Episode 17: PGA Championship and the Myrtle Beach Classic!

Episode 17: PGA Championship and The Myrtle Beach Classic!

In today’s episode, hosts Ben and Aaron unpack the excitement and controversy surrounding the PGA Championship and discuss the Myrtle Beach Classic. We start our conversation with the latest news in professional golf and the upcoming PGA Championship. Next, we dive into Rory McIlroy's departure from the player policy board, Tiger Woods being the sole PGA player involved in negotiations, and our concerns about the state of professional golf. We explore the reasons for the declining viewership, the controversies surrounding rival leagues, and Brooks Koepka's admiration for Rory McIlroy. We also talk about the upcoming Myrtle Beach Classic golf tournament, analyze the field of players, evaluate course conditions, and highlight some well-known names that will be attending. Shifting to our usual "Tee’d Off” segment, we share our struggles with putter performance and receiving unsolicited swing advice from playing partners, and provide insights into popular accommodation spots for golfers. Tune in now!

The Myrtle Beach golf course of the episode is the fabulous Dunes Golf and Beach Club, host of the Myrtle Beach Classic! Accommodations of the episode are the highly requested oceanfront condos of Crescent Shores. Located in the heart of North Myrtle Beach, Crescent Shores offers 2, 3, and 4 bedroom luxury condos that would be perfect for your next Myrtle Beach golf trip. Plentiful bedding options, finely appointed interiors, fully equipped kitchens and private balconies are just a few of the amenities you will find at Crescent Shores, all on the oceanfront! For an unforgettable experience, consider The Dunes Golf and Beach Club and Crescent Shores when building your Myrtle Beach golf package on MBgolf.com. 

Key Points From This Episode:

Explore the reasons for Rory McIlroy leaving the policy board.
Tiger Woods’ legacy in professional golf and his possible partnership.
The LIV Golf and PGA controversy and the decline in viewership.
We share our perspectives on the current state of professional golf.
The PGA Championship and the players we want to see competing.
Hear our favorites sleeper picks for the upcoming championship.
Introduction to the upcoming Myrtle Beach Classic golf tournament.
Overview and analysis of the players participating in the tournament.
Details about the Myrtle Beach Classic course and conditions.
What makes The Dunes Golf Course so memorable to play.
Package recommendations for your next Myrtle Beach golf trip.

Transcript

EPISODE 17

[INTRODUCTION]

[0:00:07] ANNOUNCER: It’s time for the Tee’d Off Podcast.

[EPISODE]

[0:00:18] BC: Okay, it is episode 17 of the Tee’d Off Podcast. I'm Ben Clyburn and my co-host is Aaron Thomas. Aaron, how you doing today, man?

[0:00:25] AT: Good, Ben. How you doing?

[0:00:26] BC: It's an exciting week. Myrtle Beach classic week.

[0:00:28] AT: It is. It's a big week. A lot of PGA golf going on. A lot of PGA stories going on.

[0:00:36] BC: That's right.

[0:00:37] AT: A lot to talk about.

[0:00:38] BC: Tournament going on right up the road and we can't wait to attend the tournament this week, and we'll talk a little bit more about the Myrtle Beach Classic when we make the back nine. We're going to hit the front nine first and talk about the state of the professional game. There's some news about Rory McIlroy, some news about Tiger Woods and we've got the PGA championship coming up. So exciting to talk about our favorites and sleeper picks. Then we'll hit the back nine. We will talk about the Myrtle Beach Classic. Our course of the episode is no surprise. Going to be the Dunes Club, spoiler alert there. Talk about the package of the episode, accommodations of the episode, and then last but not least, what tees us off. You ready to get into it?

[0:01:17] AT: Yeah. Let's do it.

[0:01:22] ANNOUNCER: The front nine.

[0:01:26] BC: Okay, the front nine. News pretty recent. Rory McIlroy had left the player policy board earlier last year, and was supposed to come back. News has just hit now that he's not coming back, and internal sources have said that Patrick Cantlay, Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth have voted to not have Rory back. That other sources say that Tiger Woods and Rory's relationship has soured over the last six months. What are your initial thoughts on that?

[0:02:01] AT: I was shocked when I saw those three names specifically mentioned, as not wanting him back. I don't really know. I mean, I think Tiger has really moved into the – he's the elder statesman, the spokesperson. I think he's going to be leading the charge for the tour, probably moving forward, because he's not playing golf as much now, but there's certainly something to be said there.

Obviously, there was a lot of noise a few weeks ago about Rory accepting a large sum of money to go to LIV. It got shut down pretty quick. But I'm a firm believer of where there's smoke, there's fire. I think there were talks or something that had happened, whether it was with Rory directly, an agent, or somebody. I don't feel like, maybe those guys are really happy with where his head's at with the PGA tour. He hasn't had a lot of positive things to say with where they're at.

[0:02:57] BC: Well, let's talk about that smoke. I mean, you got – when people started to first jump shift to go to LIV, Rory was one of the spoke – if not the spokesperson for the PGA tour, because Tiger was under the knife and pretty much silent the last 36 months or so, until he started getting back into playing. It was the Rory show, and everybody was behind him and he was – the whole tour was on his shoulders. Then we're about a year anniversary from the merger announcement, and where Rory felt he was thrown completely under the bus. I mean, he said a lot of things for the PGA tour. Then he leaves the policy board.

[0:03:42] AT: Which was all around the same time. Yeah.

[0:03:43] BC: Yup. Then he softens on his take on LIV and PGA. His performances have not been great on the course. Then we have the rumor news that after the Masters that he's going to jump ship for an equity stake and a ton of money to go to LIV. That ended up not happening. Now we have news that he's not rejoining the board, and it doesn't sound like it's out of choice. It's out of the other players saying, “No.”

[0:04:13] AT: Don't want him. Yeah.

[0:04:15] BC: I just find that to be shocking. I think you started with shocking. I mean, he's usually such a likable guy. I'm not sure quite what's going on there behind closed doors.

[0:04:28] AT: Well, I think likable prior to all of the LIV, PGA Tour stuff, because he was never – he never had to be the lean person. He never had to be the outspoken person. A lot of people liked him. He was fun to watch. Great golfer. As he got more vocal, as I felt like, you could feel some people may be turning against him. Not PGA Tour players, but a lot of fans like, “I don't want to hear all this. I want to watch golf and enjoy it.” I think a lot of people were getting turned off by the outspokenness, especially the first season, the Full Swing, I mean, when he said, “F Phil.” I mean, out loud. He couldn't say it enough. I don't think a lot of people liked that. I don't think that was a side of him they really wanted to see. But that's from a fan's perspective. Now from the tour players’ perspective, there's certainly a lot more going on there than we obviously know. I have to ask, are him and Tiger partners with their –

[0:05:33] BC: With TGL.

[0:05:34] AT: Yeah. Which obviously has been delayed another year. But if their relationship has indeed soured, how's that going to affect that moving forward?

[0:05:44] BC: I mean, it can't be good for it. To follow up on the policy board, Tiger Woods, some more recent news, seems to be the only PGA player that's going to be at the negotiating table from now moving forward along with Jay Monahan, the leader of Fenway Sports Group and the leader of the PIF, the governor, Yasir, for negotiations between PIF and PGA. How do you feel about that that Tiger's going to be the only guy?

[0:06:19] AT: I'm okay with that. I actually think he's probably the best. Now that he is back in the picture, he's not playing as much. I know a lot of these guys, I think we saw with Rory early on a lot – that's a lot on your shoulders, and being the guy, I think with Tiger being the guy, he doesn't have the schedule from a playing standpoint that these other guys have. From a business perspective, I mean, what hasn't Tiger done? I think that's a great choice on their part of letting him take the lead. Like I said, I think he is turning into the elder statesman for a lot of these tour players. That's what I think the move is.

[0:07:02] BC: I agree. I think you can have too many cooks in the kitchen for negotiations like this. I think that meeting in the Bahamas earlier this year was an introduction to the inevitable. Yeah, Tiger's got the time. He's got the experience, and he is still the face of professional golf.

[0:07:22] AT: It keeps him the face, which is what the PGA Tour needs and wants.

[0:07:27] BC: They do. Well, cause Rory was – I'm saying was. Was the face. It doesn't really look like he's the face because of his performance and because of some internal disputes there. Scottie Scheffler is just taking the world by storm, but he's just not the face of the tour.

[0:07:45] AT: He's not an outspoken person. I don't think they could even push him into being that. It's not his style. That's the one thing I like about him. He is just, he puts his head down and he just goes –

[0:07:59] BC: To lead an entire league, an entire tour, you got to have a more outspoken person, in my opinion for marketability.

[0:08:07] AT: Yeah. I agree. That's why, I think, Tiger's perfect. I do. He's going to get what thinks they need. I don't see him backing down from that either.

[0:08:20] BC: We'll see what happens. Pretty big shake-up there.

[0:08:22] AT: Who has a bigger legacy at stake than Tiger Woods?

[0:08:29] BC: Well, I tell you what, we're about a year anniversary from that shocking bomb that came off when LIV and the PGA said, they were going to have a emerged entity. Nothing has happened as far as a formal agreement or anything. We still have LIV Golf and we still have the PGA Tour. Ratings are down. I know that they said that the Masters were lower than they've been in years. I think there's a little caveat to that because the app is wonderful.

[0:09:01] AT: A lot of digital. Yeah. There's a lot of ways to watch.

[0:09:03] BC: Jimmy Hanlin was on the last episode. He was talking about the other tournaments, the most recent tournament. I didn't know.

[0:09:11] AT: Byron Nelson.

[0:09:13] BC: Yeah. Didn't know the guys. I turned it off.

[0:09:16] AT: Yeah. I didn't watch much of it.

[0:09:17] BC: And I’m a die-hard golf fan. We got to get these players back together playing.

[0:09:21] AT: Which is a shame, because Byron Nelson used to be, like had some really big names in it, because, I mean, Byron Nelson's a legend of the game. It's a week before an elevated event, so there should have been a lot bigger names, but there really, there wasn't.

[0:09:37] BC: No. How do you feel the state of the game is? Because I think it's in a scary spot right now.

[0:09:43] AT: Yeah. From a fan perspective, it's not good. Number of reasons. One is what you and I are talking about right now, the bickering, the social media back and forth. These guys don't like this guy. I mean, is it PGA Tour Housewives? I mean, I feel like I'm watching a reality show unfold, just because it's every day. It's like, “This guy doesn't like this guy and this guy.” We never had that before. Obviously, a lot of a different situation with LIV. Let's just get it done and get it back for the fans, because I think the fans are getting, what's the word I'm looking for? It's maybe oversaturated with –

[0:10:33] BC: And there's fatigue.

[0:10:34] AT: - with golf information, or golf, is it going to happen? Well, what about, you know? It could be too much.

[0:10:43] BC: Well, society's instant gratification. We need something to keep our attention. The drama in the beginning was entertaining. Good or bad, it was entertaining. It's not entertaining anymore.

[0:10:55] AT: Nah. It’s struggling for a while.

[0:10:55] BC: If you break it down and it's a problem I have with other professional sports when people get in contract disputes and stuff like that. You get millionaires arguing with billionaires. LIV, everybody knows the money that they left for. That's why they left. Growing the game, this and that, the team atmosphere, come on. A lot of them have leaned into it and I appreciate the honesty. I really do. Like, Dustin, we were talking about Dustin off-air. “I'm going to go buy another island. Forget it.”

[0:11:25] AT: I appreciate him for it.

[0:11:26] BC: I do, too.

[0:11:26] AT: Give me the honesty.

[0:11:28] BC: Hey, be honest. But let's not forget the elevated events on the PGA Tour, those elevated purses. I mean, there's a lot of money on the PGA Tour now. I know it's not LIV money, but the purses are huge now. Every player is getting paid, whichever league you're in. Let's suck it up, be big boys and get back together here. There's obviously plenty of money to go around and let's figure it out. Tiger, get in the room and get the team back together.

[0:12:01] AT: Yeah. I mean, that's the only thing that's going to fix it, because as it stays fractured the way it is, the viewership, I think, is going to continue to decline. I would be curious to see with the Wells Fargo being an elevated event, what type of ratings, but I'm sure it's going to follow suit with what we've seen outside of the majors.

[0:12:23] BC: I don't think it's going to be very good.

[0:12:24] AT: Not as much interest. Yeah.

[0:12:25] BC: I just don't. We'll see. Are we closer to a deal? I don't know. The news that Tiger’s could be the only one in the room means that they're getting in that room soon.

[0:12:36] AT: Possibly. I mean, and that's part of the headache as a fan. The only news we're getting is nobody wants Rory on the board. Nobody's saying, “Oh, hey. We're meeting. We're getting closer.” There's been zero details given as to if they're even remotely close.

[0:12:55] BC: It is like a housewives. I mean, the downfall of Rory McIlroy and the resurgence of Tiger and all this stuff is just –

[0:13:03] AT: Personally, I mean, I don't know what Rory has going on in his life, but I expect Rory to – I mean, he's still one of the top players in the world. He's going to find his form. I think he's just – he's had a lot going on. I don't want to be that. I'm not going to speculate. But I think he just probably has a lot going on, maybe not being on the board. Focusing on your golf game. Focus on your own ventures. I think he'll see a turnaround.

[0:13:33] BC: Yeah. We'll see. Big tournament coming up. PGA Championship. We will have a lot of good players, like the masters in the field. That's going to be great. I imagine the ratings are going to be a heck of a lot better than these elevated tour events, which they always are.

[0:13:48] AT: LIV players. A couple actually got – was Taylor Gooch.

[0:13:53] BC: Taylor Gooch. Louie got invited and declined. I found that interesting. I don't know the reasons though. Could have some legitimate reasons.

[0:14:01] AT: Don't need the money.

[0:14:03] BC: Yeah. Which really goes back to –

[0:14:06] AT: Who wants competition?

[0:14:07] BC: - back to my whole point about the state of the game. You're turning down an invite to a major championship.

[0:14:13] AT: Yeah.

[0:14:14] BC: I mean, that's sad. That's sad.

[0:14:16] AT: But we also don't know. I mean, maybe he had family plans. Wasn't planning on getting invited.

[0:14:19] BC: Exactly. Exactly.

[0:14:20] AT: I don't want to speculate on that at all.

[0:14:22] BC: But if we were to speculate and that was the reason, that's sad. Hopefully, it's something else.

[0:14:28] AT: Yeah. I mean, I don't know if he's got children. Maybe he's got kids graduating school. I don't know. I don't know enough about him. Yeah, I definitely don't want to speculate on that. That's just joking about LIV.

[0:14:40] BC: Well, they're returning to Valhalla, which is where Rory won his last major, which is shocking to me. That was 10 years ago.

[0:14:46] AT: Yeah. 2014. Hard to believe.

[0:14:48] BC: I mean, I remember we were talking that Rory, how many dozen was he going to win? He's sitting on four majors. That was a great tournament. It ended strange. Remember, they played up, which Phil didn't appreciate to beat darkness. That's always a great track, Valhalla, which is in Kentucky. It looks tough. This is going to be a PGA-style tournament that's US opening with the long rough and stuff.

[0:15:19] AT: I've seen some pictures. A few social media people that have been out to play it. I know Paige Spiranac, she had it posted on hers. I think she played it last week with the Kentucky Derby, or whatever. She had a lot of great pictures of the holes posted of that. The rough looked treacherous.

[0:15:38] BC: It reminds me of the last PGA at Bethpage. I mean, they set that up it like was the US Open. I mean, the people struggled mightily if they didn't hit the fairway, which rightfully so. I think Tiger Woods won in Valhalla. He had that shoot-out with Bob May.

[0:15:55] AT: Yeah. That's it. Yeah. My God, when was that? 2000 and –

[0:15:58] BC: ’99 or 2000.

[0:16:00] AT: Yeah. You know what? It was 2000 because that's when the PGA was in August. That was his third major in a row.

[0:16:08] BC: That's when he held off.

[0:16:10] AT: Nope. He won the Masters in 2001.

[0:16:12] BC: Yeah. But he was the only guy to hold all four of them. Yeah. That was when he pointed and walked it in. I have a picture of that. It's amazing.

[0:16:22] AT: Those were the days.

[0:16:23] BC: Oh, my God. Those were the days. But he's in the field. Tiger's not a favorite. He's definitely would be a sleeper pick if you picked him. But let's start with our favorites. I'm going to go first. This has to do with the state of a lot of players in professional golf. Scottie is an odds favorite. He's expecting the birth of his first child. I don't think the child's been born yet. The closer we get to that, he's either not going to be there, or he's going to be coming off a plane with no sleep from a newborn. I'm going to cross Scottie Scheffler off. I know he went to the RBC right after the Masters with nothing and with no sleep and no prep, or anything.

[0:17:11] AT: I think we went home to Texas first and then went to Hilton.

[0:17:12] BC: Yeah, he did. It's different, I think, after the child is born. I'm going to cross him off. Jon Rahm's not informed since he left the PGA. Rory McIlroy, for all the reasons we've mentioned, let's cross him off. Ludvig Åberg, unfortunately, he's gotten the injuries. He pulled out of the Wells Fargo this week.

[0:17:32] AT: I hate to hear that, because he was so much fun to watch at Augusta.

[0:17:35] BC: It sounds to me like the sea is parting for Brooks Koepka. He's coming off of a win at Singapore and LIV. He's in form and he's the defending champion. I think he could win this thing and I don't think there's many people in his way. My favorite's going to be Brooks Koepka.

[0:17:55] AT: Fair enough. Fair enough. I don't dispute that, because I believe he did just have a win on LIV, which is typically the time of the year, Brooks starts cooking. We're getting into PGA US Open. Those are his two he has been dominant at. I can definitely see that. I'm sticking with Scottie, man. I'm riding the horse because I don't care if he's had sleep or not. I think he's just in a zone right now. I don't think it's a matter of practice and training for him. I think his swing is just so in tune. I don't think a week off is going to hurt him. Now with that being said, I hate to say, yeah, he's my favorite, because he might not even be playing. If his wife goes into labor on Wednesday before tee off, he's not going to go. I mean, he already said he would leave Augusta national.

[0:18:45] BC: Leave the Masters. Yeah.

[0:18:46] AT: If he plays, I like Scottie. I just think he is on a roll that we haven't seen in a long time. I mean, it's Tiger Woods like, that he was playing.

[0:18:56] BC: It sure is. I've been a proponent when Bubba Watson was hot, when Justin Thomas was hot. I was real critical, because their swings, I just don't think can be consistent over many years. I know that Scottie's got that weird foot hitch in his swing. It's all after impact. This guy. Even Tiger said it, and everybody said this about Tiger. Said, when you see him hit the ball, the ball travels differently. Tiger said that about Scottie. Yeah, he's got the game by the horns right now. I don't know. His outside world to me is, it's what's going to cloud his performance.

[0:19:41] AT: I don't think so. I mean, if anything, he's having his first kid, he's going to be on cloud nine anyway. I mean, he's going to be cruising. But I feel like his swing is just so – it's so in tune right now that you can't go against him. I hope his wife is that she has the baby healthy, happy, everything, in between the Wells Fargo and the PGA for our sakes as fans. But if not, understand. But man, on Sunday of the PGA championship, would I love to see a Scottie Scheffler-Brooks Koepka pairing, because that would be must-watch TV.

[0:20:21] BC: You want to talk about two opposite people? I mean, that would be must watch in the whole world. The professional world would love it.

[0:20:32] AT: It would be awesome to watch, because at least in my opinion, they're not very – I don't want to say, they're not sociable. I mean, Scottie Scheffler is probably one of the nicest guys on the planet. But when they're playing, it just looks like, they're all, both of them, all about their business. I don't even see that –

[0:20:48] BC: They definitely both put blinders on.

[0:20:50] AT: Yeah. I don't think you'd see a lot of small talk. I think it would be a great final-day pairing, and it'd be great for golf.

[0:20:56] BC: Do you see where Brooks said, if there was one professional golfer that he can play with for the rest of his life, it would be Rory McIlroy?

[0:21:05] AT: Yeah. He said, his reasoning was because Rory's at four, Brooks is at five in the majors. He said he knows Rory's going to get the five. He wants to continue the pace.

[0:21:17] BC: Brooks being on LIV takes him out of an opportunity to be the best player in the world, week in and week out. He already only focuses on the majors. He said that before LIV existed. This is an opportunity for Brooks to say, “Hey, Scottie. It's me.” That would be must must-watch TV.

[0:21:35] AT: Oh, I'd love it. I would love it.

[0:21:37] BC: I’m getting chills thinking about it. We'll see.

[0:21:40] AT: I mean, I hope that's something that's – I mean, it'd be great for the game of golf. We talked about the state of the game right now, but that would be something that I think the fans would get behind –

[0:21:48] BC: 100%.

[0:21:49] AT: - a LIV, a prime PGA Tour guide just battling it out on a Sunday. That's what I want to see. Because, I mean, God bless Scottie, but the Masters, for the most part, coming down the stretch wasn't much to –

[0:22:07] BC: Once they got through Amen Corner, the leaders, it was over.

[0:22:10] AT: Yeah. When they rounded the turn and got through, I mean, he was in control from there. It wasn't dramatic. I mean, it is nice to see when somebody's that dominant and you've got to appreciate it because it happens so rarely. I want to see, give me – come down to the 18th hole, go shot for shot. I want to see that. We haven't seen it for a while.

[0:22:34] BC: Well, if the stars don't align and the stars don't go to the top of the leaderboard, we got to pick a sleeper. Like I said earlier, with Valhalla, with what they're doing with the rough and how this is going to set up and the length of that course, you got to hit the fairway if you want to score. To me, you got to pick somebody that they're accurate in driving, but also somebody that's got a good proximity to the hole on their approach shots. From a performance standpoint, my sleeper pick played a lot better last year. Has had some pretty good finishes this year, but he's top five and driving accuracy and proximity to the hole from 150 to 175 yards. I'm going to go with Sepp Straka.

[0:23:19] AT: Wow. Okay.

[0:23:19] BC: He's my sleeper.

[0:23:21] AT: You’ve done some research.

[0:23:21] BC: Yeah, man.

[0:23:23] AT: I didn't pull statistics.

[0:23:24] BC: He's at plus 9,000. Last year, last two years, his name has been on leaderboards in the majors.

[0:23:32] AT: Yeah, it has. It has. Yeah. I can see it. That's a good sleeper pick.

[0:23:38] BC: We'll see if Sepp can make me look good.

[0:23:41] AT: Well, I'm going to go with somebody we mentioned that got into the PGA Championship, Taylor Gooch.

[0:23:48] BC: Okay.

[0:23:49] AT: I like it, because when they first announced that he was going to be in it, that it said – I forget who I was reading. It was on Twitter, X, whatever you want to call it now, but it was the PGA is noticing, or paying attention to some of the guys that are playing well on LIV, even though they're not eligible.

[0:24:12] BC: Abraham Ancer, I think. Didn’t he get an invite to the Masters?

[0:24:15] AT: Yeah. They're taking in, even though they're not rankings, or whatever, but they said, it is a sign of the PGA noticing, or paying attention that, “Hey, you know what? This guy's playing well. We want to get him in.” I like that. knowing that he's playing well – I know it's playing well on LIV, but playing well as playing well.

[0:24:37] BC: Well, that'd be cool to see. He's been a polarizing figure. I mean, he's the one that said, tournament majors and PGA events have asterisks next to him because some of the world's best aren't there. That was before, I think he really exploded on LIV. People are like, “Well, are you talking about you?” He's taken that in stride. It's great to see the PGA because this is their tournament. I know it's not the tours tournaments, PGA professional, but it is got their namesake on it.

[0:25:11] AT: They are. I mean, they are PGA professionals. Whether you’re playing LIV or your PGA Tour, we want to see the best of the best. I'm glad that they opened it up and did that. I also saw, speaking of which, Patrick Reed got an invite.

[0:25:30] BC: Good. Is he going to play?

[0:25:31] AT: He's playing. He’s playing. Yeah. I don't know the circumstances under him.

[0:25:36] BC: I think he’s done much on LIV.

[0:25:38] AT: He hasn't. What got him invited to the PGA championship though was his finish at the Masters, was my understanding, because he was – was he top 12? Somewhere in there, I think? Don't quote me on that. It was decent showing for him.

[0:25:56] BC: It was a technical qualification?

[0:25:58] AT: As my understanding. Yeah.

[0:25:59] BC: Okay. Good. I like it.

[0:26:01] AT: Yeah. I was happy to hear that. I know a lot of people don't like Patrick Reed, but I miss him on the Ryder Cup. I'll say that forever.

[0:26:09] BC: I'll tell you what. When you see his name on the leaderboard during PGA Tour events, a polarizing figure like that is so good. If it's going to be a reality show, I want him to duke it out on the links. He's one for that.

[0:26:23] AT: Yeah. I've always liked him. I know, like I said, I know a lot of people have been indifferent about him, but I've always been a fan.

[0:26:30] BC: I've slid more toward it and different about it. I don't really like him that much, but outside of what he's done for the country and his performance is there and standing Rory down at that. Oh, man. That was awesome.

[0:26:43] AT: Stand up for your country. Tells you a lot about somebody.

[0:26:47] BC: All right. Well, we will see if any of our predictions come true. If any of them do come true, it's going to be good for the game, really, the people we’ve picked. It's going to be an exciting tournament. I hope they have good weather. It's going to be nice and humid, I'm sure, whether it rains or not.

[0:27:03] AT: Yeah. Hopefully, there’s the – it's Midwest. They've had their fair share of storms during the course of this week. Hopefully, everything is good and everybody's safe and the storm moves out and they have a good week for it.

[0:27:16] BC: Well, that wraps up the world of golf in the front nine. Let's talk some more professional golf, but a little more close to home, and hit the back nine and talk about Myrtle Beach.

[0:27:26] AT: Sounds good.

[MESSAGE]

[0:27:30] ANNOUNCER: Planning an unforgettable Myrtle Beach golf getaway has never been easier with mbgolf.com. At mbgolf.com, we give you the power of choice in pairing world-class golf with premium options from golf course villas to oceanfront condominiums brought to you by Condo World, the leaders in Myrtle Beach luxury travel. Make your next stay-and-play journey to the golf capital of the world, the experience of a lifetime. It's all just a call or a click away.

[0:28:08] ANNOUNCER: The back nine.

[EPISODE CONTINUED]

[0:28:11] BC: Okay, the back nine. The Myrtle Beach Classic is this week. If you want a field, this is a pretty good field, Aaron. I'm just going to run down some names, and these names are multiple-time PGA Tour winners, Ryder Cup participants, Presidents Cup participants, FedEx Cup champions. I mean, you got Kevin Kisner, Daniel Berger, Beau Hossler, the Brian brothers, Chesson Hadley, Harry Higgs, Brandt Snedeker, Sean O'Hair, Bill Haas, D.J. Trahan. I mean, just to name a few, Aaron Baddeley, Ryan Moore.

[0:28:44] AT: What about a reality star, Joel Dahmen?

[0:28:46] BC: Oh yeah, Joel Dahmen. Yeah, he's on there, too. The hat. I mean, yeah. He’s on there. I can’t remember it.

[0:28:52] AT: He'll probably have one of the biggest followings this week.

[0:28:55] BC: Yeah. For sure.

[0:28:56] AT: His Netflix popularity. Which I like it. He's a great guy.

[0:28:59] BC: Oh, he's a great guy. And his cat is a great guy, too.

[0:29:01] AT: Oh, yeah, yeah. Both.

[0:29:03] BC: Yeah. Hopefully, he plays well. I know Beau Hossler is having a good start. We'll see what happens.

[0:29:10] AT: The course looks great.

[0:29:11] BC: No surprise.

[0:29:12] AT: First TV coverage. The course looks fantastic. I did see the fans. It looked like they had a good turnout for the first day. I know weather's going to be a little wiffy, first day and second day. The weekend, the weather sounds perfect.

[0:29:27] BC: Good.

[0:29:28] AT: I think we're talking mid-seventies, no humidity. The guys that make the weekend are going to love the weather. Actually, a little wind out there today. I heard that we had 20-mile-per-hour winds, is what I heard.

[0:29:42] BC: Well, they're not eating the course alive, which is great that the Dunes Club is biting back a little bit. The 20-something under is going to probably win the tournament, but that's what happens in non-elevated events all year long. That's cool. I think six or seven under is leading it right now. I think that'll probably hold for the rest of the day.

[0:30:02] AT: Yeah. I can see that. That's the first wave. Cause they double-teeed the morning and I think they're double-teeing the afternoon. Depending on what the guys in the afternoon have to deal with, because I know they're talking possible pop-up storm, or something the day, so it might delay it. Maybe soften the course a little bit for them. But yeah. I can see where they're at. I think that's a pretty good pace.

[0:30:26] BC: Well, I'm excited to see the course. I know you're going tomorrow. But you played the Dunes Club for Media Day.

[0:30:32] AT: Yeah.

[0:30:33] BC: In February. No surprise that the Dunes Club is our featured course of the episode. Tell me about the Dunes Club when you played it.

[0:30:42] AT: Well, it was, they had it set up kind of tournament style for us, so we could see what it was going to look like. I mean, the course conditions were fantastic, which they always are at the Dunes. It was interesting to see some of the length that they had added to a few of the holes for the tournament. The Dunes Club is one of the most traditional layouts that you will see, especially in our area. It's the only course in Myrtle Beach where you can see the ocean from coming in number nine is part of three, directly facing it. Then number 10, if you look hard enough from the T-box, you're right there.

Yeah, I'm excited to really see how the players do it. Like I said, the Waterloo number 13 is going to be an interesting one to watch, because it is over 600 yards. I did hear that's – they were telling me that they've stretched it out a little bit. It's over 600 yards. I'll be interested to see how the pros play it. I personally can't get to the water, but –

[0:31:40] BC: Yeah. I can’t either.

[0:31:41] AT: - I’d like to see what those guys do. See how many eagles can be had this week on that hole.

[0:31:45] BC: Big gamble there. You get a little too fadey. You could get wet.

[0:31:50] AT: Yeah. I think it'll be interesting to see how they play that. It's going to be one of the more entertaining holes to watch. But there are so many good golf holes there at the Dunes. It would be fun to watch.

[0:32:03] BC: It is a gorgeous place to play and coverage is doing it justice. The course looks great.

[0:32:08] AT: Yeah. Everything I've seen, going into commercial. Of course, we had really good weather today, which helps with your coverage. Yeah, everything looks good. From what I understand, social media, everybody has said nothing, but good things, as far as the setup and how easy it is to get around. I know transportation is all shuttled in. It's all positive on social media, which is a good thing.

[0:32:38] BC: You want to talk about tradition. There's only been minor renovations on that course since Robert Trent Jones built it in 1948.

[0:32:47] AT: The renovations that have been done, have been done by a son. Yeah.

[0:32:51] BC: It's all relative. I mean, literally. It's just a great track. Perennially in the top 10 courses in the state and top 100 in the country that you can play. There are limited tee times year-round to play this golf course. What's a package that golf customers should consider when they're planning their next Myrtle Beach golf trip on in mbgolf.com?

[0:33:19] AT: Well, to be honest, because the Dunes is a – it's a semi-private golf course. As you mentioned, they do have very limited times that we can offer to play there. But they are a standalone course, so they are not technically part of any package that we do. That's why I would do – I'd recommend doing the build-your-own package. If you want to include the Dunes Club as part of your golf trip, which is a great choice. On the build-your-own, you can customize anything, any course you want to play.

With that being said, though, on the build your own package, we are able to, as your golf specialist, whenever you're setting it up, if you pick courses that qualify for certain, or multiple promos that we can apply, we're going to do that to help you with the best price on the itinerary that you want the most.

[0:34:06] BC: I think that's a great point. Not only can you call in when you go to mbgolf.com, but we have an online chat feature where you can talk to a live agent. You can put together the courses you want. There could be better deals that we can arrange for you, because of our connections with all these courses that you may not be able to see on the front end. Make sure you're reaching out to an agent when you go to mbgolf.com to get the very best deal and the very best times when you're planning your next golf trip to Myrtle Beach. The Dunes Club is arguably one of the best places to play. One of the best places to stay is our Crescent Shores condos.

[0:34:45] AT: Hands down.

[0:34:47] BC: Two, three, four-bedroom, three-bath and four-bedroom, four-bath condos right here in North Myrtle Beach on the oceanfront. These condos are huge. The bedding options are plentiful. Can sleep a whole bunch of guys and girls. Fully equipped kitchens, huge balconies, washer and dryers in the condos. Aaron, our golfers just love Crescent Shores.

[0:35:11] AT: They do. It's one of our most requested properties. The location is fantastic. I mean, you've got – I mean, you're just minutes away from Barefoot Landing. If you want to head out to dinner or whatever, you can do Barefoot Landing. I mean, you got Main Street, just a few minutes away also at North Myrtle Beach, so you can get the nightlife. Anything you want to do.

[0:35:32] BC: Irish pub next door.

[0:35:34] AT: Yeah. Molly Darcy sits right beside it, which is a popular Irish hangout around here. But yeah, the bedding, as you mentioned, majority of those rooms are all king and queen beds. The golfers love it. They like having the bigger beds. You can, if you're trying to maybe save a little money on your package and your rooming together, you can do up to five people in the three bedrooms. You can do six in the four bedrooms. It can save you. You can get a few more people you can put together to split the room cost on your package. They're certainly some of our most requested condos.

[0:36:12] BC: Most requested, which means book now. I know that the fall is already getting a ton of interest. We've got a ton of bookings. We've got spring 2025 reservations that have already been made. You need to get to mbgolf.com and start planning your trip, at least start putting the pieces together now.

[0:36:29] AT: I emphasize early every time we talk, but I'm telling you, it is earlier and earlier the more – I mean, I've been doing this a long time, like 20 years. I have never seen bookings as early as far ahead as we're getting. I mean, we're already in the May of next year; groups that are already planning and doing so. I mean, these guys know they want their tee time, so it's the key to do it.

[0:36:57] BC: There's only a finite amount of times and accommodations. You can't just throw this thing together at last minute. If you do, it's a big gamble. Start planning now.

[0:37:09] AT: It could be costly because golf course prices do change. Not a lot of availability. They could be higher priced.

[0:37:14] BC: Well, there's a lot of people that are seeing how beautiful the Myrtle Beach golf scene is that may have not tried this area before this week during the Myrtle Beach Classic on television. That's only going to enhance the demand for this area. If there's any veteran golf trippers that have come to Myrtle Beach, the time to start booking your stay, no matter when it is, is now. Hit up mbgolf.com and get started booking your trip today.

[0:37:42] AT: Yeah, absolutely. Don't waste any time.

[0:37:43] BC: No. Well, Aaron, our last, but certainly not least part of the show is Tee’d Off. I've got a rather simple one. But for some reason, I don't know if it's just mojo, some salesmanship techniques, but if I'm ever buying tees, or balls in the PGA Superstore and Dick's Sporting Goods or something, I’d go over and look at the putters and I hit a couple of putts. I'm one of the best putters in the world. I’m one of those greens. I don't know if they've got a funnel going on, so that you want to dole out 400, 500 bucks on a new Scotty Cameron.

[0:38:22] AT: It’s like the skinny mirrors in the dressing room.

[0:38:24] BC: Yeah. That's right. That's right. Or, if you get fit in there, or trying out a club, it's like, “Wow, 300 yards.” That's my tee’d off as my own performance level, when I'm playing with a putter I can't afford in a store. It's like, yeah. The moment I buy it and I take it out to the course, I better keep the receipt, because it's not going anywhere near the hole.

[0:38:46] AT: Well, there's zero pressure in the store and your confidence is high because you think you got a great putter. It's working for you.

[0:38:55] BC: It's like putting on new shoes when you're a kid. Run faster, jump higher. You hold that Scotty Cameron putter like its the saber of glory, or something.

[0:39:06] AT: There's a glow coming down from the sky. I know that feeling.

[0:39:10] BC: Anyway, although, I've gotten some new irons and a new driver, and that has not been the experience I've had with them. But that's also a personal issue. What's your tee’d off?

[0:39:22] AT: Oh, mine is a good one. This happened to me recently. I have not been playing nearly as much golf as I usually do, for a number of reasons. But I was out to play recently. My tee’d off is unsolicited swing advice from one of your playing partners.

[0:39:43] BC: Okay.

[0:39:44] AT: There's nothing worse than having a struggle during your round. Somebody looks at you and says, “Well, if you do this, or you stay in here, you do that,” is the last thing I want to hear. I certainly don't want to hear it from somebody who my score is currently better than. Do not give me unsolicited swing advice. If I wanted, I'd ask for it. I know if the person is listening. They're going to know who they are because I told them.

[0:40:19] BC: I can appreciate that. I've gotten plenty of unsolicited swing advice when I'm struggling. Most of the time, my score is a lot higher than theirs, but it's just like, “You know what? If I want it, I'll ask for it.” I will say, I had one occasion pretty recently, where I had a buddy that knows me better than most and knew that not only should he not give me swing advice, but he shouldn't even ask me if I want a sandwich at the turn, or something. I was that upset with my game. We stood on 10, the 10th hole. I mean, I've addressed the ball. 

This isn't after I've hit a bad shot and he's like, “Listen.” I'm like, “Okay.” He's like, “Just hear me out. Back up four inches. Just back up, and then swing.” I did it. Smoked it. I don't know if that made me happier, or madder.

[0:41:16] AT: Well, just because I hit a shot and it wasn't good and I say, “I just can't figure out what I'm doing today,” doesn't mean I want you to tell me.

[0:41:24] BC: No. That doesn't open the door necessarily.

[0:41:25] AT: That’s just me speaking out loud. That doesn't open the door for swing advice from somebody that I know I'm better than.

[0:41:33] BC: Yeah. That's a good tee’d off. Really is. It's like, “Okay, Butch Harmon. You go get your ball, and I’ll get my ball.”

[0:41:41] AT: Just because you watch some swing show on Twitter last night, does not make you a swing guru. It's frustrating because there's nothing worse if you're hitting a couple of bad shots, or you're frustrated. That just pours it on, man. It's just like adding fuel to the fire.

[0:42:00] BC: You don't wish ill will on your buddy, but then if he's striping a couple and you're not, and it's just like, “Oh, no. You can go.” Now the silence in the cart is going to be even worse. You know he's thinking, “I know more than this guy.” You know you're thinking, he wants to say something so bad.

[0:42:17] AT: Yeah, just leave me alone. Keep me out of it. You keep talking to yourself about your swing, because you're eventually going to talk yourself out of it, too.

[0:42:24] BC: That's a great tee’d off. It was a great episode. Happy Myrtle Beach Classic Week. Can't wait for many more of those as the years go by. Looking forward to watching the PGA Championship. Thank you everybody for listening and we'll see you next time.

[0:42:40] AT: See you next time.

[END OF EPISODE]

[0:42:45] ANNOUNCER: Thanks for listening to Tee’d Off. Visit mbgolf.com and follow us on Instagram @teedoffpodcast for the latest episodes and news.

[END]