Conversations with Senior Amateur Tour National Champions

Speaker 1: 0:45

Welcome back, chris. Hey, you know what, tim? It's good to be back. I think we had a great national championship on both sides and uh get ready to start. You know, season two of our podcast and another season of golf we can senior, so uh, looking forward to getting all that planned. How about yourself?

Speaker 2: 1:01

Well, I'm looking forward to it on one hand, but on the other hand I'm not. And you know we'll talk about it. You know later in the show I already started booking some courses in um. You know it's the ups and downs part, you know right there. But you know what's the schedules built. I'll definitely be excited to get started again.

Speaker 1: 1:17

Right, that's, that's how it is with everybody. Let's get that schedule finalized and then we can rest for a month, and then we're back in the grind.

Speaker 2: 1:24

Exactly so. Uh, let's go ahead and get this thing started and we'll start talking to some senior national champions.

Speaker 1: 1:30

All right, let's go.

Speaker 2: 1:39

Welcome to the golf week amateur tour of the podcast. We are your hosts, tim Newman and Chris Rocha. As the oldest and largest amateur golf tour in the country, we put on individual stroke play golf tournaments that are handicapped by flights in 48 markets across the country. The golf week amateur tour, where hammers play like pros.

Speaker 1: 2:26

All right, tim, we're back for another episode. You know we talked to our last episode. We had a kind of our chats with the golf week champions and I think this episode we're going to go ahead and talk to some of their senior champions.

Speaker 2: 2:38

Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. You know this first year that you know we've talked to senior senior champions. I know you had to take off on Monday so you weren't, didn't stick around, but there were a lot of good matches. You know C-flate went into a playoff overall, that there was a lot of tight matches and maybe at the end we'll talk about your rider cup deal.

Speaker 1: 3:01

Yeah, definitely. I mean I know with the seniors you know they don't get the luxury of three rounds like we do, so you know every round does count, but let's kick you right into it, but you got to remember something now.

Speaker 2: 3:15

You know most of the seniors play the golf week side, so they're playing three rounds and then you know you got to take Monday off and then there's a skins game. That's a lot of golf, man. I mean, even if you're 20, that's a lot of golf. And these seniors do a heck of a job. You know, like I said, they come into the golf week. You know Friday, saturday, sunday, you know if they're playing the skins game before that as well, that's a heck of a lot of golf.

Speaker 1: 3:44

Yeah, I never. Actually, I never thought of it that way. So I guess I should start looking forward to it when I able to join the seniors, because that's going to be at least a two weeks trip at that point I'm okay with that. But let's go in and start talking with our one of our senior champions from the D flight and the Columbus tour, robert Benavides.

Speaker 3: 4:05

Robert, how are you doing?

Speaker 1: 4:07

Good Now, you pronounced that really good, so yes, we're used to that last name from El Paso, so it works out perfect. Well, congratulations on being the D flight senior champion. How's it feel?

Speaker 3: 4:21

It's really hard to believe that I actually did it. So I'm still not with it yet.

Speaker 2: 4:27

So it feels good but still and it's a real about the whole thing too so well, you're one of the guys that we just talked about because you also played in the golf week side. You know, friday, saturday, sunday, beforehand and come back, and you know I think your first course was the cup course for the seniors. It was the first cup was a cup, yes, and you know that's one of the toughest courses that we play. I mean, as you can see, I'm sure you've been around since 2017 with you know, playing on the golf league side as well, so you probably played on just about all of them and the cup course. It's tough, but it's a different type of tough than the other courses on the island.

Speaker 3: 5:08

That is so true. Yes, I think I played it once, but going back to it again, it was like I don't remember this course at all.

Speaker 2: 5:16

So so you finished round one with a 96. You know kind of walk us through. You know your first round and what you were thinking.

Speaker 3: 5:26

Well, when the first day rolled around and the other guy, chris, was talking about how many days of golf we played, so I did play Thursday, friday, saturday, sunday, took a, played again Monday, played again Tuesday and then started the round again Wednesday, and then you saw Thursday. So I was, I was kind of tired. So the first day was I just wanted to do bogey golf it was my goal the whole time and I threw up a couple of triples and threw up a couple of birdies, but it was a tough course. Well, you dig his skin.

Speaker 2: 6:04

So is that what's on birdie?

Speaker 3: 6:05

I dig his skin, yeah that was on the back, so I was really surprised that even held up, but I'll go with it. So pretty cool.

Speaker 1: 6:15

I'll take it. Yeah, yes, hey. I got my first skin this year in four years of national championship, so they're nice. I think I need to get more.

Speaker 3: 6:24

So when the round was over, I was looking at the leaderboard and I think I was down like four strokes and staying is pretty tough anyway. So he is, and I played with him and against him throughout the summer, or throughout the years too, so I know he was kind of hard to beat and but my thought process was just just do bogey golf. That's all I wanted to do is just do bogey golf and try to stay with the triples. So, looking at the leaderboard, I was down four and they go into the next day. It's like all right, just just stay on task, try not to throw up in triples and just stay with your game and not worry about what he was doing and just play the course. So that first nine I shot at 45 and I think I threw up one triple, but I felt pretty good. And then when we made the turn, all the cylinders was just fired. So I ended up shooting a 40 on the back and I was pretty impressed with my plan for the whole 18.

Speaker 2: 7:37

Yeah, you shot at 85 at one round too. And again now, the country club of Hiltonet course is very, very different than the cup course. It's wide open getting a rough one.

Speaker 2: 7:49

Oh yeah, a little tough, but that's you know. One of the reasons why I like country club of Hiltonet is because it's so wide open. Yes, it is, and you can make mistakes that aren't really going to penalize you. But heck, you shot an 85. Yes, you know that's. I mean, you know, backing up over your scores from your history, I think you shot. Maybe you shot an 84 once and a couple other 85. So this is like almost like a career round for you in a pressure pack, important moment. Yeah.

Speaker 3: 8:19

I didn't look at it that way, but yes, it was. I just I just wanted to just do bogey golf. It's all I wanted to do. I wouldn't try and shoot a round of my life, I would just want to stay in there and and I know staying was at the back of my head. But it was like, well, just just stay on point. That's all I wanted to do is just just stay on point, and it felt pretty good. So everything was just working that when I made the turn, the drives was just right down the middle and the iron shots were just coming in and chips was working and I was able to shoot a 40 on them Like, wow, take this out. So Exactly, yeah.

Speaker 2: 9:02

So you weren't paired with Stan as a second day, where you were in the group right in front of them, right.

Speaker 3: 9:08

I was a group in front of them.

Speaker 2: 9:08

Yes, so we were watching the leaderboard at all.

Speaker 3: 9:13

No, I was not watching the leaderboard and the guy that I was with said hey, you want to know where you're at. And I go no, so shut up, I don't want to hear about it. Okay, so you know, like we made the turn, I'll throw up some bars and all that stuff. And then when we got done with 18, he was going through all the scores, double checking everything. And then the guy was with us he goes, you want to know now. And I go yeah, go ahead and tell me he goes. Well, you're up by three or four strokes. And I said All right.

Speaker 3: 9:49

So everybody in my little group was talking about well, you know, stan needs to do this, stan needs to do this or the other guy needs to do this. They was calculating everything on that. On that last part of it it was like All right. So you know, we finally made the way back into the club out, turned the scores in and one of the guys says you know, you better stick around, because if he buries two holes you can go into a playoff. And I go All right.

Speaker 3: 10:18

And I wasn't actually looking at the leaderboard that the guy I was with was just kept hitting that refresh button, refresh button and then he gives you a it ain't, it ain't loading up, and I go, don't worry about it, we'll see what happens. And you're the guy started, gathered around trying to hit the refresh, refresh button and see where I'm at. And then that was probably the longest 20 minutes Exactly. I come on now, let's go. And I walked around to where the tour director was at and you know, peeking around there and see if they pulled in. And by the time I came back to the car because I still had my clubs on the on the cars because I wasn't for sure and one of the guys came over and says congratulations, you got it. I go no way. So it was pretty good and everybody was congratulating me the whole time. So it felt pretty good. I liked it. Yeah, never thought about it.

Speaker 2: 11:16

So that's an awesome feeling, you know. You know a lot of times I'm at the course right around the morning. It goes and gets to congratulate the winner and it's it's great to to be in that position and and see the fun and see everybody cheering for you and those types of things. So that that's a heck of a job, thank you so pretty good.

Speaker 3: 11:37

And I still don't believe it, though. You know a couple of buddies buying that I golf was still, and he goes, here's a champ and I'm thinking, stop saying that. I'm just, you know, just playing. So just playing Feels pretty good.

Speaker 1: 11:52

Well, well, now you're going to have a target on your back all year on being the national champion and having to come, maybe, defend your title.

Speaker 3: 12:02

For a, for a second I thought about you know what I'm just gonna be done? I'm going to finish right there and be done with this. So, yeah, I was already thinking about that. It's like, no, I'm done so, but it was it's. The senior tour is fun. So I had a good time with the guys. Everybody was really cool and never had any issues with anybody and it was. It was a good time, good time. But that last day there was tired, I was, I was, oh, I bet you played eight rounds of golf in eight days.

Speaker 3: 12:35

Yeah, yes.

Speaker 1: 12:38

I do that on buddies trips and I'm exhausted. I can imagine the pressure you have from a national championship twice in eight days. I mean that's just mentally draining. I was telling Tim earlier I was mentally drained off a rider cup singles match going all 18 holes. I can imagine eight days of national championship pressure.

Speaker 3: 12:59

Yeah, it was. You just try to relax and just go with it and wouldn't try to overthink anything or try to over swaying or right to stay with the whole thing.

Speaker 1: 13:10

So I mean. I think I think your game plan was great when you just said you were trying to play bogey golf and I can imagine what the way your body was filling bogey golf seemed like birdie golf at one point. So just having that mindset, I think people can take moving forward.

Speaker 2: 13:25

So how do you do in the in the golf week national?

Speaker 3: 13:29

championship. So I showed up Thursday afternoon and a couple of buddies might say, hey, let's go do a quick round, and all I want to do is just you know practice some shots, you know work on a couple of things. And then when Thursday rolled around well, friday rolled around is like all right, it's time to get to work and I think I shot at 90. Yeah, I think I shot at 90. Second day, I shot at 91 and Thursday was a 91. But I think I was only out by three strokes. You know, after each round was done is like, and if I would have done this instead or if I would have done by instead? And I tried to try not to beat myself over all the old shots, but I try to learn from them, thinking I don't do that the next time or set up another way and think about where you're at and try to recover.

Speaker 2: 14:31

Well, Robert, you're too modest bud. You're entirely too modest, Because what we haven't told anybody is you finish tied for second.

Speaker 3: 14:42

Yeah, tied for second yes, yeah.

Speaker 2: 14:46

So you know and I got a crystal in that because you kind of lay up there, but yeah, I mean, robert, you're entirely too modest so you finish tied for second on the golf week side, and then you won the senior national championship, both in D-Flight. That's a heck of a heck of a that's a good week.

Speaker 3: 15:05

Yes, I agree with you, it was. It was pretty good. Yeah, and I still can't believe I and I hate to say it this way, but I'm more happy finishing doing really well in the regular golf tour and I'm happy that I wanted to change ship for the senior flight, but I was really impressed with the golf week side of it. It's like, wow, I tied for second.

Speaker 1: 15:29

I mean, you're playing guys of all ages.

Speaker 3: 15:32

So yeah, the guy that I was playing with, the last on the third round, I think he was only like I don't know, maybe 30. He was just. He was a kid to me and he was just bombing, but I was staying right there with them.

Speaker 2: 15:48

So see, robert, I'm glad you said that because you know it's tour directors. Chris, you don't get this all the time. All the time I can't, can't, compete with these guys because they bomb it. They do this, they do that. You know. It doesn't really matter what your handicap is. If you're paired up. Let's just say you're, you're an 18 handicap and somebody else an 18 handicap. Doesn't matter how you get there, everybody has a strength in their game. Your strength may be the short game, somebody else may be. You know they can hit it further, but they can't get up and down, you know. So 18 is an 18 is an 18. Don't necessarily worry about how or what other players are doing. You just play. You play to your strengths and you'll be.

Speaker 2: 16:24

You'll be just fine.

Speaker 3: 16:26

Yes, yeah, there was another guy in my group on the second day and he was 81. He wasn't hitting the ball far, but he was down the middle, down the middle, down the middle and down the middle. It's like man 81. I hope I'm doing at that age, so exactly.

Speaker 1: 16:45

Tim, I love when you know we get those comments hey, I can't hit it as far. You know, I'm not as long as it used to be, but yet they're the champion of that tournament and you're like you just won. You beat all these guys. What do you mean? You're not long enough, Like you're just fine, you're just as fine. I mean, I've taken it to consideration with me. Like I don't hit the drive long, but you put a hybrid in my hands and I can get that thing to either stop or roll out. You tell me what shot you want to see like a wedge. So to anybody listening, you know, like Tim said, play your strengths and forget about your weaknesses. As long as you get that ball on the fairway, avoid penalty strokes or lost balls, things like that, you'll be all right.

Speaker 2: 17:30

And I know we talk about Joe Jasper's a lot, and there's a reason for that. You know he just won his seventh national national championship and even he says you know, I can't hit the ball as far as I used to, but he shot, you know, I think, I think he won with 300 par over three days. And you know so even Joe gets, you know, can kind of get that in his head, but then when he's out on the course Joe just plays the way Joe plays and Joe never does.

Speaker 2: 18:00

And just and just plays golf, and I think a lot of people can learn from that.

Speaker 1: 18:05

Definitely.

Speaker 2: 18:07

So. So, robert, like I said again, you've been around for a while, so what are your overall thoughts and you know of the tour? You said that you really like the senior tour and I'll let you talk a little bit about both and I'll give you my thoughts on differences between the senior and the golf week.

Speaker 3: 18:24

The senior side of it is the competition is still there but it's really relaxed and bingo, bingo. It's not a high not saying it was a high pressure, but it's not a really high pressure feeling when you, when you're in the regular tour, I know we play up a little bit and how the tours are ran are really good. I got no complaints about how much handles the tours or Tyler handles the tours, it's just good, it's just good. So I got no issues with the senior tour at all. So and everybody's really nice, friendly, competitive and but not quite a cutthroat competitive, but pretty cool.

Speaker 2: 19:16

Yeah, and he's first seen came out of your mouth, but was my feelings exactly. The senior side is way more laid back, but the competition is still, is still tough and it's still there Because again you have a lot of the same guys playing, playing both, and it's incredible the kind of the difference in that feeling, for whatever reason, whatever reason it is.

Speaker 3: 19:40

Yeah, that's true. What?

Speaker 1: 19:42

Well, no, I would definitely agree with you all. I mean, I know I've been, I'm the director of a senior and a golf week tour and if any of my golf week guys are listening I apologize. Maybe you all can step up, but my senior guys have a blast after their rounds and I mean they all hang out and you know just chit chatting, you know talking trash to each other and having a good time at the same time, and it's a lot. I don't want to say the wrong word, but it's. I can't even think of a word right now. Like you said, it's funner to be around that group and me being 20, 25 years younger than them all and still seeing them at their 30, 25, 30 years old is something else. Experience.

Speaker 3: 20:25

That's what it is.

Speaker 2: 20:27

Well, Robert, thank you so much for taking some time with us and congratulations. I'm really happy for you.

Speaker 3: 20:33

Thank you.

Speaker 2: 20:35

And again, don't be so modest. Let people know that you, you won one and tied for second in the other.

Speaker 3: 20:42

That is. I think that's pretty cool, so yeah.

Speaker 2: 20:44

Yeah, and when, when you see you have Butch and Tyler again telling us that high and and I've been trying to get Butch on this for a year and he keeps ducking me. He can't keep that up, so you gotta let him know he's got to come on.

Speaker 3: 21:00

Butch is a Butch is a hell of a guy. He is a clown, so he is he. He makes everything pretty cool, so he does.

Speaker 2: 21:08

Yeah, but I will tell him that though, sure All right, my friend, you take care and again thanks so much for for taking some time with us.

Speaker 3: 21:14

Thanks, Appreciate that Congratulations. Thank you sir.

Speaker 2: 21:18

So let's welcome in our next guest, a sea flight national champion, John Bowman from the Charlotte tour. John, congratulations and welcome to the show.

Speaker 5: 21:26

Well, thank you for having me and really excited about out there with you today and answer some questions.

Speaker 2: 21:33

Well, you know, you know winning the national championship is a big deal. You know the two day competition. You know, and you're going head to head with other leaders from from players all around the country. I know it's a lot of pressure, it's a lot of fun and and you played two great courses.

Speaker 5: 21:48

Yeah, I, I, you'd have to play a first day. I got to play Arthur Hills. First thing I realized is, no matter how long that I played, golf seems like the butterflies and the endless mess and all that kind of stuff was really really really got to me to start with, but I cannot, let alone had a big day for me and Arthur Hills Well yeah, you shot a really good round of 82 at the Hills course and I'll tell you, you know, the sea flight from national championship played probably the toughest rotation of courses.

Speaker 2: 22:19

The Hills course I think is is probably the tough one of the toughest courses that we play. And then, you know, we'll talk about the cup course here in a second. But the cup courses is tough in a different way. You know you've got to do a lot of thinking there. The green structures there are a little bit different than most of the other courses that went, went, went, went Hilton head. But but the Hills course to shoot in 82, you were low round of the day at 82. You know that that's pretty big accomplishment in and of itself.

Speaker 5: 22:46

Very happy with how I played. I started out on a whole number I believe it was 12, one one number more in handicap holes on the back nine, and I had practiced a couple of days before that and then I played the round and had some trouble with the 12 and 13. And then I seen that I started on 12 and even maybe a little bit more nervous. But after getting the first two holes out of the way I kind of really relaxed and and the course, great shape of up greens were a little bit slower than I expected, but tiny greens, tough course. I played really well. I was really happy with the conditions and everything curve, everything around me, yeah.

Speaker 2: 23:27

So so again, you know, with with starting on, you know no more in handicap hole. You know that back stretch there where you started. You know I kind of chuckle a little bit because those are really really tough holes and you know. You know one of the things with with the Hills course is the amount of trees that that are there. You know people don't realize. You know, even when we had the hurricane here you know when we were years back, how many, how tough the course is now and how many trees that were lost from the Hills course from that hurricane. If you can, if, if you can imagine how tough it was before based on what it is now.

Speaker 5: 24:00

And I never played it before. So having that many trees, you know I can only imagine how much more tougher I would have been. Yeah, and it was barely After the first couple of holes that I played. There was a handful of holes that I had to build up in my conference slope that I teed off with like a seven wood and a five wood for two, three, four holes and roll to get the nerves out of my hands and get my arms to get my driver back on and start hopefully attacking and making some good shots. I think overalls everything kind of worked out. Obviously you have a low round there. It seemed like what I missed also pretty sudden and everything just kind of worked out. I mean, as they get hastily just doing it, it really does I mean you got to have.

Speaker 2: 24:43

you know 36, you know decent holes, you know to win. Are there any other holes that really kind of stuck out to you from the Hills course?

Speaker 5: 24:55

The Hills. I mean 12 and 13,. I really stuck in my mind because I knew I had to start there and like my practice round and played them holes bad and in the first round of the competition I played them holes bad, so them two holes really stick out. If I ever go back I really really want to try to make it a point to try to play them better on the home. I mean without being nervous is the big thing, but just making sure you're in play you're missing all missing the grieves on the right side where you have a decent ship to try to make par or at least keep it to a bowl. You're not three foot is the main focus I had in that whole round and seeing the work all pretty good, really trust with what's in the course.

Speaker 2: 25:33

Yeah, and that's, that's one of the other things with. You know, well, you know really any tournaments that you play in, but especially national championship. You know staying away from the big number. You know staying away from from doubles and triples. You know if you, you know the C flight player, you know if you make, you know 12, 12 bogeys and six bars, you're, you're in, you're in the mix All of a sudden, I mean, that's, all you have to do is again stay away from those big numbers. So then you're, you're, you're leading. After day one, you go home and you're sleeping on the lead and you know, you're, you're paired with Dennis Guerrero from Michigan um three. You're, you're three shots ahead. And so you're, you're, you're playing with him all through the round. What was that like?

Speaker 5: 26:34

I tried not to let the people that played with bother me score. Wise, I just tried to. I tried to play my game and, again, I'm not person that I think I'm a zero and you can't win the driving range.

Speaker 2: 26:46

I mean.

Speaker 5: 26:46

I get other work right way good. But I really started out really good. Guys introduce talk to everybody who seemed relax. I felt I really liked all four people I played with and I started out. I started with two cars and then I think I hit a bad shot. I think the approach shot to a bad balance and I was kind of thinking back a little bit. I got chipped up and then that was three-fuck or something and all of a sudden I had like a little bit of a double bogey train going on and I tried. It took me quite a few holes to try. Enough. Get rid of that little bit, take a deep breath, anything. Now focus on the game again. And in the middle of the round I really got it together, started playing really good.

Speaker 5: 27:24

I think the biggest fault I think I had was I'm not a big person who looks at the scoreboard Mm-hmm, and I think that might have hurt me in the long one at the end. I mean I should have played a little bit more safe and I kept going forward at the end and I was in the lead. I had and. But overall I think the breaks and stuff I got the first day first. First is the second day, sometimes myself in a little bit different position where I really had to work on trying to get up and down and struggle more. Second day, first day. My score I think that little bit, but I think everyone in the group you had the same thing. So I think it was the course set up and Robert Cup which needs fast, and I wasn't quite as good as that but down I think everyone else showed in your group too. So I think it was a Overall we've mostly said almost kind of pretty tough.

Speaker 2: 28:15

Yeah, the cup courses is tough in a much different way than the Hills courses. You know you've got to be smart to play in playing cup. You can't always be hitting drive or you have to really think about. You know where you're placing your shots, especially on the par fives. The green structures are smaller and and, like you said, they're much faster. So you you really have to be careful about where you miss, and you know you say that. Then you, you know that, yeah, you had a little bit tougher time, but you know the low score for for the cup courses was 85, so you're only, you're only four strokes back from from the low score. You know most of these, most of scores were, were 90s, at 90s and above, and so you know you're battling back and forth with with Dennis. You know, through those 18 holes, you know we're, dennis shot 86 where and you came in with an 889. That's still not, you know, a Bad round, you know, for that course.

Speaker 5: 29:09

No, I was, I was, I was pretty happy overall. Everything you know I transpired in her IP, I was, I was very happy. Just the biggest thing, lurs, was at the end and, and I think, at the last hole, I Triple bowl, get last hole to hit one out of bounds. And there's where I was saying I Didn't look at the scoreboard and realize, and I had a great shot, lee on Dennis, I think I would have been a perfect opportunity to leave it to you off with a seven order five. Well, I get myself in position and just play for a bowl me.

Speaker 5: 29:40

Yeah, I'm trying hard hit moving a shot over that water and it didn't work out. So me you know, I mean the good thing is after it was all done and we end up tying. But I thought I lost Truthfully after having triple on last hole so that I kind of down my bearings tree. I had up going in and I think I had a drink and talk to my wife. My wife said we'd all little men said, hey, we'll get a whole new all work. You got another hole to do what you got to do. And I just relax and me and Dennis talk with those ship hands. And we said, hey, we both are here, doesn't matter what happens.

Speaker 5: 30:14

If you were then told and you could get second place, even if you're the loser in this playoff, what have you been happy to be any? We both looked at each other and said I think we both had a pretty good weekend and we both shook hands and we went off to the tea and we took off and and I and Redeeming myself on 18 at the Cup course because I triple-volgated going again and then I pardon to win it. So I felt really good.

Speaker 2: 30:37

That's awesome. So so walk us what we threw the playoff hole, you know, with you and Dennis, you know where was your tee shot compared to his tee shot.

Speaker 5: 30:46

He. We started out and he had to draw. For, if you're on, who tee off first? And One of the guys that was with us, he had two tees in his hand and he asked Dennis because he was in the hole first on 18. He said you get to draw first and whoever draws the short tee has to tee offers. So Dennis drew and he drew with short tee, so he has to go off first. So he's got the little bit nerds versus me.

Speaker 5: 31:08

I guess he tees off didn't have that great a tee shot off the left-hand side, but short. I had a driver in my union and I knew right away he was locking to be able to reach it too, so he was gonna have to play for like bogey. So I'm. I Ended up going back to my bag getting a five wood. I hit a five without nimble, perfect shot. They hit it no better. And then he hits a second shot off to the middle and he's pretty close to the same spot. I am using the long grass to the west and you had none of her little eye and he you hit off and it's close to me. We both looked into show and then he looks at me and I look at him and I said who do you think so, rose? I think you are. I go, let's kind of what. We brought up our GPSes and I think I was 33 yards closer than you. So now the pressure is back on him. He, he hits his shot and that's the green. And he hits it sort of the green left, and we can't tell if it went water or not, yes, or if it was short. So I said to myself he's still chipping for par, I can go for the green and hopefully lock us up. That green at 18 Was unbelievable last year in trouble, long year in trouble. So it's it's crazy.

Speaker 5: 32:24

So I just kind of look back a little bit. You kind of thought what the mistakes I made through the day. And I grabbed my gap woods and I hit my gap woods up there, left hand, right of the green, left hand, just a little bit short, and play for like 70, 80 hour windsshotting and he ended up walking up there. He said that he was in the water so he walked back. He chits up, he's on the green. So that's what's two, three, one or four I've on the green. Looks like he's got about maybe six foot pop for double right. So I hit my sandwich. I grabbed up, hit my sandwich as a distinct place in the middle of green. I hit it right over the fly one little bit long and sucked it back and rolled all the way back to within like 12 inches from and I'm just sitting in my hands of shit. It's a lot, so I'll walk back there. Look at the white face, kind of watch it. I just got a little bit. I'm going, I'm going and say that day Gotta blend back in.

Speaker 5: 33:22

I was just kind of class a little bit. It's just kind of both hands of mine Rip of my face and that's through my club back in here and just it was a release a little boys. I just I didn't want to be in a position where I have a soft grip and chip, so I did. It worked out really good. I was really good and it's like it. Once I made the water finally sneak in on the wall to my wife and she just post you know you won the whole championship over every point. I suck in like I did it. I didn't realize I did it and walk back to the garden talk pretty excited.

Speaker 2: 33:53

You know that that's awesome and you know the nerves that you have going into it and to be able to pull that out, it's uh, it's incredible, and you know to do it in a playoff like that, you know when every stroke really counts. That's uh, that's a pretty good accomplishment, congratulations. Oh, I appreciate it.

Speaker 5: 34:14

It was, it was, it was fun, it was first time that I Was at the nationals and to win it that's that's kind of be unreal. There's probably a lot of people then there are a lot of times that haven't been the opportunity. So to have it, and I'm glad I finished long. It had been, I'd have been happy the second glad I finished long and won it and the overall experience was was great but we're good, and and so you've been on tour for a relatively short period of time.

Speaker 2: 34:40

I think this was your, your second year. I.

Speaker 5: 34:59

Think it's the fourth, fourth year I've been eight, okay, four years and so what are some other highlights that you've had, you know, overall and this past year was the first year that I finally won an event, and I think I only won one event, t-flat event and I wanted that. A two-day event, this Charlotte, it was skybrook and, I believe, the peninsula were the two that getting the show up area to two pretty tough courses and we had about 20 or so people, 22 people in it to begin with, an L's the first one I won, on the same thing I was. I was about three, four stroke behind him on the second day. Then I had the low around the skybrook, the linen up, winning that by the one, one stroke or two strokes.

Speaker 2: 35:44

All right, so let me just stop there. I just pulled up your scores Okay, and so you shot 82, 89, just like you did at national championship, a 289.

Speaker 5: 35:57

To win. It was 89 the first state, 82 the second day. Yeah, how about?

Speaker 5: 36:01

that I was gonna reverse uh-huh and Really really exciting day knows that. I know I wasn't playing with the leader, so I didn't know how they were doing it. And the same thing again. I didn't look at the scorecard at all and I was going into the back and I just kind of said just Play your game, play to the center of the green if you ever been a chance. Wait, if you get in trouble, get back out. Play football game. If you're lucky enough to get a hard pot, maybe you can make it. Just don't get the big nose. And I had a good back nine and end up with a good 42 and On the back it all ended up. Why did we bite one? So one or two Same score? What's just kind of? It's kind of weird.

Speaker 2: 36:42

It is Well, John. Thank you so much and congratulations to winning national championship. Uh, you've got a target when you're back now for next year. So you know, absolutely I.

Speaker 5: 36:53

Suggest you get practicing. I do. I've only played one since then, but uh, uh, uh. I think I got off there a couple days ago when the weather was still warm and now the weather just turned cold here. First day. We've got a cold weather, supposed to be a cold stress for a week, so I think it'll be another few days, if but I'm lucky enough to be with my wife. She glows a real good game of belt and, um, I can't blame some of my buddies, I can play with her. I. It's one thing about golf. You do leave for a lot of years and and I think I'm pretty special with my wife that she loves golf too. I don't think she loves as much as me, but uh, she, she plays the game and she's competitive and we enjoy it together.

Speaker 2: 37:31

Well, that's awesome and and it's great that that you all can can spend some time together. You know, doing something that that you really both enjoy, have that relationship on on the course as well. I mean appreciate that. Well, thanks again. I appreciate you taking some time with this and I look forward to seeing you in uh 2024.

Speaker 5: 37:49

Yeah, same for you. I'd like to meet you first, and that would be. That would be really great. Hopefully they'll do it at the end of the year. Absolutely Take care, john.

Speaker 2: 37:57

All right, thank you. All right, chris. That was a great conversation with with john bowman. Um, you know, I think the sea flight has this thing with playoffs. You know they're the only one this this year with playoff and last year the sea flight, I think, did a five-hole playoff.

Speaker 1: 38:13

Wow, that's crazy. I mean, playoffs are fun, but when you're when you're doing it for a national championship, I can imagine the pressure that you could be feeling. Uh, trying to win, you know, the biggest tournament of the year.

Speaker 2: 38:27

Yeah, and you know, I've been in one or two playoffs just on a regular tournament, and that's one thing. But, like you said, a national championship, uh, it's the the pressure, and and you, we talk we're gonna talk a little bit later. You know about the rider cup and playing shot for shot. But you know, when you're in a playoff to win national championship and it's just a two-way out there and you're literally playing shot for shot, that's gotta be, that's gotta be the pressure, um Of lifetime for our guys.

Speaker 1: 38:57

Oh yeah, uh, it's. You can't even think about it and uh trying to figure out you know who's gonna hit first, and uh all of that. It comes down to the nitty gritty at that point.

Speaker 2: 39:10

Exactly so. You know, like, when we talked about, you know, all of the senior national championships, you know we're we're really close and you know the a flight was a one-shot difference, uh, and you know. So let's, let's bring in our a flight national champion, mike Dallas from eastern north carolina. Mike, welcome to show.

Speaker 4: 39:31

Thank you. Glad to be here you were.

Speaker 2: 39:35

I think you were three shots back after, after the first day, and you played had. Actually, you were over there with me at at oyster reef. One, uh one, wensdey, um, tell me about the your first round.

Speaker 4: 39:46

Well, the oyster reef was a complete different course than tread jones. Um Hit a lot of irons off the t-box and, uh, I don't know. I was just kind of going around around. I really didn't know what anybody else was shooting. I didn't look at the live scoring anything. I just went out there and just played and just tried to have fun Because, like I said, I hadn't played much this year and was just trying to have fun and enjoy the guys' companies that were with me. That's a lot. When you go down there to play about is getting to play with different guys. I think I had two guys from Michigan and the day before in the skins match I had guys from Cincinnati and that's part of the fun.

Speaker 2: 40:40

Absolutely. You know, yes, you're going to remember the national championship but, like you said, it's meeting those people from different cities. We'll talk about your story from this year here in just a second, but you were really lucky to be able to be playing this year.

Speaker 4: 41:00

Yeah, it kind of surprised me, my best friend here. He asked me, he texted me probably about three weeks prior and said are you going to go down and play? And I said well, I haven't even gotten in my minimum rounds yet and he goes. Well, call him up and see. He said you know, they do have a medical, I guess, insertion, that they do. And so I called him Dennis and asked him and I had, you know, like I think I had expressed to you, I had my knee replaced first year and a few complications and it really wasn't just kind of getting back into golf pretty good.

Speaker 1: 41:43

Well, I mean it's not bad too. It's not bad to get that exemption and then come out and do what you were able to do, so I mean that's something to look positive at.

Speaker 4: 41:55

Well it kind of leaves you with with no expectations, hardly. You just want to finish the round, get through it and recuperate and come back out again and do it the next day. Really didn't know exactly how your knee and I do have back issues is going to react the next day, so it's always a concern. And but Dennis puts on a good, a good tournament down there. He feeds you well and probably the food helped helped out.

Speaker 2: 42:31

Yeah, and you know when you talk about knee replacement, you know when you get to a senior tour, you know a lot of guys have had it, but you know if you've not had a joint replacement you don't truly understand what you have to have to go through to get back to being somewhat normal and how long that actually takes. You know with. You know with the rehab and the therapy and the swelling and, like you said, you wake up one day. It could be a good day, it could be a bad day and you just you have no control over some of those things. You just have to do what you're supposed to do and hopefully that things fall into place. And then for you to go out and shoot the two rounds that you did to be able to win this thing and again, it's pretty incredible feat.

Speaker 4: 43:12

I try to approach and I've. Well, while I was laid up, I do a lot of reading and as far as golf and and watching people swing and trying to figure out what's going on wrong wrong with mine. And one thing I did notice a lot of them do is course management, especially when you go up to the courses down there that you haven't played before. Um, I went on, I went online and looked up the courses and, of course, now it has so little drone that goes around and shows you the course and tells you where to put the ball. Not that I'm able to put the ball where I want to most of the time, but, um, at least I try. And, um, I just tried to approach it that way and with really no expectations, and I know we'll talk about the second round in a little bit, but, uh, it just, it just all kind of worked out. And, um, the Lord was with me and he, uh, he just kind of just led me around and I I tried to get over you know the bad shots. I mean once you, once you hit it, it's gone, he's got to let it go, you gotta move on to the next shot. And the weather was beautiful. That helped out.

Speaker 4: 44:30

And, uh, I've had, uh, you mentioned the surgeries, um, with the surgery on my knee, but I've had, oh, I had the ACL replaced in that same knee, uh, many years ago. And I had my neck uh, operated on in 2012 and I got a metal plate in it. Um, I had my rotator done in 2000. Right around the same time, 2012. So I've had a few operations. Uh, I kind of know what to expect, but when they go to a new limb, it's uh, it's always a, it's always an adventure.

Speaker 2: 45:15

Yeah, Were you a scratch golfer before this, before all these surgeries?

Speaker 4: 45:21

Uh, I was yeah, back back then, back in the day when I played a lot more, I was probably pretty pretty much scratch and I'm right on the borderline now. I kind of flipped back and forth championship a, championship a. But the surgeries and stuff, you know, you never know, I never know what I'm going to do when I go out there. My timing is off and you know, you just can't make your body do what it used to do and yeah, right, you have to.

Speaker 2: 45:48

you have to figure out what the new normal is, and you know what, what a lot of people don't understand, and I'm, you know. You said you waste a nurse, and I'm sure she she's told you this. You know your body's still going to be healing for another, you know, six to nine months, maybe more, up to a year. So you're not even going to really know what your new normal is for for that long, right, Cause your body is still healing and so you're, you're, you're constantly adjusting to, to again. You really just never know what, what you're going to wake up to, or when, when, any given day.

Speaker 4: 46:21

Well, it's kind of like a, it's kind of like the golf swing. Um, you go out there that day and well, I usually hit a draw. Well, you might not be in it today. You've got to adapt to how you're hitting it that day, and that day might change in nine holes. And then you got to read, read that you might be, you know, you might be fading the ball. Well, I got to play a fade and then suddenly you start to draw it like you normally do. Now, you got to start playing to draw and it's. That's what's so great and funny about golf, is you never know what you're going to do when you go out there.

Speaker 2: 46:58

Right, and then and then. So you go over to to the Jones course, and the Jones course is one of my favorites, but it's it's really a tale of two different courses. You know, you've got the. You know pretty much the front side where it's, where it's narrow. Then you get to the back and it's and it's wide open. You have the, the ocean breeze, and then you know those last two holes 17 year that was is probably one of the toughest bar threes we have and then 18s of a pretty tough, tough hole where it gets back nearer again. And you know you, you shot 73, one over again. Another pretty good round. Why don't you walk us through that round?

Speaker 4: 47:34

Well, I was two shots. I was two shots back and I was actually in the second group. I wasn't with the leaders. I don't know if they do it by alphabetically or how you came in, I don't know, but I was in the second foursome. I was a, I guess, one B it was done by score.

Speaker 2: 47:52

So and then and then tie breakers, so I think there were a couple of ties in there. So you know the the leader and I think you were. You were in, like, according to a tie break, I think you were fifth, so you were the first one out into that second group.

Speaker 4: 48:07

Yeah, so they were. They were behind us, so I guess we we were off right before them and I didn't look at the live scoring. I think maybe around the 14th hole I just said, hey, what's, how's everybody doing? And because I was having a, I was having a solid round, nothing real crazy. Just I think I had two birdies and three bogies and actually a couple of shots surprised me, the one hole that's a dog leg, right par five. There I think they're back to back par fives. Then then the one that goes towards the ocean.

Speaker 4: 48:51

I hit it right over the trap and didn't know that. The pond came out right there, real. And the guy says, yeah, you hit it right over the trap. I said, oh, that's great. Well, I go down there and I see that water. I said oh my gosh. And I said I would have never tried to hit it there, if you know, if I'd have known that was there. I, I did know it was there, but I kind of forgot about it and but it was just a no nonsense, just trying to keep the ball and play, not really going after everything. Unless I had the opportunity, like on a par five, and scrambled. I am very good at scrambling and it uh, I hit some good shots coming in the par three you were talking about.

Speaker 4: 49:43

I think we had three people within 12 feet of the hole and I missed that shot. I missed that putt. That was a great. It was a great putt I had, but it just didn't go in and come up to the last hole. That little short dog leg left par four, another iron off the tee box and I was in the right rough and hit it up 30, 40 feet above the hole and the pin was all the way down front. I don't know if you know that hole. It dropped straight off. It does. So I had to have a lag and I lagged it in about three foot and made that putt and so that's basically the round, and I guess maybe you'll lead me into where I sat there and watched him come up because I knew we were tied at the time.

Speaker 2: 50:30

So I was a tour director at that course and I was watching all day and it was you and the two Ronnies, ronnie Fowler and Ronnie Avert, just going back and forth because you may not have been watching, but I was watching because, number one, I enjoy it. But number two, I actually thought that there was going to be a playoff and I think Ronnie Fowler missed a putt on 18, which gave you the wind, I'm thinking okay. So I got to figure out exactly who it is, verify the score and get him out so that they could do the playoff, and I heard somebody say that he'd missed a putt, and obviously nobody's rooting for anybody to miss a putt, but it's also elation for you that you actually won the tournament.

Speaker 4: 51:22

And that's the difference. I actually love playoffs. They're so much fun. It really tests your limits. And if I go out and I play good and another guy beats me, hats off to him. Absolutely Same thing in a playoff. If I hit a good shot up there, he makes his. If I want to get beat, I want him to beat me. I don't want to beat myself, right. And if they do that, I'm perfectly happy with the outcome.

Speaker 2: 51:57

Yeah, and I think that's one of the great things about our tour, whether it's the senior side or the golf week side, I think that thought is pretty much universal. Obviously, there's always we wanted to think differently than that, but I think you know, if you pull the guys on which universally, that's their thoughts. You know it's good friendly competition. If somebody beats us, somebody beats us, and that's it and happy for you and we'll try and get you next time.

Speaker 4: 52:27

Yeah, we at the Eastern tour, marty, chris, marty Martinez, he does a great job, he's awesome, he's incredible and I think he's actually taken over the Myrtle Beach Tour too also now I think they had a he's filling in or has taken that over. So he's he's got a lot on his plate this year and but he does, he does a great job. And you know you always have your little bumps and a roads, but that's. He irons them out and they scared the players. He's always got. He's always in good spirits, him and, I think, his wife's. They both, they both work.

Speaker 2: 53:09

Petina is Petina is great, yeah. So how long have you been playing on the tour?

Speaker 4: 53:14

Oh, my buddy Joe Porter and I have been playing this thing off and on for probably 15 years or more. Oh, wow, okay We've. We used to play the Myrtle Beach because there I don't think there was an Eastern tour, okay, at the time. So we always made the trip down the Myrtle Beach and I'm trying to remember the, the man's name down there. But we had a lot of fun down there. But I tell you that that trip down there it gets old after a while hour and a half there and hour and a half back, and sometimes even longer.

Speaker 2: 53:46

Right, but but since Marty's taken over up there and I think I think it was called the North Carolina, maybe it was a down East tour or something like that.

Speaker 4: 53:56

But yeah, it might have been the down East yeah.

Speaker 2: 53:59

But, but since Marty's taken over there, which has been, you know, a number of years now, it's really taken off and again he does a great job in Petina together, do it. So you know, they've got things rolling on all cylinders For sure. Yeah.

Speaker 4: 54:13

It's a, it's exploded. The enrollment is way up and I think I think guys are happy. You know the senior tour. It's got great rates, especially when you play during the week. Of course, now, like everything else, you're seeing prices going up, but I like to do it because you can play courses that you normally wouldn't get to play Right or wouldn't just travel there just to play on your own. I I like to play competitive golf. I really can't stand to go out there and play by myself.

Speaker 2: 54:46

Well, what are your plans for next year?

Speaker 4: 54:49

I don't know. I like playing in Marty's and it is during the week, so I'm trying to open up my weekends to where I stay home. But we still have some major tournament here like the city open, the senior open ones. I still like to play in the course of city open. I'm not really a contender anymore because I don't hit it as far as I used to. So I'm kind of you might say human, but you know I'm probably 250, 260 off the box. That's about it and that's about it anymore. And I I can't contend with these college kids.

Speaker 2: 55:30

Well, mike, thanks so much for taking some time with us tonight. I really do appreciate it, and congratulations when you're national championship.

Speaker 4: 55:37

Oh, thank you very much. It was a. It hasn't quite sunk in yet, but I know I can't. My trying to get bats now is a little tougher with this, so I maybe maybe you got to back off a little bit or or don't let him press.

Speaker 2: 55:56

There you go. All right, my friend. That's it. Take care, and we'll talk to you soon.

Speaker 1: 56:00

Thank you very much, tim. What a great conversation we had with all three of our senior champions this year Robert Benavidez, john Bowman and Mike Dallas.

Speaker 2: 56:10

Yeah, they were great and you know all of them had really tough tournaments. They were close all the way down to the end. You know, with John having the one old playoff, you know Mike won by one stroke. You know Robert I think one by two or three, but you know it was close, you know, all the way to the end for him. So that's what you really really like to see. You don't want to see. You know runaway scores Really like to have that competitions. You know, right on down to the 18th home.

Speaker 1: 56:39

Yeah, exactly Just like how Robert said the 20 minutes of him waiting to see what was going to happen was the longest 20 minutes he's ever had. But you know that's the whole point of competition. You know it's just great to hear their excitement. Not everybody gets a chance to be a national champion and when you do, just being able to share that with your friends and families Awesome.

Speaker 2: 57:04

Yeah, and again, robert was being modest too, because if it was time for a second and it went on the golf week side and didn't even think we were going to bring it up to him.

Speaker 1: 57:18

He's focused on his wins. You know he's. I guess he's the type of guy that he doesn't think twice about his losses and just focus on his win.

Speaker 2: 57:27

Yeah, but that's a great accomplishment for him and all the other champions as well.

Speaker 1: 57:31

Definitely.

Speaker 2: 57:33

I'm just going to throw this in here, because as I'm looking at this computer screen here, one thing we didn't talk about was the two man challenge, so maybe we should just at least name off the two man challenge winners.

Speaker 1: 57:47

Yeah, I mean I've been a recent or another recent, but a couple of years back two man challenge champion and it does take a lot of work and not just you know you playing well, but hoping your partner plays well or at least you picked a good partner. Some people pick five, six, seven different partners and hopes that they get lucky one, and the year I won I got lucky and had the guy that actually won the tournament. So there's a lot of planning that goes involved in this two man challenges. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 58:17

So you know you heard his back all the way in there.

Speaker 1: 58:19

Hey, you know I helped a little bit, but when it came down to it and honestly, we didn't even know what was going to happen because we tied, we did the math on our own and we saw that we tied and we didn't know it was going to happen. And they said you need to go do a playoff, but only one person gets to play. And I was like, well, pat him on the back, you won, so you won the whole thing, so you get to play the playoff. Yeah, one more hole. And we pulled, he pulled it off and we, we took on the championship plate. So it was a good time and to this day I still talk to him. You know, throughout the season he was actually the guy who won the golden button in the tour bags. So you know, those are the friendships that we talk about. You know that you get to to make and keep throughout the years.

Speaker 2: 59:08

Exactly so let's run. Let's run down the winners of two man challenge real quick. For senior tour it was a new champ flight it was Bill Shufelt and Chad Frank, and a flight it was Ronnie Averitt and Tim Rusk, and B-Flight Dave Parker and Amal Iridearaj, his tour director from Indianapolis. He also was a B-Flight champion and hopefully we'll have him one next episode. C-flight is Dennis Guerrero. He finished in second place. He lost in the playoffs to John Bowman. He was paired with Scott Holland and the D-Flight champions were Benton Smith and Richard Fister.

Speaker 1: 59:56

Congratulations to all those guys. Yes.

Speaker 2: 1:00:00

Again, it's luck of the draw To win the two-man. Both you have to play decent, but one of you has to play really well.

Speaker 1: 1:00:11

Right.

Speaker 2: 1:00:13

And if you look at some of these scores, like again, dennis Guerrero was in a playoff for a championship and he won in first place. Amal won, tim Rusk was top five, ronnie Advert was third, chad Frank won. So all those people were way up in the standings from an individual perspective.

Speaker 1: 1:00:41

Yeah, so, like you said, sometimes it only takes one person to play really, really well and the other person to just hang in there the best they can. But when you have two guys that are on top of their games at the time you can just run away with it.

Speaker 2: 1:00:54

Exactly so again, hopefully we'll have Amal and Chad Frank won next episode, but since the national championship you had a little competition, winsch tells us about.

Speaker 1: 1:01:08

Yeah. So two weeks after the national championship we usually have our Ryder Cup between Arizona and the El Paso Luz Cruces Tour, and we've talked about the numerous times how much fun Ryder Cups are Just the competition. I have one of my guys that helped me out. I swear he texts me like every other day asking how the parents are looking, who we're going to match up with, who I look at the roster, how is this going to work, and this and that, which I don't mind because it takes a little pressure off of me.

Speaker 1: 1:01:44

He lives for this event, but it's just a great time. It was a great time. We came out victorious one by four points, which is probably one of the closest ones we've had since Gabe took over all of Arizona. So that was good to have, and we go to Arizona next year and try to be the first team to win on enemy soil. So that hasn't happened yet. I'm glad we were able to defend and get our belt back and that tour better know I'm taking that belt every time I go to visit we should, as I'm going to be wrapped around my shoulder.

Speaker 1: 1:02:18

You should, and Gabe had a year to try and do that to me and unfortunately I didn't see the belt as much as I thought it was going to. So I'm going to have to rub it in a little more and see and just let him know. Let him remember. That sounds good to me. So where did you guys play? We played at Sonoma Ranch Golf Club here in Las Cruces. It's an up and coming course. We got bought out by another course that's usually in the top three in the state in the area. So they're doing some really great things out there. Just like any course, you know, it takes a little bit of time to grow back, but they're doing great things and I'll tell you this we did. Which one was it? It was two man scramble. Part three was about 130 yards, so downhill. I hit my shot. I was the first one to go hit my shot and it rolled to about a foot. I'm not exaggerating A foot to the pin.

Speaker 1: 1:03:16

The Arizona guy proceeds to follow me and his goes right over the flag and then rolls to the right, spins to the right and we're like that thing almost went in it. You know, you know how it looks, like it almost goes in from from the view of the T-Box and then as you get up you're like, oh, it's pretty far away Now, this thing that was going in. As we get to the, to the green right, you go and look up and my balls obviously pretty close, this guy's divot is literally at the edge of the cup, behind behind the flag. So he hit there and if you were to roll back it would have got, it would have hit the flag and probably gone in. But he put the spin on the ball, pushed it to the right and then he ended up being like seven feet, seven feet out.

Speaker 1: 1:04:04

It was crazy for him to have to fix his divot right outside the cup. And then, you know, I ended up playing against him in the singles on Sunday, head to head, and we went every shot. You know it was like haymakers, heavy weight throwing haymakers every hole. It was intense and on every part three he wouldn't hit before me, he had to hit after me because he wanted that, that mojo from from the first session, and every shot I'd hit under the green he'd hit closer. I did on there. It was just crazy. I guess I pumped them up on part three or something, I don't know.

Speaker 2: 1:04:43

Well, you know, that's one of the beauties of match play that I really like, you know, especially if you're matched up really well and you're both playing well, I mean it really is shot for shot for 18 holes. And you know, it doesn't really matter what flight you're in. If you're matched up well and you're both playing well, I mean it's a. It's a. It's a long day, but it's a fun day.

Speaker 1: 1:05:03

Oh yeah, I was more mentally drained than physically drained, absolutely, after that round. I mean, there were times where I'd be in the desert and I see his. Let's say, you know, my second shot goes in the desert on a par five. His second shot goes way right. And I know, mentally I have a chance still. But, and you know, stick it onto the green and put the pressure on him and see what he does Like it's just. This is the beauty of match play, yeah it really is, it's insane.

Speaker 1: 1:05:35

Yeah, I'm happy. I'm happy. The belt is nice, you know, put up on the mantle, nice and clean. Now One of their players brought us boxing gloves and we had our team sign it. As you know, memories for the, for the directors, so it's always a good time. Yeah, I really like that picture.

Speaker 2: 1:05:54

You know, when you, when you, when you texted to me first off, I didn't realize that it was Ryder Cup. It took me a second that it was your Ryder Cup weekend. Then I said you know, that's awesome, congratulations. It's really great.

Speaker 1: 1:06:09

Yeah, I mean hopefully. You know our tour I know there was, there was some, some whispers, I guess you could say, during the directors meetings about possibly doing some Texas Louisiana Ryder Cup in the middle of the season. You know me and Dwayne teaming up against the Louisiana tours. We'll see if that comes to fruition. And then Denver is always welcome to join ours if we ever they ever want to. You know, we can always use extra players, Right, Right.

Speaker 2: 1:06:38

Well, you know you bring up, you know middle of season and Louisiana, you know the the regional list was put out this past week. Yeah, would you say that?

Speaker 1: 1:06:51

You know it's exciting. It's great to see some courses that we talked about, you know, throughout this past season. I can't wait to see you know what comes out of that and go from there. It's it's going to be a nice schedule. Everyone's going to have a good chance to pick and choose where they'd like to go to. But I think were there any new ones that I saw on?

Speaker 2: 1:07:15

there? Yeah, there's. There was a few new ones and you know we'll talk about these next time. But the two that I'm really looking at, you brought up Louisiana. There's one at Tamaka Hills that that Gino Neal's running at. Gino Neal from Louisiana North is running that at Tamaka Hills. And the one that I'm really excited about that's new is the one at the Great Lakes Regional at American Dunes. It's a military themed course with folds of honor that Michelle Gillan is running and I'm really looking forward to seeing how that one goes. But there are others, so there are a total of 18. And you know we'll run down all of them and talk about them a little bit, either next episode or the episode after that. But I'm pretty excited about, you know, these are the most regional we've ever had. You know, generally we're around 12, 13, 14, up to 18.

Speaker 1: 1:08:11

That's awesome. I you know I want to have to work my magic pretty soon and get us a 19th one on there.

Speaker 2: 1:08:20

Well, I mean, if you've got, if you've got some decent courses, you know, let's do it.

Speaker 1: 1:08:27

Yeah, We'll make it work it just you know, just like you said, it takes planning and we want to make sure we do it right and all these regionals are done correctly. They're done right and it makes the best experience for anybody who goes out there Trust me. I'm a regional traveler, I know yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:08:44

So you know I'm good. Again, you're right on target. You know we didn't really talk about a lot of this stuff, but you're right on target Number one. You got to figure out which one that you're traveling to, you know, for your regular, regular trip, that's one. And then we got to figure out which ones that you and I are going to go to to be on site for and we'll let the cat out of the bag on that in a month or so, you know, because again it's it's you know planning and and and all those things as well. You know around our, our regular tour schedules too.

Speaker 1: 1:09:14

So yes, definitely it's. It's going to be a fun time, and then, you know, this next year is going to be great for us as a tour and also, you know, as a podcast, and we just keep getting better as we keep going.

Speaker 2: 1:09:27

Absolutely, absolutely Well. You know this. This. It's this time of year that you know, you and I try and slow down a little bit and we start, you know, working on our schedules. Have you? Have you started yours yet?

Speaker 1: 1:09:41

Um, honestly, no, I haven't. I'm going to get with my, the guys that helped me run it. We're going to kind of brainstorm. I have a couple ideas I want to try this year see if it works out. Um, you know, it's a little different having, uh, two cities under one banner. I guess you could say, right, um. So I kind of want to make it fair for you know, whether you're you're coming to a Paso or you're going to Las Cruces. So a couple, a couple of different tweaks I want to do throughout the year. I don't want to really let that information out yet and kiss anyone's listening.

Speaker 1: 1:10:15

but well, we know they're with you Right, I just, I just don't need to hear the complaints yet. Give me a week or two, Uh, but no, it's going to be a good time. You know, we plan, or I plan on going to up north a little more, to um, uh, albuquerque, and do a couple more events out there. I think they, they really enjoy us out up there. And then who knows what the future will hold, if they have their own tour or not. So we'll see what happens.

Speaker 2: 1:10:43

Well, I started working on mine last week and we've got a couple of things booked in. Um, we got, we got some some news from a couple of our regular courses that were that were normally worn. Um, we'll be back on them. You know, prices gone up which is.

Speaker 2: 1:10:59

You know and and I know everybody knows, all our players know that this is, it's, it's normal, uh, but does some of the price increases? We're a little, we're a little surprising, but it is what it is and, uh, you know it's. It's up to us to make sure that that our that our players are seeing that value of coming out and playing with us every week.

Speaker 1: 1:11:19

Yeah, I think we do a great job about it. Um, you know, just like anything else in in in the world right now, prices are going up everywhere and uh, you just got to ride the wave and hope we don't fall off your surf board and uh, have a good time out there. I mean, that's the main thing is go out there and have a good time, exactly.

Speaker 2: 1:11:37

And nobody wants to see me on a surf board anyway.

Speaker 1: 1:11:39

So you liked that one, didn't you, and that's from top of the noggin right there.

Speaker 2: 1:11:45

There you go, all right my friends, well, you, uh, you, enjoy yourself and and we'll see you in a couple of weeks.

Speaker 1: 1:11:51

Yes, sir, we'll talk soon, all right buddy.

Speaker 4: 1:12:02

Let's.