Ep85: Mark: 'The Best Short Par 4 in the World', Plus 'Desert Golf', and Solutions to the Yips.

A big episode of Talk Birdie To Me this week with the team in 3 different timezones. Nick is in South Australia working hard drinking wine, Mark is in Melbourne, and Third Man Dan is in Mackay in North Queensland.Nick is in SA doing some hosting at the BMW National Final and explains what he is doing, some of the golf he has been playing, and who with. He played The Grange courtesy of their pro Gary Simpson, Mark tells a great story about Gary.Last week Mark was very excited about his impending trip to play Tara Iti in the 'Lamington Jam', and we want to hear all about it. Did Tara Iti live up to his (high) expectations? Did he play well? Would he go back? How does he rate Tara Iti on a world scale? Mark talks us through his takeaways from the trip.We then talk about what Mark describes as 'the best short par 4 in the world', does Nick agree?Nick saw none of the Black Desert Championship in Utah at the weekend, as he was working, Mark saw a bit - and loved it. We discuss desert golf and how spectacular it is. Kalgoorlie hosting the WA PGA Championship at the weekend is another great example, Mark describes the decision to host the WA PGA in Kalgoorlie for the past decade or so as a 'genius' move by WA, in taking it to spectacular regional courses, much like what NSW is doing this year at Murray Downs.We discuss innovation in golf commentary and Mark explains what he saw the commentators in Utah doing when they analysed Harris English's swing. He'd love to see that kind of analysis on the Australasian PGA tour. This gives Nick an idea - he is playing with Elvis Smylie in Adelaide tomorrow, so he'll try to set something up. Watch this space.Then we talk real estate. For a lazy $10 million we can purchase and build a home on Te Arai golf course in New Zealand overlooking the 4th hole. We'll pass a hat around, perhaps the Talk Birdie Wolfpack can collectively buy in. Back to Tara Iti, Mark's Top 5 is his favourite 5 things about Tara Iti...ironically the course itself is not one of them! He explains.Nick is pumped in the PING global results as PING players, as usual, have been killing it. And we check feedback, which includes solutions for the Yips, more RakePod comments, and a whack for Mark which Nick says is overdue. Great masterclass from Nick, in two parts, both to do with Elvis Smylie. Part 1 on his swing, and Part 2 on his putting.Thanks to our great Talk Birdie partners:PING will help you play your best, like they have for Nick O'Hern. See your local golf shop or professional for a PING club fitting;The new watchMynumbers app, the most powerful data based golf app in the world, download from the App Store or Google Play;Golf Clearance Outlet, join GCO Live for great member benefits and comps. They're in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and the Sunshine Coast, or online here.Southern Golf Club - Home of the Australian Master of the Amateurs in January 2025, entry is free!Flinders Golf Club, an historical treasure!Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, send a voicemail here, and see our Masterclass videos on YouTube here.We're live from Titleist and FootJoy HQ thanks to our great partners:Hostplus, Talk Birdie To Me's official retirement partnerBMW, luxury and comfort for the 19th hole;Titleist, the #1 ball in golf;FootJoy, the #1 shoe and glove in golf;Golf Clearance Outlet, they beat everyone's prices;Betr, the fastest and easiest betting app in Australia;The Find My Player app - follow every player on every tour;And Southern Golf Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.