The Back of the Range - Episodes Archive

Pete Wlodkowski - Founder of AmateurGolf.com

July 10th, 2019 | 47 mins 51 secs

amateur golf, amateurgolf.com, augusta national women's amateur, bandon dunes, golf channel, julie williams, ncaa golf, pebble beach, pete wlodkowski, pinehurst, usga

Our guest this week is the founder of AmateurGolf.com, Pete Wlodkowski. AmateurGolf.com provides the world's most comprehensive golf tournament database, articles about the nation's best amateurs, and tournaments that you can enter to test your game on some of the best courses in the world, like Bandon Dunes. Pete discusses the state of the game and shares some great stories about the game we all love.

Kristoffer Ventura - 2019 KornFerry Tour Champion from Oklahoma State

July 2nd, 2019 | 48 mins 32 secs

alan bratton, college golf, korn ferry tour, kristoffer ventura, nike golf, norway, oklahoma state, pga tour, stillwater, tiger woods, viktor hovland

Our guest this week is Kris Ventura. Born in Mexico. Moved to Norway. Three-Time All-American and member of the 2018 National Champion Oklahoma State Cowboys. We learn about his incredible adventure to the pro ranks that was derailed last year due to a fluke illness. He's climbing his way up the rankings on the Korn Ferry Tour and just won the 2019 Utah Championship to launch himself into the Top 25. Enjoy this episode and remember the name, because you just might see Ventura on the PGA Tour next season!

Alexa Hammer - Playing College Golf in St. Andrews

June 26th, 2019 | 35 mins 17 secs

alexa hammer, amateur golf, college golf, kevin hammer, old course, open championship, r&a, st. andrews, usga

Our guest this week is Alexa Hammer from Boynton Beach, Florida. When it came time for Alexa to pick a college to attend....well, she did something a little differently. She left home for THE HOME. THe Home of golf that is....St. Andrews, Scotland. She played for the university's golf team and her home course....was The Old Course. Alexa shared some great stories about golf in St. Andrews vs. the U.S., her decision to go across the pond, how you need to prepare yourself for links golf, and what it is like to call St. Andrews home.

Mike Finster - 2019 Gasparilla Invitational Champion

June 19th, 2019 | 1 hr 5 mins

amateur golf, bernhard langer, gasparilla, luke donald, mike finster, northwestern golf, pga champions, senior golf, usga, woody austin

Our guest this week is Mike Finster from St. Petersburg, Florida. After playing collegiately at Northwestern, Mike came back home to Florida and regained his amateur status and has qualified for FOUR consecutive U.S. Senior Open Championships. He's a bomber off the tee and a super guy that can tell a story like no other. One of the nicest guys out there!

Blair Hamilton - Former Team Canada Star on the PGA LatinoAmerica Tour

June 12th, 2019 | 59 mins 54 secs

blair hamilton, canada, corey conners, golf, pga latinoamerica, pga tour, usga

Our guest this week is PGA LatinAmerica Tour player, Blair Hamilton. In this episode, we uncover the truth about chasing the dream as a professional golfer. Blair competed on Team Canada both as a junior and as an amateur and was successful in Monday Qualifying into the 2019 Waste Management Open. Incredible insight about the life of a pro that you won't want to miss. This is a MUST episode for everyone thinking about turning pro!

William McGirt - From Wofford College to Winning at Jack's Place

June 5th, 2019 | 50 mins 20 secs

ajga, barbara nicklaus, baseball, golf, jack nicklaus, paul tesori, pga tour, srixon, tiger woods, william mcgirt, wofford

Our guest this week is the 2016 Memorial Champion, William McGirt. We get it into some great stories about life on tour, the injury that he is dealing with right now, and truthfully....we just chatted about golf and life. Enjoy!

Kevin O'Connell - 2018 U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion

May 22nd, 2019 | 1 hr 19 mins

amateur golf, carolinas golf association, fox, kevin kisner, kevin o'connell, masters, paul azinger, tarheels, us open, usga, walker cup

Our guest this week is the 2018 United States Mid-Amateur Champion, Kevin O'Connell. Kevin played collegiately at UNC before giving the mini-tours a try with limited success. After becoming a reinstated amateur, he found success on the amateur side which culminated with the Mid-Am win at Charlotte C.C. last year. Kevin is making a Walker Cup run this year to represent the United States at Royal Liverpool.

Todd Mitchell - 2008 U.S. Mid-Amateur Finalist

May 16th, 2019 | 51 mins

amateur golf, cdga, college golf, crump cup, john peterson, pine valley, scott harvey, todd mitchell, us four ball, usga, yankees

Our guest this week is Todd Mitchell from Bloomington, Illinois. Todd has found great success on the national amateur level through his participation in marquee events like The Coleman Invitational and The Crump Cup at Pine Valley. The 2008 U.S. Mid-Amateur finalist also likes to pair up with previous guest, Scott Harvey, at the U.S. Four-Ball. Great conversation about amateurism, cold weather golf, and his previous career as a professional baseball player!

David Frost - 10X PGA Tour Winner and Champions Tour Major Champion

May 12th, 2019 | 51 mins 39 secs

champions tour, david frost, frost wines, gary player, open championship, pga tour, south africa, trader joe's, usga

Our special guest on this bonus episode is David Frost! Frosty won TEN times on the PGA Tour and has racked up numerous victories all over the world, including the 2013 Regions Tradition. We discussed his unique start in the game, competing in the President's Cup, and what he does to compete with the world's best players on the Champions Tour.

Brandon Wu & Isaiah Salinda - Stanford University's Senior Duo

May 8th, 2019 | 47 mins 50 secs

amateur golf, brandon wu, conrad ray, isaiah salinda, maverick mcnealy, ncaa, pac12 conference, patrick rodgers, stanford, tiger woods, usga, walker cup

Our guests this week are Brandon Wu and Isaiah Salinda from Stanford Men's Golf. These two senior standouts are rounding into form and ready to contend for a National Championship. With Stanford winning the Pac12 team title due in large part to their top 10 finishes, they are poised for make a deep postseason run. We spoke about their chances to make this year's Walker Cup team, life at Stanford, and their close friendship on and off the golf course.

Scott Harvey - 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion

May 1st, 2019 | 37 mins 30 secs

bill harvey, coleman invitational, masters, pebble beach, pine valley, scott harvey, thomas invitational, u.s. mid-am, u.s. open, usga, walker cup

Our guest this week is Scott Harvey from Greensboro, NC. Along with his win at the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at Saucon Valley, Scott has played in the Masters, U.S. Open, and Walker Cup. He's also picked up victories in some of the most elite amateur tournaments in the world like the Coleman, the Thomas, and the Crump Cup at Pine Valley. But don't let the resume fool you....because Scott can just as easily crack a few beers and crank some tunes on the course and feel right at home at a local charity scramble!

Andrew Larkin - Asst. Coach, UCLA Men's Golf

April 24th, 2019 | 59 mins 50 secs

ajga, andrew larkin, devon bling, masters, pebble beach, ucla, ucla golf, us amateur, usga, viktor hovland, walker cup

Our guest this week is Coach Andrew Larkin, the assistant coach of UCLA Men's Golf. Coach Larkin was on Devon Bling's bag at the U.S. Amateur in Pebble Beach last summer and his runner-up finish earned him a birth to the 2019 Masters and 2019 U.S. Open. Coach Larkin talks about his experience caddying at the Masters, what lies ahead for the UCLA team as they make a push towards the National Championship, and his own goals as a player.

Rick Woulfe - The Living Legend of Amateur Golf in Florida

April 17th, 2019 | 1 hr 19 mins

amateur golf, british amateur, florida golf, fsga, honda classic, michigan state golf, rick woulfe, senior golf, tiger woods, usga

Our guest this week is Rick Woulfe from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He's played in 25 USGA Championships, with most of them occuring after his turned 35 years old. He's played in British Amateurs, British Senior Amateurs, he's served on the US Mid Am committee, shot his age of 67 in a State Mid Amateur. And won the State Mid Amateur at the age of 62. Think about that.....a 62 year old winning a tournament where 25 year olds can enter.

Devon Bling - 2018 U.S. Amateur Runner-up | UCLA Sophmore Sensation

April 10th, 2019 | 53 mins

ajga, devon bling, masters, pebble beach, ucla, ucla golf, us amateur, usga, viktor hovland, walker cup

It's MASTERS WEEK! Our guest this week tees it up at the Masters by way of his runner-up finish at the 2018 U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach. Devon Bling, sophmore at UCLA, went on an impressive run in his first U.S. Amateur appearance at Pebble Beach. We spoke about his humble beginnings at his home course, China Lake, in Ridgecrest, California. We discussed college life in LA, the run at the U.S. Amateur, and we also played a game of "BLING OR NO BLING". You don't want to miss that!

Mike Small, Head Coach, Illinois Men's Golf

April 3rd, 2019 | 34 mins 18 secs

college golf, dylan meyer, fighting illini, illinois golf, mike small, pga championship, ryder cup, steve stricker, thomas detry, thomas pieters, usga

Our guest this week has been at the helm for Illinois Men's Golf for nearly 20 years. In that time, he has guided the Illini to Big Ten Championship titles in nine of the last 10 seasons and coached two NCAA individual champions. Coach Mike Small is not just a successful coach, but an incredible player in his own right. He's played in over a dozen majors, won 12 Illinois PGA Seciton Championships, and went back-to-back at the PGA Professional National Championship.

Corby Segal - PGA Tour Caddy and South California Mid-Am POY

March 27th, 2019 | 54 mins 10 secs

brandon hagy, corby segal, pga tour, scga, straight down classic, usga

Our guest for this week is Corby Segal! When he isn't caddying on the PGA Tour, you can find him dominating the Southern California Mid-Am circuit. He draws on his experience working for players like Brandon Hagy, Briny Baird, and Brandt Jobe to help his own game. Want proof? He's played in 15 USGA Championships and is the 2018 Southern Cal Mid-Amateur of the year.