The Back of the Range
Weekly interviews from prominent amateurs, coaches, and personalities from the game of golf!
About the show
The Back of the Range Golf Podcast, hosted by Ben Adelberg, is a weekly interview-driven podcast focusing on the game of golf. Prominent amateurs and professionals, coaches, and personalities from the game share their stories each and every week. Sometimes, the best stories in golf aren't found on tour. You'll find them at The Back of the Range.
Episodes
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Hale Irwin - The Man Who Survived The Massacre at Winged Foot
September 17th, 2020 | 31 mins
golf, hale irwin, pga tour, swingwell labs, u.s. open, usga, winged foot
It's U.S. Open week at Winged Foot and it's an honor to welcome the 1974 U.S. Open Champion, Hale Irwin to The Back of the Range! A very special thanks to the Irwin Family and Swingwell Labs for making the episode a reality. Swingwell Lab's products are designed to link mind and body, while elevating overall well-being and day-to-day performance in the office, on the course, or wherever you need a little plant-based pick-me-up!
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Butch Harmon - From Winged Foot to World's Best Instructor
September 16th, 2020 | 1 hr 20 mins
ben hogan, butch harmon, claude harmon, dustin johnson, golf, pga tour, phil mickelson, rickie fowler, tiger woods, winged foot
My guest on this episode is the legendary golf instructor, Butch Harmon. We spoke about his start in the game spending time with his father, Claude Harmon, at Winged Foot and his friend Ben Hogan! We spoke Tiger and Phil and everything in between. And we recorded the episode on August 28th which is Butch's birthday....and MY BIRTHDAY! Fun fact!
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Winging It at the U.S. Open - John Augenstein, 2019 U.S. Amateur Finalist
September 15th, 2020 | 18 mins 5 secs
john augenstein, masters, ncaa, tiger woods, u.s. open, us open, usga, vanderbilt, walker cup, winged foot
Special Bonus Episode! Had the chance to catch up with 2019 U.S. Amateur Finalist, John Augenstein. John played a practice round on Tuesday with Tiger and JT.....so his day was CLEARLY better than all of ours. Great insights into Winged Foot and he sounds very confident heading into Thursday's opening round!
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Winging It at the U.S. Open - Lukas Michel, 2019 U.S. Mid-Am Champ
September 15th, 2020 | 22 mins 1 sec
adam scott, australia, geoff ogilvy, golf, lukas michel, patrick cantlay, tiger woods, u.s. open, usga, winged foot
Special Bonus Episode! Had the chance to catch up with 2019 U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion, Lukas Michel, as he prepares for the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. We talked about his practice rounds with Adam Scott and Patrick Cantlay and what it is like as a first-timer at a major championship. Not scripted or edited.....we're just Winging It!
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Dan Hicks - NBC Golf's Voice of the U.S. Open
September 14th, 2020 | 1 hr 2 mins
dan hicks, dustin johnson, nbc golf, paul azinger, tiger woods, u.s. open, usga, winged foot
Kicking off U.S. Open week with a very special episode! My guest is Dan Hicks from NBC Sports. He will be back calling the action at Winged Foot for NBC alongside Paul Azinger at Winged Foot, his home course! Dan shared some great stories and his thoughts on who might be able to survive Winged Foot and walk away with the championship.
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Buddy Alexander - 1986 U.S. Amateur Champion
September 9th, 2020 | 1 hr 1 min
buddy alexander, camilo villegas, college golf, gators, jack nicklaus, masters, nick gilliam, uf, us amateur, walker cup
My guest on this episode is Buddy Alexander. Alexander won the 1986 U.S. Amateur Championship and served as the men’s golf coach at the University of Florida for 27 seasons. He won the 1991 Florida State Amateur and has competed in over 40 United State Golf Association championships. Tons of great stories about the Walker Cup, the Masters, and his "commandments" that he instilled in his players. Great listen with lots of great information!
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Brandon Wu - 2020 Korn Ferry Tour Championship Winner
September 3rd, 2020 | 36 mins 39 secs
amateur golf, brandon wu, condoleeza rice, golf, korn ferry tour, pga tour, stanford, u.s. open, walker cup, winged foot
My guest on this episode is Brandon Wu! Brandon just punched his ticket to the 2020 U.S. Open by winning the Korn Ferry Tour Championship. We caught up and talked about life as a professional and how he keeps busy off the golf course. Always a fascinating and thoughtful guest to have at The Back of the Range!
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Parker Coody - 2020 Southern Highlands Collegiate Champion
September 2nd, 2020 | 33 mins 13 secs
amateur golf, cole hammer, college golf, golf, masters, ncaa, parker coody, pierceson coody, texas golf, usga
My guest on this epsiode is Parker Coody, part of that young nucleus on the Texas Longhorns golf team that includes his twin brother Pierceson, Travis Vick, Will Thomson, and Cole Hammer. The final tournament of the collegiate season, before it was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, was the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas. USC won the team title, but Parker Coody came from seven shots back, caught Yuxin Lin of USC on the 18th hole to force a playoff which he ultimately won. The prize was an exemption in the PGA Tour's Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas.
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Ollie Osborne - 2020 U.S. Amateur Finalist
August 27th, 2020 | 45 mins 54 secs
amateur golf, bandon dunes, brownies, college golf, dudes, golf, mac meissner, ollie osborne, smu golf, u.s. amateur, usga
My guest on this episode is the 2020 U.S. Amateur Finalist, Ollie Osborne. Easily one of the funniest guests in the history of the podcast. We talked about his magical week at Bandon Dunes that will provide him with exemptions into the Masters and the U.S. Open in 2021. We also talked about his place on the SMU golf team and why he'll never have to pay for a brownie ever again.
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Joey Vrzich - The 2020 Cali Am Champ Making Waves at Pepperdine
August 26th, 2020 | 47 mins 27 secs
amateur golf, bandon dunes, college golf, crazy socks, joey vrzich, michael beard, pepperdine, sahith theegala, u.s. amateur, usga, william mouw
After I recap my experience at the 2020 U.S. Amateur, my guest on this episode is the 2020 California State Amateur Champion, Joey Vrzich. This episode was recorded before the U.S. Amateur, so you'll hear me asking Joey to talk about Bandon Dunes, how the course would suit his game, and also we spoke about the fact that he was one of SEVEN members of the Pepperdine team that would be making the trip to Oregon.
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Tyler Strafaci - 2020 United States Amateur Champion
August 21st, 2020 | 51 mins 35 secs
amateur golf, andy ogletree, bandon dunes, frank strafaci, georgia tech, golf, tyler strafaci, us amateur, usga, walker cup
My guest on this special episode is the 2020 U.S. Amateur Champion, Tyler Strafaci. We caught up just a few days after his dramatic victory over Ollie Osborne at Bandon Dunes. We spoke about Tyler's incredible summer season, the challenges around playing a U.S. Amateur during the coronavirus pandemic, and some behind-the-scenes details that found him leaving the state of Oregon with the Havemeyer Trophy.
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Jeff Quinney - 2000 U.S. Amateur Champion
August 19th, 2020 | 37 mins 49 secs
amateur golf, arizona state, bandon dunes, jeff quinney, oregon golf, tyler strafaci, us amateur, usga
My guest on this episode is the 2000 U.S. Amateur Champion, Jeff Quinney. It's the 20th anniversary of Jeff's victory at Baltustrol, so it was a perfect time to look back at his incredible feat of winning in 39 holes over James Driscoll. Especially since his qualified that year at Bandon Dunes, which is the host of this year's U.S. Amateur!
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Mac Meissner - 2020 Southern Amateur Champion from SMU
August 4th, 2020 | 51 mins 47 secs
amateur golf, bryson dechambeau, college golf, golf channel, mac meissner, maridoe, ncaa golf, smu, southern amateur, southern golf association, us amateur, usga
My guest on this episode of The Back of the Range Golf Podcast is Mac Meissner from SMU. He just recently captured the 2020 Southern Amateur Championship and is poised to make a run at the U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes. Fantastic episode with a two-time All-American that is going to be a player to watch for many years to come.
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Pierceson Coody - 2020 Western Amateur Champion
August 2nd, 2020 | 18 mins 57 secs
amateur golf, cole hammer, college golf, crooked stick, parker coody, pierceson coody, rasmus neergaard-petersen, us amateur, usga, western amateur
Special Bonus Episode on a Sunday! I had a chance to catch up with the 2020 Western Amateur Champion, Pierceson Coody on his ride home from Carmel, Indiana to Plano, Texas. We spoke about his play at the Western and what his thoughts are looking towards the U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes.
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Mike McGraw - Baylor Men's Golf Coach
July 30th, 2020 | 1 hr 25 mins
baylor golf, college golf, cowboy golf, edmond golf, golf, golf school, mike holder, mike mcgraw, ncaa golf
My guest this week on the 150th episode of The Back of the Range is the head coach of men's golf team at Baylor University with three national championships to his name, Mr. Mike McGraw. We spoke about his start in the game, what led him to become a coach, and we also spoke about some of his coaching philosophies that he employed at Oklahoma State, Alabama, and now at Baylor. If you are a junior golfer or even a collegiate golfer, you'll get so much out of this episode.....but if you're looking for some good stories, like eating carne asada and swimming at Rickie Fowler's house during a recruiting trip...don't worry. This episode has some incredible stories as well
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Davis Thompson - Georgia's Top Dawg
July 23rd, 2020 | 34 mins 27 secs
amateur golf, davis thompson, georgia bulldogs, georgia golf, ncaa, pga tour, rsm classic, sea island, usga, wagr
I had a great conversation with Davis and we hit one several topics including his start in the game and what ultimately led him to the University of Georgia. Davis was the runner-up to Akshay Bhatia in the 2019 Jones Cup....and when Akshay turned professional and didn't use the winner's exemption into the PGA Tour's RSM Classic....it went to Davis. What did he do with that exemption? He made the cut and picked up a top 25 finish. And that should serve him well, since he went ahead and won the 2020 Jones Cup Invitational (by 9 shots) will return to play in his 3rd PGA Tour event later this fall. He picked up First-Team All-American honors, he was a Haskins Award and Nicklaus Award finalist.....this is a young player that you will be seeing on TV for many years to come.