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All right guys welcome back to the Rick Shields Golf Show podcast episode 218 I’m actually over here in orando Florida USA currently um guy is unwell we were going to do a remote one actually however I’ve got a fantastic interview today with a an interesting golf story of Ryan Ruffles Ryan’s been

On the channel a few times already you’d have seen him uh last time we were over here we filmed eorth we’ve had him over at J B where he did the 10 Mulligan challenge we also took him to the pastures in Derby to try and shoot a

Course record that is only one on the par but Ryan is an incredible golfer he really is one of the best golfers I’ve ever played with and it’s interesting hearing his story today about his struggles what he’s got on with um he’s been on tour for like eight years now

How he burst onto the scene as being this kind of upand cominging Superstar talent and then how the Journey’s been since then so it’s going to be really interesting to talk about that and also we do touch on the topic of Liv at the end of the of the chat as well about

What his thoughts were and whether he would sign if he was offered um talking about Liv it’s the start of the new season this week and lots and lots of new signups obviously John Rams new team Legion 13 trell Hatton has just signed which is be honest I I kind of felt like

Trell might have been one of the first players to sign a couple of years ago but he’s now taking the jump and he signed for live also Adrian [ __ ] DP World Tour player of the year has jumped over to live and there’s quite a few more additions as well um John Ram

Obviously it’s his first season it’s it’s over in Mexico be quite interesting to see whether more people will watch time will tell I’m still not inclined to kind of watch all of it this weekend I might watch bits of it but obviously I’m over here in Orlando filming um but it’s

It’s very interesting the golf world current currently right now I think is is as fractured as it’s ever been I really do I I I don’t think it’s in a great spot there’s lots of talks and we might have to do an emergency podcast when it does get announced lots of talks

Between PGA and pif about this kind of collaboration that’s supposed to be happening which has been delayed it’s been delayed and I believe it’s been delayed again but rumor has it that something is going to emerge this week I think it needs to I think something needs to happen because golf is very

Fractured there’s lots of tournaments going on all different places of the world some of the best players over there some of the best players over there and it’s just not right I in my personal opinion I don’t think it’s good for the game right now we need all the

Best golfers in the world back together competing you see that in the majors now but even then you’re going to see some of the top players in the world once their exemptions run out you’re not going to see them in the majors again so it’s it’s a really really interesting in

Time being over here in Orlando I came over for the PGA show which is a huge golf convention that happens every year it’s all people from the golf industry from from manufacturers to new inventions that have being trying and created to make the game easier uh to PJ golf professionals obviously and it’s

Quite an interesting place to to talk about Golf and lots of chats have been had this week about again the game of golf and what it what position it’s in right now and a lot of people share the same thoughts as I do that it’s not in a

Great spot right now uh we’ll see what happens but we film some incredible content this last week or so I mean honestly I’m not sure when it’s going to come out because For the first time in a long time we are really ahead of schedule in fact du buai videos that we

Filmed in December have still yet to come out so you’re going to see probably a little bit of Dubai content also mixed in with some of the USA content so so just to give you guys hardcore fans who listen to the podcast and watch the podcast as well the videos probably

Won’t come out in chronological order so just be aware of that there’s going to be a bit of a sometimes I’ll be in Dubai using certain clubs or playing a certain way and then I’ll be over in in American and I’ve got a new driver in the bag

This week I have put a new driver in the bag uh I’ve put the Cobra dark speed LS driver in the bag and it’s been doing very nicely not perfect but it’s been doing very very nice I can’t wait for you to see those videos so far this week

Got the honor and privilege to play at Bay Hill again last year it swallowed me up chewed me to well you can’t swallow then chew me it chewed me up spack me out it absolutely just killed me last year it was one of the hardest golf CS I’ve ever

Played in my life this year we went back for Redemption and I’ll be honest I played a lot lot better that video will be coming out the week of the Arnold pal Invitational so make sure you’re checking that out also got the pleasure of going back at Bay Hill this week and

Filming a cool video with Micah Morris um Micah obviously previous from good good not filmed for him since he’s left good good um so that’s a really cool video as well I think you’re going to enjoy that he hits the ball so so bloody far he actually did a great video with

Rory maroy um it’s a long drive challenge that he did at a Taylor Mage shoot check it out cuz it’s honestly it’s one of my favorite videos of the year it’s really really good great insight and it’s great to see guys like Rory and even tiger starting to

Potentially open the doors up to making YouTube content so that’s a really really cool video as well you got to check that out and then got to go back to TPC Sor grass Sor grass what a place it really is the home of the The Players Championship which this year it’s the

50th year anniversary of the players um incredible Golf Course again I played nicely around there last year but felt like I left a couple of shots out there even though I bured the last whole last year that video will be going out the week of the PLAYERS Championship so you

Can get an Insight of the golf course similar to Bay Hill and the Aro Palmer Invitational and it’ll be interesting this year obviously tiger is going to be making a return at some point I don’t know if he’ll play in both events but I’m pretty sure he’ll play in one of

Them he’s he’s won he’s won eight times at Bay Hill um and he’s won I can’t remember three times I believe at at Sor grass so or twice maybe be great to see tiger back at one of those events as well I think I think he’d go back to Bay

Hill personally because just because he’s won so many times there um and and is it a flatter walk there’s not much in it s grass is pretty flat to be fair and then uh that video coming out again the week of the players we had Nick the

Caddy back on the bag from last year it’s awesome that that place is one of the best places I’ve ever played golf however I understand it also comes at a premium for a green fee now sass has gone up to $900 a round I believe it’s the most expensive

Green fee in the US right now so it’s very very nice if you’re not going to get a chance to play it definitely watch the video cuz we give you a real good Insight of the golf course and it really is magnificent also got to play a new

Golf course I’m actually wearing the cap right now this is Caba uh Citrus Farms where today’s podcast has been filmed as well um not right now this bit this is just their BNB in Orlando but yesterday we at uh Citrus uh Farms a brand new gol golf resort with filmed there with Ryan

Ruffles uh played off the back back te’s at 7,600 yards I don’t want to give it away that video will be out soon but there was some incredible incredible golf from actually me and Ryan yesterday so check that out but without and then today last day here in Orlando playing

At Lake Nona uh unbelievable golf course I whated to try this trip to secure a 10 shot challenge against a Tor Pro came very very close a couple of times to securing something but just too many moving parts we didn’t manage to lock a Tor Pro down so that’s a shame but

Hopefully more 10 shot challenges will be coming very soon there is one filmed that I filmed at the end of last year that’s not been not come out yet that’s going to come out in the month of February so make sure you checking that out as well and then today playing late

No it’s going to be awesome guys hopefully I know you will enjoy this podcast with Ryan Ruffles he’s such a cool guy he’s got into YouTube um he’s stting a YouTube channel kind of he’s doing a really good job on there so if you’re not checked out do also as well

And we’ll be back to normal service next week I’ll be back in Manchester gu feeling better and we can have a real deep dive into everything that’s going on in the world of golf right now and who knows we might actually have some definitive answers next week to what the

Future of professional golf looks like until that point sit back and enjoy the YouTube videos and enjoy this interview with Ryan Ruffles well Ryan what spot what a spot man this honestly we’ve just arrived about an hour an hour ago here at cabber Citrus farms in Florida one of the the

The best new golf course in Florida yeah I mean I hadn’t heard of it as of a week ago um there used to be a place here called World Woods I believe and I hadn’t even heard of that I’ve lived in Orlando the last years or so um which is

Only an hour and 20 up the road but kind of a Hidden Gem my managers reach out to me were like come play it if you’re home during the PGA show came out here last Friday and what a spectacular place and I messaged you and I was like I think we

Got to do a video here honestly just been and it’s it’s under construction almost at the moment and it’s properly actual Grand open in September yeah it feels like it’s pretty much close to opening already but obviously some final touches there two golf courses we’re

Going to play the one that’s open at the moment called kuu or something like that I believe CU it’s the noise that the um cranes oh that’s right those red cranes that are that are around here yeah yeah they’re they’re all over Florida yeah we’re going to shoot a cool video today

Which will be out very soon um where because it’s so new I want you to go out there and shoot a course record break then set the course record I don’t know if there is one or I’ve heard through the grapevine you’ve currently got it right I did you shoot two under the

Other day yeah I was two under yeah I think you’ve got the car record I shot to the guys before so louen came out here and shot one actually no scratch that cuz I couldn’t have been cuz I didn’t play the last hole oh so you’re

Not going to C yeah so I was two under with one to play I forgot that I had to take my coach to the airport and so I had I didn’t even think about it the other day when I was playing but yeah it would couldn’t be me because I didn’t

Play the last hole the other day so and I need to pronounce Lou’s name correctly Lou us haen yeah seem to always call it louon Hazen Lou haen is then currently got the C record at one under okay it’s actually Target today get out there I

Mean either of us could shoot the C record you know what I mean you know I believe in you either of us I believe in you I think you could I think last time the guys who’ve watched the channel enjoyed first off the comments you get on the channel superb thank you people

Love seeing you on the channel from when we first played at I worth this time last year which is almost exactly the same time exactly the same time that was my introduction to YouTube golf and then the fact you came over to the UK and you

The ch at JCB and you also did the one at the pastures where you tried to set the course record that uh that’s a very different Golf Course to here very all three of them very different to each other yeah and now all four very different to each other and uh I think

Getting you rock on the channel again and you’ve in the last kind of 12 months like you say you’re almost introduction to YouTube golf you’ve now set up your own channel yeah you definitely got me started uh when it comes to this we did that video at eorth which was super

Spontaneous like I didn’t know I didn’t know about it till maybe 10: a.m. and we filmed at 12 weirdly was it not supposed to be playing like with your sister or something I think you just put out I remember you put out an Instagram story anyone in Orlando want to play today

Yeah and I messaged you back and I was like I’m in Orlando I’m not doing anything today I think the pro at eorth had already said can you play with Rick and I was like I was like great I think we’re playing together but I don’t know

Like but I’ll play if you don’t have anyone and it so came out of the blue um I’ve always done a fair bit on Instagram and stuff like that but never YouTube and it kind of got the wheel rolling a little bit for me and kind of I was like

Wow this is a lot of fun um maybe I could be decent at it as well and a little bit of a supplement to my professional golf career and since then like you said I’ve started my own Channel collaborated with you and um a few different people and did you

Collaborate with lukew luk yeah we went to the Dominican Republic a couple weeks ago we were there for a week and we just filmed a bunch of stuff and um I’ve got a few videos for my channel coming out about that and now obviously here with

You and you know it’s just fun like professional golf is it’s hard and you spend a lot of time on the road kind of like playing very serious Golf and working very hard at your craft and this is just a little Escape where you kind of have some fun and play different

Places and see where it takes you it’s actually I proposed to my wife in Dominican did you really yeah we went on on a little holiday fresh fresh face no beard and little love birds and uh I ended up proposing into on an island called Sea Island which is like this

Really nice tropical island I’m sure it was gorgeous which is where like tee the dog is and stuff like that and then where they host the PJ Tour event Coralis and amazing places I’ve spent a little I’ve played I’ve played some tournaments there but never been there on like it felt like a

Holiday we were filming but it felt like a holiday I must admit I have to convince my wife when I’ve been on the trip like this that it’s not a holiday corre it’s hard to even my girlfriend I’m like hey I’m going with the boys to

The Dominican for work I guess um kind of yeah yeah but it’s good fun so yeah um this whole YouTube thing it’s new to me um but we’re having fun with it for sure just a quick one for people listening as well who who can’t appreciate this beautiful view or

Obviously this is on our YouTube channel as well if you want to check it out you might just hear a few little maintenance uh Vehicles going past like I say they’re in full swing at the moment to get this place fully set up ready for

The grand opening um I also saw on your channel I’ve not watched it yet you actually released a tennis match didn’t you against your sister cuz for for people who don’t know I think we might have about it on video before your parents were professional tennis players

Yeah both my parents um very high level professional tennis players um my dad got to top 10 in the world and mom was top 20 and so kind of tied to my sister and I’s narrative has always been tennis of some sort she played it competitively

Until she picked up golf I played it competitively until I picked up golf um so it’s always been kind of part of our story for son a son and daughter of former professional tennis players and things like that and a question we always get asked is who wins in a tennis

Match and I was definitely the underdog in that tennis match is your sister V I mean she played it longer and so she played at a higher competitive level she probably has better technique than I do but I’m a bigger brother so there’s I’m not going to give away if you guys want

To go watch that at on my channel um but it was it was good fun I actually I feel like you’ve got a very smug look in your eye yeah I don’t know uh we had a lot of fun we had a lot of fun filming that

That was something that just like I said it’s been asked for so long so I was like you know what I’m going to film it and post on the channel anyone who asks me go have a look and we’ll see we’ll see who likes it so um something

Different for a golf channel to post a tennis match but we’re both good tennis players so it’s not like a couple chops going around there playing tennis um we actually know what we’re doing so yeah it was good fun and go check that out if you want to see who’s a better tennis

Player what um explain to me the last 12 months yeah or even or even you might want to stretch that paed out for longer cuz you’ve had quite an interesting career in professional golf so far you know you hit the scenes how many years ago did you actually kind of I turned

Pro in 2016 so that’s was my eighth year yeah and you kind of came out all guns blazing played PJ tour events um you know competed and did really well and how would you kind of summarize I’m going to get quite deep here your kind of career so far yeah

It’s been an interesting one I mean like obviously this question gets asked a lot um I turned pro at 17 to a fair bit of let’s call it Fan Fair or whatever you want to call it um new kit on the Block and as a 17 18 year old I came out there

And for my age did pretty well I think the first year I made five out of seven cuts on the PJ tour um had a top 20 I think I made the cut in events like Memorial and Bay Hill and stuff as an 18-year-old um and I think looking back

On those times my biggest regret is that being a very competitive person a very competitive athlete I didn’t give myself any credit for what I was doing at the time you always felt like you underperformed yeah I felt like I was underperforming I’d come I think I came

About 28th or maybe 30th at Memorial as an 18-year-old and I’m berading myself for not coming 10th um and I look back now being 25 years old and I look back on it now and if there was an 18-year-old doing the same thing I’d be

Like wow he’s a hell of a player and he’s got stuff to look forward to and I think that’s probably my biggest regret nothing that I did technically or nothing that I did from that point of view I just think I got really hard on myself and because of that golf such a

Fickle Sport with confidence if you’re not the one being your own confidence up other people are going to tear it down and if you’re helping them tear your own confidence down it’s going to go down a pretty quick slope and so for me I went through a couple years where I just

Didn’t play well after that um I’d kind of been too hard on myself didn’t get the results I wanted um and started to be a bit bummed out by those results change coaches a couple of times and kind of things got a little messy there

Um and then kind of I played on the corn fairy tour from 2020 to 2022 um and played all right never got my pj tour card but kind of was middle of the order of merits I think the first year I finished maybe 30th out of and I

Think top 25 got their cards then about 60th top 25 going to get their card and then I lost my card in 2022 because I was injured and um had a couple injuries shoulder back those sorts of things and they kind of it’s tough with the medical

Exemption so as much I figured I was going to be able to stop recover and then be able to go back out and play but with the nature of Medicals on the corn fairy tour just wasn’t the case so I kind of just had to um yeah for lack of

A better word just take some stuff and try and get through it and it’s no good playing golf like that so you’re almost you’re almost because of those medical issues you almost have to hit reset a little bit yeah for I mean and it’s hard like I think the hardest part about

These tours is getting on them once you’re on them it’s not nearly as hard to stay there but getting there is the hardest part such limited spots to get to the next level whether that’s through Q school or whether that’s the feeda tours or whatever it might be in my case

I got to the corn fre tour through finishing uh sixth on the Latin America order mer which got me to final stage Q School which and I then got my card so yeah I mean for me then losing my card it’s been tricky to get back on there I

Spent last year um I went to Q school and I missed at Second Stage um I played on the challenge tour over the summer in 2023 and I played all rer once again in seven starts it’s you you mentioned that the courses just not what you’re used to

Yeah it was just I think I wasted a couple of events not being prepared I think I as soon as I got the hang of things and what I was up against I started to play really nicely and put together some consistent results over a few weeks but when I first got over

There it just like caught me off guard I’ve been playing oorth for months and big long golf course hitting a lot of drivers and ball strikings a premium and then you get to the UK not even the UK just Europe and in general lot of irons

Off the te’s premium on wedges and kind of getting up and down and creativity and I like that style of golf but you got to be ready for it it was totally different correct it’s again it’s like if I you know if I’ve played a long

Stretch of UK Golf and then come out here to the states tough just it’s it feels like a totally different game and you just did it the other way around yeah and so um I played all right but nothing spectacular and so that’s kind of my plan again this year but hopefully

With a little bit more preparation is kind that kind of leads me into this year is I’m starting to play really nicely I mean I’ve been playing quite nicely for a decent while it’s just more about opportunity than anything else um and I should have some more

Opportunities is here in Europe to go over there and play um and I’m excited for that cuz at least now I know what to expect it’s been before last year the last time I played in Europe was I think in 2014 or 15 and this time I’ll know

What to expect and as well as that like I said I’m working hard on the YouTube channel as well so for me the YouTube is kind of created a little bit of a side project while I haven’t been playing as much competitively um to kind of get after so

A lot of exciting thing does that help with any kind of maybe sponsorship exemptions or does it does it open a few conversations up around the fact that you can you can potentially add value to an event because you might post about it Vlog about it make a video yeah I think

For sure I think it not only opens opportunities in terms of exemptions but I think it opens opportunities just for myself as a brand I think um I’m able to I guess when sponsors potential sponsors come to me or stuff like that I’m able to pitch them as a brand as opposed to

Just results if that makes sense um so I encourage a lot of like professional golfers my age to do something like that because another thing that got me going was that one of my favorite sports is the UFC outside of golf and those guys

Don’t make a ton of money so all of them nearly have channels to be able to give insight into what they’re doing gain an audience and stuff like that so I feel like I know my favorite Fighters really well because I watch them all the time was someone like pad the bad yeah

Correct does brilliant on his on his YouTube content awesome yeah and I think that sort of thing was kind of an aha moment for me I was like people just see your name on a scoreboard but they have no connection to you as a person and I

Think golfers we’re in a lucky spot that the top guys make a ton of money um so maybe don’t see the value in it I see that there’s a few guys starting to Bryson’s obviously right into it and he’s doing a great job with it and I

Think you’ll see more and I encourage people to do it because I don’t care how hard you practice cuz I’m one of the hardest workers I feel like in terms of My My Craft and my professional golf there’s still a lot of downtime there’s still a lot of time that you

Spend if you’re not doing something else thinking about your golf stressing about your golf yeah like you guys travel so much correct and there’s a lot of time we not doing a lot and in that time I like to be productive and work on something else and have my mind kind of

Still turning over and still thinking of new ideas and things that I could potentially create and have some fun with and I think it’s helped me both as a golfer and as a person too I think what what was that was a fascinating kind of rundown of of your professional

Career so far what I found like a stand out moment there was when you talked about how hard you were on yourself when you had good results at Memorial Bay Hill and and is isn’t it interesting because you could have easily got into that and and lowered your expectation

Levels even just making the cut would have have perceived as being an achievement and actually then the whole narrative kind of your mindset can change quite quickly and I think as golfers wish so hard on ourselves correct you know I I certainly am and I know a lot of people

Listening and watching are as well but even if you’ve had your best round there’s always a niggle about oh what about what about that put that I missed or what about that loose shot that I I hit to the right or you’re never going to have a perfect round like no one can

Master golf can they it’s an impossible sport to master CU even 18 bird is as d as it sounds still isn’t mastering it why didn’t you Eagle the you know it’s it’s it’s a crazy game and I think it’s it’s funny because I I give a lot of

Certainly when I was coaching a lot of the time almost advice like try and be your own best friend like give your yourself advice that your best friend would give you 100% but that’s bloody hard when you’re out there competing we’re emotional I think as all golfers

Are you whether you play once a week or whether you play once a month or you practice every day like I do I think you get so invested into becoming better at this Sport and I think it tricks you into it kind of tricks you into think

You are better and then humbles you a little bit and then gives you a little bit more and then humbles you again and you’re kind of always in this push and pull with this Sport and I think that’s the beauty of it um and I think if you

Approach it in the right way that truly is the beauty of it but in the wrong way it can tear your confidence apart and I think that’s why everybody it’s such an interesting sport in the sense that you hear so many people talk about like oh I’m struggling with the putting Yips or

I’m struggling with the chipping yips or I’m struggling with the driver Yips or like all these different elements that different people who play all the time are struggling with and it’s really quite a simple game when you take it all back so it’s kind of a game of spitting

Plates though cuz you’ve got in golf you’ve got so many plates to spin like say you’re driving yeah you’re eyeing game you’re pitching you’re chipping you’re putting your bunker play your mental approach like and and some some sometimes you’ll Focus over here and spin these ones really well and

Everything the over a falls down 100% And and this isn’t you know people have seen it on the channels and this isn’t me blowing smoke at your ass or anything but you are an unbelievable ball Striker like you you strike it I mean I’ve played with some incredible golfers like

Like PJ Tor Pros you hit it as good if not better than some of the guys I’ve played with what do you feel is is kind of is is there a missing ingredient do you feel that there a weakness in your game and and also on the flip side what

Do you actually think the strength in your game is as well yeah I think probably I don’t know if it’s a physical part but sometimes like I said I’m such a I want to say in a lot of ways a realist so for me to gain a ton of confidence I

Want to see results on a scoreboard so sometimes I wish I was better at tricking myself into confidence if that makes sense but if we want to talk about an aspect of the game that I would probably like to be better at it’d probably be short game I’d say I think

To most people my short game will look fantastic because I practice a lot to most to most people is I practice a lot but I think I mean Jason day one of my closest friends and a guy that I practice a lot with he’s kind of The Benchmark for everyone but certainly The

Benchmark for me and I struggle to beat him in chipping comps and on course and that sort of stuff and I really see the level that he’s able to produce shots around the green and kind of spots that may be I give away a shot that he’s able

To save one and it’s not much like the difference between sitting where I am right now not having full status or any status on the PJ tour and him being pretty close if not already in the Hall of Fame I mean to be honest though he’s

Made a he’s made a res Resurgence over the last couple of years he he kind of really went off the B yeah he did and I think I mean he’s just such a like hard worker and just as soon as he sets his mind to something he’s going to be back

And he’s worked hard on his golf swing and his chipping and everything and so he deserves being back to where he’s at um but yeah like going back to your question I think short game I think if I just had a few more shots around the

Green is it the routine ones like let’s say you are having a chipping comp with Jason right and you’ve got a fairly routine chip are you fairly kind of level there or is there even a difference on just the routine ones are you putting it within 2 feet and he’s

Nearly hold I’d say he’s better at the routine stuff I’d say when it gets into the more creative like harder shots is where actually I’m pretty good right it’s more like a basic up and down because as we don’t like practicing those that much like they’re they’re

Fine like hitting a little 56 degree that checks up and runs like it’s a shot you need but it’s not that fun to practice you practice the sil exactly um and I think he’s really good at that he’ll miss a par five like in a little

Bowl up by the green and have a pin that’s five or six Paces off and it’s a tricky shot but a pretty basic one and he’s able to just put that in a very stressfree kind of range a large percentage of the time mine might go to

Maybe 5 6 foot where you’re averaging 70% or 60% make rate um which is a big difference and if that’s one one and a half shots around that’s now six shots a tournament that adds up over a year um six shots on a leader board that’s a lot

Of money a lot of points and a long way from the lead so um it’s very very very small margins but if I keep improving my short game I think to complement kind of what I think is great about my game which is how far I hit it off the te and

My ball striking and and I think I’m a very confident putter too um I think that’ll take me to where I want to be and what you what are you actually specifically working on where you short game is is it is it do you feel like it

Is technique do you feel like it’s a different mindset do you feel like it’s that kind of positivity what what are you actually specifically trying to tweak with your short game so I think there’s a few things I think number one thing that I want to get better at short

Game why is a shot selection I think I often choose harder shots that need to be chosen around the greens like the more I find there is such a good argument to putt a lot of shots around the green like and I’m not saying that

From a point of view of just like your average golfer like for a professional golfer there is a big argument to put a lot of shots around the green especially on the surfaces that we play on off the fringes they’re pretty much putting greens anyway and a lot of the fairways

That we play on too like unless there is something really in the way or you’re like significantly far off the green there is a big argument to putt a lot of shots um and and so I think shot selection is one of them there’s so many

Different options that I could go to and I love to just grab my 60 and go up there and hit a chip I think shot selection is one and then understanding different grasses and different lies that’s really hard and I think that’s one that viewers at home may not know

Quite as much about but Florida Bermuda and Australian grass and then the grass in the UK and then the grass in California even like grass in Du buai yeah all still when you get on to pass power M or something like that it’s they’re all completely different required different shots different

Techniques so I think the understanding how those different things react what’s the easier shots to play on those different grasses and then being able to put that in play and I think that more than technical you know what it’s almost a little bit like I’ve only just twigged

It now kind of talking to you like tennis the game of tennis is the same but then you can play it on Clay you can play grass you can play it on what Tac I guess like and they’re all they all react different I guess very different

You know and I suppose that’s a little bit like short game off different types of surfaces like to say it’s still a short shot but it can be done it can be done on really hard lynxy Turf in Scotland at St Andrews for argument sake or around here where it’s Bermuda grass

Sometimes and then it’s other types of grass all the it’s like it’s really I I genuinely I know my short game isn’t the best but when it’s not as good and then you’re trying to change the grass cuz you might Master One surface then you come into another you go this feels like

A totally different game and it can be so penal yeah and I think that’s like you said there and when you look at tennis there’s masters of each surface and there’s other players who just haven’t been able to get on top like Roger feder won however many Mages and

He won one French Open just clay was tough for him Nal won almost all his mes on Clay but struggled a little bit more on hard court jokovic is a master of hard court he’s master of all the services really jokovic but hard court in particular and that’s what you’re

Becoming trying to become so you’re trying to become as well-rounded as you can and have the shot for all the different problems that you’re going to have out there and that’s tricky cuz they require different techniques in different clubs what do you think about professional golf right now the state of

It it’s interesting it’s very interesting like it is by the day becoming more split in half I think if we had this conversation a year ago we probably still wouldn’t have given Liv much Creed in terms of the players that they had but it’s hard to ignore kind of

The John RS of the world now and obviously Cam and Brooks Dustin Bryson I’ve probably missed a few there but um it’s hard good no person selfishly as a professional golfer myself I wish and a fan of the sport myself I wish it was together because I think we’re getting a

Little bit of a diluted product on both ends um I think he’s putting people off watching golf yeah because I think you look at an event like Tori last week which is notoriously a huge event for the tour notoriously one that Tiger’s won and J day’s won and she I mean it

Feels like who’s who’s won that one and last week felt like a very in all respect to all those guys I know them all well they’re fantastic players but in terms of your star power was a little bit watered down and I think even this week on Liv like I feel like we’re

Getting to a point close to the event and we don’t even know who’s playing this week no and we’re the week of the tournament like not a lot of Team announcements not a lot of anything like that so I think just just before this podcast we’re recording this on the 30th

Of Jan hopefully it’s going to come out tomorrow is um John Rams just announced his his team okay and it’s Now official that Terell Hatton is is actually part of the team um but then the other two guys not really wellknown names I don’t really

Know them all who was it was it was it Caleb Sarat I think was the Amor that had just turned who did he qualified at that uh no no no he didn’t qualify he’s an amateur from uh Tennessee I believe well it’s the guy who qualified ABAB and

Then the guy who qualified Kieran Vincent yeah yeah yeah that’s it yeah so I mean two big names and two kind of I don’t really know them but you’re it’s hard so hard it’s like John Ram’s arguably the best player in the world right now if he’s not number one he’s

Top three yeah um and it just it’s a weird one because once again all my respect to those all those boys playing but it’s strange like I think if you made the team for I think Liv’s format would be okay if you had every single one of the best players in the world

That’d be quite exciting but you don’t you don’t um it it’s it’s funny like we we over here last the weekend just been here right Tori Tori was on TV and I was I was sat there with a with a fairly loose sports fan a golf fan I wouldn’t

Say he was really you know knowing Golf and he was saying oh who’s that on the leaderboard the first time I was like uh don’t really know there’s quite a lot of names on there I was like I don’t really know who that is like you know um where

Normally you look at a Tory leader board and you’re like I know every single one of those guys like from Tory Pines or even this week at Pebble Beach you’re like I know every single one of those top 10 names like the household names almost and um I I feel like it’s

Fractured you know from a spectator standpoint I feel like it’s fractured a lot of the moment yeah I think selfishly as professional golfers I think there’s so much access to money right now so I think a lot of players are viewing it from that lens and that’s good too like

You have to look after yourself before other people in in life I think and that’s um the way it is but it’s just from a fan perspective and that’s the kind of the lens that I’m trying to view it as it’s it’s hard cuz I I know most of these guys that are

Playing and um it’s weird not seeing them compete against each other all the time and that’s why the majors have kind of accidentally become way more intriguing yeah because we all we only time we get them all together is four times a year maybe the rider cup if that changes

Around a little bit um but really only four times a year so they’ve actually like I said accidentally become super intriguing but as much as I love the rer cup you don’t you know for for an Aussie yeah it’s not that you know you still

You still miss out the rer cup you still miss out on on a cam Smith you still miss out on some huge names in the world of golf like so I feel like the majors are the only ones and you know once some of these guys have gone past their 5year

Exemption they’re not going to be seen again potentially you know depending on how this world ranking system exactly pans out or anything like that I can see that Liv’s obviously making a push to get some points the like that Liv promotions event they did um well you

Played in that I did play in that you did play in that so like what just give us a bit of an Insight because I you know I remember when you mess I was actually in Dubai at the same time I’m in ABAB play yeah we nearly linked up

And did something there but um yeah all credit I mean I’ve spent all my career on PJ T Affiliated tours PJ tour corn fairy Latin America Canada he did a bit challenge toour last year yeah but basically most of my careers I’ve been PJ tour a sanction I must say that live

Promotions event was Top Class really it was phenomenal how you got treated as a player yeah just how you got treated as a player you got paid to be there first of all so nothing came out of your pocket really um and that’s fantastic like for people playing in that it may

Not seem like a lot but that’s important like it’s expensive to play Q schools and playing in pj2 Q school is very very expensive just the entry fee let alone everything that comes with it so to have everything covered was very cool it really felt like you were at a big

Professional Event there was a camera crew with every group um there was camera Towers on every tea every Green um the shuttle services the host hotels the organization of the travel to get there um the way you were treated on site the quality of the range balls and

Stuff that when you were there just it was a top tier event like it felt like a huge it felt like a big Tour event and you’re playing like more or less a Q School um for what was it three players that made it yeah in a strange format

Probably not a fun format as a fan maybe not the best format for a q school I mean maybe it is I don’t know I I I thought the format was a little interesting um but it’s probably intriguing as a fan like a sudden death

Almost style Q School on TV is is pretty exciting um but yeah I have nothing but good things to say about that though I’m guessing your goal is to qualify yeah of course my goal was to qualify I absolutely would have loved to I came in

Playing a little rough and it was kind of a last minute thing me even getting in and so I was a bit like all right well hopefully I can sort this out in the next few days I was just my best club my driver I felt like I was hitting

It everywhere and I’m going to uh was it Abu Dhabi gol CL yeah which is aot of water yeah but just a phenomenal Golf Course like one where driving the ball drivers have won the golf ball I think Rory’s had a lot of success there I

Don’t think he’s won but he’s had a ton of success K and Fleetwood and all those like great ball Strikers so it was annoying being there being like God this course suits me so well but I feel like I’ve brought my SE game this week um so

Yeah obviously goal was had to qualify didn’t play too well didn’t get through but it’s still all in all just a phenomenal experience and a good insight for me into what live golf is kind of providing what’s your main objective as in like Peck in order so let’s say we’re

Stting next year okay and you’ve had a wonderful season you’ve you’ve played really well and what what’s your absolute perfect scenario uh by this time next year I would love to have gotten my card on the PJ tour there’s now way to do that in a year so that’s Q

School they now have opened up cards through Q School to be on the PJ tour so ultimately for me that would be it but I would absolutely love the ultimate ultimate goal is to be top 10 in the world and consistently winning and competing on the PJ tour but I don’t

Want to let this YouTube stuff go I think it’s fun and I think people enjoy seeing their favorite players and knowing them and you and you’re good at it yeah I don’t think everyone would be yeah I don’t think everyone would be but whether or not they are or they aren’t I

Think there’s a certain there’s a lot of people that relate to every sort of personality and I think giving people that Insight is really really cool I think that creates a better environment for golf fans in general um I mean you just look at your Channel or the good

Good guys or Luke or even like that they’re more visible and more known than half at least of the PJ tour and people feel like they really know them and it’s funny even traveling to Dominican Quan like people coming up to him being like

Oh I love when you did this I love when you did that I couldn’t say that about a lot of PJ tour players so it’ be really cool to be competing at the highest level in the sport but also being able to give my fans and people that enjoy following me

Like a really good insight to what my life looks like and what training and travel and everything else looks like as well so that’s objective one let’s say that doesn’t happen Okay end of the season offseason get a phone call let’s live yeah I’m going going I don’t have enough money to be

Saying no to that like like I’m 25 and um been doing the professional golf thing for a little while and it’s expensive it’s hard and absolutely if I get a chance I mean I said both sides are water down a little bit they’re still phenomenal fields on

Both sides if I get a chance to compete with Rah and Brooks and DJ and Cam and all that sort of stuff we can week out I’ll absolutely go and it’ll be life-changing but I still think priority number one would be PJ tour for me I

Want to play majors I want to win Majors I feel like my game can do that um what what would happen though you you PJ tour you’ve got Pathways world ranking everything else to get into majors at the moment it doesn’t look like there’s going to be Pathways for live you you

Might sacrifice that yeah you do um I I still think in my position at the moment like I don’t have I’m not on corn fairy or PGA so playing competitively is kind of number one priority because that’s what ultimately keeps you sharp is playing against other good players um so

I think for me I would still do that in hopes that everything will come together I do have a feeling based on nothing that things will come together eventually um I just don’t know that I know the PF and whatever are capable of spending as much money as they want but

I don’t feel like any good business person just spends money expecting no return at some point it’s calculated yeah like I I don’t think it’s just this free spend and like we’re just going to have fun spending money like I do think it’s there is some sort of something

There to make it profitable at some point I don’t know if that involves the PJ tour or not um well very soon I think it was the end end of 2023 we should have had answer yeah but they extended that it’s been pushed back I think to Springtime it’s going to something’s

Going to have to happen soon something’s going to have to happen players are going to start getting annoyed yeah correct and so I think my hope is that it all comes together my like end goal with all of that would be the false series that they have on the PJ to run

10 Live Events yeah like that would be exciting be fun kind of like they want to do with the tgl like but make it all the best players in the world have huge purses the best Fields um now I don’t know Liv might be too established for

That now maybe that was a conversation early on that they needed to have to be honest that that was the conversation they wanted to have yeah so when I when I years ago when I interviewed Andy Gardner who pretty much had the premise of of live before live existed the

Premier Golf League they wanted it to be an addon to the PJ tour it wasn’t suppos it was to be a breakaway League that’s what I thought and and unfortunat you know I don’t believe that the powers to be at PJ tour would wanted to entertain that conversation then obviously it

Extended to something else but for me you know I there needs to be more events where you can guarantee the players being at cuz it it’s messy at the moment yeah it is you know even even a couple weeks ago you’ve got some top TI players

Playing in Dubai like Rory and Tommy and a few others you don’t have a PJ Tour event going on same time you had a few few really good players then you had a soon we’ll be having Live Events happening at the same it’s like where the hell are people imagine if you’re a

Real casual golf fan yeah who who who won the best event this year yeah this week sorry it’s hard to say it’s hard to say really difficult to say so I I hope and pray that there’s going to be a collective come together I think it’ll be really interesting to see what

Happens though where if let’s say John Ram’s just taken whatever 600 million and then and then there are coming together is he not just made the best business decision in the world yeah I think there I think the players at went to live are probably in the negotiating

Position it feels in the driving seat yeah it does feel like they’re the ones in control because they’ve got the money anything that comes together only suits them um because the money’s in their bank account well they’ve gone they’ve made that decision to go this is where

We’re at and this is what we’re doing so I do think that they’re in the driving seat when it comes to this um I don’t know if we’re delusional thinking that something will come together or if we’re just too optimistic or if that’s legitimately a chance that that happens but I

Certainly hope so because I want to see it the one interesting question on on when you said about yeah you you’d go to live if they called would you be bothered what team you’re on would they kind of be I’d love to play on that Australian team the

Rippers yeah but uh no I don’t think so cuz I I think that’s where it gets a little bit lost and again I like what you just said there the Australian team because that’s what it is really the Ripper team is Australian I don’t think everyone’s Australian from memory no

They are all four members all four members I think it’s this year it’s going to be cam Smith Matt Jones Lucas Herbert and I am missing one right at leash yeah see that to me makes sense an Australian team that’s what I thought Ron was doing I thought he was going to

Have a Spanish team I thought he might have Ser I mean they kind of do have a Spanish team like that I can’t remember what they yeah so they have like Eugenio Sergio uh it’s Carl Ortiz on there I believe but he’s Mexican K so not quite

The same um and then they have David P who’s also Spanish um I think is that right yeah I don’t think you’d have had Sergio as a captain and RAM as a captain I don’t think Sergio I thought they would maybe come like all this mix and

Match like I thought maybe they make a Spanish team but yeah I think that’s the thing that it’s very difficult for fans to support a team I think Aussies yeah have got it made the the event in Adelaide am right saying it’s an amazing event from what I’ve been told from

People in and you’ve got a team to support so it’s like it makes total sense you’re not bother about the rider cup because it’s not and the Majestics are more or less like then Stenson in there like you’ve obviously got Sam horfield who’s UK even though he he’s

Born and raised in American Lee Westwood in Pon and obviously Stenson yeah I feel possibly there needs to be a story line behind the teams like there needs to be something pulling the team together not just these random names that are just part of a team I think then it’s easier

To follow it’s easier than even me saying the Australian team you know exactly who I’m talking about like there needs to be that across and I don’t know how you do that I don’t know if you do that nationality wise I don’t know if you do that in terms

Of I don’t know how how else you would do it but I think nationality made the most sense yeah cuz even if let’s say you could have multiple American teams which is still fine could you have a West Coast whatever East Coast team you know that kind of makes sense a little

Bit I’ve seen that’s what like tgl are trying to do but it doesn’t quite make sense when you’ve got like Boston Common which is a um and you got Rory and but he was like Boston Rory’s from Ireland lives in West pal like and then you’ve got like an LA

Team which I’ve seen that like Justin Rose is it’s just yeah there needs to be a story line to it there needs to be something tying it together I think Formula 1 does a good job I mean obviously the big sponser comes in and names their team like if you had maybe

Team Taylor Made or something like that and they all play I think that’ll happen yeah that’s I’ve imagine that that’s the way they want to go I really really could see that happening like then again if you do that if you get the wrong person or the wrong group to sponsor

Something like is it really going to be that Keen to watch like say and I’m not I shouldn’t probably throw a company out there but like say say it was like team Goldman Sachs like cool like big company who has the money to do that but like

What what do that even mean like there’s no affiliation like it needs to be the right I think it needs to be the right fit I think say f1’s got it right with the car manufacturers correct cuz you can support a a manufacturer from your country yeah correct so if you’re Itali

Straight away you support Ferrar then also if if like the UK I’m a big Lewis Hamilton fan because he’s from the UK so it’s like I can support Lewis but I could also you know I I could probably well probably support Mercedes Benz you know because that kind of feels like the

Most english team you got George Russell and and uh leis Hamilton but yeah I feel at the moment the teams are not I can’t connect with the teams at all no neither can I and I and I don’t I don’t fully believe the players do I think some of them are

Trying they’re trying yeah I think honestly my favorite name that’s stuck out to me since day one is the Majestics I don’t that’s kind of Suits p and like an english team for some reason I think they’ve got The Branding kind of right on that one I think they’re the team

That are trying to be the best team yeah and most like commercialized and like that sort of thing they seem to be doing a lot I know they released like a series even the other day on YouTube Kind Show watch watch it but then you’ve got three

Captains yeah which ISD and it’s like that’s a bit weird just from the get-go I thought that name and the sounding of it and who was on the team that made the most sense but you get like the clicks and um even smash like crushes like I

Don’t know those names it kind of doesn’t make sense like Taylor gu which was on who were on the Range goats who had the best season last year has still now jumped over to smash and Brooks’s team yeah and they’ve given him Matt wolf doesn’t make sense yeah it’s just

Anyway anyway we could talk forever you talk forever on that it’s cool good on them I wish I was on live myself there you go there you go I also wish I was on the PJ tour so you just you let’s be honest as a professional golf there you

Want to make as much money as possible win as many titles as possible that’s the truth is it yeah and if I got a chance to play on either of the big tours I would absolutely take it that gives me a chance to compete against the

Best players make the most money win the most tour biggest tournaments um wouldn’t matter to me so do you do you believe sometimes this kind of narrative that they’re doing it to grow the game and all this or is that they’re not they’re doing it for money yeah they’re doing it from

They yeah you wouldn’t see them doing it for the same the same amount of money that they were earning year after if you got their average earnings on the PJ tour over the 5 years and offered him that per year over the next few years nobody would have left no like and

That’s the end of the story on that one that it’s all about money I kind of wish probably harana was the only one that really came out and said he was honest and even to a certain extent he said look like I think when he was on what

Show was it when he came up in that jacket and announced that he was on live he more or less said like I’m not going to sit here and tell you it wasn’t about the money and I was like okay at least good on you but then I think he backed

That up with like oh GR in the game and stuff but yeah I mean I think a world I is good I think that does grow the game I think a world tour would be amazing I think a world I is great I think that does grow the game I don’t think that

That is the intent behind it though and and I like I like the offseason yeah like to some degree I’ve kind of Miss seen some of these big names yeah so yeah I agree like i’ just I’m like what have they been doing like are they going

To be better like Dustin Johnson shared a clip the other day like in practicing than usual is he going come out and be amazing this year or or is he not I don’t know it’s going to be interesting right Ryan thanks for your time do follow Ryan on his YouTube channel

I’ll put a link in the top line of the description check him out on Instagram as well and now we’re going to go out and Ryan and I’m going to play some shots he going to go and shoot the course record here at Cabas Caba Citrus Farms here in Florida see you next

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