Ward Clayton is an accomplished communications professional, author and editor with decades of experience. A former sports editor for the Augusta Chronicle, he authored a book in 2004 that gave a first-ever glimpse at the life and impact of the famed caddies at Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters. In 2024, realizing that many of these men had moved away or passed on, he updated the book with new reporting -- the result is "The Legendary Caddies of Augusta National: Inside Stories from Golf's Greatest Stage." In this episode, we discuss the process of researching and writing the books, plus touch on the club's relationship with the city of Augusta and how the current corps of caddies are still making an impact.

Andrew Kehrer and I have been stalking each other professionally for almost two decades. He was a co-worker at both Golf Channel and the old FOX sports regional networks in Florida; now, he's down south as the Senior Art Director for TGL and parent company TMRW Sports. His group creates the stunning graphics, video elements, and animations that jump off the screen in person at the SoFi Center and on TV on ESPN. Andy describes his entry into the business as a student in New Orleans, and how Katrina affected his career arc. We discuss the move to Florida for jobs at the old Sun Sports and later Golf Channel, and how some of those relationships influenced his decision to jump in with TGL.

Welcome to the first episode of 2025! My guest is Andrew Bradley, a longtime field producer for Golf Channel, who travels the world shepherding announcers and camera operators at golf's most iconic venues. We talk about his background in sports media, how he balances his work schedule with a growing young family, and his lifelong passion for Philadelphia sports. Also, a shameless plug for my radio show, "Making The Cut," airing Saturdays at 9am on 96.9 The Game in Orlando and AM 930 FOX Sports Radio Jacksonville, available anytime on the free iHeartRadio app.

Golf broadcaster and PGA Tour veteran Gary Christian returns to the podcast to discuss his latest venture, "Beat The Course, Not Yourself! One Golfer's Path To A Winning Mental Game." The book is a joint venture with sports psychologist Dr. Curt Ickes. Together, Christian and Ickes use a narrative format to explore the mental side of the game, introducing 15-year-old Jack, a promising junior player, and seasoned pro Charlie, who becomes Jack's mental guru. In the podcast, we discuss the genesis of the book, the creative decision to use a narrative format, and the psychology that fuels the text. Geared towards junior players but valuable to all, Gary's book is a welcome addition to the golf instruction canon.

In her role as the Manager of Digital Content for the LPGA, Sarah Kellam is responsible for much of the content you find at the tour's website. She frequently travels with the players and seeks to tell their stories in unique ways. Sarah is a former Division I player herself, competing in her home state at Northern Kentucky University. What she called her "dream job" in production at Golf Channel didn't last as long as she'd hoped, but it propelled her towards an exciting career in sports media that still has a lot of runway left. We discuss her influences, including writers like Jaime Diaz and the late Tim Rosaforte, plus get deep into the rise of women's sports, including the Caitlin Clark phenomenon.

Jay Coffin is a veteran journalist who runs his own shop, Coffin Corner Media. In that role, he advises clients on social media presence, communications strategy, and public relations, while staying close to his roots as a writer and editor. Jay worked for the Orlando Sentinel while still a student at UCF, and has remained in Orlando ever since, moving to Golfweek and then Golf Channel, where he was the Editorial Director for the website and a frequent expert guest on camera. We talked about his career path as well as some hot-button current topics, like LIV Golf and the changing landscape of college athletics. Plus, some fond memories of the Orlando Magic's glory days.

“Making The Cut, with Whit Watson, presented by Streetrod Golf Cars” is the local radio show I host in Orlando, simulcast in Jacksonville. We just wrapped our 35th episode in 2024 and now pause for a few weeks to regroup for 2025. This has been a tremendous amount of fun and a lot of work. Looking forward to watching it grow with the support of iHeartRadio and Streetrod.

Trey Wingo spent over 20 years at ESPN as a TV and radio host, including 15 years as the host of NFL Live. He's covered Super Bowls, World Series, NBA Finals, and many of golf's major championships, and recently began a new chapter in his broadcast career working for DraftKings Network. Trey and I shared many hours on the desk when ESPNEWS was just getting started in the late 90's (the inside jokes will be explained). He talks about his father's influence on his education and his career, the important decisions that changed the course of his life, his departure from ESPN, and his perspective on the industry.

NYC-based Chris Yon is a versatile, experienced camera operator with a long list of clients -- NBC, CBS, FOX, the MLB Network, plus local broadcasts of the Yankees and Mets. His interest in media started on the playground, where he and a buddy would deliver mock newscasts with the latest elementary school gossip and occasionally deliver play-by-play for kickball games. We worked together for six years in the Orlando studio at Golf Channel, where his positive attitude (and savage skill at impersonating our colleagues) made long studio days much more palatable. In this episode, Chris outlines his path from Pittsfield, Massachusetts to the big leagues, and how his willingness to learn new skills opened all kinds of doors. Chris Yon is the epitome of "always say yes."

The word "producer" has many different meanings in sports media. ESPN and Golf Channel veteran Chris Datres has worn many hats as a highlight producer, graphics producer, and field producer — the last of which means he's the eyes and ears for news on the road. He's also worn many chest protectors and whistles as a longtime high school baseball umpire and basketball referee. We cover his beginnings in Harrisburg, PA, his start in the industry, and our shared paths at both ESPN and Golf Channel, including a bizarre night during the last PGA Tour event at Walt Disney World in 2012. In addition to being a reliable and willing golf partner, Chris is a frequent co-host on "Making The Cut, with Whit Watson" on Orlando’s 96.9 The Game.

Longtime golf announcer Lisa Cornwell joins the podcast with thoughts on the current state of the professional game -- which, she says, is a very different answer between the women and the men. A former pupil of David Leadbetter, Lisa won the Arkansas Women's State Championship four times, and played college golf with an eye towards a pro career. We trace her pivot from playing golf to broadcasting the game, and how mental health played a role in that move. Some important topics here that I haven't discussed much in previous episodes.

Will sports fans continue to search for their favorite teams on streaming services behind paywalls? What are the LIV Golf broadcasts doing to improve or change sports TV? Will Tiger and Rory's TGL work? Will Tiger play the PGA Tour Champions when he turns 50? Jack Graham is the man to ask. A former VP of Live Tournaments at Golf Channel and a longtime veteran of ABC and NBC, Jack has produced numerous sports around the world and managed talent, budgets, and schedules as a department head. We cover all of the topics above plus our industry's move to remote production and his beloved USC Trojans' move to the Big Ten.

Grant Boone works as a golf announcer for NBC and Golf Channel, primarily on the LPGA Tour. His prior experience includes coverage of Amen Corner for the Masters on CBS, plus work in dozens of sports for ESPN, Turner and Fox. In this episode we discuss the 2024 US Women's Open, the state of the LPGA, what the LIV Golf rift has done to the men's game, and get some detail on Grant's uncle Pat.

Mike Germond has a resume’ that could fill a podcast. He works live sports events, corporate events, films, commercials, and concerts. His bread and butter is the Steadicam, a staple of sporting events and movies, a wearable rig that stabilizes the camera shot. He’s also certified by the FAA to shoot drone footage. If you have ever watched the NFL on NBC, you’ve seen Mike’s work, and you’ll also be looking through his lens at the Paris Olympics. We talk about his path in video and film production, the nuances of wearing the rig, and how remote production has changed our business — a recurring theme on this podcast.

The month of May brings the onset of college golf's postseason. The men's and women's fields for the 2024 NCAA Golf Championships were announced on Golf Channel at the end of April; with regional play beginning May 6, Steve Burkowski joined the podcast to handicap the fields. "Burko" has been with Golf Channel for over 20 years, and has carved out a niche as the go-to resource for college and amateur golf. We talk about his path from New Jersey to the University of Florida and then go deep on what schools can win it all at the NCAA Championships at La Costa at the end of the month.

Dave Mishkin has been the radio voice of the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning for over 20 years, and recently published a fiction novel called "Blind Squirrel." As he tells it, the book is hockey-adjacent, and tells the story of Noah, a former pro hockey player who deals with mental health issues. As an aspiring writer myself, I was interested in hearing about Dave's process in writing. In this episode, we talk about his background as a student announcer at Yale, his journey through the minors, and the Lightning's three Stanley Cup wins and our mutual friend Paul Kennedy.

Ann Liguori wears many hats: sports journalist, entrepreneur, public speaker, and author. She was the first woman to host a call-in show on New York's WFAN, the original sports talk radio station in the US. She's covered multiple majors in golf and tennis, has reported from the Olympics, Ryder Cups, and Solheim Cups, and is perhaps best known for the long-running cable series "Sports Innerview with Ann Liguori." She was also a Golf Channel original, hosting a golf-centric interview show under the guidance of fellow podcast guest Mike Whelan. Ann has just published her latest book, "Life On The Green: Lessons and Wisdom from Legends of Golf." That's where our conversation starts.

Ethan Ritz is one of the smartest people I know. Grew up in Virginia, played college lacrosse at Tennessee, worked for Golf Channel for many years as a graphics producer and now holds a similar role at LIV Golf and farms himself out as a production manager. He's been there and done that, including the Olympics, the Ryder Cup, and all of golf's majors. We are a killer team at bar trivia nights. Nobody understands the dynamics of sports media freelancing better than Ethan.

Cy Cyr (pronounced 'sigh sear') is an acclaimed photographer based in Orlando. His sports credits include Golf Channel, NBC, Sports Illustrated, Golf Digest, and ESPN, and he's a go-to photog for the PGA Tour. Beyond sports, Cy is highly regarded in editorial, commercial, and portrait work, with clients like Mitsubishi, Yamaha, and Discovery Channel. He's been at this for over 25 years, a passion project that started when he was a high schooler in Maine. In this episode, we talk about his love for golf, his arsenal of equipment, and the essence of being a photographer. Plus: horses. And drones.

Dave Revsine is the lead studio host and a play-by-play announcer for the Big Ten Network. He’s one of my oldest friends in the business, going back to the days of ESPN and the original launch of ESPNEWS. In this episode, we talk about his path from Chicago to an investment banking job he hated, his return to broadcasting, and how ESPN and the Big Ten Network changed his life. He describes his family’s connection to Northwestern University and how his fandom began on the South Side. Plus, thoughts on the Caitlin Clark phenomenon, the cable TV model, and how sports will be delivered in the future.