Talk Birdie To Me Nick O'Hern & Mark Allen

Mark is excited about how many people he is seeing on golf courses and driving ranges at the moment, saying interest in golf feels to be at an all-time high, Nick agrees. The carpark at Australian Golf HQ is chockers. And even though TV ratings are down Nick and Mark discuss if that may be due to people watching on smartphones...there'll be people way smarter than us who can figure that stuff out.
Fine wins in a row for Nelly Korda. Nick says it's 'crazy' how good Nelly is. And Scheffler on fire again, his iron play is a 'joke' according to Mark. He runs through Schefflers stats. Impressive, leaving everyone else well behind. Another player who impressed was 15-year old Miles Russell. Mark and Nick discuss. Nick runs through some of Miles stock yardages, they are good. See here from our mates at Flushing It. And then we take a twist with Mark outlining his knowledge of trees. Yes trees. If you have any tree questions, feel free to reach out and Mark will answer them.
LIV Adelaide is nearly here. Last year was huge, the biggest LIV event in the world. Mark has heard that the crowds will be 20% up this year, Nick has heard 50%. Both are hoping it's not too wild, but is still great fun. Nick says that LIV last year was the biggest tournament buildout of a course that he has seen, including the PGA tour.
We discuss those Rory rumours from last week. Mark is very happy Rory didn't go. And then the pod goes pear-shaped for a sec when Nick sends Mark a stupid video that Mark can't stop playing. It is very juvenile, but you can see it here.
Nick's Top 5 is inspired by Nelly Korda. The Top 5 female golfers in recent times who have 'changed the game'. The Gisborne Golf Club, destroyed by fire last week, have a fundraiser to rebuild here. Lots of feedback, including Daniel who says Scheffler is 'boring', Nick & Mark respond. Nick brings us the PING global results & Marks masterclass is on ‘landing closed’ for watchMynumbers. He explains in the masterclass on the pod.
A huge thanks to our Talk Birdie partners:
PING, they'll help you play your best, you can see your local golf shop or professional for a PING club fitting;the new watchMynumbers app, the most powerful data based golf app in the world, download from the App Store ;& the Golf Clearance Outlet, great prices on the best gear. See them in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or Perth, or online here.
Subscribe to never miss a Talk Birdie To Me ep. And we'd appreciate you sharing the pod with a friend. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, send a voicemail here, and our Masterclass videos on YouTube here.

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We love to receive your voicemails, some are questions for Nick and Mark, others are you simply leaving a comment or a story. So, from time to time, we'll pop a voicemail in the Talk Birdie To Me podcast feed.
Today, we've got a voicemail from Scott Mitchell in Brisbane who left a message about not aiming for the pin, putting Nick's course management advice from last weeks episode into his game at the weekend. How'd it go? Well Scott tells us. If you missed Nick's advice, it is in Episode 59, and see the video here.
If you want to leave a message for us - it is very simple, just head to our website here on your mobile or computer, hit the record button, tell us who you are, where you're from, where you play your golf, and leave your message. Couldn't be easier, you'll be done in 60-seconds.
We're here each week with the great support of PING, see your local golf shop or professional for a PING club fitting. Just like they have with Nick O'Hern, PING will help you play your best. And the Golf Clearance Outlet, great prices on the best gear. See them instore in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or Perth, or online here. And watchMynumbers, the powerful data-based golf app in the world - play smarter by using data. Download from the AppStore or GooglePlay.
And don't forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, and you can see all our Masterclass videos on YouTube here.

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What a weekend in Augusta. Lots to unpack, and Nick O'Hern and Mark Allen whilst tired, are ready for a debrief on The Masters.
Scottie Scheffler, a huge victory, with exceptional game management according to Nick. And his putting was a lot better, although still room to improve, which Nick and Mark call 'scary'. Last week Mark said, of the notable players, he felt Scheffler couldn't win. We've filed last weeks pod under 'episodes that won't age well'. However, he did pick Aberg to do well, and was bang on. Nick and Mark are impressed with how calm Scheffler is, and Mark adds that Aberg is so calm for his age, and he loves his before the ball routine, it is so consistent. Nick says there is 'something special' about Aberg.
We discuss DeChambeau's iron specs, which are quite unique. Nick says that Augusta is a very difficult course for a player like Bryson, and has two reasons why, which he talks us through. Jason Day's clothing. Mark reckons he looked like Carl Spackler in Caddyshack. Tiger, even though it wasn't the result he'd have hoped for, Mark won't hear a bad word about him - 24 straight cuts, got around the course, and he loved the video of Tiger that Augusta shared. On our Twitter feed here. Tiger commented at Augusta that he wants to get bigger, Nick and Mark don't feel he needs to.
We chat about the Aussies, Cam Smith finished in T6 in what Nick called a strange weekend, only one eagle and only a couple of bogeys, but T6 impressive nonetheless. Davis was up there for a long time, and his finish gets him Masters entry next year. Min Woo Lee, playing with a broken finger, was good, and Scotty did well after sneaking into the cut. Jason Day....well we still can't believe the outfits. And NZ's Ryan Fox led early, and fell away.
Mark reveals a huge whisper about Rory McIllroy and the Australian Open.
Top 5 from Mark on 'unusual technique flushers'. In the PING global results, plenty of results aside from The Masters, Nick runs through them. And a fantastic Masterclass from Nick on how Scottie Scheffler managed his way around the course on Sunday. And we wrap the show with the NBC tribute to the great Verne Lundquist, who has retired this week, and a very funny story about Mark escorting a tour group to The Masters, and a 75-year old guest ending up being 'sin-binned' by Augusta for breaking their strict rules.
A huge thanks to our Talk Birdie partners:

PING, they'll help you play your best, you can see your local golf shop or professional for a PING club fitting;the new watchMynumbers app, the most powerful data based golf app in the world, download from the App Store ;and the Golf Clearance Outlet, great prices on the best gear. See them instore in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or Perth, or online here.
Talk Birdie To Me has new episodes weekly, and regular bonus eps. Subscribe to never miss an ep. And we'd appreciate you sharing the pod with a friend who may like it. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, send a voicemail here, and our Masterclass videos on YouTube here.

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We're live here on Saturday arvo Australian time for a bonus US Masters pod 'after the cut'. Not from Australian Golf Headquarters, but we've hooked up the trusty old Zoom and got all high tech!
Nick and Mark discuss The Masters so far. The wind has made it tough, very tough to play but Nick says 'a joy to watch'. Mark said that on day 1 Bryson DeChambeau played some of the most special golf he's seen. However, he has done a reverse on his pre-Masters prediction, and Mark now believes that Scheffler will win the tournament. Nick agrees, and in fact Nick predicted Scheffler prior to the tournament beginning.
Mark has come armed with stats. 92% of masters winners of all time have been within 5 shots of the lead entering the final 2 days, which Mark says, from a statistical point of view, any player with a score even or 1 under, or worse, cannot win from here.
Nick discusses the extraordinary 10 minutes where we saw Justin Thomas and Matsuyama double bogey the last hole to let 11 players into T50, including our own Adam Scott. Keep in mind the cutline was T50 + ties. Unbelievable. Great for Adam Scott who looked gone.
Can Cam Davis win from here? Mark says no, but he can get second.
And we discuss Greg Norman buying a ticket like us normies to get into the tournament behind the ropes. And Jason Days pants. Oh. My. Goodness. What was he thinking.
A fun one today, 2-days to go - can't wait to see how it ends up!
We're here each week with the great support of PING, see your local golf shop or professional for a PING club fitting. Just like they have with Nick O'Hern, PING will help you play your best. And the Golf Clearance Outlet, great prices on the best gear. See them instore in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or Perth, or online here.
Talk Birdie To Me. New episodes weekly wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and you'll never miss one! And we'd love you to share the podcast, and if you can rate and review us that would be great. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, or send a voicemail to us here. And all our Masterclass videos on YouTube here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Being Masters week, we have a fantastic bonus pod this week.
The pod is in in two parts. Firstly, pod listener Mitch from Sydney wrote in and asked how you get into caddying, and make a career of it. We thought, who better to ask than Simon Clarke, who has been a caddie on the pro tour for 30+ years and is currently in Augusta caddying for Aussie Jasper Stubbs who is playing his first US Masters this week. Clarkey talks us through his career, how it started, who he has worked with and what he loves about it. And Clarkey talks us through how Jasper's preparation is going for the Masters.
After the turn, we take a forensic look at Augusta. Mark Allen has Nick O'Hern and Clarkey talk us through the Augusta course hole by hole. How each hole plays, the shot selection, club selection, and the pitfalls of each. It is a fascinating insight into one of the worlds great tournaments - perhaps the greatest.
We're here each week with the great support of PING, see your local golf shop or professional for a PING club fitting. Just like they have with Nick O'Hern, PING will help you play your best. And the Golf Clearance Outlet, great prices on the best gear. See them instore in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or Perth, or online here.
Talk Birdie To Me. New episodes weekly wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and you'll never miss one! And we'd love you to share the podcast, and if you can rate and review us that would be great. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, or send a voicemail to us here. And all our Masterclass videos on YouTube here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Masters week, one of the most exciting weeks in world golf! Nick and Mark loved seeing some of the pictures and videos of Drive, Chip and Putt Day at Augusta at the weekend, and were impressed with some of the young ones, but amazed at the composure of the kids playing in front of some icons of the game.
But back to the Masters. Nick believes that there is nothing like Masters week, the energy, the feel, the media focus, he loves it, as does Mark. And Mark asks Nick how he felt driving down Magnolia Lane when he first played the Masters. And he chats about the overall experience of being there. Thursday this week we'll have a Masters bonus pod, which will be a must-listen. And later in this episode, we'll get Nick and Marks tips.
What a finish at the Texas Open, an incredible finish with an incredible back 9 from Denny McCarthy hitting 28! But it wasn't enough to nail the win with youngster Akshay Bhatia holding on under enormous pressure for the win. Nick and Mark talk about how incredible it was to see such a performance from the young Akshay when Denny was coming for him. Mark says, in Moneyball style, he doesn't believe that Akshay would be chosen in a team environment, as he doesn't have, on the surface, the attributes you look for - yet he is developing into a wonderful golfer, and Mark loves it and this is one of the things he loves about golf, the only measure that matters is the score you shoot.
A fun Top 5 from Nick, Aussie superstar Karrie Webb made this list, remember this?
Pod listener Damian calls in with a question about his driver, he has just bought a new PING G430 Max 10k driver and loves it, but has a question for Nick and Mark about shafts.
And being Masters week - we get Nick and Marks tips. They each give us who they think will win, and why, which notable player won't win and why, and who their respective dark horse is. Interestingly, the player Mark believes can't win, is the one Nick believes will win. Controversial.
Into the PING global results, and there are plenty. Nick takes us through them all.
As usual, plenty of feedback, we love it, so keep it coming either on voicemail, email or socials.
Mark's turn for the Masterclass, and this week it is for golfers with 'hands of gold'.
We're here each week with the great support of PING, see your local golf shop or professional for a PING club fitting. Just like they have with Nick O'Hern, PING will help you play your best. And the Golf Clearance Outlet, great prices on the best gear. See them instore in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or Perth, or online here.
Talk Birdie To Me. New episodes weekly wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and you'll never miss one! And we'd love you to share the podcast, and if you can rate and review us that would be great. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, or send a voicemail to us here. And all our Masterclass videos on YouTube here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.