The Drop Zone – Details, episodes & analysis

Rory McIlroy won his second straight Masters. Dylan sits down with legendary golf writer Michael Bamberger to break down how he did it.

Michael and Dylan bring their perspective from on the ground at Augusta National. They dig into what made Rory’s final round click, why he’s one of the most likable players in the game. 

Also, Golf Stuff I Like, winners and losers and one lasting memory from this year’s Masters. 

We asked legendary sportswriter Wright Thompson a question: What actually makes the Masters so special? His answer taps into his decades spent immersed in Augusta's lore — not just as a writer but as a son, a sports fan, a Southerner, and more. He's written about Augusta National in feature stories, in sprawling personal essays, in tournament coverage, in TV voiceovers and more, making him the man for the job.

Thompson's appreciation for Augusta National is complemented by his love for the magic of the muni, which is why his new ESPN series 'Where it Lies' glorifies golf's grittier cathedrals. You can watch that here: https://www.espn.com/watch/catalog/ccbbc58d-14b2-4903-9f54-be72fbea8c0f

Thompson's ESPN essay on Augusta National, and his father: https://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?page=fathersday&redirected=true

What’s the greatest American golf course? It’s complicated — but we’ve got the right guy to take us down a wandering path to an answer.

Tom Coyne has walked all of Ireland. He’s criss-crossed the United States. Most recently, he bought a failing golf course in Upstate New York. And he’s written books about all of the above. So he can speak to the ingredients of a “great” golf course, he knows the difference between great golf in the U.K. and Ireland versus great golf in the U.S. — and now he knows the nuts and bolts of owning and operating a course himself. Plus Dylan digs up an old email he sent Tom before embarking on an American golfing road trip of his own, and a response that changed his writing career.

Coyne takes us through the five courses he’d play if he only had five rounds left, the bucket-list course he hasn’t yet ticked off and, at last, his pick for Greatest American Golf Course.

You can order Tom’s latest book, A Course Called Home, at Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Course-Called-Home-Adventures-Accidental/dp/1668030551
Or A Course Called America here: https://www.amazon.com/Course-Called-America-Thousand-Fairways/dp/1982128062/

For that matter, you can order Dylan’s book, 18 in America, here: https://www.amazon.com/18-America-Golfers-Journey-Essence/dp/1451693648

We’ll see you next week!

The world of YouTube Golf has been on the rise. But brand-new golfer LeBron James' appearance on Bob Does Sports still felt like a sign that things have really gone big-time. How did it happen and what does it mean? Robby Berger joins the show to go deep on the process of getting LeBron, what he's like in person and what his appearance means big picture for their group and the golf space at large.

The ex-guest services manager at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills also . This week, Dylan has on the face of Bob Does Sports to talk about that LeBron video, what it takes to pull that off, and why being Robby Berger is the whole job.

Bob Does Sports on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Bobdoessports
Brilliantly Dumb Show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebrilliantlydumbshow

Golf Stuff on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter 

How do you model a major? Will Courchene, co-founder of Data Golf, joins Dylan Dethier to talk through the 2026 PGA Championship — and pick a winner. Who is Aronimink expected to favor? Who is actually in pro golf's "A" Tier? And how many players actually have a chance to win? Dylan and Will run through data, favorites, vibes and much more en route to picking a winner.

Nelly Korda keeps winning. What has that looked like and felt like — and what does it mean? Grant Boone, who has been there every step of the way, tells us what it's like calling the action through the and bad for the LPGA’s biggest star. He also tells us what's next and what a big win for the league would really mean.

Aaron Rai won the 2026 PGA at Aronimink. But who else won, too? Dylan Dethier and Sean Zak break down the week’s action from on site in Philadelphia, catching you up on who’s leaving a winner.

Amy Alcott won 29 times on the LPGA Tour, took five majors, and landed in the World Golf Hall of Fame — but she started by hitting into a net at a Westwood golf school and running a make-believe country club out of her front yard, billing her parents' dinner guests for drinks.

Ahead of the U.S. Women's Open at Riviera, the lifelong member talks with Dylan Dethier to trace her path from sneaking onto the course as a kid to serving as its ambassador this week.

She gets into the movie stars she grew up around, what makes Riviera so special hole by hole, the difference between being nervous and being underprepared, and the one quiet corner of the course almost nobody talks about.

Martin Trainer is retiring from professional golf. He joins Dylan Dethier to tackle a question — what did he learn playing pro golf? — and runs through 10 answers (plus some more) as he pulls back the curtain on the myths and realities of the PGA Tour. This is the stuff you don't get from a Sunday broadcast or a simple player profile.

So what's it like staring down Rory McIlroy in a playoff? What's it like missing a whole bunch of cuts in a row? What single course on Tour REALLY stands out? Which stop has the best food? What will he miss about being a pro and what's he happy to leave behind? Trainer's decade-plus as a pro included plenty of highs and lows.

And now: What's next? Trainer is planning a unique post-Tour path, but thinks his golf experience will help with his next chapter.