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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Aman Gupta - Oklahoma State University
October 7th, 2020 | 1 hr 11 mins
alan bratton, aman gupta, amateur golf, college golf, cowboy golf, matthew wolff, oklahoma state, usga, viktor hovland
My guest on this episode is Aman Gupta from Oklahoma State University. Aman had a great run at Bandon Dunes, it all started with a 64 in the first round of the stroke play session....which on its own is beyond impressive. But considering the fact that Aman was the last man in the field, flew out to Bandon without a guaranteed spot in the all-exempt field....and only learned that he would get to tee it up a couple days before the start of the championship....well, that's next level stuff.
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John Pak - The Low Amateur at the 2020 U.S. Open
September 23rd, 2020 | 30 mins 35 secs
bryson dechambeau, golf, john pak, ncaa, pga tour, tiger woods, u.s. open, usga, winged foot
What an incredible U.S. Open! Had a chance to catch up with the only amateur to make the cut! John and I talked about his special week and lessons that he will take back to FSU as he prepares to close out his collegiate career. Always fun catching up with John!
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Michael O'Keefe - Danny Noonan Returns to Winged Foot
September 18th, 2020 | 22 mins 8 secs
bill murray, butch harmon, caddyshack, claude harmon, danny balin, danny noonan, golf, michael o'keefe, richie's gift, u.s. open, winged foot
My final guest of U.S. Open week is Michael O'Keefe, the actor that played Danny Noonan in Caddyshack! We spoke about his two days on the bag at the U.S. Open caddying for Danny Balin and what it was liked to bring his iconic character back to Winged Foot 40 YEARS after the movie was released.
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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.