August 2, 2026 • 9 mins
Originally aired on August 2, 2026. Doug's insightful interview with Black Hawk Country Club's Tommy O'Brien, for your listening pleasure.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Eight forty. It is on Sports Talk seven ninety and
I have scrambled together a conversation with a guy I
wanted to talk to this morning. I'm gonna take him
a little bit early because he's going to go to
church a little bit later. And that would be my
good friend Tommy O'Brien from out at Blackhawk.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
What's up to you, Hey, Doug.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
I'm I'm liking the Gaddy Scheck Entrance song here. The
greatest golf movie of all time?
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Indeed?
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Is that on purpose with me?
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Yeah, absolutely, Tommy. Frankie's one of my best ever in
the production department. I know he thinks about what he's doing,
and that's just such a refreshing thing. All right, So
you've got a college golf shop this week. Are you
are your windows up or are you on a hard
blacktop road or what? I'm just curious.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
I'm I'm on a hard blacktop road. I'm on the freeway, fortunately,
can you hear me? Okay?
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Yeah, yeah, you're fine. Yeah, Frankie, you're good. Don't worry
about it. So you got this college golf workshop going
on at black Hawk this week, right.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Yeah, it's a college golf camps on Thursday. It's an
all day affair. I'm bringing in Division one or twenty
twenty one Division one Coach of the Year, Bran Keysnick.
He's my former teammate and the head coach at Sandy State.
He took our team to the national championship qualifier for
the first time in school history played professional golf, so
it really knows what he's doing and he's really taken
(01:11):
that program to another level. And he and I just
really enjoy in the summertime doing.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Multiple college golf camps.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
Where we have kids come in and they get a
taste of what college golf will feel like, kind of
what they should be focusing on. Uh, in order to
catch a coach's eye to get a scholarship, what's important
to him. And we run it like he runs a
practice in hunt school, you know, whenever the team and.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
The team is about to get together, So we do
it just like that.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
That way, the kids have an idea of how to.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Practice with a purpose.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
And UH, that's a game changer as far as impressing
a golf coach from.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
A playing perspective, and then in the interview.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Process, like if you go see a coach and you
visit and you have that conversation, conversation of your life
essentially you you will sound like you're you're ready to
go right there, which is which is huge.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
From from an instructor's viewpoint, Tommy, And for this one,
let's just gently set aside players who just aren't quite ready.
But what's the difference between a pretty good high school
player and a really good high school player on three
different levels? Dedication, mental strength, and execution.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Probably all all three of those, I mean, without without question, they've.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Got to be good at all of that. I mean,
ultimately it's about scot. I mean, you don't hear how
you do it, what you do. It's ultimately what did
you shoot? That's why I love the game. It's as
black and white as it as it gets.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
But do all those things help you to shoot those
those better scores and play well even when you're not
playing your best? That's key is no shoot scores even
when you don't quite have your a game there. That's
that's absolutely a big piece of it.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
And we do go all over all aspects of that
on me when we mark with the kids right there.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Brand play professional golf as well, So it's cool to
have a coach in him that the players respect because
he can go out there and beat their brains.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
In if he wants to, and whatnot. I was supposed
to be in the coach. That's a good coach, but.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Maybe didn't play, you know, quite as well as he did.
And so at any rate, we draw on that. That's
what makes us a little bit unique with our camp,
is that he's able to talk it from both sides,
the playing side and from the coaching side, high level
coaching side.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
How big a leap, Tommy, is it from high school
golf to the college level.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
For the guys, it depends upon which level you go to.
If you go from junior.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
College, you know, from high school junior college, that's not
the biggest of leaps necessarily. Division three golf maybe not
the biggest of leaps, but Division two, division one.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
We're starting to go a level ahead.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
When you start seeing seventy five and better at high
end Division two and low end.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
And high end Division one schools right there.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
But it's very doable, Doug. You don't mind which avenue
you go through. Like my daughter went to junior college
first for the year, nearly won her first event, and
as a result, the very next year got a full
ride to Division one school. She jumped from junior college
to Division.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
One in one year.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
I'm not saying it always happens that way, but don't
be afraid of a junior college route.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Because it's it's like the development, it's like the minor league.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
It's like all of the abovement and courages know that
that are doing junior college. And it's just like baseball,
like you experienced, you got to junior college to develop
your game.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
It's not a four year deal, so they know you're
not going to be there forever. So they're also.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Trying to help you attain that next level because it
makes them. It makes them look good, you know, if
their program look successful. It's like it's a draw now
all of a sudden.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
That they can they can do that. But I would
say the biggest jump from high school to.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
College golf is going to be high end Division two
and Division one right there, Division junior college and Division III.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
It's it's a fairly level deal.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Now, there are some year colleges that are really good,
and don't want to discount that. There are some that
are really thinking good. But as far as that compared
to Division two, Division one. It's, you know, not wipe
the rise up from from there.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
There, And that's understandable. It's like you said, it's just
like major League Baseball. You don't, you don't just most
usually you don't start by going from high school to
major leagues. But the opportunity is there for these kids
who are just like you said, in in junior college.
That's that's the proving grounds. That's where you develop. And
I think a good there's nothing shameful. There's nothing wrong
(05:35):
with being playing at a junior college where you're in.
You're going to do the work and go jump up
because they're going to find you and take you up,
aren't they.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
They are. My My second my second youngest daughter just
got a full ride to mccleann Junior College.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
I mean, yeah, it's jenior college. It's a feeder. In debate,
it's a full ride, Doug.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
I'm not saying a thing for her, and it is
worth saying as well.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
It is a little bit different score wise for the
boys the girls, although the girls are catching up.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
Man.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Yeah, I mean fifteen.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Years ago you could shoot eighty five and get a
scholarship at Division one school.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Now not the case. But again the.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Scores can be a little bit higher for females. It's
not quite as popular as the boys, but it's getting there.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
I mean it's getting way more competitive, but not so
at any rate.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
You've got girls and boys. You got girls and boys
at the camp this week.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Absolutely, yeah, absolutely, I do. Yes, we computer to both.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
If we have enough kids, we actually bring in both
the men's and women's coach for the camp. It wou'd
be three of us there work in the camp and whatnot. Yeah,
oh absolutely, And if I get to do more that
that will happen.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
That will absolutely happen.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Who's easier to teach Tommy, boys or girls don't be done?
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Go ahead, relative not non relatives.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Outside of family.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, No, they're both pretty pretty equal.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Would say girls are maybe a little more to where
they would listen. I mean, boys may have a preconceived
notion of what they want to do or what really
the difference is, Like I said, if I'm dad teaching
son or daughter, it's a.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Little different with me because it gets my living. They
do listen to the keth and goodness.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
But I would say maybe for the most part, just
a hair towards the side of girls. When we're open minded,
you're willing to trade things and trust a little bit more.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
But if you get a result really quickly, Doug, whoever it.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Is, they trust real quickly, they will do whatever you
needed to do. If all of a sudden they just
hit a shot they haven't hit for weeks or oh man.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
I've never been able to do that.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
I mean, that's that's the key, is to get a
result really quickly, and the trust comes immediately, almost immediately,
but you.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Got to get it quickly.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
Unfortunately, you got like three swings with a quick player
to have something change, and if it doesn't, then.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
They're telling you from ten years ago what they did
to play well at an event. I mean they started
giving them lessons all of a sudden.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
So again it's all about getting a resolved But I'm
the whole probably girls.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Yeah, that's interesting you said that because you know who
else will tell you that girls are easier fly fishing
instructors guarantee? Really, oh absolutely absolutely. Men walk in there
thinking they know how to do it, thinking it's all
about muscle and how hard do I have to push this?
How strong do I have to be? And women just
go how do I do this and the instructor shows
them and it works like magic and they listen more finesse. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, it.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Is absolutely yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Believe it or not, Tommy, we have already found our
way to break time, haven't we, Frankie? Are we bad?
Are good?
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (08:38):
We're beyond Oh god, yeah, I got it. Run man,
I'll let.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
You get going, all right, Doug, thank you very very much.
You appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
Than later real quickly. Have you got room for more
kids today this week?
Speaker 2 (08:49):
I sure do?
Speaker 1 (08:50):
And how do they find how do they find you?
Speaker 3 (08:53):
They can find me at at tommyo goolf dot com.
I've got my cell phone there. I even just shot
something out on him to Grandma TOMMYO Golf where they
have the flyer and they can sign right up with me.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
All right, Carter, thanks Tony, all right, Donne, thank you
very much. Safe travels audios. That was good. That was
good timing too. It worked out perfectly, Frankie, it was awesome.
Eight forty. It is on Sports Talk seven ninety and
I have scrambled together a conversation with a guy I
wanted to talk to this morning. I'm gonna take him
a little bit early because he's going to go to
church a little bit later. And that would be my
good friend Tommy O'Brien from out at Blackhawk.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
What's up to you, Hey, Doug.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
I'm I'm liking the Gaddy Scheck Entrance song here. The
greatest golf movie of all time?
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Indeed?
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Is that on purpose with me?
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Yeah, absolutely, Tommy. Frankie's one of my best ever in
the production department. I know he thinks about what he's doing,
and that's just such a refreshing thing. All right, So
you've got a college golf shop this week. Are you
are your windows up or are you on a hard
blacktop road or what? I'm just curious.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
I'm I'm on a hard blacktop road. I'm on the freeway, fortunately,
can you hear me? Okay?
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Yeah, yeah, you're fine. Yeah, Frankie, you're good. Don't worry
about it. So you got this college golf workshop going
on at black Hawk this week, right.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
Yeah, it's a college golf camps on Thursday. It's an
all day affair. I'm bringing in Division one or twenty
twenty one Division one Coach of the Year, Bran Keysnick.
He's my former teammate and the head coach at Sandy State.
He took our team to the national championship qualifier for
the first time in school history played professional golf, so
it really knows what he's doing and he's really taken
(01:11):
that program to another level. And he and I just
really enjoy in the summertime doing.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Multiple college golf camps.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
Where we have kids come in and they get a
taste of what college golf will feel like, kind of
what they should be focusing on. Uh, in order to
catch a coach's eye to get a scholarship, what's important
to him. And we run it like he runs a
practice in hunt school, you know, whenever the team and.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
The team is about to get together, So we do
it just like that.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
That way, the kids have an idea of how to.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Practice with a purpose.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
And UH, that's a game changer as far as impressing
a golf coach from.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
A playing perspective, and then in the interview.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Process, like if you go see a coach and you
visit and you have that conversation, conversation of your life
essentially you you will sound like you're you're ready to
go right there, which is which is huge.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
From from an instructor's viewpoint, Tommy, And for this one,
let's just gently set aside players who just aren't quite ready.
But what's the difference between a pretty good high school
player and a really good high school player on three
different levels? Dedication, mental strength, and execution.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Probably all all three of those, I mean, without without question, they've.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Got to be good at all of that. I mean,
ultimately it's about scot. I mean, you don't hear how
you do it, what you do. It's ultimately what did
you shoot? That's why I love the game. It's as
black and white as it as it gets.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
But do all those things help you to shoot those
those better scores and play well even when you're not
playing your best? That's key is no shoot scores even
when you don't quite have your a game there. That's
that's absolutely a big piece of it.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
And we do go all over all aspects of that
on me when we mark with the kids right there.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Brand play professional golf as well, So it's cool to
have a coach in him that the players respect because
he can go out there and beat their brains.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
In if he wants to, and whatnot. I was supposed
to be in the coach. That's a good coach, but.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Maybe didn't play, you know, quite as well as he did.
And so at any rate, we draw on that. That's
what makes us a little bit unique with our camp,
is that he's able to talk it from both sides,
the playing side and from the coaching side, high level
coaching side.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
How big a leap, Tommy, is it from high school
golf to the college level.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
For the guys, it depends upon which level you go to.
If you go from junior.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
College, you know, from high school junior college, that's not
the biggest of leaps necessarily. Division three golf maybe not
the biggest of leaps, but Division two, division one.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
We're starting to go a level ahead.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
When you start seeing seventy five and better at high
end Division two and low end.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
And high end Division one schools right there.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
But it's very doable, Doug. You don't mind which avenue
you go through. Like my daughter went to junior college
first for the year, nearly won her first event, and
as a result, the very next year got a full
ride to Division one school. She jumped from junior college
to Division.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
One in one year.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
I'm not saying it always happens that way, but don't
be afraid of a junior college route.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Because it's it's like the development, it's like the minor league.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
It's like all of the abovement and courages know that
that are doing junior college. And it's just like baseball,
like you experienced, you got to junior college to develop
your game.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
It's not a four year deal, so they know you're
not going to be there forever. So they're also.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Trying to help you attain that next level because it
makes them. It makes them look good, you know, if
their program look successful. It's like it's a draw now
all of a sudden.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
That they can they can do that. But I would
say the biggest jump from high school to.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
College golf is going to be high end Division two
and Division one right there, Division junior college and Division III.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
It's it's a fairly level deal.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Now, there are some year colleges that are really good,
and don't want to discount that. There are some that
are really thinking good. But as far as that compared
to Division two, Division one. It's, you know, not wipe
the rise up from from there.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
There, And that's understandable. It's like you said, it's just
like major League Baseball. You don't, you don't just most
usually you don't start by going from high school to
major leagues. But the opportunity is there for these kids
who are just like you said, in in junior college.
That's that's the proving grounds. That's where you develop. And
I think a good there's nothing shameful. There's nothing wrong
(05:35):
with being playing at a junior college where you're in.
You're going to do the work and go jump up
because they're going to find you and take you up,
aren't they.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
They are. My My second my second youngest daughter just
got a full ride to mccleann Junior College.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
I mean, yeah, it's jenior college. It's a feeder. In debate,
it's a full ride, Doug.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
I'm not saying a thing for her, and it is
worth saying as well.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
It is a little bit different score wise for the
boys the girls, although the girls are catching up.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
Man.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Yeah, I mean fifteen.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Years ago you could shoot eighty five and get a
scholarship at Division one school.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Now not the case. But again the.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Scores can be a little bit higher for females. It's
not quite as popular as the boys, but it's getting there.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
I mean it's getting way more competitive, but not so
at any rate.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
You've got girls and boys. You got girls and boys
at the camp this week.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Absolutely, yeah, absolutely, I do. Yes, we computer to both.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
If we have enough kids, we actually bring in both
the men's and women's coach for the camp. It wou'd
be three of us there work in the camp and whatnot. Yeah,
oh absolutely, And if I get to do more that
that will happen.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
That will absolutely happen.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Who's easier to teach Tommy, boys or girls don't be done?
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Go ahead, relative not non relatives.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Outside of family.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, No, they're both pretty pretty equal.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Would say girls are maybe a little more to where
they would listen. I mean, boys may have a preconceived
notion of what they want to do or what really
the difference is, Like I said, if I'm dad teaching
son or daughter, it's a.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Little different with me because it gets my living. They
do listen to the keth and goodness.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
But I would say maybe for the most part, just
a hair towards the side of girls. When we're open minded,
you're willing to trade things and trust a little bit more.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
But if you get a result really quickly, Doug, whoever it.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Is, they trust real quickly, they will do whatever you
needed to do. If all of a sudden they just
hit a shot they haven't hit for weeks or oh man.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
I've never been able to do that.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
I mean, that's that's the key, is to get a
result really quickly, and the trust comes immediately, almost immediately,
but you.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Got to get it quickly.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
Unfortunately, you got like three swings with a quick player
to have something change, and if it doesn't, then.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
They're telling you from ten years ago what they did
to play well at an event. I mean they started
giving them lessons all of a sudden.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
So again it's all about getting a resolved But I'm
the whole probably girls.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Yeah, that's interesting you said that because you know who
else will tell you that girls are easier fly fishing
instructors guarantee? Really, oh absolutely absolutely. Men walk in there
thinking they know how to do it, thinking it's all
about muscle and how hard do I have to push this?
How strong do I have to be? And women just
go how do I do this and the instructor shows
them and it works like magic and they listen more finesse. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, it.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Is absolutely yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Believe it or not, Tommy, we have already found our
way to break time, haven't we, Frankie? Are we bad?
Are good?
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (08:38):
We're beyond Oh god, yeah, I got it. Run man,
I'll let.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
You get going, all right, Doug, thank you very very much.
You appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
Than later real quickly. Have you got room for more
kids today this week?
Speaker 2 (08:49):
I sure do?
Speaker 1 (08:50):
And how do they find how do they find you?
Speaker 3 (08:53):
They can find me at at tommyo goolf dot com.
I've got my cell phone there. I even just shot
something out on him to Grandma TOMMYO Golf where they
have the flyer and they can sign right up with me.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
All right, Carter, thanks Tony, all right, Donne, thank you
very much. Safe travels audios. That was good. That was
good timing too. It worked out perfectly, Frankie, it was awesome.
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