Talking Golf 6-3-24

Episode Transcript

(00:02):
Talking Golf at TPC Wisconsin is onthe air farm. Talking Golf is brought
to you by American Family Insurance TPCWisconsin, Oak Park Place, Wild Rock
Golf Club, Simbric, Mercedes Benzof Madison, also University Ridge Golf Course,

(00:23):
Ridge Top Exteriors, Cleary Building Corp. And Nevada Bobb's. Now from
the new home of TPC Wisconsin inMadison, here are the hosts of Talking
Golf. Member of the Wisconsin GolfHall of Fame, the legendary Dennis Tizziani,
longtime Madison sportscaster Paul Brown, andWisconsin sports veteran and state wide radio

(00:45):
host Mike Hellerder. Welcome to anotheredition of Talking Golf fab TPC Wisconsin,
along with Mike keller Denice Tizziani,Dave mccabb the engineer who keeps up up
and running. I'm Paul Brown andthis is our fourth show of the year
and things are moving including it's theweekend of the American Family Insurance Championship,

(01:11):
and Katie Elliott Johnson, who's thetournament manager, is going to be with
us in a couple of minutes.And it's hard to believe, I believe
they've had six tournaments already. TheAMFAM Championship started that many years ago,
Mike, and we're ready for anotherone coming on. I wonder, Dennis,

(01:32):
as we're doing the show live andthe another downpour is comeing in.
Golf owners and superintendents and head golfpros. Nothing you can ever do about
the weather, but how often yousit there and look at it right now
and go, come on, now, that's enough. Well, you caught
the number of rounds that could beplayed with guest fees, you know,
and it's in there, but itaverages out. Yeah, hopefully, hopefully

(01:57):
we'll get some better weather there inSeptember October. I want to chat with
Dennis just for a minute about theold Cherokee versus TPC Wisconsin, because if
you would have had this much rainin the past before you did all the
remodeling here, I've heard you mentionedthat potentially the course may have been closed

(02:20):
for three days, four days,maybe a week. And after we had
that three inches here about a weekor so ago, the next morning we
played here. Everybody who was playing, Oh, there's no question, you
know. I think back though,if I you know, just think I'd
be twenty million ahead, Well,don't do that. I did that,

(02:44):
No, But it really is thepeople who did the work here at a
fabulous job. The drain you know, all the I mean, you can
go out there within an hour andplay, Yeah, Denizar, we'd have
to sell waiters. Is that perhapsthe biggest advancement in course construction technology is
the drainage to allow golf to happenjust you know, hours after heavy rains.

(03:08):
And it's all the planning that sortto do. I mean, our
people here were running the machines fromtheir computer on the machine and the information
was coming from Florida. Sure,yeah that they had everything, you know,
so when you say Florida six feet, yeah, it raised. But
the drainage and stuff that has tohappen here's phenomenal. From the bunkers and

(03:31):
even now on the faraways, wejust finished out a couple of holes there
where we needed to improve it alittle bit. And now it's you know,
it's really nice. I mean,after all that rain, I came
from home and they're out there cuttingand rolling and people are playing hours after
it rains. Pretty cool. Welland there was people playing this afternoon,
oh, including in the rain.Yeah, yeah, we look at the

(03:53):
now as well, and to beable to have this kind of rain early
in the week and they'll play atournament at University Ridge, the INFAN Championship,
which we're going to talk about atlength here in a couple of minutes,
and then shoot a year from nowthat this week is going to be
right here. And how incredible thework that goes up to something like that

(04:15):
is. It's the lightning. Lightningwould stop us, yeah, but the
rain is not going to stop usfrom playing. And by the way,
also on the show tonight, BobbyStricker is going to uh do her Bobby's
diary and she did it on chipping. Steve was helping her a little bit
with chipping and she was talking aboutthe changes she made and uh, hopefully

(04:38):
it'll improve her game, that kindof thing. Travis Becker. Uh.
Also, we have a segment that'sgoing to be on chipping and uh that
was recorded a little bit earlier todayGary Dematto as well. So oh boy,
oh boy. Yeah, And sokeep this in mind. So we
talked about the INFAM Championship getting upand underway later this week at University RIDGS,

(05:00):
but we're also talking about now lessthan one year. The Women's US
Open will be at Aaron Hills ayear from now, so we're inching closer
to that. The countdown is onfor that. So another major championship coming
to the state of Wisconsin. Plusthe boys WIAA state tournament is underway a
black Wolf run on this Monday andTuesday of this week. So all of

(05:24):
those golf careers in golf seasons comingto a dramatic close with their championship tournament.
You know, a survey was doneon do our people want to have
a pro tournament every year? Yeah? Or do they want like we have
now when every three or four yearsthey get a major. The consensus was

(05:45):
every tour or three years to geta major. Sure, not having you
know, a tour stop. Atour stop the seniors they love, yeah,
but I mean a tour stop.So it's worked out pretty good for
us here. Yeah. And Ithink one of the things that the MFAM
Champampionship has been able to do asa regular stop, it really shines a
light on golf in the state ofWisconsin that, along with the US Senior

(06:08):
Open, there was that Century Worlda year ago. With the other championships
that have been held at Aaron Hillsand at Whistling Straits and at black Wolf
Run. It is Dennis. Wetalk about this. Twenty five years ago
in the state of Wisconsin, Premiergolf was viewed much differently, and Herb
Kohler helped to change that that viewof golf in the state of Wisconsin.

(06:30):
Did he not? On me?Did? Yeah? He was way ahead
of the game on a lot ofstuff. But even today, you know
what, who's challenging as the numberone destination stayed in the country for golf.
Yeah, here we are here Wisconsin. That's right. No, yeah,
you just you look at what you'vegot up in central Wisconsin now that

(06:53):
sands. Yeah, I mean thatthe draw of that as a resort destination
big time. Yeah. If you'recoming to Wisconsin, you on a golf
vacation in May, June, July, August, September, and you talk
about coming here, Holy cow,and they're busy at Monocua. I mean,
you know these people are going likecrazy. Well, good for us.

(07:15):
Yeah, And they got to goright past our front door, you
know, which is really good.We're getting the signal that Katie is not
answering her phone. That's all right, we'll just keep filling here, I
guess well, and I want tolet me ask about what this looks like
a year out, Dennis. Iknow we're going to celebrate University Ridge.
They've had a tremendous run with thisam FAM Championship. A job, haven't
they done a fantastic job? Oneyear from now that will be here.

(07:40):
What does that look like to you? I mean, because there's a lot
in that. I know it's twelvemonths away, but there's a lot in
that. Well. I'm interested,as you know, that was one of
the reasons why we did what wedid. But you know there's a bothersome
part to this. Well careful now, I want to make sure because you

(08:00):
see you're taking ten days away soI remember you. Then you take another
couple of weeks for pounding nails togo ahead to fix up the deal.
Then there's another week to take itdown all the bleachers. Then I took
a look at the practice range fromthe last tournament after the players got done,
and I'm saying, wait a minute, you're taking this all away from
my thing, so I want towait and see. But one thing that

(08:22):
I can't put my how important isa weekend two days of national TV s
would be And you know, whenI talk to our member, they love
it. They want to be here, they want to be so it's me
who has the problem. You'll getit. Well, let's move on.
We'll come back to that a littlebit later. Trying to Katie Elliott Johnson
is now with us. No,we've been waiting for the call and I

(08:46):
know, I know, Nadie.Welcome to the program. We appreciate you
being tournament manager for the American FamilyInsurance Championship and obviously you guys are up
and running for the last time thereat the Ridge. Overall, Katie,
your responsibilities kind of give us acapsule of what that job all involves and

(09:09):
where are you at in terms ofall of those responsibilities. Is a majority
of the work done and it's nowthe week of the tournament or just kind
of give us a quick background onthat. Yeah. Absolutely, So we've
kicked off the week here officially andhad our race for Research that was on
Saturday. A little bit water logged, but it was an awesome event that

(09:33):
supported the Carbon and Cancer Centers.So a lot of that planning takes place
up front with my colleagues and Iand today we had a Annex Wealth Management
proram that took place and again alittle bit water logged, but it's been
an awesome event. They've been awonderful sponsor over the years, and much
of that planning, you know,it is taking place throughout the course of

(09:54):
the year, but absolutely taking placethe week of as well. A lot
of other events. Some of mymain responsibilities are pro ams, So two
big pro ams coming up on Wednesdayand Thursday, and and those are events
that are you know, great greatamount of sponsors on site for us,
and we have a lot of supportfrom that is going directly to the Children's

(10:18):
Hospital and other local charities. Soit's pretty amazing to see the folks that
come through here and support us yearafter year. And then those proms we
transition into the tournament, so alot of you know, the little things
like signage and on site, allthe tents that are going up, the
vinyl that's going on the tent,the little things that's taking place kind of

(10:39):
as we get closer to the events. But a lot of the planning is
just year round and we're trying toget as much, really as much done
in advance as we can. Okay. One of the things that it's Mike
Keller talking to you. One ofthe things that we've talked about with Nate
over the years in any tournament that'sbeen held in Wisconsin, whether it was
the US Senior Open a year ago, or the US Open or the PGA

(11:01):
Championship, is the volunteers. It'sextraordinary the number of people who line up
and you actually at some point youhave to turn away. The number of
volunteers in this event to make ithappen truly remarkable. Gail Perla, volunteer
coordinator, does a wonderful job andshe's been involved in tournaments for a number

(11:22):
of years, going all the wayback to the Greater Milwaukee Open Days,
and so she is one of themain reasons that our volunteers are back.
She has a tremendous program that sheruns with them, and just yes,
their support like the Madison and Milwaukeeand just the community support of those volunteers
is remarkable and they come back yearafter year after year, and we can't
thank them enough. We cannot runthese events without them. So it's truly

(11:45):
remarkable what they've done for us.Katie, what are some of the biggest
challenges you face in putting on amajor tournament that you do here in Madison.
Honestly, the uncontrollables, right theweather is is probably the biggest factor.
Just things that that we can't control. We plan all year for,

(12:07):
you know, the seven day stretch, and I think we've got a lot
of great plan A, Plan B, Plan C in place, and our
volunteers do a wonderful job kind ofworking with anything that comes up. Our
sponsors, our fans and attendees.Everyone has been great and has really responded
over the years to any you know, call to change that we've put out

(12:28):
there. But those are you know, the uncontrollables are the biggest thing.
The weather. If a player thatyou know, we think might be there
isn't on site, you know,something that people are fans have been looking
forward to, just just things thatare out of our hands. Yeah,
this is uh. I know thatthis is the last tournament on site there,

(12:50):
but it got to be as youguys have done this year after year.
I know that it's not plug andplay, but you've gotten very comfortable
with what you've done in that settingover the years, and it will be
a dramatic change a year from nowyou talk about the tournament takes a whole
year of planning, and I wouldassume that planning for twenty twenty five and

(13:16):
a venue change begins as early asnext week. It definitely does. It
actually already has. So we've certainlyhad meetings, as Dentist can attest to,
with some of the TPC folks,and we've been on site. We've
taken a look at a few thingsover there. We've got some you know,
rough drafts of plans in place.But yeah, as soon as Sunday

(13:37):
hits, the calendar is going toshift for us and we're moving all of
those logistics to twenty twenty five.And it's actually a great exercise for our
team to go through because as greatas we've gotten and as comfortable as we've
gotten with University Ridge, it's reallygood for us all to go through and
plan from the start again, andit gives us an opportunity to look at
things in different ways. So we'reexcited about it. We're looking forward to

(14:00):
it, but we're also excited aboutcelebrating the relationship with University Ridge too,
because they've been a great partner overthe years. So Katie, excuse me
if I don't know this, butwere you there at the first and can
you tell me how night and daydifferent it was from the early goings to
what you are doing now. Yeah, I was so twenty sixteen of my

(14:20):
first year. I think I startedin October of that year and we were
running the event in June, sowe had a really short runway. You
know, I think just the team, We've had a pretty consistent team throughout
that stretch, so everyone is reallycomfortable with one another and trust one another.

(14:43):
So everyone's grown in their responsibilities andkind of just learned how to better
plan and execute things. We reallyjust didn't know what we were stepping into
in twenty sixteen and had no ideahow the community was going to support it,
and had no idea how the volunteerand the sponsors we're going to support
it, and just kind of seeingthem show up year over year and just

(15:07):
growing in what we've done has It'sbeen really remarkable. You know. Like
I said, our team, ourteam has been pretty consistent, so it's
been fun to just a lot ofus have had the same roles over the
last couple of years, so it'sbeen fun to just evolve and grow in
those roles, chatting with Katie ElliottJohnson and Katie even sometime maybe you're sitting

(15:28):
at home relaxing and thinking about this, taking a break from the actual management
day to day and reflecting back onthe last six years. And you,
I'm sure had some expectations when youstarted. Do you look at the success
of the tournament now? What hasgone beyond what you realistically even may have
thought was possible to do? Inother words, you look at the tournament

(15:52):
and go, wow, we reallydid this. What is this? I
mean, what we've been able togive back to the community, that charitable
charitable piece, it's been over seventeenpoint two million and in that short time
that we run this event. Ithink it's amazing. I think that,

(16:12):
and like you've said, the volunteersupport, sponsor support, all of it
is far beyond I think what wecould have ever imagined. But what we've
been able to give back to thecommunity far exceeded what I ever expected when
I came here. And Dennis,you've been around that day when we hand
out those checks and then we announcedthat number, and it's a pretty impactful

(16:33):
day and we're all very proud ofthat. I'm sure. Steve and Nikki
are very proud of that. Ithink everyone that's involved, the volunteers,
the sponsors, everyone knows what thatmeans to this community. So that's certainly
the number one thing for me.Katie. I'll leave you with this.
You talked off the top about theuncontrollables. Well, one of them is
the weather. But I do thinkafter we get through today and tomorrow,

(16:56):
it looks like the rest of theweek should be fantastic. Again, it's
not anything you can control. Youhave contingencies in place for but it looks
like it's going to be a goodweek for the tournament after you get through
these next couple of days that itdoes, and we're excited to have fans
on site. We've got a greatfield again this year, a number of
new spots for fans to come outand watch from. We're excited to have

(17:19):
stricker cam out there following Steve's roundsall week. So it is going to
be a wonderful weekend. As younoted, weather looks great, so we
hope the community will continue to comeout and support it. When that was
announced about Steve, he said,are you kidding? You may not want
to do that he did, hedid, he did. Maybe that's not

(17:40):
a good idea. No, yeah, thank you, Katie, absolutely,
thank you. We'll be back afterthis time out on talking golf at TPC
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(21:00):
Wisconsin Madison, Mike Keller, PaulBrown, Dennis Dizziani with you. We
welcome in. In a moment,we'll welcome in Gary Dematto. Katie Elliot
Johnson just finished a segment with us. She's the tournament manager. The Elliott
family. They get golf. Shecertainly gets it in very sharp. Wasn't
she good? Yeah? I meanyou can tell that not only formally educated,

(21:22):
but can compete in this situation andanswer to do all that sort of
stuff. And you know, shedid a good job when she was here
at the university as a coach.My contact with the family was more with
her sister, and I was tospend time with her different personality, but
her and I hit it off prettygood. And everybody would shake their head,
you know, but this girl hereand she's done a great job and

(21:47):
to get this where the tour playerswill tell you this is the best senior
tournament that they have. Yeah,she's a big part of that. Nate
is too though, Yeah, Natethat's the whole group is but the of
her as the spokesperson is really good. She's good to look at. Yeah
right, Oh, there's great leadershipeverything. Yeah, great leadership from Nate

(22:08):
and Katie and that whole crew anduh and the fantastic and they've had a
tremendous run and this will be agreat week for that tournament. I believe
we have Gary Tomato in and readyto go with us. Yeah. Well
good, Dennis was hoping we gotshort, but Gary, this is uh
a heck of a fun week,right. I mean, we now have

(22:30):
the countdown one year countdown to theWomen's US Senior Open, uh at Aaron
Hills a year from now. Theyjust wrapped up their tournament. You got
US Open qualifying, the Wi StateBoys Championship going on at black Wolf Run,
and the and FAM Championship. Soyou got nothing going on this week?
Huh Yeah, really boring week.I think I'm just I'll just take

(22:51):
naps every day and yeah my lawn. Yeah. Yeah, it's a it's
a full on week and and we'rekind of celebrating a little bit of what
the AMFAM Championship has meant to thestate of Wisconsin. The city of Madison,
and how well University Ridge has donein hosting that event. You were
out there from it essentially from itsinception, and you've seen that tournament which

(23:12):
kind of grew from a nothing tobeing something that has been impactful, not
only in donation dollars to charity overthe time with Steven Nikki, the foundation
and AMFAM, but also the tournamentitself and the galleries and the way that
has been celebrated. Yeah, absolutely, it fills a void that you know

(23:33):
existed that for the GMO post shopin two thousand and nine. So glad
that that tournament came along, youknow, a half dozen years later or
so and put Wisconsin back on thetournament map. Now, we've certainly had
major championships during that span, butnot a tournament that came back to the
state every year with the best playersin the world. And this definitely fills

(23:53):
that void. Dam Fam. Natepocrassdone a great job, as you guys
have talked about in the just beforeI came on, and you know,
Steve of course it's a wonderful spokesmanand representatives and host of the tournament.
So yeah, it's a it's agreat thing. For Wisconsin. Gary,
obviously you remember Jerry Kelly's one oftwice, Steve's won at once. But

(24:17):
the six years of the tournament,what's your couple of your highlights that stand
out that you remember from the yearsof the tournament, anything in particular.
You know, one of the timesJerry won, I think the second time,
his mom, Lee and his wholefamily was there behind the eighteenth green
and Jerry hopped on his mom's mobilityschool and was driving around the eighteenth green,

(24:40):
which I thought that was a funmemory. The other memory involves Jerry
too. You know, he's youknow, he's got a lot of class.
Because when Tong shign I d one, dongshige j I d one a
couple of years ago, Jerry wasup on the green and he was in
contention until the very end, soI'm sure he was disappointed that he didn't
win. But when Chid made thatwinning put on eighteen, Jerry was next

(25:03):
to the green and I was standingright next to him, and I heard
him say, wait a go funShy, So you know, he was
pulling for a guy even though hewasn't going to win the tournament. So
that was a nice memory and justyou know, just always, you know,
the celebrity forces that I that I'vewatched and covered over the years that
have been just a ton of fun. Yeah, to have Jack play here
was special in that regard, andLee Trevino to play here, and then

(25:27):
I want to take it gary tofor all the years of the GMO,
whether it was Andy or other instate players wanting so badly to win that
when Jerry won the Amfam and thenhe won it again and then Steve Is
the reigning champion, kind of tooka little bit of that lit off.
And it's not easy and that's whyit hadn't happened prior to that to win

(25:51):
essentially your own tournament in your ownstate, and Jerry kind of took the
cap off that didn't he he did. Yeah, it's very hard to peak
to win a turn meant that youwant to win so badly. That's why
it's hard to win majors because guyswant to win them so badly and they
get in position and a lot ofguys fall apart because they can't handle the
pressure. And similarly, when you'retrying to win at home in front of

(26:12):
a hometown of home state gallery,there's that pressure you put on yourself to
get it done for all the peoplewho are cheering for you, and it's
very difficult. And Jerry and Steveboth came close in Milwaukee and the old
GMO. You know, Jerry,you know, almost won. I think
Lauren Roberts maybe beat him in aplayoff one year, but Hampam events.

(26:33):
That's why he's not on with ustonight. But he's the reigning champion.
And I know that you know thisthat that was a joy for him last
year and an emotional joy for himto win his tournament, which is not
easy because there are so many otherthings, so many polls for you the
week of that tournament, you sobadly want to win it. What was

(26:53):
that like for the family? Well, when he's happy, we're happy.
Yeah, And that was very happinessthere. But I'm looking forward to him
playing this week. We've spent sometime. I spent some time with him
on the putting part and fabulous.The driver now is fixed. That's been

(27:15):
a problem, you know, sincethat driver book. It's fixed. So
we were out here today and it'spretty good. So I'm looking for him
to be in contention again. HHe's rested a little bit, you know,
that business of that, all thestuff he went through and then his
dad passed away. You know,I told him that this stuff is going
to get you at some point intime. You've got to be willing to

(27:36):
back away. And he gave upplaying in the PG Chimp It's to do
it. Oh my goodness, buthe did, and he's ready to go
again. And uh, you know, he's very very good. I mean
uh, I like how he handlesall the stuff in his position, you
know, regardless of m fam andstuff like that. But the pulls that

(27:59):
he has on his line, youknow, fabulous. So looking forward to
it. And Jerry too, he'sa favorite, as you know, he's
one of the favorites for me.Great family life, wife got through that
stuff. His son used to workhere with us on the range. So
what you have there is two reallygood people. I don't know how else

(28:19):
to say it. You can't saygood people enough both of these. Like
I said, Jerry's a favorite,has been forever. And the fact that
he can play really good. Icounted how many times he tucks up his
pants. What the hell are you'regonna lose them? You gotta get a
you know, he looks good,but you got to give him credit.

(28:41):
He drives in every fairway. Hewas leading the tour in short game.
Yeah for a while. This isa guy here. Madison, Wisconsin is
right down the road here, Jerry. Yeah, pretty good, you know.
And you talk about Jerry and Steveand you obviously know their histories,

(29:02):
probably better than anybody. But there'stwo guys from the same city that in
terms of longevity and success on thetour, both tours for that matter,
that truly is an amazing run forboth of those guys, isn't it.
Oh my gosh, Yes, Yeah, they've been around, it seems like
forever. I remember covering both thoseguys in the late eighties and early nineties,

(29:26):
and you know, here we arethirty some years later. They're still
playing at a high level. Andwhen you when you talk about Madison golf,
you have to talk about Sherry Steinauerand Andy North too. It's amazing
that a Midwest city, in Wisconsin, city of two hundred and fifty thousand
or whatever Madison is can produce fourworld class laters. It's truly amazing.

(29:47):
Well, I'll put you on thespot then and ask you if there's a
next right. I mean, we'vehad that run. But is there is
there an in state golfer who youbelieve has the chops to be next on
the tour that can win on theregular tour or the LPGA Tour or as
you look down the road, whois that? Is there somebody? You

(30:07):
know? It's it's so hard topredict, predict that. You know,
there are guys that I thought forsure we're going to be on the tour
by now, like like Jordan Nebrogi, for instance, who for one reason
or another hasn't made it. Imean, he had an amazing amateur career,
probably the best ever year by anamateur in Wisconsin golf history in twenty
thirteen. He hasn't made it toany of the big tours. You know,

(30:30):
I guess if you put me onthe spot. I took two guys,
Thomas Longbella from Chippewell Falls and HarrisonNot from Brookfield. Both of those
guys I love how Harrison goes aboutgolf. I love his course management skills,
very very smart player. And ThomasLongbela has the you know, the
distance, the speed and all thatstuff that of the top players on the

(30:52):
tour. Both those guys have hadsome success, you know, in the
Gulf minor leagues, and it'd becool to see one of the guys,
both of them break through here andget on tour. Garry. This is
going to detail me into the nextconversation. Dennis had his hand raised and
I think, I think he's gotit. I think he's got a name.
And it might be it might havea couple of ease involved in a
little as the striker might be thatmaybe that next. So one of the

(31:17):
conversations I want to have tonight isabout the state of golf and how good
golf is. And I can thinkof with the state tournament going on and
youth golf and how well the gameis being played. Is the game because
the scoring is pretty similar, Denniscan talk to that today as it was
thirty years ago. But is thegame in a better place with its growth

(31:41):
and youth and the quality of golfas you see it, No doubt,
undoubtedly, Because while Dennis has apoint about the scoring being you know,
pretty much unchanged at the top level, now there's lots more people shooting those
scorers and you see those scores beingshot now by sixteen to six seen in
seventeen year old kids. There arekids qualifying for major championships, winning or

(32:06):
coming close to winning on the PGATour. It's amazing the depth of the
talent. Now, yeah, Dennis, you were talking about that. We've
had that conversation on a couple ofthe shows, that it's not that the
game is being played at a higherlevel, but there are more players playing
at the high level. I'm justconcerned about those people that made a name
for themselves that are still in theirmid thirties. Sure, and they've retired.

(32:31):
Are you here of Jordan'speeth? Well, yeah, you hear about those
people here who are really good.These are major champions And now I look
down that list of people. Idon't know any of those people. And
part of that is money, right, I mean, I think we see
that in all walks of life.When you achieve great financial success, is
your drive still there? And that'sthe question, you have enough drive once

(32:53):
you've made all that money, Andthat would be one of the questions.
Gary, We're gonna let you go, but let me finish with this.
You've got a big week with WisconsinDot Golf. So what are the things
that you guys are all working onwith everything happening at one time here.
Yeah, thanks appreciate that. Youknow, Rob Bernandez is right now at
the state high school tournament covering that. I'm covering you as Senior Open qualifying

(33:15):
tomorrow at o'conam on Golf Club,and then I'll be at the AMFAM starting
Wednesday. Rob will join me onFriday and we'll double team the weekend,
so there will be lots of golfto post on our website over the next
five six days. That is fantastic, Gary, Thank you. We always
appreciate it. Thank you, guys. Garry Demano, Wisconsin dot Golf.
And when we come back, TravisBecker, the director of instruction here,

(33:37):
Paul had a conversation with him.I believe about chipping. Now, Paul
could have spent the whole time talkingabout his chipping, but I think they
talked about chipping in general. Someof that conversation with Travis Becker. You're
going to hear that when we comeI was trying to take notes and he
wasn't listening to what he was saying. He was trying to take notes.
Talking golf continues in a moment TPCWisconsin in Madison, watch some of the

(33:59):
greatest in golf history, including tournamenthost Steve Stricker, at the American Family
Insurance Championship at University Ridge Golf CourseFriday June seventh through Sunday June ninth.
Tournament week includes an exciting concert featuringthree time Grammy Award winning Train on Friday
June seventh at Brice Stevensfield. Proceedssupport the Steve Stricker American Family Insurance Foundation

(34:19):
and the American Family Children's Hospital.Get your tickets at AMFAM Championship dot com.
That's Amfam Championship dot com. UniversityRidge has been the proud host of
the American Family Insurance Championship since twentysixteen. We've enjoyed working with the American
Family team to create nine years ofmagical moments at University Ridge. Open to

(34:40):
the public and consistently considered one ofthe best values in the country. University
Ridge is d placed for golf insouthern Wisconsin. Book your tea time up
to ninety days out online at Universityridgedot com. Play with the Badgers and
the pros. Play University Ridge.When you are a loved one, could
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(35:04):
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oak Parkplace dot com to learn more. Why drive an ordinary car when for
the same monthly payment you could bedriving something extraordinary Aaron Perkins, General Manager,
Zimbric European. Imagine yourself behind thewheel of a Mercedes, benz Audi
or Porsche. More safety, performanceand luxury and way more fun and getting
more costs less than you think.Zimbrac European makes leasing affordable. Discover the

(35:47):
value for yourself. Stop in andtest drive a Mercedes, benz Audi or
Porsche today. Visit Zimbrake European andfind out why leasing the car of your
dreams makes so much sense. Wisconsinoffers fantastic facilities for the whole family.
They not only provide members with eighteenholes of an elite golfing caliber challenge,

(36:08):
but an Olympic sized swimming pool,spacious accommodations for family gatherings, weddings,
corporate business meetings, and a varietyof programs for the junior golfers. Question
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Tee up a TPC membership called sixoh eight, two four nine,

(36:28):
one thousand, relationships, building them, making them last a lifetime. Since
nineteen seventy eight, Cleary has workedto develop true relationships with you, our
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(36:49):
or a new egg building, wehope to exceed your expectations each time we
serve you. We are here forevery stage of your life. Build your
dreams. Today at Clearybuilding dot comTalk brown Man with us is Travis Becker,
who's director of golf here at TPCWisconsin, And on this segment we're

(37:14):
going to talk a little bit aboutchipping and pitching and Traviser's a lot to
cover here, but let's start.Say, for an example, I'm right
beside the green and one of thefirst things I got to look at is
can I see the back of theball? Correct? You always want to
check your live first looking at grassdirection. Is the ball sitting up?

(37:35):
Is it sitting down? Can youget all the club on the back of
the ball. That would be thestarting point. Second thing you're going to
look at is you're trying to getthe golf ball on the green as quickly
as possible. Usually tell people agood six to eight feet on the front
of the green, and then howmuch green do you have to work with?
So if you have the pin hisway in the back and you get
it on the front of the green, try a low lofted club to get

(37:57):
that ball there and have a releaseback to the If the pin is in
the front, a little more lofton the club to bring it in with
less role. Now to make thatswing. For an example, the length
to the backswing really comes into play, doesn't it determine how far you're going
to hit it? Yeah, Golfis a game of distance and direction,
So the distance control items we lookat the backswing and the tempo. So

(38:21):
the bigger the backswing are, thefaster the temple, the further that ball
is going to go. And alsoa problem that I have in working on
chipping, and that kind of thingis for years I've been breaking my wrist
and that is a definite no,No, isn't it. It is another
thing you would have to time out. We try to keep the hands quiet,
use more of your big muscles,and trying to get rid of that

(38:44):
flippy action. And also in termsof your stance when you're getting ready for
chipping, isn't a majority or saysixty forty in terms of weight distribution,
so supposedly supposed to be on thatlead leg for me would be the right
line correct. If you are aleft handed golfer, you're you're trying to
get about I would even say seventypercent on your lead heel. So for

(39:07):
their lefties out there, that wouldbe our right heel. For our right
handed players, that's our left heel. And why it's in the heel is
that will allow our body to rotate. If it's in your toes, you
kind of get stuck or you startmoving laterally or up or down. Is
there any rotation of the hips inthis? Definitely? You know, the
bigger the swing, the more rotationthere's gonna be. You know, like

(39:29):
we use our feet a little bit. We use the ground a little bit
like shooting free throws. So thebigger the swing, the more I'm gonna
push off that ground with my footpressure. What's the Is there a specific
key or two that is successful inorder to be successful in chipping and that
you need to do? I thinkhaving the confidence and also tempo is a

(39:52):
lot is very important. A lotof people overlook that a lot of people
will make a backswing that might betoo short, which causes their tempo to
get quick and it almost feels yippie. Vice versa. We have people that
make a backswing that's too long,which creates them to decelerate into the golf
ball. So we like to saykind of symmetrical on both sides of the

(40:13):
ball, with just a smooth accelerationor almost a coasting feel through impact.
How would you determine I know it'sdifferent for everybody, but you talked about
a lofted shot or running a clubshot. How do you make that selection?
How do you go about that processof finding out which club is the
best one for you in that particularsituation. A formula that seems to work

(40:37):
well is I'm always looking what ismy carry distance, meaning from my golf
ball to the front of the greenand then from the front of the green
where that ball would land. I'mlooking at my role distance, so kind
of a good starting point for mostgolf courses around here. On a flat
lie, a one to one clubmeaning how far it carries in the air
and how far it's going to rollas your sand wedge pitching wedge is typically

(41:00):
a one to two carry to rollratio. A nine iron would be a
one to three. So again you'relooking, what's my carry distance to get
it on the green? What's myrole distance? And I can start with
that formula. How do you figureall of this out trial and error?
Or do you really need somebody likeyourself or your staff or somebody that teaches

(41:21):
golf to take a look at thatindividual and decide in this situation. Now,
let's maybe you're going to use afifty three or a fifty six or
whatever. I a great question.I had a young girl today this morning
where we worked on short game andit was the best way to do it
is we put a t in thefront of the green where we wanted to
land it, and we hit differentshots trying to get the ball to land

(41:43):
there and then watch her rollout.If you do use a little bit more
hands, then a person that doesn'tuse hands, you are probably going to
have less rollout because you're putting alittle loft on the club and it's going
to hit and stop a little bitsooner. So again it's I really like
taking people out walking them through it, and everybody's different. Whereas the ball
position is going to determine that carryto roll as well. If I move

(42:06):
it more forward in my stance,ball usually comes out a little higher and
a little softer. If I moveit back in my stance, ball is
going to come out lower with alittle bit more roll. And if you
don't have the right club in yourhand, it becomes very difficult to have
an effective and a good chip,or doesn't it it does? You know?
We like to put systems in place. So what the system might be,

(42:28):
Like I said, some people aregoing to use their sand wedge a
lot around the greens. Other peopleare going to do this carry to roll
ratio where they're going to chip withmultiple clubs in their bag. A lot
of it is too what you seeand what you feel and what you can
have confidence in yourself as a player, you have to be able to trust
the shot that you're going to pulloff. What other advice can you give
us about chipping and pitching? Iwould say chipping again, get a good

(42:51):
technique in place where you can makesolid contact with the golf ball. That
way you can control your distance.I have a pitching technique, so I
kind of explain the difference between chippingand pitching. Chipping is going to be
a one piece motion. It's alower shot I'm getting on the green with
roll a. Pitching, I'm goingto actually use my wrist in my hands
to create some leverage in a steeperattack angle. That puts more speed on

(43:15):
it, so the ball goes higher, it goes a little bit further.
So whenever your carry distance is greaterthan your role distance, you have to
pitch the ball. So if somebodywants to get into the program that you
have here at TPC Wisconsin and learnall of this, how do they go
about doing that? Travis? Theeasiest way to do it would be going

(43:37):
directly to our website site at TPCWisconsin dot com. Click on the Golf
Academy section and there's an inquiry formright there. You would fill out your
name, phone number, email,and we'll contact you within twenty four hours.
Thank you Travis. Thanks having youon. Thank you. We'll be
back after this time out. Thisis Talking Golf at TPC Wisconsin. Your

(43:57):
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Joel? Your game, your storealways at the best price. Watch some
of the greatest names in golf history, including tournament hosts Steve Stricker, at
the American Family Insurance Championship at UniversityRidge Golf Course Friday June seventh through Sunday

(44:22):
June ninth. Tournament week includes anexciting concert featuring three time Grammy Award winning
Train on Friday June seventh at BryceStevensfield. Proceeds support the Steve Stricker American
Family Insurance Foundation and the American FamilyChildren's Hospital. Get your tickets at AMFAM
Championship dot com. That's AMFAM Championshipdot com. Now is the time to

(44:44):
take the short drive to Wild RockGolf Club It experience championship golf in the
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(45:04):
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(45:51):
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(46:16):
offering you and your family a totallyenjoyable experience that includes a challenging eighteen
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(46:37):
complete game for the whole family.For membership details called six oh eight,
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Your game, your store always atthe best price. Hi guys, Welcome

(47:02):
back to another week of Bobby's Diary. Last week we were trying to qualify
for the US Open. Was notsuccessful, but that's all right. Learned
some things I need to work on. I played a lot of tournament golf
recently, so I'm excited to behome and kind of assess the game and
see where I need to spend sometime. And it is very obvious that

(47:29):
I need to work on my chipping. My dad is also home, so
got to have a lesson the otherday. Just been struggling with like selecting
shots, selecting the right chips tohit. And I got some technique work

(47:51):
done with my dad too. Thatjust fundamentals were just a little off.
So I chip with a fifty eightdegree a majority of the time, but
I've ran into lately shots where Iknow my fifty four degree wedge is needed,
where that would be would be well. The shot that I'm here at

(48:14):
number three of TPC Wisconsin, whereyou need a bunch of green, or
you have a bunch of green andthe pin is in the back and you
need to keep the ball on theground. I will just manipulate my face
of my fifty eight degree to makeit run. But if I mishit it
a little bit, it comes upshort, and this fifty four degree,

(48:37):
if used correctly, it's just waymore consistent with that kind of shot.
I won't pull it out in atournament because I just don't I don't know
how to hit it. I don'tknow how it's gonna come off because of
just I don't practice it enough.So what I'll do when I come out
here, I'll come out here bymyself after a lesson and just practice those

(48:59):
shots. So, like I said, I had a lesson the other day
with my dad and we changed someof my setup, changed how my hands
are at at address. That thenhelps with impact. They're they're more forward,
They're more forward balls in the backof my stands and it's still the

(49:22):
same chipping motion, but just justset up really changed that. And then
knowing where to land it. I'veI've been focusing a lot on it.
That's the most important piece of thisof this type of shot is where you're
where you're landing it, because it'sgonna run out. So yeah, I'll

(49:43):
come out here about myself and justtry to actually I'll put down a bunch
of balls and try to execute it. And I'm excited to be home for
a while and and and just learnit because I know it'll it'll it'll help
my game boatloads because I've ran intothis shot multiple times. So thanks to

(50:09):
Dad, I got some new stuffto work on and I'm excited for the
week ahead. Those are the commentsof Bobby Stricker and Kis, what are
you hearing that? Well, she'stalking about the right things, and you
know that there's a couple of thingsthat we do. First of all,

(50:29):
much time do I have? Well, you got two to three minutes because
last time you cut me off soGary could be on it. You know.
Anyway that you've got to identity.Can you see the back of the
ball. If you can see theback of the ball, then all your
options are open. If you can'tsee the back of the ball, then
you better get the heaviest club youhave, which is your sandwich. And

(50:53):
making sure that you use the bouncethe bounce. The bottom of the club
has to go under the ball.It's the bounce that's going to get the
ball out of this life. Now, if you can see the ball,
the next step by said is howfar am I excuse me from where the
ball is to the edge of thegreen? How far from the edge of

(51:14):
the green to the hole? Well, if I don't have a long wayst
to go, and it's a longways to go to the hole, then
it's a rolling club. Now youheard what she just said that before she
would take a club and change theWell, that's not right. That's why
you have all them clubs and allthose numbers, right, And I know
that balls roll in the hole.They don't fly in the hole. So

(51:36):
you want to get a rolling clubto make this happen. Now, you
try to get it so that itruns. You pitch it one third and
run two thirds, so you'll seemost often or not, who could be
a seven iron, nine iron doesn'thave to be this. But I can
see the back of the ball,so I can control it. So that's
a little bit about it. Theback of the ball, how far to
the edge of the green? Howfar from the edge of the green to

(51:59):
the hole and that'll give you thethe and then pitch one third run two
thirds right. Yeah, my goodness. If there was only a short game
area that would open later this summerat TPC Wisconsin to work on such things.
Oh, I get it, butit'll be open here. First part
of Yeah, I just add thisbefore we take our final break and come

(52:19):
back and wrap it up. Ihad a chance, I'm a member out
here at TPC Wisconsin. I hada chance to play with another member and
his wife and Carrie and I thisweekend. This is the community of a
golf membership is really what it's allabout, you know, to make to
have friends and to be with peoplethat you have something in common with and

(52:40):
to sit down when you're done andhave a bite to eat or a drink.
And I think that's one of thethings that you take great pride in
out here. Now that you're seeingsome things that have changed in this turnover
a lot more couples out here andTPC Wisconsin from an affordability standpoint, as
it relates to other higher end clubs, it's there you can make it work.

(53:02):
It's also just a fantastic place tobe. It's an endorsement for me.
I've been here for a while andthis is Dennis. You and the
staff have done a great job inbuilding a place that is a community for
those of us who are a partof it. And I think that's one
of the messages you want to gethome, no question. Thanks for saying
that, but you're not going toget a raise, so you know,

(53:25):
dang, I try, Paul,I told you I'd give the shot.
I have never seen so many couplesand individuals and women. I love it.
No texting me. I made twopars, I made I shot a
fifty four today. It was sogood to hear that because that's what we
did. Yeah, you can growwhat you know, you can grow our
business now through the women's market.And it was so good to see that

(53:46):
what we did and made that decision. That's what's happened working, and it's
working and it feels good. Butthanks for the comments about that. Somebody
else a member saying it is ourbest salesperson. As you know. You
bet we'll be back after this timeout. This is TPC in Madison and
we're right back after this. Watchsome of the greatest names in golf history,

(54:09):
including Tournament host Steve Stricker at theAmerican Family Insurance Championship at University Ridge
Golf Course Friday June seventh through SundayJune ninth. Tournament week includes an exciting
concert featuring three time Grammy Award winningTrain on Friday June seventh at Breece Stevensfield.
Proceeds support the Steve Stricker American FamilyInsurance Foundation and the American Family Children's

(54:30):
Hospital. Get your tickets at AMFAMChampionship dot com. That's AMFAM Championship dot
com. Why drive an ordinary carwhen for the same monthly payment you could
be driving something extraordinary Aaron Perkins,General Manager, Zimbrick European. Imagine yourself
behind the wheel of a Mercedes,benz Audi or Porsche. More safety,
performance and luxury and way more funand getting more costs less than you think.

(54:53):
Zimbrack European makes leasing affordable. Discoverthe value for yourself. Stop in
and test drive in Sades, benzAudi or Porsche Today. Visit Zimbrac European
and find out why leasing the carof your dreams makes so much sense.
University Ridge has been the proud hostof the American Family Insurance Championship. Since
twenty sixteen, we've enjoyed working withthe American Family Team to create nine years

(55:17):
of magical moments at University Ridge.Open to the public and consistently considered one
of the best values in the country, University Ridge is the place for gulf
in southern Wisconsin. Book your teatime up to ninety days out online at
Universityridge dot com. Play with theBadgers and the pros Play University Ridge.

(55:37):
Olk Parkplace memory care communities meet residentswhere they are on the journey with Alzheimer's
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When you need to take that firststep and learn more, turn to the
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(56:01):
Senior Living. Visit Olkparkplace dot comto learn more. Creeps, do you
spend more time searching for your ballthan actually playing well? Listen up.
Clary has the perfect solution for you. The Clarigolf Getaway is the perfect addition
to any commercial or storage building.Picture. This your custom getaway, complete

(56:24):
with a fresh cut putting green ina clubhouse so cozy you'll make it your
second home. Hi, I'm showingClary. We all need a little getaway,
so why not go for the greenwith a new Clary building. If
you're a golfer who likes a challenge, consider being a member at TPC Wisconsin.
The course provides you with a verychallenging eighteen who layout that makes you

(56:47):
think before you hit your next shot. After your round, you can relax
at the completely renovated clubhouse. Thenew facility includes three restaurants, tennis courts,
driving range, and programs for juniors, us other great amenities. Are
you up for the TPC Wisconsin Challenge? For details on becoming a member six
oh eight two four nine one thousand, and we're Wisconsin. We're almost on

(57:16):
a time, but we want tomake a reminder that's available to people that
are not TPC members. Obviously wewould like it if you'd become a TPC
member, but if you'd like toplay the golf course once, you could
have an opportunity. And the waywe do that through Dennis they have the
Golf Foundation of Wisconsin. It's afive oh one C three and you can

(57:42):
bring a foursome of people here andthe money is totally tax deductible. So
you bring four people out to play, it's one thousand dollars for the foursome,
but the money is tax deductible.And as a non member, you
can come here once and play thegolf course. And all of the details,
the specifics on that, the teatimes, when the times are available,

(58:05):
and that type of thing, howthey'll get the passes to you.
That's all available on the TPC Wisconsinwebsite. Or call Travis Becker at six
OAY two four nine one thousand,six away two four nine one thousand.
Put together a foursome, come onout, get a chance to play a
wonderful and challenging golf course. Makethe donation to the Golf Foundation and Dennis

(58:30):
very quickly about thirty seconds. Theproceeds of that are going to a lot
of different things, including girls golf. Right, well, it's to pay
instructors at non major metropolitan areas thathave a high school with our girls team
that that coach would have access to. That that's the start. Okay,
that's then there's other things too,but we're out of time. Hey,

(58:52):
the hour goes fast, really guys, so we're gonna bid you farewell.
From TPC, Wisconsin to Madison,Dave McCann along with Mike Keller, Dennis
Diziani, Paul Brown. Thanks forlistening, and we'll be back and do
it again next Monday night. Herefrom Madison and TPC, Wisconsin. Perfect