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.
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-fire-pit-podcast-62163827
episode 101: Wishbone Brawl 2022
The Wishbone Brawl is one of the purest events in golf. “Perfect” is how one onlooker summed it up. “It’s the unicorn of golf events,” says John Ashworth, the “caretaker” of Goat Hill Park, the municipal golf course in Oceanside, Calif., and the annual host of the tournament.
The Wishbone Brawl consists of four professionals playing a mini municipal using vintage equipment in front of an animated crowd that’s not confined by ropes, kids and dogs are everywhere, and all money raised supports junior golf. When people talk about “growing the game,” this is it on so many levels.
What you’ll hear in this podcast are all the relevant audio moments throughout the day, which starts with a warm-up session on the driving range and ends with the post-round interviews on the 18th green. In between are some walk and talks on the course and throughout play with the players and some notables in the gallery. And you’ll hear the occasional reacts from the crowd after key moments in the match.
The teams are Xander Schauffele and Dean Wilson versus Fred Couples and Geoff Ogilvy. They’re playing persimmon woods. The format is best ball of the twosome. It’s Nov. 19th, a perfect Saturday morning in San Diego, the crowd size is estimated to be 1,000 adults, another 250 kids and about 40 dogs. All of the proceeds are going to support North County Junior Golf, which is based out of Goat Hill Park, and the other half of what’s raised goes to support the Goat Hill Park Caddie and Leadership Academy.
“This is community golf at its best,” said Ogilvy. “This is as much fun as I’ve ever had playing golf.”
We hope you enjoy listening to the show as much as we did watching it. And as much as Ogilvy had playing in it.
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