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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THE ROAD TO HOYLAKE - Preview Episode with Julie Williams from AmateurGolf.com
July 28th, 2019 | 16 mins 11 secs
akshay bhatia, amateur golf, amateurgolf.com, cole hammer, hoylake, julie williams, r&a, royal liverpool, stewart hagestad, the back of the range golf podcast, usga, walker cup
This preview episode introduces this special series to our listeners and welcomes Managing Editor of AmateurGolf.com, Julie Williams, to The Back of the Range Golf Podcast. We discuss the upcoming guests that will make up the U.S. Walker Cup team and discuss the recently named members of the team: Cole Hammer, Akshay Bhatia, and Stewart Hagestad.
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Jim Holtgrieve - Walker Cup Legend and 1981 U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion
July 25th, 2019 | 1 hr 8 secs
amateur golf, arnold palmer, augusta national, fred ridley, hoylake, jim holtgrieve, justin thomas, masters, patrick rodgers, pine valley, royal liverpool, us mid-amateur, usga, walker cup
Our guest this week is the 1981 U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion, jim Holtgrieve. Jim played on three U.S. Walker Cup teams and was the captain of the 2011 and 2013 teams. An incredble conversation about life as an amateur, his thoughts on the amateur game, and fond memories from the Walker Cup. Jim is an incredible player, person, and ambassador for golf.
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Haley Moore - 2018 National Champion from U. of Arizona
July 17th, 2019 | 52 mins 54 secs
ajga, annika, arizona, augusta national women's amateur, cactus tour, golf, haley moore, lpga, the masters
Our guest this week is Haley Moore! After the Arizona Wildcats barely snuck into the Match Play portion of the 2018 National Championship as the 8th seed, they ran through match play and defeated Alabama with Haley making the clincher on the 18th hole. We spoke about the Augusta National Women's Amateur, her career at Arizona, and her early success as a professional on the Cactus Tour. She is prepping now for Q-School and this is someone you will see on the LPGA Tour very soon.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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!
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.