WEBVTT - Ep. 166: Lt Colonel Dan Rooney 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:02.680 Welcome to the Clubhouse with Shane Bacon, a production of 0:00:02.680 --> 0:00:14.080 I Heart Radio. Welcome to the Clubhouse with Shane Bacon. 0:00:14.200 --> 0:00:17.320 I am your host, Shane Bacon, and got a real 0:00:17.400 --> 0:00:21.800 special one today. Honor to have this man on the 0:00:21.840 --> 0:00:26.040 podcast for the first time. Lieutenant Colonel Dan Rooney joins 0:00:26.520 --> 0:00:29.200 the Clubhouse. Of course, the man behind folds of honor 0:00:29.760 --> 0:00:33.000 and has served our country and is I'm gonna say, 0:00:33.080 --> 0:00:38.000 one of the most positive humans I've ever chatted with 0:00:38.120 --> 0:00:40.800 or encountered. This is my second time being around him. 0:00:41.440 --> 0:00:45.080 It's infectious when you're in his presence, even his voicemail, 0:00:45.600 --> 0:00:48.240 which you know, voicemails are the worst things in the world. 0:00:48.240 --> 0:00:50.559 Nobody likes to leave them, Nobody likes to record their 0:00:50.600 --> 0:00:54.200 own voicemail messages. And Dan Rooney has a positive voicemail 0:00:54.800 --> 0:00:58.280 message when you call. That is unheard of. So pump 0:00:58.320 --> 0:00:59.960 to have Dan on. He's got a new book out 0:01:00.480 --> 0:01:03.560 today called Fly into the Wind, and I think you're 0:01:03.560 --> 0:01:05.120 going to really enjoy the book. I think you're really 0:01:05.120 --> 0:01:09.560 gonna enjoy the conversation about life and and what came 0:01:09.600 --> 0:01:11.600 out of this book and a lot of golf stuff 0:01:11.600 --> 0:01:13.520 in it. Of course, he's a huge golf for a 0:01:13.560 --> 0:01:15.720 plus handicap, a ton of talents that he's been playing 0:01:15.720 --> 0:01:19.240 a ton of golf during quarantine. So real honor to 0:01:19.400 --> 0:01:23.160 chat with somebody like Dan Rooney, who, again I just think, 0:01:23.280 --> 0:01:27.280 is is really a model for you know, America. He's 0:01:27.280 --> 0:01:31.080 an unbelievable person and what he's done throughout his career, 0:01:31.080 --> 0:01:32.960 in his life and what he continues to do is 0:01:33.080 --> 0:01:36.160 uh is really really impressive stuff. So big thanks to Dan. 0:01:37.280 --> 0:01:39.880 So I haven't touched on Dustin Johnson's win on Sunday 0:01:39.880 --> 0:01:41.680 at the Masters, and I just wanted to speak on 0:01:41.720 --> 0:01:43.120 a couple of things with Dustin. You know, it's the 0:01:43.160 --> 0:01:46.280 second major title. Before Sunday, it was all about his 0:01:46.400 --> 0:01:49.000 major misses and very little, if any about how many 0:01:49.000 --> 0:01:51.480 times he's closed in non majors, which brings me to 0:01:51.520 --> 0:01:54.400 my point. So, the modern world of golf, I feel 0:01:54.400 --> 0:01:57.880 like needs a bigger weight to the mon non major events. 0:01:58.320 --> 0:02:01.400 And I'll explain the Trial Championship this year for instance. 0:02:01.480 --> 0:02:04.120 Right in twenty five years, when we look back on 0:02:04.200 --> 0:02:07.760 Dustin Johnson's career, the Travelers Championship win in two thousand 0:02:07.760 --> 0:02:10.440 twenty isn't gonna stand out. I mean, he's got FedEx 0:02:10.480 --> 0:02:12.680 Cup titles and w GC titles and now a Masters 0:02:12.680 --> 0:02:14.760 in the US Open and FedEx Cup. I mean, he's 0:02:14.800 --> 0:02:17.400 got a lot of these big time wins, and he's 0:02:17.400 --> 0:02:20.920 won in Rivieria, and you know, he's one. He's finished 0:02:20.919 --> 0:02:23.640 the season with wins. He's he's even one international. So 0:02:23.760 --> 0:02:25.959 something like the Travelers Championship in two thousand twenty is 0:02:26.000 --> 0:02:28.960 going to get lost. That's just inevitable. But the strength 0:02:29.000 --> 0:02:32.160 of field at the Travelers Championship this year was the 0:02:32.240 --> 0:02:36.160 same strength of field as the Masters. Now, winning the 0:02:36.160 --> 0:02:39.680 Travelers Championship to these players and to the media and 0:02:39.760 --> 0:02:42.600 golf fans isn't as big. It isn't as big a 0:02:42.680 --> 0:02:48.040 career achievement as winning a Green jacket, but it's as 0:02:48.080 --> 0:02:51.079 hard in terms of who you have to beat as 0:02:51.120 --> 0:02:54.400 it is winning two Masters. What I'm starting to think 0:02:54.639 --> 0:02:57.440 is we need to have some sort of a five 0:02:57.520 --> 0:03:02.560 star system or a weighted system like a letter grade 0:03:02.600 --> 0:03:04.280 and a event, a B event, a C, e vent 0:03:04.320 --> 0:03:09.280 a D event that helps people like me know how 0:03:09.320 --> 0:03:12.800 big a win was. I need to see something tangible 0:03:13.120 --> 0:03:18.520 to understand the modern victory because major championships became major 0:03:19.080 --> 0:03:22.040 back in the day because that was the time everybody 0:03:22.040 --> 0:03:25.840 came together, I mean the Europeans, Australians, Asian players, the 0:03:25.880 --> 0:03:28.560 studs from South Africa, all around the world, they would 0:03:28.600 --> 0:03:31.239 all converge to play a US Open or Masters or 0:03:31.320 --> 0:03:34.040 occasionally a PGA Championship. Even that took a while for 0:03:34.080 --> 0:03:37.040 all the players to get that interested in, especially international players, 0:03:37.320 --> 0:03:39.360 and of course the Open Championship which been around forever. 0:03:39.440 --> 0:03:42.640 So that was why those those events were considered major championships. 0:03:43.000 --> 0:03:46.080 That was the biggest event with the best players and 0:03:46.120 --> 0:03:48.160 the most international field. Well we get that all the 0:03:48.200 --> 0:03:51.600 time now. International players live in America. They called the 0:03:51.640 --> 0:03:54.400 PGA Tour their main tour. When you play a Travelers 0:03:54.440 --> 0:03:57.680 Championship and you have these studs from Australia and the 0:03:57.680 --> 0:04:00.680 great players from Europe and Rory and Dustin and Justin 0:04:00.760 --> 0:04:02.760 and all the all the names that you'd expect to 0:04:02.760 --> 0:04:05.320 be at big events, I feel like that would be, 0:04:05.440 --> 0:04:08.480 if you look through a weighted system, a five star win, 0:04:08.640 --> 0:04:10.760 just like winning at Riviera would be a five star win. 0:04:11.160 --> 0:04:13.360 Winning so many of the tournaments that Dustin has won 0:04:13.400 --> 0:04:16.599 in his career. So that's my first point is the 0:04:16.680 --> 0:04:19.120 majors are still the majors. And I'm not discounting the 0:04:19.120 --> 0:04:20.960 fact that it is a bigger deal to win a 0:04:21.000 --> 0:04:23.360 major than it is to win other events. I just 0:04:23.480 --> 0:04:26.839 think that with the way golf is now, especially the 0:04:26.880 --> 0:04:30.800 PGA Tour, it's tough to win any event, and it 0:04:31.000 --> 0:04:34.440 is imperative that we explain why, because it's gonna get 0:04:34.480 --> 0:04:36.640 lost in history. The Travelers Championship two thousand TWENTI is 0:04:36.680 --> 0:04:38.880 going to get lost in history. We're gonna forget that. 0:04:39.120 --> 0:04:41.839 The pandemic caused golf to shut down for you know, 0:04:41.960 --> 0:04:44.080 three months, and then it returned and we had a 0:04:44.120 --> 0:04:46.160 couple of events, and then everybody who was playing on everything, 0:04:46.240 --> 0:04:49.240 so all those wins were probably wins and a half, Right, 0:04:49.360 --> 0:04:52.160 is how tough it was to do that. Another point 0:04:52.200 --> 0:04:53.599 to be made, And a friend of mine made this 0:04:53.640 --> 0:04:55.359 to me the other day, and I thought it was 0:04:55.440 --> 0:05:01.520 such a great point. Dustin Johnson one on the easiest 0:05:01.560 --> 0:05:05.520 golf course the PGA Tour played this year. Right, it 0:05:05.640 --> 0:05:08.840 was a super soft event in Boston. He shoots thirty under. 0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:13.000 He almost won the week before on one of the 0:05:13.040 --> 0:05:16.520 toughest golf courses the PGA Tour played. You know, he 0:05:17.120 --> 0:05:21.920 shouldn't compete on these real tight, fairly short golf courses. 0:05:22.480 --> 0:05:26.080 But it doesn't matter. Every golf course is winnable for 0:05:26.200 --> 0:05:29.520 Dustin Johnson. I don't think you can say that about 0:05:29.560 --> 0:05:31.599 anybody else in the world. I truly don't you can 0:05:31.640 --> 0:05:34.719 say that about Tiger. Of course, Tiger went everywhere, but 0:05:34.760 --> 0:05:37.279 Tiger won a lot at the same place as Tiger 0:05:37.279 --> 0:05:39.240 won a lot of the courses that he liked. Now 0:05:39.320 --> 0:05:43.080 Dustin has done something similar. He loves Rivieria. I mean 0:05:43.120 --> 0:05:45.479 that's a golf course that simply suits his eye. He 0:05:45.520 --> 0:05:47.960 loves Pebble Beach, a golf course that suits his eye. 0:05:48.680 --> 0:05:51.440 But when you start to look into his victories, he 0:05:51.520 --> 0:05:54.000 has one on all different types of golf courses that 0:05:54.080 --> 0:05:58.320 typically play into the hands of non Dustin looking players. 0:05:58.440 --> 0:06:00.440 And the only other point I want to make, and 0:06:00.480 --> 0:06:03.120 again this is to try to help us understand how 0:06:03.160 --> 0:06:07.400 impressive certain players are outside of the majors, because we're 0:06:07.480 --> 0:06:10.640 so obsessed with how many major wins you have. Is 0:06:10.640 --> 0:06:13.520 the world ranking, the world rankings, And I bring this 0:06:13.600 --> 0:06:15.960 up because Destin Johnson, of course the world number one. 0:06:16.120 --> 0:06:18.000 He's about to be world number one for his hundred 0:06:18.040 --> 0:06:20.320 and fourth week of his career. Rory is at a 0:06:20.400 --> 0:06:23.760 hundred and six weeks and uh, and then you look 0:06:23.839 --> 0:06:25.560 up ahead of that and you've got Greg Norman, and 0:06:25.600 --> 0:06:27.200 of course you've got Tiger Woods at a number that 0:06:27.240 --> 0:06:32.080 nobody's gonna catch. It's crazy. Dustin is two twenty weeks 0:06:32.080 --> 0:06:34.480 behind Greg Norman's number. That's about four and a half 0:06:34.600 --> 0:06:37.320 years of being a world number one. It's an outside shot. 0:06:37.400 --> 0:06:39.479 I feel like it's a decent shot that he's going 0:06:39.520 --> 0:06:41.360 to catch that at some point if he stays healthy 0:06:41.640 --> 0:06:43.800 and he stays committed, and it sure seems like he's 0:06:44.240 --> 0:06:46.040 he's only going to get better, right, I mean, it's 0:06:46.040 --> 0:06:48.599 only gonna get easier for him to feel And I 0:06:48.600 --> 0:06:50.320 don't even want to say feel comfortable in these moments, 0:06:50.320 --> 0:06:52.520 because I think he feels comfortable in any moment. But 0:06:52.640 --> 0:06:55.240 just winning another major helps him win more majors. I 0:06:55.240 --> 0:07:00.480 feel so the world ranking, a modern look at a player, 0:07:01.000 --> 0:07:03.800 also helps us understand how impressive Dustin is. And when 0:07:03.839 --> 0:07:06.039 you start to look at things like that, and you 0:07:06.080 --> 0:07:09.000 start to look at the quality of his victories outside 0:07:09.000 --> 0:07:11.880 of the major championships, I feel like the argument can 0:07:11.920 --> 0:07:14.960 be made that Dustin is the best player of this generation. 0:07:15.000 --> 0:07:17.880 You know, post Tiger, post VJ. You have Rory with 0:07:17.920 --> 0:07:20.640 more majors, you have Brooks Capto with more majors, you 0:07:20.680 --> 0:07:22.440 have Jordan's speed with one of the greatest seasons in 0:07:22.480 --> 0:07:25.760 the history of golf. But what Dustin has done consistently 0:07:25.840 --> 0:07:28.880 and for his entire career is something that we need 0:07:28.920 --> 0:07:32.000 to appreciate, and I feel like we don't give enough 0:07:32.040 --> 0:07:35.240 credit to consistency is something film. You know, we we 0:07:35.280 --> 0:07:37.680 love to to bag on Phil Nicholson for never being 0:07:37.720 --> 0:07:40.640 world number one and never winning a FedEx Cup and 0:07:40.680 --> 0:07:43.480 never finished in the season, you know, with with I 0:07:43.520 --> 0:07:45.840 feel like he's never had the money title either to 0:07:45.920 --> 0:07:50.240 finish the season. But Phil's consistency since the early nineties 0:07:51.200 --> 0:07:54.440 is something you can't compare with the Tiger and with 0:07:54.480 --> 0:07:57.600 an Ernie and with a VJ. It's not what Fils was. 0:07:57.680 --> 0:08:00.720 So Phil's consistency I feel like bumps him up a 0:08:00.720 --> 0:08:02.720 little bit in terms of his career. And I feel 0:08:02.720 --> 0:08:04.760 like Dustin is gonna be the same way. He should 0:08:04.800 --> 0:08:07.720 be the same way. And while it is quote unquote 0:08:08.040 --> 0:08:11.520 only two majors, what he has done in his career 0:08:12.120 --> 0:08:15.040 is as impressive is anybody else that has played since Tiger. 0:08:15.200 --> 0:08:17.560 I believe that and I think when you look past 0:08:17.920 --> 0:08:22.000 some of the obvious things like his how many US opens, 0:08:22.040 --> 0:08:23.960 how many masters as he wanted open? Has he won 0:08:24.000 --> 0:08:27.960 a p G, A, no and no? Still he has 0:08:28.000 --> 0:08:32.280 all these other examples to showcase his career. And so 0:08:32.720 --> 0:08:34.360 that was my point. I just wanted to bring up 0:08:34.360 --> 0:08:37.160 a little thing about Dustin. I feel like that was 0:08:37.520 --> 0:08:39.120 that was what I wanted to say. I just had 0:08:39.120 --> 0:08:41.240 a couple of points to be made. I feel like 0:08:41.280 --> 0:08:43.240 we need to focus on those two things I would love. 0:08:43.360 --> 0:08:46.040 I love the idea of a five star rating of 0:08:46.040 --> 0:08:48.720 of events, so you kind of know what you're getting 0:08:48.760 --> 0:08:50.520 when you go into the event, but who knows if 0:08:50.520 --> 0:08:52.959 that will happen. That would be awesome. Uh that's that. 0:08:53.040 --> 0:08:57.679 Let's get to our interview with Dan Rooney. I know 0:08:57.720 --> 0:09:01.079 you've been thrilled and I'm assuming you have these pinch 0:09:01.200 --> 0:09:04.600 me moments still despite how you know, known you are 0:09:04.640 --> 0:09:07.000 and what you've done in your career. You've got a 0:09:07.000 --> 0:09:10.680 golf course that you had Jack Nicholas help redesign American 0:09:10.760 --> 0:09:13.880 Dunes Course in Grand Haven, Michigan. I know you're really 0:09:13.880 --> 0:09:16.440 really excited. A lot of support goes goes to Folds 0:09:16.440 --> 0:09:20.840 of Honor, with this project, Jack waived his his design fee. 0:09:21.040 --> 0:09:23.960 I mean, it's just such a such a blessing to 0:09:24.000 --> 0:09:26.880 have a friend like Jack Nicholas doing these awesome things 0:09:27.200 --> 0:09:30.200 in support of what you're doing. Yeah, and that's a 0:09:30.240 --> 0:09:32.920 great word. It's a blessing. And again I love tying 0:09:32.920 --> 0:09:34.640 it back because this is a story in the book 0:09:34.760 --> 0:09:38.880 and the chapter's force multiply and the concept of force multiply, 0:09:39.240 --> 0:09:42.600 you know, by the military um perspective is you know, 0:09:42.640 --> 0:09:45.240 it's one plus one is not equal to right. It's 0:09:45.440 --> 0:09:48.360 when you can bring a group together that equals much 0:09:48.520 --> 0:09:53.680 a much larger sum of impact. And the other part 0:09:53.679 --> 0:09:55.600 of that so cool in the book is we've talked 0:09:55.640 --> 0:09:58.200 about before about how often things have to be you know, 0:09:58.320 --> 0:10:01.040 in the ashes, kind of like The Greatest Showman, one 0:10:01.040 --> 0:10:03.480 of my favorite movies of all time. My buddies call 0:10:03.559 --> 0:10:05.280 me that, by the way, the Greatest Showman, because I 0:10:05.320 --> 0:10:07.920 have to completely destroy things in order for God to 0:10:07.920 --> 0:10:10.719 build them back up. And this golf course is our 0:10:10.720 --> 0:10:13.760 family golf course for twenty years. It's where we started 0:10:13.800 --> 0:10:16.880 Folds of Honor. But it was on fumes. It was 0:10:17.000 --> 0:10:20.880 not a good situation, and I went to Jack and 0:10:21.280 --> 0:10:26.679 proposed this idea of American Dunes to completely reimagine um 0:10:26.800 --> 0:10:29.160 the old Grand Haven Golf Club which sits in pure 0:10:29.240 --> 0:10:34.400 sand dunes on Lake Michigan. Unbelievable site. Um. And uh, 0:10:34.520 --> 0:10:37.240 you know he said yes and waved his three million 0:10:37.240 --> 0:10:39.600 dollar fee and put together a bunch of my friends 0:10:39.640 --> 0:10:42.800 and his friends. But has been a total fly into 0:10:42.800 --> 0:10:46.079 the wind moment for two and a half years. Um. 0:10:46.120 --> 0:10:50.960 Massive challenges which again this this linear equation in life. 0:10:50.960 --> 0:10:53.120 If you want to do something great, just get ready 0:10:53.240 --> 0:10:56.079 for the suck factor to be crazy high. Right, It 0:10:56.240 --> 0:10:59.719 just is That is the way life works. And so 0:11:00.000 --> 0:11:03.120 it to do it with Jack, total pinch me moment um. 0:11:03.160 --> 0:11:06.000 But you know, day to day raising the money to 0:11:06.080 --> 0:11:09.600 do this, saying all kinds of challenges along the way. 0:11:09.840 --> 0:11:12.240 But it goes back to that concept, right when you 0:11:12.280 --> 0:11:16.080 fly into the wind, that resistance ultimately allows you to ascend. 0:11:16.960 --> 0:11:21.280 And we'll open American Dunes on May second, and this 0:11:21.360 --> 0:11:24.600 place is going to be like nothing that has ever 0:11:24.760 --> 0:11:27.520 happened in the game of golf, and its mission certainly 0:11:27.600 --> 0:11:30.079 is to create awareness and raise money for Folds of Honor. 0:11:30.600 --> 0:11:33.520 The golf that Jack has designed there and the sand 0:11:33.600 --> 0:11:37.040 dunes is he used the term mystical. Um, it's going 0:11:37.080 --> 0:11:40.240 to take its place um in in rare air in 0:11:40.400 --> 0:11:43.959 the golf rankings. I'm convinced to that. But really the 0:11:44.320 --> 0:11:48.960 impact of this place is what it stands for. And 0:11:49.120 --> 0:11:52.480 you'll onboard American Dunes. The only way to get into 0:11:52.520 --> 0:11:54.880 the site is through the Folds of Honor Memorial and 0:11:54.920 --> 0:11:57.640 you'll actually walk in the bootprints that are cast in 0:11:57.760 --> 0:12:00.800 the cement of soldiers who have been killed an action, 0:12:01.280 --> 0:12:04.719 whose families are Folds of Honor recipients. And that's this 0:12:04.800 --> 0:12:08.360 big nine foot open air tunnel that tells the story 0:12:08.559 --> 0:12:11.840 of these families and the significance of this golf course. 0:12:12.800 --> 0:12:15.320 And I always use the analogy like when you walk 0:12:15.360 --> 0:12:17.319 into a church, no one has to tell you to 0:12:17.400 --> 0:12:22.160 lower your voice. And that is the reverence of what 0:12:22.240 --> 0:12:25.160 American Dunes in is. And you know, Jack and I 0:12:25.160 --> 0:12:28.959 would call the church. People come to a church, they 0:12:28.960 --> 0:12:32.240 make a pilgrimage because it's something they stand for, they 0:12:32.240 --> 0:12:36.040 want to be connected to. And there's so many beautiful 0:12:36.120 --> 0:12:38.680 layers and American Dunes and it's you know, it's a 0:12:38.679 --> 0:12:42.640 public golf course, um, and we're so excited to you know, 0:12:42.800 --> 0:12:46.080 do our Hello world with American Dunes in in May 0:12:46.160 --> 0:12:48.679 of one, and I hope, I hope you will come 0:12:48.720 --> 0:12:51.400 and join us and uh and see this place next 0:12:51.480 --> 0:12:53.280 year and get out of the heat there in Arizona 0:12:53.280 --> 0:12:57.400 in the summer. I've looked at some pictures online, and 0:12:57.960 --> 0:13:00.560 you know, everybody that opens a new golf course loves 0:13:00.600 --> 0:13:02.480 to tout it, as they should, they should be very 0:13:02.480 --> 0:13:05.839 excited about it. But the pictures of this place, I mean, 0:13:05.880 --> 0:13:08.320 it looks next level day and this place looks like 0:13:08.480 --> 0:13:11.559 crazy good. It's it is, it is. I mean, it 0:13:11.800 --> 0:13:14.720 literally is crazy good. And you know Jack has you know, 0:13:14.880 --> 0:13:18.120 shared with me it's it's in the you know, in 0:13:18.160 --> 0:13:21.760 the absolute top sites that he's ever had the opportunity 0:13:21.800 --> 0:13:23.880 to be an architect on. And it's and it's really 0:13:24.520 --> 0:13:29.280 very unjacklike, um, really organic, and it's in the dunes, 0:13:29.440 --> 0:13:34.319 and um, it is just wildly special. And he is 0:13:34.360 --> 0:13:37.800 he's just done an incredible job up there. Yeah, it's 0:13:37.840 --> 0:13:40.280 it's excited to see it. I need to ask about 0:13:40.280 --> 0:13:43.120 Folds of Honor. I know you've you know, talked a 0:13:43.200 --> 0:13:45.760 million times about folds. You know, it's something you came 0:13:45.840 --> 0:13:49.680 up with. It is it is an American story, as 0:13:49.720 --> 0:13:53.760 I feel like so many American stories are these days. 0:13:53.800 --> 0:13:56.360 It's started in a garage. You know, you you you 0:13:56.440 --> 0:14:00.319 raised a million dollars your first year. You've improved lives 0:14:00.360 --> 0:14:02.720 and what you're doing. Can you just talk about that 0:14:02.840 --> 0:14:05.000 story of of you coming up with Folds of Honor 0:14:05.600 --> 0:14:07.960 and how you came up with it and where it 0:14:08.040 --> 0:14:10.760 is today in terms of what you guys are doing 0:14:10.800 --> 0:14:14.640 in two thousand twenty and beyond. Yeah, I mean, folds 0:14:14.760 --> 0:14:18.080 is It's my essence, right, um, it is. It's my 0:14:18.200 --> 0:14:21.360 calling from God. I have no doubt and my dream 0:14:21.360 --> 0:14:23.160 grown up, I'm gonna be a fighter pilot in golf 0:14:23.200 --> 0:14:25.520 pro And I had no idea. God was just putting 0:14:25.520 --> 0:14:28.720 those two things together in a unique way to to 0:14:28.840 --> 0:14:31.880 open this stilhor called Folds of Honor. And you, I 0:14:31.880 --> 0:14:34.160 mean you said that we started a vote garage, I 0:14:34.160 --> 0:14:37.880 mean with nothing thirteen years ago. And our mission I 0:14:37.920 --> 0:14:40.280 wrote it down and it was to honor the sacrifice 0:14:40.360 --> 0:14:45.000 by educating the legacy. So translated that scholarships to spouses 0:14:45.040 --> 0:14:47.400 and children who have had somebody killed or disabled defending 0:14:47.400 --> 0:14:50.480 our freedoms. You know, suffices to say, I've I've done 0:14:50.480 --> 0:14:53.160 three tours of duty in Iraq as an F sixteen 0:14:53.160 --> 0:14:57.080 pilot and I've seen firsthand and freedom may free UM 0:14:57.160 --> 0:15:00.080 and UH. I ended up back home actually going to 0:15:00.360 --> 0:15:03.640 Grand Haven Golf Club which is now American Dunes, and 0:15:03.760 --> 0:15:07.240 was on a commercial airline flight with Corporal Brad Bucklin 0:15:07.840 --> 0:15:11.440 who was bringing his identical twin brother, Corporal Brock Bucklin 0:15:11.520 --> 0:15:14.600 home and been killed in Iraq. And Brock had a 0:15:14.600 --> 0:15:16.560 four year old son, and I watched them on the 0:15:16.600 --> 0:15:20.080 tarmac um that night and literally felt God saying on 0:15:20.200 --> 0:15:22.000 my shoulder and said, hey, you need to help this 0:15:22.000 --> 0:15:25.960 this kid. And UM that has turned into now twenty 0:15:26.240 --> 0:15:30.120 thousand scholarships. We've awarded about a hundred and thirty million 0:15:30.160 --> 0:15:34.120 dollars and UH in the last thirteen years. And again 0:15:34.480 --> 0:15:37.720 when we talk about the deepest meaning in life is 0:15:37.760 --> 0:15:41.080 when something you love can manifest its way and makes 0:15:41.120 --> 0:15:44.560 a difference. And that is you know, my relationship with 0:15:44.560 --> 0:15:46.880 the game of golf and still are by far our 0:15:46.880 --> 0:15:51.040 biggest national fundraisers Patriot Golf Day over a Memorial Day weekend. 0:15:51.160 --> 0:15:53.080 We literally have a you know, a couple of million 0:15:53.160 --> 0:15:55.800 people tee it up. We asked him to donate at 0:15:55.840 --> 0:15:58.720 least an extra dollar when they play. We'd raised several 0:15:58.800 --> 0:16:02.000 million dollars thanks or a partnership with PG of America 0:16:02.480 --> 0:16:05.359 and the U. S g A on on that one. UM. 0:16:05.440 --> 0:16:09.080 But it's just it's just an awesome ministry. I mean, 0:16:09.160 --> 0:16:12.480 it really is taking care of these families, the children 0:16:12.480 --> 0:16:15.040 in the spouses. And you know, one thing that we 0:16:15.240 --> 0:16:17.120 really started to talk about this year that I've never 0:16:17.160 --> 0:16:20.640 had before, UM, based on you know what's happening in 0:16:22.680 --> 0:16:27.080 our recipients are minorities, and humble opinion of one with 0:16:27.160 --> 0:16:30.320 you know, all the racial injustice and inequality in this country, 0:16:30.360 --> 0:16:35.280 that education is um the only lasting bridge to equality 0:16:35.280 --> 0:16:38.400 in this country, and Folds is really proud to be 0:16:38.480 --> 0:16:42.280 doing something that's making a difference, not just you know, 0:16:42.360 --> 0:16:46.240 being piste off and angry, uh and doing things that 0:16:46.320 --> 0:16:50.760 aren't always that productive, but rather investing in the education 0:16:51.000 --> 0:16:54.560 of minority families so you know they can go live 0:16:54.600 --> 0:16:57.360 the American dream and contribute. We're going to take a 0:16:57.440 --> 0:17:12.280 quick break and be right back. When you first put 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:15.159 this together and you're you know, throwing ideas against the 0:17:15.200 --> 0:17:17.000 wall and trying to come up with ways to raise 0:17:17.040 --> 0:17:20.359 money and raise awareness, did you ever think golf would 0:17:20.400 --> 0:17:23.159 play this bigger role in what you're doing, because you 0:17:23.240 --> 0:17:25.520 already mentioned some of the players that you're good friends 0:17:25.560 --> 0:17:27.879 with that you know, wear it on their sleeve and 0:17:27.880 --> 0:17:30.679 and they're they're so proud to be associated with it. 0:17:31.000 --> 0:17:33.120 But you know, it's it's Patriot Golf Day, and it's 0:17:33.160 --> 0:17:35.280 it's these golf courses that donate money and all these 0:17:35.280 --> 0:17:39.680 players donating their time. Are you surprised how how impactful 0:17:39.720 --> 0:17:44.240 golf has been in and as you mentioned your ministry here, yeah, 0:17:44.520 --> 0:17:47.520 I think humbled is the word, right and and it 0:17:47.600 --> 0:17:51.800 is when you The only explanation for this, right, um, 0:17:52.000 --> 0:17:53.800 is that you know, when you're on the right path 0:17:53.920 --> 0:17:56.879 in your life, when you're aligned with where God wants you, 0:17:57.040 --> 0:18:01.399 there's extraordinary things that can happen. And this is you know, 0:18:01.480 --> 0:18:05.120 folds of honor. Is that the perfect terrible if you will, 0:18:05.240 --> 0:18:07.639 as an example for that. You know, I talk about 0:18:07.640 --> 0:18:09.920 it in the book, and you know it's a really 0:18:10.040 --> 0:18:13.320 key step that I challenge people in in the book. 0:18:13.480 --> 0:18:16.399 Fly into the wind is um. We call it in 0:18:16.400 --> 0:18:18.560 the Fighter pot World slow down to speed up. In 0:18:18.600 --> 0:18:23.000 the very first chapter, UM forces people to really look 0:18:23.000 --> 0:18:25.520 at their lives and be like, hey, am I where 0:18:25.560 --> 0:18:29.159 I want to be? Am I aligned? With what I 0:18:29.280 --> 0:18:32.159 should be doing, UM in my heart. And you know 0:18:32.240 --> 0:18:34.639 if you are you're not. You feel that unrest, you 0:18:34.680 --> 0:18:39.200 feel that uneasiness. That's God pushing you in a direction. 0:18:39.800 --> 0:18:42.159 But you've got to slow down enough and really be 0:18:42.280 --> 0:18:46.240 intentional about where you want to get to. UM. And 0:18:46.280 --> 0:18:50.080 then I identify that in your life. And as I said, unpacking, 0:18:50.359 --> 0:18:52.119 you know the rest of the lines of effort in 0:18:52.160 --> 0:18:54.800 the book. The thing that I love about the magic 0:18:54.920 --> 0:18:58.400 in there is they stack on one another to help 0:18:58.400 --> 0:19:02.040 you get to that place. UM. But again, so often 0:19:02.119 --> 0:19:05.680 life just happens, and UM, I'm just you know, when 0:19:05.680 --> 0:19:07.399 I feel it in my heart, I know where I 0:19:07.440 --> 0:19:09.440 want to go, and God put folds of honor in 0:19:09.520 --> 0:19:12.359 my heart. You know, all glory to Him for getting 0:19:12.359 --> 0:19:15.560 at where it is. UM. But you still, we've been, 0:19:15.600 --> 0:19:18.040 as we call it in our world, single target track. 0:19:18.119 --> 0:19:20.840 I mean every day, getting up at seven days a 0:19:20.840 --> 0:19:23.800 week and getting in the fight on behalf of these families. 0:19:24.560 --> 0:19:27.200 I'm gonna end it with a golf question, a topical 0:19:27.240 --> 0:19:30.040 golf question, Dan, So I'm excited to hear your thoughts 0:19:30.040 --> 0:19:32.960 on this. There's been one day night, there's been one 0:19:33.359 --> 0:19:37.240 player that has taken over the PGA Tour in two 0:19:37.240 --> 0:19:39.880 thousand twenty. I know here, you know I'm talking about here. 0:19:40.119 --> 0:19:42.359 It's been a guy that has transformed his body and 0:19:42.440 --> 0:19:46.200 is at a distance and muscle and it's Bryson's shambo. 0:19:47.160 --> 0:19:51.520 What is what have your thoughts been watching this transformation 0:19:52.040 --> 0:19:54.760 of a guy that not only has changed who he 0:19:54.960 --> 0:19:58.480 is in and around golf, but is now changing the 0:19:58.520 --> 0:20:01.600 way the best in world approach golf. I mean he's 0:20:01.760 --> 0:20:06.119 he's literally breaking golf. I think over the last eighteen months, 0:20:06.400 --> 0:20:08.439 how has it been for you watching what Bryson has 0:20:08.480 --> 0:20:11.240 been able to do? So it's awesome. So Bryson is 0:20:11.240 --> 0:20:15.119 a good buddy. Um a little moment of synchronicity that 0:20:15.200 --> 0:20:18.160 ties us together. So he won his first professional tournament 0:20:18.359 --> 0:20:21.520 tournament wearing Volition America, which is you know, the clothing 0:20:21.560 --> 0:20:23.880 brand that I designed, that Puma make and it gives 0:20:23.920 --> 0:20:27.600 back to folds. So we were connected there. But to 0:20:27.600 --> 0:20:31.919 to watch him and I love this is don't be 0:20:31.960 --> 0:20:35.600 a prisoner of common assumption in your life. And that's 0:20:36.240 --> 0:20:41.120 that is what I love. His his reckless um attitude 0:20:41.400 --> 0:20:45.640 toward conventional wisdom. And it is so easy to get 0:20:45.640 --> 0:20:48.320 boxed in by other people. So easy to get boxed 0:20:48.320 --> 0:20:51.960 in by yourself. And when someone comes in and just 0:20:52.160 --> 0:20:57.879 you know, smashes the glass, um and looks at things 0:20:58.000 --> 0:21:01.439 completely differently. I mean, it's just so exciting, right, and 0:21:01.480 --> 0:21:04.720 it transcends golf, right, What a lesson for all of 0:21:04.840 --> 0:21:09.160 us in every facet of our lives to evaluate what 0:21:09.200 --> 0:21:12.520 we're doing and what makes sense, what doesn't make sense, 0:21:12.600 --> 0:21:16.840 and don't be a prisoner of common assumption. Um, go 0:21:16.960 --> 0:21:20.480 blaze your own trail. And uh, it has just been 0:21:20.520 --> 0:21:24.560 awesome to watch him um do that and uh, yeah, 0:21:24.600 --> 0:21:28.080 he's he's the most creative guy I think to ever 0:21:28.760 --> 0:21:31.040 you know, play the game of golf. And that's crazy 0:21:31.080 --> 0:21:33.920