April 9, 2020 • 44 mins
Charlie Rymer from Myrtle Beach joins Geoff Shackelford in the second episode of The Shack Show to discuss life at Myrtle Beach and adjustments the golf industry might have to make because of the current situation. Charlie also shares what his emotions were like broadcasting the 2019 Masters, the brilliance and kindness of Mike Tirico, and lastly, he gives insight into his recent FaceTime chat with Jack Nicklaus.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Shack Show is a production of I Heart Radio. Well,
a lot of you know Charlie Reimer from the Golf
Channel and his work on television going back to when
(00:20):
he started working for ESPN started with a Golf Channel
two thousand nine, and uh, a lot of people don't know.
Charlie Reimer is a former U S Junior Amateur champion.
He also played at George Tech, where he was an
All American a couple of times and won five tournaments.
He's in the Georgia Tech Athletics Hall of Fame alongside
(00:41):
Bobby Jones. I believe would be in that same Hall
of fame. But I love Charlie because he's just one
of the great minds of golf. You know, in television
sometimes there's some real thinkers and people who have a
great grasp of a sport in the big picture, and
television doesn't always allow them to show that. And Charlie
Rymer is one of those people. So I wanted to
(01:02):
talk to him about his life and Myrtle Beach working
for Golf Tourism Solutions. He's moved there um and he
is doing all sorts of great content for play Myrtle
Beach Dot com Now we just got Charlie for this
conversation after he's hung up with Jack Nicholas on a
FaceTime call talking about the nineteen six Masters, which I
(01:23):
eventually let him talk about at the end. But I'm
so excited for Charlie. I can't wait to see that conversation.
He has a neat bond with Jack Nicholas. But I
wanted to talk to him, obviously about the state of
affairs and in our world in the game, because he's
out there every day playing golf with with regular golfers
and experiencing life there. But he's also somebody who stays
(01:44):
very much in touch with the regular game. And of
course this week he would have been announcing at the
Masters for Westwood one Radio. Last year he did it
alongside Mike Terrico, and that was a big part of
our conversation, recapping Tiger woods is win and what it
was like to work with Mike Tarrico and that special
moment when Tiger capped off his fifth Master's title and
(02:06):
was there on the eighteenth green and the whole scene,
and it was a special, special week, and so I
wanted to hear from Charlie about all that. So here's
my chat with Charlie Rhymer. All right, we're here with
the big timer, Charlie Rhymer. Charlie, where are you today?
Are you and Myrtle? I am. I'm on the south
end of Myrtle Beach, Jeff And uh, my home is
(02:27):
Myrtles Endless, South Carolina. And I'm actually at my home
golf course community here it's uh. Watch you saw a
plantation club and I'm sitting here watching the Wacom river
roll right by my window right now. So uh, it's
a pretty good place to be in quarantine. Are you
uh shut down golf wise? There? No? Uh, we have
(02:50):
of course what worried about? Eighty golf courses here in
Myrtle Beach, And and my course is open. I'm gonna
say a little more than half are open. And of
course we've got in all the protocols and when you
go out to play, it's completely contactless. Uh. And and
everyone is being really good about the social distancing. If
(03:11):
you choosday get in the cart. And by the way,
I haven't I've been uh using I got a little
remote control buggy that I sent out in front of me.
Of course, I've got a litt country music playing on it.
But uh it's uh uh completely as safe as you
can be. You know, outside there's no towel service, there's
no water coolers. We've got the the cup sent upside down,
(03:33):
you don't touch the flag sticks, ball doesn't go very
far down the cup, and no school cards out and
that sort of stuff. So I feel real good about
uh me and outside getting some exercise. Good for the sanity,
and I think it's about a safer thing as as
you can do. And everyone that I've seen has been
real respectful of that as well. Good good. Yeah, It's
(03:55):
it's such a tricky thing right now, but I kind
of cling to the fact that that in that little
window when this first happened, that that people the whether
whether you feel people should be playing golf or not,
or any any of the issues of this, that that
little little light bulb probably went off with a lot
of people that golf is going to be a great
(04:17):
place to be in in the future after this. And
that's kind of the only positive I can I can find.
But it seems like it's something to to cling to.
It's it's is that your sense, Yeah, And it's really
neat to see Uh. In my golf course community here, Uh, Jeff,
we're seeing people out riding bikes, people walking around, of course,
(04:42):
not congregating big groups, but you've seen that on the
golf course as well. And I think maybe, uh, the
model is going to change a little bit for golf
after this, because people are learning that the golf golf
is a great way to exercise and and you you
can take a guard if you want, a single rider,
but going out for nine holes, walking, carrying the bag,
(05:04):
taking one of the push trials, or unfortunately have this
little fancy remote control thing that I got a few
years ago. Um, people are learning that that, you know,
golf is more than just about hopping in a golf
cart and seeing how fast you can get around the
golf course. And and we played four of us yesterday,
three really good players, and then me and uh were
(05:26):
walked and the round was three hours and fifty five minutes.
And to to walk close to seven miles and three
hours and five minutes and have some conversation and being
a beautiful place and escape from all the troubles of
the world, you know, Jeff, that's a good thing. And
I'm hoping that as people, uh, reevaluate everything they're doing
(05:47):
in their lives. I know, I am uh it's it's
almost like hitting the reset button across work and family
and social uh as as as a country and the
really the world. As we emerged from this cry, there's
gonna be things. You're gonna be a lot different, and
I think golf really has a chance to shine and
maybe a little purer form than we've seen it slip
(06:08):
into over these past many years. Yeah, when you're describing
that scene too, you know, one of the things that
that you know, having played in the Open Championship and
been over overseas, is golf courses are a little more
of a community treasure and but they're also a place
where late evening somebody walking their dog and um or
(06:30):
people just go out for a walk. And here we're
we're so often so nuts about that kind of thing.
I mean, Pebble Beach is a nice exception. You see
people out in the evening there, they let that go.
But for the most part, you know, real estate developments
and things are just dreadful about that. And I get it,
there's liability stuff and all that, but I kind of
(06:51):
hope that since that was one of the things you
were touching on. There is is is kind of community wise,
we golf needs to relax a little and let let
it be a place in the community a little bit more.
And Yeah, if somebody goes out and walks and dogging
seven thirty at night and they just and they see
this beautiful place and they treasured a little bit more
of the the game will will benefit from that. Well,
(07:14):
golf as a game definitely will benefit. Golf is an
industry I think is going to have to make some adjustments.
And people sort of get um in a rut in
the golf they play. And I've seen this during the
during this U quarantine that we're in. Um people they
(07:34):
they for example, they gotta have those early tea times.
I have no idea why on a weekend you want
to get up early and played golf. And I've been
talking to my buddies and I'm like, you guys are
absolutely crazy. Um, I get up in the morning. I
like to be productive in the morning. That one to
three o'clock tea time in the afternoon, especially like a
place here in the in the Myrtle Beach area. This time,
(07:57):
here's a little warmer in the summertime. That humidity can
can get out in the afternoons, and the golf course
is dry, and not everybody's in such a big hurry.
And and uh, my guys, I don't understand why you
got to get those first tea times and fight and argue.
It makes no sense to me. And and uh there's
(08:19):
people that We've got a beautiful sunset, as I mentioned
here where on the walk of my river, and there's
a on the far side from from my house, and
the golf course is a is a magnificent nature preserve,
and and the sunset is absolutely spectacular. Jeff, my wife
and I call it the show. And and we we
(08:39):
always try to sit no matter how busy we are,
we try to sit down either outside on a bench
or inside and watch the show. Well you can see
that from the golf course. And all these people that
have been fighting for these early tea times, they're never
on the golf course at the prettiest, most comfortable time
of day. I just don't get it. And outside the
US people seem to get that, But I don't know.
(09:01):
I really hope that that a lot of changes come
to golf after this and and and and the walking
and not rushing so much and uh uh, just sort
of slowing down and appreciating where you are and who
you're with. I'm hopeful that that that happens in golf
when there's crazy messages behind us. Yeah, I sense it will.
(09:23):
I'm with you. I have never understood the douce sweeping thing,
that the course is wet, you gotta get up early.
It's harder to loosen up. And I just don't think
there's a more beautiful place to be and then any
golf course on the planet in the twilight, it's just
it's just magical. And I'm always amazed at those at
four am Togo. Why would you do that? Have an
(09:45):
early dinner and then go play late nine. That's so
exactly I think that, And I have a theory about it.
And again I've been talking to some of the guys
about to keep to do and and I think it's
I think that's some of the old schools chauvinistic roots
that they run deep. And in this game where the
(10:07):
good players, the men have to get out in front
of the women because the women will slow them down.
And I told another day, I said, let me tell
you got something. I said, I had two foursomes of
women played through me the other day. They were having
so much fun. They're playing faster than than I was. Now.
They were in a cart and I was walking with
a group. I said, I'm come on through, ladies. I'm
(10:28):
happy as I could be to have them play through.
And and it's just sitting. It just just said old
school chauvinism that still sort of permeates down through our
game and hopefully is on its way out. But I'm like,
I'm my guys, they play faster than you do. Let
them through out ahead of you. That makes a lot
more sense. But a lot of men just won't admit that,
(10:50):
you know. Yeah, yeah, the same reason that that an
eight year old guy won't play tease because they're painted red.
It's just that those kinds of things, and I think
some of those values were changing already before this. It
just this may be something that that expedites that sort
of turnover. Yeah. I hope so, And I hope I
hope clubs and golf facilities are open to that. Yeah,
(11:14):
I think they will be. All Right, We're gonna take
a quick break and from the Shack Show here, and
then we're gonna talk to Charlie about some fun stuff
related to the Masters. All right, Charlie, obviously we would
be in augusta this time of year. You have how
(11:37):
many years have you worked the radio broadcast there? And
you're a little booth right underneath what is above you?
Is it the CBS booth above you? Well that I
come and knock on your windows and and well, so
it used to be where we were elevated. Uh. And
then the Chairman Payne determined that it was an eye,
so right right, Uh, and so they now to a
(12:00):
plexiglass booth down a little bit lower. But this would
have been my twelfth year as the lead analyst for
Westwood one Radio golf at the Master's. And who all
have you worked with on that? Uh? Bob Papa has
been my host for ten years. Uh and uh, with
the exception of last year Mike Tarico came to do it,
(12:24):
and and this year Bob was gonna do Thursday and Friday,
and and Mike was gonna do Saturday and Sunday. But
on that broadcast has been Mark Carnival, Uh, Brian Katrick,
Kevin Kugler, Maureen Medill who was absolutely delightful. Uh. Scott
Scottish lady Irish. I think I get those confused. Yeah,
(12:49):
that's tough for you. Yeah, you know down foreigner. Um,
I don't think I left anybody office been. It's been
a good crew. We get well. Yeah, you know. My
one quibble with Masters radio is that I just wish
all the patrons could listen to it while they're on
the golf course since you can't have phones. I love
that at the Open Championship. I would love that at
(13:11):
the Masters if I were sitting on a hole and
I've done it, I go sit on a hole and
I would love to have that radio broadcast just to
kind of know what else is going on. And uh,
Suday it's my dream. I know they're gonna sell, just
like the Open. U still a little radio and we're
gonna get to listen to you guys. But well that
we the app is so that's the best app I've
ever seen for any sports business or anything. And it's
(13:34):
and it's unbelievable and they'd be great to have it
with you out on the golf course. Yeah. And I think, uh,
somebody will create a little device somehow someday that that
doesn't it's not a phone but it's it's the app
and it's a way to to follow the Masters, because
that is I only the only complaint I ever hear
from from people who go is that that that that
weekend they just wish they could be a little more
(13:55):
connected to the events. You know, Charlie, when I went
to the Masters with my dad, they I we sat
on the grandstand on thirteen and I had a Sony
Watchman TV, so I knew what was going on with
Nick Price shooting UH sixty three and uh and it
was fun and nobody was bothered because I had an
earpiece and I you know, I wasn't playing the sound
(14:16):
out lab and that was that. That was that that
would get me in trouble these days. So you think,
I think, yes, so, and I still have that TV.
It doesn't. I don't know if it works. But the
question I want to ask you last year you were
working with Mike Tarico. You know Tiger Woods. You've talked
a lot with Tiger Woods about the game, UM, and
(14:39):
Mike gave an amazing call. It's also your best broadcasting
work that minute forty seconds where you let Mike do
his thing. UH, pure silents. Just amazing work on your part,
should should win a Whatever the radio would have been
if I had tried to talk out have been cut.
Well Oh that okay, Well that was my first question
was I know Mike would have just just said shut up,
(15:01):
But but were you? Uh? I know how you can
get a little emotional. I'm assuming you were pretty emotional
in that moment. Yeah. That is uh. Um that that
eighteenth Green and my eleven years doing it, It's it's
an emotional place. Especially not not that I've ever had
(15:22):
a chance on a major. I'm at a chance on
one a few PGA Tour events. Um, but I'm I'm
I'm more interested in the part of golf that has
to do with your heart and your head than than
the physical part the golf swing. Yeah. I can break
it down if I need to, but I don't get
(15:43):
fired up about it. But but what interests me most
is how people think in big moments and how they
control their emotions and and uh just to sit there
and and think that everything that that tiger has gone through,
everything that he's put himself through to get back in
that moment. Uh, and this being the first time where
(16:07):
his kids are there, uh for for major championship and
running off, walking off and having them come up uh
to me, that that's something that that that uh is
easy to get caught up in. And and honestly, when
I'm making some comments there, um, I'm I'm keeping my
eyes away from what's going on a little bit so
I don't get caught up in it as well. That's
(16:29):
just the way. I'm just very un empathetic person. And
and I'm not gonna apologize for that. That's just that's
just who I am. But but if you think about
in golf, there's so much failure, um, even even for
even for Tiger Woods. Um, you look at one percentage
you know in golf to be a Tiger Woods or
Jack Nicholas is not that high. And and versus you know,
(16:52):
any other sport. If you're fifty fifty, that's not bad.
But at least every other night you're winning. But I
just think that, um, that the emotional control of someone
to put it together to win that on any given
years as exceptional. But for Tiger, uh, that this this
past year was just unbelievable. As that round progressed, what
(17:16):
was your sense of of how it was playing out?
And did you were you confident? He was gonna finish
it off. I felt, I felt really good about it,
and I thought there were a lot of parallels the
Tiger win in last year were Jack Nicholas won in
n and that you considered Jack Nicholas hadn't won a
(17:36):
major championship in six years, and he had won a
golf tournament two years coming into the Masters of But
the thing that I watched closely was Tiger's physical presence
where he put himself. Um, you you you knew the
patrons are getting behind him, and and you knew that
(18:00):
his opponents were very well aware of the gravity that
Tiger has, and he used all of those things to
his advantage. And and again that that interests me more
than the execution. Now you think about Tiger and getting
up on the green at twelve and everybody else dumping
(18:21):
in the water. Him standing up there where you can
see musically where he put himself. Oh no, no, Charlie, Charlie.
He was just mopping up some stuff on the green.
There was mine. Ready, you know how that is. Listen,
that's gone, Tom, Tom, Tom Watson. Tom Watson, who I
have tremendous respect for, is as a gentleman and a competitor.
(18:44):
He he played those cards and and UH golf is
about eye contact, and a lot of the younger players,
Jeff just don't understand that you can go out now
as a younger player and you can have a team
that insulates you on a bubble and you don't have
to like social distancing, you don't have to have any
interaction with your opponent except when you get into the
(19:08):
real intense UH international team competitions or the major championships.
That's when that bubble, when that bubble melts, and and
now all of a sudden, it's like, oh, what is this?
How do I breathe? Where do I look? It's like
Ricky Bobby and Talladaya night you know what I do
with my hands? They don't know. Tiger Woods knows what
(19:29):
to do. Jack Nicholas knew what to do. Tom Watson
knows what to do. There is and and that's why
when people would would you know, I said on the desk,
do on the show and all Tiger Woods is not
timidating anymore. I don't know if I can say this
or not. It's a podcast. I'm will say it anyway
that that's bullshit. Tiger Woods is now and will forevermore
(19:51):
be intimidating on the golf course, and so will Jack
Nicholas and people that say that I just don't know
what they're talking about. And we saw that on display
to Gust and that's what really pulled me into the moment.
And and um working with Mike Terrico, who's he's absolute genius.
UM having some conversations with him and maybe pointing a
(20:13):
few of those things out and some of the questions
he asked me. It made it for an incredible broadcast
for me, and and to be sitting there doing the
play by play for for Westwood one Radio the Master's
last year. And then I was actually, uh, you were
mentioning that you were on the grounds of the Gust.
I believe in n as well. I was there myself
on Sunday in and to me, those are the two
(20:36):
best moments in golf. And to have been there working
in one and as a patron and the other is
you know, it's incredible to me that I was able
to be there for both of those days. Where did
you watch a lot of the eighty six fun around
from well, so what I did was, I think the
best place on the planet to watch golf is in
(20:58):
the patron observe a platform behind number twelve te and
so I I was firmly ensconced in there up towards
the top. You know. Of course I had my sweet
tea in my fermented cheese sandwich going there for a while.
But but h I saw, um, Jack Nicholas had a
second shot into eleven make the plot in eleven te
(21:19):
shot that a little long and left, you know, over
the bucker and this wall not get up and down
on twelve t shot on thirteen, and I thought, you
know what, I'm gonna follow him in. And I watched
the rest of the round, and I can tell you
every shot he hit and where I was standing when
he hit that shot, and and uh when he left
the putt just short on eighteen up to the back
(21:42):
ride from short of the center portion of the green,
then tapped it in. I was back down the fairway
maybe thirty or forty yards in front of the fairway
bunkers there on eighteen. And I'll just never forget that,
um the two shot he hit on sixteen. I actually
got around right in behind sixteen green. Of course, the
(22:02):
flags over there on the left where where it gathers
and uh he at the five iron. I saw the
ball launch and I and I saw him look down.
Of course I couldn't hear the conversation Who's having with Jackie,
but he looked down and pulled his teeth and the
ball got within I think about four or five inches
of going in and came right back. But I was
like underneath the little camera tower on the receive of
(22:23):
that shot, and I'll just I'll never forget standing there
and watching it. I mean, and the and then it's
just the ground shop. And that's when I was eighteen,
and I'm like, I don't know what life's gonna deal me,
but I'm gonna be doing something. It gives me a
chance to be in this game the rest of it.
And and it was the coolest day ever. Yeah, it
(22:44):
really was. And then when you watched the broadcast, it
gets even more cool because it was just almost cinematic
the way that you know in that moment, in particular,
the way uh White Scoff handled that call and nance
threw a tone when jack backed off, and then and
then the way White Scoff made a joke about himself
but then he and then he took it back to
the moment. I mean if a screenwriter did that that, guys,
(23:06):
it's just a little too perfect the way this all
played out. It's especially um. Hold on, just sec we're
gonna take a brief pause from the Shack Show and
hear from our sponsors, and then we're gonna talk a
little bit more about the masters and good stuff. Charlie,
you mentioned, uh, you mentioned working with Mike Arrico, and
(23:29):
of course Pop popa. You you work with some real
pros there. Um, and then you've obviously worked a long
time in broadcasting, going back to with ESPN, and then
of course Golf Channel and Morning Drive and and I
joke that you didn't say anything that time the whole
time Mike Arico made that call. But I went and
listen to it again before we did this show, and
(23:52):
I'm marveled at it, and I'd like to know your thoughts.
But you know, Mike's a television announcer. And then he
just turns into this radio play by a guy and
he's painting this picture and I assume you guys have
a monitor, because he was describing some of the stuff
going on with Tiger after the Green, and I know
your position over there on the left. You can't you
can't see all that, so I'm assuming he then shifted
(24:13):
to a monitor. But just talk to me a little
bit about your work and TV and then getting to
work with somebody like Mike or you know, I marveled
personally at Mike Rico, Jim Nance, Dan Hicks, and Joe Buck.
Really the kind of lead analysts are broadcasters we've had
in the game play by play guys, because because they
(24:33):
all have photographic memories. First of all, they I can't
remember what I had for lunch yesterday, and they are
They're brilliant that way. But then they just always know
how to get right to the heart of the matter
and and make the right call it. It's it's mind botherling.
But Mike, especially going from TV to radio the way
he did, just kind of your reaction to last year
(24:55):
and that that first time getting to work with him. Well, um, Jeff,
there's a reason they got all those zeros on the paychecks, uh,
from the guys you just mentioned, and and um My
Mike Tarico. I first met him in in nineteen when
I when I started with the ESPN, and um, I
(25:15):
was I was just getting into broadcasting and and uh,
um My, my, I finally wore my welcome out on
the PGA tour. You know they do that when you
missed like seventeen strip cuts and yeah, and that I
had a chance to get in and I was on
the crew with with Mike, and um My, Mike is
(25:37):
number one. Um his i Q has got to be
off the charts, the the way he processes information, the
way he can deliver it. And and think about all
the different sports that he does. What was it the
last running of the Kentucky Derby. Uh, and and they
had that horrible rules thing and and and it was
it was it was like thirty minutes and Mike was
(26:00):
seamless in his description. I don't follow horse race. I
don't really know much about it, but I watched that
and that was fascinated by the rules thing, and and
he handled it beautifully. You would think that he does
a horse race a day and has been doing a
horse race a day for the last forty years, and
he doesn't. And and uh, he's just incredibly talented. I've
(26:20):
never heard him make a mistake as broadcaster, and and
I've done enough of it to know when broadcasters do
make a mistake. And along with being incredibly brilliant, he's
also very humble. He's not late for meetings. He's a
prepared The way he treats not only fellow announcers, but
other people on staff, production people, the production assistance, you know,
(26:44):
the people that do all the hard work that lets
us do the fun stuff, the way he treats him
with respect. Mike Rico is a prose pro And for
for me to sit there in a at a major
championship and the Masters, which is the one I love
the most, but had him be able to broadcast it
for four days was was a great honor. And for
him to handle that historic moment with Tiger the way
(27:07):
he did, I was just in awe, not only of
watching what Tiger had done, but listening to Mike describe it.
So it's it's uh, he's a real deal. Uh. And
and I whatever the highest accolades I can offer a
broadcaster and something I know a little bit about, offer
him to Mike because he's an amazing talent. So you
(27:29):
guys sign off after he gives that that great call,
and there's this incredible moment. Of course, there's also a
storm coming. I'm sure you got the heck out of
there fast. Uh, but any anything about that moment that
you remember that was a note besides that you were
starting to think about what how many Georgia peach ice
(27:50):
cream sandwiches you were gonna go have? Well, I was
I was pretty tough on Mike. I can be tough
to work with, you know, during breaks, and uh, let's
let's just say that, you know, he spent a lot
of time with his head hanging out of the fish
bowl that we work out every deep being in a
shot area with me for for uh for about about
(28:14):
twenty hours in two days. He deserves some hazard pay.
But oh yeah, oh yeah, but now we we just
we we we had a great time. And you get
to know someone like that. I mean, that's how you
and I got to be friends. We've done a lot
of work together. And uh um uh, you know, you
(28:35):
just you just learn to respect folks, and especially you
know when you have a passion for something in common.
And and uh, I just you know, let him know
how much I appreciated working with him that week, appreciate
him being on our crew, and and uh that that
week in particular is a little bit of He's he's
calling something dramatic on that scale or near that scale.
(28:58):
Every week, Yeah, I don't get to do it, but
maybe once or twice a year. So there's a little
bit of the motion as we were talking about earlier,
and you just sort of want to breathe and and
everybody sort of gives everybody a hug and says a
great job, and we'll see you down the road. But
it was enabled to be at eighteen Green at Augusta
(29:19):
for all these years. Has has really been something I
never thought I would do. And as something believe me,
I don't take lightly. Now you've played the golf course
a lot, um, what do you make of that hole?
I think I think it's gotten a little too hard. Well,
I've I've I've never got a chance to play in
(29:39):
the Masters. I played got ten times, but a couple
of Majors, but but not but not the Masters. But
it was, uh, he was getting too easy. Um when
when you started seeing guys blow it over the bunkers
when the bunkers really weren't in play. And I remember
years it was Woosdom would hit it over there. That
(30:02):
was kind of a yeah, it was it was it
was just getting a little too short. But I'm telling
you what, if you ever get a chance for folks listening,
if you ever get a chance to go to a
gust that was a practice round or a tournament round,
well back to eight teen T. You can stand right
behind a teen T and you look up to that fairway. Uh.
And that's one thing that TV doesn't pick up on it.
(30:24):
It's it's it's an uphill, golful um. But the shoot
the pins on the right and the ponds on the left,
that is a narrow shoot, um and not and you
can't go over, you gotta go through it. And and uh,
I couldn't imagine standing up there tied for the league
one stroke league and it is. It is really really skinny.
(30:48):
And and uh. The thing about the thing about the
hole though, is from sitting there for all these years,
it's a big difference. I don't have it off the
top of my head, but I'm gonna say at least
a half a struke, maybe three quarters of a stroke,
whether the whole locations in the back or the front.
And it's not because of the distance. Is just in
the back. If you get aggressive and flight up there,
(31:09):
it goes over and you're gonna make bogey. And if
your little short rolls back down to the front, you're
not you know, you're you're not gonna make uh birdie
at all. But down in the front front, right, front, left,
it ball will gather in there. And and so if
you hit two good shots, you can make birdie. But
it's two different two different holes. And it's just depending
on whether it's front hole location or back hole location.
(31:29):
But either either the whole location you get front or back,
you still gotta get it through that shoot. Yeah, a
few times when Jordan's speef has had some trouble in
that hole and he clipped those branches right off the
tee and it's some people, how could he do that?
That's terrible? How could that happen? I said, what you Yeah,
you need to see how easy it is to do that,
(31:51):
And of course it's horrifying when you do, because you
just turn the hole into a part six right away.
And so when when I remember last year in that
in in the final round, Tiger played seventeen, got past
that t shot and Ian Baker Finch, who who we
you know, super guy, we we love him, but he
was he started basically giving the masters to Tiger after
(32:12):
that second shot in the seventeen and Nick had to
kind of kind of reel him back in because I
know what Nick Faldo was thinking. He still got to
play eighteen and and he and he and he struggled.
It was. It was a bit but he ended up,
you know, playing a super safe and we wondered what
he was up to and it was, but it was stressful.
It was if you were rooting for him, it was.
(32:33):
It was. It was a doozy. You're gonna watch it
again when they replay it, Mary, I probably will watch it. Yeah.
My my son who's twenty one, who's a senior the
University of Missouri's quarantine at home here with us. He
discovered YouTube channel. Uh In fact, I might have seen
it from a link you put uh on on Jeff
(32:55):
Shackleford dot com. It's amazing how much is available on
on a YouTube channel from from Augusta and uh So
the last three or four days, he's he's been rolling
a lot of it. I don't I don't think he's
gone through Masters yet, but but he's been going through
a lot of them. So we it's been on TV
here a lot. But I might very well sitting on
(33:16):
Sunday afternoon and I'll watch what CBS has. I think
I'm gonna watch the eighty six replay on ESPN for
about the nine hundredth time. I was very lucky my
mom recorded it on a a VCR, so I had
a tape for years. Of course now it's I even
made DVD copies for some people who were who were
fans of it. I don't know if they'll show the
full thing it maybe uh an edited version, but anyway,
(33:38):
ESPN is showing that in lieu of the the part
three contests tomorrow. UM, I want to just ask a
little bit more about kind of your life and and
Myrtle Beach and and when things we get some form
of normal back and people are traveling there right, Uh,
just tell me a little bit about the area, because
because I I was, I've been down recently in in
(34:00):
I've been there in the eighties with my dad, and
and seeing how it's changed is pretty amazing. And I'm
not sure a lot of golf people know, you know
we we we have these destination resorts now that are
real popular. Obviously the Abandons and the uh Cabinet Links
and Sand Valley and they're they're wonderful. But for a
(34:23):
golf nut, it's ah, it's really a great area, and
it's no longer I just I hate even feeding that
kind of the old mentality of Myrtle Beach. But it's
just a lot to do, great places to eat and
all that. Are you, I mean, are you happy there?
You're enjoying the lifestyle there? It sounds like you are, well, Jeff.
I'm gonna tell you what. Everything has been kind to
me at Myrtle Beach since I moved here, except the
(34:46):
scale you mentioned good places, Yeah, excuse me, Yeah, there's
plenty of those, and uh um where I live Myrtle's Inlet,
uh is down towards the south side and where there's
the food capitalist South Carolina, and I've really enjoyed that.
And we've got a lot of live music and and
that sort of stuff. And then of course, my job
(35:07):
since I moved here to Myrtle Beaches as as I
promote golf here in Myrtle Beach to the world, and
and it was a lot of fun. Today. In fact,
I just got off a FaceTime call with Mr Nicholas.
Oh I was gonna get today. I was saying to
get that in I was, I was doing that, and
so we've been trying to figure out we don't want
to I mean, obviously we're not promoting travel tourism with
(35:30):
what's going on in the world. But uh, I did
have a FaceTime with him, and um, I got him
to tell me the story of the entire day, from
picking the yellow shirt out of his closet and through
through walking off eighteen green from Sunday six and and
I've heard the story a few times and every time
(35:52):
I pick out something new and one of the cool
things I picked out today when when he told me,
and we're actually editing that right now. We didn't FaceTime.
We had a couple weather camera shoot it. And I'm
just trying to put out some some good stories in golf.
And this isn't, you know, promoting anything. It's just, hey,
everybody's beating up right now, Litten, listen to some good stories.
And and he took about a half an hour, but
(36:13):
he told me that, um, the putt on sevent team,
which is impossible to read his left or right early
and then a little bit left. I remember I remember
going back and looking at the highlights, and you know,
Jackie would say yeah, Dad, And and you know, I
would say Jackie's old out, but he he was not
that old. And and he's such a great far as
he said, you know, raised creeks over to the left
(36:34):
is gonna go a little left at the end, And
sure enough it did. But Mr Nicholas told me today,
he said, I've hit that same put a hundred times
and I've never made it again. I made one time,
so I thought, I thought that was was really neat.
So we'll be putting that out on our channels here
from Myrtle Beach. Okay, so that'll be which channel? And um, well,
(36:55):
I say channels, you know it'll be it'll be through
the through play golf Myrtle Beach dot com. I'll put
them out on my Twitter and we'll will send it out,
send it out everywhere and and hope hopefully folks sold
just you know, just look at it and get to
hear the first person the story. But uh, back back
to your your question. We we do have a tremendous
(37:15):
amount of quality golf here and Myrtle Beach and and
uh from from we're looking about golf courses and and
the thing the thing I like about it Jeff is
what we've We've got the the top designers have done
their golf courses. We've got the late Mike Strands, a
couple of my favorites down here on the on the
South End, in True Blue and Caledonia. What's your great
(37:37):
golf experiences. We've got a Nicholas course, And in Paul's
Island we've got a Fasio. We we've got got a
good we've got a really good sorry yeah yeah, Fasio
And and Lanny Watkins did that the Dustin Johnson golf
schools there. In fact, I get over there and practice something.
But but here, here's here's what's key is when people
(37:58):
do get back to playing golf and whatever the new
normal is, I think that, uh, maybe folks are gonna
be a little more price sensitive than they were certainly
coming into this period. And uh, we can really deliver
on that here at Myrtle Beach. And in terms of
you know, if you've got you're gonna have your family
(38:20):
or you're gonna have a group of sixteen people. Um,
you know, there's a lot of great places out there
that have a lot of big price tax Well, I
think we could go toe to toe in a lot
of areas on quality and the experience that you get here.
But when the bill comes in, I don't think you're
gonna be a shocked as uh some of the other
places that you mentioned earlier. And and uh we do
(38:43):
have that Southern hospitality as well. And and uh, you know,
I tried. I try to be the uh the great
whenever I can, and and talk to folks that come
here from out South area and play golf. And hopefully
we'll have still still have some folks coming pretty quickly
from out South area to play. I know where you're
probably a lot of the business as it returns will
be will be drive too, and and and that's fine.
(39:05):
I don't think people are gonna get on airplanes for
a while, but but before long we'll get back to
normal as a as a country, no doubt about it.
And I hope Myrtle Beaches on people's list for trying
to get away and play a little bit of golf
and bring some folks with them have a great time. Yeah. No,
I'm glad you mentioned that about price because because I
think that's something that's important. And then you know, a
(39:26):
lot of the places that I saw last time I
was down there, and I just drove around for a
bit popped in. I noticed, you know, they're they're more
experience uh focused, and you know, the younger group is
big on the golf experience. And and it's not just
the the round of golf, it's kind of the vibe
and the scene and the enjoyment factor and getting to
(39:48):
sit around and talking about around after. And it's good
to see a lot of the places are trying to
keep up on that that front too, because that's that's
important for kind of that's important. Yeah, you just don't
want to play golf and go sit in a hotel
room or though somewhere. You know, you want to have
something to do. And then I will mention this to uh.
The business has been good the last few years, and
and a lot of our golf courses, quite a few
(40:10):
were in ownership groups where a group might own four
or five or as many as twenty plus of the
golf courses. Uh. The golf course. Uh, the golf courses
have seen a lot of capital improvement, and which is
good because you've got golf courses are like cars and a
a hundred thousand of miles. You've got to change of
belts and hoses and golf courses. You gotta redo greens,
(40:32):
you gotta redo bunkers, you gotta keep updated with turf
and irrigation other things. And so we've seen a lot
of of investment in UH in our golf courses and
and one of the things, of course, you know, with
what people are going through, and there's a lot of
sadness out there, so sad and uh the proper word,
but disappointed that that it's not business as normal right
(40:55):
now because we've invested very heavily and wall to wall
overseating about thirty golf courses for this winter. So these
golf courses are absolutely beautiful, the fairways or striped, the
rise beautiful, and and we're going at about UH somewhere
between a half and quarter of normal volume. And I
wish that people could get in and see what they
(41:15):
look like right now, but hopefully they'll be able to
get in late next one and early next spring, because
I'm sure we're gonna continue to do that that UH
wall to wall overseating, which is is absolutely beautiful, and
there's their listeners know that's why August it is so
beautiful it is now. And one other thing I'd point out,
and again this time is uh, there's not gonna be
much baseball. But I went over to your minor league stadium.
(41:38):
It's all, oh my gosh, it's beautiful and all the
little little uh homages to Wrigley Field because it's a
Cubs team just so cool. I I envy you having
a park like that. I hope it's it's safe, right,
that team is good in this new Cockamamie alignment thing
they're gonna do with the Major League Baseball. That's the
there's no words, no no worries, right, I hope. So
(42:03):
you know what, I like going to baseball games every
now and then I'll follow it every day. So I'm
not not sure what's going on, but I do know
that's a good experience and uh, you know, and and
it's only about the driver and a five iron from
a top golf so m it's it's a nice area
and there's some good eating around there as well. So uh,
that's that's a cool part of Myrtle Beach. Plenty to do,
(42:27):
uh in that area. Well, Charlie, your wife is a nurse,
and I know I appreciate your your tone and your
views on everything that's going on right now and chatting
with us, and uh, I hope you to enjoy a
great show tonight, watching a beautiful sunset and thinking about
all the people who are having a tough time right now. Yeah,
(42:48):
we certainly will. Jeff and everybody listening, Uh, stay safe
all of the guidelines and uh, Jeff, stay safe out
there in l A and look forward to seeing you
in a lot of their folks when all this mass
is over. Well, thanks again to Charlie Rhymer for that
enjoyable conversation. I will put up some show notes on
(43:09):
Jeff shackle for dot com. That's that's Jeff with a G.
Just google Jeff and golf and I'll get that Tariko
call up from Westwood One's Twitter account if you haven't
seen it or don't remember it, And also some of
Charlie's fun videos from from down there Myrtle Beach. And
of course, when that Jack Nicholas conversation gets posted, I
will definitely put that up. I can't wait to hear that.
(43:30):
I can never get uh tired of hearing Jack Nicholas
talk about the nineteen eighties Six Masters as always thinks
of the show's producer, as always, this is what like
the second or third show? Uh, Tim Paraska, show's logo
creator Aaron Natkins, Jeremy Eisenberg for getting to show off
the ground. The Shock Show is a production of my
Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio is
(43:51):
the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast or wherever you
listen to your favorite shows is the SA
The Shack Show is a production of I Heart Radio. Well,
a lot of you know Charlie Reimer from the Golf
Channel and his work on television going back to when
(00:20):
he started working for ESPN started with a Golf Channel
two thousand nine, and uh, a lot of people don't know.
Charlie Reimer is a former U S Junior Amateur champion.
He also played at George Tech, where he was an
All American a couple of times and won five tournaments.
He's in the Georgia Tech Athletics Hall of Fame alongside
(00:41):
Bobby Jones. I believe would be in that same Hall
of fame. But I love Charlie because he's just one
of the great minds of golf. You know, in television
sometimes there's some real thinkers and people who have a
great grasp of a sport in the big picture, and
television doesn't always allow them to show that. And Charlie
Rymer is one of those people. So I wanted to
(01:02):
talk to him about his life and Myrtle Beach working
for Golf Tourism Solutions. He's moved there um and he
is doing all sorts of great content for play Myrtle
Beach Dot com Now we just got Charlie for this
conversation after he's hung up with Jack Nicholas on a
FaceTime call talking about the nineteen six Masters, which I
(01:23):
eventually let him talk about at the end. But I'm
so excited for Charlie. I can't wait to see that conversation.
He has a neat bond with Jack Nicholas. But I
wanted to talk to him, obviously about the state of
affairs and in our world in the game, because he's
out there every day playing golf with with regular golfers
and experiencing life there. But he's also somebody who stays
(01:44):
very much in touch with the regular game. And of
course this week he would have been announcing at the
Masters for Westwood one Radio. Last year he did it
alongside Mike Terrico, and that was a big part of
our conversation, recapping Tiger woods is win and what it
was like to work with Mike Tarrico and that special
moment when Tiger capped off his fifth Master's title and
(02:06):
was there on the eighteenth green and the whole scene,
and it was a special, special week, and so I
wanted to hear from Charlie about all that. So here's
my chat with Charlie Rhymer. All right, we're here with
the big timer, Charlie Rhymer. Charlie, where are you today?
Are you and Myrtle? I am. I'm on the south
end of Myrtle Beach, Jeff And uh, my home is
(02:27):
Myrtles Endless, South Carolina. And I'm actually at my home
golf course community here it's uh. Watch you saw a
plantation club and I'm sitting here watching the Wacom river
roll right by my window right now. So uh, it's
a pretty good place to be in quarantine. Are you
uh shut down golf wise? There? No? Uh, we have
(02:50):
of course what worried about? Eighty golf courses here in
Myrtle Beach, And and my course is open. I'm gonna
say a little more than half are open. And of
course we've got in all the protocols and when you
go out to play, it's completely contactless. Uh. And and
everyone is being really good about the social distancing. If
(03:11):
you choosday get in the cart. And by the way,
I haven't I've been uh using I got a little
remote control buggy that I sent out in front of me.
Of course, I've got a litt country music playing on it.
But uh it's uh uh completely as safe as you
can be. You know, outside there's no towel service, there's
no water coolers. We've got the the cup sent upside down,
(03:33):
you don't touch the flag sticks, ball doesn't go very
far down the cup, and no school cards out and
that sort of stuff. So I feel real good about
uh me and outside getting some exercise. Good for the sanity,
and I think it's about a safer thing as as
you can do. And everyone that I've seen has been
real respectful of that as well. Good good. Yeah, It's
(03:55):
it's such a tricky thing right now, but I kind
of cling to the fact that that in that little
window when this first happened, that that people the whether
whether you feel people should be playing golf or not,
or any any of the issues of this, that that
little little light bulb probably went off with a lot
of people that golf is going to be a great
(04:17):
place to be in in the future after this. And
that's kind of the only positive I can I can find.
But it seems like it's something to to cling to.
It's it's is that your sense, Yeah, And it's really
neat to see Uh. In my golf course community here, Uh, Jeff,
we're seeing people out riding bikes, people walking around, of course,
(04:42):
not congregating big groups, but you've seen that on the
golf course as well. And I think maybe, uh, the
model is going to change a little bit for golf
after this, because people are learning that the golf golf
is a great way to exercise and and you you
can take a guard if you want, a single rider,
but going out for nine holes, walking, carrying the bag,
(05:04):
taking one of the push trials, or unfortunately have this
little fancy remote control thing that I got a few
years ago. Um, people are learning that that, you know,
golf is more than just about hopping in a golf
cart and seeing how fast you can get around the
golf course. And and we played four of us yesterday,
three really good players, and then me and uh were
(05:26):
walked and the round was three hours and fifty five minutes.
And to to walk close to seven miles and three
hours and five minutes and have some conversation and being
a beautiful place and escape from all the troubles of
the world, you know, Jeff, that's a good thing. And
I'm hoping that as people, uh, reevaluate everything they're doing
(05:47):
in their lives. I know, I am uh it's it's
almost like hitting the reset button across work and family
and social uh as as as a country and the
really the world. As we emerged from this cry, there's
gonna be things. You're gonna be a lot different, and
I think golf really has a chance to shine and
maybe a little purer form than we've seen it slip
(06:08):
into over these past many years. Yeah, when you're describing
that scene too, you know, one of the things that
that you know, having played in the Open Championship and
been over overseas, is golf courses are a little more
of a community treasure and but they're also a place
where late evening somebody walking their dog and um or
(06:30):
people just go out for a walk. And here we're
we're so often so nuts about that kind of thing.
I mean, Pebble Beach is a nice exception. You see
people out in the evening there, they let that go.
But for the most part, you know, real estate developments
and things are just dreadful about that. And I get it,
there's liability stuff and all that, but I kind of
(06:51):
hope that since that was one of the things you
were touching on. There is is is kind of community wise,
we golf needs to relax a little and let let
it be a place in the community a little bit more.
And Yeah, if somebody goes out and walks and dogging
seven thirty at night and they just and they see
this beautiful place and they treasured a little bit more
of the the game will will benefit from that. Well,
(07:14):
golf as a game definitely will benefit. Golf is an
industry I think is going to have to make some adjustments.
And people sort of get um in a rut in
the golf they play. And I've seen this during the
during this U quarantine that we're in. Um people they
(07:34):
they for example, they gotta have those early tea times.
I have no idea why on a weekend you want
to get up early and played golf. And I've been
talking to my buddies and I'm like, you guys are
absolutely crazy. Um, I get up in the morning. I
like to be productive in the morning. That one to
three o'clock tea time in the afternoon, especially like a
place here in the in the Myrtle Beach area. This time,
(07:57):
here's a little warmer in the summertime. That humidity can
can get out in the afternoons, and the golf course
is dry, and not everybody's in such a big hurry.
And and uh, my guys, I don't understand why you
got to get those first tea times and fight and argue.
It makes no sense to me. And and uh there's
(08:19):
people that We've got a beautiful sunset, as I mentioned
here where on the walk of my river, and there's
a on the far side from from my house, and
the golf course is a is a magnificent nature preserve,
and and the sunset is absolutely spectacular. Jeff, my wife
and I call it the show. And and we we
(08:39):
always try to sit no matter how busy we are,
we try to sit down either outside on a bench
or inside and watch the show. Well you can see
that from the golf course. And all these people that
have been fighting for these early tea times, they're never
on the golf course at the prettiest, most comfortable time
of day. I just don't get it. And outside the
US people seem to get that, But I don't know.
(09:01):
I really hope that that a lot of changes come
to golf after this and and and and the walking
and not rushing so much and uh uh, just sort
of slowing down and appreciating where you are and who
you're with. I'm hopeful that that that happens in golf
when there's crazy messages behind us. Yeah, I sense it will.
(09:23):
I'm with you. I have never understood the douce sweeping thing,
that the course is wet, you gotta get up early.
It's harder to loosen up. And I just don't think
there's a more beautiful place to be and then any
golf course on the planet in the twilight, it's just
it's just magical. And I'm always amazed at those at
four am Togo. Why would you do that? Have an
(09:45):
early dinner and then go play late nine. That's so
exactly I think that, And I have a theory about it.
And again I've been talking to some of the guys
about to keep to do and and I think it's
I think that's some of the old schools chauvinistic roots
that they run deep. And in this game where the
(10:07):
good players, the men have to get out in front
of the women because the women will slow them down.
And I told another day, I said, let me tell
you got something. I said, I had two foursomes of
women played through me the other day. They were having
so much fun. They're playing faster than than I was. Now.
They were in a cart and I was walking with
a group. I said, I'm come on through, ladies. I'm
(10:28):
happy as I could be to have them play through.
And and it's just sitting. It just just said old
school chauvinism that still sort of permeates down through our
game and hopefully is on its way out. But I'm like,
I'm my guys, they play faster than you do. Let
them through out ahead of you. That makes a lot
more sense. But a lot of men just won't admit that,
(10:50):
you know. Yeah, yeah, the same reason that that an
eight year old guy won't play tease because they're painted red.
It's just that those kinds of things, and I think
some of those values were changing already before this. It
just this may be something that that expedites that sort
of turnover. Yeah. I hope so, And I hope I
hope clubs and golf facilities are open to that. Yeah,
(11:14):
I think they will be. All Right, We're gonna take
a quick break and from the Shack Show here, and
then we're gonna talk to Charlie about some fun stuff
related to the Masters. All right, Charlie, obviously we would
be in augusta this time of year. You have how
(11:37):
many years have you worked the radio broadcast there? And
you're a little booth right underneath what is above you?
Is it the CBS booth above you? Well that I
come and knock on your windows and and well, so
it used to be where we were elevated. Uh. And
then the Chairman Payne determined that it was an eye,
so right right, Uh, and so they now to a
(12:00):
plexiglass booth down a little bit lower. But this would
have been my twelfth year as the lead analyst for
Westwood one Radio golf at the Master's. And who all
have you worked with on that? Uh? Bob Papa has
been my host for ten years. Uh and uh, with
the exception of last year Mike Tarico came to do it,
(12:24):
and and this year Bob was gonna do Thursday and Friday,
and and Mike was gonna do Saturday and Sunday. But
on that broadcast has been Mark Carnival, Uh, Brian Katrick,
Kevin Kugler, Maureen Medill who was absolutely delightful. Uh. Scott
Scottish lady Irish. I think I get those confused. Yeah,
(12:49):
that's tough for you. Yeah, you know down foreigner. Um,
I don't think I left anybody office been. It's been
a good crew. We get well. Yeah, you know. My
one quibble with Masters radio is that I just wish
all the patrons could listen to it while they're on
the golf course since you can't have phones. I love
that at the Open Championship. I would love that at
(13:11):
the Masters if I were sitting on a hole and
I've done it, I go sit on a hole and
I would love to have that radio broadcast just to
kind of know what else is going on. And uh,
Suday it's my dream. I know they're gonna sell, just
like the Open. U still a little radio and we're
gonna get to listen to you guys. But well that
we the app is so that's the best app I've
ever seen for any sports business or anything. And it's
(13:34):
and it's unbelievable and they'd be great to have it
with you out on the golf course. Yeah. And I think, uh,
somebody will create a little device somehow someday that that
doesn't it's not a phone but it's it's the app
and it's a way to to follow the Masters, because
that is I only the only complaint I ever hear
from from people who go is that that that that
weekend they just wish they could be a little more
(13:55):
connected to the events. You know, Charlie, when I went
to the Masters with my dad, they I we sat
on the grandstand on thirteen and I had a Sony
Watchman TV, so I knew what was going on with
Nick Price shooting UH sixty three and uh and it
was fun and nobody was bothered because I had an
earpiece and I you know, I wasn't playing the sound
(14:16):
out lab and that was that. That was that that
would get me in trouble these days. So you think,
I think, yes, so, and I still have that TV.
It doesn't. I don't know if it works. But the
question I want to ask you last year you were
working with Mike Tarico. You know Tiger Woods. You've talked
a lot with Tiger Woods about the game, UM, and
(14:39):
Mike gave an amazing call. It's also your best broadcasting
work that minute forty seconds where you let Mike do
his thing. UH, pure silents. Just amazing work on your part,
should should win a Whatever the radio would have been
if I had tried to talk out have been cut.
Well Oh that okay, Well that was my first question
was I know Mike would have just just said shut up,
(15:01):
But but were you? Uh? I know how you can
get a little emotional. I'm assuming you were pretty emotional
in that moment. Yeah. That is uh. Um that that
eighteenth Green and my eleven years doing it, It's it's
an emotional place. Especially not not that I've ever had
(15:22):
a chance on a major. I'm at a chance on
one a few PGA Tour events. Um, but I'm I'm
I'm more interested in the part of golf that has
to do with your heart and your head than than
the physical part the golf swing. Yeah. I can break
it down if I need to, but I don't get
(15:43):
fired up about it. But but what interests me most
is how people think in big moments and how they
control their emotions and and uh just to sit there
and and think that everything that that tiger has gone through,
everything that he's put himself through to get back in
that moment. Uh, and this being the first time where
(16:07):
his kids are there, uh for for major championship and
running off, walking off and having them come up uh
to me, that that's something that that that uh is
easy to get caught up in. And and honestly, when
I'm making some comments there, um, I'm I'm keeping my
eyes away from what's going on a little bit so
I don't get caught up in it as well. That's
(16:29):
just the way. I'm just very un empathetic person. And
and I'm not gonna apologize for that. That's just that's
just who I am. But but if you think about
in golf, there's so much failure, um, even even for
even for Tiger Woods. Um, you look at one percentage
you know in golf to be a Tiger Woods or
Jack Nicholas is not that high. And and versus you know,
(16:52):
any other sport. If you're fifty fifty, that's not bad.
But at least every other night you're winning. But I
just think that, um, that the emotional control of someone
to put it together to win that on any given
years as exceptional. But for Tiger, uh, that this this
past year was just unbelievable. As that round progressed, what
(17:16):
was your sense of of how it was playing out?
And did you were you confident? He was gonna finish
it off. I felt, I felt really good about it,
and I thought there were a lot of parallels the
Tiger win in last year were Jack Nicholas won in
n and that you considered Jack Nicholas hadn't won a
(17:36):
major championship in six years, and he had won a
golf tournament two years coming into the Masters of But
the thing that I watched closely was Tiger's physical presence
where he put himself. Um, you you you knew the
patrons are getting behind him, and and you knew that
(18:00):
his opponents were very well aware of the gravity that
Tiger has, and he used all of those things to
his advantage. And and again that that interests me more
than the execution. Now you think about Tiger and getting
up on the green at twelve and everybody else dumping
(18:21):
in the water. Him standing up there where you can
see musically where he put himself. Oh no, no, Charlie, Charlie.
He was just mopping up some stuff on the green.
There was mine. Ready, you know how that is. Listen,
that's gone, Tom, Tom, Tom Watson. Tom Watson, who I
have tremendous respect for, is as a gentleman and a competitor.
(18:44):
He he played those cards and and UH golf is
about eye contact, and a lot of the younger players,
Jeff just don't understand that you can go out now
as a younger player and you can have a team
that insulates you on a bubble and you don't have
to like social distancing, you don't have to have any
interaction with your opponent except when you get into the
(19:08):
real intense UH international team competitions or the major championships.
That's when that bubble, when that bubble melts, and and
now all of a sudden, it's like, oh, what is this?
How do I breathe? Where do I look? It's like
Ricky Bobby and Talladaya night you know what I do
with my hands? They don't know. Tiger Woods knows what
(19:29):
to do. Jack Nicholas knew what to do. Tom Watson
knows what to do. There is and and that's why
when people would would you know, I said on the desk,
do on the show and all Tiger Woods is not
timidating anymore. I don't know if I can say this
or not. It's a podcast. I'm will say it anyway
that that's bullshit. Tiger Woods is now and will forevermore
(19:51):
be intimidating on the golf course, and so will Jack
Nicholas and people that say that I just don't know
what they're talking about. And we saw that on display
to Gust and that's what really pulled me into the moment.
And and um working with Mike Terrico, who's he's absolute genius.
UM having some conversations with him and maybe pointing a
(20:13):
few of those things out and some of the questions
he asked me. It made it for an incredible broadcast
for me, and and to be sitting there doing the
play by play for for Westwood one Radio the Master's
last year. And then I was actually, uh, you were
mentioning that you were on the grounds of the Gust.
I believe in n as well. I was there myself
on Sunday in and to me, those are the two
(20:36):
best moments in golf. And to have been there working
in one and as a patron and the other is
you know, it's incredible to me that I was able
to be there for both of those days. Where did
you watch a lot of the eighty six fun around
from well, so what I did was, I think the
best place on the planet to watch golf is in
(20:58):
the patron observe a platform behind number twelve te and
so I I was firmly ensconced in there up towards
the top. You know. Of course I had my sweet
tea in my fermented cheese sandwich going there for a while.
But but h I saw, um, Jack Nicholas had a
second shot into eleven make the plot in eleven te
(21:19):
shot that a little long and left, you know, over
the bucker and this wall not get up and down
on twelve t shot on thirteen, and I thought, you
know what, I'm gonna follow him in. And I watched
the rest of the round, and I can tell you
every shot he hit and where I was standing when
he hit that shot, and and uh when he left
the putt just short on eighteen up to the back
(21:42):
ride from short of the center portion of the green,
then tapped it in. I was back down the fairway
maybe thirty or forty yards in front of the fairway
bunkers there on eighteen. And I'll just never forget that,
um the two shot he hit on sixteen. I actually
got around right in behind sixteen green. Of course, the
(22:02):
flags over there on the left where where it gathers
and uh he at the five iron. I saw the
ball launch and I and I saw him look down.
Of course I couldn't hear the conversation Who's having with Jackie,
but he looked down and pulled his teeth and the
ball got within I think about four or five inches
of going in and came right back. But I was
like underneath the little camera tower on the receive of
(22:23):
that shot, and I'll just I'll never forget standing there
and watching it. I mean, and the and then it's
just the ground shop. And that's when I was eighteen,
and I'm like, I don't know what life's gonna deal me,
but I'm gonna be doing something. It gives me a
chance to be in this game the rest of it.
And and it was the coolest day ever. Yeah, it
(22:44):
really was. And then when you watched the broadcast, it
gets even more cool because it was just almost cinematic
the way that you know in that moment, in particular,
the way uh White Scoff handled that call and nance
threw a tone when jack backed off, and then and
then the way White Scoff made a joke about himself
but then he and then he took it back to
the moment. I mean if a screenwriter did that that, guys,
(23:06):
it's just a little too perfect the way this all
played out. It's especially um. Hold on, just sec we're
gonna take a brief pause from the Shack Show and
hear from our sponsors, and then we're gonna talk a
little bit more about the masters and good stuff. Charlie,
you mentioned, uh, you mentioned working with Mike Arrico, and
(23:29):
of course Pop popa. You you work with some real
pros there. Um, and then you've obviously worked a long
time in broadcasting, going back to with ESPN, and then
of course Golf Channel and Morning Drive and and I
joke that you didn't say anything that time the whole
time Mike Arico made that call. But I went and
listen to it again before we did this show, and
(23:52):
I'm marveled at it, and I'd like to know your thoughts.
But you know, Mike's a television announcer. And then he
just turns into this radio play by a guy and
he's painting this picture and I assume you guys have
a monitor, because he was describing some of the stuff
going on with Tiger after the Green, and I know
your position over there on the left. You can't you
can't see all that, so I'm assuming he then shifted
(24:13):
to a monitor. But just talk to me a little
bit about your work and TV and then getting to
work with somebody like Mike or you know, I marveled
personally at Mike Rico, Jim Nance, Dan Hicks, and Joe Buck.
Really the kind of lead analysts are broadcasters we've had
in the game play by play guys, because because they
(24:33):
all have photographic memories. First of all, they I can't
remember what I had for lunch yesterday, and they are
They're brilliant that way. But then they just always know
how to get right to the heart of the matter
and and make the right call it. It's it's mind botherling.
But Mike, especially going from TV to radio the way
he did, just kind of your reaction to last year
(24:55):
and that that first time getting to work with him. Well, um, Jeff,
there's a reason they got all those zeros on the paychecks, uh,
from the guys you just mentioned, and and um My
Mike Tarico. I first met him in in nineteen when
I when I started with the ESPN, and um, I
(25:15):
was I was just getting into broadcasting and and uh,
um My, my, I finally wore my welcome out on
the PGA tour. You know they do that when you
missed like seventeen strip cuts and yeah, and that I
had a chance to get in and I was on
the crew with with Mike, and um My, Mike is
(25:37):
number one. Um his i Q has got to be
off the charts, the the way he processes information, the
way he can deliver it. And and think about all
the different sports that he does. What was it the
last running of the Kentucky Derby. Uh, and and they
had that horrible rules thing and and and it was
it was it was like thirty minutes and Mike was
(26:00):
seamless in his description. I don't follow horse race. I
don't really know much about it, but I watched that
and that was fascinated by the rules thing, and and
he handled it beautifully. You would think that he does
a horse race a day and has been doing a
horse race a day for the last forty years, and
he doesn't. And and uh, he's just incredibly talented. I've
(26:20):
never heard him make a mistake as broadcaster, and and
I've done enough of it to know when broadcasters do
make a mistake. And along with being incredibly brilliant, he's
also very humble. He's not late for meetings. He's a
prepared The way he treats not only fellow announcers, but
other people on staff, production people, the production assistance, you know,
(26:44):
the people that do all the hard work that lets
us do the fun stuff, the way he treats him
with respect. Mike Rico is a prose pro And for
for me to sit there in a at a major
championship and the Masters, which is the one I love
the most, but had him be able to broadcast it
for four days was was a great honor. And for
him to handle that historic moment with Tiger the way
(27:07):
he did, I was just in awe, not only of
watching what Tiger had done, but listening to Mike describe it.
So it's it's uh, he's a real deal. Uh. And
and I whatever the highest accolades I can offer a
broadcaster and something I know a little bit about, offer
him to Mike because he's an amazing talent. So you
(27:29):
guys sign off after he gives that that great call,
and there's this incredible moment. Of course, there's also a
storm coming. I'm sure you got the heck out of
there fast. Uh, but any anything about that moment that
you remember that was a note besides that you were
starting to think about what how many Georgia peach ice
(27:50):
cream sandwiches you were gonna go have? Well, I was
I was pretty tough on Mike. I can be tough
to work with, you know, during breaks, and uh, let's
let's just say that, you know, he spent a lot
of time with his head hanging out of the fish
bowl that we work out every deep being in a
shot area with me for for uh for about about
(28:14):
twenty hours in two days. He deserves some hazard pay.
But oh yeah, oh yeah, but now we we just
we we we had a great time. And you get
to know someone like that. I mean, that's how you
and I got to be friends. We've done a lot
of work together. And uh um uh, you know, you
(28:35):
just you just learn to respect folks, and especially you
know when you have a passion for something in common.
And and uh, I just you know, let him know
how much I appreciated working with him that week, appreciate
him being on our crew, and and uh that that
week in particular is a little bit of He's he's
calling something dramatic on that scale or near that scale.
(28:58):
Every week, Yeah, I don't get to do it, but
maybe once or twice a year. So there's a little
bit of the motion as we were talking about earlier,
and you just sort of want to breathe and and
everybody sort of gives everybody a hug and says a
great job, and we'll see you down the road. But
it was enabled to be at eighteen Green at Augusta
(29:19):
for all these years. Has has really been something I
never thought I would do. And as something believe me,
I don't take lightly. Now you've played the golf course
a lot, um, what do you make of that hole?
I think I think it's gotten a little too hard. Well,
I've I've I've never got a chance to play in
(29:39):
the Masters. I played got ten times, but a couple
of Majors, but but not but not the Masters. But
it was, uh, he was getting too easy. Um when
when you started seeing guys blow it over the bunkers
when the bunkers really weren't in play. And I remember
years it was Woosdom would hit it over there. That
(30:02):
was kind of a yeah, it was it was it
was just getting a little too short. But I'm telling
you what, if you ever get a chance for folks listening,
if you ever get a chance to go to a
gust that was a practice round or a tournament round,
well back to eight teen T. You can stand right
behind a teen T and you look up to that fairway. Uh.
And that's one thing that TV doesn't pick up on it.
(30:24):
It's it's it's an uphill, golful um. But the shoot
the pins on the right and the ponds on the left,
that is a narrow shoot, um and not and you
can't go over, you gotta go through it. And and uh,
I couldn't imagine standing up there tied for the league
one stroke league and it is. It is really really skinny.
(30:48):
And and uh. The thing about the thing about the
hole though, is from sitting there for all these years,
it's a big difference. I don't have it off the
top of my head, but I'm gonna say at least
a half a struke, maybe three quarters of a stroke,
whether the whole locations in the back or the front.
And it's not because of the distance. Is just in
the back. If you get aggressive and flight up there,
(31:09):
it goes over and you're gonna make bogey. And if
your little short rolls back down to the front, you're
not you know, you're you're not gonna make uh birdie
at all. But down in the front front, right, front, left,
it ball will gather in there. And and so if
you hit two good shots, you can make birdie. But
it's two different two different holes. And it's just depending
on whether it's front hole location or back hole location.
(31:29):
But either either the whole location you get front or back,
you still gotta get it through that shoot. Yeah, a
few times when Jordan's speef has had some trouble in
that hole and he clipped those branches right off the
tee and it's some people, how could he do that?
That's terrible? How could that happen? I said, what you Yeah,
you need to see how easy it is to do that,
(31:51):
And of course it's horrifying when you do, because you
just turn the hole into a part six right away.
And so when when I remember last year in that
in in the final round, Tiger played seventeen, got past
that t shot and Ian Baker Finch, who who we
you know, super guy, we we love him, but he
was he started basically giving the masters to Tiger after
(32:12):
that second shot in the seventeen and Nick had to
kind of kind of reel him back in because I
know what Nick Faldo was thinking. He still got to
play eighteen and and he and he and he struggled.
It was. It was a bit but he ended up,
you know, playing a super safe and we wondered what
he was up to and it was, but it was stressful.
It was if you were rooting for him, it was.
(32:33):
It was. It was a doozy. You're gonna watch it
again when they replay it, Mary, I probably will watch it. Yeah.
My my son who's twenty one, who's a senior the
University of Missouri's quarantine at home here with us. He
discovered YouTube channel. Uh In fact, I might have seen
it from a link you put uh on on Jeff
(32:55):
Shackleford dot com. It's amazing how much is available on
on a YouTube channel from from Augusta and uh So
the last three or four days, he's he's been rolling
a lot of it. I don't I don't think he's
gone through Masters yet, but but he's been going through
a lot of them. So we it's been on TV
here a lot. But I might very well sitting on
(33:16):
Sunday afternoon and I'll watch what CBS has. I think
I'm gonna watch the eighty six replay on ESPN for
about the nine hundredth time. I was very lucky my
mom recorded it on a a VCR, so I had
a tape for years. Of course now it's I even
made DVD copies for some people who were who were
fans of it. I don't know if they'll show the
full thing it maybe uh an edited version, but anyway,
(33:38):
ESPN is showing that in lieu of the the part
three contests tomorrow. UM, I want to just ask a
little bit more about kind of your life and and
Myrtle Beach and and when things we get some form
of normal back and people are traveling there right, Uh,
just tell me a little bit about the area, because
because I I was, I've been down recently in in
(34:00):
I've been there in the eighties with my dad, and
and seeing how it's changed is pretty amazing. And I'm
not sure a lot of golf people know, you know
we we we have these destination resorts now that are
real popular. Obviously the Abandons and the uh Cabinet Links
and Sand Valley and they're they're wonderful. But for a
(34:23):
golf nut, it's ah, it's really a great area, and
it's no longer I just I hate even feeding that
kind of the old mentality of Myrtle Beach. But it's
just a lot to do, great places to eat and
all that. Are you, I mean, are you happy there?
You're enjoying the lifestyle there? It sounds like you are, well, Jeff.
I'm gonna tell you what. Everything has been kind to
me at Myrtle Beach since I moved here, except the
(34:46):
scale you mentioned good places, Yeah, excuse me, Yeah, there's
plenty of those, and uh um where I live Myrtle's Inlet,
uh is down towards the south side and where there's
the food capitalist South Carolina, and I've really enjoyed that.
And we've got a lot of live music and and
that sort of stuff. And then of course, my job
(35:07):
since I moved here to Myrtle Beaches as as I
promote golf here in Myrtle Beach to the world, and
and it was a lot of fun. Today. In fact,
I just got off a FaceTime call with Mr Nicholas.
Oh I was gonna get today. I was saying to
get that in I was, I was doing that, and
so we've been trying to figure out we don't want
to I mean, obviously we're not promoting travel tourism with
(35:30):
what's going on in the world. But uh, I did
have a FaceTime with him, and um, I got him
to tell me the story of the entire day, from
picking the yellow shirt out of his closet and through
through walking off eighteen green from Sunday six and and
I've heard the story a few times and every time
(35:52):
I pick out something new and one of the cool
things I picked out today when when he told me,
and we're actually editing that right now. We didn't FaceTime.
We had a couple weather camera shoot it. And I'm
just trying to put out some some good stories in golf.
And this isn't, you know, promoting anything. It's just, hey,
everybody's beating up right now, Litten, listen to some good stories.
And and he took about a half an hour, but
(36:13):
he told me that, um, the putt on sevent team,
which is impossible to read his left or right early
and then a little bit left. I remember I remember
going back and looking at the highlights, and you know,
Jackie would say yeah, Dad, And and you know, I
would say Jackie's old out, but he he was not
that old. And and he's such a great far as
he said, you know, raised creeks over to the left
(36:34):
is gonna go a little left at the end, And
sure enough it did. But Mr Nicholas told me today,
he said, I've hit that same put a hundred times
and I've never made it again. I made one time,
so I thought, I thought that was was really neat.
So we'll be putting that out on our channels here
from Myrtle Beach. Okay, so that'll be which channel? And um, well,
(36:55):
I say channels, you know it'll be it'll be through
the through play golf Myrtle Beach dot com. I'll put
them out on my Twitter and we'll will send it out,
send it out everywhere and and hope hopefully folks sold
just you know, just look at it and get to
hear the first person the story. But uh, back back
to your your question. We we do have a tremendous
(37:15):
amount of quality golf here and Myrtle Beach and and
uh from from we're looking about golf courses and and
the thing the thing I like about it Jeff is
what we've We've got the the top designers have done
their golf courses. We've got the late Mike Strands, a
couple of my favorites down here on the on the
South End, in True Blue and Caledonia. What's your great
(37:37):
golf experiences. We've got a Nicholas course, And in Paul's
Island we've got a Fasio. We we've got got a
good we've got a really good sorry yeah yeah, Fasio
And and Lanny Watkins did that the Dustin Johnson golf
schools there. In fact, I get over there and practice something.
But but here, here's here's what's key is when people
(37:58):
do get back to playing golf and whatever the new
normal is, I think that, uh, maybe folks are gonna
be a little more price sensitive than they were certainly
coming into this period. And uh, we can really deliver
on that here at Myrtle Beach. And in terms of
you know, if you've got you're gonna have your family
(38:20):
or you're gonna have a group of sixteen people. Um,
you know, there's a lot of great places out there
that have a lot of big price tax Well, I
think we could go toe to toe in a lot
of areas on quality and the experience that you get here.
But when the bill comes in, I don't think you're
gonna be a shocked as uh some of the other
places that you mentioned earlier. And and uh we do
(38:43):
have that Southern hospitality as well. And and uh, you know,
I tried. I try to be the uh the great
whenever I can, and and talk to folks that come
here from out South area and play golf. And hopefully
we'll have still still have some folks coming pretty quickly
from out South area to play. I know where you're
probably a lot of the business as it returns will
be will be drive too, and and and that's fine.
(39:05):
I don't think people are gonna get on airplanes for
a while, but but before long we'll get back to
normal as a as a country, no doubt about it.
And I hope Myrtle Beaches on people's list for trying
to get away and play a little bit of golf
and bring some folks with them have a great time. Yeah. No,
I'm glad you mentioned that about price because because I
think that's something that's important. And then you know, a
(39:26):
lot of the places that I saw last time I
was down there, and I just drove around for a
bit popped in. I noticed, you know, they're they're more
experience uh focused, and you know, the younger group is
big on the golf experience. And and it's not just
the the round of golf, it's kind of the vibe
and the scene and the enjoyment factor and getting to
(39:48):
sit around and talking about around after. And it's good
to see a lot of the places are trying to
keep up on that that front too, because that's that's
important for kind of that's important. Yeah, you just don't
want to play golf and go sit in a hotel
room or though somewhere. You know, you want to have
something to do. And then I will mention this to uh.
The business has been good the last few years, and
and a lot of our golf courses, quite a few
(40:10):
were in ownership groups where a group might own four
or five or as many as twenty plus of the
golf courses. Uh. The golf course. Uh, the golf courses
have seen a lot of capital improvement, and which is
good because you've got golf courses are like cars and a
a hundred thousand of miles. You've got to change of
belts and hoses and golf courses. You gotta redo greens,
(40:32):
you gotta redo bunkers, you gotta keep updated with turf
and irrigation other things. And so we've seen a lot
of of investment in UH in our golf courses and
and one of the things, of course, you know, with
what people are going through, and there's a lot of
sadness out there, so sad and uh the proper word,
but disappointed that that it's not business as normal right
(40:55):
now because we've invested very heavily and wall to wall
overseating about thirty golf courses for this winter. So these
golf courses are absolutely beautiful, the fairways or striped, the
rise beautiful, and and we're going at about UH somewhere
between a half and quarter of normal volume. And I
wish that people could get in and see what they
(41:15):
look like right now, but hopefully they'll be able to
get in late next one and early next spring, because
I'm sure we're gonna continue to do that that UH
wall to wall overseating, which is is absolutely beautiful, and
there's their listeners know that's why August it is so
beautiful it is now. And one other thing I'd point out,
and again this time is uh, there's not gonna be
much baseball. But I went over to your minor league stadium.
(41:38):
It's all, oh my gosh, it's beautiful and all the
little little uh homages to Wrigley Field because it's a
Cubs team just so cool. I I envy you having
a park like that. I hope it's it's safe, right,
that team is good in this new Cockamamie alignment thing
they're gonna do with the Major League Baseball. That's the
there's no words, no no worries, right, I hope. So
(42:03):
you know what, I like going to baseball games every
now and then I'll follow it every day. So I'm
not not sure what's going on, but I do know
that's a good experience and uh, you know, and and
it's only about the driver and a five iron from
a top golf so m it's it's a nice area
and there's some good eating around there as well. So uh,
that's that's a cool part of Myrtle Beach. Plenty to do,
(42:27):
uh in that area. Well, Charlie, your wife is a nurse,
and I know I appreciate your your tone and your
views on everything that's going on right now and chatting
with us, and uh, I hope you to enjoy a
great show tonight, watching a beautiful sunset and thinking about
all the people who are having a tough time right now. Yeah,
(42:48):
we certainly will. Jeff and everybody listening, Uh, stay safe
all of the guidelines and uh, Jeff, stay safe out
there in l A and look forward to seeing you
in a lot of their folks when all this mass
is over. Well, thanks again to Charlie Rhymer for that
enjoyable conversation. I will put up some show notes on
(43:09):
Jeff shackle for dot com. That's that's Jeff with a G.
Just google Jeff and golf and I'll get that Tariko
call up from Westwood One's Twitter account if you haven't
seen it or don't remember it, And also some of
Charlie's fun videos from from down there Myrtle Beach. And
of course, when that Jack Nicholas conversation gets posted, I
will definitely put that up. I can't wait to hear that.
(43:30):
I can never get uh tired of hearing Jack Nicholas
talk about the nineteen eighties Six Masters as always thinks
of the show's producer, as always, this is what like
the second or third show? Uh, Tim Paraska, show's logo
creator Aaron Natkins, Jeremy Eisenberg for getting to show off
the ground. The Shock Show is a production of my
Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio is
(43:51):
the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast or wherever you
listen to your favorite shows is the SA
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