I Hate This F***ing Game

Reed Hapke and Josh Esler
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Sports News
  • Updated Weekly

A new podcast about all things golf hosted by two lifelong friends one of whom is a former professional. We'll talk about the love of this game and what it has done for us in our lives. We'll talk this week's events. We'll look back on the previous week. Share stories from the golf course. Discuss news from the world of golf. Maybe have a few laughs. And everything in-between.

  1. Sep 2

    S2E35- The End of the Season

    On this season finale, the boys start the pod catching everyone up with what they've been doing in their golf worlds. Not much from Josh, but Reed got out to an outing with friends and gagged with his putter. Then, the guys share some big news they've been sitting on. They've found a home for their podcast: The Spark Podcast Network! More content coming from the I Hate This F***ing Game boys throughout the year! Hell yes! Next, Reed and Josh turn their attention to the Tour Championship at East Lake. Viktor Hovland does his damndest to win, but he fought his swing all weekend which lead to the number one player in the world and the Player of the Year, Scottie Scheffler, to swoop in and take the crown. Absolutely well earned and the stats from Scottie's year were really and truly unbelievable. We are all witnessing something historic. In Golf News, the guys looked at the Presidents Cup rosters. Both teams are pretty stacked, but who has the edge? Reed and Josh also dip their toes into the Good Good controversy. What is the problem and what can be done about it? In the last piece of news, LeBron James takes his golf obsession to the people by sponsoring an event and promoting the game to the youth. Love to see it. Reed and Josh wrap up the episode with some Questions from the Internet. One Reddit user wants to know if he was not following proper golf etiquette. The guys look at what courses or golf regions are underrated? Which are overrated? Lastly, they discuss what it means to be clutch on the golf course. All this and more on this week's (and season finale) show. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    S2E35- The End of the Season

  2. Aug 26

    S2E34- Tournament Ready

    This week's episode opens with Reed and Josh talking about their own golf lives. Josh was back on the course in a tournament setting as he tries to qualify for the US Mid-Am. His game is nearly there, so what about Reed's? He was able to get out and check the University Ridge Golf Course in Madison, Wisconsin. He may not have played well, but the course was excellent. They then review the BMW Classic at Bellerive Golf Course. Rory was back. Scottie was sick. And Wyndham gets it done again. Is he player of the year? What does the data say? Regardless, Wyndham is still in form and prepped for the Presidents' Cup. Next, they looked at the Tour Championship. Who's going to win? Does it really matter at this point? Who do they like? They discuss. Golf News was chock full in this week's episode. LIV news. Lots of it. What will become of the league? What will become of the players? Where do they go and how will they make their way back to the PGA tour? Or will they? Reed and Josh also discuss the new changes to the '28 PGA Tour season. They're going to small field match play. Is this a good thing? And in Questions from the Internet, Reed and Josh look at handicaps and their values in stroke v. match play. Where is the advantage? Next, they look at what golf means beyond the golf course. What did it teach them and how do the game's lessons apply to their lives? Lastly, they look at modern equipment. How often should an amateur upgrade equipment? All this and more on this week's episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    S2E34- Tournament Ready

  3. Aug 19

    S2E33- Never Left

    On this week's episode Reed and Josh open the show discussing their own golf lives. Not much happening in Reed's golf world, but Josh was able to brave the Arizona heat and get a round in. Next, they turned to the FedEx St. Jude Championship. They talked Rory's struggles and wondered what will keep him motivated in the future. They talked iron play and patience regarding to the eventual winner, Scottie Scheffler. How does a man who strikes the ball so solidly stay so patient on the golf course? Josh also talks about his friendship with MLB great, Ken "The Hawk" Harrelson. Then, Reed and Josh turn their attention to the BMW Championship and regale the audience with wonderfully sound wagering advice. In Golf News, they look at the US Amateur Championship. What does it take to win this grueling event? The discussed massive drives from the tee and look at LeBron James new golf obsession. Are either interested in watching him chase his golf dreams on YouTube? The answer might surprise long time listeners. Lastly, in Questions from the Internet, Reed and Josh talk about what goes into making a "good course." Then, they talked about getting through a mid-season slump. What do you need to do to get back on track? And in the final question, they talk about which drills and techniques they like when practicing their short game. All this and more on this week's episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    S2E33- Never Left

  4. Aug 12

    S2E32- Stroking It On The Green

    On this week's episode Reed and Josh open by talking about their own golf journeys. It's still just too damn hot in the desert for Josh and Reed finally gets back to playing some good golf. For now! Next, they turned their attention to the Wyndham Championship, but the focused quickly turned to putting and stories on the green. Are we going for style points on the golf course? Or do we just want to get that little white ball in the hole as quickly as possible? They then discussed the young guns again. Are any of them ready for international competition? Will any make the President's Cup team? Reed and Josh turned their attention to the first playoff event: the FedEx St. Jude Classic. They look at who is on the bubble and who needs to play well. Ultimately though, it's the best 70 players that are left, so they just decide to sit back, and enjoy. In Golf News, they covered all the week's major news. Brooks gets down on himself, but should he? LIV finds a mysterious lead investor. Will that save the league? Then, Reed and Josh cover one of the biggest cheating scandals in recent memory. At the end, they take some Questions from the Internet. Why do people cheat on the course? Why post scores lower than you shot? Who are you helping? What little things can aggravate you on the golf course and how do you manage the frustration? And they talk swing tips. All this and more on this week's episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    S2E32- Stroking It On The Green

  5. Aug 5

    S2E31- Matters of Time

    On this week's episode Reed and Josh open the show talking about their own golf worlds and how they are ice cold. Not much happening on that front. Then it was time to turn to the Rocket Mortgage Classic. The course was redesigned. Peter Malnati opened with a 61 but it was his post round comments that Reed and Josh dug into. They looked at aging in golf and using lighter equipment. They discusses big name stars who haven't won in years. And of course, they talked the eventual winner, Michael Thorbjornsen. What pressure do these young phenoms face when coming to the tour? This week is the final regular season even: the Wyndham Championship. They look at all the bubble guys. Who they think will make it and who they think will be heading home for the year. In Golf News, Reed and Josh talked about the ESPN+ "Quiet Please" coverage. What worked? What didn't? What would they like to see going forward? They also looked at a story from San Antonio where a fight broke out on the golf course that led to a stabbing. At the end of the episode, they took your questions from the internet. What is the best feeling in golf? Is there such a thing as a "golf natural"? And what were our favorite moments in golf that didn't involve scoring well? All this and more on this week's episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    S2E31- Matters of Time

  6. Jul 29

    S2E30- A Star is a Celestial Body

    On this week's episode, Reed and Josh open the show talking about their golf weeks. Reed played 9 holes with his son and went to the Korn Ferry event in the Chicagoland area and Josh got in a bunch of rounds in beautiful Lake Tahoe. He also had to duck some wildlife. Next, they looked at the 3M Open. Scottie was in the mix yet again. Mike Kim dropped a 59. Lucas Glover took off his damn shoes. And most importantly, Jackson Koivun gets his 1st PGA Tour win in just his 3rd PGA Tour start. After the 3M discussion, Reed and Josh turned their attention to the Rocket Mortgage Classic. The tournament has a decent field, but the guys focus was on those big names who are just outside the top 70. Who needs to play well to get inside the top 70? Who needs to play well to stay inside the top 70? In Golf News, Reed and Josh talked former touring pros regaining amateur status and the effect it has on the game. They looked at the first ever Lefty USGA final. And don't screw with club managers. They will come find you. They wrap the episode up with some Questions from the Internet. How does slow play affect playing partners? What was the best Major of the season? And how do we take care of ourselves after a round. All this and more on this week's episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    S2E30- A Star is a Celestial Body

  7. Jul 22

    S2E29- Kiwi Comes in Clutch

    On this week's episode Reed and Josh start the show with their own golf lives. Josh is gearing up for a weekend trip to Lake Tahoe while Reed spend a day golfing with some friends. He sucked on the front nine and pulled it together for a respectable back nine. Next, they dove in deep on The Open Championship. They talked the course, the weather, the controversies, and the eventual winner: Ryan Fox. Chalk one up for the old guys! See the shot, hit the shot. In Golf News, they discussed the winding down of Rory's career. How much longer will we see him really playing on the PGA Tour? They looked at the new partnership between the Asian Tour, the DP World Tour, and the PGA Tour. How does this affect the future of LIV? Golf News wraps up by giving some love to Notah Begay. At the end, Reed and Josh take some Questions from the Internet. They discuss possible match play strategies and golf grips. Enjoy! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    S2E29- Kiwi Comes in Clutch

  8. Jul 15

    S2E28- 1001 Days

    On this week's episode Reed and Josh start the show talking about their golf weeks. Josh got out to the range with his dad and Reed watched the US Adaptive Championship. Truly inspiring stuff from those athletes. Next, they recapped The Scottish Open. After a long few years, Tom Kim is back in the winner's circle. What does the win mean to him? Where can it propel him? And can it get him out of mandatory Korean military service? Reed and Josh discussed all that and more. After talking the Scottish Open, the guys turned their attention to the Open Championship. They talked links golf. They talked Tommy Fleetwood. They talked shot shaping. And even snuck in a little Jordan Spieth talk. In Golf News, they look at Rory and his thoughts on National Opens as well as Aaron Rai's nice gesture to his fellow pro. At the end of the episode, they take a couple Questions from the Internet. The first is an insane ask and the second one is about getting old. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    S2E28- 1001 Days
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Trailers

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

A new podcast about all things golf hosted by two lifelong friends one of whom is a former professional. We'll talk about the love of this game and what it has done for us in our lives. We'll talk this week's events. We'll look back on the previous week. Share stories from the golf course. Discuss news from the world of golf. Maybe have a few laughs. And everything in-between.

Information

  • Creator
    Reed Hapke and Josh Esler
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    76
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Reed Hapke and Josh Esler
  • Show Website
    I Hate This F***ing Game

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