PGA LIVE - The Podcast

The PGA, PGA professionals & Prostate Cancer UK talk golf, health and why they are getting behind a new NHS campaign to save men’s lives

We are joined by one of the biggest names in golf instruction - Sean Foley, who coached Tiger Woods for four years between 2010 and 2014. Born and raised outside of Toronto, Foley set out to be a teacher of elite players after watching David Leadbetter work with Nick Faldo on the range at the RBC Canadian Open in 1988. He played college golf at Tennessee State University and went on to begin his teaching career at Glen Abbey GC. Foley boasts a hugely impressive CV and his current stable of stars includes Olympic Champion Justin Rose, fellow Englishman and former Masters winner Danny Willett, and two-time PGA Tour winner Cameron Champ.

In this very special PGA LIVE – The Podcast episode, we are joined by England's Rugby World Cup-winning coach and Team GB's former Director of Sport, Sir Clive Woodward (OBE). As a rugby union player, Woodward won 21 caps for England before going on to coach the national team between 1997 and 2004, the highlight of which was leading England to the Rugby World Cup title in 2003. Woodward also went on to coach the British & Irish Lions on their tour to New Zealand in 2005. More recently, Woodward has acted as Director of Elite Performance and Director of Sport for the British Olympic Association (BOA). As a huge golf fan and keen player, Woodward speaks to PGA LIVE - The Podcast on a number of interesting topics, including: golf at the Olympics, improving female participation, the importance of great coaching and making the game more accessible.

We speak to former LPGA Tour star and six-time Solheim Cup player, Dottie Pepper about her career in golf. Pepper excelled as a golfer as a junior and went on to play on the LPGA Tour for 17 years, winning 17 times and claiming two Major championships. She represented the United States six times in the Solheim Cup matches, compiling a 13-5-2 record, before retiring from competitive golf in 2004. Since then, Pepper covers all levels of televised golf for ESPN, the Golf Channel, NBC, and CBS. She was the recipient of the 2016 William D. Richardson Award, presented by the Golf Writers Association of America, for her consistently outstanding contributions to golf, and in 2018 she was inducted to the New York State Golf Association Hall of Fame.

For this Solheim Cup special episode of PGA LIVE - The Podcast, we are joined by former European Tour and American Tour player Alison Nicholas, who now coaches as a PGA Professional at Redditch Golf Club and The Midlands Indoor Golf Performance Centre in Cannock. Nicholas' playing career in golf spanned from 1980 to 2004 and saw her win 18 professional titles, including the 1997 US Open, establishing herself as one of Europe's most successful players. ​​Alison’s career has been in entwined with the Solheim Cup. She represented Europe in the inaugural Solheim Cup in 1990 and went on to play in six matches, with memorable victories in 1992, 2000 and 2003. Alison has also been heavily involved in role of Vice Captain (2003 & 2005) and Captain (2009 & 2011).

PGA LIVE - The Podcast returns for a very special episode to kick-off this year's Women and Girls’ Golf Week. We are joined by some very special guests to talk about #WhyIGolf - an online campaign promoting female participation at all levels and challenging negative perceptions about the game. England Golf trio Toni Zverblis (Participation & Development Campaigns Manager), Lauren Spray (Women and Girls in Golf Manager) and Helen Searle (PGA Professional and England Golf Club Support Officer) talk about their love for the game and how this year's Women and Girls’ Golf Week is expected to be bigger and better than ever before. Jackie Davidson, Assistant Director Golf Development at The R&A, provides an insightful perspective from The R&A, while Sally Hinton, Senior PGA Teaching Professional at Close House Golf Club, talks about her career in golf. We are also joined by Emma Ballard, Editor - Women and Golf, to explain why Women and Girls' Golf Week is such an important initiative.

In another special episode of PGA LIVE - The Podcast, Gareth Shaw (PGA Member Education/Training Coordinator), is joined by Claude Harmon III - one of the best golf instructors in the world. Steeped in tradition both his grandfather, Claude Harmon, and father Claude “Butch” Harmon Jr., have been the dominant teachers of their generation. The Harmon family pedigree has been the perfect foundation for Claude to build his knowledge of golf instruction.  Claude’s teaching philosophy and methods have delivered lower scores and better, more repeatable swings for seasoned tour players, celebrities, and amateurs of all abilities and he is now ranked sixth on Golf Digest's 2019-2020 Best Teachers in America List and he is also a Golf Magazine Top 100 Instructor. ​His past and present students include Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler, Ernie Els, Adam Scott and Darren Clarke. He is a regulator contributor to Sky Sports Golf and the Golf Channel.

PGA LIVE - The Podcast is back for a very special episode during Open Championship week. Gareth Shaw (PGA Member Education/Training Coordinator) is joined by Javier Ballesteros, the son of the late and great Seve Ballesteros.  Javier is a tour professional and he talks about his career and his amazing memories of his father Seve, a pioneer in golf and one of the game's leading figures from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s.

In this very special episode of PGA LIVE - The Podcast, Gareth Shaw, PGA Member Education/Training Coordinator, is joined by hugely popular BBC golf correspondent Iain Carter. Iain Carter has been BBC Radio's golf correspondent since 2003 and has been a regular lead commentator for BBC Radio Five Live at all of the major golf championships around the world, including The Open, the Masters and the Ryder Cup. ​In the five years prior to covering golf, Iain was the BBC's tennis correspondent and he continues to commentate at Wimbledon. In this episode of PGA LIVE - The Podcast, Iain speaks about his fascinating career in golf.

David Adams, Head of Commercial Partnerships at The PGA, is joined by Tom Oliver, Founder and CEO of Tom Oliver Nutrition, to discuss the evolution of sports nutrition. They are also joined on the podcast by Stephen Banks, a PGA Member who recently joined Tom Oliver Nutrition to help support fellow PGA Members from an education and sales perspective. PGA Trainee Josh Evans, who is based at Mill Ride Golf Club also joins the conversation to speak about how PGA Members are benefiting from advice in this field.

David Adams, Head of Commercial Partnerships at The PGA, is joined by Phil Barnard, Founder of PGA Partner Crossover Technologies (XPOS) and PGA Member Martin Balfour (Head Professional at Donnington Valley Golf Club in Newbury, Berkshire) to discuss and simplify the topic of data. The panel explain the importance of data for golf retailers and PGA Professionals and how data can make their retail business more efficient and profitable. Phil Barnard has been working in the golf industry for more than 20 years. He began by developing his own point-of-sale system, which he sold to a small number of pro shops. Over the next two decades this business expanded to support over 20 employees who now provide software and services to over a thousand retailers. Martin Balfour has been Head Professional at Donnington Valley Golf Club since 2001 and the award winning shop prides itself on being the best stocked, at the best price with the best service for miles around.

Mathew Davies, PGA Regional Manager (International) is joined by Jamie McConnell (Claude Harmon Performance Golf Academy, UAE) and Jonathan Garratt (Gallagher’s Canyon GC, Canada) to talk about what it is like working as a PGA Members overseas. Jamie McConnell is a 'High Performance' coach based at the Claude Harmon Performance Academy in Dubai and Head Coach to the Saudi Arabian National Team. Jamie’s expertise include swing instruction, performance coaching and practice planning and he has helped professionals on the European Tour, Challenge Tour and Ladies European Tour. Jonathan Garratt is the Academy Director and Elite Golf Coach at Gallaghers Canyon Golf Resort in Kelowna, Canada. He has extensive experience of starting, building and developing golf academies in China and Vietnam. He recently opened JSQUARED Golf, a small indoor golf business to service the needs of Kelowna’s golf addicts during the winter golf season.

PGA Chief Executive Robert Maxfield and Richard Barker, PGA Executive Director - Business Development are joined by a very special guest - Ken Brown. After a successful playing career which saw him win multiple times on both the PGA and European Tour and represent Europe in no fewer than five Ryder Cup matches, Ken went on to become a hugely successful commentator, course designer, putting guru, and of course, creator of the iconic Ken on the Course hole guides at The Masters. In this podcast, Ken talks all things Augusta as well as his early experiences as an assistant pro and greenkeeper, playing in an era packed with legendary figures, helping start the golden age of the European Ryder Cup team, his approach to teaching putting and plenty more besides.