Tales from the first tee

Rich Easton

Stories about my life experiences and others . Interviews with golfers around the world that have one thing in common...the pursuit of excellence on a golf course and everything else that happens along the way.

  1. 5D AGO

    When Celebs Vanish And Egos Soar, Golf Finds A New Rhythm

    Send a text What happens when a beloved pro-am trades its soul for a signature purse? We unpack Pebble Beach’s $20M pivot—fewer celebrity swings, more surgical golf—and the ripple effects on how fans connect with the sport. The charm of mis-hits and Bill Murray lore gives way to Sunday fireworks as Scotty Scheffler drops three eagles and Colin Morikawa turns a 20‑minute fairway wait into a stone-cold birdie to win. It’s elite theater, but at a cost: the human texture that once made Pebble feel like a shared secret. From there we head to the WM Phoenix Open, where golf’s loudest hole thrives on vision, not accident. We break down how WM’s rebrand, zero‑waste engineering, and stadium swagger converted a Tiger‑sparked moment into a sustainability lab with half a million attendees as co‑authors. Love the noise or loathe it, the model blends purpose and party in a way the rest of sports keeps trying to copy. We also zoom out to the stories TV tries to force and the ones that earn the frame: Koepka’s shadow versus Scheffler’s grind, Hideki’s late wobble, and why cameras should follow form over fame. Then it’s Super Bowl ad psychology, a CGI bear that sticks in your head, halftime culture flashpoints, and the media incentives that keep outrage on a loop. Finally, we look at Olympic calculus through Eileen Gu’s choice and celebrate the universal rhythm of fall, rehab, return—the reason moguls, downhill, and even curling keep pulling us back. If you love golf’s edge, sports as spectacle, and the real decisions behind the headlines, you’ll feel right at home here. Tap play, subscribe for more sharp takes across golf and culture, and tell us: do you miss the pro‑am magic, or is the new Pebble exactly what you want on Sundays? Spotify Apple podcasts Amazon Music all other streaming services

    35 min
  2. JAN 30

    Blades, Mulligans, And Momentum

    Send us a text A teenager shoots 60 on the Nicklaus course and suddenly the game looks younger, faster, and braver. We open with Blades Brown’s breakout and the ripple effect of a prodigy who can go low under cameras and crowds, then zoom out to what early crowning means in a sport that remembers both fireworks and flameouts. It’s a celebration and a caution: talent draws a spotlight, and pressure keeps the bulb hot. That theme of pressure runs straight into the psychology of mulligans. On the first tee, swagger meets physics, and sometimes the shaft meets a tree. We unpack why golfers love do-overs, how self-handicapping protects the ego, and why charity mulligans sell more hope than strokes. Then we take the idea off-course: the text you wish you unsent, the meeting you dreaded, the decision you delayed. Momentum comes from action, not perfection, which is why Mel Robbins’ 5-4-3-2-1 rule becomes a practical tool. Count down, move, and stop negotiating with the couch. If it must be done eventually, do it now. From there, the stakes scale up. College football’s NIL era and the transfer portal have scrambled the map, letting new contenders rise fast and forcing legacy programs to adapt. We break down why playoffs feel different, how peak performance compresses into inches, and what we learn from athletes who execute when the clock refuses to wait. Finally, we turn to power, process, and trust around ICE actions and media narratives—because rules only matter if evidence and accountability keep them honest. Sports teach us to accept shared standards; civic life demands the same, or the game doesn’t feel fair. Hit play for a ride from fairways to front pages, from do-overs to doing the hard thing. If this spoke to you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review with one action you’ll start in 5-4-3-2-1. Spotify Apple podcasts Amazon Music all other streaming services

    33 min
  3. JAN 18

    Inside A Point-Shaving Web And The ICE Hammer

    Send us a text A few unfamiliar names, a 70-page indictment, and a flood of betting data set the stage for a candid look at how games get bent and why so many of us still want to believe the scoreboard tells the whole truth. I walk through the mechanics of a recent point-shaving scheme at mid-major and D2 programs, how sportsbooks and integrity services flagged coordinated prop bets, and why subpoenas, texts, and money trails make “nobody will know” a losing strategy. The result isn’t moral panic; it’s a sober case for uncertainty—and the reason I stopped wagering when hidden variables outnumbered knowns. Then we swing to a different arena where trust is contested in public view: immigration enforcement. ICE operations have surged, detention capacity has climbed, and the country is arguing through headlines, viral videos, and incomplete stats. I lay out the competing claims—historic enforcement gains versus due process concerns—and ask listeners to sit with the uncomfortable math of trade-offs. Policies promise order, but every big lever has an unintended cost, and communities feel it first. To ground it all, I return to the one place where the odds feel honest: the course. “Write about what you know” led me to golf, not because I’m a pro, but because four hours with a scorecard reveals who we are under pressure. From Hogan and Penick to Rotella and Parent, the mental game beats quick fixes, and the best shots arrive after quiet practice, not swing juice. I share a childhood dodgeball moment that rewired my idea of courage, plus four reasons we forget our own peaks—and how to lock them in for the next swing. If you can’t control the whistle or the policy, you can still control your reps, your recall, and your response. If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who bets too confidently, and leave a quick review with your biggest takeaway. Your notes shape what we explore next. Spotify Apple podcasts Amazon Music all other streaming services

    36 min
  4. From Irish Goodbyes To The Business Of College Sports And Golf’s Civil War

    JAN 5

    From Irish Goodbyes To The Business Of College Sports And Golf’s Civil War

    Send us a text Ever left a party without goodbyes and felt oddly right about it? That’s our jump‑off point for a fast, funny, and candid ride from a midnight move out of Charleston to a new life in Harrisonburg—where a sore back, a pool streak, and a golf addiction spark a deeper look at how we chase joy and manage wear and tear. We talk about the quiet power of leaving at the right time, then get honest about aging, fitness, and the tradeoffs we make when passion runs hot. From there, the conversation widens to sports culture and the gravity of star power. The PNC Championship felt lighter without Tiger and Charlie, and it raises a tough truth: icons change the temperature of a game. That same force ripples through college sports as NIL and the transfer portal reshape loyalty. We break down how revenue sharing made long‑overdue corrections but eroded season‑long narratives, and we pitch a fix that preserves mobility while restoring meaning—move the portal window until after the national titles so coaches coach, players finish, and fans get closure. Golf’s civil war takes center stage next. LIV’s shotgun chaos and giant purses versus the PGA’s tradition and tension—what did money fix, and what did it flatten? We sketch a realistic path for big names to return: fines, a delayed runway, and limited access to premium events at first. Not out of nostalgia, but because stars lift the ceiling for everyone—attendance, ratings, and the feeling that anything can happen on 18. We close with a sharp watch pick: Plurribus on Apple TV, Vince Gilligan’s mind‑bending series anchored by Rhea Seehorn. It’s a reminder that the best stories—on a course, a stage, or a screen—bind us together. Hit play, then tell us: which rule would you change first—portal timing, LIV returns, or something we missed? And if this resonated, follow, share, and leave a quick review to help more listeners find the show. Spotify Apple podcasts Amazon Music all other streaming services

    41 min
5
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

Stories about my life experiences and others . Interviews with golfers around the world that have one thing in common...the pursuit of excellence on a golf course and everything else that happens along the way.