Get a Grip with Shane Bacon

This week's guest is a great one as Patrick Koenig joins the show to talk about his RGV Tour. Patrick and Shane discuss his recent world record-breaking moment on the golf course, how much you still love golf when you've played nearly 500 courses in a year and plenty more! 

Patrick is one of the good guys in golf so make sure to give him a follow (@pjkoenig) and check out his website for all the tales from the road! https://www.pj...

It's been long overdue to have Kate Smith on the podcast so we are happy to report she is in fact this week's guest!

Kate talks about her great season Epson Tour, what flipped from her rookie year to this level of consistent play, and what she will do to prep for Q-School later this year.

Then, Kate and Shane talk about how they got into business together and started Ground Under Repair. Kate talks about the balance between ownin...

If you missed the Korn Ferry Tour Championship earlier this month, you missed one of the most gutting moments in the history of professional golf. Shad Tuten was right around the top-30 number on Sunday needing to finish strong to get his PGA Tour card for 2024.

Shad got penalized on the 15th hole and that two-shot penalty cost him his PGA Tour card, eventually finishing 32nd on the points list. After a couple of months to reflect...

If you live in the northeast you know that we are getting closer and closer to simulator szn. It's basically here for us cold-weathered people and that means the attention turns to indoor golf options so I thought it made sense to chat a little with a man who started a company to make simulator work easier for the consumer.

Carl (The Carl behind Carl's Place) chatted about the business, the Covid boom for his business, and what ma...

Max Homa returns to the podcast after his first Ryder Cup experience to break the whole week down. 

The two open the podcast talking about the Dodgers run in the playoffs and what a real offseason will look like for Max before diving into the Ryder Cup that wrapped on Sunday.

Max talks about playing with Brian Harman, the vibe of the event, and how word spread internally about the whole Cantlay/Rory/LaCava situation. Max and Shan...

One of the best events of the entire year in golf is upon us, and who better to have than Golf Digest's Joel Beall on the show to break it all down?

Joel is live from the media center at Marco Simone to give us his initial thoughts on the golf course, who he thinks it favors, why it'll be an awesome match play course and plenty more.

The two then dive into which player on each side must have a good week for their team to win, the...

Fresh off his third U.S. Mid-Am title, Stewart Hagestad swings by to chat with Shane about the win at Sleepy Hollow. The two discuss the difference between his first mid-am to the most recent one, what he still has left to accomplish in his amateur career, and how cool it will be for Hagestad to play in a U.S. Open (in 2024 at Pinehurst thanks to his mid-am win) where he played his first ever USGA event (2008 U.S. Amateur).

They c...

One of the most fun pods of the year is here with Joel Dahmen and Geno Bonnalie, who were gracious enough to have a little fun at their own expense.

Geno, who has looped for Joel for nine years, presents his top-five list of the worst shots and/or worst caddie calls of the two's partnership. It's an amazing conversation between two of the nicest guys in golf and a fun offseason reminder that even the best in the world can hit awfu...

A fun change to this week's podcast, as Shane traveled to Scotland last month to check out a true links course that is getting a makeover. The Links Golf Club recently purchased Spey Bay and hired the DeVries Designs team to do a full renovation of the property.

Mike DeVries, Michael Clayton, and Frank Pont join Shane from Spey Bay to chat about the job, the architectural excitement of getting a chance to work on a true piece of l...

The pod is flipped today with Claire Rogers of Golf.com fame taking hosting duties to ask Shane questions about his U.S. Amateur experience. Shane chats about the week, how tough Cherry Hills played and the difficulty of competing at a championships level.

The two then dive into the comeback season for Bryson DeChambeau, what's left the rest of the year for both in terms of golf travel and plenty more!

A big thanks to Claire for ...

Before Shane departs for Denver to compete in his first-ever U.S. Amateur he catches up with the 2016 champion, Curtis Luck. Curtis and Shane talk about the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour season and what has worked as of late for Curtis before reminiscing about his win at Oakland Hills.

Curtis talks about a fairway bunker shot he hit in the stroke play that got him really going that week, how the two previous U.S. Ams he played in helped in...

On this week's Get a Grip, Shane chats with Golf Digest's Joel Beall about the Justin Thomas debate surrounding the upcoming Ryder Cup. Should JT's incredible Ryder Cup record (and ability to get under the skin of the Europeans) be enough to earn him a spot even with the very spot season he's having? 

Joel and Shane discuss JT on the team, then move to what this American team might actually look like considering how many guys from...

One of the coolest events in all of golf wrapped last week in Pinehurst, and we have one of the most impactful players in the field here to recap the championship.

Alex Fourie joins Shane to chat about the second U.S. Adaptive Open, what the week means to that community, and how cool it is to see this tournament alongside historical events like the U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open.

Alex then gets into how he got into the game, wha...

The old guy gets through! A day after qualifying for his first U.S. Amateur, Shane chats about the day, the experience, and how hyped he is to get out to Colorado. 

Shane discusses what has clicked lately with his golf game, his mental game, and his approach to competitive golf and then gets into the day at Bonnie Briar. He also gives a huge shoutout to Kevin, his caddie for the day, for leaning into the aggressive play that led t...

It's always a good time to catch up with No Laying Up's D.J. Piehowski, who is fresh off another launch of the highly anticipated and acclaimed "Strapped" series. Shane and D.J. talk about "Strapped," how the idea came to life, what it's like producing such a popular series, and how close they were to ending the series after the South Carolina finale. 
After that discussion, D.J. and Shane talk about the U.S. Women's Open at Peb...

Fresh off his best finish on the PGA Tour, Zac Blair stops by the pod to chat about his awesome week at the Travelers. The two get into the pressures of playing for your livelihood coming down the stretch at a big event, how Zac keeps pressing the gas during low rounds, and the satisfaction of all but wrapping up his PGA Tour card for next season.

After that, the two talk about The Tree Farm, Zac's new golf course in South Carolin...

A final preview for the U.S. Open and this time with one of the men integral in bringing Los Angeles Country Club back to its roots.

Gil Hanse joins Shane from LACC to talk about the honor of seeing one of his restorations displayed at the highest of levels, the sneaky 17th hole and then the 3 most strategic shots at LACC.

A big thanks to Gil for the time and the incredible insight.

______

Don't forget to check out the latest P...

An exciting Monday episode as Max Homa returns to the podcast to preview a golf course he knows oh so well. Max and Shane talk about the two-week break before the third major of the year for Homa and then dive deep into Los Angeles Country Club.

Max, who held the course record at LACC for nearly eight years, talks about that record-breaking 61 in the 2013 Pac-12 Championship, what he remembered about the day, and plenty more. 

Af...

On this week's Get a Grip, Shane opens with his thoughts on the exceptional Rose Zhang and her victory on Sunday. Then, one of the most exciting athletes of the last 25 years, Reggie Bush, jumps on the pod to talk about his journey to golf, his obsession with getting better, and what he wants to do to help more kids that have similar upbringings to his get into the game. 

The two also talk about what makes an athlete electrifying,...