February 14, 2025 • 6 mins
Rodney Yee has brought home a prestigious national award.
He’s been named PGA NZ Golf Coach of the Year, and he joined Lesley Murdoch to chat about the award and some of the young players he’s working with.
In association with the Elmwood Trading Company.
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
A healthy serving of sports Canterbury's All Sport Breakfast with
Leslie Murdock and Mina Tien, Mega supporting local proudly q
WE owned and operated News talksby.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Is News Talks. He'd be it is twenty away from
nine o'clock and we welcome to the program and association
with the Elmwood Trading Company. Back to our ear waves.
In fact, Rodney, ye here is the PGA of New
Zealand Coach of the Year. Rodney, good morning, Congratulations.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Is good morning, Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Oh fantastic. Have you ever had a national honor before?
Speaker 4 (00:32):
Uh No, it's probably topped it, to be honest. Yeah,
it's been obviously a nice WE recognition and yeah, I
guess he's a book. Pretty hard to get to this point,
I guess, and over the years without heading a golfbel.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
I think, well, I think it's the trust that you
are able to get with your whoever you're coaching. I mean,
obviously we know about Cooper Moore, but we'll talk about
that in a moment. But it's the trust and it's
the way that you're able to get your philosophy across
to whoever that you were looking at or and looking after.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
Yeah, yeah, I guess all the years, over the you know,
the experiences I've had with all the travel, especially all
the players, I've been lucky enough where with so many
players over the years, I think this is it might
be like my sixth generation. I've been doing this for
you know, twenty twenty one years now, teaching the game,
(01:29):
and you know, just seeing these young especially these young
ones coming through and then when they move on, you know,
into college or whatever, that may be the next generation team.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
To fall through.
Speaker 4 (01:40):
And over the years I've learned to just I guess,
shape my craft and do what I do and pass
on those experiences to the next generation.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
You know, well, I think the last time we spoke
to you were still at Russie. You've now moved to
the new Sir Bob Charles Golf Sin. How's that gone
for you?
Speaker 4 (02:00):
To be honest, It's been a bit of a dream
Oldad Russy for about twenty years, and I guess people
said they thought I'd never leave. I probably thought I'd
never leave as well. But when you get an opportunity
to let this pop up, I had to take with
both hands. Really, and yeah, I mean Russy created an
amazing platform for me to develop my skills. But the
(02:21):
move has been pretty special. I've been here for about
seven months now, pretty still very much settled in and
it's yeah, it's quite different moving into like a public facility,
I guess, versus being at a club scene like It's been
pretty fresh for me.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
There's been a few things that have changed.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
It's obviously allowed me to focus a bit more of
my like coaching and club fitting, which is I guess
a little more streamline, which I'm loving at the moment,
which is great.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
We've talked about Cooper more on our program so many times.
Mature young man with a great golfing pedigree. But what
other top golfers do you look after Rodney?
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Yeah, I've got, I've got. I've been lucky enough to
have a well. I work with a good stable of
young young athletes coming through. Cooper's obviously been one of them.
I started with him since he was five, so I've
been on a prequel journey with him. But you know,
with the I guess, the Academy development team, the Academy
in Canterbury here, I work with the majority of them,
(03:24):
and then obviously just sitting under them, the emerging players
coming through. There's a whole lot of other young ones
coming through that have got an ex starting future I
think as well.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
So the futures looking bright.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
And if you look at the results that the Canobary
guys are putting up around the country and internationally as well,
it's been pretty scari of the last you know.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
A few years.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Absolutely. So you do you take top talent over to America?
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Yeah, again again, that's something that I've been very fortunate
to have and be a part of. But yeah, I've
done multiple trips over to the to the US to
compete like the.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
World Champs, Junior World Champs. I guess.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
Yeah, over the years and it's been amazing. We go
over every kind of second year. I guess it's you know,
at this junior level, I guess it's all about timing.
You know, every six months has a massive.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
Influence in terms of where these players.
Speaker 4 (04:23):
Sit, I guess in terms of how they can perform.
So it's all about timing at the ages and birth
dates and all that kind of stuff, because you know,
six months differences. You know, people can be heading at
thirty forty meters longer quite comfortably, which is sometimes an
advantage or in disadvantage depending on what age group we're
playing in.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
If that makes sense, No, no, it does absolutely. If
you took on someone a pretty raw athlete, whatever age,
what's the one tip you would give them first to start.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
It all off. I guess a lot of people don't
really understand why the golf ball does what it does.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
So, you know, I want to say that club face
is everything.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
It's got like over ninety percent influence over over where
the ball goes. So I guess if what I'm saying
is if the if the ball goes right, club face
is most likely on the open, and if the ball
goes left, then the club face is probably only closed.
So it's probably understanding what your club face is doing.
And I guess having some technology to help back that
(05:28):
up is really important because it's hard to measure or
on you know, just by video camera these days, a
little bit hard and even just by sight. So yeah,
club face is everything.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
M Well, that's handy for US clubs. Absolutely. Well, we
just want to wish you continuing success. I mean, it's
fantastic honor to be given the PGA of New Zealand
Coach of the Year and so well deserved. It's great
to get the recognition, but you know that you've got
things you want to achieve further on, so we've I
wish you all a very best with that, Rodney yea,
(06:02):
and we thank you for coming to the phone.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Oh thanks, Nickle, appreciate it. For more from News Talk
st B, listen.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Live on air or online, and keep our shows with
you wherever you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio.
A healthy serving of sports Canterbury's All Sport Breakfast with
Leslie Murdock and Mina Tien, Mega supporting local proudly q
WE owned and operated News talksby.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Is News Talks. He'd be it is twenty away from
nine o'clock and we welcome to the program and association
with the Elmwood Trading Company. Back to our ear waves.
In fact, Rodney, ye here is the PGA of New
Zealand Coach of the Year. Rodney, good morning, Congratulations.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Is good morning, Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Oh fantastic. Have you ever had a national honor before?
Speaker 4 (00:32):
Uh No, it's probably topped it, to be honest. Yeah,
it's been obviously a nice WE recognition and yeah, I
guess he's a book. Pretty hard to get to this point,
I guess, and over the years without heading a golfbel.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
I think, well, I think it's the trust that you
are able to get with your whoever you're coaching. I mean,
obviously we know about Cooper Moore, but we'll talk about
that in a moment. But it's the trust and it's
the way that you're able to get your philosophy across
to whoever that you were looking at or and looking after.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
Yeah, yeah, I guess all the years, over the you know,
the experiences I've had with all the travel, especially all
the players, I've been lucky enough where with so many
players over the years, I think this is it might
be like my sixth generation. I've been doing this for
you know, twenty twenty one years now, teaching the game,
(01:29):
and you know, just seeing these young especially these young
ones coming through and then when they move on, you know,
into college or whatever, that may be the next generation team.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
To fall through.
Speaker 4 (01:40):
And over the years I've learned to just I guess,
shape my craft and do what I do and pass
on those experiences to the next generation.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
You know, well, I think the last time we spoke
to you were still at Russie. You've now moved to
the new Sir Bob Charles Golf Sin. How's that gone
for you?
Speaker 4 (02:00):
To be honest, It's been a bit of a dream
Oldad Russy for about twenty years, and I guess people
said they thought I'd never leave. I probably thought I'd
never leave as well. But when you get an opportunity
to let this pop up, I had to take with
both hands. Really, and yeah, I mean Russy created an
amazing platform for me to develop my skills. But the
(02:21):
move has been pretty special. I've been here for about
seven months now, pretty still very much settled in and
it's yeah, it's quite different moving into like a public facility,
I guess, versus being at a club scene like It's been
pretty fresh for me.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
There's been a few things that have changed.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
It's obviously allowed me to focus a bit more of
my like coaching and club fitting, which is I guess
a little more streamline, which I'm loving at the moment,
which is great.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
We've talked about Cooper more on our program so many times.
Mature young man with a great golfing pedigree. But what
other top golfers do you look after Rodney?
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Yeah, I've got, I've got. I've been lucky enough to
have a well. I work with a good stable of
young young athletes coming through. Cooper's obviously been one of them.
I started with him since he was five, so I've
been on a prequel journey with him. But you know,
with the I guess, the Academy development team, the Academy
in Canterbury here, I work with the majority of them,
(03:24):
and then obviously just sitting under them, the emerging players
coming through. There's a whole lot of other young ones
coming through that have got an ex starting future I
think as well.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
So the futures looking bright.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
And if you look at the results that the Canobary
guys are putting up around the country and internationally as well,
it's been pretty scari of the last you know.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
A few years.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Absolutely. So you do you take top talent over to America?
Speaker 3 (03:50):
Uh?
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Yeah, again again, that's something that I've been very fortunate
to have and be a part of. But yeah, I've
done multiple trips over to the to the US to
compete like the.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
World Champs, Junior World Champs. I guess.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
Yeah, over the years and it's been amazing. We go
over every kind of second year. I guess it's you know,
at this junior level, I guess it's all about timing.
You know, every six months has a massive.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
Influence in terms of where these players.
Speaker 4 (04:23):
Sit, I guess in terms of how they can perform.
So it's all about timing at the ages and birth
dates and all that kind of stuff, because you know,
six months differences. You know, people can be heading at
thirty forty meters longer quite comfortably, which is sometimes an
advantage or in disadvantage depending on what age group we're
playing in.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
If that makes sense, No, no, it does absolutely. If
you took on someone a pretty raw athlete, whatever age,
what's the one tip you would give them first to start.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
It all off. I guess a lot of people don't
really understand why the golf ball does what it does.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
So, you know, I want to say that club face
is everything.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
It's got like over ninety percent influence over over where
the ball goes. So I guess if what I'm saying
is if the if the ball goes right, club face
is most likely on the open, and if the ball
goes left, then the club face is probably only closed.
So it's probably understanding what your club face is doing.
And I guess having some technology to help back that
(05:28):
up is really important because it's hard to measure or
on you know, just by video camera these days, a
little bit hard and even just by sight. So yeah,
club face is everything.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
M Well, that's handy for US clubs. Absolutely. Well, we
just want to wish you continuing success. I mean, it's
fantastic honor to be given the PGA of New Zealand
Coach of the Year and so well deserved. It's great
to get the recognition, but you know that you've got
things you want to achieve further on, so we've I
wish you all a very best with that, Rodney yea,
(06:02):
and we thank you for coming to the phone.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Oh thanks, Nickle, appreciate it. For more from News Talk
st B, listen.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Live on air or online, and keep our shows with
you wherever you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!