
The Fire Pit Podcast
In the 25 years of covering golf, the development of the game, courses and the camaraderie that’s core to the culture, it was time for Matt to share some of the best stories he has heard around fire pits all over the world. From PGA Tour players, caddies, architects, avid amateurs and buddies-trip planners, Matt has forged relationships with some of the most colorful and influential people in the game. So grab a drink, a seat and settle in. We’re getting to the essence of one story per podcast. A narrative so deep and meaningful, you save it for a post-round fire pit, which is where no one is in a hurry for the night to end.
Latest episodes

Jul 11, 2023 • 1h
Fire Drill 085: Follow the Money
In this Fire Drill podcast, Alan Shipnuck and Matt Ginella react to the Senate hearings on the LIV-PGA Tour framework agreement and the accompanying bombshell document dump. So much to unpack as the ongoing golf drama reaches Capitol Hill.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 5, 2023 • 53min
Fire Drill 084: Inside the Ropes at the Women’s Open
For this Fire Drill preview of the U.S. Women's Open, Alan Shipnuck and Matt Ginella are joined by their longtime friend Kevin Price, a Pebble Beach caddie who this week is on the bag of qualifier Mackenzie Hahn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 28, 2023 • 1h
Fire Drill 083: Reframing the Debate
In this Fire Drill podcast, Matt Ginella and Alan Shipnuck discuss the leaked framework agreement between the PIF and the PGA Tour as well as other developments in golf's shifting landscape. They also preview some exciting upcoming Fire Pit projects.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 21, 2023 • 35min
The Club Pro Crisis - Part 6 "Sit Down w/ Former PGA President Suzy Whaley"
In Part 6 of this podcast series on the Club Pro Crisis, we’re joined by Suzy Whaley, who, in 2018, became the first female President of the PGA of America. Whaley is a dual member of the PGA of America and LPGA Teaching & Club Professional division, she was an LPGA Tour member in 1990 and 1993, she is a two-time Connecticut PGA Teacher of the Year, a three-time Connecticut Women’s Open Champion, and in 2003, at the Greater Hartford Open, she became the first woman since Babe Zaharias in 1945 to qualify for a PGA Tour event. In this uninterrupted conversation with Matt Ginella, Whaley shares her thoughts on the industry, awareness, leadership, timing and why she’s relentlessly trying to increase the number of women who are working within the game of golf. “I believe if you can see it, you can be it,” says Whaley. “We need more women promoted, we need more women elevated and we need more clubs thinking about women running their facilities.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 19, 2023 • 48min
Fire Drill 082: A Star is Born?
Straight from the 18th green at LACC, Alan Shipnuck and Michael Bamberger break down Wyndham Clark’s gutsy win, Rory McIlroy’s dispiriting retreat and the mixed emotions for Rickie, Scottie and the host venue.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 14, 2023 • 48min
Fire Drill 081: US Open Preview with a Zing
From the 10th fairway of L.A. North, Alan Shipnuck, Mike Bamberger and surprise guest Paul Azinger discuss the wondrous host course, the feeling of this Open and the continued PGA Tour-LIV intrigue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 14, 2023 • 43min
The Club Pro Crisis - Part 5 "PGM Programs w/ Dr. Brian Soulé"
In Part 5 of this series on the Club Pro Crisis, we hear from Dr. Brain Soulé, an associate teaching professor at Penn State’s Professional Golf Management program for the last 15 years. And we’re joined by Jack Davis, one of Soulé’s former students and current head pro at the Essex County Club in Massachusetts. Both talk candidly about the industry and what they’re doing to try and make it better for the next generation of club pros.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 8, 2023 • 45min
Fire Drill 080: The New World Order (w/ Geoff Ogilvy)
In this Fire Drill podcast, Alan Shipnuck debriefs Geoff Ogilvy about what really happened in the fraught player-only meeting in Canada. They drill down on the details of the new alliance, with Geoff expressing optimism about the Tour's future.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 7, 2023 • 53min
The Club Pro Crisis - Part 4 "Sit Down w/ Seth Waugh"
In Part 4 of this series on the Club Pro Crisis, we talk to Seth Waugh, CEO of the PGA of America since 2018. Waugh shares his thoughts on how and why he got involved, how he’s doing a lot of listening in order to improve the lives of his membership, and we learn about his ultimate goal: “I’m trying to leave the room better than I found it.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 6, 2023 • 1h 26min
Fire Drill 079: LIV and Let Thrive
In this emergency Fire Drill podcast, Alan Shipnuck, Matt Ginella, and Mike Bamberger unpack the stunning LIV-PGA Tour merger: how it happened, why, what the future will look like, biggest winners and losers and much more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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