Speaker 1: You call the balls and strikes on yourself. In the game,
Speaker 1: you play the ball as it lies, just like you
Speaker 1: play the hand that you have been given in life.
Speaker 1: So I think there are fundamental things about this game that,
Speaker 1: when we embrace them, actually not only improves our golf game,
Speaker 1: but improves our lives. Put another log on the fire
Speaker 1: nobody hears give the time. Welcome back to the fire Pit.
Speaker 1: I'm Matt Janella, and on this episode of the Fire Drill,
Speaker 1: Michael Bamberger introduces you to the next President of the
Speaker 1: U s g A, who, along with leaders like Mike One,
Speaker 1: seems to be shepherding in a new brand of blue coats.
Speaker 1: And I'm guessing the game will be better because of
Speaker 1: them and what they set out to accomplish accessibility, diversity,
Speaker 1: and a true growth of the game. Before I turn
Speaker 1: it over to Michael and his special guests, we want
Speaker 1: to thank Dormy Workshop for making the next set of
Speaker 1: merchandise will be dropping this week on Firepit Collective dot com.
Speaker 1: We're lucky to have our logos on some of the
Speaker 1: Bishop Family's handmade leather goods such as head covers, stash bags,
Speaker 1: and glove caddies. Thanks to bag Boy for their support.
Speaker 1: Bag Boys Nitron Auto Open push Cart is the best
Speaker 1: in the business and for me, it's not close. And
Speaker 1: thanks to part points, our friends Brandon Ebert and Kevin
Speaker 1: Quinley have created an app that changes the way you
Speaker 1: can score the game, which is especially good for beginners, kids, families,
Speaker 1: and buddy strips. Looking for an alternate format. Download the
Speaker 1: app today and go make par Hi. This is Michael
Speaker 1: Barmberger with the fire Pit Collective. I'm here with my
Speaker 1: new buddy, Fred pur Paul. We live in Fred We
Speaker 1: live in a very politically correct age where you're not
Speaker 1: allowed to talk about how somebody looks, or how do
Speaker 1: they dress, or really anything personal. But we don't do
Speaker 1: the fire Pick Collective. So I'm just gonna tell one
Speaker 1: quick thing about sort of meeting you from afar and
Speaker 1: then actually meeting from you, and then I'm gonna turn
Speaker 1: this whole thing over to you. But here's how I
Speaker 1: saw Fred Paul November, and Fred, you correct me if
Speaker 1: I have any part of this wrong. November of twenty
Speaker 1: they had a master's Dustin Johnson won it, but there
Speaker 1: were no spectators there because of the COVID pandemic restrictions.
Speaker 1: But Fred was there, I don't know in what capacity.
Speaker 1: And I saw this man, a very tall, elegant, dark
Speaker 1: skinned man who dressed out of the Hogan playbook, and um,
Speaker 1: I was like, who is this guy? And uh, and
Speaker 1: the Master's being the Masters in that particular years, Masters
Speaker 1: being a special one because there were so few people there.
Speaker 1: I kept seeing Fred over and over and over again,
Speaker 1: and then we started conversation and turned out that Fred
Speaker 1: was really into golf and I'm really into golf. So
Speaker 1: we sort of hit it off that way. But I
Speaker 1: didn't know much about Fred's life. I knew he was
Speaker 1: an architect in Dallas. I am going to turn this
Speaker 1: over to Fred, I promise in a minute. Here. I
Speaker 1: knew he was an architect and a and a builder
Speaker 1: and very active in construction in design in Dallas, but
Speaker 1: beyond that, he really didn't do anything. Then I'm into
Speaker 1: Fred at at the p h A Championship at at
Speaker 1: Southern Hills and Fred tells me he's gonna be the
Speaker 1: next president of the U s g A. And I
Speaker 1: followed golf closely, but somehow I did not know that fact.
Speaker 1: So like I was like, wow, I really should know
Speaker 1: I should know more about Fred, and then we've had
Speaker 1: a series of great conversation that I'm going to write
Speaker 1: about Fred for the fire Pit Collective of that length,
Speaker 1: but we're gonna use this as a truncated version to
Speaker 1: introduce Fred to UH, to our readers and our listeners.
Speaker 1: So Fred, thank you so much. Fred. To get any
Speaker 1: part of that introduction wrong, Michael, that's true, and it's
Speaker 1: great to be with you today and great to be
Speaker 1: with your listeners. Well, that's great, Fred. I'm gonna start
Speaker 1: with the most shocking thing of all. Tell the people
Speaker 1: when you begin when you began playing golf. Well, Michael,
Speaker 1: I hope we'll have a fun time today. And uh,
Speaker 1: you know, I think part of my story that I think,
Speaker 1: you know, it's pretty interesting. I've been golfing for just
Speaker 1: under ten years, and uh, I moved to Dallas in January,
Speaker 1: and I picked up golf and m mostly because I
Speaker 1: am an addict to competition. I love sports and I
Speaker 1: love nature and my basketball career, you know, I like
Speaker 1: to say basketball had left me and I was looking
Speaker 1: for something you to challenge myself with, but also to connect.
Speaker 1: And so I've been playing golf right around ten years,
Speaker 1: and I should probably say at this point that Fred
Speaker 1: will be the first U s J president who has
Speaker 1: played on a national basketball team. I feel quite secure
Speaker 1: in saying that. And although there have been tall U
Speaker 1: s J presidents before Sandy Tatum, I'm six one, he
Speaker 1: towered over me. Um Bill Campbell in his late eighties
Speaker 1: towered over me. Uh, but Fred really towers or me? Fred?
Speaker 1: What are you about? Six five or six six? Yeah,
Speaker 1: I'm right right around six six and a quarter. You know,
Speaker 1: I feel like I'm shrinking every day given all these responsibilities.
Speaker 1: But yeah, I think, by the way, Walter Driver is
Speaker 1: pretty tall too. So you know, you know who's hold
Speaker 1: between you and Walter. I think I've got them just
Speaker 1: by a submission. So now, Walter is an Atlanta guy
Speaker 1: and Fred, you're an Atlantic guy. In a manner speaking,
Speaker 1: you're Behamon. You moved to Atlanta, um with with Beck
Speaker 1: the company that you worked for now and uh, and
Speaker 1: you were playing a lot of basketball in Atlanta as
Speaker 1: a as a young father. And then tell us how
Speaker 1: you got into golf when you moved to Dallas. Yeah.
Speaker 1: You know, what's what's interesting was in Atlanta I had
Speaker 1: a very you know, um, you know, sort of defying
Speaker 1: group of friends mostly in the real estate business. We
Speaker 1: played a lot of pickup basketball. We had this wonderful
Speaker 1: club sports club that we all played at. And one
Speaker 1: of things I credit with my golf life is moving
Speaker 1: from Atlanta to Dallas to assume new, you know, business responsibilities.
Speaker 1: It really left me open for new groups and new friendships.
Speaker 1: My family and I we wanted a club, you know,
Speaker 1: really for privacy, an intimacy, to be able to you know,
Speaker 1: connect with folks since we were sort of a replant
Speaker 1: back to Dallas, and I joined Northwood Club, which was
Speaker 1: actually the host of the nineteen u s Open. Great
Speaker 1: group of people. Um. We connected immediately with a lot
Speaker 1: of good friends there, But I was not really golfing
Speaker 1: at the time, and I recognized, as much as I
Speaker 1: love the nineteenth old that the guys were actually having
Speaker 1: much more fun out on the golf course, and it
Speaker 1: got me really curious about golf and so, um, you know,
Speaker 1: I credit all my friends at Northwood for really attracting
Speaker 1: me into the game, for encouraging me to play. Um,
Speaker 1: even when I was sort of brand new and really
Speaker 1: really uh you know, sort of not up to playing
Speaker 1: at that caliber. They always made room for me. And
Speaker 1: that's the thing I think we love about golf. It's
Speaker 1: you know, at our core, you know, you know, golf
Speaker 1: is very inclusive game. And I hope, you know, I
Speaker 1: hope as we keep building and all the work we're
Speaker 1: doing in the U. S g as well as all
Speaker 1: the other leaders in golf, that we keep demonstrating the
Speaker 1: inclusive nature of golf and the availability um now more
Speaker 1: than ever. Well, Fred, that's well said, and that's that's
Speaker 1: one of the reasons I'm so excited to get to
Speaker 1: know you and to write about you and introduce you
Speaker 1: to UH to a broader golf audience. UM. And I'm
Speaker 1: going to introduce the subject here that I know is
Speaker 1: dear to you. Here you are having only taken up
Speaker 1: golf nine years ago. Now, of course this is exceptional,
Speaker 1: and now you're gonna become the next president of the U. S.
Speaker 1: G A. But what I'd love to hear you talk
Speaker 1: about is the fact that this game seems like it's
Speaker 1: intimidating to start in and and maybe it is. And
Speaker 1: I'm wondering to what degree is it part of your
Speaker 1: agenda to make golf more welcoming to more people, And
Speaker 1: how can you actually do that. Yeah, Well, look, golf
Speaker 1: has been great to me. I mean in one way.
Speaker 1: You know, for me, it's it's very humbling to have
Speaker 1: the opportunity to serve and to give back to the game,
Speaker 1: because it really has given me a life, you know,
Speaker 1: a quality of life that you know, I frankly didn't
Speaker 1: know existed. And from the outside, golf is very intimidating,
Speaker 1: I would tell you, you you know, particularly as an African
Speaker 1: American man, you know, I didn't see a lot of
Speaker 1: my golf you know, a lot of myself in the
Speaker 1: elite golf environments. And you know, I think, um, in reality,
Speaker 1: what seems so intimidating from the outside was so welcoming inside.
Speaker 1: And I think making that first step is probably the
Speaker 1: challenge many people haven't, particularly in the green grass world
Speaker 1: of golf. Uh, to to get into an environment. I
Speaker 1: like to joke, golf is like our own religion. You know,
Speaker 1: We've got we've got our own Bible. You know, we've
Speaker 1: got our own sort of dress. You know, we've got
Speaker 1: our own language and all those things, particularly for people
Speaker 1: who have not grown up around the game. Over the
Speaker 1: means to play the game, it's it's entirely intimidating from
Speaker 1: the outside um and yet I have found the experience
Speaker 1: to be the exact opposite on the inside. Some of
Speaker 1: my best friends in life are my golf buddies. I've
Speaker 1: got great mentors in the game of golf, which is
Speaker 1: how I got to this spot. And so for for us,
Speaker 1: all of these people who have come to the game
Speaker 1: during COVID, we need to do that all that we
Speaker 1: can to let them know that there is room for
Speaker 1: this game and for them in this game, and that
Speaker 1: they are absolutely welcomed. And I love the notion of
Speaker 1: you know, top Golf and some of these you know
Speaker 1: sort of what I call virtual golf environments that are
Speaker 1: allowing people to experiment with the game, to be introduced
Speaker 1: to the game in a less formally intimidating environment. And
Speaker 1: I think those of us in the more structured game
Speaker 1: of golf need to make sure that we fling the
Speaker 1: doors wide open, so all of these folks who have
Speaker 1: showed up in the last two years during COVID, that
Speaker 1: have experimented with the game know that there's absolutely room
Speaker 1: in this game for them, and so that you know,
Speaker 1: that's something I think we can have a lot of
Speaker 1: fun with Fred. What would you like to see the
Speaker 1: U s g A do under your leaders to make
Speaker 1: golf more inviting to more people. Yeah, look, I think
Speaker 1: you know, today now more than ever, people are looking
Speaker 1: and wondering whether we actually want them in the game.
Speaker 1: And I think the U. S g A we have
Speaker 1: to continue to reach our arms out. I would like
Speaker 1: to see us invest more deeply in youth play at
Speaker 1: both the elite level and the recreational level. I think
Speaker 1: we've got to make bigger investments in accessibility, you know,
Speaker 1: investing in um you know, sort of maybe refurbishing courses,
Speaker 1: Youth on courses, a program I love that actually allows
Speaker 1: young people to actually play golf for very low fee.
Speaker 1: We've got to find the programs that are growing the game,
Speaker 1: kind of like we have done with drive Chip and
Speaker 1: put along with with our other partners, and we've got
Speaker 1: to invest more deeply in these games. But we also
Speaker 1: have to make golf less intimidating. You know. I would
Speaker 1: like to see us have more programs to explain the game,
Speaker 1: more opportunities for folks and you know, underserved community used
Speaker 1: to interact with the game to introduce it as a curriculum.
Speaker 1: Perhaps in schools um to triple down on the first team.
Speaker 1: So I think there's a it's there's not one magic
Speaker 1: button here to be pressed. But look, Michael, we know
Speaker 1: one thing that there's not an interest problem in the
Speaker 1: game of golf. There's an accessibility problem. And that accessibility
Speaker 1: is directly related to the cost. So we need to,
Speaker 1: you know, sort of not only give our time, but
Speaker 1: we need to figure out how to give more of
Speaker 1: our treasure to reduce the barriers to entry and to
Speaker 1: allow more people in. And I'm proud of the work
Speaker 1: we're already doing, but I hope under you know, so
Speaker 1: of the next three years, as we have our new
Speaker 1: CEO Mike Juan and a really a new capable team
Speaker 1: on the management team, that we spend more time, more
Speaker 1: dollars actually opening that accessibility out. Very good, Fred, The
Speaker 1: the U s Open is being played this week. You've
Speaker 1: been to the country club. What what do you expect
Speaker 1: we'll see this week at the country club? Well, I
Speaker 1: think you should expect a classic US Open, you know,
Speaker 1: sort of very now fair fairways that are firm and fast, Uh,
Speaker 1: you know, greens that are challenging. Um rough that is
Speaker 1: think um, you know, we we we want to identify
Speaker 1: the best as Sandy Tatums, they to identify the best
Speaker 1: players in the game, and we want to make sure
Speaker 1: that we have an attractive environment for our fans. And
Speaker 1: so I'm very excited. You know, in many ways, Um
Speaker 1: this uh you know, Brookline really is, you know, a
Speaker 1: trampoline for American golf. You know, Francis women winning winning
Speaker 1: the US Open there um is a story we love
Speaker 1: to tell. Obviously he would later go on to become
Speaker 1: a key figure in the U. S g A. But
Speaker 1: as a twenty year old winning the US Open as
Speaker 1: a person of regular means who caddied at Brookline to
Speaker 1: introduce golf to more regular Americans, to let them know
Speaker 1: that it was a game for them, Like Wow, what
Speaker 1: a gift, you know. And you know, we like to
Speaker 1: say the U. S g A. You can't buy history,
Speaker 1: you can only earn it. And given where we are
Speaker 1: right now, this inflection point with more regular people coming
Speaker 1: into the game, you know, we think it's wonderful symmetry.
Speaker 1: And so we're so excited about Brookline. We're excited about
Speaker 1: next week's US Open, and uh, you know, we hope,
Speaker 1: we hope we will again identify the best player in
Speaker 1: the game. We think that's what special about a US Open. Fred.
Speaker 1: You you mean you know so much golf history and
Speaker 1: you've picked up so much in such a short amount
Speaker 1: of time. You may know this good bit, but you
Speaker 1: may not. But I'll I'll share just for any of
Speaker 1: our listeners who haven't. So the nine US Open was
Speaker 1: at Wingfoot the previous year, Um, Johnny Millard shot a
Speaker 1: sixty three in the closing round at UH at Oakmont
Speaker 1: and all of golf and this is just when I
Speaker 1: was getting into golf, and all of golf was like, Oh,
Speaker 1: they're going to kill the guys this week, and they did.
Speaker 1: Wingfot was it was was a monster and UH and
Speaker 1: Sandy Tatum was then your job right now, Fred, tell
Speaker 1: me the formal name of your job right now, Chairman
Speaker 1: of Competitions Committee. Well, yeah, I'm the chairman of the
Speaker 1: U s g A Championships many right now. Yeah, So
Speaker 1: I think that's what Tatum's job was then, prior to
Speaker 1: become president and UH. And in Tatum's court at the time,
Speaker 1: what Tatum's Sandy Tatum's quote at the at the time was,
Speaker 1: we're not trying to embarrass the best golfers in the world.
Speaker 1: We're trying to identify them, and uh it's lived on. Uh.
Speaker 1: Ever since Fred you were talking about Francis we met before.
Speaker 1: Have you ever seen that photograph of we met in
Speaker 1: Eddie Lowry his ten year old caddy together. Um, how
Speaker 1: about the cocky strut of that ten year old Eddie
Speaker 1: Lowry with that little tie and that little um pork
Speaker 1: pie hat that he's wearing. Yeah, and he'd going to
Speaker 1: be a fantastic player himself, right, I mean, I think
Speaker 1: that's the great part of this this game. You know,
Speaker 1: we've had traditions, generation after generation of Americans of regular
Speaker 1: means being integrated into the game. Now more than ever,
Speaker 1: we want to see all Americans have access to this game.
Speaker 1: And so I love to go back to the Francis
Speaker 1: we met us open because you know that, to me
Speaker 1: is a story that all Americans and by the way,
Speaker 1: it reflects the beauty of America. Right, That's why we
Speaker 1: enjoy being American. That there is something aspirational about being American.
Speaker 1: And I always say in the game of golf, like
Speaker 1: for me, it's not about dumbing this game down. Uh.
Speaker 1: For for for regular people, it's about giving them something
Speaker 1: to aspire to, and for me, that's what golf has been. Truly,
Speaker 1: it's been aspirational and it's been inspirational, and hopefully our
Speaker 1: championships that's what we're doing. We're inspiring people to join
Speaker 1: with us in this culture and this beautiful game of golf.
Speaker 1: You know, that's a very interesting comment, Fred, and I
Speaker 1: read a lot into it when you say that that
Speaker 1: golf is aspirational. Um, you and I love golf, and
Speaker 1: we like and we know it can improve lives. It's
Speaker 1: improved your life, it's improved my life. But it's not
Speaker 1: for everybody. And if you dumb golf down too much
Speaker 1: by trying to make it accessible to everybody or interesting
Speaker 1: to everybody, actually can lose the thing that makes golf
Speaker 1: special in the first place. It's a slow, contemplative, difficult
Speaker 1: game like bridges and and and and other activities. Um,
Speaker 1: do you think it's important that golf continue to embrace
Speaker 1: those basic DNA facts about the game. I absolutely believe
Speaker 1: it is fundamental. I mean, you know, as a young
Speaker 1: kid growing up in a tough environment, I always went
Speaker 1: to church and I looked at, you know, the folks
Speaker 1: in business that was successful. I wanted to understand, you know,
Speaker 1: how they were achieving their success. I looked at my
Speaker 1: parents and how hard they work. Everything in life worth having, Michael,
Speaker 1: is worth working hard for. To have a good golf game,
Speaker 1: you have to work hard at it. There's a symmetry
Speaker 1: in life. You know, a composition, your character. How does
Speaker 1: one actually practice developing character? You know? I think you
Speaker 1: know highly accomplished people love golf because it is something
Speaker 1: that is difficult to conquer, that may it may be unconquerable.
Speaker 1: These are traits that are wonderful for young people to learn,
Speaker 1: how to interact with adults, to learn what character and
Speaker 1: integrity actually looks like up close. You call the balls
Speaker 1: and strikes on yourself in the game. You play the
Speaker 1: ball as it lies, just like you play the hand
Speaker 1: that you have been given in life. So I think
Speaker 1: there are fundamental things about this game that, when we
Speaker 1: embrace them, actually not only improves our golf game, but
Speaker 1: improves our lives. And we should make sure that we
Speaker 1: keep telling that story so that we are not forced
Speaker 1: to dump ourselves down. I believe etiquette is an important
Speaker 1: part of golf. I love taking my sixteen year old
Speaker 1: to the course, and I don't want her to behave
Speaker 1: you know, like she's at a you know, jungle gym.
Speaker 1: I want her to learn how to conduct herself in
Speaker 1: a manner that is dignified and elegant and controlled, because
Speaker 1: those are also characteristics that will be helpful later in life.
Speaker 1: And so and that's not saying that we shouldn't be welcoming,
Speaker 1: but somehow we've got to be yes and people. Yes,
Speaker 1: we want to be welcoming, and we want to explain
Speaker 1: people all of these values and virtues that we find
Speaker 1: so there and they're in the game. Well, Fred, amen
Speaker 1: to all of that. But what a guy shows up.
Speaker 1: He's got you know, a sleeve of tattoos, he's got
Speaker 1: his shirt tails out. Uh, you know, he's not the
Speaker 1: characteristic golfer that we think that that we think of
Speaker 1: when we think about club golf. Um, should golf be
Speaker 1: welcoming to that person? Or should we expect that person
Speaker 1: to conform to standards? And Morey's of a different period.
Speaker 1: What what's what's you're feeling about that? Well? I think
Speaker 1: we've gotta have environments for both. Right, We've got to
Speaker 1: have environments for ungolfed people to welcome them in, right,
Speaker 1: Because before before you start sermonizing to people, they have
Speaker 1: to know that you actually are interested in them, not
Speaker 1: just trying to be interesting to them. They got to
Speaker 1: know that you want them there. So I think there
Speaker 1: needs to be environments that are completely casual where people
Speaker 1: can have fun with the game. You know, at my
Speaker 1: home course, Trinity Force, we have this little short course
Speaker 1: where you can go over and drive scooters and have
Speaker 1: a few drinks and really listen to your music and
Speaker 1: have a good time. And and that's a way for
Speaker 1: us to you know, actually attract people into the culture
Speaker 1: of the game and the club. And then there are
Speaker 1: gonna be formal, uh, you know, environments where golf is
Speaker 1: more structured. So I think we have to have both.
Speaker 1: But absolutely the young man who's untucked and has a
Speaker 1: very casual disposition, we need to find ways to attract
Speaker 1: and to connect. And then once we connect and we
Speaker 1: build these relationships, we need to then use the relationships
Speaker 1: to explain why one ought to go on the journey
Speaker 1: of formality. Uh. There is, uh, you know, a role
Speaker 1: for that in your life. And I have just found,
Speaker 1: you know, with my work with young people, that golf
Speaker 1: has given me this wonderful gift to explain to young men,
Speaker 1: particularly young men of color, why it's important to have
Speaker 1: good decorum, why it's important to be properly groomed, why
Speaker 1: you want your container to match your character so that
Speaker 1: people are not judging you harshly from the outside based
Speaker 1: on our parents. And so I think we can use
Speaker 1: this gift to kind of continue to have the kind
Speaker 1: of relationships across our communities that we want so that
Speaker 1: we can lean into each other. And Michael, as you know,
Speaker 1: like we're not going to have the country we want
Speaker 1: until we're all in with each other. That's what I
Speaker 1: love about golf. It gives you this wonderful platform, this
Speaker 1: wonderful framework where people can spend time with each other,
Speaker 1: and you know, people that get to know each other
Speaker 1: can learn to trust each other, and people that trust
Speaker 1: each other can do well together. And certainly for me,
Speaker 1: that's being a wonderful, you know, tool in life for me,
Speaker 1: both with my mentors, people who I am learning from,
Speaker 1: and then also finding time with young men and young
Speaker 1: women that I actually want to be mentors too. And
Speaker 1: so you know, I feel like no one should be
Speaker 1: excluded based on how they look. But that doesn't mean
Speaker 1: that we sort of dumb down and leave it right there.
Speaker 1: You know, what a gift we all have to share
Speaker 1: what has been successful for us, and what a gift
Speaker 1: we have to have this proximity so that we can
Speaker 1: learn from others. And I think, look, that's what I
Speaker 1: love about golf. That's beautifully said Fred. Um. You and
Speaker 1: I are both at Marrying right now where the Curtis
Speaker 1: Cups being played. Across the pond, there's another tournament being played,
Speaker 1: the first of the live events. Uh, you talked about golf.
Speaker 1: Is you earn your way in golf? It's hard. It
Speaker 1: takes a lot of work to get you know, even
Speaker 1: semi competent golf. That live event is invitational, US Open
Speaker 1: is an open championship. Everybody who's in the field has
Speaker 1: earned their way in Um, can you talk about the
Speaker 1: juxtaposition going from this live event with the taxi cabs
Speaker 1: on the golf course and the jets of flying overhead
Speaker 1: in the shotgun star fifty four holes, no cut, and
Speaker 1: what we're gonna have this week at at the country club. Michael,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna boy going into you know, all of the
Speaker 1: dramatics and professional golf right now. I'm gonna I'm gonna
Speaker 1: stay passionate and focus on this week's amateur golf that
Speaker 1: we're putting on at the Curtis Cup. Today. You know,
Speaker 1: I got to watch our American team tee off from
Speaker 1: the patio at Marion. Uh. There's no more special place
Speaker 1: in golf than sitting on the patio at Marion having
Speaker 1: coffee and watching this wonderful American team compete. With this
Speaker 1: you know, great Britain and Ireland team. You can almost
Speaker 1: see the cultures of the two Uh, you know, countries
Speaker 1: at locales coming out. Of course. Uh, we are the
Speaker 1: United States Golf Association, so I'm a little biased here.
Speaker 1: But our team UM is beautiful young women. UM, it's multicultural. Uh,
Speaker 1: it's athletic. You can see the way these ladies have
Speaker 1: respect for each other across the team. The women UM
Speaker 1: just playing extraordinary golf on one of the greatest environments
Speaker 1: in golf. Like That's what we want to do at
Speaker 1: the U S g A. We want to continue, you know, one,
Speaker 1: open up opportunities for everyone so that the women play
Speaker 1: on the same caliber venues that the men do. Uh too,
Speaker 1: we want to showcase that there is beauty in our
Speaker 1: diversity and that there that you can also be proud
Speaker 1: of where you came from and be proud of where
Speaker 1: you're going. And so today you know, UM, you know,
Speaker 1: I want to give the women there do uh and
Speaker 1: and focus on the Curtis Cup next week at Brookline.
Speaker 1: You know, our job is to conduct the most open
Speaker 1: championship in golf. You earn your way in and that
Speaker 1: is uh, that's been fundamental to who we've been. And
Speaker 1: I think you're gonna see the best uh men in
Speaker 1: golf take on one of the classic cathedrals of the
Speaker 1: game and uh and compete for a US Open Championship.
Speaker 1: It's the most difficult one to win. We we believe
Speaker 1: you've got a dirty every club in your big this
Speaker 1: you know, it's going to test every aspect of your
Speaker 1: golf game. And UH, what a gift, you know, what
Speaker 1: a gift we we get to be approximate to this
Speaker 1: and uh and hopefully your audience has tuned into both. Um.
Speaker 1: So UH, that's I'm gonna leave it at that, relative
Speaker 1: to where we're at in the world of golf today
Speaker 1: on that basis, and I'm not even gonna ask you
Speaker 1: about Donald Trump and his in his role in golf
Speaker 1: because I think I know where that question would go. Um,
Speaker 1: who are some of the US Open winners you've met
Speaker 1: over the years, and and what kind of impression have
Speaker 1: they made on you? You know, UM, one of the things,
Speaker 1: Michael I. You know, it's interesting because when when I
Speaker 1: was nominated as President elect, ran Jaris, who was a
Speaker 1: great friend of mine at the U s J, sent
Speaker 1: me all these facts about um, you know, my presidency
Speaker 1: and all my impending presidency, and it was very humbling.
Speaker 1: In fact, I will tell you multiple times I choked
Speaker 1: up in that first week just talking to my wife Abby.
Speaker 1: You know, we've had this great journey together and I'm
Speaker 1: I'm so you know, appreciative of all that she's meant
Speaker 1: to support me, and not only my career but also
Speaker 1: in my passions and and it was very emotional, you know,
Speaker 1: to learn one I would be one of the youngest
Speaker 1: not we've had, you know, five or six younger than
Speaker 1: I am. Um, i'd be the first African American. I'm
Speaker 1: very proud of that because I want people of color
Speaker 1: to know that this game is beautiful and it's available
Speaker 1: to all of us. It always has been. Actually, the
Speaker 1: first professional golfer born in the United States was African American,
Speaker 1: you know, so this has always been a game open
Speaker 1: to all of us, and we full throw it on that.
Speaker 1: But one of the things I love is Michael I
Speaker 1: will be the first gen X president of the U
Speaker 1: s g A. And I find that a wonderful bridge
Speaker 1: between these boomers who have been my mentors in the
Speaker 1: game and these millennials coming up behind us. And uh,
Speaker 1: you know, I've I've enjoyed getting to know John rom
Speaker 1: and being able to play, uh you know, and and
Speaker 1: and watch him and and actually help hand him his
Speaker 1: trophy last year. That was very inspirational the way he
Speaker 1: brought it home. Bryson Deshambo is a Dallas guy, and uh,
Speaker 1: you know, we've gotten to know each other over the years.
Speaker 1: I'm fascinated with, you know, the way he's approaching the
Speaker 1: game and trying to make changes and and so you know,
Speaker 1: Justin Rose, uh you know, we we have a club
Speaker 1: in common. And of course he won his championship here
Speaker 1: at Marion and you only have to take two steps
Speaker 1: in the door and see that. And of course Justin
Speaker 1: and my view has one of the most beautiful swings
Speaker 1: and golf. So you know, I've been very fortunate, you know,
Speaker 1: to participate both in the formal game of golf and
Speaker 1: the informal But I'm also thinking about the special opportunity
Speaker 1: as a gen X or as someone straddling these two generations,
Speaker 1: to be that bridge and to connect, you know, with
Speaker 1: with my mentors who are more seasoned than I am,
Speaker 1: but also to you know, reach arms out and to
Speaker 1: be in communication with the younger elite players coming along
Speaker 1: and so that we have more relatability as well. So
Speaker 1: what a gift and what an opportunity. Could you ever
Speaker 1: imagine a game where um, Bryce Bryson de Shambo plays
Speaker 1: with a different golf ball or equipment with that UH
Speaker 1: has different standards, UH then regular Joe golfers. Do you
Speaker 1: think that would be a good thing for the game.
Speaker 1: Could you ever imagine that happening? Well, Michael, it's a
Speaker 1: multi know, it's it's a very complicated issue. UM. We
Speaker 1: have been along with the r n A, we have
Speaker 1: not been um shy about our investigating distance and its
Speaker 1: impact on the game overall. You can actually go onto
Speaker 1: the U s g AS website and we have a
Speaker 1: distance Insight project where you can download if you're reading
Speaker 1: buff But we also have short had to tell you
Speaker 1: what we're exploring. And we know that, um, the distance
Speaker 1: that elite players are hitting the ball is becoming an
Speaker 1: issue in terms of the sustainability, the affordability and the
Speaker 1: access to golf, and that's something that we want to address.
Speaker 1: We're looking at this really in two forms. One we're
Speaker 1: looking at you know, the driver and it's impact on
Speaker 1: the game, and we're also studying the golf ball. And
Speaker 1: we've we've been pretty um, you know, transparent about what
Speaker 1: we're studying and why. Um. In terms of solutions, I
Speaker 1: would say suffice to say, we have to do something,
Speaker 1: and you know, we want to be collaborative in what
Speaker 1: we're doing. So we're spending time with all the equip
Speaker 1: equipment manufacturers. I was, uh, you know, visiting with one
Speaker 1: or two uh earlier in the sorry, late last summer,
Speaker 1: and I'll be visiting with a few others along with
Speaker 1: other members of the executive committee and the management team.
Speaker 1: And really the management team is taking the lead on this,
Speaker 1: along with the R and A. But you know, there's
Speaker 1: no question we have to address this issue. And one
Speaker 1: could argue that we've waited maybe a little too long,
Speaker 1: and so I won't talk specific solutions now, but I
Speaker 1: do think, um, the recreational player does not have an
Speaker 1: issue with how far they hit the ball. In fact,
Speaker 1: one could argue, we need a two pronged solution. We
Speaker 1: need we need a solution that makes it easier and
Speaker 1: somewhat more forgiven for the recreational player, while also, you know,
Speaker 1: addressing how far the elite player hits the ball. Because
Speaker 1: all of us have been who love golf, have been
Speaker 1: to golf courses that have forty yards of teeing area
Speaker 1: or maybe in some cases sixty yards. A hundred yards
Speaker 1: of teeing arerors that no one other than zero point
Speaker 1: one percent of golfers used, and yet that's embedding more
Speaker 1: costs in the game, and it is completely in conflict
Speaker 1: with our desire to attract more people to the game
Speaker 1: because it's making the game more expensive, less sustainable, and
Speaker 1: increasing that hurdle. And so you can expect that this
Speaker 1: is an issue that the U s g A, along
Speaker 1: with the RNA, our our governing bodies, are paying very
Speaker 1: close attention to. We're being very collaborative with how we
Speaker 1: work with the equipment manufacturers and all other stakeholders, and uh,
Speaker 1: you know, I think we have to keep all the
Speaker 1: solutions on the table in order to get this right.
Speaker 1: One of the reasons I'm excited about your ascendency to
Speaker 1: the president and see is it's been a long time
Speaker 1: since the U. S g A has had a representative
Speaker 1: who can really speak to a broad population. And the
Speaker 1: person I'm speaking of his is Arnold Palmer, and Arnold
Speaker 1: and the U s A had a sort of falling
Speaker 1: out that's too complicated going to at this point, Um,
Speaker 1: but it definitely related to that too prong approach that
Speaker 1: you were speaking of. Uh. So it's interesting to hear you.
Speaker 1: Uh you mentioned that. Uh, that too prong approach is
Speaker 1: something a lot of US J officials have been actually
Speaker 1: scared to tep and talk about. It will be interesting
Speaker 1: to see, uh where you go with that. Um, Fred,
Speaker 1: let me leave you with this, Um, your go ahead
Speaker 1: for it. Yeah. And one thing I don't you know,
Speaker 1: we haven't solved the problem yet, but I'm saying we've
Speaker 1: got to be willing to think about these two constituencies
Speaker 1: and think about the separate needs of both. And I'm
Speaker 1: not saying that, you know, the bifurcation word is a
Speaker 1: word that we intentionally avoid and I'm not telling you
Speaker 1: that that you know, sort of we are going to bifurca,
Speaker 1: but what I'm saying is now more than ever, and
Speaker 1: we put it, we put it in our distance. Inside report,
Speaker 1: we are thinking about these two different constituencies and so
Speaker 1: again no, no solutions, and we certainly don't don't see
Speaker 1: ourselves segmenting the game in any dramatic way, but we
Speaker 1: are thinking about solutions that might allow us to be
Speaker 1: yes and people. Yes. We want to curtail distance and
Speaker 1: we want to make the game more forgiving for the
Speaker 1: recreational player, and we're trying to find the elegant balance
Speaker 1: between the two. So more is more develops, But I
Speaker 1: just don't want to give the impression that we've solved
Speaker 1: the issue. One of the things, Michael, I have to
Speaker 1: also add in here. We're trying to do it in
Speaker 1: a very collaborative way, and we've always had a process
Speaker 1: to do this, but I think today we're just really
Speaker 1: being more full throated about how we go about it,
Speaker 1: and hopefully all of our other stakeholders will feel that
Speaker 1: they've been heard and they've had the opportunity to weigh in.
Speaker 1: But I uh from having played this game a long time,
Speaker 1: and having played a fair amount of public golf, I
Speaker 1: have apps loot proof that there is bifurcation in the game,
Speaker 1: and it shows up every time somebody hits the ball
Speaker 1: out of bounds, and they do what every sensible person is.
Speaker 1: They just drop it where it went out of bounds
Speaker 1: and out of shot. They have figured out the USG
Speaker 1: rules better than the US J in my humble, in
Speaker 1: my opinion. Um, all right, Fred, let me leave you
Speaker 1: with this. I know you're a very good athlete, and
Speaker 1: we've talked about this before. A good athletes game shows
Speaker 1: up surprisingly more in short game than long game. Uh.
Speaker 1: You know, pitching and chipping and putting and bunker play
Speaker 1: was that's really where you see the I hand coordination. Uh.
Speaker 1: But that's a preamble to the following question. Can you remember,
Speaker 1: because this relates to what a lot of people aspire
Speaker 1: to do, no matter where they dropped the ball when
Speaker 1: it went out of bounds, can you remember breaking a
Speaker 1: hundred for the first time? What was that like for you?
Speaker 1: I remember distinctly breaking a hundred. Uh, you know, the
Speaker 1: first time I actually added them all up and broke
Speaker 1: a hundred, I was actually by myself, so I know, Uh, coincidentally,
Speaker 1: I'm counting it. Fred, I couldn't post this round. But
Speaker 1: I remember distinctly the first time I broke a hundred.
Speaker 1: It was I shot at ninety two, which I had
Speaker 1: never gotten close to that, and surprisingly, I just kept
Speaker 1: the ball in play and uh. And it actually was
Speaker 1: a new awareness that instead of you know, because look
Speaker 1: I'm six foot six and a half, I struggled with
Speaker 1: the driver. I think golf is very challenging for tall folks.
Speaker 1: There's so much that can go wrong. Number two, I
Speaker 1: think basketball players have an instinct problem when it comes
Speaker 1: to golf, like we want to go, you know, very
Speaker 1: quick at everything, and you know, so smoothness is sometimes
Speaker 1: a challenge and that shows up in your longer clubs. Um.
Speaker 1: But I do remember the first time I broke a
Speaker 1: hundred at Northwood, and then I went back out with
Speaker 1: my buddies that weekend and again shot at ninety two,
Speaker 1: and so it was you know that to me, that
Speaker 1: was a bantus occasion. I remember breaking ninety for the
Speaker 1: first time. Uh. And I also remember breaking eighty for
Speaker 1: the first time, and so, you know, look, I would
Speaker 1: say one thing, Michael one Um my mentors in the game,
Speaker 1: you know, really the guys that that you know, I've
Speaker 1: grown up within the game, guys like Jonas Wood since
Speaker 1: Chipman at Training Force. They've made room for me too.
Speaker 1: They are much better players, and yet they've brought me
Speaker 1: along the last six years to every golf trip, to
Speaker 1: every four ball match. Uh. They have just made it
Speaker 1: very comfortable for me to keep improving. And while we
Speaker 1: joke and and sort of rag each other every weekend, uh,
Speaker 1: they also have made very confirmational in terms of the
Speaker 1: improvements made. And I think if everyone can find their
Speaker 1: little tribe where they learn, spend time together, enjoy, you know,
Speaker 1: and you know, I have to give a shout out
Speaker 1: to all my buddies data South Florida, you know, like, uh,
Speaker 1: I love going down and playing you know, you know
Speaker 1: every weekend that I can during the winter, because again
Speaker 1: that's another level of golf and it's always a competition,
Speaker 1: and uh, you know, I think we all love that.
Speaker 1: And then finally I have to say, you know, uh
Speaker 1: much credit has to be given for my you administrative
Speaker 1: you know sort of learning. You know, Stu Francis has
Speaker 1: just been an unbelievable predecessor. I think, you know, we
Speaker 1: ought to put a statue out in front of the
Speaker 1: headquarters having to navigate and lead a transition from Mike
Speaker 1: Davis to Mike Juan having to navigate you know, covid
Speaker 1: um and you know, having the clear eyed vision in
Speaker 1: terms of you know, how my skills might translate to
Speaker 1: the U s g A. He's been everything to me
Speaker 1: and so no one rises by themselves. We all stand
Speaker 1: on the trees that we didn't plant. What a gift
Speaker 1: this game is. You know, where in life would a
Speaker 1: friend Bopaul and Stu France has become best friends other
Speaker 1: than in the game of golf. And that's that's something
Speaker 1: that I think many of us have probably have stories
Speaker 1: like this in the game. And so thank you for
Speaker 1: your time today, and thank you for you know, you
Speaker 1: sort of interest. And I hope, I hope this is
Speaker 1: being enjoyable. It's been great. And that's a beautiful concluding
Speaker 1: note because when he is all said and done, the
Speaker 1: friendship the game is so rich in so many different ways,
Speaker 1: but in my experience, the single greatest thing out of
Speaker 1: this game, it's their friendships that you make out of it.
Speaker 1: And uh and some of the challenges of finding your
Speaker 1: way to golf in the first place and getting halfway
Speaker 1: competent at it. The qualities that we share in common,
Speaker 1: no matter what our background is, is kind of the
Speaker 1: very factors that let a meaningful friendship get off the
Speaker 1: ground in the first place. So that was beautifully said Fred.
Speaker 1: Uh uh. For those of you who don't know Stu Francis,
Speaker 1: he is not a six ft six inch behayman basketball player.
Speaker 1: He has a did play basket. He did play basketball. Interesting, Yeah, wow,
Speaker 1: I wondered if he played for Pete Correll. That does
Speaker 1: say a lot with Fred and I have talked about this.
Speaker 1: I was with Curtis Strange, two times US Open winner
Speaker 1: and one of us at the country club and uh,
Speaker 1: you know, Curtis is ficedy and I said to Curtis,
Speaker 1: I said, you know, you give me someone who can
Speaker 1: who can shoot pool and make free throws, and I
Speaker 1: think that guy can become a good basketball player in
Speaker 1: Curtis City. Yeah, that's correct. I'd actually agree with that.
Speaker 1: You know. They actually is like you finally said something
Speaker 1: that's maybe halfway insightful. Fred, Thanks so much for this.
Speaker 1: I'll look forward to seeing you here at Mary and
Speaker 1: the country Club. As well and UH for years and
Speaker 1: years to come, I hope. Thank you, Michael, thank you
Speaker 1: for everything you do for the game. Appreciate being with
Speaker 1: you today. Put another log on the fire. Nobody here
Speaker 1: is get the time.