A Life Well Played - Kris Tschetter

She played on the LPGA for 25 seasons, becoming a household name to fans of women's golf.   Coming from Sioux Falls, South Dakota to attend Texas Christian University, little did Kris Tschetter know what life had in store for her.  As a Division 1 player, she searched the Fort Worth area for a regular practice facility, eventually joining Shady Oaks Golf Club.   It was there that she was befriended by Shady Oaks most famous member and indeed one of the finest players to ever swing a golf club.  Of course, that member was none other than the legendary Ben Hogan.  

In this episode, we chat with Kris Tschetter about her career on the LPGA, including some of her favourite experiences and cherished memories.  She takes us back to life in a camperized van,  trekking across the United States, playing golf and listening to the radio.    She then shares with us a little bit of her experiences on the practice range with Ben Hogan -- the player renowned for spending hours hitting golf balls, perfecting his swing (as much as one could).  She tells us of the experience and of the time that he made a surprise visit to support her at the US Women's Open played at the Colonial.  

After retiring from the LPGA, she became active in setting up a charity, and spending time with her family.  She would eventually join the Legend's Tour and take some time to write a book about her personal experience with "Mr. Hogan".   You won't want to miss this treat.

Should I get my child into golf?  Or should I let them discover golf on their own?  How early is too early?  Or what should I do as a parent to support my child in golf?  

These are just some of the topics that renown golf teacher Michelle Holmes shares with us in this episode.  As golf grows in popularity throughout the world in places like the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, and Colombia among many others, one of the biggest areas of growth involves children and young people.   As more and more children are brought into the sport it means that parents need to play an active role in supporting their children as their children embark on the journey of golf.  

Some will join golf simply to play for fun, or to play with their friends who are learning the game too.  Others will play because their parents want them too -- and others still play the game, dreaming of being like Brooke Henderson, Lydia Ko, or Lexi Thompson.  Perhaps its Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, or Jordan Speith that they admire.  Regardless, many parents are asking themselves how to best encourage and support their child as they take up this difficult, challenging, and extremely rewarding sport.  

You will want to listen in as Michelle Holmes shares her experiences in teaching and coaching children and parents in managing this journey. 

Join our special guest host, Cathy Kim, the Director of Golf for Baltimore Country Club as she interviews our guests from Gachon University based in Seoul, South Korea.   We go behind the scenes to learn how golf is different in Korea and how it has become such an important part of the culture.   As one guest  says about golf, it is more popular than religion in South Korea.   And one of the key differences is how they organize and teach golf at University in addition to the golf academies and golf courses.  

Our special guests for this episode include Jaewon Kwak, a senior professor with Gachon University.  She holds a PhD. in Physical Education with a specialization in Golf.  She also holds the enviable distinction of being the coach that introduced Rolex Women's World No.1 player, Jin Young Ko to golf, teaching her the fundamentals of golf and a solid golf swing foundation that has enabled her to become one of the best players in the world. 

Hyemin Kim is our other special guest and is an instructing professor with Gachon University in their golf program.  She is a former Epson tour player having played from 2012 through to 2019.  

Today, it may seem commonplace to see Thai payers competing for victory on the LPGA, but there was a time not too long ago when there was a single pioneer carrying the responsibility of representing Thailand on the LPGA.    Virada Nirapathpongporn, or Oui Virada,  was the first player from Thailand to achieve full time membership status on the LPGA.  

She relocated to Florida from her home in Bangkok to attend the Leadbetter - IMG Academy as a teenager.   From there, she moved into NCAA Division 1 golf with the Duke Blue Devils and never looked back.  In her sophomore year, she led the Blue Devils to the National Championship while winning the individual championship by 4-strokes over Arizona's Lorena Ochoa.  

From her unique vantage point as a pioneer of Thai golf, Oui Virada discusses how much Thai golf has grown and developed since she was a junior player.  She also discusses her own journey into professional golf and the responsibility of representing her home country on the world professional golf stage.  She also shares some great advice for parents and junior players who share the dream of wanting to go as far as they can in the sport.  

Research has shown  that playing golf has demonstrable benefits for people.  Whether it be improved quality of life, increased life expectancy, or improved mental health, golf has been a significant catalyst for people in realizing these benefits.  In today's episode, special guest host Cara Erdheim Kilgallen explores the topic of "Health, Wellness, and Golf" with Liesbeth Pauwels.   

For close to a decade, Liesbeth has been at the front of this movement that seeks to enrichen the lives of people through golf.   Combining her golf background with her educational background in Kinesiology (University of British Columbia), Liesbeth has founded LP Golf Performance, working with recreational players, and aspiring elite players teaching body movement, yoga, nutrition, and more.  

Cara Erdheim Kilgallen is a tenured professor of English at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut with a passion for golf and the nourishment that the sport provides whether it be mental, physical, or spiritual.  She is deeply interested in the democratization of golf as a sport for the masses.   She also is featured contributor with the World of Golf.

As part of an ongoing series featuring equipment and training, we introduce you to CTRL Golf (Control Golf) and their Swing Master.  It is a new training aid designed to help golfers improve their swing using some innovative and proprietary technology.    In this  Episode,  we are joined by Nick Bockenfeld, a PGA member, and Ryan Johnson a professional player, as they discuss the Swing Master, how it improves a golf swing, and how to incorporate it into a regular practice session.

The Solheim Cup is the single most important Cup competition in women's golf.  In this biennial competition, the United States women have competed against the best women from Europe since 1990.  The US hold a 10 - 7 advantage over their European counterparts, but the European team are the defending champions and will have "home field" advantage as the 2023 event will be hosted at Finca Cortesina Golf Club near Malaga, Spain.   

Stacy Lewis will captain the 2023 US Women's Team against Team Europe being captained by Suzann Petersen, the perennial nemesis of the American team.  Always an engaging and thoughtful person, Stacy discusses her preparations for the 2023 competition, her assistant captains, and her goals for the team, including of course, winning the Solheim Cup back for the United States.  

With the completion of the Chevron Championship at the Dinah Shore course at Mission Hills, it marked the end of an era as the venerated event moves to the greater Houston area for 2023.  As a past champion of the event and a leading figure in women's golf, Stacy shares her experience of playing at Mission Hills, what the event meant for the development of women's professional golf, and her thoughts on how the LPGA tour has evolved since her rookie year in 2009. 

Stacy is a former World No.1, she has won 13 times on tour, including 2-major championships.  She won the Vare Trophy twice, in 2013 and 2014,  The Vare trophy is awarded to the player with the season's lowest scoring average.  She also won the Rolex Player of the Year award twice in 2012 and 2014, while also winning the LPGA Money Title in 2014.  

Susan Strange, Mandy Snedeker, Ellie Day, Jan Jacobsen -- these are just some of the women that author Janet Thompson interviews for her new book -- The Golfer's Wife.   

In this episode, we discuss Janet's new book, her experience with interviewing the women married to professional players, and Golf's impact on their lives.  Janet also shares her experience as the wife of a recreational golfer, her love-hate relationship with the sport, and how it became such an important part of her life.  

In her book, she weaves through these topics with the goal of sharing a tale of personal experience with the enlightenment of insight into what it means to share a spouse with life as a professional golfer.

You won/t want to miss this episode with Janet Thompson.

Success was all that Gabriella Then knew as a junior player.  She was a member of the winning Junior Solheim Cup team, she won numerous AJGA events, and she was recruited to USC when she was 14 years of age.  After a successful career at the University of Southern California, Gabby (as her friends know her), turned professional, playing for 2 seasons on the Epson Tour (formerly the Symetra Tour).  But when she recorded a bogey on her 72nd hole, at the LPGA's Stage-1, of Q-School, she missed advancing to the next stage.   

Confronted with the emotional turmoil of having seen her dream evaporate, Gabby walked away from the sport in 2019.   She even took another job outside of golf -- such was her disappointment and desire to consider a life outside of professional golf.   Then came Covid, and she had no choice but to stay away from the sport as golf courses closed, and contemporary life came to a halt. 

By 2021, Gabby was reassessing her life, her choices, and of course, golf.    It was then that she rediscovered her passion and love for the sport and with it, the resolve to commit to professional golf.  She "went all-in", nearly draining all of her savings to fund a year of tournament golf on the minor tours.    She lived life knowing that she had put everything on the line -- her emotional and mental efforts, her ambitions, and her money. 

In this Episode, Gabby Then chats with us about her darkest days in professional golf and how she eventually found her way back to the sport and how life's lessons prepared her to better deal with adversity.  Her 2021 season culminated with her winning the Ladies European Tour's Q-School and an automatic "card" for the 2022 Season.

As we kick off a new Golf Season for 2022, change is afoot in Europe.  The European Tour rebrands itself the DP World Tour, increasing prize money across the board for its players.  The Ladies European Tour (LET) is fresh off of a thrilling Solheim Cup performance and appears to be in the ascendancy from years previous.   

Joining us is our special guest Richard Kaufman, the SkySports golf commentator covering both the DP World Tour and the LET.   In this episode, we discuss the increasing money that is coming into Golf, and particularly the men's game from Saudi Arabia.  Potential Ryder Cup captains are also a topic for discussion as Richard runs down his list of potential candidates for Captain of the European team, including Luke Donald, Paul Lawrie, Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood and others.  

On the women's side, we look at the abundance of young talented players coming through the ranks in European golf with players such as Pia Babnik, Chiara Noja, and Lily May Humphries among others.   There are some compelling story lines from other players such as Becky Brewerton and Julia Engstrom as they look to rebound from injuries to recapture their form and their status on the LET.