Ever wondered what it takes to reach the top in the world of golf ? We're thrilled to have on board our distinguished guest, the newly appointed Walker Cup captain and four-time USGA Mid-Am Champion Nathan Smith.
Nathan dives deep into his early golfing experiences, from his youthful introduction to the sport to his collegiate years, and the mental toughness it took to navigate the challenging path to professional golf. Offering us a firsthand account, he brings us right into the heart of the game, letting us in on his strategies, methods, and tools that led him to his well-rounded victories. His insights on the importance of fitness, diet, and a robust routine are golden nuggets for golfers at any stage of their journey.
In a heart-to-heart chat, Nathan opens up about managing the weight of expectations and finding balance between his career, family, and golfing pursuits. He even discusses the unique challenges he encountered playing at the Masters, and how he dealt with them with mental toughness and persistence. As we wrap up, he talks about the upcoming Walker Cup in 2025 at Cypress Point, offering a sneak peek into what we might expect from this prestigious event. This lively conversation is packed with invaluable insights, compelling stories, and practical advice, making it a must-listen for every golf enthusiast out there.
Ever wondered what it takes to reach the top in the world of golf ? We're thrilled to have on board our distinguished guest, the newly appointed Walker Cup captain and four-time USGA Mid-Am Champion Nathan Smith.
Nathan dives deep into his early golfing experiences, from his youthful introduction to the sport to his collegiate years, and the mental toughness it took to navigate the challenging path to professional golf. Offering us a firsthand account, he brings us right into the heart of the game, letting us in on his strategies, methods, and tools that led him to his well-rounded victories. His insights on the importance of fitness, diet, and a robust routine are golden nuggets for golfers at any stage of their journey.
In a heart-to-heart chat, Nathan opens up about managing the weight of expectations and finding balance between his career, family, and golfing pursuits. He even discusses the unique challenges he encountered playing at the Masters, and how he dealt with them with mental toughness and persistence. As we wrap up, he talks about the upcoming Walker Cup in 2025 at Cypress Point, offering a sneak peek into what we might expect from this prestigious event. This lively conversation is packed with invaluable insights, compelling stories, and practical advice, making it a must-listen for every golf enthusiast out there.
Hello, this is Jesse Perryman of the Flag winners girl podcast. Thank you so much for tuning in to this very special edition of the flag winners podcast. This week we've got one of my favorite humans that I'm just getting to know a little bit just recently met not too long ago, but we've had a great dialogue and we've had a lot of great, great conversations, including this one here, which is captured. One of the great perks about having a podcast is having great people and capturing what they're saying, and it's great to have that for all time, and this man is none other than Nathan Smith. Nathan, notably, has just been named, not too long ago, the next Walker Cup captain, which, for those who need a refreshing, the Walker Cup is the writer cup version of amateur golf, with the exception, I think and please correct me if I'm wrong when you see me the amateur team comprises of the best in the United States versus the best in Great Britain, in Ireland and, I think, in Europe as well, and it's a wonderful event of 12 of the best, and undoubtedly most of these kids go on to play on the on the respective tours and have great success in golf, and if some of them, such as the man that you're going to hear today, who's a career amateur, go on and are successful, not only on the golf course but in life and business and in family and everything, and those are the people that I tend to gravitate toward. And Nathan is just one of these humans and then when you listen to the words that are coming out of his mouth, you'll get it.
Speaker 1:Nathan notably his amateur career. He's one for United States midameters and, to give a refresh on the midameter, the midameter is the best amateurs, ranging from ages 25 to 60, typically, who qualify for this event. It really represents folks such as Nathan who are competitive and who are extremely good, and I want to go out and test their skills against the best in this genre in the world. Nathan's won four of those bad boys. He's played in four masters, which is absolutely freaking remarkable. There's guys who have played their entire lives and have made a comfortable living and not played in four masters. Well, nathan has accomplished just that. He's won a few others as well. He's won the Pennsylvania Amateur. He's won the not only the midameter, but he's won the US Am4 ball. He won with Todd White I think that was the very first one and he beat Bryson and his partner in the first round and that was an Olympic club. Pretty great accomplishment there, and the one probably is going to equal in his eyes as one of the best that he's ever been a part of, and that's captain in the Walker Cup team.
Speaker 1:So sit back, relax, listen to this. He says something that I really want to echo. In it hit my heart. Those who know me know I'm very, very familiar with, with a place called Cypress Point, and the Walker Cup is at Cypress Point in 2025, for the first time in history, that the entirety of the golf course is going to be on live TV. That will be televised, every hole be televised, so you will get to see the greatness that is Cypress Point, the genius designed by the revered Dr McKenzie and Robert Hunter and Marion Hollins, who are all responsible for putting together this masterpiece, and it has been carefully and thoughtfully maintained throughout time to really present itself in 2025 as one of the One of the most special places on earth, and I can't say this enough. I've been fortunate to be a part of that place and know the members for a long time, and I'm also going to echo something that Nathan said and how I'm going to say this with with as much respect and reverence as I can. Nathan said that the people at Cypress Point are more special than the golf course, and for those who hear those words might find that hard to believe, but I'm here to tell you that that's absolutely true, and if you get a chance to come to the Walker Cup in 2025 and walk the grounds and meet the people responsible for putting this all together, you'll definitely agree and understand where that statement came from. So hats off to the members at Cypress Point for giving a gift to golf that is a completely special for this upcoming event and opening the doors graciously to have the world take a peek at something that is truly unique, remarkable and very special in this game. And when this game has changed over the last 20 years, with the equipment, the ball going further, athletes getting better, I'm all for evolution. However, the golf course just remains timeless and pristine as it is right now, without too many modifications, just simple rest, restorative efforts to keep it the absolute gem that it is. So thanks again for listening. Thanks, nathan. I appreciate you, pal, for coming on and taking the time.
Speaker 1:We're also going to have Nathan on prior to the Walker Cup to enlighten us again what's going on in the world of amateur golf, which represents the majority of the people that play this game. No disrespect to the respective tours out there, but all of us who play in our amateurs are the driving force behind it in this event, and this man celebrate exactly what I say. So sorry for the long winded intro. Make sure to hit that subscribe button on any of the podcasting platforms that you listen to, and also hit that bell notification when I do go on to YouTube, which is very, very soon. In the next couple of weeks, we're going to be releasing the flag on his golf podcast out there. I'll make sure to put all the links on and and once again, I hope everybody has a great week. I hope everybody is playing to the best of their ability and cheers.
Speaker 1:My name is Jesse Perriman and this is the flag hunters golf podcast. Thanks for tuning in everyone. This week is is a special one. Not only is he won the mid-amateur four times, and I'm going to go ahead and say that this is. This is an episode for all of us who love the game, who aspire to play at the highest level that we can play while maintaining a career or a job, a marriage, a family, a mortgage, all of that stuff thrown in there. And this, this pod, is dedicated all of us who love this game, who work hard on it on and off the golf course, and we just want to take this hour or so and celebrate this man. His name is Nathan Smith, as I said, four time man champion I've played in two of them. That's a remarkable accomplishment, I can't wrap my head around it and also has been recently named the United States Walker Cup captain, which I can't imagine a higher honor. But, nathan, thanks for coming on, my friend.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me Absolutely happy to be here. It's a lot of fun Appreciate it.
Speaker 1:That's right. And one other thing I love about you my man is your huge football fan, big Steve's fan. I love it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I guess you got to be. You know you got to be, you know, in Pittsburgh or Pennsylvania or you know a lot of these coasts. You know it's big, you know. So we're trying. I'm pulling for your 49ers there. You know we'll get it, they'll get it going. They'll get said Samuel Devo back and they'll be good. They'll be good by the end of the year, you know yeah absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 1:So, hey, let's, let's get right into it, man. I mean, how, when you start playing, how'd you get started? Who influenced you to play?
Speaker 2:and Way back. You know my parents played, you know my parents played and so I guess being a kid I would run alongside the cart with them. It was just fun to try to almost outrun the cart, probably like a lot, of, a lot of kids. And then you'd kind of like chip and putt on the greens and you know, then you started. You know you played every sport when you were younger.
Speaker 2:You do little league and you kind of it started to be this habit of you know, in the summers I, you know you'd be on the ground Golf course all day and then you run to the baseball diamond at night and you know I play basketball through the winter. And then you know, you just kept, you just kept that going for so many years. And then eventually, you know the golf just kind of took over. It's all of a sudden you kind of get into these. You know some golf tournaments that seemed like there was more there, you know. So it just you're kind of stretched to the summer between baseball tournaments and golf tournaments and eventually golf kind of won over and but yeah, my parents got me into it and then it just kind of it took off from there.
Speaker 1:So Sure, now, what did you start becoming proficient? Wasn't in high school when you started noticing that, yeah, I might be able to play this game a little bit?
Speaker 2:Think that, yeah, I mean, I don't know if you ever. I mean, I listen, I'm not going to have one of these you know moments. I don't deserve one of those you know tiger moments or something, but I just love to play. I just love to play and I'd probably say, you know, in high school when you started playing, and in all these tournaments and across the state of Pennsylvania and different things, you know, I think I just knew that you know, I love to play.
Speaker 2:I couldn't get enough of it. I was addicted. And then I won the. I won state championship in high school and I was a sophomore and so that kind of really I really got into it then after that, because I was kind of, you know, I don't want to say I split in time between basketball and some other things, but that's when it really really tried to. You know, that opened a lot of doors and that was nice timing because then I was able to kind of focus on golf and started really looking at it and college and different things, and yeah, it was fun, it was fun.
Speaker 1:So so, after winning the state championship, as a senior I mean, excuse me, as a sophomore, that's. That's a big win right there, especially for young, young guy. You're about what? 15, 16 years of age.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think it was like I could barely barely drive. You know you're in the van, you're in the golfing, but the one, the one good thing about that, that it really kind of opened my eyes to. You know, when you won the states I got in like the sunny handy amateur, some other stuff that I mean. I got my hair blown back, I mean, because it was you know, but I got to see like a whole nother level of golf on center court From a lot of national players and a lot of guys from other states which really kind of drove me to you know to get better. And so it was. It was, you know, for me it was a timely win that I look back at that like that was, that was big, to kind of introduce me to a lot of you know more you know big time events and national players, to kind of want to work towards that so yeah, so that gave you a nice shot of inspiration.
Speaker 2:It did yeah it did?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was, it was. It was fun. Like I said, it opened the doors to a lot of events, a lot of tournaments and met a lot of friends actually to stay through that. You start to meet that are that are my age, that you know we're playing in some AGA stuff or some state stuff or, like I said, sunny hand or some other national things, that you started to meet and started to grow and want to kind of compare your game to and just and just get better. It was, yeah, it was really. It was really good. It was good for me.
Speaker 1:So so winning that sophomore and then two years fast forward. Two years later were you getting recruited by any any D1 schools, or how was that process?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was and, just to be honest with you, I probably wasn't ready. You know, kid from a really small town, I don't think I was ready at that. At that time my wife was, you know, actually two years older than me. She was. She was a Penn State, it just was. I just wasn't ready to go that far away from home. So I got a lot of offers to go down south to play in different things and I don't think I was, just to be honest, probably ready, you know, going into college to just come home at Thanksgiving and come home at Christmas. I probably needed to be.
Speaker 2:So I went to Allegheny College, which was, which was a great school. We had fun. It was D3. We could never beat Methodist at the national championship. We had a great group of guys, we had fun and you know, our logo was the Gator but it had the beanie on top of its head and the sweater, you know, and like down in the, you know, because it probably hibernated during the winter. You know that was a great, that was a great school for me and I got to play, you know, all four years and very competitive and it was healthy to kind of do that to just keep your game improving every year, kind of be close to home.
Speaker 2:At that point I had some, some teachers that I was taking lessons from, and I didn't want to. It's funny when you're younger you feel like you need a lesson every week or two, you know, and as you get older than your body, your body's just like it is what it is. Let's find a driver that has fade bias or something, because the body's not going to swing it like Adam Scott or anything like that. So but when you're younger you feel like you need a less. So you know it. Just, it just worked out, it just worked out.
Speaker 1:So Any, any thoughts on turning pro after school? What was that process like?
Speaker 2:You know it's funny, my curiosity got me. I did. I did try Q-School once, since you asked, as an amateur, and I got through at that time. Oh geez, that was back in like a four or five and I just, I never, I never turned. But as an amateur I wanted to at least try it and I got into the second stage, got through the first stage, down the floor. I went to the second stage and didn't, didn't get through that, but it was. It was just curious, just curious, you know. So you know, just to see what is to see, what's going on out there at everything.
Speaker 1:So Sure, sure, you know, as I was kind of thinking about this conversation and just just now doing the intro, you know it's it's interesting that there's a group of golfers and I think this really is part of the soul of the game, and you understand this and I understand this. But you know, once you, once you get into competition and you get competitive, there is an addiction there and there's there's something there that, yeah, I don't know, it's kind of it's hard for me to put it in the words. You know, even those, all of us, who are married and have kids and have jobs and have marriages and still want to play, the mid am circuit is, oh, my goodness, I cannot believe how competitive it is.
Speaker 2:It's crazy competitive it's it's a lot of fun. And you were talking about pro golf. It's something I never, I never, really. I just was never on that path. Just being from Pennsylvania, to me it was almost like I was always kind of in school or working. And Sure, you know, I got out of Allegheny and I was working at the time and I was getting my MBA. And it's funny, then that's when I was getting into and that's when I was, so I was working as an MBA and then, you know, I was trying to do the MBA part time and everything.
Speaker 2:And then that mid am, in two, you know, 2003, when I just turned 25, I won that. And that's when, then, everything that it's like you're on the circuit for life because all of a sudden it led into the masters. And then you're looking at Walker Cups and you know that opens up all the national amateur schedules. So it just was, it was pretty young, but all of a sudden you were. You know you're just all in that. You know you're just kind of flooded with invites and everything, and then you're trying. Then all you want to do is try to get back to the masters or make a Walker Cup team and all that. So it. Just it was never. I was never on that path. And then you kind of blinked a few years after college you're working and getting your MBA and then all of a sudden it's like off we, off we go.
Speaker 1:So yeah, yeah, that first mid-am or where was it so?
Speaker 2:Wilmington Country Club in Delaware? Yeah, so I think they had the BMW there Last year. Those guys, those guys tore it apart. I didn't think it was that, I didn't think it was that easy, but it was pretty dead tough, you know. But it's a great, great place. Great place, great memory, great memories there, great memories, so that.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's really you know, as I look at it, nate I, that's really what started the, the, the waterfall, if you will. I mean, talk about that week, that very first week, the first mid-am, but it wasn't going into that week. How were you playing, how was your mindset, how were you feeling? Yeah, it's funny.
Speaker 2:The first one. You know, I think a lot of people are like this you really don't know, you really don't know that much. I mean, I just knew that I was listen, I was working, I was playing while he's getting me on the air. You're kind of in that zone. Sure, I had a great. I had a great summer that you played well on everything.
Speaker 2:But you know, you're kind of you don't know the circuit, you don't know anything about the mid-am, you don't really don't know a lot of the guys. And then you know you go and you win and all of a sudden then I think what's tough is sometimes that they say the first one's hard, but then the ones after that are tough because you know, you know what you get, you know, you know what's coming and all that. But yeah, you kind of, just, I kind of just showed up, you know, as this young, kind of you know young guy that was just kind of clueless and, you know, played aggressive, I was playing great. And then just you know, lo and behold, you kind of got in there and you know, I love the course, I love the grains, love the layout, people were great and it just kind of it's just one of those where you you that all that stuff has to fall into place, you know. So you know. It just was meant to be that type of thing. Sure, sure.
Speaker 1:You know it's interesting, Nathan. I think about winning. Is winning a happenstance of preparation, of experience? I'm sure it's some of that. Winning is a happenstance of preparation, getting acclimated to that, to the tournament environment. It's different golf, but the more tournaments you play in, the more it becomes normal and where a tournament play is almost not different than a casual Round, if you will. Sure, I had this conversation with somebody recently about do you back into winning? Do you manifest it? Do you just go into a tournament and just say I'm going to play the best that I could possibly play and let the chips fall where they may? Yeah, what's your stance on that?
Speaker 2:Well, that's interesting, Okay, so that's a deep question. So I'll try to give you a deep answer. I think that you asked so hey, it's very early here, We'll get into it. I think there's a bunch of answers to that question, I think.
Speaker 2:First of all, I think winning is an art. I think you watch in any sport. There's some guys that. So I would think that a lot of times in winning, yeah, it is preparation, it is reps, it is practice, it is a feeling of feeling comfortable about being there. So I think that you know and it's funny I don't know why I'm thinking about the tennis but I know a lot of guys that go up against you know, Joe Kovitsch or that.
Speaker 2:They get in that scene and they're like, wow, I actually had to go, like beat him, I had to take some chances, I had to do this, I just had to go for it. You know, sometimes when you're in that situation, it's hard to be in the finals where you're thinking I'm never going to be here again, and sometimes you want to play cautious, but you can't play cautious, you kind of have to go get it. But with that said, I felt like that the first time. But then when you win a couple sometimes and match play, and it's different that I, you know, winning for those. It's funny. Some of the other ones I was playing really well, but I didn't do anything special because I think people had to feel like they had to play, like shoot the course record to beat me, and they didn't, and so they would do all these things and they'd kind of I don't want to say things, though, but I just kind of just go poking along and I think that happens. I think it was winning snowballs.
Speaker 2:You can see that in other sports. I go we got to play the game of our life to beat these guys. We got to do this, and so you press and then. So I just think that it kind of snowballed there for a couple years, winning three out of four where it just like I just would. Just, you know, I think people you know you had to do something, but yeah, it's all that, it's preparation, it's feeling comfortable on that stage, it's playing smart, it's you know you got to, you know you got to be On that level, you know to be probably the strongest and fat and all that. So there's a ton that goes into it, but I think it's an art. You see that in other sports with other teams. You know there's when these people, these guys, they find a way. You know they just find a way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely. There was something when my along the same train of thought Nate, I want to get your opinion on this Cameron Smith, cam Smith, in an interview after he won the British Open last year and he said something that I wish the reporter would have asked him to expand on. He said the reporter asked him along the lines of along the same subject that we're talking about, about winning, and I can't exactly remember the question, but Cameron Smith's answer was profound and he said the biggest difference from where I am in my career now versus where I was, however, whatever he said five years ago is he's very he said he's very comfortable being uncomfortable in the moment. Yeah, sure, yeah, does that make sense.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, that's the thing I mean when you're it's a lot to step into. You know this situation so I'm not going to say that you know I've. You know at that level. You know the British Open and things he won there. I mean that's a whole that's a whole nother level.
Speaker 2:But yeah, when you get in there and there's pressure and media and cameras and people and expectations and getting hundreds of texts, you know night before matches and stuff like that, you know you just have to. It's just you're kind of I think some people you kind of been there, you're most on autopilot type of thing and other people it's like I can't sleep all night. I can't do this, I can't, you know. So it's just, yeah, I think that that's and that's probably for him. You know you're comfortable being there, you're comfortable being in the moment. You know you're in a good place in your life. You know you feel comfortable with things. So there's there's a lot that goes into it. You know it's timely, it's, it's meant to be, but yeah, you have to be plus he's. You know plus nobody was playing better than hit. You know, if you make everybody inside, you know 10 or 15 feet, you know he's unbelievable. So yeah, pretty special.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I thought it was an interesting answer and it really got me thinking about about what goes into playing competitively, especially at a high level, and there are moments when, when we're out there and we're playing competitively, where it does start to get a little bit uncomfortable. Sure, you know, maybe you're starting to go as a riot. You're going to, you're going to face some adversity. Yeah, I mean that's inevitable.
Speaker 2:The one thing that that's funny is you get older that I don't realize that I don't know if I could is how much golf. I mean you were talking about the US manam. I mean it's so much golf. I feel like you're playing like you know hundreds of holes, you know just within how many, and it's just yeah. But even tournaments are different things.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you got to make adjustments and you know swing adjustments and you wake up your body feels different the next morning. You're like you're on the range. You're like, well, that that didn't work. What are we? What are we doing today? What's going to be the thought today? So it's just kind of like I said, it's just you know your body's changing. You got to kind of flow with it and a lot that, a lot that goes into it especially. But yeah, you got to feel, you got to feel comfortable in the moment. You know, I think the more you're there, you know and that's where you can see guys that maybe you know kind of run out. Maybe it takes some while to get over the hump, and then you know when they're there, they're there, you know. So.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah, it took Scottie Shuffler a while. I remember back in the day it took David Duvall a while too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but it was tough. We just go up against Tiger too. Yeah, you know, I mean that. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, it took anybody a while, you know, with that. But yeah, shuffler was, yeah, he broke through big, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's interesting, since we're on the subject, nathan, about this, and I'm curious to pick your brain about how much mental toughness you had to acquire to be comfortable with winning, to be comfortable in those situations or at least to be able to accept them and not resist them or get too freaked out or too caught up in external things. You follow me, sure, yeah, yeah, yeah. How did you handle, you know, especially after winning the first one, especially after winning the first two. Now you've got some expectations, you've got some external Sure Forces that are coming out.
Speaker 2:How did you handle?
Speaker 2:all of that yeah, stay the course, yeah, that was you gotta be mentally tough, right? I mean you gotta be tough. You know nobody's gonna stick up for you. You know you but yourself. I mean you know you're out there alone.
Speaker 2:I think the first one was, like I said, I was pretty naive you go win it. You know the whole world's happy for you. Sure, you know the text, the emails, and then you know, I mean it's like anything, maybe, you know, maybe a lot of people work so happy for you. The second or third, but I think the biggest thing is when you're playing in the tournaments. Yeah, I mean, yeah, sure, there's external pressure, and I think that then, all of a sudden, guys know that they're playing you and that you're gonna get their best match and it's just, it's just everything. I mean I think that you have to be mentally tough. I think all the great ones are I'm not, you know. I think that it's just, it's all on you and you know you're up against it and it's just something that you got to block it all out. I mean it's just, there's people. I mean, yeah, that's just you. Just you just keep going.
Speaker 2:I think I've always that's an interesting question I think I've always been pretty mentally tough and you got to. That's what I'm saying. If you're not, you know everybody, they're gonna, they're gonna roll you. So I mean that's just, that's just. Do you want to do you want to do it? Do you not want to? I mean, sure, do you want to be there? So I think that, yeah, I think it's. I think, and that's the thing. And the breaks, you know, sometimes you're playing in tournaments or anything, and the breaks aren't going your way. You just, you just got to rise above it. You just got to say you know what, sometimes, and especially in those matches, the medium, you know, in the draws, you start to get and different things, it's all I mean. There's so many different things that can go against your way and sometimes you just got to say you know what, heck with it. You got to untuck the shirt tail and go get it up and down. And balls bouncing everywhere, guys making butts, people are not rooting for you.
Speaker 2:You know it, just it, just it's so you got to, you got to go get it. You have to be mentally tough. You have to mentally tough in anything. I mean just to be to be successful about it.
Speaker 1:So Sure, sure, you know, I think also too. I'm going to add to that. I think you got to be comfortable in your own skin as well. Just, you know, be comfortable, you got to be here, you got to be here.
Speaker 2:I got to be me. What's that? Is that a synodtrate? You got to be me, I got to be me, you know. I mean you got to. Yeah, you got to go be yourself. You got to go be yourself and feel comfortable.
Speaker 2:And I think that I think a lot of those experiences, the more you're around and even if you know you win the min-am to get in the Masters you have to. Who said something about it? You know, I think it was, I think it was a gust of member came up to me. I won't even say he came up to you guys, just remember, you know, when you're going, when you're going to the biggest dance in the South, you got to dance with who? Brunga, that's right. So it's interesting because you go out there on the range and the guys are, like you know, best players in the world. You're watching them hit the ball. You're like, oh my gosh, you know, and that's the same thing you feel like you got to do something different. Not that I really did anything special down there, but it was. You know, you just got to play your game, know your limitations, you know, get the reps and, like I said, just just go do it, play as hard as you can or masters, did you ever stay in the crows nest?
Speaker 2:I stayed there three out of four years. I stayed there three out of four years and I tell you what it was like. Oh boy, sleeping on the Christmas tree waiting for Santa or something. I mean that when that light comes in at the top, you kind of it's funny, you kind of forget where you're at for a couple hours. And you wake up and you're like, oh my God, I'm up in the crows nest, I'm going to tee off in like three hours or if you wake up, you can start to hear people there. You're staying with the other guys, so you're hearing the stories and you're hearing everything. And you'd go up there and talk to the different guys and just hear the stories and everything.
Speaker 2:Who do you play the practice round with? I turn on the TV and catch highlights and you're ordering ice cream and stuff to come up and we're all just wearing our robes and what an incredible week. But I tell you what, when you're getting ready and you have everything planned and just everything's in our rack, who did the practice round? The practice round is lined up. There's 60,000 people out there. Okay, where's this person? Where's that person? Right, my first story, my first. It's Monday morning for the Masters and I couldn't wait. So I run downstairs and I go out on the putting green. There's like 10,000 people on the putting green. They're just like thirsty for action. It's like 48 degrees and I start hitting these 10 flutters and I miss the first one and they're like oh. Then it's like a collective groan that I made when they're like yeah, and I'm like I can't do this anymore. I just went back inside. I can't do this, I'm not ready for this. I'm not ready for this right now. Oh, that's so great I'm just not ready for this.
Speaker 2:And you know what's funny about that. I go on and on. You hear everything. You hear everything Like I mean people don't think like you hear, but you hear all the comments. Like I was playing out there and I'd hear somebody say is that Matt Kutcher?
Speaker 3:No, I think that's Matt Kutcher. Yeah, that's Matt Kutcher. And they're like no, no, that's. He looks like Rory McIlroy, but he's heavier, he's fat, he's a heavy Rory McIlroy. No, that's Rory. I think that's Rory.
Speaker 2:And then just, but you hear everything and the par three is, oh my God, that's maximum fun over there. Oh yeah, and that's crazy, and you know. But you, just, you hear all the comments and everything and it's really, yeah, it's a lot, it's a lot of fun. The free car I think I got. I took the family out one night to eat, you know, and you've got the. I think it's like the Mercedes and the thing is they have the sticker that you're a player and so it's fun when you go in somewhere, it's like. Then you come out and all these people are like, you know, hundreds of people like around this car, like waiting, like who is it? And then they see me and they're like who the heck's?
Speaker 3:that we thought he was going to be like Rory or Tiger or something.
Speaker 2:And I was like is that my coach, or is like the same guy? So you, know it's just, it's such a fun week it was, it was almost, it was almost. Yeah, it was just, it was. You know, it was awesome, pretty special.
Speaker 1:Pretty special stuff. Who did you who your favorite practice round? Do you have a memorable favorite practice round Like? Who did you play with?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I would say what's really, what was really fun was the first year I was down there, you know, for I was down there nine days before and as out there I was just playing by myself and there's a rain delay and I came in and Phil Mickelson was there. We all got rained in. He was doing this thing at Augusta where he was going down. He started going down with, you know, rick Smith and you know pelts and all these things, and he would chart the court. You know, it was just like famous. He charted the course a week before.
Speaker 2:So he goes in and we and we're just nowhere to go because it's pretty, pretty small. So we go in there and at that time he wasn't in, so he wasn't in the Champions Occurus. We're in the locker room and we start talking and I mean I'm like, oh my gosh. I mean Phil Mickelson, you know. So we're sitting there and then the rain stops. I said okay, well, good luck. And so I go back out and this caddy comes running. I guess, hey, phil wants to know if you want to play with them. I'm like, oh my God. And so I actually played with Phil 18 holes. It was the Tuesday before and then he would go to Houston that night. He'd have to use the thing. So we played and that was just to watch him. I mean, oh my gosh, I mean it just was like out of this, out of this world. Some of the I mean just it's not like anything we've ever seen and so it's funny. So he won that year in 04. And he's like, hey, if you ever, you know, get back down here again, we got to do this again. So, sure enough, we get down there. I get back down there in geez, what was it? 09 or 10? We did it again and then he won it again. You know, we did the same thing on that Tuesday or whatever, and just he was that one year, I think it was in 2010. I have never seen somebody. He was hitting the ball so far. It was just it was, it was out of this world, but you know there was that. But that week it was funny that that same master.
Speaker 2:So for I played with Palmer. They set it up where I played with Palmer and I actually played with the chairman, fred Ridley, and we played on that Tuesday. We had a, we had a ton of fun and it was great. And then I didn't realize then I was. Then the pairings came out that night I was playing with Palmer on Thursday and Friday and this last one. So I was shocked by that. I was shocked by that. I figured he'd be playing with you know whoever, but I think he was with you know me and Bob Estes.
Speaker 2:So it was like that was wild and that was probably one of the most being in that environment, that pretty much. That was like that kind of got you ready for everything, because that almost felt like some kind of you know SEC or Petco's, you know football game. It's 50. Oh yeah, I mean it was. It was wild. I had never seen anything like that. So they were all you know, all in for the king there. So that was. That was a heck of an experience. And he obviously he was, you know, hey, my hero from Western Pennsylvania, absolutely Everybody's hero for absolutely Absolutely, but a great guy and just watching him all week where didn't leave an autograph unsigned or different things like that, and he was a lot of fun. You know, he was a guy's guy. Oh yeah, he said different things, so yeah, what a great experience.
Speaker 1:Wow, it was fun, a lot of fun. I've got, goodness gracious, yeah, I mean, I keep telling people that if you're a serious golfer, you got to find a way to get down to the Masters. There's no other sporting event that's like it and there's just nothing. You can't compare it to anything.
Speaker 2:When you hear the Roars I mean you hear the Roars even when you're playing or spect I mean it's, it's chilling. You know that you just turn around and you know they're the birdie Roars or the Eagle Eagle Roars, whole in one. I mean it's, it's a lot of fun and that back nine I mean that back nine was made for that, was made for Sundays, made for drama, incredible design and yeah, that's as exciting as it ever gets. You know, and those Roars go through those trees and it's, it's incredible. I mean, what a place.
Speaker 1:What a place. Yeah, I couldn't, I could not agree more. So, wow, I mean, that's an incredible memory to play with Arnold Palmer and his last Masters Couple of guys from from Penn, from Pennsylvania, that's. That's, that's a boyhood dream come true, nathan.
Speaker 2:I was special. Yeah, that was special, it was a lot of fun. And he I don't know if I should, this is funny, I could tell this funny story. So we go in real quick and I don't know how long or whatever, but we go in afterwards of the practice round and you know he's got to go in the media center, you know. So this is this is like. You know, we had just walked 18.
Speaker 2:At that time he was, you know, he was in his 70s, walking 18 and everything. So he played a full 18 on Tuesday. We, he's going to go in the media center. We go into lunch. I'm telling you, when he had the biggest glass, he had two of the biggest glasses of beer I've ever seen. I mean, it was like these apple bees, like 50 ounce beer. And I tell you what he's got these big hands and he's throwing them down and this guy comes over and whispers. You know, with the guy it's like when he's like, you know, mr Palmer, you're in the media center, you know, and he's like just a second, he threw these down and he went in the media center. I'm like, wow, wow, wow. So man's man, they're throwing the beers back and then just heading in there and he was after playing 18. He was, he was the best. He was the best yeah yeah, there's, there's nobody.
Speaker 1:Nobody like him. God bless him. Oh my goodness, that is fantastic. What a fantastic. What a great story. So, so I mean you. You have a lot of people, don't? What do you do in real life?
Speaker 2:So I work for a company it's called USI Insurance and I'm in sales and one of their offices is in Pittsburgh, pa, and so you know I'm in the property casual division selling. You know companies, you know bigger, bigger sized companies. You know workers comp, gio, auto umbrella, you know that sounds, you know, exciting, going from all those other highlights to that. But that's what I do. Yeah, I'm in sales, so I've been. I've done that for a while, so I've been with them, you know, for a while a lot of good people and yeah, enjoy doing it.
Speaker 1:No, no, are you still playing a pretty good amateur schedule.
Speaker 2:Well, that's you know. So a lot of that based now is going to be around the Walker Cup. I had played what I what I had done is I had really peeled it back. You know, to me you're kind of in that, you know, kind of mid to late forties you're a little bit in that lost stage before senior golf. You're a mid-am to 20 years younger than you, but a lot of that now I've really peeled that back after. You know the last, how many, how many years.
Speaker 2:I think my last Walker Cup I made was 2013. So at that point, about 10 years ago, you're kind of running the gauntlet. I was going to. I played in just a couple of national tournaments and I'll do a little state stuff and then do a couple mid-am cocktail events, you know with the Coleman or Crump, you know Pine Valley or Seminole, and really, really peeled it back. But now a lot of that's going to be still playing, probably a couple, but probably going to go watch a lot of these college guys and a lot of these things. A lot of this schedule is going to be based, you know, around them and spending time with them and and different things. So, yeah, that'll be, that'll be, it'll be good.
Speaker 1:I look forward to doing that, absolutely yeah, and we're going to get to that. One question I wanted to ask you is how do you, how do you, balance having a career playing a very high level of competitive amateur golf and balance family, work, life, life, family life, yeah well, I know you're you're opening, you're talking about paying the mortgage and, mary, you know I don't know how I do it All that.
Speaker 2:So anyway, as a good question, you know well, first of all, you know the work is the in family I get the most important, yeah, so, but you know so you're doing a good job with that. So it's kind of like, well, how do you play golf? You know a lot of it is. You know I don't play, I don't play a lot. You know I just try to get a lot of a lot of reps, you know. So I do a lot with. I really I'm like a high rep guy.
Speaker 2:So I think if you get, I think if you get a lot of reps, and a lot of times you're working and just be in the weather and PA, like nothing's really you know you can't say, ok, we're going to do Friday because it's you know it's going to be 80, and Sunday and sunny it's going to rain. So a lot of times, honestly, you know, year round, I have two things probably. I love this momentous iron. I don't know if you saw it without it, you know. So it's this heavy club I like doing it all the way to that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, honestly, it's almost like it keeps me aggressive. It's like a little placebo type thing. And then you feel like you're, you know swinging a stick or something when you and then I have this eyeline mirror. You know that I try to keep my head over the ball and I pot it, but I think it's just, you know. So those are the two things with golf that even I'll do through the winter, or working all day, and you come home and you chip a few in the yard or you just have time to go to the range real quick and then you're putting on the carpet at night.
Speaker 2:But you know, I think it's just, it's just time management, like anything. It's time management, you know, every day. Every day is different. What do you have going on today? If you got, you know, meeting, you know early in the morning and you can get out in the evening, or you know vice versa, and it's just, it's just a lot of it's just time management, you know, and a lot of that you kind of learn through college.
Speaker 2:You know, at Allegheny you know it's pretty tough academic school. So you kind of have to, you know, arrange things that around the tournaments, and how are you going to get this paper done. How are you going to get ready for that test? You know, so you kind of, you're kind of that's one of the things there that that taught me. That was really good, because it wasn't just, you know, if you're just going to play golf, you got to like, wow, how am I going to get this 15 page paper done by Monday? And, yes, there's a lot of time management there. So it's tough. Yeah, it's tough, you know, and you're trying to. You got it, you're trying to. You know you don't want to short change any one of them. So three days different and you probably take it for there. So I don't know if that he had served. I don't know if I did it, you know, but it's kind of what it is.
Speaker 1:You know. Well, I mean it's, it's. It can be a tough one when you, when you're married and you have kids and you have different demands on your time and you also want to give time to your golf game because we all absolutely love it. And I mean that reminds me of what I tell people a lot as far as giving a little bit to your game. You know, sometimes a little bit can go a long way. I mean, give 15 minutes on your, on a practice mat with an eye line. Sure, for people that don't know what an eye line, it's a mirror, that's a, that's an aid to help you with your alignment, with putting and your eye position. Whether you want your eyes over the ball, inside the ball, it doesn't matter, it gives you feedback. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's a very, very good tool.
Speaker 2:I think it's just you know and it's like wraps, it's like anything you know. If you know you got to make so many calls a day, you know for work, you want to spend this much time with your family, you want to get you know how many, how many buckets or how many putts, you know it's just all wraps. You just got to make sure you know you hit those and tie management and you know reps on the mound type of thing. You know so.
Speaker 1:Are you doing anything physically going to the gym, working on stretching mobility?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I have actually. That's funny to say that I've gotten really into the gym for me. I don't know what I, I it's just I'm not sure if, yeah, I've got into lifting for me pretty good I don't know. It's just something I've enjoyed. It started out. You know I'm watching all these guys hit it. They hit it so far. I mean that's what's.
Speaker 2:So I probably should do more. You know, course, different different agility, core stuff. But I've enjoyed going to the gym lifting but I've been blown away with how far a lot of these these guys are hitting it. And you know, my thing is I don't think I'm ever going to, you know, from six two or six three, I'm not getting back to 150 or 160. You know, I'm amazed like how many of these guys I mean they're just, you know, six two and lanky and they just killed the ball.
Speaker 2:So you know, I got into the gym, you know pretty good, you know, a couple of years ago, just to, you know, just to try to be, you know, competitive. You kind of have to do that and I think it's good for you. So I, I enjoy doing that and just every day you go, you know, okay, we're going to do shoulders this day back day, they're just that, but not that, it, not that it. You know, whatever you can see a difference or anything, but I do enjoy, I do enjoy doing that and I do a lot of that. I try to do a lot of that. That's great, kind of early in the morning and different things, or, you know, before work or whatever.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I tell people all the time that you know it translates to the golf course pretty well. Yeah. Yeah, for sure, for sure, yeah, you know, if you and there's a bit of an edge to there like, hey, I've, I'm earning the right to play, well, sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sure, yeah. I think it's just something as you get older, you got to. You got to. You know you got to do that stuff. You got to. You know you got to watch the way you eat. You got to. You got to do everything. You got to. You know just, everybody has their own. You know routine and everything and walking or running or gym. But I think it's, everybody gets older. You know, I noticed not that I'm whatever. You know, every five years you could notice that you used to be able to do this. I used to be able to eat this. Okay, it's still there, it's. You know, it's kind of like. You know I I'll drive by a fast food place. I won't even stop. I feel like I gained five pounds. You know you go out to dinner. How did I gain seven pounds tonight at dinner? I don't know what happened. You know I didn't think I was trying to eat healthy. It's a fight. I mean, we're all in a fight, right?
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, I'm not sure if it's this kind of at least I feel.
Speaker 2:If I go to the gym, maybe I could just eat normal, you know, but who knows, I don't know, I enjoy it so.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, it's, it's really good, especially as we age, you know. I mean, nathan, your story is incredible and I and it provides a lot of hope, a lot of inspiration to all of us that love this game, that want to play at a high level, that want to be competitive and and the PGA tour or whatever tour is not going to be available and that's okay. I mean, this is I could tell folks and you can certainly attest to this that you know playing a lot of these events, whatever they are. If you're, if you're a good player and you're a little bit trepid about playing competitively, for whatever reason that it's, it's such a great way to get feedback, to figure out what you need to work on physically, mentally, emotionally. It really, if you're, if you're open and and willing to be observative, you can find out a lot about yourself and really learn and and evolve as a result of playing in these things, even if you don't make it, even if you don't qualify Does that make sense.
Speaker 2:Well, it makes perfect sense. I just think that it's like anything in life, everybody's got to find something that lights them up and as a kid, whether you wanted to play the tour or you wanted to play another perfect, I didn't know I was going to. I didn't know anything about the mid-ameters or different things like that. It's just something that's really lit me up and I've enjoyed for the last how many years and that'll lead into the Walker Cup. But that could be on any level. That could lead into some senior amateur stuff. That could you know. For a lot of people that's, you know, club events or everybody just wants to be the best that they can be and enjoy the game. It's an incredible game, everybody enjoys it. It's a lifetime sport. I mean, it's just, it's awesome. So you know everybody's just trying to be the best they can be.
Speaker 1:You know, for the folks that are listening. Nathan, what advice do you have for people that listen to this moving forward, that want to, they're not going to turn pro, they're good players and they want to play at a high level? What advice would you give some of us folks that want to play at a high level, that want to have a great career? You know, check all the boxes as you have.
Speaker 2:As far as amateur stuff, or just amateur stuff, yeah, I just, I think that you know, you always, you always go all in. You don't know, you don't know where it's going to lead, I mean, sometimes like.
Speaker 2:I said, sometimes that's a tour, sometimes that's the AM stuff. You know, I think, like I said, I think the reps, the more reps you can get every day. You know, you look into the events. What can I play in? You know, for me, I think that if you can just do, you know a couple of events, you don't know what that leads to and, as you said, everybody's busy with work and family and everything like that, and I think it's easy to say well, I, you know, I'm not going to go do that tournament.
Speaker 2:Sometimes there's so many guys that I've, you know, you've seen it on the tour, I've seen it on the amateur level. They just, you know, you catch lightning in a bottle. You know you went in an event, kind of like I was saying to you, it opens up all these doors and you know, just, just, just give it a shot. You know, just give it a shot, just enjoy it, just play as much as you can. You know as many reps every day as you can and you know you need to, like we talked about earlier, just kind of know. You know, know yourself type of thing, and just play your game. You don't have to play it like this person know what works for you and and go do it and see whatever level, and whatever level that falls on, it falls on. Like I said, it could be the tour, it could be medium stuff, could be some, you know, could be some club stuff, could be you know, senior, who knows?
Speaker 2:you know, so it's enjoyable, everybody enjoys it and you know, I think the time management thing of of you know section off times of the day to you know, do that and go after it and be very successful.
Speaker 1:So and as you have, and I and I don't want to forget this little tidbit too Did you? You also won the very first four ball right USGA four ball. Yeah, let's not forget about that yeah.
Speaker 2:It's down the road in the Olympic right. Yeah, so that's that's kind of out there. Yeah, so that was funny. That was some boy. There's some funny stories there. I don't know if it's yeah, I don't know if it's funny, but you know that was funny.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's pretty cool. And and and and. One last thing, Nathan, before we, before we wrap this up, Um, I mean, did you have an inkling that you might be asked to be the Walker Cup captain, or does this, this, come out of, out of the blue? And and what was your reaction? I mean, what an incredible honor.
Speaker 2:Well, it was, it was, it was an incredible honor and, um, to be asked to be Walker Cup captain, as you're blown away, and then to to have it somewhere. You know, um, like Cypress Point, you know, um, golf club is just I mean, that's just, you know, geez, oh man, I mean I couldn't feel luck here. And then you know we were talking earlier. Then you go out there and you see, because I'd never been there, and you go out there and the courses, you know it's the greatest place on earth. And then, as I was saying to you earlier, the people out there, the members, are, I mean, they're better than the golf course and I true, I truly mean that I've been, and you know that too, I do. I just couldn't, I just couldn't believe it. And the people are better than the golf course and I can't tell you how incredible they've been to me. Um, and it's all of them and it's all of them and it's a special place.
Speaker 2:And I was honored when I got the call. It's something that they had talked to me years and years ago and I said, um, I'd love to do it and I wanted to do it when I was younger, to try to do it when my parents were alive. Uh, maybe I was, maybe I'm alive, you don't know. Right, in another 20 years, I mean, that's like geez, am I going to? We all don't know. So I wanted to do it when I was younger.
Speaker 2:Parents were around and I felt maybe I could relate a little bit more to the players and you know cause you get in your you know sixties or something. I mean I might you know, there's still like 20, some years younger than me now but I wanted to do it when I was at least younger and I could relate a little more and some people close to me were, were around to maybe enjoy it. And then, geez, oh man, to, to, to get it was, you know, biggest honor in my life. And to get it at Cypress Point was, yeah, I mean, I geez. It's hard to even not to get choked up about it. So it's really, really special. I'm honored, beyond honored and humbled.
Speaker 1:So great stuff. Yeah, it's. It's going to be an incredibly special week and, for those who don't know, the United States Walker cup is being held, or the Walker cup is being held in the United States at Cypress Point in 2025. So the first week of September and for the first time in Cypress's history, it's going to be televised.
Speaker 2:I think that'll be special.
Speaker 2:I mean I think when you start to you've seen it with the opens, I mean when you start to get that West Coast and prime time and covered and everything I think that I've seen a lot of them, I don't know just saying this I think it's going to be one of the most special Walker cups ever, just even coming down the stretch there 15, 16, 17. I mean that's just, oh my gosh. I mean that's beautiful and maybe in prime time, televised, they're all. They're all going to be there. It's going to be special really special.
Speaker 1:It's going to be compelling theater, as they say, and hopefully a lot of drama and great memorable shots that that might potentially catapult or springboard the next Tiger Woods or the next you know great player, great American player, great European player Sure, you, just, you never know what's going to be the catalyst behind some of these, you know, start to an incredible career. And I think most of the greats in American golf have played in the Walker cup. Most of them, yeah, you see. Them all, yeah, you see them all, you see them all.
Speaker 2:And it's like when they're going through it. But then you know, then they make some noise out on tour, win a big one, and then all of a sudden, that's like you know, look at that and you know they were on it. I remember in the 11 team, you know Spieth being on the team and he was just out of high school going to Texas and blink your eyes and all of a sudden he's winning almost every major and it's pretty, pretty special stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, nathan, I can't thank you enough for your time enlightening us and and and I also want to continue to celebrate you and as a human being, you're a great human, great player still got it and you're not you're not.
Speaker 2:You're not about that you still.
Speaker 1:I've seen it up close and personal and there's hope for everyone.
Speaker 2:You saw it. Yeah, I won, for you've seen me. There's hope for everyone out there. Less than if I could get four. Everybody else can get more than that. You know watching me play.
Speaker 1:So oh, I think it's great. I just think it's. It's such a great conversation, a great study, a great examination of who wins what and you know invariably you always get the conversation of well, that dude, you know he won with his guts because he didn't have that great of a golf swing, or, of course, to that guy at a great golf swing. Of course he's going to win. It's just such a great, interesting and fun conversation and it's great to try to quantify it, but I think it's really what's inside the player that that comes out. It certainly does help to have Adam Scott's golf swing, that's for sure.
Speaker 2:Makes things a little bit easier. I don't have that. I don't have that Me neither. Me neither.
Speaker 1:There's not a lot of people that do, but you know there's. There's a lot of room and golf for your own individual, unique golf swing, there's always room for that and if you can maximize that, boy, bravo.
Speaker 2:I think it's that. Adam Scott, I think we got. What is that? More guts and glory and more spit than polish type of thing going on. I wish we could all swing it like you, but we're trying you know Amen to that.
Speaker 1:Well, Nathan, I can't thank you enough for coming on. My friend, this was really a treat.
Speaker 2:I appreciate it. Thank you so much for having me. I enjoy spending time with you and we'll see you again soon. And yeah, thanks for having me Well fun. You know. Hopefully we've got some more memories coming up here pretty soon out there, so definitely, Thank you.