Episode 11
Ep. 11 (GDL) Adam Wahl: Gratitude, Service, and Life as a Caddie at The Keep
Adam Wahl joins the show to share his journey from a 21-year career in the U.S. Air Force to becoming one of the original caddies at The Keep at the McLemore. The conversation covers service, gratitude, and how golf became a meaningful part of his transition into retirement.
In this episode, Jeff Pelizzaro and Justin Bryant sit down with Adam Wahl, a retired Air Force veteran and professional caddie at The Keep at the McLemore. Adam reflects on his military career, the challenges of transitioning into civilian life, and how golf helped provide structure, purpose, and community. The discussion also explores what makes The Keep a special place, the role of a great caddie, and lessons the game continues to teach about perspective, self-care, and appreciation
In This Episode
- Adam’s 21-year career in the U.S. Air Force
- Transitioning from military service to civilian life
- Discovering caddying as a second career
- What makes The Keep at the McLemore unique
- The impact a great caddie has on the golf experience
- Fitness, longevity, and walking golf courses
- Competitive golf and amateur tournaments
- Gratitude, perspective, and taking care of yourself
Guest Bio
Adam Wahl is a retired U.S. Air Force veteran with over two decades of service. Following his military career, he transitioned into the golf industry and became one of the original caddies at The Keep at the McLemore. Adam is an avid golfer, competitive amateur, and advocate for fitness, gratitude, and lifelong growth through the game of golf.
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Golf Don’t Lie™️ is part of the 18STRONG® network, focused on helping golfers play better, move better, and live healthier lives. New episodes are released weekly featuring conversations with people who live at the intersection of golf, fitness, and life
Transcript
The Golf Don't Live podcast is proudly brought to you by our friends over at firstform.
Speaker B:Different paths, different stories.
Speaker C:This, this, this game tells all.
Speaker A:Golf don't lie.
Speaker A:What's up everybody?
Speaker A:Welcome back to Golf Don't Lie where we talk to some of the most interesting people in and around the game of golf.
Speaker A:We share their journey, share their experiences, their successes, their failures, both on and off the links.
Speaker A:I'm joined as always with my co host, Justin Bryant, extraordinary golfer, dad, father, family man.
Speaker A:Jb, what's going on?
Speaker B:You forgot to add like slightly sore from this morning's workout.
Speaker A:I was, that was on my list on how you felt from our Sunday morning smash session today.
Speaker A:Every now and then for those listening, we, we get together with some of the crew here in St. Louis and I put together a little workout on Sunday mornings.
Speaker A:We call them our smash sessions and we just kind of get after it a little bit on a Sunday morning.
Speaker A:It's kind of like our church.
Speaker B:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker B:No, it's a perfect way, I feel like to start the Sunday.
Speaker B:I'm feeling good.
Speaker B:I always feel good after.
Speaker B:Yeah, no, I love what you put together.
Speaker B:I like the circuit too.
Speaker B:It's 45 minutes.
Speaker B:It's good to kind of just get some community out there, work out together, off season grind, talk a little golf, get a workout in, you know, my whoops that I was ready for today.
Speaker B:I don't know if I was as ready for today as I what the woof said but no, it was, it was good, Jeff, so thanks for leading us this morning.
Speaker A:Yeah, man, it's fun to get some of the guys together that are from the TFL and, and even like AJ hasn't been around too much but he came in and added a lot to the group today.
Speaker A:But it's been fun to just kind of play around with the different circuits and styles and figure out what, what works best.
Speaker A:We never really know what the layout's going to be in the gym as far as some of the other people that are going to be there.
Speaker A:So try to keep it tight, keep it quick and really, you know, 45min is kind of the perfect, the perfect amount of time.
Speaker A:We don't have to take all day.
Speaker A:And so it's fun to, to mix it up with some different exercises, some explosive stuff, some strength stuff.
Speaker A:And we got on the old assault bike this morning.
Speaker A:How'd you like that one?
Speaker B:You know, I missed the assault bike in a sick way, but I didn't.
Speaker B:I never enjoy this assault bike, but I like, like it you know what I mean?
Speaker B:It's like one of those things you're just like.
Speaker B:But also like it.
Speaker B:So I was kind of laughing because while we were doing it, because I didn't realize Schwinn makes it.
Speaker B:Is that.
Speaker B:Is that like.
Speaker A:Yeah, I believe so.
Speaker B:It's like the bike company.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Like, I'm.
Speaker B:I'm picturing, like, there's some movie where it's like, you know, oh, he's riding a Schwinn like the, you know, like the kid.
Speaker B:I can't.
Speaker B:My wife will know.
Speaker B:I'll have to ask her tonight.
Speaker B:But I was like, wow, this is like a legitimate bike company making this workout bike.
Speaker A:Yeah, that one in particular, it's a.
Speaker A:It's a heavy duty one.
Speaker A:Like, there are different variations of the assault bike out there from different companies.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:But yeah, the one we have at Empire Fitness Academy is an official Schwinn with two of them, and they're kind of like the.
Speaker A:The Cadillac of.
Speaker A:Of assault bikes.
Speaker A:So they're.
Speaker A:They're good.
Speaker A:But yeah, it's.
Speaker A:It's kind of like the old school.
Speaker A:I don't know if that's what the.
Speaker A:They were riding in the wizard of Oz or anything like that, but no, it's good.
Speaker A:I also have a love hate relationship with it.
Speaker A:I was telling a guy that I had on it this past week that I love having you guys do it and I hate having me do it, but it is.
Speaker A:It's so effective.
Speaker A:It's so effective to just get the heart rate up, do some intervals.
Speaker A:Nothing crazy, but I thought it was a good addition.
Speaker A:Kind of a little finisher for our workout this morning.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I feel like when I've done with you, it's always been like, you know, one minute, really high, high intensity.
Speaker B:Is that what they're kind of designed for?
Speaker B:Like, do people ride them at a slower kind of pace for an extended period, or is it kind of more for that kind of high intensity?
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:You can do it for.
Speaker A:For different ways of hitting different energy systems.
Speaker A:I personally like to do.
Speaker A:I mean, I'll mix it up a little bit.
Speaker A:I don't usually do long, extended rides on it, but when I was at my old facility, elevated performance, and we had a lot of hockey players coming through there.
Speaker A:Those hockey players use those bikes a lot.
Speaker A:And as you can imagine, the.
Speaker A:The amount of cardiovascular fitness they need to be on the ice the way that they are, sometimes they would do some pretty long extended rides.
Speaker A:And when I say long and extended I mean, like 10, 20 minutes, but not necessarily so much of the sprints.
Speaker A:Sometimes they would do like, longer stuff, but for the most part, usually we're going to do like 20 seconds on, 30 seconds on, you know, maybe up to a minute or something like that.
Speaker A:But then we take decent rest breaks or like today we were just hitting a decent intensity about a 70 to 80% for a minute before we moved on to another.
Speaker A:Another exercise.
Speaker A:There's all kinds of fun ways you can mix it up.
Speaker B:Jb, what do you hate more, the skier or the assault bike?
Speaker A:The assault bike for sure.
Speaker A:I think the assault bike's way harder than the skier.
Speaker C:Really?
Speaker A:You?
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:I feel like.
Speaker B:I remember the skier being like.
Speaker B:It feels like it's more.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker B:The skier, I feel like might be my weak point.
Speaker B:I don't know what that says about me, but they're both tough.
Speaker A:Yeah, I like the assault bike.
Speaker A:The skier and the rowers, I think are great for.
Speaker A:For cardio stuff.
Speaker A:I am not a huge treadmill guy just because I don't love the running and the pounding.
Speaker A:And I just think if you're going to run, running outside is different than running on a treadmill, just as far as the force you put through it and everything.
Speaker A:So I'm not a huge treadmill guy, not a huge elliptical guy.
Speaker A:So those are kind of my three that I like to use for cardio stuff.
Speaker A:And then of course, you know, I love putting people on the sled, the pushing and pulling on the sled too.
Speaker B:No, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker B:Speaking of running, you told me a little bit this morning about something you ran last weekend.
Speaker B:But gimme the, the high level on.
Speaker B:On what that was.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So for a guy that doesn't like to run, once a year I do a.
Speaker A:A silly trail run that some of my buddies started doing like 20 years ago.
Speaker A:It's the Pier Marquette Trail Run.
Speaker A:It's like a 7.8 mile, pretty gnarly elevation change.
Speaker A: I think it's like: Speaker A:And so I've done it about six years now.
Speaker A:And then my son actually joined me this year, which was cool.
Speaker A:My son Sam, he's 17, and I just kind of threw out the challenge to him.
Speaker A:And he's really gotten into some of the fitness stuff and even just kind of pushing himself in different challenges.
Speaker A:So he took on the challenge.
Speaker A:He did pretty well.
Speaker A:Got a bloody nose up top.
Speaker A:I was telling you this morning it looked like somebody punched him in the face up top there.
Speaker A:But no he finished.
Speaker A:Um, I had a little bit of a calf tweak during my race, which is what held me out of it last year.
Speaker A:And it's.
Speaker A:It's the perfect case of me being the medical professional fitness guy, not taking care of the injury that I.
Speaker A:This lingering thing that I have and.
Speaker A:And then just jumping in and doing something, trying to go too hard, too fast, and like I preached not to do for everybody.
Speaker A:But, you know, once a year, doing this trail run, it's fun.
Speaker A:Get to hang out with my buddies, and then we go and we have a couple beers afterwards and it's just a great, great event.
Speaker A:It's usually cold and miserable.
Speaker A:And this year was actually pretty dry, so that was okay.
Speaker A:But still pretty chilly out there.
Speaker A:About 15 to 20 degrees through the race.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Feeling it in your lungs?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:You've been playing any golf?
Speaker B:Getting any swings into the net at the gym?
Speaker A:Not really.
Speaker A:I've.
Speaker A:The past couple weeks, I was just kind of doing more to get the legs, the lungs and everything.
Speaker A:So I have been doing a lot of the assault bike recently to get ready for that race a little.
Speaker A:Cause I wasn't running because of this calf thing.
Speaker A:So I've had my fair, fair share of the assault bike, but I. I have not swung a whole lot.
Speaker A:I have not done my stack system.
Speaker A:That all kind of took a backseat for the last three, four weeks or so.
Speaker A:What about you?
Speaker A:It's been pretty cold here to get out and play.
Speaker B:It's been pretty cold.
Speaker B:I feel like it's, you know, it's peak sim season and, you know, obviously working at Rapsoda, we.
Speaker B:We got a lot of sim action at the office.
Speaker B:We had a pretty crazy week at the office, honestly.
Speaker B:We did a kind of our first annual, closest to the pin competition that I like, hosted for our office.
Speaker B:And I don't know, was it the first guy that hit?
Speaker B:It was actually.
Speaker A:It was.
Speaker B:Jeremy was either like the first or second gets a hole in one.
Speaker A:No way.
Speaker A:On.
Speaker B:On our sim.
Speaker B:And it was basically how I had it as first round.
Speaker B:The top five people kind of moved in the next round.
Speaker B:And so Jeremy got a hole in one, which is like his seventh on our, you know, the repository, which is insane.
Speaker B:He tests a lot.
Speaker B:I don't care.
Speaker B:That's a lot of made shots.
Speaker B:So shout out to Jeremy.
Speaker B:And then after Jeremy, like two or three people, Bryce in our office makes a hole in one.
Speaker B:It was.
Speaker B:It was incredible.
Speaker B:Unfortunately, I didn't film either of these, which I totally failed, but it got me kind of thinking so I've never made a hole in one on a simulator.
Speaker B:I kind of don't think we need to debate if it's a real hole in one.
Speaker B:I think it's its own category.
Speaker B:But where do you think that kind of stacks up on achievements, you know, in somebody's golf life simulator hole in one?
Speaker A:I think very low.
Speaker C:How many?
Speaker A:Very low.
Speaker B:How many simulator hole in ones equal a real hole in one?
Speaker B:Or is there enough?
Speaker A:I don't think there's an equivalent.
Speaker B:Is there enough conversion?
Speaker A:No, I.
Speaker A:Here's, Here's a question.
Speaker A:Is a hole in one on a simulator or a par three course?
Speaker A:Hole in one.
Speaker A:Which one counts more?
Speaker B:And par three?
Speaker A:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker B:Real.
Speaker B:I, I'm in the camp of like, you know, if Kurt's listening, he might, you know, send in a comment to the podcast about this.
Speaker B:I think if you make a hole in one, whether you finish 18 holes was part three course, like, it's a hole in one.
Speaker B:You know, like, people are like, you got to finish 18 holes for it to be official.
Speaker B:I mean, and as long as it's not like a 10 year chip shot hole in one, like, I'm sure there I gotta have to think a little bit deeper of like, if there's a certain limit, but like a hole in one's a hole in one in my book.
Speaker B:You know, like, as long as you're.
Speaker B:Someone's witnessed it, I feel like that counts.
Speaker B:So I'm not like a, you know, a curmudgeon there.
Speaker B:The sim hole in one.
Speaker B:I. I want to accomplish it, to kind of check it off, but I don't know, the guys didn't buy drinks for the office.
Speaker B:So that kind of makes me thinks it's not legitimate.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker A:Like, yeah, I think a simulator hole in one is about as good as a turkey in bowling.
Speaker A:Like, if you're getting three strikes in a row, you get a turkey.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:That's about where I put a simulator hole in one.
Speaker B:So I should get a turkey for the office for these two guys.
Speaker A:You think?
Speaker A:Right, There you go.
Speaker A:That should be.
Speaker A:That should be another bird trophy.
Speaker A:So we did the 100 hole hike at family golf.
Speaker A:Would you.
Speaker A:If one of us got a hole in one there, how I mean, is that, you know, you played the same nine.
Speaker C:I think it's.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think 11 times.
Speaker A:That's legit.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:I think it's not legit if you, like, if someone's like, I'm gonna do a whole in one challenge and hit like 100 shots on this hole to see if I like.
Speaker B:That's, that's fun, that's cool and a cool achievement.
Speaker B:But like, to me, that's not a hole in one.
Speaker B:You have to be playing golf.
Speaker B:And if you're a golf sicko like you, and you're just gonna keep playing and playing, I don't think you should be penalized for that.
Speaker B:So next year, if you're doing the 100 hole hike, you make a hole in one, I think it's legitimate.
Speaker B:You let me know, you can buy drinks for everybody.
Speaker B:We'll celebrate.
Speaker A:Oh, I'm scooting out immediately afterwards for sure.
Speaker B:Don't you think?
Speaker B:Do you think that's legitimate?
Speaker A:I. I think so.
Speaker A:I think there's an asterisk, asterisk by it.
Speaker A:I think you have to kind of tell people, like, well, I had one legitimate one, like one real one, and then I had one on a par three that I played 11 times.
Speaker A:You know, there's something.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:Speaking of simulator related golf, I've been seeing some of the commercials on the tg.
Speaker A:Is it tgl?
Speaker A:The Tiger Woods?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Indoor stuff.
Speaker A:What do you think about that?
Speaker A:Or do you think that's going to stick around?
Speaker A:Do you think that I haven't watched a whole lot of it.
Speaker A:I, I watched I think the very first one and didn't really find any interest in it.
Speaker A:What about you?
Speaker B:Yeah, I think.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:Honestly.
Speaker B:I hope it does.
Speaker B:Well, I think anytime like golf's, you know, I like that they're trying something new.
Speaker B:I think it really comes down to kind of probably like the characters.
Speaker B:I think they should probably try some like out of the box stuff.
Speaker B:Maybe it'll like flop in terms of like whole designs.
Speaker B:But I thought the whole designs were really boring, if I'm being honest.
Speaker A:Really?
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:I just kind of feel like I'd like.
Speaker B:I'd like to see something kind of.
Speaker B:I don't know, like, if it's too far out there, then it's kind of like a joke.
Speaker B:But if it's like they're playing like a hole that they could play in real life, I'm.
Speaker B:I'm not sure that's interesting unless it's like kind of a historic venue, if that makes sense.
Speaker B:You know, like if they're playing the world's.
Speaker B:All the world famous par threes are kind of like ones from majors or.
Speaker B:There's got to be something, I think, to tie it in with the course that I don't think has quite gotten me excited.
Speaker B:It's Kind of one of those things that I'll.
Speaker B:I'll watch the highlights on social media, but I'm not sure I'm gonna sit there for two hours, hour and a half and watch it all.
Speaker B:But, yeah, I'd be interested to, like, go watch it in person once, just to kind of see the spectacle.
Speaker B:I mean, it's unbelievable in terms of, like, how cool would it be to go hang out there with a bunch of your buddies and play on it?
Speaker A:Yeah, that's.
Speaker A:That's exactly what I was thinking is it'd be a fun event to go to once and kind of see what it looks like, see how it works, you know, see have the guys there in person and just kind of be hanging out and.
Speaker A:And having fun.
Speaker A:But, yeah, I don't know that it's something that I will.
Speaker A:I know it's not something I'll tune into on a regular basis because I.
Speaker A:It.
Speaker A:It doesn't even hit my radar, really, you know, so.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:All right, well, let's talk about our.
Speaker A:Our guest this week, which is kind of a special one for me and all of our 18 strong crew.
Speaker A:We have Adam Wall, who is.
Speaker A:He was my caddy at the Keep when we went out to the Macklemore in Georgia.
Speaker A:And we just had the best time with this guy.
Speaker A:He has been a caddy there since the property opened.
Speaker A:One of the original caddies out there.
Speaker A:The property has really only been open to the public since October, but we had such a great time, and then we ended up getting to go play.
Speaker A:Not well.
Speaker A:We didn't play nine holes with him.
Speaker A:We went and started to play a second loop with him where he went and grabbed his sticks from the car and came and played.
Speaker A:And he's a stick.
Speaker A:He can.
Speaker A:He can hit the ball quite a way, but he was such a great Sherpa.
Speaker A:And what really strikes me about him and one of the reasons I wanted to bring him on was first of all, his background is in the Air Force.
Speaker A:21 year vet in the Air Force, so served for our country.
Speaker A:And then this is his retirement gig.
Speaker A:And he was just like, gratitude is the word that.
Speaker A:That comes to mind because he's just so grateful to be out there.
Speaker A:He.
Speaker A:You can tell he just loves the game of golf.
Speaker A:He loves what he's doing and that he's able to experience that every single day.
Speaker A:And I took away from that.
Speaker A:You know, like, we all need to kind of step back when we're out there playing or really in every facet of life and, like, just appreciate where we are and what we're doing and the people we're with.
Speaker A:And like, he just kept reiterating that the entire day.
Speaker A:And it was so much fun to.
Speaker A:To get to chat with him a little bit more about his background and being in the service and, you know, a lot of the different pieces that.
Speaker A:That have all come together for his golf career and everything that he's doing.
Speaker B:That's really cool.
Speaker B:I remember when you.
Speaker B:You came back from this trip, that's like one of the first things you told me about was your interaction with Adam.
Speaker B:And caddy's can really, like, enhance the experience of a golf trip around a golf.
Speaker B:And that's cool.
Speaker B:You got.
Speaker B:You got paired up with Adam.
Speaker B:So I'm looking forward to kind of story.
Speaker A:Yeah, he.
Speaker A:We talked a little bit about, you know, just the whole caddy piece.
Speaker A:And really, even for people that have never had a caddy, we kind of go through like, hey, what are some of the do's and don'ts when.
Speaker A:When you're gonna have a caddy?
Speaker A:And then we talked about his transition from the service to, you know, regular life and this retirement and how that was a more difficult transition than he anticipated.
Speaker A:So we, we get into a lot of the golf and the life kind of stuff in this episode, which I think is really neat.
Speaker A:And he shares something at the end about just kind of a message to all of us about sounds weird, but about being a little bit more selfish and taking care of ourselves more because, you know, when we don't take care of ourselves, we can't take care of others.
Speaker A:And he's.
Speaker A:That's one of the things that he said golf has really taught him.
Speaker A:And I just really appreciated the conversation with him.
Speaker A:Hopefully he'll.
Speaker A:He said, you know, every now and then he might end up in St. Louis, so we can go swing the sticks with him when he comes in town.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:But no great conversation with.
Speaker A:With such a great dude.
Speaker A:I hope we get a chance to.
Speaker A:To play with them and see him again in person one of the days in the near future.
Speaker B:That's awesome.
Speaker A:All right, before we jump into the episode, though, we have a new little feature that we're going to be doing once a month here at Golf Don't Lie.
Speaker A:And that is the first form golfer of the month.
Speaker A:So in our little ad spots within the episodes, everybody hears that, you know, if you go to firstform.com 18strong, you'll be entered into a giveaway for first form, a first form gift card, as well as some 18 strong swag so we're going to start announcing every month who that winner is.
Speaker A:And so this month's first form golfer of the month is Greg Hill.
Speaker A:And so Greg, we're going to reach out to you, we'll get in touch and we'll get you your gift card, we'll get you some 18 strong swag.
Speaker A:But for everybody out there that is listening again, go to firstform.com 18strong.
Speaker A:And if you go to that link and then you'll just be on the first form website page, if you order something this month, you'll be entered into the giveaway for next month.
Speaker A:So pretty cool thing with that we're doing with our friends over at first Form.
Speaker B:That's awesome.
Speaker B:Greg's gonna get hooked up here.
Speaker A:Greg's gonna get hooked up and, and hopefully, you know, we're gonna be doing some more stuff with the guys who are for first form where we get some in person workouts like we did, man, when that was quite a few months ago that we.
Speaker B:Last April maybe.
Speaker A:Yes, last session over at first form, which is an incredible facility.
Speaker A:You guys will see it on our social media.
Speaker A:But we'll, maybe we'll do something where the winners can come and join us in person over at hq.
Speaker A:That'd be pretty cool.
Speaker B:That'll be cool.
Speaker B:We had what we have today, Jeff.
Speaker B:Remind me.
Speaker B:We had the grape.
Speaker A:We had the grape clear formula one protein.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So they have the, the clear protein powder and yeah, it's a little bit more, less of a milkshake, more like a, more like a drink.
Speaker A:What'd you think?
Speaker B:It's, it's really good.
Speaker B:Highly recommend.
Speaker B:I feel like some, I like the, you know, milkshake type flavors too, but sometimes they almost seem like too rich.
Speaker B:Like this is just like, I feel like a perfect post workout.
Speaker B:Like you feel like you're getting hydrated, you're getting the protein.
Speaker B:Tastes good.
Speaker C:Yeah, too like grape Kool Aid, right?
Speaker B:I'm a fan.
Speaker B:I'm a fan.
Speaker A:Awesome.
Speaker A:All right, well, let's get into our episode here with Adam and we'll catch up with you guys again next week.
Speaker A:Adam Wall.
Speaker A:What's up man?
Speaker A:Welcome to golf.
Speaker A:Don't lie.
Speaker C:What's going on, Jeff?
Speaker C:Good to see you again, man.
Speaker A:You too.
Speaker A:So you're coming.
Speaker A:Fresh off some nuptials recently, right?
Speaker A:How'd the wedding go?
Speaker A:Yes, sir.
Speaker C:Got married last month.
Speaker C:It was awesome.
Speaker C:Could not ask for a better day.
Speaker C:The weather was great.
Speaker C:Had all of our friends and family here.
Speaker C:It was, it was just a great time.
Speaker C:It was like the perfect day.
Speaker A:And you're.
Speaker A:You're in Chattanooga, Is that right?
Speaker C:Chattanooga?
Speaker C:Yes, sir.
Speaker A:Okay, so everything was there.
Speaker A:The party and everything?
Speaker C:Yeah, just right across the state line, actually in Georgia, but pretty much local.
Speaker A:Okay, sweet.
Speaker A:Well, first of all, man, thank you for doing this.
Speaker A:As soon as we left the Keep, I was talking to Buddy E. You know, Buddy E. And I was like, man, Adam would be an awesome guest to have on the show.
Speaker A:Just, we had such a great time that day.
Speaker A:Our whole crew had such a great time out at the Keep, and so we were thinking, like, man, it'd be cool to tell more of the story of just the Keep and the place.
Speaker A:And I was like, well, let's get Adam on, because he's got stories to tell, too.
Speaker A:And so, first of all, thanks for just being our Sherpa around that place.
Speaker C:Absolutely, man.
Speaker C:My pleasure.
Speaker A:So tell me a little bit about.
Speaker A:You were one of the first.
Speaker A:You were the first caddy on the property, Is that right?
Speaker C:I was the first caddy hired, yes.
Speaker A:First caddy hired.
Speaker C:Process.
Speaker C:Yeah, we kind of all came on the first property together for training and whatnot, but.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:And so how long?
Speaker A:Well, do me a favor.
Speaker A:Tell people a little bit about the Keep from your perspective before we dive into you getting out there.
Speaker A:And just a little bit of the story of it, because I know you.
Speaker A:You know more than I do.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So I, like, going into it, I didn't know anything about it.
Speaker C:It was pretty much like, I just got on indeed one day, and I was like, you know, I'm retired.
Speaker C:So I was like, man, I gotta have something to do.
Speaker C:I'm getting bored.
Speaker C:I'm getting bored being retired.
Speaker C:So I was like, there's another golf course here in town that sometimes I'll caddy at as well.
Speaker C:But I wasn't doing it at the time, and I was like.
Speaker C:It was kind of getting towards the end of the season last year.
Speaker C:So I looked on indeed one day, and it said looking for caddies.
Speaker C:And I was like, oh, that's interesting.
Speaker C:Saw it.
Speaker C:It was at the Macklemore on Lookout Mountain, which is about 40 minutes from home.
Speaker C:And I jumped on immediately, hit the apply button.
Speaker C:Probably within, like, half an hour.
Speaker C:I got a.
Speaker C:An email from my late boss that was up there, and he said, hey, do you have time for a television review?
Speaker C:I said, absolutely.
Speaker C:You know, next day, called me, talked about.
Speaker C:He was like, well, I just need you to fill out the paperwork, go through the application process.
Speaker C:It takes about half an hour and send it back to me.
Speaker C:And we'd like to get you up here, start training next week.
Speaker C:And I was like, great.
Speaker C:So went up there the next week when we were doing our training.
Speaker C:So then, you guys know there's two courses up there.
Speaker C:You have the Highlands course and the Macklemore and then the Keep at Macklemore.
Speaker C:So we did all our training at the Highlands course, which is not a fun walk, as you know, but.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:So we didn't even see the keep.
Speaker C:We were like, do we want to see this place?
Speaker C:You know?
Speaker C:So we got through all the training and stuff.
Speaker C:Finally, like, the day before the.
Speaker C:I don't want to call it the grand opening, but the.
Speaker C:The owner, the architect, and some of the key investors got to play the course first.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:The day before, we got to walk the golf course.
Speaker C:And it was like.
Speaker C:And it's not what you've seen now.
Speaker C:It's come in so much, but it was still like, wow, this place.
Speaker C:You could tell immediately, like, oh, this place is going to be special.
Speaker C:It really is.
Speaker C:So got to do that.
Speaker C:And then the first day, I got Bill Bergen, who was the course architect.
Speaker C:I was on his bag the first day and.
Speaker C:Which was a.
Speaker C:A joy anyways, because I got to learn so much about the golf course.
Speaker C:And he was telling me how he designed and what his thought process was and stuff like that.
Speaker C:So immediately I kind of got a head start.
Speaker C:The other guys being out there, like, wow, this is the core designer.
Speaker C:Where's your bell out here?
Speaker C:He's telling me all the three.
Speaker C:Just an awesome experience and not, you know, not to mention, like, Steven Yeager was in that group.
Speaker C:And I'm like, oh, this is what a pro looks like on a golf course.
Speaker C:So, you know, the very first time, the very first hole, I remember it like he knocked it up there to about that far from birdie on number one.
Speaker C:And, you know, the hard number one is hard as hole in course.
Speaker C:I was like, okay, these guys are built a little different.
Speaker C:So that's kind of like my story of getting up there and how it all started.
Speaker A:Man, that had to be so cool walking with him.
Speaker A:I watched just the video of.
Speaker A:You know, they do a great little production of the keep on the Macklemore's website.
Speaker A:And Bill's on there talking and Is it Reese Jones that is the other.
Speaker C:Reese Jones is the other architect?
Speaker C:Yes, sir.
Speaker A:A cool little video just showing just the process of them building it, scraping the land, and it had to be so neat, especially you being.
Speaker A:Being a golfer yourself, being able to pick his brain, asking him why he did things here and there.
Speaker A:What were some of the coolest things that you learned specifically from him that day that you've been able to take into your caddying every day more than.
Speaker C:Anything was like, how did you even come up with.
Speaker C:How do you see it in your mind?
Speaker C:Stuff like that.
Speaker C:Like, I just wanted to know because I'm intrigued.
Speaker C:I love golf.
Speaker C:I'm a golf nerd.
Speaker C:Just everything golf and just like listening to like.
Speaker C:So how do you see here?
Speaker C:So basically, that place was just nothing but trees.
Speaker C:There was one dirt road that went in to right where the temporary pro shop is right now.
Speaker C:Right there on that lookout behind the 18 green, there's like two little chairs right there.
Speaker C:You can see that's all it was.
Speaker C:And I was like, how did it go from this to this is like, well, first, you know, they do topical.
Speaker C:So there wasn't a stone on that property that was moved.
Speaker C:And it was all in now.
Speaker C:So, you know, on number one, how you.
Speaker C:Like right in front of the blue tees, you have the.
Speaker C:The whole.
Speaker C:That went all the way up 17.
Speaker C:So they use that.
Speaker C:They filled all of 17 in there.
Speaker A:Oh, my gosh.
Speaker C:To have that.
Speaker C:Yeah, filled that.
Speaker C:But they had the amount of trees and dirt on property.
Speaker C:They hadn't.
Speaker C:They had to hold anything else and to use it all.
Speaker C:So just like how you see the heading and then started, like, started on number 11 green.
Speaker C:You know, they.
Speaker C:They saw.
Speaker C:Once they cleared everything they saw like, this is the heart of the golf course, number 11.
Speaker C:Because they're like, this would be a perfect place for a green.
Speaker C:And they kind of built around that and.
Speaker C:But then was going through, like, hole by hole.
Speaker C:I was like, hey, what.
Speaker C:What are your thoughts here?
Speaker C:What are your thoughts there when it comes to, like, your mediocre players?
Speaker C:Because he sent the golf course up.
Speaker C:That course is built to host a major championship one day.
Speaker C:That's ultimately the dream out there.
Speaker C:And I can totally see it happening.
Speaker C:You know, hopefully do it in, like, March or something like that.
Speaker C:When it's really hard, the wind's blowing like 50 miles an hour.
Speaker C:Because otherwise I think those guys can go low.
Speaker C:When that court that.
Speaker C:When it's showing its teeth out there, when the wind's blowing, it's tough, but.
Speaker C:And that had all.
Speaker C:Everything in his mind came into that.
Speaker C:Stuff like that.
Speaker C:Which way the wind normally blows and stuff like that.
Speaker C:How we're going to design each hole where your bell out is going to be.
Speaker C:And you've seen it like the.
Speaker C:The protection of course the greens degrees are unbelievable.
Speaker C:And then how everything breaks towards the valley and the valley effect, stuff like that.
Speaker C:So it's just really, really cool.
Speaker A:How.
Speaker A:How would you describe this place to somebody that's never seen it?
Speaker A:They've never seen a visual.
Speaker A:So we've got all our listeners that, you know, maybe have.
Speaker A:Have never laid eyes on any pictures of this place because it's such a spectacular place.
Speaker A:And when we got off that shuttle, you know, it's just like, oh, my gosh, look at this.
Speaker A:How would you kind of describe it for everybody listening?
Speaker C:Well, first of all, I would probably say people that get out there are gonna be like, how is this Georgia?
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker C:Like, this is Georgia.
Speaker C:Like, you are literally.
Speaker C:It is like a.
Speaker C:A mountain links golf course with unbelievable views.
Speaker C:And every time.
Speaker C:Like, every time I go up there, I get excited about it because it's just so much fun to walk that golf course, even though it can be a pool, but the course is so unique in its own sense.
Speaker C:I've never been on another golf course like it.
Speaker C:I'm.
Speaker C:I'm not gonna say it's the best golf course I've ever played because I play some really good ones, but it is the most fun golf course.
Speaker C:And I would play that golf course every day for the rest of my life.
Speaker C:And not even hands down, like, the best golf course I've ever played was, like, probably the honors here in Chattanooga.
Speaker C:That's pretty amazing golf course.
Speaker C:But that golf course, I think when it is said and done, it'll be right there.
Speaker C:It'll be.
Speaker C:It'll be up there.
Speaker C:You'll see it in Golf Digest on.
Speaker A:Every.
Speaker C:Top 100 course in the country.
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean, I. I can remember we got off the shuttle.
Speaker A:You guys are kind of going through all of our bags and, you know, kind of taking.
Speaker A:Taking the weight out of the bags and shifting bags and.
Speaker A:And I think I made a comment right after I met you, and I was like, man, I hope I brought enough golf balls.
Speaker A:And you were like, you'll be fine.
Speaker A:First of all, we're good at finding golf balls, but, like, it's a very playable course.
Speaker A:It looks super intimidating.
Speaker A:But, yeah, once you're out there, like, you can, like, you can.
Speaker A:You can miss here, miss there.
Speaker A:You guys are great at, you know, letting us know where to, where to go.
Speaker A:But, like, I was surprised.
Speaker A:I think I lost one golf ball there.
Speaker A:And I was like, that's.
Speaker A:That's a.
Speaker A:That's a prize for me to only lose one golf ball on A golf course, especially when you're on the side of a cliff half the day.
Speaker A:But I can remember walking with you.
Speaker A:So for those listening, we had a chance to not only go 18 holes with Adam carrying, but then afterwards we went out and you played with us for five holes before we went up and did some shenanigans up on the at box there.
Speaker A:But I can remember walking up.
Speaker A:I'm trying to think what hole it was.
Speaker A:Let's see.
Speaker A:One, two.
Speaker A:What's.
Speaker A:What's the one T ball you.
Speaker A:There's a, like, tree on the left hand side.
Speaker A:It might have been.
Speaker A:I think it was four.
Speaker C:Well, four.
Speaker C:You have the bunker, tree on lift, a slight dog leg left.
Speaker C:Everything kind of slopes left to right and the greens back up.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:And I remember walking up and looking at you, and you just looked at me and you're like, how good is this?
Speaker A:I get to do this every single day.
Speaker A:You were like a little kid, man.
Speaker A:And I was.
Speaker C:Every day, Every day.
Speaker A:How.
Speaker A:How cool to be able to experience this and just appreciate it.
Speaker A:That's what I was most impressed with, is that I can tell how much you appreciate being out there.
Speaker A:And just like you were.
Speaker A:It was like.
Speaker A:It was like playing golf with.
Speaker A:We were just a bunch of kids out there having fun, which was just so great.
Speaker A:And by the way, you can freaking bomb a ball.
Speaker A:You were.
Speaker A:You were striping it out there.
Speaker A:So that was fun to watch and.
Speaker A:And see you and buddy e kind of go toe to toe a little bit with the.
Speaker A:With the drivers that day.
Speaker A:So I want to dig in a little bit to your background, though, because you told me that you're a.
Speaker A:Is it 21 year Air Force veteran?
Speaker C:Yes, sir.
Speaker C:Just actually just under 21 years.
Speaker C:I got like a 20 years and 11 months or something like that.
Speaker C:So pretty much I just say 21 years.
Speaker A:And so how.
Speaker A:How old were you when you went into the service?
Speaker A:And just give us a little idea of, you know, your time in there and then what took you out of the service.
Speaker C:So I was not the best student in high school.
Speaker C:School was a struggle for me.
Speaker C:You know, I just think a lot of it was maturity level and stuff like that.
Speaker C:I. I did when I.
Speaker C:When I finished high school, went to a junior college for a little bit, and I was like, okay, I'm gonna try and go to school when you're on your own a little bit, and you got to wake yourself up at that age.
Speaker C:I wasn't supposed to mature.
Speaker C:That's like.
Speaker C:So ended up I had like a Little scholarship to go to junior college and didn't end up going to class much as I should.
Speaker C:Didn't make the grades I should have.
Speaker C:So my mom looked at me, she's like, what are you going to do?
Speaker C:And I was like, I think I'm.
Speaker C:She's like, maybe you should join the Army.
Speaker C:And I was like, maybe I will.
Speaker C:I think that's a good idea.
Speaker C:So I actually called a recruiter.
Speaker C:I'm from a small town in Alabama called Andalusia.
Speaker C:Ended up going to see an army recruiter, and thank God he was out for lunch.
Speaker C:And when the way recruiter offices were like, you got the Air Force, you got your army, your Navy and your Marines all kind of one building, the Air Force came out, guy and said, hey, man, what you doing?
Speaker C:I was like, hey, man, I'm just looking for the army recruiter or something like that.
Speaker C:He's like, oh, why don't you go here and talk to me?
Speaker C:Thank God.
Speaker C:Nothing against my army brothers and sisters.
Speaker C:We need them just as much as anything else.
Speaker C:But I think just for me, the fit was better.
Speaker C:He came in, he sold it to me really good.
Speaker C:And I was like, I'm in, man.
Speaker C:But, yeah, did that join?
Speaker C:I think I left.
Speaker C:I had to take my asfab past that.
Speaker C:And I think within a week, I was on a.
Speaker C:My very first plane ride.
Speaker C:You know, never been on the plane before at that age.
Speaker C:Going to San Antonio, Texas, and.
Speaker C:Yeah, and that's where it began.
Speaker C:Went to basic training there.
Speaker C:Right after basic, you go into training for tech school.
Speaker C:So which is Wichita Falls, Texas, and that's where you get your first assignment.
Speaker C:So my first assignment was off at Air Force base in Nebraska.
Speaker C:Spent like nine years there.
Speaker C:Multiple, multiple deployments.
Speaker C:Saw a lot of the world from there.
Speaker C:I've been to.
Speaker C:I don't even know so many countries.
Speaker C:I've been around the world a lot, seen a lot of good, a lot of bad, but there's no place like home, I can promise you that.
Speaker C:So then stationed there for nine years.
Speaker C:Then I was deployed one time.
Speaker C:Got a phone call from my first search at the time.
Speaker C:He said, hey, you got an assignment?
Speaker C:I was like, cool, where am I going?
Speaker C:Like, you're going to Alaska?
Speaker C:I was like, no.
Speaker C:I was like, no way.
Speaker C:I was like.
Speaker C:It was like a dream come true to me because I loved outdoors.
Speaker C:Unfortunately, there's not very good golf up there, but got home within, you know, I had a month out process, and I ended up driving up there in February.
Speaker C:We drove the Alcan In February by myself.
Speaker C:Spent seven years in Alaska.
Speaker C:Probably that was the highlight of my career.
Speaker C:I loved it up there.
Speaker C:Got to do a lot of outdoors and which I love.
Speaker C:A lot of hunting, a lot of fishing, stuff like that.
Speaker C:And then from there I left and went to Germany.
Speaker C:Spent three and a half years in Germany.
Speaker C:And then from Germany, that's when Covid happened, all that kind of stuff.
Speaker C:I was kind of like almost at my 20 year mark.
Speaker C:I was just going to extend for a few months.
Speaker C:Covid kind of missed some things up.
Speaker C:So I had to take an assignment to get back stateside so I could retire, but I had to extend a little bit to take the assignment.
Speaker C:I got stationed at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina.
Speaker C:And that is actually when I picked the game back up.
Speaker C:I didn't really.
Speaker C:I might have played a dozen times in 20 years.
Speaker C:I just didn't have time.
Speaker C:You know, life was your go, go, go in the service, you know, you always here, there and other hobbies come up, stuff like that.
Speaker C:But got station South Carolina, had a good friend there who was big into golf.
Speaker C:And I was like, yeah, I used.
Speaker A:To play a lot of golf.
Speaker C:Like when you come and come out, I think first time I played with him, he's like, dude, you.
Speaker C:You had played in how long?
Speaker C:And I was like, it's been a long time, man.
Speaker C:And played.
Speaker C:I. I think I went out, probably shot like 84, 85, something like, that's ridiculous, man.
Speaker C:Now that he shot the same thing and he's a pretty good golfer.
Speaker C:And then we just started playing, you know, like at that point, I'd made a deal with my chief at the time, and he's like, tony, you know, it's unfortunate situation.
Speaker C:When I got there, I was like, hey, chief, I'm here to retire.
Speaker C:You know, I've done my time.
Speaker C:He's like, hey, get me through performance reports and then I'll take care of you on the back end.
Speaker C:I worked really hard for the first six months there, and then he took care of me over the last three or four months.
Speaker C:And I basically was just playing golf every day and it was awesome.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker C:And he was good with it.
Speaker C:So did that and then set off to retired.
Speaker C:And then after retirement, my son lives in western Nebraska.
Speaker C:So I moved out there for a while, spent some time out there.
Speaker C:It wasn't really meant for me.
Speaker C:I was like, winter's cold and not a of lot, a whole lot out there.
Speaker C:So I was like, I got to be close to family.
Speaker C:I've been away from Family long enough so I wanted to be close to my dad.
Speaker C:He's getting older, so ended up moving to Orange Beach, Alabama the day that I moved there.
Speaker C:My cousin, she did the road trip with me down day I moved there.
Speaker C:We were exhausted from the trip and you know her, some friends came over like, hey, we're going to go out and have a celebration drink that you guys are down all this stuff.
Speaker C:So we went to the Florabama and I'm sitting there and that's where I met my now wife.
Speaker C:The first day that I moved there.
Speaker C:Yeah, the first day I moved there where my now wife, I think we did the long distance thing for about six months and she's like, hey, if we're going to do anything else, something's got to change.
Speaker C:And I was like on my way.
Speaker C:I'm not letting this one go.
Speaker C:So ended up moving to Chattanooga and yeah, that's where, you know, this journey has started leading me into the Caddy world and loving it.
Speaker A:Who would have thought?
Speaker A:The Florabama bar is the maker right there.
Speaker A:I love that place.
Speaker A:We've done a bunch of vacations down in Gulf Shores and have made several, several trips over to the Floribama.
Speaker A:I'm happy to see that it's still, you know, that it, it's still standing right these days.
Speaker C:Oh yeah.
Speaker C:I'm sure it gets wiped out every few years or hurricane, but they build it right back.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker A:It's one half of it gets destroyed.
Speaker A:They just fix it back up and put a few new boards on it.
Speaker A:But no, that's amazing.
Speaker A:When, when you were in Alaska, like what.
Speaker A:How was your time spent?
Speaker A:Day in, day out?
Speaker A:Like what were you doing as far as your duties for the Air Force?
Speaker A:And then I know you said you got to do a lot of outdoors type of stuff as well.
Speaker C:So I started off my career as Air Force mechanic, like a jet engine mechanic.
Speaker C:I worked on 135s when I was in Nebraska, which is a heavy aircraft reconnaissance.
Speaker C:That's the one that took me all over the place.
Speaker C:I got to see so many countries that were just.
Speaker C:It was cool.
Speaker C:So when I got up there, I went to F22.
Speaker C:It's a different world fighter world's completely different.
Speaker C:But I was in a back shop environment.
Speaker C:I did that for about a year.
Speaker C:Yeah, pretty good at it.
Speaker C:Like I knew the thing.
Speaker C:I promoted up the ranks and kind of in like a manager position, stuff like that.
Speaker C:We're kind of heavy in my, my rank and, and that job and then an instructor position.
Speaker C:Opened up.
Speaker C:So teaching Pipeline students, you know, guys that are first coming in the service, you know, so you go and you do your training in tech school, and then once you get to your base, you know, you do.
Speaker C:You basically straight specific to the aircraft that you're on or the engine you're on, in my case.
Speaker C:So became an instructor up there teaching Pipeline students how to tear down and build up a F22 engine.
Speaker C:So I was an instructor for four and a half, five years, did that.
Speaker C:And yeah, so I did like two years in the back shop, four and a half or five in the.
Speaker C:In the.
Speaker C:In the.
Speaker C:In the instructor position.
Speaker C:And so that was pretty much.
Speaker C:It was.
Speaker C:It was a good gig.
Speaker C:It was.
Speaker C:That was the highlight of my career for sure.
Speaker A:Now, when you were being deployed overseas and everything, didn't you say that you had a situation where you lost some hearing due to, like.
Speaker C:Yeah, we've had some so attacks.
Speaker C:This is some bombs going off.
Speaker C:So, like, that we heard.
Speaker C:I've seen a lot and heard a lot and run into a lot of bunkers and stuff like that in my time.
Speaker C:But, yeah, we've had some close calls and I've got some hearing loss for that.
Speaker C:And not to mention, you know, just working on, you know, working on the flight plan for as long as I did and being around jet engines and explosions and stuff like that.
Speaker C:So that's part of my hearing losses, all of that combined, probably.
Speaker C:So, yeah, we have some.
Speaker C:I'm 100% service connected disabled.
Speaker C:I know I don't look like it because I try to take care of myself.
Speaker C:A rolling stone doesn't grow, mom.
Speaker C:So I try to keep moving.
Speaker A:Well, yeah, I mean, that's, you know, first thing that I noticed when.
Speaker A:When we met.
Speaker A:I mean, you're a.
Speaker A:You're a thick guy.
Speaker A:You can tell you.
Speaker A:You put your time into the gym and put a lot of effort into your fitness.
Speaker A:Is that something that's always been part of your routine?
Speaker A:Is that something that you kind of instilled when you were in the service?
Speaker A:And obviously, we'll talk a little bit about how that kind of falls into your golf game, too, and the benefits you have there.
Speaker C:Yeah, so, like, I've had ebbs and flows in my fitness.
Speaker C:I've always been like, I come.
Speaker C:Most of my family is, like, not the healthiest.
Speaker C:So I, like, I knew immediately I was like, I. I want to be.
Speaker C:I want to live a healthier lifestyle because I want.
Speaker C:Quality of life is everything to me, so I want to be able to do the things That I enjoy for as long as I possibly can.
Speaker C:And I'm getting up there in age now.
Speaker C:They're 44, almost 45.
Speaker C:You know, I feel it, I feel the aches and the pains and stuff like that.
Speaker C:But I also, you know, for a 44, 45 year old, I'm out there, I can hit it past these 20 year olds all day.
Speaker C:So yeah, that has a lot to do with it.
Speaker C:Then I got really into like bodybuilding for a while there.
Speaker C:Thought I wanted to compete for a while and do that.
Speaker C:Didn't really help the golf game too much.
Speaker C:So I was like, ah, this is, I'm having a hard time walking, hard time swinging.
Speaker C:So I started doing more mobility, flex, flexibility, stuff like that.
Speaker C:Really tried to lean down and so I could actually do.
Speaker C:What I really enjoy is playing golf most of the time and caddying.
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean I remember we had a little conversation about that, that you, you notice a big difference when you start to shift to just moving better and, and, and being able to, to swing a little easier.
Speaker A:But so what does your routine kind of look like?
Speaker A:How many, you know, obviously you're caddying.
Speaker A:Do you catty most days of the week or how many days are you out there looping?
Speaker C:Yeah, you know, during busy season is five, six days a week.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker C:And sometimes it's 36 holes.
Speaker C:It's a lot of steps.
Speaker C:It's about 13 miles a day walking with two bags on the back, you know, so that's where I get my cardio from.
Speaker C:Don't have to worry about doing the cardio.
Speaker C:But I still do a lot of just strength training, you know, I guess you could call it like a bodyguard type just to kind of maintain more than anything.
Speaker C:But I've really started throwing in like rotational kettlebells, resistance training with resistance bands and stuff like that, and really focusing on core, core strength and stuff like that.
Speaker C:Because I've had a lot of lower back injuries and stuff like that.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker C:And that's been, I've had the back surgery and procedures and all kinds of stuff that didn't do anything for me.
Speaker C:And I was like, I really noticed when I was like really sort of focusing on like fine tuning those little muscles and stuff like that is where I started to get some relief and be able to like not be in pain and be able to go around and play better golf and do more, be on my feet more.
Speaker A:How many.
Speaker A:So you said some days you're doing 36.
Speaker A:I know sometimes that second 18 is you swinging your Sticks too.
Speaker A:How many, how many days getting out there to play on a weekly basis?
Speaker A:Well, you know, during, during high season.
Speaker C:During high season, I, I play every Monday.
Speaker C:Every Monday I'm.
Speaker C:That's my day off.
Speaker C:And my wife, she knows, like I'm going to be leaving here as soon as the sun comes up and I don't know, the sun goes down.
Speaker C:I'm on a golf course somewhere.
Speaker C:So I, you know, I got a bunch of caddy buddies that we go play with, stuff like that.
Speaker C:So Mondays is guaranteed rain or shine, I'm going somewhere to play golf.
Speaker C:But during peak season, you know, I'm probably swinging a club four days a week.
Speaker C:Whether if I'm just going to go practice at range ball or something like that, or if I actually get a chance to play, it's usually two to three days a week.
Speaker A:What, what do you think it is about the game that.
Speaker A:Because I know you play competitively too.
Speaker A:You go and play in the amateur tournaments, the APT series and stuff like that.
Speaker A:What is it about the game that you've latched on to so much that this has become such a passion of yours?
Speaker C:You can't beat it.
Speaker C:And I, and I, and I, I, I strive, like to be the best at everything I can.
Speaker C:And I just want to, I want to be the, like, I want to go out and beat Scotty Shepard, which I know is not going to happen, but I think in my mind, I think I can get it one day, but I know it's not going to happen.
Speaker C:But why, why couldn't it?
Speaker C:Why, if you put the same amount of work as he could, why couldn't you be as good as him?
Speaker C:You know, that's the way I look at it.
Speaker C:I like, I want to be the absolute best at whatever I do, so.
Speaker C:And like golf is the one thing that I cannot be the best.
Speaker C:Like, it doesn't matter.
Speaker C:Like the day that I shot 66 up at the keep, I had two, three plus that day, two, three putts, like so, like it could have been 64, you know, but it also, you know, one bad break here or there could have been 75 too, you know, so it's just, it's so, I don't know, I just, I love it.
Speaker A:I spoken like such a true golf shot of 66.
Speaker A:It could have been a 64, right?
Speaker C:It could have been a 64.
Speaker C:I had two, three post that day.
Speaker A:Man.
Speaker A:I mean, just, you know, the game puzzles all of us, right?
Speaker A:Like, it's one of those things, like you said, you can't beat it.
Speaker A:It's always something could have gone better.
Speaker A:You know, there's a lot of times we don't count those.
Speaker A:Those good breaks that we got, too, that, you know, maybe helped us with a couple of those strokes.
Speaker A:But is that something that you've always.
Speaker A:That's always been in you, like, just always trying to be the best?
Speaker A:Is that something that was instilled in you in the service, or is that something from when you're a little kid?
Speaker C:No, I think I got more of that when I was in the service than anything.
Speaker C:You know, I had an awesome childhood and stuff like that, but my parents were just like, hey, I just want you to just enjoy yourself and do that, stuff like that.
Speaker C:But definitely being in the service and being in competitive environments, stuff like that, I always like competition.
Speaker C:So that's where, you know.
Speaker C:Yeah, I love going to play with my boys on Mondays, but trust me, I want to beat every one of them.
Speaker C:And then when it comes to tournament time, you know, which is so different, you know, I just.
Speaker C:I played.
Speaker C:I played some tournament golf this year.
Speaker C:I didn't have any wins this year.
Speaker C:It's my first season that wins in a while.
Speaker C:But that I.
Speaker C:It's so that it's such a different game when you're playing on game day and just, you know, going out and playing with your boys.
Speaker C:It's.
Speaker C:It's so much.
Speaker C:It's so fun.
Speaker C:So.
Speaker C:And I.
Speaker C:And I like the way my body feels in those days and being able to control those emotions, stuff like that.
Speaker C:It's really like.
Speaker C:It's like a hurdle that I'm trying to get over every single time and just being able to control those emotions and stuff.
Speaker A:Do you travel much for the.
Speaker A:The competitive stuff, or is that mostly regional, or how does that work?
Speaker C:I will travel if it works in my schedule.
Speaker C:Like, I plan on this next.
Speaker C:Next season.
Speaker C:You know, I traveled to Colorado a lot to go out and see my son in Nebraska.
Speaker C:So I'm gonna try and line those up where like, hey, fly in on a Friday, play Saturday and go spend the week with him and then fly back, you know, like, that's usually come fall or even in the springtime.
Speaker C:But I have played most of the stuff is my East Tennessee region is where I have.
Speaker C:But I've been down and played in Georgia.
Speaker C:Nashville has a chapter.
Speaker C:I'm sorry, Atlanta has a chapter.
Speaker C:Nashville has a chapter.
Speaker C:And then my brother lives in Birmingham, so I've gone over there and played some over in Birmingham in his chapter.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:You said that you're right by the Honors course.
Speaker A:And you were raving about that course when, when we were there.
Speaker A:What are some of the other courses around you that you, you recommend in your area and kind of the surrounding area for any of the listeners?
Speaker C:Oh, there's, there's, there's some, some really, really good golf courses.
Speaker C:A lot of the golf courses that are really good around here are private, but there's some really good public tracks, especially over in Alabama.
Speaker C:You can play the Robert Trent Jones Trail, like so one in Birmingham.
Speaker C:Ross Bridge is a wonderful golf course.
Speaker C:Absolutely awesome golf course.
Speaker C:And they have one right down the road.
Speaker C:So can't remember the name of that one right now.
Speaker C:Not Oak Mountain, but that course has 36.
Speaker C:But then Ross Bridge has the 18.
Speaker C:But that 18 is.
Speaker C:It's tough and it's good.
Speaker C:This is, this is, this is good as anything out there.
Speaker C:And then Purcell Farms over in Alabama is unbelievable golf course.
Speaker C:See, there's one up in my area I just got.
Speaker C:Not too long ago, I've spent a couple days out in Colorado and played some absolute dimes.
Speaker C:I'm talking some gems, some unbelievable golf.
Speaker C:One's called Fossil Trace and another one called Rain Dance national.
Speaker C:And both quickly went to up there on my list.
Speaker C:Unbelievable tracks.
Speaker C:What part of Colorado around Denver area.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker C:Yeah, they can't make a part 5 long enough out there because the ball just.
Speaker C:I learned a second shot in on hole number two as 630 yards.
Speaker C:So I'm 317 out.
Speaker C:I hit a, a Nuka drive 317 and there's a guy on the green and I'm like, I can't hit 315 off the deck.
Speaker C:You know, I saw get my mini driver out, stick it to 15ft.
Speaker C:Looked at me, I was like, whoops, sorry.
Speaker C:But the ball just flies.
Speaker C:So it's really fun trying to learn your yardages and stuff like that out there.
Speaker C:That was really, really fun too.
Speaker A:You guys ever make your way up to like Sweetens Cove or to Sweetens.
Speaker C:And I haven't played Sweetens.
Speaker C:I have not played Sweetens personally.
Speaker C:I know a lot of my friends have just hasn't worked out for me yet.
Speaker C:I've been.
Speaker C:It's so hard to get a tea time out there.
Speaker C:I'm on the app all the time looking for something as long as it works out with my schedule.
Speaker C:I had a chance to go this summer and actually had a tee time, but I had a buddy that asked me to call caddy form in the US Open qualifier.
Speaker C:So I decided to do that instead.
Speaker A:And what about.
Speaker A:We just played Suwanee not too long ago.
Speaker A:You ever been out to Suwanee?
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:Suwanee is awesome track out there.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:Suani is awesome.
Speaker C:I played that one not too long ago.
Speaker C:And there's another one I played not too far from there either.
Speaker C:It's an 18 and it's a public course.
Speaker C:That's like 40 bucks is unbelievable.
Speaker C:I have to get that.
Speaker C:I can tell you real quick the name of it.
Speaker C:I got it in my, my gin app here.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Like kind of sneaky hard.
Speaker A:You don't, you know, you think, oh, a little nine hole course.
Speaker A:That thing's got some teeth on it if you don't know where you're going.
Speaker C:Oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:Fields Ferry over in Rome, Georgia.
Speaker C:A cool track.
Speaker C:It's a really good golf course.
Speaker C:Minus one hole, minus one hole.
Speaker C:Minus one hole, one hole.
Speaker C:Just.
Speaker C:It'll eat your lunch and it's just like, ah.
Speaker C:They just had to put it in there.
Speaker C:But it's a really good track for and for the price.
Speaker C:It's like I said, $40.
Speaker C:You can't beat that.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:Green conditions were unbelievable.
Speaker C:Course conditions were unbelievable.
Speaker C:And for, you know, guys on a guy on a budget, you know, you.
Speaker C:I'd play there all the time.
Speaker A:Man, golf, it's getting so expensive to, to go to these different places.
Speaker A:I mean, obviously when you go to a place like, you know, the Macklemore and you're gonna go to the Highlands to the keep, you're expecting to, to pay a decent amount, but like even just tracks around here that are, you know, public courses that, you know, there's nothing too special about them.
Speaker A:It's like 100 bucks around.
Speaker A:It's like really?
Speaker C:Yeah, it's like, you know, we have the Bear Trace here in Tennessee, which is like all Jack Nicklaus designs.
Speaker C:He has a couple different courses around and summer race out here.
Speaker C:100 bucks and it's like, it's a good golf course.
Speaker C:Don't get wrong.
Speaker C:I really enjoy it.
Speaker C:But like I'd rather go drive 20 more minutes and go play Fields Ferry for something for $40.
Speaker C:To me it was a better condition golf course.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And we'll be right back.
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Speaker A:All right, now back to the show.
Speaker A:All right, you gotta tell us a few, few good stories that you've come across in your caddy days.
Speaker A:I'm sure you've seen some, some crazy stuff out there or have some, some good ones to tell.
Speaker C:Oh, yeah, I've got some good ones.
Speaker C:We actually were, we have a group chat with all the caddies up there.
Speaker C:And when I'm college student, he's doing a project and he's like, tell us some of the funny things that you've heard from guys, you know, out at the keep.
Speaker C:And the one that steps out to me first, like, guy gets off the, you know, the bus and he's like, we gotta walk.
Speaker C:Yeah, it's a walking golf course.
Speaker C:We gotta walk.
Speaker C:Like, yeah, it's a walking golf course, but probably one.
Speaker C:So I got, I got two.
Speaker A:Really.
Speaker C:One that really stand out.
Speaker C:The day we opened, remember number 10 bunker in the middle, par 5 along the cliff there.
Speaker A:Yep, I hit it off that cliff.
Speaker C:Steven Yeager blasts one out, right?
Speaker C:And he's in number four fairway.
Speaker C:And then hits a like, like 260, 270 out.
Speaker C:Hits a two iron up there and hits the flags.
Speaker C:I was like, oh, my God.
Speaker C:Like, if you, when a pro, he's like, whoa.
Speaker C:You know, he gets excited, you know, like, wow, that's unbelievable shot.
Speaker C:So that was cool.
Speaker C:And then I don't know, you know who Char Reimer is?
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:From the golf.
Speaker A:So Charlie Reimer, Golf Channel.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So he used to be the VP up at Macklemore.
Speaker C:Now he's moved on to do Another project right now, but caddy for Charlie.
Speaker C:A lot out there.
Speaker C:And we're sitting on number nine and wind's in our face.
Speaker C:And he's like, he just puts the ball on the ground.
Speaker C:He's going to go DOD off the deck and he slap tops it.
Speaker C:And he was pretty upset.
Speaker C:He's like, he gets mad.
Speaker C:He's like, I'm still making birdie.
Speaker C:Hits freaking three wood up there to about 25ft.
Speaker C:And I'm talking about, I had this putt, red.
Speaker C:I'm talking about, I've seen this putt a hundred times.
Speaker C:And I was like, it goes left and right at the hole, it's gonna fall back, right?
Speaker C:And Charlie nails a 30 footer for Birdie.
Speaker C:And he's looking at me, he's like, adam, I'm buying you any beer you want.
Speaker C:I was like, I don't drink, Charlie, but.
Speaker C:Than you.
Speaker C:But that, that one stood out because he was like, you know, that's just different level those guys are, you know, they're that good.
Speaker C:They can really like to turn that switch, you know, And Charlie don't have the game that he used to, and he was on tour, but still he still has that, that level.
Speaker C:Like, he just really locked in.
Speaker C:Saw that hit a three wood.
Speaker C:Unbelievable.
Speaker C:Three wood hit up there.
Speaker C:And they just drained a snake for birdie.
Speaker C:And it was just like the guys he was playing was like, they're.
Speaker C:I think we're all square.
Speaker C:Going to laugh.
Speaker C:Oh, he makes that and wins that side and stuff like that.
Speaker C:So those two really stand out.
Speaker C:And then, and actually being with you guys and doing the little par three thing up there, when we did that off number eight, that was so much fun.
Speaker C:Wet, you know, golden hour like that right at sunset.
Speaker C:It was just so much fun just being around good people.
Speaker C:And you see a lot of good people come out there, you know, you.
Speaker C:You have just, just a chance to meet good people that love the game and appreciate, you know, when they're up there.
Speaker C:Like, I haven't had anybody come off that golf course and like, I don't want to play here again.
Speaker C:Everybody's like, I can't wait to come back.
Speaker A:Yeah, I would imagine it's always a little interesting meeting the new golfer that you're gonna go spend the next five hours with and you're not really sure.
Speaker A:You know, there's that whole little, like, courting phase of, you know, meeting the new guy and then, you know, like taking a couple holes just to get an idea of what kind of game they have.
Speaker A:And and tell us a little bit about that because I've always been.
Speaker A:Been curious, like, how do you guys figure out, like, what you're obviously really good at?
Speaker A:Just kind of observing and watching guys play, seeing what their game is.
Speaker A:And I'm sure you have to adjust your personality a little bit to mesh with those guys a little bit.
Speaker A:Have you ever had any.
Speaker A:Any, you know, situations where you didn't quite, you know, jive with the guy that you're catting for?
Speaker C:Yeah, you have your.
Speaker C:Not so much at the keep as much as I had at other, other places.
Speaker C:It's just.
Speaker C:It's that the vibes are so different out there.
Speaker C:People come out there and they're happy, man.
Speaker C:Yeah, it's just a happy.
Speaker C:I don't know how you can be unhappy on that golf course.
Speaker C:So it's really cool.
Speaker C:But no, you, you learn how to read your player and obviously read his game.
Speaker C:And what you, what you want is, look, we're here, we're trying to make some money.
Speaker C:So we're working for a tip.
Speaker C:So you're trying to make their experience as good as possible.
Speaker C:So I like whether they're a good golfer, where they're a bad golfer.
Speaker C:I'm trying to, hey, let's enjoy this.
Speaker C:You know, we're not here for a long time, but by God, we're here for a good time.
Speaker C:So let's make the best out of it.
Speaker C:You know that.
Speaker C:That is my saying, basically.
Speaker C:I think I said that to you guys in the first.
Speaker C:So that's why I say to everybody, hey, we're not here for a long time, but let's.
Speaker C:We're here for a good time, so let's enjoy it.
Speaker C:Let's have some fun.
Speaker C:You know, obviously we gotta keep pace going because we don't wanna slow everybody down behind us, but let's go out there and just have a day, take it in.
Speaker C:This place is unbelievable.
Speaker C:It's going to be one of the best golf courses in the country here in the next three years.
Speaker C:I truly believe that.
Speaker C:So, yeah, take it in, enjoy it.
Speaker C:You know, you hit a bad shot, you hit a bad shot, guess what?
Speaker C:You get a chance to hit another one.
Speaker C:That's the beauty of the game.
Speaker C:You know, you hit one badly, you get a chance to hit a good one.
Speaker C:And that's what keeps guys coming back.
Speaker C:Because when I've had a guy shoot 150 out there on me, but it's that one shot they hit good and it's like, wow, why can't I do that every Single time.
Speaker C:And I was like, well, when you figure that out, let me know, because I'll go out and go do somewhere else.
Speaker C:I'll be on tour.
Speaker C:So, yeah, it's just there you have your.
Speaker C:You have your times where some people.
Speaker C:The biggest thing that I've seen out there is most of the guys that are like, pace of play can be slow out there.
Speaker C:It's a big golf course.
Speaker C:You know, they can back that thing up to almost 8,000 yards.
Speaker C:It's a big golf course.
Speaker C:It's wide open.
Speaker C:Is walking golf course.
Speaker C:And even if you can take cars as cart path.
Speaker C:So you do more walking on the golf cart than you do because you're walking straight lines.
Speaker C:And these, these fairways are so wide and so big.
Speaker C:Especially like number two, if you hit on the right side, you know, the cart pass all the way on the left side.
Speaker C:That's a long walk.
Speaker C:You gotta walk back.
Speaker C:You forget your club, whatever.
Speaker C:So trying to keep people going, you know, you see some of the, like, man, why can't we just ride?
Speaker C:I was like, I don't.
Speaker C:I don't make the rules.
Speaker C:I just enforce them.
Speaker C:That's what I tell them.
Speaker C:I was like, I just do the best I can to get you guys to enjoy yourself and have fun and just, you know, just try to be personable with her.
Speaker A:So we had a couple guys in our group that had never had a caddy before, and I'm sure there's quite a few guys listening right now that have.
Speaker A:Have never experienced something like that.
Speaker A:What's something as the caddy that you, you know, would tell a golfer that's going out, like, first of all, what to expect, but also, you know, what are a couple of.
Speaker A:A couple of do's and don'ts.
Speaker A:Like, I knew firsthand, like, one time I had a caddy who changed out my bag because I had too much crap in it, right?
Speaker A:Like, you got to make sure that your bag is sleek and doesn't have a whole lot in it.
Speaker A:I felt a sense of pride when you picked up my bag and you're like, yep, that one's good.
Speaker A:I'll take that one.
Speaker A:But while you're emptying out the bag of the other guys.
Speaker A:But honestly, what are a couple of things that somebody that's never had a caddy, you know, what can they expect and what are some of the things that they should and shouldn't do?
Speaker C:When you walk in a bunker, walk in one way and walk out the same way.
Speaker C:Don't walk in circles out there because we're gonna be raking that thing, and, like, we're trying to get, you know, get.
Speaker C:You hit your shot, get it so we can.
Speaker C:Because normally we're carrying two bags.
Speaker C:We're not having just one bag.
Speaker C:If it was just one bag, it wouldn't be a big deal.
Speaker C:But when we're here and we got a bag on here, hit.
Speaker C:You know, taking care of those guys one way in, one way out is probably one of the biggest things I see.
Speaker C:And you can fix your own wall marks.
Speaker C:It doesn't hurt to fix your own ball.
Speaker C:Mark on the grave.
Speaker C:Go up there.
Speaker C:And I usually fix four or five every time.
Speaker C:And it's not even my players.
Speaker C:It could be players, you know, that they're in a rush, or their caddy didn't see it, or maybe their cat wasn't doing as good a job as he should have been doing.
Speaker C:But I think those are two of the biggest things right there.
Speaker C:You know, obviously, just be, you know, polite.
Speaker C:You know, the guy's out there working hard for you, and he's doing his best.
Speaker C:You know, just be reasonable, you know?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I noticed that you guys.
Speaker A:You and I can't remember the other caddy we had.
Speaker A:I can't remember his name.
Speaker A:But, you know, there's times where you guys are kind of like, just helping each other out because.
Speaker A:Yeah, especially on, like, number two, when one golfer's on the fairway on the left, everybody else is on the fairway on the right.
Speaker A:And it's like, I'll take your bag.
Speaker A:You take this club, you know, you go grab that head cover that Jeff lost on the tee box and all, you know, like.
Speaker A:So it's almost like a little bit of a dance, trying to figure out how to take care of this golfer, how to take care of that golfer.
Speaker A:And I assume that's just something that you guys just kind of naturally figure out as you're working.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:And.
Speaker C:And the more you're around caddies you worked with, more you kind of.
Speaker C:You can bounce off each other a lot better.
Speaker C:So I.
Speaker C:There's.
Speaker C:I think there's only four of us.
Speaker C:Four of us left.
Speaker C:The original hires.
Speaker C:From the very first day, I think there's only four of us left.
Speaker C:That steel caddy, you know, full time.
Speaker C:And those are the guys that I'm like, I can't wait to caddy with because they're, you know, those are.
Speaker C:We've been there from the beginning, and, you know, we don't have to say so.
Speaker C:We already know, like, hey, I'm doing This.
Speaker C:Hey, I just.
Speaker C:I see.
Speaker C:You know, like you said, for number two, I'll just pick up his other bag.
Speaker C:I was like, I'm taking it.
Speaker C:You know, it's not even, you know, you just kind of.
Speaker C:I guess it's probably like a timing with an NFL and his quarterback and receiver.
Speaker C:You know, you kind of have that.
Speaker A:You just.
Speaker C:You don't even have to talk about it.
Speaker C:You just know.
Speaker A:Do you have any favorite.
Speaker A:Favorite holes out there or holes that you don't love when you step up on the tee box?
Speaker A:Because they're, you know, there's not a.
Speaker C:There's not a hole out there I don't love.
Speaker C:There's not a hole out there that I don't love.
Speaker C:But my favorite hole is 16.
Speaker C:And 16 is when you step on that tee box and you're looking down and it looks like the golf course, the way the tree is.
Speaker C:It looks like something.
Speaker C:I've been to Africa, so it looks like Africa on one side.
Speaker C:And then you're just looking off into the abyss and notice that you're looking at the Blue Ridge as far as you can possibly.
Speaker C:And it's on a crystal clear day out there.
Speaker C:You can see 350, 400 miles, what they say and is.
Speaker C:Oh, God, I love it.
Speaker C:Every time I get up there, it.
Speaker A:Gives me chill miles.
Speaker C:I'm like, I am so lucky I get to do this for a lift.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:That was so pretty.
Speaker A:We.
Speaker A:You took a.
Speaker A:You told us.
Speaker A:You're like, we're taking a picture when we get to that tee box.
Speaker A:And then we had a little long drive contest with you and old buddy E on that.
Speaker A:That tee box, I believe.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:For first swing of the day.
Speaker C:I don't remember who won.
Speaker A:You got him by a little bit.
Speaker A:And I think he started mouthing off.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:For a little dude.
Speaker C:Like.
Speaker C:Yeah, but Buddy can.
Speaker C:He can get after it.
Speaker C:For he's a small guy, but he can.
Speaker C:He can swing it.
Speaker A:Yeah, he can swing it for sure.
Speaker A:But you did let him know, like, hey, first swing of the day, buddy.
Speaker A:First swing of the day.
Speaker A:No, that was awesome.
Speaker A:And you mentioned the.
Speaker A:The shenanigans of us going up on the eighth tee box.
Speaker A:Is that something.
Speaker A:Is that kind of like a.
Speaker A:A thing that you guys have done with.
Speaker A:With other groups?
Speaker A:Is that something you caddies go do?
Speaker C:Like, that's a caddy thing.
Speaker C:That's a caddy thing.
Speaker C:We'll go out there and, like, we go out there on days that's closed and we have the course to ourselves.
Speaker C:Thursday Like, I could go up there, you know, probably not today because it's been raining all day, but we can go up there like, so caddy's, what a blessing we get.
Speaker C:Not to mention, you know, we get to caddy one of the best golf course in the world.
Speaker C:They allow us some pretty good leniency to play golf up there and.
Speaker C:But why wouldn't you want your caddies playing on the golf course, you know, that they're reading putts on and they're understanding.
Speaker C:So that's just going to get.
Speaker C:Make the caddy better at what he does.
Speaker C:So.
Speaker C:Yeah, that's.
Speaker C:That's a caddy thing.
Speaker C:We go out there and.
Speaker C:Yeah, it's fun.
Speaker A:Yeah, that was.
Speaker C:We'll go out there and have a little game, play a little money and stuff like that, so.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah, that was so cool.
Speaker A:We've got, you know, pictures and videos of.
Speaker A:I don't know, there were 12 of us up there because you.
Speaker A:You and me and Buddy E and Shep, we were all making our second loop when we got, you know, through the fifth hole, and those guys are up there yelling at us like, get up here.
Speaker A:And you looked at us and you're like, you guys want to go up there?
Speaker A:We're gonna go have some fun up there.
Speaker A:And so we're hitting from the tee box to three different greens from all different distances, and the sun's going down.
Speaker A:I mean, it was just like one of those things that you.
Speaker A:We couldn't have imagined that our day was gonna end like that.
Speaker A:And I remember on the drive to the course and several guys saying, like, I think, you know, 18 is going to be good for me.
Speaker A:I think I'll probably head back after that.
Speaker A:And then we got out there on the first hole and everybody's like, there's no way I'm.
Speaker A:I'm going home.
Speaker A:After 18 holes today, we're.
Speaker A:We're going around again playing as much of this golf course as we can we can possibly get.
Speaker A:So that was just so much fun.
Speaker A:Where do you see just the whole resort of the Macklemore in five years?
Speaker A:I know you said that at the keep, you expect that there will be a major championship played there, but do you know anything about more courses being built out there?
Speaker A:Obviously they're doing a lot of construction with, you know, just more housing and things for more people to come out and stay and play and.
Speaker A:But where do you see it in five years?
Speaker C:That's.
Speaker C:That's actually a pretty tough question right now.
Speaker C:There's a lot of changes Going up there, I think with, you know, possible ownership changes, like things I really don't know about, things that I've heard about.
Speaker C:I don't want to speculate too much about it, but I know if you got the right person in there or the person, the people that are in there have that vision, they could make it anything I want.
Speaker C:Like, I, I just, I think it would be one of the best destinations in the country.
Speaker C:I, I truly believe it.
Speaker C:Like, and I've, I've heard thought.
Speaker C:I've heard rumors of a third course being built.
Speaker C:If you had three courses up there, nobody would ever leave.
Speaker C:That'd be the only place you'd want to go.
Speaker C:Or, you know, they, like, you got the Highlands course and then you have the little part three course they have there, which is so much fun.
Speaker C:When you guys were there, did you guys stay in a house or did you guys stay in a hotel?
Speaker A:We had, we had two houses and one townhouse.
Speaker A:That's because we had 16.
Speaker A:We had 16 guys.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So we were right in, in the property.
Speaker A:You know, it was a two, three minute drive from the house down to the, to the pro shop and the restaurant and the little par three.
Speaker A:And yeah, it looked like they're just, they're building all kinds of stuff even on the other side of that road there too.
Speaker C:Yeah, that's.
Speaker C:Supposedly.
Speaker C:There have been like high rises and stuff like that with like, you know, big pickleball courts, swimming pools, splash pads, her lazy river.
Speaker C:It's gonna be a resort.
Speaker C:That's what they want.
Speaker C:So.
Speaker A:Yeah, that hotel looks super nice.
Speaker A:Not cheap by any means, but it is unbelievable.
Speaker A:Yeah, we hung out down there the one night in the.
Speaker A:What.
Speaker A:What's the name of the little bar that's off the cliff you pointed out to me?
Speaker A:We could see it from the ninth hole on the keep.
Speaker A:You look back and you could.
Speaker A:We could see that.
Speaker C:I can't remember the name of that one.
Speaker C:The Craig is the one up there.
Speaker C:Yeah, the sky, something like that.
Speaker C:But the Craig is the one up at where the pro shop is for the McLemore.
Speaker C:You know, usually.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker C:We'll go up there and eat lunch and stuff like that.
Speaker C:And the food is always amazing.
Speaker A:So, yeah, that, that place was great.
Speaker A:One last thing I want to ask you about just in regards to your background, being in the service, playing golf, the fitness side of things, obviously, you know, mentality is a big thing.
Speaker A:Probably that you learned a lot about going through your training and just in your whole career, how have you taken some of that that you learned there, into even your.
Speaker A:The mindset of your fitness, but also into to golf and I know competitively and even just being out there and appreciating the game, are there things that you took from your time in the service and your discipline and dedication that you learned there and take into the game of golf?
Speaker C:You know, I was kind of thinking about something like that.
Speaker C:What, like, I think what I learned most.
Speaker C:So the biggest thing for me is, like, the transition when I got out of the service, that was.
Speaker C:I heard people talk about it, like, oh, man, it's.
Speaker C:It's different.
Speaker C:It's weird stuff like that.
Speaker C:And it was hard.
Speaker C:Like, you.
Speaker C:You're been like, hey, for 21 years.
Speaker C:You know, what you're wearing every single day.
Speaker C:You know, you get up, you shave your face, just the same routine and stuff like that.
Speaker C:And then like that, it's go.
Speaker C:So that transition was hard.
Speaker C:So I get asked, you know, because, you know, I did some volunteer stuff, vfw, stuff like that, and people ask, you know, what would you say to people that are going to.
Speaker C:I was like, I think the biggest encouragement that I would give people to get now, not really.
Speaker C:Didn't really transition to me, but, like, it's okay to be a little selfish and take care of yourself.
Speaker C:You've given so much to your country, so much to your family, so much to everything else.
Speaker C:Like, it took me a while to, like, step back and like, hey, I'm.
Speaker C:I'm not.
Speaker C:I'm not good.
Speaker C:Like, I need to take care of myself first.
Speaker C:And once I realized that I can actually I have control over myself and I'm not, you know, relying on somebody to tell me what to do all the time is when I really was able to, like, oh, I find my groove, and stuff like that.
Speaker C:So it's okay to be a little selfish, you know, take care of yourself.
Speaker C:You know, make you a priority for forever.
Speaker C:You've made everything else your priority.
Speaker C:So I would say kind of opposite of what you're saying, that, like, that's something I had to, like, take once I got out.
Speaker C:Like, be selfish a little bit.
Speaker C:Take some time for you focus on yourself and get yourself right.
Speaker C:Because the transition is so hard.
Speaker C:But, yeah, the discipline aspect is what I would take most of anything.
Speaker C:Get up, make your bed in the morning, go, you know, make sure you, you know, like a man.
Speaker C:Go to church on Sundays.
Speaker C:You know, it's the little things, the quality time.
Speaker C:Don't take things for granted.
Speaker C:Because I have a lot of friends.
Speaker C:I can say that I Have a lot of friends that they're not with us anymore.
Speaker C:You know, had some that I lost, you know, overseas and combat and stuff like that.
Speaker C:And then I have some that they didn't make that transition as well when they got out.
Speaker C:And so that's one thing I would tell people that were maybe in my shoes that might be listening, like, it's okay, you know, take some time for yourself.
Speaker C:Be a little selfish.
Speaker C:There's nothing wrong with that.
Speaker C:You know, you.
Speaker C:You have needs too, man.
Speaker A:I. I love.
Speaker A:I love so much that you said that, because just recently I was having a conversation with some of my very good friends.
Speaker A:We just had a.
Speaker A:One of my best friends from college passed away recently, and he was a firefighter, and he did not do that.
Speaker A:He didn't take care of himself.
Speaker A:You know, he basically died of alcoholism.
Speaker A:And he was the guy that would help you with anything.
Speaker A:He would drop everything he was doing to go take care of everybody else and never sought out the help.
Speaker A:Well, I shouldn't say that he did seek out some help, but just couldn't get over the demons, but didn't do the things to take care of himself, like you're saying.
Speaker A:And I would imagine a lot of guys coming out of your position, coming out of the service, being overseas, seeing a lot of bad things.
Speaker A:You know, as a firefighter, he saw a lot of bad things.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And so we were just having a pretty frank heart to heart with some of our college buddies that, you know, like, we all need to.
Speaker A:We all do need to be a little selfish.
Speaker A:We need to.
Speaker A:We're all raising families.
Speaker A:We're all, you know, working hard.
Speaker A:We're all doing all of these other.
Speaker A:Other things that take up all of our day.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:But first and foremost, we need to take care of ourselves, because if we're not around, we can't help anybody.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And so I love.
Speaker A:I love that you said that.
Speaker A:And it's.
Speaker A:It's so true.
Speaker A:I'm sure you've seen it time and time again.
Speaker C:Absolutely.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Like, you can't take care of anybody else if you're not in a.
Speaker C:Or you can't be the best version of yourself.
Speaker C:You can't give the best version of yourself if you're not taking care of yourself.
Speaker C:And that was probably the biggest thing that really helped me get that, get past that, that lull, because everybody.
Speaker C:Everybody I've talked to goes through it.
Speaker C:You know, like I said, I just got married last month, and one of my friends, I was stationed up with Alaska, he came down to My wedding.
Speaker C:And it was the first time we had seen each other since we were in Alaska.
Speaker C:And I was like.
Speaker C:And I asked him.
Speaker C:I was like, was it hard for you?
Speaker C:Like, yeah, man, it was.
Speaker C:It was different.
Speaker C:It was different.
Speaker C:And he's like, are you battling anger and stuff like that?
Speaker C:It's like, I just was mad all the time.
Speaker C:I just didn't.
Speaker C:Because you kind of look back on it, like, was it worth it?
Speaker C:You know, all the sacrifices?
Speaker C:And then it's like, when you get out, it's like, bye, bye.
Speaker C:You know, that's what.
Speaker C:Oh, that's what it feels like.
Speaker C:Sometimes you get an appointment at a VA sometimes, and they're like, oh, that's six months out.
Speaker C:You're like, what?
Speaker C:No.
Speaker C:So be selfish.
Speaker C:Take care of yourself.
Speaker C:And then I think everything else will fall into place.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:All right, my friend, one.
Speaker A:One last question.
Speaker A:We call this the golf confessional here on Golf Don't Lie.
Speaker A:And I'm a big believer that, you know, golf is the way we play golf.
Speaker A:The way we approach golf is much like we approach life.
Speaker A:And we learn a lot of lessons on the golf course.
Speaker A:Is there a lesson or a story that you can tell us where golf taught you something about yourself, whether that was a bad break or just a situation out there, but you learned a little something from the.
Speaker A:From the golf gods.
Speaker C:Oh, man.
Speaker C:Oh, my wife answered this better than I could, but, yeah, last year, game was in shambles.
Speaker C:At the beginning of the season.
Speaker C:Last year, it was in shambles.
Speaker C:I was like.
Speaker C:I got to where I was like, I'm not even enjoying it.
Speaker C:I think I'm just going to put it away.
Speaker C:I was like, oh, I'm just wasting my time.
Speaker C:Come home, I'm frustrated, all that stuff.
Speaker C:And then, you know, three weeks later, I go out and break the course record to keep.
Speaker C:And I'm like, what the heck is going on here?
Speaker C:It's just like you can't control more, you know, you can't control, like, what somebody's going to do.
Speaker C:When you're driving down the road, you really don't have any control.
Speaker C:You just got to let it happen.
Speaker C:So I think that's the biggest thing that I've taken away from my golf game.
Speaker C:I've learned, like, not get as angry on the golf course, like, hey, I'm playing golf.
Speaker C:There's a lot more things I could go be working right now, but I'm getting to play golf even if it isn't not my best day.
Speaker C:That's probably the biggest thing that I finally got over with my golf game is it's just the game.
Speaker C:I'm out there and I'm having fun.
Speaker C:I'm doing what I love, even it doesn't go my way.
Speaker A:Well, I so appreciate the mentality that you take with the game with just your experience every single day, being able to be out there.
Speaker A:I know that myself.
Speaker A:Shep, buddy, E, we just had the greatest time playing golf with you that day.
Speaker A:You.
Speaker A:You definitely saved my wedges towards the end of the round, helped me get that wedge game dialed in a little bit.
Speaker A:But we just had a blast, man.
Speaker A:And I hope that, you know, if you're ever in St. Louis and you bring the sticks, we're going to take you to play somewhere here.
Speaker A:But hopefully we get out and get to swing them again with you sometime out out your way as well.
Speaker C:Hey, man, you just.
Speaker C:Just let me know.
Speaker C:I was actually telling you, my wife last night, I was like, do you guys ever have to go to work up in St. Louis?
Speaker C:She's like, no.
Speaker C:I'm like, well, we're going to make a trip up there because I'm going to go swing off you guys.
Speaker A:Dude, anytime you want, man.
Speaker A:Come on up.
Speaker A:You let us know.
Speaker A:We'll get it set up for sure.
Speaker C:Heck yeah, man.
Speaker C:Heck yeah.
Speaker A:All right, brother.
Speaker A:Well, thank you for joining us on Golf Don't Lie and hope to see you sometime soon.
Speaker C:Absolutely.
Speaker C:Jeff was a pleasure.
Speaker C:I really appreciate it.
Speaker A:Thanks for tuning in to Golf don't lie and 18 strong podcast.
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Speaker A:I hope you play more golf and live more life.
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Speaker A:And remember, no matter who you are, golf don't lie.
