I mean just you don't meet a better guy, and it's just that simple. And he's taken over the senior tour this year because I've got some family issues with my parents very similar to Jennifer and Dennis' situation with her parents. I've had to take over all their finances, that type of stuff, and my daughter had twins, so I have year-old grandbabies now which I'm enjoying spending time with. So Vic's taken over the senior tour, which I'm enjoying spending time with. So Vic's taking over the senior tour doing very, very well with it, and are you playing on the senior tour, Tracy?
Speaker 3:No, because I still work. If I was Tracy, I'd be old enough.
Speaker 6:Well, I thought you were 48. Wow. But I've got a bunch of people like Tracy that would love to play on both tours but the senior tour. A lot of these guys they're playing on private golf courses which means they can only play on Mondays. So a lot of my people are still working and have the ability to take off every other Monday to play on the senior tour. So he's doing well. He's got about 100 members and he's averaging about 30 or 40 guys a tournament, which is great. But I think that's only going to get better and better because a lot of my guys have been with me 15 years and they're all turning that 50 now and starting to move into that sector. So you know I'm seeing a lot of them going to defect on me and go over to Vic's tour.
Speaker 1:Well, jerry, you know, chris and I talk about that a lot you know, if we don't get younger as a tour as a whole and start attracting, you know, younger men and women to begin with, you know, across the board and more women, you know we're going to struggle and that doesn't just go for us, it goes for golf across the board. Obviously we have some limitations with costs going up and those types of things, but we have to find ways to attract that younger crowd, that younger demographic again, both male and female, and get them in so that when, when you know, the 50 and older crowd really do move on to the senior tour, we're just backfilling.
Speaker 6:Yeah, and it's, it's um, you know that's a tougher thing to do when you're already 60. Right, you know, if you're a tour director and you're 30, you're out playing with those guys and you're seeing those guys and you have that opportunity. You know, when you're 60 years old, um, you know you begin to have to rely on, uh, other guys on your tour to do that promotion for you and you you can do all the social media things and stuff that you want. We tried, we do a lot of that, but you, you got to have that word of mouth and, um, as I'm getting to the point where I don't play with those young guys on, you know, unless it's in the tournament, um, then it gets tougher to do.
Speaker 6:And I know same way with tracy, like trying to recruit ladies. You know she's done great with bringing. I don't know like my next tournament at eagle, I think I've got seven ladies signed up, I think there's seven playing and she's done great with bringing. I don't know like my next tournament at eagle, I think I've got seven ladies signed up, I think there's seven playing, and she's done great bringing a bunch of them. But she's kind of in the same boat. How do we get with her. I mean, how do we get younger ladies involved when it's probably not? She doesn't probably play with a lot of 22 or 23 year old, um, ladies. Very much so she's in the same boat I am. We can talk and promote a lot and we play with a lot of 22 or 23-year-old ladies, very much so she's in the same boat I am. We can talk and promote a lot and we try, but unless you're playing with those age groups, it gets more difficult.
Speaker 1:And you know, if you look across the landscape from a tour director perspective and Chris, I'm going to pick on you a little bit I mean, chris is younger, thank you. We need younger tour directors like Chris, um, and we, and we and we do have a bunch, you know, across the country that are that really are doing a nice job of getting that younger, um, that younger demographic. And you know we have female tour directors now you know whether it's Michelle, whether it's Gina, um, you know we have female tour directors now you know whether it's Michelle, whether it's Gina. You know two's better than one, but you know we'd like to have more than that, right, obviously, to, again, you know, help bring things along, and one of the things that, well, we also have Patina and Marty, and you know wives help out a lot.
Speaker 1:But one of the things that we did that I was very purposeful of doing when we first started this was have Jen be a big piece of it. You know, so that she was very visible, and that was done on purpose to help attract more females involved in the tour, right, I think, to get more females involved in the tour, um right, I think, I think to get more females involved in the tour I mean I trace, ask tracy may have some ideas that are different from mine, because I mean, she's done a great job, like I said, bringing and I know she's brought a lot of ladies because they're they are ladies that she plays with.
Speaker 6:I mean, like I said, she plays five days a week. I mean she's at hard scrabble one, then she's at eagle crest the next night she's had been gearing. The next night she's going to conway. I mean they're playing in in her nick, playing couple um, couple tournaments and things all the time. So she plays with a lot of ladies. So maybe she's got some ideas that that I don't. But I don't know how to get really to that younger crowd. I wish I did. I've got, I've got a couple of, like I guess, reagan's, probably what, 30, 28, 29, 30, that's awesome. I've got a couple of younger females, um, that are on the tour and she's been on my tour since she was what, 20, 21, 22. I mean she's been on my tour a long time. Our dad played her, mom played her, her, uh, her now that's how they met. I guess was on the tour as well too. But maybe she's got some ideas that I don't. But yeah, I mean, how do you get the ladies to come out?
Speaker 1:Yeah it's a work in progress and you know we're we're not alone in this, um it's you know, it's not just indicative of us, it's across the board. So well, tracy, thank you so much for for joining us. I appreciate it. Congratulations, and what's your next regional you're going to be at? American dunes oh, you're gonna love it, you're love it.
Speaker 3:One of my favorites. I know I loved it last year. Oh, that's right, you were there last year, that's right. I was like we have to go back. And then I looked at the tee and I get to play from the forward.
Speaker 6:So I'm like, yes, she's going to win.
Speaker 1:All you C-Flight guys better watch out. Well, tracy, I'm just telling you. I mean, you keep doing what you're doing and you're going to be in the B-Flight in no time at all.
Speaker 6:I have two ladies in my B-Flight he does. I have an A-Flight lady, two B-Flight ladies, two C-Flight ladies and about five or six D-Flight ladies. I don't know this for a fact, but I probably have one of the largest. You probably do, Because I have a minimum of 10 or 11 ladies that play all the time and in different flights. So I have some really good female players on the tour, which is pretty exciting.
Speaker 1:That's awesome, it really is. But again, thank, awesome, that really it really is. But but again, thank you guys both so much for for joining us. Tracy, congratulations, jerry. Thank you so much for for nominating Tracy. Um, I love it and we'll see you guys here real soon.
Speaker 6:Okay, thank you.
Speaker 2:Don't hang up, don't hang up, don't hang up.
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Speaker 2:Tim, we did it. We got our first female member of the month nomination First of many. Hopefully, hopefully, but you know you always bring up. We need to get more younger golfers and women involved on the tour and I think this is the first step to doing that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know, I don't know if you knew Tracy before this, but she's awesome, she literally travels all over the place. And a funny story. You know she kind of ribbed me a little bit. You know when she says I've seen her angry, you know she was out at Whistling Straits I don't know if she was there your year or the year before that and the tee boxes were back a little bit too far and she let me know about it. But she was right. I mean the reality is, and you know me. I mean if I'm wrong, I'll just say I'm wrong and the reality is she was right. There was one hole I couldn't do anything about and that was a real problem. But I didn't make any other adjustments or some some holes where I could have made up for some some distance to give them a little bit better advantage better of an advantage.
Speaker 1:But you know, she, she, she, let me know about it and and again, she was right, but she's, she's come. You know her game's come a long way. She, she's a lot of fun to be around. I'm really, really happy for her. Um, it's, uh, it's. It's good for her, it's good for the arkansas tour, it's good for for the tour as a whole yeah, and I mean you know you bring it up.
Speaker 2:We try our best to make it as fair as possible for both the males and females. Um, the males and females, um, and I mean we, you know it is it, I can. I can only imagine how difficult it is for them to come to a tournament and think, oh man, I'm competing against all these guys, they're gonna out hit me, they're gonna do that. So we, we try to give them the best, um fairness as we can. And to see her come in and just start whooping up on these, on these young guys and these, these men, it's nice to see and I know, you know, I have my fair share of ladies on my tour and to see them come out and win. You know, that's a little, a little more special I think that's the right way to say it when you announce them as winners and then anything else yeah, and what?
Speaker 1:what everybody has to understand is, you know, we really do try and make sure that slope and rating is equivalent. So it's not about the distance, it's not about anything other than you know the slope and rating of the course and it goes back to if the slope and rating is the same and you're in the same handicap range, your 14 is the same as my 14. Yeah, how you get to your 14 may be different, but 14 is a 14. And so you know, I generally don't listen too much to guys complaining about the distances. The distance, because if the sloping rating is the same and you're in the same handicap range, it is what it is Play better, play better, play better For sure.
Speaker 1:But we've got a really good guest to follow up with that. You know somebody who's been around for a while and we were just talking offline before we started this. I can't believe we haven't had him on, but you know there's a lot of tour directors we haven't had on yet. But he's got two tours and we've got to give the East Coast some love. The East Coast doesn't get nearly enough love on this tour. We're always talking about people out in Texas and California and Arizona. Come on now. So let's go ahead and welcome in the Philly and New Jersey tour director, tim Horan. Tim, how you doing, bud.
Speaker 7:Jens, good to see you, Thanks for having me on.
Speaker 1:No worries, welcome to the show, and I give Chris a hard time, because we do focus a lot on the East Coast, because that's where primarily most of the tours are, where primarily most of the tours are. But I also try and make sure that we spread the love around and it doesn't become the El Paso show or the Atlanta show, and really get the whole country involved in this, because that's what this is really about.
Speaker 7:I'm happy to be here and love talking, golf and sports in general, that's awesome.
Speaker 1:So are you in your third or fourth year? No, this is fifth year. Fifth year, oh my goodness, we are going down.
Speaker 7:First two years were Philly. Only Third year picked up New Jersey. So this is my third year for New Jersey but fifth year with Philly.
Speaker 1:Wow, Time flies really, because I can't believe it's been that long. How long have you been with the tour overall?
Speaker 7:Oh gosh, I played under the former director, I don't know, a few years before I took the tour. I was, you know, seven, eight, nine years. I was just a player and I loved operating sports events. That's what I do in my career and it was a natural fit. And when the Philly tour became available I jumped at it immediately and with my background. It was a pretty quick interview with tour owner Dennis McCormack. He said sounds like you can handle this, you're my guy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's funny, you know, as we look across. You know the country with tour directors and their backgrounds. You know you, me and Dennis are really kind of kind of aligned in where we come from originally and what our background is of aligned in where we come from originally and what our background is and tell everybody what you do because I think you have one of the best jobs in the world for your day job, my primary source of income.
Speaker 7:I'm a partner in a business called Hay Day Athletic. It's mixed gender adult sports leagues. Heyday athletic it's mixed gender adult sports leagues and our demographic is 25 to 35 year old young professionals and we operate sports leagues and social events in central Jersey, philadelphia suburbs, lehigh Valley, which is Allentown Pennsylvania area, which is Allentown Pennsylvania area, and Wilmington, delaware. So it's a pretty big area and it's everything from touch football, volleyball. We run corn toss, we have Phillies tailgates you see my Phillies banner, I'm a huge Phillies fan and Phillies tailgates. And we run two great pub crawls a year. It's called the Kris Kringle Crawl and we run a St Patrick's Day Celtic Crawl and that's what we do.
Speaker 7:I'm now 57 years old. I've been at this since 1998, and I make a living operating events and sports events and sports leagues and things that I would do. It's it's hard to call it a job. You know all the cliches of uh. You know, do what you love, the money will follow. And uh, if, if you're happy to get up every day, uh and go to work. It's not really a job. And so I've uh, I worked hard, but I live a pretty charmed life with that business.
Speaker 1:You do, and I see a lot of your Facebook posts and say, man, he's over there today, he's over there today, he's doing this, he's doing that. A lot of times, like you just said, we look at the end product and we see the fun, but the reality is what you do is hard work. I mean, when the back end, the part that people don't see, you know, the coordinating, the recruiting, the scheduling, the staffing, all that stuff takes time and, and you know, it's really no different than putting on a tournament for for golf week.
Speaker 7:Right, and I, you know some participants who really take an interest in our business. Whether it's my heyday, athletic or golf week, I'm tour, they get it. But a lot of guys think that, um, you know, we show up half an hour before and throw up some banners and we run a tournament. Um, you know, you get up in the morning and you travel to the venue I don't know how other directors operate and you travel to the venue. I don't know how other directors operate. I pride myself on I'm at the course minimum two hours before.
Speaker 7:I don't like setting up an event as the participants are coming, because now they become friends. They want to chit-chat. You're getting your computer set up and you're distracted. I like my players to arrive and I'm all set up and I'm relaxed and I'm ready to chit chat with them. And so when you show up a couple hours in advance and probably with all of our tourists, our guys play entirely slow. So they're playing four and a half five hours. Then you're paying them out their skins and prizes and taking pictures of the chants afterwards and then you go home.
Speaker 7:It's a 10-hour day and from Philly, the suburb of Philly I live in a town called Westchester, covering the New Jersey tour. When I go to North Jersey basically suburbs of New York City it's two hours away, they're 12-hour days and I'm happy to do it but it's a grind. But as recently as I had a tournament Monday and it's very gratifying when the players say Timmy, thanks, and they shake your hand, pat you on the back and say thanks for all you do with us, and that's besides the money and we enjoy running events. That's why we do it to uh provide a, you know, good opportunity for these guys to play friendly, competitive golf.
Speaker 1:It's we're we're pretty lucky, uh being on this tour yeah, we, we really are, you know, you know, especially, you know, and chris, you know, we'll talk about this, you know, as we wrap things up, especially with some of the things that people on tour are going through right now. You know, dennis and Jennifer are going through it, chris is going through some things, I've got some family things. Everybody has something going on fun, some getaway time from whatever it is that we're dealing with, you know, for five hours on a Saturday, sunday, monday, whatever it is. Again, that's a big bonus for us doing this.
Speaker 7:Absolutely. That's the basis of my heyday athletic as well. You know Americans, especially Northeast US, we're hardworking, hard grinding people. You know again another cliche you work hard and you play hard. Or you know you work hard all day and you need to blow off some steam and you play a sport. Or you know you work hard all week and you just want to get your golf in, but you're still a competitor and you want to compete. But you're still a competitor and you want to compete and it's fun to deliver that for our guys. And I wish I was a better player, but I'm pretty much a scratch event organizer and a 20 golfer, but it is what it is.
Speaker 1:I thought you were going to say you were a scratch sea flight player. That would be good.
Speaker 7:I'm not a sea flight. It's only getting worse. But I will say that I'm scheduled on October 14th to replace my left shoulder. I'm a natural lefty but I hit a golf ball righty and I heard it 42 years ago playing freshman football and it's now no cartilage bone on bone, so I'm going to miss our nationals this year. I'm sorry to miss it. I'm sorry to hear that, but I need to get that shoulder replaced. It's a toothache every day, but if that's the worst thing that's gone on in my life, I'm doing okay.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, I don't know if you noticed, but I had my knee replaced. Was it maybe a year ago, two years ago, whatever it was? And you know, when I go in to see the doctor, he started running down the things that I've done and basically said well, you've lived your life, you've used your body. That's kind of what you're supposed to do. I'm 57 myself, so again, I think we're still too young to tap to, to do those things, have any replacement or those types of things. But it is what it is. We've lived our life, we've used our body. Um, deal with it, get it done and hopefully you don't have I hope you don't have that shoulder pain anymore and then you can get better at golf I hope so too.
Speaker 7:it's, oh it's miserable, and I hope I recover fast. Did you recover quickly? I want to talk about the tour more, but did you recover quickly?
Speaker 1:Quicker than I had expected, quicker than I had ideally expected, but not as quick as Tim would want to do, because I just want to fix. I want to fix, wake up tomorrow, have it fixed and then tomorrow I'm moving around. So I mean, realistically, I still have some issues with it, like again, don't want to get into it too much, but I can't kneel, I can't run. They say I'll never run again, which that's a problem for me, but I'm still dealing with it. You know what are you going to do, so but yeah, it was worth it.
Speaker 7:I can walk, though At the time before, I had it done, I could barely walk and you're, and you're pain free. So that's the you know. The doctor keeps saying quality of life, and that's what's most important.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. So you really get on some really good courses and it amazes me. Every year when your schedule comes out, I look and I look at the courses that you get on. You get on some really good private courses that are hidden gems that if you're not from that area, you don't know anything about them. But I'm from that area and I know the courses that you're on are really good courses. How did you manage to do that? Was that basically from contacts from your, your uh?
Speaker 7:heyday stuff. Well, first of all, I I started playing, uh, our types of tours in the early I don't know 2008, 2000. I played on the golf channel am tour, um, for a while, and the main reason I joined it, I wanted access to private country clubs. So that tour had a couple private country clubs and I'm saying to myself, man, there's no way I'd ever be able to play. It's called conquered country club in west chester, pennsylvania. Uh, I'm going to join this tour and go play conquered, and for years I would join the tour just to play one event because I wanted to play this country club. And so then, when I took over the tour, I took the philosophy of I want to offer our players the opportunity to play high-end private country clubs that they otherwise would never be able to play, and I take great pride in that and that's a philosophy I've taken.
Speaker 7:Now, as we all know, covid's the greatest thing that happened to golf since Tiger Woods.
Speaker 7:It's really tough in Northeast US to secure weekend times at high-end public and certainly the country clubs aren't going to give us Saturdays or Sundays anymore and um, but I take great pride in offering these guys the opportunity to play wonderful golf courses with wonderful amenities, old school clubhouses, um, and most of them really appreciate it.
Speaker 7:And in terms of how I've gotten on them, my background, I'm an old school sales guy. I just I have the guts to just call them up and ask them, but I do have relationships. I belong to a club called Radley Run Country Club in my hometown of Westchester Pennsylvania. Hey, pro, can you, can you call so-and-so? Do you know so-and-so at this club? And invariably he's been around for 40 years. So yes, I know him and he'll get me on there. So that's how I've gone about it and that's how I've secured these clubs and it is fun and the guys really they truly do appreciate playing these high-end clubs and using the men's locker room and the locker room attendant and getting their shoes shined and living the country club experience that they may or may not experience on a regular basis.
Speaker 1:Right, right, and that's you know, being a tour director, that's what you really want to hear. After the round, they come up and they thank you for getting on this course or that course because they couldn't have gotten on it otherwise. That's something that, at least for me, means a ton.
Speaker 7:Absolutely. And it's interesting. We have a tour player named Ryan Nolan and Ryan played for years on the Tidewater Tour when he was still military and he moved up to my area and he just raves about Northeast US courses. He absolutely loves our courses. He said I've never down South, I've never played courses like this, and you know there's old school and Philly has a rich history of golf and you know Cobbs Creek Golf Course in West Philly is being renovated, supported by Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth, and we're hoping to get on there and it's honestly one of my favorite aspects of the tour is creating the schedule and sharing it with the guys. I say guys because we really don't have any women on my tour. I think I've had maybe two or three to play over the five years, but delivering these courses to the players like, oh my gosh, this is the best schedule I've ever seen. I can't wait to play this course, that course, and it's extremely gratifying doing that.
Speaker 1:So what is your? Not from the tour director perspective, but from the player perspective what's your favorite course that you play on on the tour?
Speaker 7:Gosh, it's funny. I made a call. We haven't played there since 2021. Uh, there's golf courts called manufacturers golf and country club. Yes, and it's uh quokly named manny's, and manny's is was built in the early 1900s. Literally, philadelphia owners of manufacturing facilities wanted a country club, so they built manufacturers golf and country club.
Speaker 7:It is so old school. It's just a wonderful layout. Couple aspects I really love. It has two greens on number 18. Number 18 has a large elevation at the end of the fairway and at the top of the fairway there's a green and then there's a lower green and they just alternate. I don't know the history, why they built two greens, but it's pretty cool. One year they may say you're playing lower green, this year we're playing lower green, this year we're playing upper green. On the side of it the hill is so steep. It has a trolley that your clubs go up on a cart and you can take this tram, this trolley, sit on this trolley and go up the hill.
Speaker 7:I love locker rooms and I took a picture of a manufacturer's locker room I room and it's just old metal cage lockers and I sent a picture to my wife, kelly. I said Kel, look at this locker room, it's freaking awesome. She's like that's ghetto. Like that's she's. They have metal lockers, that's ghetto. I said that's not ghetto, that is classic old school northeast US Country Club. So Manufacturers is my all-time favorite.
Speaker 7:And then I'm always proud of my club, bradley Run Country Club. It's in Westchester, pennsylvania. It's only we're celebrating our 60th anniversary this year. It's only been around since 65, but the course was built on land that was part of the Battle of Brandywine and, ironically, the Battle of Brandywine was fought on September 11th, 9-11, 1777. So this country got his ass kicked twice on 9-11, 1777 and 2001. So I love my club. I'm extremely proud of our golf course. It's extremely challenging, it's rolling hills in beautiful Chester County, pennsylvania, and our, our players love it and I love to show off my club and uh, always, uh, have an open bar for at least one or two drinks for the guys and, you know, give back to my club and show off my club. I want them to hang around afterwards and we always have a good time at my, you know, at my own club.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. So I've heard of manufacturing before and I've heard nothing but things like you just said how wonderful it is, how old school it is, and I've heard of Radley Run as well, kind of the same things. I had an opportunity to play there probably 15 years ago and I turned it down.
Speaker 7:Manny's or Radley Run. Radley Run Okay.
Speaker 1:So, but you know I spent almost 20 years in New York, pennsylvania, as a college professor, you know. So you know going back and forth in that area. A lot of my students come from that area so I would play with them over there a lot. Yeah, you're on some really good courses.
Speaker 7:Love it. What's strangest, the strangest thing about Radley Run Country Club? Our logo. I meant to wear a Radley shirt today, but our logo is a Hessian soldier and King George. When he wanted to fight these colonists that were giving him problems, he had other battles, he was battling in India and so forth, so he said, let me hire these German mercenaries to go over there and get those colonists in line. So he hires these Hessian soldiers, these German mercenaries, to go over to the colonies to fight. And, for whatever reason, the developer of the neighborhood around Radley Run used this Hessian soldier, the enemy, as its logo. So the neighborhood was built, then the country club was built and the country club decided to use the hessian soldier, the german mercenary, as our logo. It's very strange, um, but it is what it is. But we do have some members that refuse to purchase apparel with the hessian soldier on there because it's the enemy. It's like that. It's like having the taliban as the logo. It's.
Speaker 1:It's very weird yeah, but you're at a point now where it's not going anywhere right?
Speaker 7:No, it's after 60 years. Well, we do have a secondary logo. We have, you know, blue, white and red flags. Our blue flags it's blue with stars on it, and that was the flag of General Washington's headquarters. The white flag is white with a Florida Lee on it. That was General Lafayette's headquarters flag. And then our red flag it's red and in the top left-hand corner has stars in it, and that was the Battle of the Brandywine flag. So we are rich in American history and Revolutionary War history, and that's one of my favorite aspects of our club as well.
Speaker 1:That's awesome, awesome. So, of your remaining schedule, what's one from each tour? That's a, that's a can't miss if you get, if you have people traveling in.
Speaker 7:Gosh. Well, the main one, it's coming up T TPC Yasna Palana. Interestingly enough, it was enough. It was recently purchased by Concert Golf, one of these conglomerates, private equity funded businesses that are buying up country clubs. So TPC Yosna Polana in New Jersey. It's a dual event for Philly and New Jersey and it's expensive. It's a dual event for Philly and New Jersey and it's expensive. It's a $295 entry fee for one day of golf. But the players are coming out again because there's no way they're walking on Jasna Palana by themselves. So that's the crown jewel of the remainder of our schedule and I'm proud to again, I'm so proud to just deliver it. And you know, the guys say how'd you get us on there? I said, well, you know, I'm an old school sales guy and you know I have my Irish heritage.
Speaker 1:I give them the Irish Blarney and I seem to talk my way into getting on some of these places. That's also the key, though. If you don't ask, the answer is always no, right. So well, tim, thank you so much for spending some time with us today, and I really do appreciate it. Sorry, sorry, we're going to miss you in Hilton Head, but you gotta, you gotta, get that thing fixed.
Speaker 7:My pleasure and, chris, nice meeting you. Tim, always good to see you and be in your company. And hello to that Jen Newman as well. I'll let her know.
Speaker 4:All right guys, all right Take care let's take a break from the show to hear about Strixon's ZX Mark II drivers. Zx Mark II drivers are for major players, major winners, major power. All new ZX Mark II drivers only from Shrixon.
Speaker 1:You know, chris, we had Tim Horan, the Philly, New Jersey tour director. Like I said, it's the first time we've had him on and we were talking before we recorded. It's funny how there's still so many tour directors that we haven't had on yet. We get members from most of the tours. I don't think there's any tour that we haven't had a member on yet. But you know, tour directors are a little bit different to get on. If we get new ones on, obviously we get them on right away. But as we look at it, we've got to get more tour directors on, and especially Tim. He's a unique guy. I mean some of his skill sets and what he does. I really like that. He puts together fun and games for a job, for a living.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's when you find something that you enjoy and you're passionate about. It's a lot easier to do, and I mean he's found the, the recipe for success, I guess.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And obviously it's going to pay. It's going to pay it forward. When, then, you find something else that you can do on the side and you enjoy doing so, yeah it's he's really good at what he does. He's run in two golf week tours and a senior tour.
Speaker 1:But it's, but you know it's. It's doing what he would normally do, when he really gets one day anyway, right.
Speaker 1:And I don't know if you've ever seen some of his Facebook stuff. I mean, he's literally all over the place doing really good things at different places with all kinds of good stuff. It's fun to see. Let's just put it that way. And you know, I mentioned in the opening he's done something that you and I have not, which is have a national champion, and that was Dougie Phillips. I don't know if you remember we had him on Dougie Phillips.
Speaker 2:It's been a while.
Speaker 1:I think he was like one of our first interviews, yep. Dougie you know we haven't. You're not cracking the leaderboard that much anymore, so maybe you need to get on and kind of explain yourself.
Speaker 2:He has no explaining to do. He's a national champion.
Speaker 1:He can do whatever he wants. He can do whatever he wants, all right. So you're going to Hawaii here in a little bit and you know I was looking at at uh, so people are going to think I'm I'm spending so much time on Facebook. I really don't, I'm just talking about it a couple of things. So I really like what you guys did with your kids about going to Hawaii. You know they had to to do presentations, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:That you know that was do presentations. Oh, yes, yes, yes, you know that was. I loved it. And I think it was your youngest son who talked about. He wanted to go to Turtle Bay and I meant to tell you you have to go to Turtle Bay. That's not a want to, that's a you have to.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, yeah, we're definitely going.
Speaker 1:And you know that's a course where you can get a caddy, and I would suggest that you do it, and it goes right out to the North Shore and so I don't know if this is a time when the big waves are going to be there on the North Shore, but I was there in early January one year and talk about seeing some big waves oh, there's some big waves and talk about seeing some big waves, oh there's some big waves, big waves.
Speaker 1:I mean big waves, big waves, and you can see it right from one of the greens there. It's absolutely beautiful, absolutely beautiful.
Speaker 2:I know we're going to the Turtle Bay Beach, so that'll be nice. I'll have to look up this golf course. I am playing rural Hawaiian, which apparently the views are amazing. It's like you're in Jurassic Park playing golf. So that I'm for sure doing. But I know I have one or two more extra days to get around in here and there.
Speaker 1:So you're not playing golf every day?
Speaker 2:What? No, I would be spruced to fight on the way back Come on now.
Speaker 1:Well, I do hope that you go to Pearl Harbor.
Speaker 2:We are doing that, mm-hmm. Okay, my oldest actually wants to do that, which is pretty.
Speaker 1:It's pretty moving.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I don't know if you've ever been, but it's pretty moving. I hope you enjoy that, hope you do get surfing lessons and we're going to talk again before you go, but these things keep coming up as you're getting closer.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's exciting nerve-wracking because I am taking my clubs and you know you miss a flight anywhere inside the continent of the United States. You can get them pretty quickly. Continent of the United States you can get them pretty quickly. When you're a change of flight and then a six-hour flight after that, you're hoping that they can find them. So that's a little nerve-wracking but we'll be all right.
Speaker 1:You should be fine. Either that or send them ship sticks.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'll just put them right underneath me with my air tag and I'll know where they're at.
Speaker 1:Okay, that's how I can't figure air tag out, but that's a different discussion. So we do have other June member of the month nominations, as always, again got some really good nominations and I'm really glad that Jerry nominated Tracy. I mean, I think that's phenomenal for again for her, for the Arkansas tour and for us as a whole. But let's go ahead and read the nominations from the other nominees. I'll start in Central Carolina. Read the nominations from the other nominees. Okay, I'll start in central Carolina. We would like to nominate Justin Robertson from from the golf week tour. He's an outstanding member of our tour. He helps with Facebook pages for both golf week and senior golf tours. He takes pictures, makes videos and posts them on a Facebook page and monitors it for us.
Speaker 6:That's a lot that's a lot.
Speaker 1:You know that he attends every tournament and helps out whenever he's asked. He loves the podcast and listens to all of them. Justin, thank you so much for listening. I do appreciate it. And now my I really do appreciate it. He does a lot to promote the tour and has brought us many new members. He started our player of the month for our tour and gives each featured player a box of Strixon balls at his own expense. He has an awesome personality.
Speaker 1:Just turned 39 years old. He works for John Deere Night Shift. He got off work, raced home to take a shower with no sleep and drove to make the Bryan's Park two-day tournament. He truly exemplifies what our tour is all about and shines a light on the character of what we wanted players to have in our Central North Carolina tour. I've included a picture of his custom golf bag to show how much he loves and is invested in the Tour. He even put the sponsor's trick sign on the bag. Please consider Justin as Player of the Month. Justin, thank you so much for what you do. I really appreciate it. I know Chuck and Sal appreciate it and the other members appreciate it. Keep up the good work and thanks for listening.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 6:That's pretty good.
Speaker 2:He doesn't have to go out of his way and do what he does for not only the social media, but I mean the player of the month, getting them a Schicksal golf or a set of golf balls. That's pretty cool yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's solid effort right there, definitely. Um so from the charlotte tour I would like to nominate vick lawrence from the charlotte uh oldest member on any tour. Has been a member since inception of the tour. Plays in numerous golf week and senior events around the country. Big advocate of the tour. Plays in numerous Golf Week and Senior events around the country. Big advocate for the tour. Loves golf. Always there to help if needed.
Speaker 1:I know Vic. Vic, thanks for all that you do. You know I don't know why he's got to be thrown on the bus as the oldest person on tour.
Speaker 2:Hey, they're just trying to put him out there like that.
Speaker 1:Keep up the good work bud.
Speaker 2:He's at least 30 years old.
Speaker 1:Oh, he really is a good guy. Oh boy, All right, Indianapolis. You know, Amal has done a good job with nominating good players, and he's already sent us one for July as well, which is pretty solid effort too. Here we go. Player of the Month Senior Tour is Dave Parker. We'll nominate Dave Parker Player of the Month within the Senior Tour for May June 2025.
Speaker 1:Throughout June, Dave has maintained a robust playing schedule, completing eight rounds and including two regional tournaments, a round and another tour and two local events. What's particularly noteworthy is his steadfast presence in every tournament organized for his senior tour, as well as participation in golf week tours. His dedication is such that even in our infrequent off weeks, Dave seeks out competitive opportunities in our neighboring tours. Furthermore, he has demonstrated a consistent commitment to the highest levels of senior competition, having played in every annual national tournament to date and with plans to compete in this year's event as well. Beyond his impressive playing record, Dave has become a natural advocate for both the senior and golf week tour, consistently sharing positive feedback and information with his fellow competitors in our tour and also the player he played in within his home course. His genuine affection for golf is unmistakable and his proactive engagement is precisely the kind of support that fuels growth in a smaller market like ours. There he goes with a smaller market again. His consistent involvement and word of mouth promotion are invaluable assets. In light of his steadfast dedication to playing, his consistent participation in national tournaments and his efforts in promoting our tour, I strongly recommend Dave Parker for Player of the Month for June 2025.
Speaker 1:Another good, solid nomination. Yeah, I mean they're Another good, solid nomination.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean they're all good, they really are.
Speaker 2:He usually gets away from the small market stuff. He keeps talking about it. We've already had this discussion with him on air. Exactly no more small market. And our last one, Nashville D-Flight player Hamid Arab. Looks like he's a Golf Week and senior member.
Speaker 2:One of the kindest players I have. He is a player that everyone wants to play with. I originally saw him come in shooting well over 100 four years ago Don't have to call him out like that and he worked hard to improve. He won his first D-Fight event last year and you should have seen his smile. He knows all the rules, helps everyone in his group and is one of the best at helping his group maintain a good pace of play. A true golfing gentleman.
Speaker 1:That's awesome Again, another really good nomination. I mean, it doesn't matter. If you shoot 100, you do you get better. I'm not going to 100.
Speaker 2:Shame you yeah, I mean as long as you're a good person on the course, I think that's all I need.
Speaker 1:I mean, we got skydived. You know old people shaming people, you know.
Speaker 2:Hundreds just number. Hundreds just number.
Speaker 1:I'm just going to keep it to myself. It is what it is. Oh boy, oh boy. You know, while we're talking about you know, player of the month. I was following Joe Jaspers as he played in the US Senior Open At one point on Friday. He was a low amateur and he was right there. He was right on the cut line and he didn't make a cut, kind of fell off after, I think, the 12th hole, but he was right there.
Speaker 2:I mean he got to compete with some of the best of the best on the senior tour, so can't really be upset about that, and I would assume they make that course as difficult as they make the US Open.
Speaker 1:I'm sure, and you know they're playing that course as difficult as they make the US Open. I'm sure so, and you know they're playing. I think they played 700. 700 yards wow, that's far. I mean. I think they played right around 7,000 yards for seniors.
Speaker 2:That's not terrible.
Speaker 1:For seniors.
Speaker 2:I know.
Speaker 1:I mean.
Speaker 2:Our seniors don't even play 7,000 yards. No, I know, I mean, our seniors don't even play 7,000 yards.
Speaker 1:No, I mean yeah, so you're.
Speaker 2:Granted, granted, our golf week does play that and he still wins a lot. Yeah, so Good for him.
Speaker 1:God bless him. God bless him. You know, keep up the good work. And you know, keep up the good work. And you know, hopefully we'll see Joe. I know we'll see Joe at National Championship.
Speaker 2:We'll see him up there on the leaderboard.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and hopefully he'll go for something again next year and see what happens.
Speaker 2:I'm pretty sure, yeah, see what happens? I'm pretty sure, yeah. Golfers like that. They're constantly looking for ways to to show off their game.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Whether.
Speaker 1:Oh, but it's it's not really showing off. I mean, it's just trying to beat the best of the best.
Speaker 2:For for us it's showing off. For them it's just another day, another day on the course.
Speaker 1:Right, I mean, if I could do it, heck yeah.
Speaker 2:I'd do it. That's one of my goals is to one day be able to compete for these types of events.
Speaker 1:No, I gave up on that a long time ago when I realized I couldn't. Even when I was playing a lot, I could hit the ball more than 225, 230 yards. There's just no way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you got to pound that ball up there.
Speaker 1:You know. So it is what it is and that's okay. You play your game, you do you. So we've got. This. Past weekend was a big weekend, most torrents of any weekend all year. Got some good news out of the end of the day today. So, for those that are aware, got good news, good result today. Now on to the next phase and we'll see what happens. But you know, please, keep you know. We're talking about this, jennifer, right now. But you know, keep everybody in your prayers. You know, because, like actually before we got on with Tim, we were talking about a few things. Everybody has something going on in their life or knows somebody who's going through some things. You know, if the tour can put a smile on their face, let's make sure we do that. And, and you know, circle the wagons as as a tour family. Yeah, whatever it is.
Speaker 2:I mean, that's what we've preached numerous times here is that that's what we can do, and that's the least that we can do and, like I said, it brings a smile to their face Can't do anything better than that.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. So we've got the club raffle going on. It's been kind of quiet. So I mean, if you want to set a strict sign of irons, make sure you Venmo me. Tim N-A-T-C.
Speaker 2:Just thinking about it one ticket $10, could get you a new set right before Nationals. Yep. And we'll send those out real quick too. It won't be ups 10 to 14 days.
Speaker 1:We'll get those to you in your hands before you even know there won't be any dirt on them plastic seal on them and everything I'll leave them in the box. Yeah, we'll just ship the box. So this is what it is. What else you got bud?
Speaker 2:no, that's it. I mean, like I said, we're just focusing on having a good trip, um get back relaxed, probably too relaxed, but ready to go well, you ship the kids off to school, so you get back, so you'll be able to kick back literally the monday we get back, they're gone, they're off to school as soon as you get back. So you'll be able to kick back Literally the Monday we get back, they're gone, they're back to school. They got one day to rest from vacation and they're back to school already.
Speaker 1:Such is life. Such is life. Such is life. I will be going to the regional in in Genutech, so I'll see everybody there. I will be going to the regional in in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in, in in. I don't want to give too much stuff away, but it'll be fun. We'll be doing live interviews because Chris will be in Hawaii. Yeah, sorry.
Speaker 2:You know, so Sorry that time difference will be a little bit different from the East Coast.
Speaker 1:It will be.
Speaker 2:Hawaii yeah.
Speaker 1:It will be so. All right, my friend, we got one more talk before you leave, so so you rest up and we'll talk to you soon yes, sir best of family. Take care you.
