The Fire Pit Podcast

In this instant-reaction Fire Drill podcast, Geoff Ogilvy and Alan Shipnuck break down the first round of the Masters, going deep on Tiger, Cam Smith and the scene today at a raucous Augusta National.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our Masters week coverage continues as Geoff Ogilvy rejoins the Fire Drill podcast to talk Tiger, conquering pre-tournament jitters and whom he thinks will prevail. Co-hosts Alan Shipnuck and Matt Ginella share tales of jousting with the green jackets and reflect on how  much the Masters media landscape has changed. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For a new Fire Drill pod from Augusta, we brought together the OG Geoff Ogilvy to offer advice to Masters rookie Laird Shepherd, reigning British Amateur champ. Alan Shipnuck and Matt Ginella asked the questions and offered insight from their 40+ Masters. This is a fun chat that takes listeners behind the scenes at the tournament and offers a lot of nuanced discussion about the course and mental side of the game.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Fire Pit podcast has a new spinoff, the Fire Drill, which will bring to life the major championships and breaking news. For the debut of the Fire Drill, Geoff Ogilvy joins Matt Ginella and Alan Shipnuck to discuss his love affair with Augusta National, break down the course hole-by-hole, recreate his thrilling near-miss at the 2011 Masters and reveal many other little nuggets from inside the ropes. Alan and Matt have covered more than 40 Masters between them and Ogilvy played in eight of them (never missing a cut!), giving this conversation loads of depth and perspective. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"As of this moment, the Saudi Golf League is dead; and Phil helped write the obituary." Matt Ginella and Alan Shipnuck huddle up for this "Fire Drill" to break down the call with Phil last fall, Alan's report and the aftermath that has the entire golf world spinning.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For all the people from Chicago, who, upon hearing the name Canal Shores are inspired to say, “I grew up playing there,” the 103-year-old iconic fixture and fun zone that’s wedged between Evanston and Wilmette, and 10 miles north of Wrigley Field, is finally getting some much-needed resources and support. After years of a passionate band of locals making every attempt to restore the bones, implore more investment and explore every option or opportunity for a resurrection, along comes Kemper Sports. The Chicago-based management company, which is affiliated with Bandon Dunes, Streamsong, Sand Valley, Big Cedar Lodge and another 100 courses nationwide, Kemper has sunk its teeth, resources and relationships into making the Tom Bendelow original design relevant again. On 82 acres, and multiple mini parcels of land, the 3,900-yard 18-hole par 60 has been overgrown, downtrodden and, some might say, underperforming for quite some time. What is owned by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, that’s leased to the towns of Evanston and Wilmette, and leased again to the Evanston Wilmette Golf Course Association, will now be managed by Kemper Sports. Green fees range between $15 and $30 dollars. It’s a Youth on Course facility, so junior members of YOC can play for $5. The non-profit, which has relied heavily on donations and creative fundraising, finally has an optimistic plan for some realistic and relative success. In this podcast, you’ll be hearing from Josh Lesnik, President of Kemper Sports and the original General Manager of Bandon Dunes. Lesnik grew up in the town of Winnetka, which is 15 minutes from Canal Shores. You’ll hear from Karl Leinberger, President of Evanston and Wilmette Golf Course Association, which is currently managing the non-profit as a group of committed volunteers. And throughout this story, I get background and perspective from Andrew Fleming, a great friend of mine who’s a former lawyer at the Golf Channel and a former employee at Kemper Sports. Fleming graduated from Northwestern, which is around the corner from Canal Shores.Charm, community, accessibility, a hyper-focus on impacting kids by way of caddie programs, as Lesnik says, "It's all there." And now it's time to make it all happen. Visit the The Fire Pit Collective to check out everything we are doing.Use promo Firepit25 at Linksoul.com for 25% off your next Linksoul order.Got a comment about this story or a tip on a story we should track down?You can reach me on Twitter (@mattginella) or on Instagram (@matt_ginella).For bonus visuals and some behind the scenes of The Fire Pit podcast production, go to The Fire Pit YouTube Channel. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim Rosaforte spent his life telling stories about golf’s greatest players. Now it’s time to tell Rosey’s story. A towering figure in the golf media, Rosaforte died on Jan. 11, 2022 at the age of 66, from complications related to early onset Alzheimer’s.From Sports Illustrated to Golf Digest and Golf World and then to Golf Channel, Matt Ginella always seemed to be somewhere right behind Rosaforte. And what a good place to be. And although that felt so special, he knew he wasn’t alone. Rosaforte was beloved because he was a great teammate for so many. The Godfather of golf journalists, he led by example, selflessly and unconditionally always supporting someone in need. No one ever out-worked him, he had no enemies, and everyone called him back. And when Ginella asked a long list of Rosaforte’s friends and colleagues to help him produce this podcast, Rosaforte would smile knowing they all called Ginella back.  The goal here was to out-Rosie Tim Rosaforte on his own story. Upon hearing about his diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer’s, which goes back to the summer of 2020, Ginella did what Rosaforte taught him to do: report the hell out of the story.  In this tribute, you’ll hear from Phil Mickelson, Jack Nicklaus, Nancy Lopez, Lanny Wadkins, Ben Crenshaw, Jim Nantz, Bob Ford, Mark Mulvoy, Jerry Tarde, Geoff Russell, Molly Solomon, Jaime Diaz, Matt Hegarty, John Hawkins, Pete McDaniel, Damon Hack, Gary Williams, Craig Dolch, Ron Sirak and Davis Sezna.For more on the life and legacy of Tim Rosaforte, go to firepitcollective.com.Visit the The Fire Pit Collective to check out everything we are doing.Use promo Firepit25 at Linksoul.com for 25% off your next Linksoul order.Got a comment about this story or a tip on a story we should track down?You can reach me on Twitter (@mattginella) or on Instagram (@matt_ginella).For bonus visuals and some behind the scenes of The Fire Pit podcast production, go to The Fire Pit YouTube Channel. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the fourth Annual Wishbone Brawl at Goat Hill Park in Oceanside, Calif. It’s Saturday, November 20, and it’s a perfect afternoon for tournament golf at a 4,500-yard par-65 municipal where everyone in the community is committed to the vibe of “World Class for the Working Class.” Class is at the core of the Wishbone Brawl, which was an idea Dean Wilson pitched to John Ashworth five years ago. Four players, two teams, best-ball and skins, persimmon woods, kids as caddies, no ropes, dogs encouraged, great attitudes are mandatory and all money raised goes to support junior golf.  A quick history: In 2017, Wilson, who lives in San Diego and has invested in Goat Hill Park, teamed up with Xander Schauffele, who grew up playing in San Diego and played for San Diego State. They beat Charley Hoffman and Chris Riley, who were UNLV teammates and now both live in San Diego.  In 2018, Brawl 2, Wilson brought his friend Mike Weir and they beat Schauffele and Hoffman. In 2019, Geoff Ogilvy, paired with Riley, had the walk-off ace from 133-yards on the ninth hole in a sudden-death playoff against Wilson and Schauffele. 2020 was cancelled due to Covid. But this year, the Brawl was back, bigger and better than ever. Due to a fast flood of early interest, Ashworth had to close ticket sales on Tuesday before the Saturday event. Having had roughly 400 people in the gallery in 2019, in 2021, it was looking like there would be more than 1,000. Our team at the Fire Pit Collective partnered with the production company of KuenyPearson to go live on Linksoul.com. The edited version of the broadcast as well as other perspectives on the day can now be found at firepitcollective.com. In this podcast, you’ll get some of the best action and reaction, added perspective and reflections from players, caddies and people in the crowd. Schauffele and Wilson are paired together again. And today they’re playing against Fred Couples and Will Kropp.Visit the The Fire Pit Collective to check out everything we are doing.Use promo Firepit25 at Linksoul.com for 25% off your next Linksoul order.Got a comment about this story or a tip on a story we should track down?You can reach me on Twitter (@mattginella) or on Instagram (@matt_ginella).For bonus visuals and some behind the scenes of The Fire Pit podcast production, go to The Fire Pit YouTube Channel. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everything about RainDance National, a new golf course in Northern Colorado, is BIG, except for the guy who helped design it and the odds that it won’t hit.  It’s big news that there’s a new golf course being built. According to the National Golf Foundation, there were only 18 new ones in 2019, and some of those were only nine holes. The number on the RainDance National scorecard, from the back tees, will be over 8,400 yards, which will make it one of the biggest and longest in the country. The 1,000-year-old arroyos that the course is built around are big. The mountains that surround the course are even bigger. The landing areas, greens and expectations for the finished product are also all big. And then there’s Fred Funk, one of the littlest and shortest hitters in professional golf, who’s the co-designer of RainDance National. Nothing is bigger than his smile as he walks the routing and talks about how much fun he has had getting the opportunity to break into the business of course design. Funk, who won the 2005 Players Championship, is quick to point out that at an elevation of 5,000-feet, with most holes playing downhill and with the ideal playing conditions being hard and fast, the length could be deceiving. In this episode of the Fire Pit, while sitting around a fire overlooking the arroyos, you’ll hear from Funk, Harrison Minchew, Funk’s co-designer who spent most of his career working for Arnold Palmer Design, and Martin Lind, the third-generation farmer who finally pulled the trigger on a project he’s been sitting on for over a decade. Visit the The Fire Pit Collective to check out everything we are doing.Use promo Firepit25 at Linksoul.com for 25% off your next Linksoul order.Got a comment about this story or a tip on a story we should track down?You can reach me on Twitter (@mattginella) or on Instagram (@matt_ginella).For bonus visuals and some behind the scenes of The Fire Pit podcast production, go to The Fire Pit YouTube Channel. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Needless to say, Goat Hill Park in Oceanside, Calif., is a special place. Pull up, grab your clubs, throw a leash on your dog, walk to the recently renovated range and you never know who you might see. There’s Dean Wilson, Mike Weir, Bill Murray, Charley Hoffman, Geoff Ogilvy, Kelly Slater, Xander Schauffele, Byron Scott or Bubba Watson?! But on this day, the day that inspired a podcast and a feature, I saw three generations of Stockton’s: Dave Stockton Sr., Dave Stockton Jr., and Junior’s son, Jake, who’s a sophomore at Arizona State.Senior won ten times on Tour, two PGA Championships, 14 more on the Champions Tour, which includes another three majors. He played at USC, turned pro in 1964 and was a member of the 1971 and 1977 Ryder Cup teams—both were winners—and he captained the winning Ryder Cup team in 1991 at Kiawah’s “War by the Shore.” He also played a role in the 2004 Ryder Cup, which get to in the podcast. With input from Lanny Wadkins, Chris Riley, Al Geiberger and more, in this episode, Stockton’s tell stories about all of the above. Visit the The Fire Pit Collective to check out everything we are doing.Use promo Firepit25 at Linksoul.com for 25% off your next Linksoul order.Got a comment about this story or a tip on a story we should track down?You can reach me on Twitter (@mattginella) or on Instagram (@matt_ginella).For bonus visuals and some behind the scenes of The Fire Pit podcast production, go to The Fire Pit YouTube Channel. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.