Tag: No Laying Up

Stanford’s Rachel Heck pens first-person essay to explain why she won’t go pro

“After a couple of years of painful deliberation, I have come to realize that I do not want to play professional golf.”

This spring, after Rachel Heck completes her senior year at Stanford, she’ll put her golf clubs away and take on an internship in private equity. She’ll also be pinned as a Lieutenant of the United States Air Force. Heck explained her reasons for not turning professional in a first-person essay on nolayingup.com.

“I was strongly considering attributing my decision to my injuries,” wrote Heck, who has grappled with several in recent years. “It is true that even if I wanted to, I do not know if my body would hold up on tour. But frankly, after a couple of years of painful deliberation, I have come to realize that I do not want to play professional golf.

“I do not want a life on the road and in the public eye. I no longer dream of the U.S. Open trophies and the Hall of Fame. And I realize now that these dreams were never what my dad intended when he first put a club in my hand.”

Heck qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open at age 15 and, as a hotshot junior, suffered a back injury that left her sidelined from the game. Without golf, she felt lost, and during a period of darkness, decided that she wanted to pursue the Air Force ROTC to find something more. Heck’s parents told her she was crazy, but she persisted.

As a freshman at Stanford, with dreams of playing on the LPGA and serving in the Air Force in full throttle, Heck set an NCAA scoring record (69.72) en route to sweeping the postseason.

Heck won six times in nine starts in 2021, including her last five events. She became the third player in NCAA history to sweep the postseason, winning the Pac-12 Championship, NCAA regionals and nationals. She posted 15 of 25 rounds in the 60s, including 12 consecutive.

But, as her college career progressed, more injuries followed. While Heck intends to pass on the professional life, she does plan to continue to play amateur golf, following a similar path set by Wake Forest grad Emilia Migliaccio.

“I have grappled with anger, hope, depression, joy, and everything in between,” Heck wrote, “but amid each trial in which I so desperately sought the clarity of a deeper meaning, God always showed me the next step. Right now, the next step is not professional golf.”

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Brandel Chamblee sparks No Laying Up social media beef with wild commercial comparison

Social media caught fire as the two sides debated podcast and television commercials.

Brandel Chamblee is in Hawaii for the PGA Tour’s first event of the 2024 season and the outspoken Golf Channel analyst is already in peak form.

The former PGA Tour player turned broadcaster took offense with a post from No Laying Up talking about television commercials – the self-described “fan-analysts” have long been critical of the commercial loads that make golf broadcasts difficult to watch – and decided to join the conversation.

Chamblee tried to compare an ad during a podcast to the commercial load during a broadcast. The ad in question was less than two minutes for a two-hour podcast. In contrast, an hour of golf coverage features 18 minutes of commercials. Needless to say, the replies weren’t in support of Chamblee.

Never one to shy away from a debate, Chamblee then fired back at those who called him out and further made their point for them: it’s not an equal comparison.

As fans, we know commercials must be part of the broadcast to cover the cost of airing an event. We also know how much those commercials take away from the broadcast. Networks continue to overpay for the rights to broadcast live sports, and it’s the fans who get the raw end of the deal. That’s the true problem at hand. I pay for Peacock, NBC’s streaming service, and still get hit with ads. As No Laying Up pointed out, there is major championship coverage – not bonus content, actual coverage – that is only available behind the paywall.

One of the key issues with pro golf on television compared to other sports is that when the broadcast goes to commercial, play continues. The same can’t be said for football, baseball and basketball. Both NBC and CBS have struggled with this, especially in recent years. In 2023 alone, from major championships to the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup, key shots were missed and players were completely absent from coverage. The broadcasts often run their Playing Through and Eye on the Course segments, which feature a double box of commercials and golf, down the stretch of tournaments.

Jim Nantz, the voice of golf on CBS, joined the No Laying Up podcast in June of 2020 and had a healthy discussion with host Chris Solomon about the state of golf broadcasts, including the overloaded volume commercials.

“When you do feel like you have to make quicker work of it, you can’t ever really linger on anything too long because you have commitment,” said Nantz. “You go to commercial, and let’s say you’re away for two and a half minutes. How many important golf shots do you think were struck in those two and a half minutes? It’s just a random guess … but let’s say on a Saturday or Sunday, there are at least six to 10 shots that happened while you’re away. Now you come back from commercial and you have a player live, ready to hit another shot. You still have to make up for what happened while you were away. So the rhythm and timing of it, it’s like a Rubik’s Cube trying to figure out how to slot in live when we go back.”

They still haven’t solved the cube.

Chamblee is a smart man who does plenty of research to back his opinions. This take, however, wasn’t his best.

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George Gankas dishes on Matt Wolff being called out by Brooks Koepka: ‘I think it woke him up’

The Wolff saga took a turn for the worse when Brooks Koepka called him out publicly for not giving full effort.

Geoge Gankas once proclaimed his pupil Matt Wolff a “huge disruptor,” that he was “going to change the world of golf.”

Wolff won quickly on the PGA Tour at age 19, held the 54-hole lead at the 2020 U.S. Open, rose to No. 13 in the world and seemed destined to make the predictions by Gankas a sure thing.

But Wolff has struggled in recent years, taking time away from the game to work on his mental health and last year joined LIV Golf. The Wolff saga took a turn for the worse when Brooks Koepka, his team captain, called him out publicly for not giving full effort.

The 52-year-old Gankas, who has taught Wolff since age 13 and thinks of him like a son, spoke publicly about his star pupil’s issues recently on the No Laying Up podcast.

“They could’ve done that privately,” Gankas said of the way Koepka aired his grievances with Wolff, his teammate. “There were some incidents where Wolff possibly wasn’t playing as hard as he could and he called him out on it and, you know what, in my opinion, as much as anybody doesn’t want to hear it – I don’t think it should have been done publicly – but I think it did Wolff good. I think it woke him up.”

Even Gankas isn’t sure what sent Wolff into tailspin.

“I don’t know if it was he didn’t like the actual attention or the fame or whatever it was, or he just didn’t want to play,” Gankas said. “He’s figuring it out right now. He’s a much better person than he was two years ago.”

He added: “I think there were just times that he didn’t want to play golf. I do. I don’t think the talent has ever been gone.”

Given that Gankas lives in California and Wolff is based in Florida, they haven’t seen each other as much. This may have been the most telling thing Gankas had to say: “Wolff’s a player that has enough money that if he doesn’t want to hear it from you, you’re not going to hear from him.”

Gankas noted that Wolff had flattened his swing on his own, and said about a month ago that they worked together for the first time in about seven months. Wolff finished T-3 at LIV Golf Invitational Greenbrier in August.

But Gankas still believes Wolff will do great things and pointed out he’s still “just a kid.”

“I know he’s going to be on top of the golf world again. He’s 24 years old. People think he’s 30. He’s still a kid. The fact is, the talent is there. I don’t think that he could ever lose his golf completely,” Gankas said. “He’s got a lot of good years ahead of him.”

There’s plenty more from Gankas that is worth your time too. You can watch the full podcast here.

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Netflix producers want to create a ‘kind of Marvel superhero universe’ for PGA Tour series

“The hardcore golf fan is probably going to be pretty cynical about this endeavor, but I think they’ll love it.”

Last month an A-list of PGA Tour stars, including four of the world’s top-seven players, was officially confirmed to be part of a Netflix golf series similar to that of Formula 1: Drive to Survive.

On Wednesday, two producers for the new series, Chad Mumm and Paul Martin, joined the No Laying Up podcast to speak with host Chris Solomon about what viewers should expect from the series and how it’s similar (and different) compared to the incredibly popular Drive to Survive.

“We knew we couldn’t make a show about who won every race, because that just becomes a highlight show and everyone knows about it,” said Martin, also an executive producer for Drive to Survive. “So we had to do something different and point the cameras somewhere else. The format of that show really evolved out of being on the ground and being in that world, and I think this show will be the same.”

“The hardcore golf fan is probably going to be pretty cynical about this endeavor, but I think they’ll love it,” added Martin. “We want to create this kind of Marvel superhero universe where they all exist in this ecosystem and over the course of an episode Spiderman will come to the fore, or Iron Man will come to the fore but you still see Hulk in the background. Who wins the tournament is largely irrelevant to our storytelling.”

Martin explained how Formula 1 knew it needed to get to a younger, “sexier audience” with Drive to Survive, and judging by the players named for the series, the PGA Tour realized the same. Confirmed players include (alphabetically): Abraham Ancer, Daniel Berger, Cameron Champ, Joel Dahmen, Tony Finau, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Harry Higgs, Max Homa, Viktor Hovland, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa, Kevin Na, Mito Pereira, Ian Poulter, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, and Bubba Watson.

“Our end goal is to do Drive to Survive for golf, but that doesn’t mean that we’re doing to do everything we do in Formula One and drop it on to a golf course,” said Martin.

The Tour wasn’t involved in getting players signed on for the documentary, they left that to the producers. So in 2019, Mumm went to the Masters at Augusta National and brought a list of player agents and their pictures to help make his introductions a bit easier. Fowler was the first player on board, with Thomas soon to follow. Then it was Champ and Finau.

“We’ve gotten so much already that, just the fan in me is like, ‘Oh my God, this is better than I expected right out of the gate,’” said Mumm, who added he was surprised how ready the players were to start the process.

With the players, tours, and major tournaments – even the Masters – all involved, this docuseries may just be the glimpse into the world of professional golf that fans have been waiting for.

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Premier Golf League CEO Andy Gardiner joins No Laying Up to discuss league format, issues facing pro golf

“We want to make golf as watchable as possible.”

One of the first players Andy Gardiner spoke with about the Premier Golf League was Rory McIlroy.

“I was explaining the concept and at the time he was at the view that actually this is probably what golf needs. Now that was some time ago and he’s entitled to change his opinion but had Rory said to me, ‘Andy that’s rubbish,’ I’d have probably stopped,” Gardiner said to No Laying Up’s Chris Solomon. “So on we went.”

The CEO of the Premier Golf League – separate from the recently announced LIV Golf venture backed by Saudi Arabia and led by Greg Norman – joined No Laying Up for an in-depth, two-and-a-half-hour episode which covers the league’s format and relationship with the PGA Tour as well as the greater issues facing professional golf today.

Rory on the PGL: “I don’t see why anyone would be for it”

“The original notion was always to work with the PGA Tour, believe it or not. Some might call that incredibly naïve but it remains our strong desire,” said Gardiner. “Our earliest documentation set out the desire to work with the PGA Tour and the view that once the format was understood, we couldn’t see any reason why collaboration couldn’t be achievable.”

The format: 12 teams of four players will compete in an 18-event season from January-August with team and individual championships running parallel throughout the season.

There will also be a 13th team – owned by the league’s foundation but run by third parties – where fans can pick three wildcard players each week. A max of 51 players means no cut, with 54 holes being played over three days.

“We want to make golf as watchable as possible,” said Gardiner.

The regular season is the first 17 events, after which the individual champion is crowned. Then it’s time for the playoffs, a $20 million winner-take-all finale. Each regular-season event is worth $20 million in total, with $4 million going to the winner and $150,000 to last place.

For more on the creation of the league, listen to the full episode here.

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Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry on why he thinks Howard golf can be a ‘North Star’

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry said he thinks Howard golf can be a ‘North Star’ on the latest No Laying Up podcast episode.

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Golf isn’t just a hobby for Stephen Curry.

The star for the Golden State Warriors started playing when he was 8 or 9 years old. His father, Dell, also played in the NBA, and golf was his summertime hobby. By the age of 11, Stephen was playing full rounds and even played a little high school golf for three years before beginning his journey as one of the best shooters in basketball history.

“It’s one of the things I look forward to most when I’m not on the court,” said the Golden State Warriors star on the latest episode of the No Laying Up podcast.

The two-time MVP of the NBA talked about his love of the game and threw some shade Charles Barkley’s way ahead of their participation in The Match: Champions for Change. But what really stood out were his comments about his role in bringing NCAA Division I golf to Howard.

More: Howard moves golf programs forward with hiring of head coach

“I think a lot of people get wrapped up in seeing what the product on TV … but the world of golf and business of golf, there’s so many opportunities and ways to create a meaningful career,” said Curry. “It’s just about that awareness and that access and people being able to lean in. So Howard golf is a great start in that direction.”

So, why Howard? Curry wanted to find a creative way, unique to him, to grow the game of golf. He knows talent resides in minority communities, but he also knows they don’t have the resources or access to capitalize on that talent. Curry’s goal is to provide more access to the game, and he thinks golf at Howard can be a “North Star.”

“Any time that you can support an HBCU, there’s a lot of conversations about how impactful those universities are,” explained Curry. “It all kind of checked a lot of boxes in terms of where I could really meaningfully make an impact. And I think the sky’s the limit for what this can truly mean.”

Peter Kostis speaks candidly about break with CBS, future of golf on TV

Former CBS analyst Peter Kostis touched on several topics this week when he appeared on a No Laying Up podcast.

Peter Kostis was an institution in televised golf – at least until CBS chose not to renew his contract for 2020. Perhaps no one is in a better position than Kostis, a CBS analyst since 1992, to analyze the future of golf broadcasts and the challenges networks face.

Kostis touched on several of those topics this week when he spoke on a No Laying Up podcast. He also spoke candidly to host Chris Solomon about his break with CBS and how much influence he believes the PGA Tour has in the network’s coverage.

Kostis, 73, touched on the way CBS delivered the news that his contract wouldn’t be renewed, and why he believed that decision was made. He said he believes that the Tour told CBS its broadcast team needed to get younger and that it served as an initial catalyst for change. He also believes the Tour took issue with him not being a “cheerleader” in his analysis and coverage.

News broke in October that neither Kostis nor Gary McCord would be returning to the network in 2020.

Asked by Solomon if he was aware of any documented performance issues that would have led CBS not to renew, Kostis had this to say:

“I asked (CBS Sports chairman) Sean McManus why he was doing it. Was it something I did or didn’t do, whatever? He said, ‘No, we just feel like things have gotten a bit stale and we want to go in a different direction.’ That was the exact quote. He denies it now but that was the exact quote and that’s what he told Gary as well, in a separate call.”

CBS declined to comment when reached by Golfweek.

On the No Laying Up podcast, Kostis also said he declined an on-air send-off that CBS had offered during the San Diego or Phoenix Tour stops. After some thought about the offer, he called back with his answer: “I’m not retiring. I’m not going to have a retirement party. You’re not renewing my contract so I’m not going to acquiesce to that.”

Kostis repeatedly referred to the Tour’s involvement in TV coverage and what he believes is a desire for both promotion of the product and control over it.

As an example, he referenced a post-round interview with a winner (whose name he did not give) who also happened to be a PGA Tour rookie. Kostis began with a question about the two-year Tour exemption and upcoming Masters start the player had just earned. He said he later received criticism from CBS – which had come from the Tour – for failing to preface the interview with a comment about the number of FedEx Cup points the player had won.

Kostis said he ignored the feedback and then pointed out that by the end of the season, he was no longer doing the post-round winner interview, even if he had been out walking with that player.

“I’m not going to be disingenuous and just pump up FedEx and be a spokesman for the Tour, I don’t work for the Tour,” he said.

He named cost as a major hurdle in the quality of Tour coverage going forward – particularly as rights fees soar – and explained that it affects everything from analysts (like himself and McCord) to experienced cameramen to number of cameras available.

The full No Laying Up podcast is available here.

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