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Happy New Year everyone and welcome to our first show of 2021 here on Golf Talk Washington. Despite the torrential rain, the last thing you want to do is put away the clubs for the winter.  There is no better time than right now to start looking ahead to the new year and making big strides so you're ready to hit the ground running when the ball stops plugging. Join host Josh Kerns for a visit to the magic kingdom to work on your game over the winter – the PNW Golf Academy in Issaquah.  It’s like Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory for golf with multiple Trackman bays, a short game area and more.    It’s the brainchild of award-winning PGA professional Alex Dunlop. After a stellar college golf career at WSU, he’s established himself as one of the top teachers in the NW, if not the nation. Check out our recent conversation…socially distanced of course….

Happy Holidays!  In this special edition of Golf Talk Washington Josh Kerns travels to Santa's Workshop aka Puetz Golf Superstore in North Seattle to visit with head elf  (Manager Chris Johnson) to come up with the ultimate holiday gift guide and how to outfit for yourself for the cold and wet ahead.And speaking of great holiday gifts, how about a custom green guide for your favorite course, just like pros use?!  Josh visits with Pete Charleston, President and Co-Founder of GolfLogix to talk about the latest in green guides and app technology.Looking for some helpful holiday hints?  Check out these links to some of my favorites:https://www.puetzgolf.com/https://www.golflogix.com/https://keithbennettgolf.com/https://pnwgolfacademy.com/https://eyelinegolf.com/

Cold and rain are coming to Western Washington, but that doesn't mean we have to put our golf games into hibernation.In this edition of Golf Talk Washington, Josh Kerns visits with Western Washington's PGA Teacher of the Year Keith Bennett to talk about ways we can keep our games going and improving all winter long, on the range or in our homes.Here are some links to great training aids and books Keith talks about in the episode:https://keithbennettgolf.com/https://superspeedgolf.com/https://eyelinegolf.com/Golf Is Not A Game of Perfect-Bob RotellaEvery Shot Counts - Mark Broadie

Join Josh Kerns for a visit to the Chambers Bay Academy with Director of Instruction Ryan Young.  Learn why the greatest practice facility in Western Washington is a great place for players of all ability from elite to beginners.Ryan, one of Washington's top teachers' (and players) offers great insights into how we can start building a winter practice plan to help us all lay the foundation for a strong new season ahead, and he details the inspiring the work he's doing with veterans across the country.To learn more about Ryan and all of the fabulous offerings, check out the Chambers Bay Academy website https://www.chambersbaygolf.com/cbga/And visit Ryan's YouTube channel and Instagram feed for more great instruction to elevate your game

In this special edition of Golf Talk Washington, acclaimed golf course architect David McLay Kidd joins Josh Kerns for an in-depth conversation about his mind-blowing body of work spanning the globe from Bandon Dunes to Gamble Sands to Nicaragua and even the Red Sea.David takes us inside his newest creation, the Quicksands short course at Gamble Sands, we talk about the exceptional US Amateur at Bandon Dunes, his surprising renovation of Seattle's venerable Sand Point Country Club, and he gives us a sneak peak at his newest and potentially most audacious project to date: a dramatic new development on a sand island in the middle of the Red Sea between Saudi Arabia and Egypt.David also offers insights into the evolution of his design philosophy and craft, and offers some thought provoking takes on how to make golf more fun.Follow DMK on Twitter

What's the best way to buy new clubs or dial in your current set?  In this special edition of Golf Talk Washington, Josh Kerns visits with master club builder and fitter Ben Giunta about all the things you need to know before spending another cent on new sticks.Ben is a former PGA tour club fitter/equipment tech who worked for Nike and Taylor Made for a number of years.  When Nike quit the equipment business, Ben bought one of their tour vans and established his own fitting service called…wait for it…The Tour Van.  He spends his summers at Pumpkin Ridge outside Portland and winters in Tucson.  He’s worked with the likes of Rory, Kevin Chappel and other PGA Tour standouts, as well as hacks like you and me, so suffice it to say he knows his stuff!https://thetourvan.com/

Desperate times call for desperate measures...with courses closed and our air unhealthy, join me for a visit to the indoor golf playground Back9 Parlor in Lynnwood.  If you haven't been in a state of the art simulator with a screaming fast launch monitor lately, you're in for a treat.https://back9parlor.com/

In this totally subjective and highly opinionated edition of Golf Talk Washington, your humble caddie Josh Kerns is joined by golf snobs...err, afficianados...Ben Garrett and Jesse Jones, for a wide ranging debate about which courses are tops in Washington.Ben is one of the top amateur players in the state and counts multiple victories in the Sahalee Club Championship among his golfing accomplishments, while Jesse...suffice it to say Jesse sees more of every course than most of us!Seriously, both are fellow golf lovers who've had the good fortune of playing many of our state's finest courses.  Ben is an official panelist for Golf Digest while Jesse is an official rater for Golfweek.  Both bring unique and insightful perspectives to the debate about which courses are best in our state.For reference, check out some recent rankings, and enjoy.https://www.golfdigest.com/story/washington-best-in-state-rankingshttps://golfweek.usatoday.com/lists/golfweeks-best-2020-best-courses-you-can-play-state-by-state/

In this edition of Golf Talk Washington with Josh Kerns, Tacoma native, PGA Tour veteran and acclaimed instructor Brian Mogg joins the show to offer his unique insights on how to learn to play better golf, the advantages of going to a golf school like the Brian Mogg Academy at Chambers Bay, how online video can help and more.Brian Mogg is repeatedly tabbed as one of America's top teacher's by Golf Digest and Golf Magazine and his students regularly bring home the hardware from the PGA tour to top amateur tournaments.Check out the Brian Mogg Academy at Chambers Bay for more information and upcoming sessions:https://www.chambersbaygolf.com/instruction/Check out Brian's amazing video series (only if you want to hit the ball farther and play better...)https://www.performancegolfzone.com/

Straight off his wire-to-wire win in the Washington State Am, champion Sean Kato joins the show to share the secrets to his success we can all use in reaching our own goals.  The Redmond-native and rising Oregon State junior takes us from the opening tee to hoisting our state's most prestigious golf trophy, lessons he's learned along the way that propeled him to the greeatest golfing achievement of his young life, overcoming adversity and so much more.  And we talk about the challenges facing all young people these days as students or student athletes given the continued uncertainty of the COVID-19 challenges.We also talk about the influence of Russell Wilson's mental coach Trevor Moawad, and how we can all hack our thoughts with his help.  You can buy Trevor's mind-blowing book "It Takes What It Takes" here.Photo of Sean Kato courtesy WA Golf

In this special edition, The Golfing Doc Dr. Harry Sese of Golfletica Sports and Rehab in Bellevue checks in from the locker room at the PGA Championship at the TPC Harding Park in San Francisco.Doc's stable of PGA players in the field features Jon Rahm, Adam Hadwin and Wyndham Clark vying for the Wanamaker Trophy in golf's first major of 2020.Doc shares exclusive insights from inside the PGA Tour bubble, how players are adapting to the new COVID norms, lessons we can learn to keep our own bodies and our game in top shape and much more.Learn more about Dr. Sese's work and how Golfletica Sports and Rehab can help you:https://golfletica.com/

Some people bitch about walking 18 at Chambers Bay.  Imagine taking 3+ loops around the 2015 US Open host site!  That's what over 100 dedicated (or questionably sane) golfers did last week in a marathon golfathon to raise money for The First Tee.KIRO 7 reporter and golf slut Jesse Jones and Evan Johnson from the First Tee of Greater Seattle join host Josh Kerns to recap a once in a lifetime day of golf and offer some rare insights into one of Washington's great tracks.

Mariners TV play by play guy extraordinaire and golf junkie Dave Sims joins Josh Kerns for a wide ranging conversation about golf, the start of the COVID-19 truncated baseball season, systemic racism and why he regrets not asking Arnold Palmer for a selfie.ICYMI, check out Dave's recent thought provoking, brutally frank op-ed on systemic racism, Black Lives Matter and more in the Seattle Times:https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mariners/mariners-broadcaster-dave-sims-on-george-floyd-protests-i-am-them-and-they-are-me-guest-commentary/And check out my article on racism and the lack of Black players in golf in the latest issue of Cascade Golfer Magazine:https://issuu.com/varsitycommunications/docs/cg_0720_issue

Join Josh Kerns and special guest Jesse Jones from KIRO 7 TV for a visit to the delightful White Horse Golf Club in Kingston as our dynamic duo detail what makes White Horse worthy of your next round.White Horse is just a 30 minute ferry ride from Edmonds, but world's away from the usual Seattle-area golf experience.  You'll be blown away by the quality of everything from the course to the spectacular practice areas, not to mention the ridiculously low rates!  Listen, then book your tee time below.https://whitehorsegolf.com/

Your ever humble caddie Josh Kerns is joined by longtime Puget Sound golf ambassador John Tipping for a delightful trip around Loomis Trail, a criminally underrated country club caliber track just north of Bellingham but well worth the drive.  Come along as we kick off our new series on places to play you might have forgotten about or never had the chance to check out.https://golfloomis.com/

Now that we're all playing again, many of us have questions about the new handicapping system that went into place this year.  Nate Schroeder, Director ofHandicapping & Course Rating for the PNGA has all the answers.  What is double net bogey or most likely score?  Nate joins the show to tell us all we need to know.Learn more about the new handicapping rules at the  WA Golf website

The COVID-19 stay at home orders have been particularly hard on golf loving, active kids.  But the First Tee of Greater Seattle is working hard to keep them in the game and on course.Evan Johnsen/Director of Programs & Development, joins Josh to talk about how the First Tee is working to adapt during these trying times, and how you can help.And Evan details a once in a lifetime opportunity to play Chambers Bay from dawn to dusk in the inaugural Chambers Bay Solstice.  On July 26, 2020, golf enthusiasts will compete in a challenge to complete 54 holes of golf or more in one day to raise donations and awareness for the First Tee of Seattle and the First Tee of South Puget Sound. Golfers will play all day, walking the challenging landscape of Chambers Bay and swinging away on the premier course in the Pacific Northwest. It will be a fun-filled and challenging day. 

In this week's edition of Golf Talk Washington with Josh Kerns:We get an update on how the first week of golf in the post-COVID-19 closure era is going with Ryan Whitney/VP-Premier Golf & OB SportsPGA Tour standout and University Place native Andrew Putnam tells us how he's getting through the quarantine, trying to bring his game out of hibernation and gearing up for the resumption of the PGA Tour seasonWhat are the best training aids for your game?  Our resident PGA pro Keith Bennett from the Golf Club at Newcastle offers his expert adviceAnd if you're feeling sore and stiff after the first rounds of the season, you're not alone.  Shawn Farmer-Sese, Performance Director at Golfletica Sports and Rehab in Bellevue joins the show to offer her expert insights and tips to help keep you pain and injury freeGolf Talk Washington is generously supported by the fine folks at Sportsradio KJR and is available on demand on the iHeart Radio app, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Stitcher.  Please like, comment and share.  I appreciate all of you - Josh

It's time to tee it up for the first time since the COVID-19 shutdown.  In this special return to golf episode, Josh Kerns has all the details about where and how we can play starting May 5 across Washington, and how to get your own game out of quarantine.  Josh visits with: Mark Rashell/PGA - Director of Golf at the Golf Club at Newcastle https://www.newcastlegolf.com/  Jeff Ellison/PGA - CEO of the Pacific Northwest Section of the PGA Keith Bennett/PGA - An acclaimed instructor online at https://keithbennettgolf.com/ and IRL at the Golf Club at Newcastle Golf Talk Washington is available on the iHeart Radio app, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Stitcher.

Exclusive Breaking News from Golf Talk Washington:Gamble Sands, Washington's #1 rated course, is growing.  In an exclusive interview with host Josh Kerns, Ryan Whitney/Sr. VP Operations for OB Sports tells us construction began this week on a new short course at highly acclaimed resort outside Brewster, Washington.The new course is designed by renowned architect David McLay Kidd, the artist behind such courses as Bandon Dunes, Tetherow, Mammoth Sands, Nanea and many others.Listen as Whitney tells us about the details of the course, Kidd's vision, the timetable and much more.  He also shares news of an expected early opening.