Next On The Tee With Chris Mascaro, Golf Podcast

What a privilege to get to spend some time with one of the great people you get to meet in this life, Melissa Fitzgerald. Melissa played Carol Fitzpatrick, CJ's assistant, on The West Wing. You've also probably seen her movies like The Truman Show and Monument Avenue or on other TV shows like Gray's Anatomy and Chasing The Hill. Melissa and I start out talking about growing up in Philadelphia. She is the daughter of a father who was a Pennsylvania Supreme Court Judge and her mother was also politically active and volunteered in the community. They are graduates of the University of Pennsylvania. I asked Melissa what it was like for her to give the commencement speech at Chestnut Hill College. We then delved into how loyal West Wing fans are to the cast and show. She talks about the support she's gotten over the years from her West Wing cast members, and the new book that she and Mary McCormack have written about their West Wing experience called, What's Next, due out later this summer. We then transition

I ran into two great friends and Top Instructors in our game, Rob Strano and Debbie O'Connell while walking the floor of the PGA Merchandise show. We talked about new putting products, AI's impact on the game, resurrecting old equipment, feel vs. data, rooting for small businesses, Season 6 of The Golf Kingdom, the power of the mind, focusing on our positive shots, and getting over the one hole that always gets us.

I had the privilege of spending a few minutes with Jill Spiegel, President of the PGA Tour SuperStore, on the floor of the PGA Merchandise Show. Jill is one of the most influential people in the golf retail business. I got her thoughts on the shift in the retail soft goods side of the business over the years, some of the merging trends for 2024, where Nike stands in the market now, their relationship with the Travis Matthew brand, and what influences AI will have going forward.

This week I am joined by 4 of the Top Instructors and Body Movement experts in the game. Keith Jarvis is a Lead Instructor at Golf Channel Academy. He can be found in the New York/New Jersey areas and on the V1 app. Keith breaks down Trackman data and helps us understand what smash factor is, what good spin rate numbers are off the driver, how to take a pivot after we strike the ball, and why you should tee the ball lower than what you've been told. Terry Hashimoto is the Founder of BodiTrak Golf and Golf Rehab.com. Terry explains why all good players have 80+% of their weight on the lead leg by the time they get to the top of their backswing. We also learn why golf is a great rehab game for those suffering from concussions, and which fundamentals are no longer relevant. Katherine Roberts is the Top Movement Skills person and Yoga Instructor in the world in my opinion. She's about to begin her 10th season working with the Chicago Cubs. She takes us through how she can help those of us suffering from some s

Former Giants 2-time Super Bowl Champion DB Mark Collins joins me on this special segment of Next on the Tee. Mark also played for the Chiefs, Seahawks, and Packers. Mark talks about his favorite Pro-Ams to play in including the Mid Penn Bank Celebrity Golf Tournament. We hear about his recent trip to the TaylorMade Kingdom, his week working with Butch Harmon, how Butch got him to realize that golf is supposed to be fun since he doesn't play it for a living, the courses on Mark's bucket list, and who he thinks will be playing in the Super Bowl.

This week I'm joined by Tom Patri and a trio of Next on the Tee rookies, one of the Top 100 Teachers to Watch for 2024 & 2025 Meaghan Francella, one of the most decorated Amateur players ever Steve Scott, and the Director of Golf at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts Brendan Walsh. TP and I recap where we aren't with the PIF/PGA Tour merger, Keith Pelley's resignation as CEO of the DP World Tour, Martin Slumber's resignation from the R&A, plus a playing lesson to help you fix your slice. Meaghan Francella won back-to-back New York State junior championships in the late 90s. She would go on to win the Conference USA title at the University of Memphis before transferring to the University of North Carolina and winning the ACC Championship there. We hear those stories plus her remarkable debut on the LPGA Tour where she beat Annika Sorenstam in a playoff to win the MasterCard Classic in just her second start on Tour. Steve Scott was another accomplished junior player having won the 1992, '93

Mike McGee is from East Palestine, Ohio. He is the son of 4-time winner on Tour and Western Pennsylvania PGA Section Hall of Famer Jerry McGee. He is also the Managing Director of the Annika brand and Annika Sorenstam’s husband. Mike was also an All-Conference baseball player at the University of Mount Union over in Alliance, Ohio. He shares stories about growing up in the small town of East Palestine, Ohio in the early 80s. Mike speaks of a simpler time of backyard games and never locking your door. Mike reflects back on the Annika Fore East Palestine campaign that helped that community recover from the tragic train derailment and chemical spill that resulted last year. We also hear about his father’s career including playing in the 1977 Ryder Cup, multiple appearances in The Masters, and what it was like for Mike to induct his father into the Western Pennsylvania PGA Section Hall of Fame last fall. Mike is a huge Steelers fan so he weighs in on this weekend’s playoff matchup against Buffalo.

Suzy Whaley was the first female President of the PGA of America. She is now the President of the new golf platform Golf Nation. We hear about the great shows they've created for Golf Nation including Three Courses featuring my recent guests Gabi Powel and Hannah Lerner. We also hear about Suzy's show Do I Know You, which is a Dating Game like show with Tour players and their spouses. Suzy and I also breakdown the Solheim Cup, the Ryder Cup, whether players should get paid to play, and her participation on the Legends of the LPGA Tour.

Eddie & the Cruiser star and the host of Backspin Golf Matthew Laurance joins me on this special bonus edition of Next on the Tee.  Matthew shares his thoughts on what could be next for Tiger's brand, Jon Rahm's defection to LIV, plus the recent resignations of DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley and R&A CEO Martin Slumbers. We also hear about some of Matthew's favorite courses down in the Lexington, Kentucky area, who has the prettiest practice swing you ever saw, the filming of Eddie & the Cruisers, and remembering his friend Tim Wakefield. Check out Matthew's show Backspin Golf every Sunday morning at 8:03 AM EST on ESPN Radio WLXG (www.wlxg.com) and follow him on X @reallauro5.

This week I am joined by Mike McGee former Mount Union All-Conference baseball player, Jerry McGee’s son, and Managing Director of the Annika brand and her husband, Jeff Smith Golf Magazine Top 100 Instructor and Golf Digest’s Top Instructor in the state of Indiana, and Evan Schiller PGA Professional and renowned golf course Photographer. Mike McGee is from East Palestine, Ohio. He is the son of 4-time winner on Tour and Western Pennsylvania PGA Section Hall of Famer Jerry McGee. He is also the Managing Director of the Annika brand and Annika Sorenstam’s husband. Mike was also an All-Conference baseball player at the University of Mount Union over in Alliance, Ohio. He shares stories about growing up in the small town of East Palestine, Ohio in the early 80s. Mike speaks of a simpler time of backyard games and never locking your door. Mike reflects back on the Annika Fore East Palestine campaign that helped that community recover from the tragic train derailment and chemical spill that resulted last year. We

We kick off 2024 and Season #11 of the Next on the Tee podcast with my guests Tom Patri, Kermit Zarley, Dr. Bob Winters, and Jane Crafter. TP and I get into the deadline that wasn't with the PIF and the PGA Tour. The New Year's deadline came and went and instead of professional golf going into a new year with all this behind them, we got nothing. I also get his thoughts on the power play that some players may be trying to pull off like telling Fred Ridley that The Masters needs to up their prize money. TP also gives us a lesson on what to do if we've contracted the dreaded Y word with our putting. Kermit Zarley played his college golf at the University of Houston. He was the medalist at the 1962 National Championship and helped the Cougars win the team title as well. We hear about what it was like being a part of Houston's domination of men's college golf from the mid-50s to the mid-70s. Kermit then takes us through his 4 wins on tour and what it was like battling Jack Nicklaus at the 1972 US Open at Pebble

It was a huge thrill getting to spend some time with one of the all-time great players, Jay Haas. Jay was the medalist at the 1975 National Championship and he helped Wake Forest win back-to-back National Championships in 1974 and '75. He won 27 times between the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. He was also recognized with the Payne Stewart Award and the Bob Jones Award for his sportsmanship, character, and charity. Jay is the nephew of 1968 Masters Champion Bob Goalby, and his sons Bill and Jay Jr., plus nephew Dillard Pruitt also played out on the PGA Tour. We start out talking about how his Uncle got him started in the game. We hear how Arnold Palmer and Lanny Watkins influenced his decision to play his college golf at Wake Forest. Jay gives us behind-the-scenes stories about teaming with Curtis Strange, Bob Byman, and David Thore and how they dominated college tournaments while they were there. We then get into his relationship with two great friends of this show, Tom Purtzer and Rob Strano. We hear abo

We close out season #10 in style as I am joined by a trio of outstanding people, Mitch Laurance, Ross Greenburg, and David Peoples. Mitch Laurance has hosted several fantastic golf podcasts, the most recent is Talking Golf Getaways. He's also one of my favorite people on the planet. Mitch's perspective as a golf Historian is invaluable. He exclusively plays hickory clubs and a golf ball from the 1920s. Rolling the golf back means nothing to him but his perspective on the loss of trust between the PGA Tour and the fans has impacted his desire to watch golf on TV; that is something the PGA Tour should sit up and listen to. We also hear about his experience being in Rome for the Ryder Cup earlier this year and why it seems to mean so much more to the European fans than it does for us in the US. Ross Greenburg is the former President of HBO Sports and is now head of Ross Greenburg Productions. He's produced many of the great films and documentaries of our time. He did 61 with Billy Crystal, Miracle the movie ab

This week I'm joined by 3 of the best Instructors and PGA Professionals in our game Tom Patri, Tom Wildenhaus, and Nancy Quarcelino plus aspiring Tour Pro and Trackman Golf Rep Andrew Strother. TP and I try to make sense of what's going on in the game with Jon Rahm signing with LIV when the proposed partnership deadline is still weeks away. Has Patrick Cantlay gone all Alexander Haig on the PGA Policy Board? Why has yet another tournament sponsor pulled out? Could we be headed for tournament specific golf balls at USGA & R&A hosted tournaments if the PGA Tour and PGA of America hold fast to not adopting the rolled-back ball. If so, who's going to produce that ball? As usual we try to solve the world's problems in segment one. Tom Wildenhaus is a 2 time South Florida PGA Professional of the Year. He has also spent over 2 decades at one of the top courses in Florida, Olde Florida Golf Club. We discuss the high expectations of one of their founding members, Mike Ditka. We also hear about the wonderful

This week I'm joined by Champions Tour Pro and member of the University of Texas Hall of Honor Bob Estes, Pittsburgh native and now Director of Golf at the Golf Club of Houston Adam Lockwood, Top Instructor and Host of The Golf Kingdom TV Show Rob Strano, and Champions Tour Pro and 1987 US Amateur Champion Billy Mayfair. This week I got all four guys to weigh in on the rollback of the golf ball. It is certainly the hot topic around the game and will have reverberations for years to come. In addition to that: Bob Estes talks about his Texas Longhorns run at the National Championship in college football. We also talk about this season on the Champions Tour, the great history of men's golf at Texas, and the complicated formula for players to qualify to play on the Champions Tour. Adam Lockwood is from just outside of my hometown of Pittsburgh. He had a very successful high school golf career at Apollo-Ridge which launched him to attend PennWest California and enter their Professional Golf Management program.

On this episode, I'm joined by Top Instructor Tom Patri, Pittsburgh Sports Talk Radio Host Paul Alexander, Wisconsin Golf Hall of Famer Gary D'Amato, and US Kids Top 50 Master Professional Chris Knobloch. Tom Patri and I talk golf conspiracy theories like Jon Rahm leaving for LIV, why Rory resigned from the PGA Tour Policy Board and looking at moving back to England, why NBC Sports let Paul Azinger and 15-year Producer Brandt Packer go, and what happens if the LIV/PGA Tour merger doesn't go through. Paul Alexander can be heard on 93.7 The Fan up in Pittsburgh. He is an expert on not only Pittsburgh sports, but also Western PA golf. I get his thoughts on the Steelers now that Matt Canada is gone plus if the Penguins can make to the post season. Paul recently emceed the Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony and we hear about that night and in particular Mke McGee, Annika Sorenstam's husband, inducting his father Jerry McGee. Jerry was a 4-time winner on Tour and a part of the victorious 19

We get into those questions and much more with my guests: Hall of Fame Instructor Jim McLean, former Tour Player and all-time great Analyst Frank Nobilo, the Starter at 23 US Opens Ron Read, and PGA Tour Advance Rules Official Stephen Cox. Jim McLean has been inducted into 4 Hall of Fames. His list of awards and accolades as an Instructor are too numerous to list. I get Jim's thoughts on how we can build confidence in ourselves and our game's, how to raise our play to tournament level, and the one thing we can do today to lower our scores this weekend. Frank Nobilo won 14 times around the world, he finished in the Top 10 of all 4 majors, and is now an all-time great Analyst. We discuss why PGA Tour players are overpaid, what could happen if the PIF/PGA Tour partnership doesn't go through plus, we go back to his T4 finish in the 1994 US Open at Oakmont, and what it was like being on the course at Augusta National as Greg Norman was collapsing in 1996. Ron Reed worked for the USGA for over two decades and wa

In this special segment of the show, I'm joined by one of the all-time great Sports Writers and Authors, The Boston Globe's Chad Finn. Chad has a fantastic new book out titled, "Story of the Red Sox, More Than A Century Of Championships, Challenges, and Characters. If you are a Red Sox or an avid baseball fan, this is a must-read. Chad goes back and collects articles from The Boston Globe from the very beginning days of the franchise, right up through the 2022 season. You'll learn about the birth of the Red Sox, Babe Ruth's arrival and departure, the greatest hitter who ever lived Ted Williams, the Impossible Dream season of 1967, the 1975 World Series, '86, and the departures of Clemens, Pedro, Nomar, and Boggs, to their ultimate triumphs in 2004, '07, '13, and '18. The book is a fantastic read. You'll not only learn everything you need to know about the history of the Red Sox franchise, you'll also have a great time doing it because Chad is such a wonderful writer. You can get your copy of the book here:

On this episode two of the Top Instructors in our game, Tom Patri and John Hughes, join me along with Champions Tour Pro Rob Labritz and PGA Tour SuperStore Chief Merchandising Officer Randy Peitsch. Tom Patri and I also reflect back on two great feel-good stories from the Bermuda Championship in the T8 finish by Tyson Alexander and the inspirational victory by Camilo Villegas. Champions Tour Pro Rob Labritz, PGA , and I go back to his journey through Champions Tour Q-School in 2021. We talk about the pressure involved getting from round to round. He was the medalist that year which earned him his Champions Tour card. We also talk about perhaps the best bogey save I've ever seen that Rob sank on the final hole at the TimberTech Championship which earned him the final spot in last week's Charles Schwab Cup Championship. Randy Peitsch is the Chief Merchandising Officer for the PGA Tour SuperStore. He shares several great gift ideas for the golf enthusiast in our lives, even if that person is us. We hear what

This week I am joined by 2 legends of the game, John Cook and John Mahaffey, plus one of the great players in Western Pennsylvania history Bob Friend Jr., and Top 100 Instructor and Pittsburgh native Eric Johnson. John Cook and I go back to his epic victory at the 1983 Canadian Open when he defeated Johnny Miller on the 6th playoff hole. We hear how, in his 2nd season on Tour, he held up to the pressure of trying to win arguably the 5th biggest event on Tour at the time, over a legend like Miller. We also get into the great things his father Jim did to advance PGA Tour purses plus John's course design work. John Mahaffey won the 1978 PGA Championship at Oakmont. We go back to that tournament and hear what it was like for him to get that win after having lost 2 previous US Opens. John would double down on that PGA victory by winning the very next week at the American Optical Classic over the only Optometrist on Tour, Dr. Gil Morgan. John also shares his memories of being a part of the victorious 1979 Ryder C