Bag Rats – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Mark Hess is the GM at Edgartown Golf Club in Edgartown, MA. Mark has spent decades with the Club and has made the island home for him and his family. Without spoiling too much, Mark and I talked about the interesting dynamic of living on an island in New England year round, and what the 9-hole track he runs means to the local community and the summer crowd.

Check out the Club's website for aerial shots of the course and a writeup of its history.

Tom Coyne is an award winning author. Tom got his first big career break at the ripe age of 24, whereby his novel A Gentleman's Game was picked up and produced into a motion picture. Tom has written several other books since including Paper Tiger, A Course Called Ireland, A Course Called Scotland, and most recently A Course Called America. Tom and I spoke about his introduction to the game of golf, blazing his own trail as a writer, the genesis of his "A Course Called..." selection of books, his recent tour of some of New Jersey's hardest hitting tracks, and his relationship with the guys at No Laying Up.

Check Tom out on Instagram, or at his website.

Chris Condon has been a PGA Tour Photographer for over two decades. His job has afforded him access to numerous incredible behind the scenes moments with the biggest personalities in golf, both on and off the course.

Chris and I spoke about our mutual love of the game, spending most of his career in the prime Tiger Woods years, a few of his iconic photographs, Jordan Spieth's inevitable comeback, and the most interesting people he has come to know through the course of his career.

It was wild to hear the stories of someone who has spent over 20 years with premier access at PGA Tour events.

You can find Chris on Instagram @ckcondon, Twitter @ckcondonphoto

Please see the photographs we discussed, on Chris’s website here.

After sustaining an injury on one of several tours in Iraq, Josh Peyton returned to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC to recover for 2 years. It was there that Josh began regularly playing golf with colleagues who were recovering from injuries themselves. After being discharged from the hospital, Josh began to miss the camaraderie of his weekly rounds of golf.

At a career crossroads, Josh had no clue what he wanted to do next. He only knew that he wanted to help others. It was then that Josh took his savings from deployments and started the Veteran Golfers Association. The VGA is a nonprofit organization that hosts several hundred local golf tournaments per year across the U.S.

Since it’s inception in 2014, the VGA has not lost a single member to suicide. They just recently surpassed 10,000 members nationwide. Josh and I chatted about his introduction to the game, his time spent overseas, using golf as a recovery tool, founding and scaling the VGA, and the significance of this year’s VGA Championship.

Josh is the embodiment of selflessness and a true patriot.

You can find the VGA on Twitter (@VGAgolf), Instagram (@vgagolf), and their website (vgagolf.org). Please visit their website to find out how you can get involved.

Paul Tesori is a PGA Tour caddy who has worked for Webb Simpson since 2011. They've won several times on Tour together, including a U.S. Open victory in 2012 at the Olympic Club and a 2018 Player's Championship win at TPC Sawgrass. Paul shared some captivating insights about the 2018 Player's Championship Victory ahead of this weekend's 2021 Player's.

Paul and I also chatted about his time spent working with several Tour professionals, his collegiate career at the University of Florida, his attempt to make it on Tour as a player, his greatest accomplishments, his relationship with Tiger Woods, and his charity, the Tesori Family Foundation.

Follow us on Instagram: @bagratspodcast

You can find Paul on Instagram: @paultesori and Twitter: @PaulTesori

Learn how to support Paul's foundation: Tesori Family Foundation

Alex Myers is a senior write at Golf Digest. Alex writes a column called the Grind and hosts a podcast called Local Knowledge with Daniel Rapaport and Keely Levins.

Alex and I chatted about his introduction to the game of golf and how it inspired his career as a sports writer. Alex also told me about some of his coolest experiences through his career including run ins with Jim Nantz, Lee Trevino, Danielle Kang, and others. One time he even saw Gary Player eat a cookie.

Check Local Knowledge out wherever you get your podcasts.

Quogue Field Club is a 9-hole track located on Long Island. It’s a beautiful course that renowned golf course architect Ian Andrew has done restoration work for in recent years. Ian and I chatted about what went into the process of modifying and restoring certain parts of this Bendelow classic. Ian also shared some interesting insight regarding how the course compares to some of the heavy hitters in the area including Shinnecock and National. Spoiler Alert: It’s a completely different golf experience. This comes as a relief to locals looking to tee it up and avoid the summer crowds that plague the nearby Hamptons.

After speaking with Corey Harris about the Washington Club a few episodes back, I became infatuated with the concept of 9-hole courses. Their simplicity, and the particular type of laid-back experience that they provide is endlessly endearing.

Check out Ian’s Website to see some of the marvelous work he’s done.

Bob “Shoe” Gaspar is the director of Outside Happiness at Bandon Dunes. Shoe grew up in southern California, where he was introduced to the game of golf. He later moved north to Bandon and worked several different jobs before retiring.

After retiring, Shoe became restless. At the time, Mike Keiser was in town with ambitions to build a world class links course in Bandon. Shoe became involved in developing the caddy program at Bandon Dunes in the course’s formative years.

Shoe later transitioned into his current role as the mayor of Bandon Dunes. He is the first friendly face that welcomes guests to the grounds when they arrive from all over the world. He could teach a masterclass in customer service, as he wakes up at the crack of dawn to familiarize himself with details about guests before they arrive. He’s one of the few people I’ve met who truly loves his job.

Ken Duke is a professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions.

Ken’s story is one of tremendous resilience. In the 7th grade, Ken was diagnosed with scoliosis. He had surgery to correct the dramatic curvature of his spine and was able to resume playing the game he loved, although not without modifying his swing first. After a strong high school career in Arkansas, Ken played division 2 golf at Henderson State University.

Ken spent the next 20 years floating between several mini tours (including the Nationwide Tour), and the PGA tour. In his 187th start, after nearly 20 years of playing golf professionally, at the age of 44, Ken got his first PGA Tour win.

Ken and I spoke about his childhood, playing golf at a world class level, and the dynamic on and off the course on the PGA Tour Champions.

Ken is the ultimate competitor, and I found it interesting to talk through what it takes to make it at the highest level of golf in the world. I also thought Ken’s story reminded me of the old golf adage “Swing your swing.” Ken talked about how you don’t need to have Tiger’s swing to be a damn good player.

Adam Schriber is a world class swing coach. He has coached several successful professional golfers including Sam Ryder and David Lipsky. Most notably, Adam coached Anthony Kim from his days as a teenager growing up in Los Angeles to his attainment of legendary status on the PGA Tour. 

Adam and I chatted about his humble beginnings in golf and how his single mother sacrificed endlessly to help him achieve his dream of playing  professionally. After a stint on the Web.com Tour, among other mini tours, Adam focused his time and energy on becoming a world class swing instructor. Adam was among the first coaches to integrate fitness training into his players' regimens. He also shared a some insight into the Anthony Kim that he knows: the incredibly generous, strong-willed young man that the mainstream media never showed us. Adam shared advice for recreational golfers who are looking to shave a few strokes off of their scores. His experience playing golf as a teenager of modest means has inspired him to break down financial barriers to sports for kids across the U.S. 

My conversation with Adam was among the most enjoyable conversations I've ever had. Adam is endlessly generous, and his passion for golf and helping others is infectious.