The Amateur Golf Podcast by AmateurGolf.com

Rachel Kuehn discusses her experiences in the Curtis Cup, winning a national title, and personal growth as a golfer. She shares her pinch-me moments and the unique dynamics of playing in the Curtis Cup on home soil and away matches. Rachel also talks about the importance of team bonding and the motivation to defend their national title. She reflects on her own growth as a golfer and offers advice to her younger self. Also, Rachel discusses the impact of the Augusta National Women's Amateur and her mental preparation for the ANWA. We dive into her favorite and nerve-wracking shots at Augusta National. She discusses sharpening her long game and the influence of her competitive family. Lastly, she reflects on her experience being on the Netflix show 'Full Swing.' Amateur Golf Links: AmateurGolf.com Subscribe Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube

Joe Hodge, the Director of Golf at Palma Ceia Country Club, discusses his background and history at Palma Ceia, including winning club championships and playing in the US Open in 1978. He talks about the appeal of the Gasparilla tournament and the unique aspects of the event, such as the open qualifier and member involvement. Joe also shares insights into the challenges and scoring trends of the Palma Ceia golf course. The Gasparilla is one of the most popular events on the Mid-Amateur calendar year in and year out. Amateur Golf Links: AmateurGolf.com Subscribe Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube

In this episode, Sean and Jordan discuss recent news in amateur golf, including Nick Dunlap and Caleb Surratt turning pro. They analyze Dunlap's decision and his impressive amateur career. They also discuss Surratt's move to LIV Golf and the valuation of amateur golfers. Then they review recent amateur golf events, including the Latin American Amateur Championship and some college results. They also preview the Masters invites for amateurs and discuss the potential impact on their careers. The episode concludes with a discussion on women's college golf and the upcoming Curtis Cup. The pod wraps up with a Player Impact Program (PIP) draft, predicting future PIP stars, the importance of personality and marketability, the impact of COVID-19 on amateur golf, and the rise of Ludwig Aberg. Amateur Golf Links: AmateurGolf.com Subscribe Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube

Scott Langley, Senior Director of Player Relations at the USGA, discusses his golf experience, journey to the PGA Tour, and his current role at the USGA. He shares insights into course setup for the US Open and the importance of player feedback. Scott also highlights the US National Development Program and the efforts to unify and improve junior golf in the United States. The conversation covers various topics related to golf, including the US Open, development programs, national teams, and the performance of American golf. The guest emphasizes the importance of investing in American golf and hopes to see success at the highest levels of the game, including international competitions like the Ryder Cup. Amateur Golf Links: AmateurGolf.com Subscribe Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube

David McLay-Kidd discusses his experience returning to golf courses he has previously designed, the process of refining and improving courses, and the importance of balancing challenge and playability. He also talks about the design considerations for different handicaps and the role of roll and drama in golf. David shares insights into his current project, Loraloma in Austin, Texas, and the challenges and opportunities of working with space and constraints. He also discusses the use of a basketball to test slopes and reflects on the impact of Bandin Dunes on his career. In addition, he shares his experience designing the first course at Bandon Dunes and how it might have marked the rebirth of links golf in America. Kidd emphasizes the importance of designing courses based on personal experience and the challenges in golf course architecture. He also highlights the need for fun and playability in golf courses and the resurgence of golf architecture. Kidd discusses the impact of building the best golf and the unique design of Macrahanish Dunes. He concludes by reflecting on the beauty of the Mull of Kintyre in his homeland of Scotland. Amateur Golf Links: AmateurGolf.com Subscribe Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube

Jordan Perez joins Sean as they recap the year in amateur golf. They each brought five stories from the year and discussed their impact. Amateur Golf Links: AmateurGolf.com Subscribe Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube

Erick Morales is one of the founders and organizers of the Devil's Elbow Invitational, a new Mid-Am event in the Dominican Republic that grants the winner an exemption to the Corales Punta Cana PGA Tour event. Morales is a decorated amateur himself, having finished second in the inaugural Mexico Mid-Am last year, and he recently played in the US Mid-Am at Sleepy Hollow. In addition, he has played in PGA Tour events and made the cut in one of them. The best man in Morales' wedding was Rafa Campos, who recently benefited from the Shad Tuten penalty. Campos moved up and secured the 30th and final tour card after Tuten’s penalty dropped him back to 32nd in the rankings. Morales talks about caddying for Campos when he finished in second place to Joel Dahmen in 2021 and why he decided not to hop on Campos’ bag full-time. Erick and I played a round of golf together far from his home in Puerto Rico in early October. Devil's Elbow Invitational - Starts Nov. 9 Amateur Golf Links: AmateurGolf.com Subscribe Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube

Jordan Perez joins Sean Melia to talk through her reporting on the Spikemark and Golfstat issues that are plaguing college golf right now. The two also touch on the Walker Cup, Rose Zhang's Solheim Cup performance, and dive into the college season. They go through the eight teams that made it to match play on the men's and women's sides in 2023 try to figure out who won't make it back this season and some contenders that might replace them. Amateur Golf Links: AmateurGolf.com Subscribe Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube

Stephen Behr arrived at Pine Valley in 2022 for his first Crump Cup and left on Sunday as the champion. The former Clemson standout has had an impressive amateur career. He made the decision after college to pursue a career and remain an amateur. It wasn’t an easy choice, as his father is a club professional. During this podcast, Behr talks about life as an amatuer golfer and how he’s building a schedule each year to ensure he’s finding ways into contention. Finally, we wrap up with a discussion about his week at Pine Valley for the Crump Cup. He’ll be defending his title on September 21, and he had some great stories and nuggets to share about the experience of playing in such a big amateur event. Amateur Golf Links: AmateurGolf.com Subscribe Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube

Jordon Perez joins Sean Melia to talk about the Walker Cup. First, they catch up on some lingering thoughts from the U.S. Amateur on both the women's and men's side. Then they go through some storylines from this week's Walker Cup, team selections, alternate shot pairings they'd like to see, and what improvements they would make to the Walker Cup. Amateur Golf Links: AmateurGolf.com Subscribe Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube

Stewart Hagestad is one of the most decorated amateurs of this generation. He's competed in dozens of USGA events and has won 2 U.S. Mid-Amateur championships (2016 and 2021). He's also competed in six professional majors. His best finish was a T36 in the 2017 Masters, where he earned low amateur honors. The 32-year-old from Newport Beach, California will compete in his fourth straight Walker Cup, an incredible achievement that puts him into the same category as Bobby Jones, Francis Ouimet, and Jay Sigel as players who have competed in that many Walker Cups. It's likely, given the youth of the team, that Hagestad might be one of the last to record such a resume in the team event. During this podcast, Hagestad discusses what it means to play in the Walker Cup, his excitement to compete at St. Andrews, how he manages life and work and golf, what courses he's enjoyed playing that might not be on everyone's radar, and much more. Amateur Golf Links: AmateurGolf.com Subscribe Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube

Caleb VanArragon has had quite a summer in Minnesota. The fifth-year senior at Valparaiso won the Minnesota State Open by 9 shots and backed that up with a 12-shot victory in the Minnesota State Open. Those two performances gained him some attention, and he received a last-minute invite to the 3M Open. During his interview with Justin Golba, VanArragon talks about what helped him get on such a heater, competing alongside the world’s best, and how he hopes to continue the momentum into the fall. Amateur Golf Links: AmateurGolf.com Subscribe Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube

Sean Melia is joined by new writer and editor on the site, Justin Golba, to talk through some storylines of the US Amateur Championship which kicks off on Monday, August 14. Who will earn Walker Cup spots? How has the Elite Amateur Series impacted the summer season? Can an international win at Cherry Hills? Then Justin has Gordon Sargent on to talk about his summer, competing at the US Open, what he's learned playing in pro events, and his Walker Cup selection. NOTE: We recorded this before Michael Thorbjornsen's announcement that he would not be playing in both the US Amateur and the Walker Cup. Amateur Golf Links: AmateurGolf.com Subscribe Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube

Henry Shimp played his college golf at Stanford where he won the 2019 national championship. His life is a bit different after graduating in 2022. He’s in the real world, working, traveling, and battling injuries, but he still plays golf at a high level. He qualified for his sixth US Amateur championship this summer. We talk about a bunch of topics: his qualifying mindset, the long two days (and 38 holes) at Wild Horse in Nebraska in July, playing in the Amateur Championship at Royal Lytham and St. Annes, his experience at Stanford, how college golf has changed, and we end with a good 15 minutes on golf courses Shimp has enjoyed playing recently. TheTiepodcast.com Amateur Golf Links: AmateurGolf.com Subscribe Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube

Mike McCoy’s resume would take too long to read through in its entirety. The Iowa Golf Hall of Famer has played in more than 60 USGA events. In his 38th USGA appearance, McCoy won the 2013 US Mid-Am, which opened a plethora of doors for the already decorated golfer. He played in The Masters and was also named to the 2015 Walker Cup team. McCoy’s excellence across many decades earned him the honor of captaining the 2023 Walker Cup team. The event at St. Andrews is fast approaching, and McCoy was kind enough to talk with us about his experience playing in the Walker Cup and what the role of captain entails. Amateur Golf Links: AmateurGolf.com Subscribe Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube

Golf Digest's Kent Paisley joins Sean and Jordan to discuss the landscape of women's golf heading into the U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach. They talk Rose Zhang, primetime golf, the amateurs in the field, and what challenges female golfers face as they leave amateur golf for the professional ranks. Amateur Golf Links: AmateurGolf.com Subscribe Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube

After a heartbreaking result at Springfield's Final Qualifying site, Maxwell Moldovan got the phone call he hoped for and learned he had a spot in the 2023 U.S. Open field. Moldovan woke up bright and early to talk with Sean (who was on the road recording from his car) about his week and what he learned in last year's US Open and how he plans to do things in his preparation this year at LACC. Amateur Golf Links: AmateurGolf.com Subscribe Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube

Sean and Jordan wrap up the NCAA college season with some final thoughts on the men's Division 1 national championship at Grayhawk. They look through the PGA Tour U grads and try to project what their first 12-18 months might look like. Then they discuss Rose Zhang's pro debut victory along with amateurs who qualified for the Men's and Women's U.S. Open. Amateur Golf Links: AmateurGolf.com Subscribe Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube

Sean and Jordan are joined by David Tenneson (@CGolfBook) to react to Rose Zhang's individual National Championship and Wake Forest's match play triumph. They also have some flowers for USC who made it to the final match. Then, at the 12:30 mark, they turn their attention to the men's national championship. David outlines the work he's doing to collect the history of college golf dating back to 1896. He gives us some incredible trends he's noticed over the last decade, too. They talk about the regional shocks and surprises and pick out some storylines they are looking forward to following. Of course they wrap up predicting the 8 teams that will make match play and who will be the national champions. David Links: Twitter Newsletter Amateur Golf Links: AmateurGolf.com Subscribe Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube

Sean and Jordan talk storylines at Grayhawk for the women's NCAA National Championship. They also try to put Rose Zhang's two years at Stanford into perspective and discuss her place in the pantheon of great college athletes in any sport. Amateur Golf Links: AmateurGolf.com Subscribe Instagram Twitter Facebook YouTube