This is Tiger Woods and welcome to another golf podcast presented by Bridgestone.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the inaugural first another golf podcast presented by Bridgestone. We're so excited about what we have here going. We have some amazing guests, but I definitely want to introduce Amelia migliaccio to the podcast bringing credibility and authenticity to the microphone, which I do not have. So Amelia, welcome.
Thanks, Adam. I'm so excited to be here. We have a lot of great stuff planned already have had some great things that have happened today. And it just we have some really special guests that it's gonna be fun to talk to you later.
Yeah, I'm looking forward to some of the people that we have come in. We have a really special guests that we'll talk about in just a second as we introduce that person, but um, before we get to yet, tell us a little bit about you and your background and how this came to be.
Yeah, so I grew up playing golf as a kid my mom played golf in college she played at the University of Arizona, introduced me to the game, and I fell in love with it. Wanted to turn professional, played at Wake Forest. I still play there at Wake Forest. We are ranked second in the country right now. We were we were one at one point Stanford kind of clipped us so postseason, it will be kind of a little battle between us, which is great. Yeah. And we've had a lot of success there. And 2019 was our best year we won the ACC championship I want individually and then we finished runner up with the NCAA championship. I finished runner up the 2021 Augusta National men's amateur and I played on to Curtis cups. Oh, yes. So a lot of very grateful for the opportunities that golf has brought me and then also a whole broadcasting Avenue when I was a senior in college, I really want to take another path was really interested in broadcasting and just picking players brains. I mean, that's what we're kind of doing today. Oh, yeah. And that led to a relationship with Bridgestone but before I talk about my Bridgestone story, Adam, what's your background with Bridgestone?
So my background was shown is is somewhat of an odd story. I went to college I was going to be civil engineers what I wanted to do. And then often the distance I had at Florida State University was the golf course right there through the parking lot, literally the engineering school. So my college years got really sidetracked with a buddy who introduced me to work with him on a golf course a good friend of mine, Pete sands. And so it just took me down a fork in the road of going into golf. So I did the green grass side of things, you know, pass my PT that's about as accomplished as my golf career has ever been. And one to one a dot one a dogfight or two and maybe pass my pa t. But um, so then I was going to be, you know, ultimately want to be a GM of a club, but moved up to Covington and I got really lucky, I worked with a lot of Bridgestone people and an opportunity opened up in r&d. So we were I took kind of my golf knowledge and engineering background and worked over there. And it seemed like the best case scenario. You know, I started working with Tour players and working on the robot building specifications and prototype balls was so fun and so amazing. And I still love that. But I've transitioned over to marketing to where, you know, kind of a little bit more creative Avenue. And it's super fun because I like creating things and doing that. And I've still kind of held on desperately to that r&d side of me because I still want to work with the tour players and work with amateurs to build the best golf ball so I still get to work with them. But then I get to work in marketing. It's kind of the best case scenario and I love it.
Yeah, it's crazy what this industry brings you it kind of it comes out of a place you wouldn't expect. So for me, I was introduced to Bridgestone at a Clemson wake football game, the CEO of Bridgestone Dan Murphy, he was sitting behind my friends and I at Death Valley, Clemson stadium, and we have orange sea of orange. We were obviously bonding because there weren't many people that were in black and gold. And it was cool. We kind of turned around when we scored we did not win that game. I don't know if we've ever won a game in Death Valley.
But we got to a very good football team.
And last Yeah, we have we have it's been really fun. It's fun to kind of identify a little bit more as a football school than the smart guy. Yeah, even though I would say we identify more as a Golf School, which is really great for us. But we got to talking and Dan humbly said that he worked for Bridgestone I later learned he is president, President CEO. And it's led to this and now we're going to talk with probably the greatest player of all time, the most recognizable athlete.
Yeah, we're super excited kind of to pop the lid off of our first Guess for this show. We're gonna come right out of the gate hot. We're gonna bring in Tiger Woods. So super excited with our conversation to have with them. So let's just jump right into that. Well, our first ever guest on another golf podcast presented by Bridgestone needs no introduction, so I'm not going to go through all the rigmarole of all the tournaments, all the majors. But we have today, Tiger Woods. Welcome to the show. Tigers got it. Thanks, Adam. Yeah, so awesome. Have you had a great day so far? We're down here in Florida doing our shoot and we've got you doing little crazy things and some fun stuff. So let's get this started right out of the gate. I mean, we had a win very recently from one of our players, Fred couples won the SOS championship and he shot an incredible six. He heard you were kind of looking at that and taking a watch.
Yeah, well, at the time. I was watching the whole thing but also flipping back and forth between I don't know if it was Bama. Bama was playing somebody. Okay, so Tennessee. Yeah. might have been something like that. So I was going back and forth between that game and then next thing I know I saw Friday kind of you made a few burrs on the front nine. And then the back nine. He made a run and like oh, then I texted JT and said, Hey, JT. Dude, are you watching us? Yeah, they you know the game is tight. It's a no, no, no. If I were to Golf Channel, go, go look at Fred. I mean, Fred's. Fred's rolling. You know, he's got right now at the time when I texted him, he was six on the back nine. And he made six in a row. And then you stuff one at 18 Joey and I were going back and forth on texts. And he says, What the hell was that? 30 years ago? You know, he made every pot shot. 60 broke his age by three years. It was just an incredible day. I mean, he had Steve flush his son on the bag. Yeah. It was just a special day and a special wind for him, you know, one and a few years. And we all know it's been all been documented how bad is backspin, you know, entire career. So just for him to experience that one more time at that age. You know, I've been lucky enough to have him as basically my my dad on tour. No, he took me under his wing. I played my first practice round at Augusta with him and Raymond because Raymond Raymond was his caretaker on tour. Friday, all of a sudden became you know, my, my buddy on tour when I first came out, took me under his wing, you know, the 97 Ryder Cup, was it? And then there are like, every year forward, I always put every practice run at Augusta with either Omura or Fred. And then it's been Fred pretty much I think the last like 15 years. Right?
What were some of the things that he taught you when you were getting started on tour some of the things that he did, when he did take you under as
you go, it was more like just the tour lifestyle. Because I came out no one came out at 20 years old at that time, you know, and I was I was the lone wolf, the young young kid got hazed on quite a bit. You know. Fred, Fred was just great in practice rounds, and we've got to dinner all the time. Even if we're playing the opposite wave. He said, Come on, I just leave from the golf course I meet you at Seoul restaurant, and it was like, boom, and he enjoyed over there. And they just the both of them took me under their wings. And it was fun to pick his brain about how the tour works, and how he would say, you know, how I could possibly get a little bit better what I need to work on. I said, Well, Fred, of all things considered work on stuff that you don't ever practice. You know, I needed was going back and forth. I started to get a little more gall as I got a little bit older and, and and the needles are flying. And then needles really start flying. And it's been. It's been incredible. I mean, when I first met Freddy in 95, we played together as partners in Australia against Vijay and Ernie, we beat them in the President's cup. Oh, no, he's my captain. I wouldn't I wouldn't the winning point in three straight presidents cups. Next time. I know. He's my vice captain in Australia. You know, and I'm also a player, but he's my vice captain. So we've gone the full circle the whole gamut together. And it's been incredible.
Yeah, that's so interesting. And one thing that you might have a little bit of a difference on is this yellow ball that Fred plays with that maybe you don't but now that Fred shot a 60 Does that
it's always almost always the yellow balls or for hacks. It a My eyes are getting bad where I can't read any of my readers, readers and cheaters. But I mean, I can still see out here. I don't need a yellow ball. But if it guarantees me a 60 I'm using it every day. He can meet him and that was we give him grief all the time about the yellow ball and he loves it. He loves it. absolutely loves it because he can't see anymore. Yeah, you know, I mean, you see his font on his phone. Yeah, it's one letter one letter per screen.
Yeah, it's tough. He asked him when we do prototype testing with him was like, Can we get these in yellow so I can test them he can't hardly look down on a white ball anymore. Yeah, I
know. And but it's it's awesome that you need to watch him still hit the golf ball. The rhythm, the tempo, the it's just so syrupy still. Yeah, you know, even. I mean, I know His back's bad, you know, sometimes and he'll warm up a driver because it can't bend over hit a wedge yet. So he starts the opposite. Yeah, starts off with drivers and then starts going down to wedges as his last club and the last club hits his pot on a putting green, because it's the most bent over so he just can't bend over. So he starts off one on one drive, and I'm like, Dude, this, you watch these 150 yard drives, and they're like, in a pile. You know, he's so good, even to this day with his hands and his feel it and also another thing too, we don't realize over the course of his career, unless you've been with him, like I have a lot to do doesn't miss his shots. Oh, no, he here, he, he doesn't have the speed he used to. But the balls are the center of the face every time even to this day. 63 years old. Certain guys are just gifted with hitting the ball on the middle. And I was lucky enough to have been kind of a little bit around Torino for a number of years when he was kind of on the way out, but I got to play a lot around with him. I got to see him hit 1000s of balls. And I mean, it's just solid. It just sounds different. And, and Fred is a picker of the golf ball, which is unlike Trevino who's who's a digger on the golf ball? Yeah, leans on and discus sticks in the ground. But Fred picks it but it's dead solid. And it's it's a deep sound even though it's picked. It's not in all the it's not the one groove low picker. No, no, it's still flushed and picked. And like, Man, I this is so awesome. That just to watch, I would sit back and watch him. And then But then as you know, been around Fred. If you ever get to be with him on a range, like I want to see he hit balls. I don't want to talk to you. Yeah. And he said he turned right, right. I mean, you guys know he turns around and talks to you the entire time. Like, dude, stop talking me. I want to see you hit shots. Yeah, yeah,
I think it's such when someone who's really in tune with their tempo and their rhythm, it just really shows how it you might not be able to hit it far. But you're just you practice those those soft shots. Those 1,000% Yeah, all the time. Yeah, it kind of reminds me of roseanne actually, she she starts warming up with her driver. And she is one of the best people I know on her tempo shots.
And you know, another thing too, is that don't forget the you know, I was a little part of this era, too, that we grew up with lots. And so you had 110 yards in the wind you're hitting eight or Yeah, or even a little chip seven in the wind. If it's greens are soft, you know? Guys don't know that shot anymore. Yeah. Or women don't know that shot is not played anymore. The ball just goes through the wins so much better. And it doesn't it. It doesn't go cricket like it used to. So that's why I thought when I came out on tour, you know, watching guys even like Davis loved and when I beat him in a playoff to win my first tournament. He was on a persimmon driver still. So it's hard to think about that. You know, I'm still in that era where guys are still using persimmon and Bob SS and Justin Leonard was still using persimmon. And so just to hear that sound of persimmon and hit it flushing afraid he was still kind of persimmon kind of metal at the time you kind of have built them out testing. So I was around in that era were you especially you got exposed hitting persimmon when blotted balls, right if you didn't flush it, which I never understood. I was frightened. I've had this conversation you said you hit it on the screws. If you looked at the screws on a persimmon driver, yeah, that's not in the middle of face. So yeah, hitting the screws. That means you missed it. Yeah, okay, right. If you look at it should be an issue. We're in the middle of the screws between the screws. So exactly so no, but watching Fred hit those little soft Dead Hand arm shots. You get 110 yard shot and just bring out a little nine irons and little little my little kiss up there. This is like one hop stop.
That's what was so cool about that when he was he was hitting those shots. It was just fun to watch. He was just flushing everything drivers download and then of course making everything he was making everybody rolled
and that's why I said show it was like there was that three years ago.
Yeah, the putter was on fire.
So Tiger speaking up Fred's game your game how How are you feeling? How is your game right now? Have you been able to kind of take this injury and work towards you know, playing the upcoming event?
Yeah, I'm I hate to just call me Ranger. Right. All right. I can hit all the rain with anybody. A great car golfer. I am not not a good at the walking part. So you know about you know, I guess it's now what? Three and a half years. I get the ride buggy like every all those guys out there. You know, and that's one of the things I'm still struggling with is the walking part and I'll get plantar fasciitis. So it's it's a real pain in the butt. That takes long time to heal and just countless stretching asleep in a boot to make sure it's on stretch all the time. Couple I mean, I when I was down at the Hero World Challenge, it's amazing how many players, especially Canada, and Britain, virtually almost every candidate came up to me said I've had this bout one time or another, because that's the current golf bag. And sometimes it takes months, some guys have had surgery have had a cut, and we'll fix their Achilles. And I'm like, Man, I don't want to go down that road. So you got to be careful. And that's one of the reasons I have my foot taped up and make sure that I get support in there. And without again, I gotta do all the rehab and the therapies and the strengthening and stretching and all the mundane stuff of you know, towel work Morrible work yeah, there's people don't see that this is like God, Mighty, I feel like this is made for like a two year old. But yeah, but you got to do it. And in this progress is progression. And I'm lucky enough to now have gotten to a point where now I know, I can actually hit golf balls full speed. You know, I'm hitting it hard again, which is great. And I can hit any shot you want. I just got it. Now. Next progression is I need to be able to walk and then I'll compete against these kids again.
So you got to you got a very busy December coming up here soon. You got the match, which is a couple days away. You know, there's 105 PGA Tour victories, 19 majors between you guys, a bunch of FedEx Cup titles. What's the strategy going into that event? You
and strategies easy. I got the number one player in the world on my team. I wouldn't be the biggest cheerleader he's ever seen. No, in all seriousness, JT and Jordan have been on my teams before in the past. Okay, Ryder Cup presidents cups. I've even kept him. But I've never been ever partnered up with Rory. Right. He's on the other side. Oh, yes. Right. And so Rory, and I have, especially this year, I mean, we're not have been close for a number of years. But especially this year, given the golf ecosystem, we text or call or conference call, it was like almost every other day, if not every day for months at a time. And working through everything and the amount of respect that I got for. I think the best way to describe Rory is he's only 33 years old. But he's, he's an old soul. He now he's so not only well read, but just so articulate about life. And he gets it. He gets the big picture. And not not every younger person understands the big picture. So it gets the you know, what we want to create, but also he gets he understands the past of the game, the history of the players that came before us. I mean, he puts he puts me in that category. I said, do it. I'm not that old. Okay. Don't Don't throw me in there. Okay, I'm still Yeah, I'm still one of your competitors. But I'm just getting, I mean, just to be able to work with him like this on a on a personal level each and every day is it's been an absolute blast. And now he's my partner. This year, this year has been a joke, because he averaged I think 180 4.9 I think ball speed for the year. Yeah. So this is the fastest he's ever been. And this is the oldest age he's ever been getting better. He's getting better. But he figured something out. And he went to a shorter driver. Yeah. And he was able to because he was he's always gotten the club kind of stuck behind them to kind of swing out to the right a lot. Sure. Sure. Yeah, that was built to get on top of it. Yeah. And that just increased his swing speed. And plus, he went down that down that rabbit hole of trying to get faster and faster and faster. He lost his game a little bit. But the good news is by going down that rabbit hole, he has more speed in the system. his nervous system is now firing. It's hard to describe that to people. Because if your best way to describe it, if you're an Olympic weightlifter, and you do like Olympic weightlifting, snatches or cleans or anything like that, you burn your nervous system, you know, there's certain things that you would do you know, you have long sets, or you have these explosive one, two reps, right? Eventually you go to another plateau and you go to another level. Yeah, and your nervous system gets used to firing at that speed. And then you back off for a little bit and then you have another breakthrough and then another plateau and another breakthrough and that's what he did with his golf swing. Right? And now he just gets up there and cruising and chips at Yeah, I'm just gonna a little chip cut and it's 183 mile ball speed. I'm like, I mean, you're an ass, you know? And I mean, I can't even do that on my own. Just chip it out there and I go, Okay, here we go. 310 carry, but, but but but okay, that chip is now on my team. Yeah. Okay. So I'm looking forward to that. Yeah,
yeah, no, it's it's also interesting to how strength doesn't necessarily make you hit it further. But if you have if you change your technique or tweak something, how that can make your your size, your swing all of a sudden becomes more efficient. But you were saying about being Rory is cheerleader and I have to ask you, would you rather be the person hitting the shots or are you more nervous watching the shots?
I'll give me the ball anytime. All right, yeah, yeah, yeah. When I was kid Have one of the Presidents Cup. And I had well, I was a player. So I had control and my to my Well, three matches, I want to put myself put myself out there. Thank you, the captain put Tiger Woods out three times. Of the three matches. I had complete control. All the other matches. I'm sitting there dying. Oh, yeah, just dying, especially that since I played the course. And I was I was always first out with JT and I was first out and singles. Just I know the golf course like, no, no, this part doesn't break. This part doesn't break. Or this part breaks more. Yeah, he don't. The wind puffs up a little bit more on this whole. I mean, you want to say that. But yeah, being a tiller, it's just it sucks. Because as a player, especially an individual sport, you have 1,000% control over what you're doing. You don't have any control over that other players are doing but you're 1,000% cut over control over what you're doing. But as a captain, we don't. And as a head coach, you don't. You can put them in a play. You can put them on in the pairings. Put them out there and then you got to give it up. Yeah.
What about in a few weeks when you play in the PNC? How does that work with? How do you separate tiger, the golfer, the Helper, the coach from Tiger, the dad and cheerleader when you're watching him hit some shots? No.
Like I told, I told Charlie, you know, a long time ago said I said in this is a life lesson that my dad gave me. And it was. And I told him this a long time ago and I reiterated with him every now and again. I said, Son, you will never be my friend. Okay, I will always be friendly. But I will always be your dad. As a as a dad, my responsibility is always to give you the advice and the impetus in the environment to learn and grow and prosper and as a sounding board, and for you to learn and make the best decisions in life. And especially when I'm not there anymore. Okay, so that's my job. And you don't ever call me your friend because I'm not. I'm your dad. Yeah, call me pops coming your dad. He says other words. But that's fine with me too. But I just want him to understand that. And I think that's the responsibility is as a parent, you can always be friendly. And my dad was always friendly to me. But he was my dad first and one. Charlie's my partner and we're out there playing. I'm, I'm his dad. So I'm protective of him. I want all of us I want to see him do the best he possibly can. I want him to learn from everything. But also I want to protect him from like, all of this, you know, the environment. People are especially this down in this day and age. And when I grew up, there were no camera phones, there's no videos and stuff. And I you know, I tried to shoot people away and just let him enjoy or don't put any pressure on him. Come on, just let him just play. Let him be a kid. Okay, when he first played PNC, he was 11 years old, just let him be 11 year old kid, okay, he's in sixth grade, for God's sakes, you know, and now he's in eighth grade and it but still, he's a kid, okay? Let him let them be a kid enjoy it. You don't Nick Pitt kids, you know, and don't compare him to me. Because he's not me. He's Charlie, okay. And he's gonna be his own person. And, and whatever he, whatever road, he goes down, he's gonna go down his own road, and he's gonna create his own path. And that, to me is so important as a father that I provide that environment. And that support that he can go down whatever path he wants to, I just want him to be the best at it.
Yeah, and it's such a important message for parents to understand because I feel there's so many parents that have an idea of what they want their kid to be, and then just live vicariously through them. But it's interesting, you say that my mom told me the same thing very similar Lee, she said, my job is not to be your friend. My job is to be your parent. So she she said the same, the same exact thing. And
yeah, I fight the same thing with Henry. I got eight year old and we're playing fortnight and he gets mad. And I'm like, Hey, I'm not your buddy. I'm your dad. Like don't don't call me a new, you know, like, I'm your dad. So, you know, we deal with that. But what just a couple of one or two more questions, kind of shifting it to the golf ball here. You know, you've you've worked with us over the years and you know, the prototype testing something we have fun and we always like 22 Yeah, exactly. A lot of years. So the prototype testing something we'd like to do kind of tell us about what you're looking forward to in the prototype testing and kind of what's the fun and if you enjoy that process,
I that's that's the most fun that I have is the golf ball. Club testing is one thing and you know, whatever it is, it is what it is. You got to do it but the ball testing is it's something you use. That's what people don't realize it's something you use on every shot. Okay. So what is the most important thing in your golf bag? It's the golf ball. because it's something you use on absolutely every shot. Okay, so I think the golf ball, you have to look at that. And I've always in my philosophy, you know, working with me, I start from the greenback. Yep. And why do I do that? And so that's how I started the game. I started with putting chipping, wedging irons, fairway woods driver. And that's how my dad taught me how to play the game. And when I take time off, what do I do, I started putting that day and then chipping the afternoon and the next day was short irons and long irons, and eventually it's woods. And when should I go play? But I still start from the green. And as you know, I like to hear certain sound. That's right. Okay, so I don't like that clicky sound and it drives me nuts. Yeah. And so we've worked on audible noise, and I like a certain sound and that, audibly. I've been in the same range, we'll think about all the back from 2000 to now it's in the same range audibly. And the same thing with the golf ball, I still want to be able to curve it. I, I tend, I've always played the spinneys ball on tour. And just because I grew up in that era, told you a lot of golf balls, and I'd be able to take stuff off a golf ball. I'm not good at putting spin on a ball. I've never been good at it. But I can take spin off of it really well. Like Fred, I can hit those little shots. Yeah, it's the putting big spins on the golf ball. I'm not good at so. Yeah, so that's something but now I'm kind of monkeying around. I hate to say it but I'm mucking around with the X ball here. Because, hey, I want a little more pop to you know, you don't quite hit it as far anymore. But the good news is it's the same cover. It's the same feel. Again, it's a little bit different insides to it the guts a little bit different. So yes, I'm hitting it further, but it feels the same, right? And now, and for me and I started testing and the first thing I did is muck around with pots. No, is it? Because it's harder? Is it rolling out a little bit more? Right. And so that's the first thing I do with all my partners that I play with in my cups, is I go right to the planning green I pub with both balls I only play with a poll two balls, but my ball first then their ball, my ball, then their ball, my ball and all week. I do that because it comes off differently. And once I figure that out, and then I automatically know what is probably just going to be up the chain. Right? Yeah. But I start with the with hitting putts first.
And then you feel like that x xs is a situational thing or Well,
it wasn't that way in in the past that was just by ball. But as I've you know, been injured and have not been able to make the same move or great same speed that I used to it's actually working out for me for right now. But I'm just as I said, I'm just testing this in the offseason a little bit. So I get to you know, as I said, I get to monkey around a little bit with having the world number one as my partner I got the little tiny little 13 year old I'm partnered up with so and he's his swing speeds gone up. I mean, I'm talking way up this year. And so he's like, Dad, I want to play a senior ball anymore. I got more swing speed, I should be playing a different ball by going slow down turbo. But you know, it's one of those things where yes, I'm always looking I'm always you know, me I'm always testing thing I'm always tinkering and testing but what I put into play or not, and I don't put it into play less better when I have you know that but I will Tinker all the time I will test all the time not a problem. But if it's not better than what I have and it's not going in play and I spend more way my entire career what are
those qualifications that will make the ball better than what you have right now?
Well one of the things that one of the reasons why I first switched to a Bridgestone made ball that it went from a wall ball to solid construction ball we ended the wrong ball era Yes. And then all of a sudden it was the consistency of the ball back then. But then it became over the years as as I started working with Bridgestone It was amazing to see the difference that they can make at the peak of a shot. Like it can actually go through the window a little bit longer a little bit longer and not get deflected by the yard or two here and there by crosswind right and I always love the test in wind so I want to see what it's going to do and I go to you know me I usually I go to both ends of the range I'll hit both sides I got a hit slightly in Saudi down I want to see what it does at the peak at the apex what is it? What is it doing? Is it's in my use um you know me it has to be in my window first. It's not in my windows out Yeah. And then what is it going to do through that window How long is it going to be in that window is going to deflect it are going to
pop the parachute and Fallout are kind of keep cycling through.
And as technology has gotten better. It's always been a window but it's going a little bit further. And so not too long ago. I'm gonna I'm probably about three four weeks. those at home. I brought up my 2000 driver from when I played well that year, I got it I was 43 and a half inch steel. Yeah. I swear to God, I hit my three went further than that, because I was playing a double bowl. But right now, I'm actually driving longer than I did in my prime. And that's all due to technology. And so I'm like, I haven't changed the law often on my irons at all over the years, solid be the same loft, and I'd hit my irons further now than I ever have. It's due to technology, that's all it is. The ball has changed so much going from that spinny thing that we used to play when I grew up. I remember going to the creek and or seeing lakes and seeing a brand new bottle ball in the water. I'm fishing that thing out of there, give me you know and I'll say that one for the tournament. So you know to go through that and see where it's at now and then just the what Bridgestone is able to do consistency wise from ball the ball. You know, I remember playing when an even Andy North used to tell me I mean, I still did it in junior golf, we had a ring and it had a carry the rain, put the golf ball through the rings if it's still around and on. In took the golf balls out of the car, because it would get hot and mushy. So you know, you'd keep golf balls and on a cold day you would have you would take golf balls or a caddy would keep golf balls in their pockets. Some of the warm golf balls, so we go further. Yeah, the game has changed so much. We don't have to worry about that. And now with birthstones to consistent technology. I mean, with worry about that all every ball is the same. I remember talking to like, like Lee and hearing Hogan stories, they would literally hit 10,000 golf balls and find maybe like 100 or so. And that was what they would use for tournaments to hit one ball. That was a good one. That was awful. That's how and they would sort them out. And that's what they go use for tournaments. But they had to hit so many defined enough to go play tournament. Oh,
it's so good not to have to deal with it. No, no.
That'd be crazy. Yeah, no, I love hearing the stories though about oh, yeah, I played back when I played this ball. And you guys haven't so much better now.
But this has been so insightful. Thank you so much Tiger for sitting down with us and being a part of our first podcast on another golf podcast. Well, that was pretty cool. I mean, what a great day talking with Tiger Woods, the best player of all time, he really gave us so much insight and things that I didn't know that much about. I mean, I knew about the relationship with his relationship with Fred, but just how close they are and how Fred took him under his wing and really showed him the ropes when he was on the PGA Tour was just really cool to hear.
I know it's so cool hearing about I mean, the one thing I thought was very interesting too, was how Tiger started off playing with him. Then Tiger played for him. And then Tiger was a captain with him being a vice captain. So they Captain together. So like he talked about running the full gambit of, of you know, all this team play and and seeing him from the beginning and going to that it's it's really cool hearing that from both of them as well. Yeah, and
even just watching them interact at the shoot was just making me smile, Tiger had his arm around Fred and they were talking to each other covering up their mic sometimes making sure we didn't hear them. So it was just really cool to see these players who are stars in their natural state. And that's what I love about this podcast, because we talked to Tiger and he was so dynamic, just very relaxed. You know, before the podcast, he was like stretching his back, but just really cool for us and for listeners to listen to a normal conversation just with us talking to Tiger and just learn so many things about his relationships with other people and just how he goes about his tournaments and preparation and ball fitting and just all sorts of stuff.
Yeah, the insider stories are what we're trying to get out of the guys. And you know that it's so cool to hear him talk about like a lot of golf balls and how like he was right at the beginning of kind of that changeover. And you know, from 99 to 2000 and throwing out the wound golf ball and moving to a solid core ball. It's just it's just so amazing to hear that from his perspective and him to kind of speak to that.
Yeah, definitely. And then going on to the match and the PNC the tournaments that he has coming up. I mean, he made the point that him and Rory have never played together on the same team because they obviously, you know, Rory is international Tiger from the US. So, you know, they're playing against each other. Now they get to play together. And I think it's something that fans have always wanted to see and getting paired up against JT and speed, you can get a much better for some of that.
I know you just forget that they've never played as a team together, it's they've been kind of their careers of leftover for so long that you'd thought in some sort of exhibition or something that would have happened. But it's really cool that that's we're gonna get to see that in in just a few days. And then the following week right into the PNC, which is super exciting. And you know, you could see the big smile on his face when you start talking about the PNC. And, you know, he starts talking about Charlie swing speed that's getting real fast. And he's starting to hit it down there and starting to get a little chippy with him and getting getting a little confident with his golf swing. And it's really cool to hear that from him as well. It's also good to hear him say how good his game feels. Yeah, you know, I kind of got him to the side in between some ad shooting, and he was talking about how really good he's hitting the ball and how fast his swing is. He's talking about his upper body. He's very pliable, and he's working out a lot. He looks, he's looks great. He's in great shape. And so the games there, he talked about the ball striking and everything he needs to do. So it'll be exciting to see him hit some shots here in the next, you know, 10 to 12 days, and just kind of see Tiger out on the golf course again.
And it's such a privilege for me specifically, just not growing up not being old enough to watch tiger in his prime to get to watch him. Now, whether it's the match of the PNC or the masters. I mean, even if he's not playing week in and week out, just the opportunity. We obviously sat down with him today, which was, you know, such a such an honor for me and, and I know you, you, Adam, you've known Tiger for a while now, but just to get to see him play. I mean, there's nothing like it. There's nothing like watching tiger and a red shirt on Sunday play play golf.
Yeah, absolutely. And yeah, you kind of dated yourself, right? Are you? Are you a 2000s? Born? Are you still in the 1990s?
I am 99, just shy of 2000. So
maybe you were a 2000 DOB. But yeah, I remember watching Tiger and getting out of high school. And he was just kind of hitting his stride. And so me even moving into the golf ball was so cool hearing him talk about the ball. As he noted in the in the interview, he's tinkering around with the ex golf ball. And, you know, we've been talking with him. And he's been in close contact with r&d. And he talks with us about his happenings with the golf ball and what he needs and his swing is evolving. And he's talked about, it's a little bit, he's putting a little bit more spin on the ball in the past, he's, you know, the excess has been his ball. And he did say that, you know, he kind of talked to us on the side, and he fully expects to play the excess steel, obviously, in conditions down the road from our manufacturing facility. There's a little golf course you're familiar with an Amelia that you've played, and it's firm, and it's fast, and it's on the border of Georgia and South Carolina. And, you know, when he needs to work the ball and shape it and put a little bit more spin on it. He said that he fully expects to kind of jump back over to the Xs. But it's so cool to hear that he trusts these golf balls to kind of jump around based on the situation that presents itself.
Yeah. And it shows how important it is. I mean, you have the best player of all time talking about the importance of finding a ball that's made for you. And definitely you need you need spin and control at Augusta National. I knew what course you were pertaining to. But I know for me when I was tinkering with the Bridgestone balls and getting fit, wow, I could tell a difference between all the different balls you have. And when I tried the RSS, I knew immediately when I was putting, like tiger said he started with putting and chipping than irons. And I did the same thing. And I knew the RSS was for me. And that's what every individual has to find for themselves. So it's really informative to hear Tiger speak on it, because if he's speaking on it, then that means the regular population needs to do that as well.
Absolutely, absolutely. So we've got some fun guests coming up. We're not going to kind of tease that too much. But we are going to be talking to a lot of different people in here and I personally am so looking forward to it. Amelia, it's been awesome to kind of talk to Tiger so far. And I look forward to talking to a bunch of other players moving forward and who knows beyond players who will talk to
Yeah, and to give a little hint to to the people who are listening. They are former number one some some of the folks will be talking to lots of former number ones which is a privilege that we have.
Absolutely. And if you're still here, if you're still listening to us if you're still hanging on, go get ball fed, go to Bridgestone golf.com top right corner there's a ball fitting button. It will take you through our own line selection guide and it only Make sure you're into the right golf ball for your game. So Tiger talked about the importance of the ball. It's the most important thing he thinks in the bag. I totally agree with the guy. So give it a whirl and make sure you're playing the right ball that fits your game.
Until next time, thank you for listening to us on another golf podcast.
