Shane and Marty welcome PING Pro and four-time PGA Tour winner Harris English to the pod. They discuss his longevity on the PGA Tour, shot making with Blueprint T irons, and why he enjoys the challenge of a US Open and playing tough golf courses.
the guys from ping they’ve kind of shown me how much the equipment matters I just love that I can hit any shot I kind of want we’re going to be able to tell some fun stories about what goes on here to help golfers play better golf welcome back to the Ping Proving Grounds podcast exciting guest today Shane bacon with Marty JS and Marty one of the great Pros uh and Longevity has been one of the keys to his success yeah four-time PJ tour winner Harris English is awesome to have you on the Pod appreciate you having me guys are you a podcast guy Harris are you into it do you listen to him or I do a little bit not not a whole lot of golf podcast um been into huberman lately just kind of learning about a lot of different things what are you into right now uh the the hubman podcast um the Stanford Professor y just kind of some science stuff performance stuff of of how how I can get better on the course eating wise he had a good alcohol podcast recently that I’ve listened to but uh yeah really anything but golf I feel like we’re in the golf world so much it’s kind of nice to get away from it and and listen to something else were you a consumer of golf stuff like when you were an Amer when you were a college kid I mean I know that kind of changes once it becomes your job but did you read when you were younger did you read like golf books things like that at all I I did I did uh obviously growing up in the Tiger Woods era y got us all into golf and and watching him in the 2000s was incredible and um I I I feel like I’m a I love collecting golf clubs I love old school golf clubs um even at home I mean I know that the Ping guys know that once I find something that I like I I stick to it and being has made some unbelievable clubs throughout the years and I I love kind of holding on to those relics one of those uh Harris is your putter let talk about that I still have one H hum when did you first start using that so my senior year at College at Georgia um was struggling with my putting a little bit going into my spring semester my last semester and uh I think Scott Sullivan Who was the College rep for Ping um sent me a couple Putters um and the ho was one of them I don’t even think he sent it to me he might have sent it to a couple of our players and our assistant coach got it he was out on the putting green saying how good it was and I ended up trying it and uh it stuck um played really well that spring semester made it pretty far in the pub links won the southern Amer won the nationwide event and it kind of kept going and it’s one of those things where if it’s not broke don’t fix it and something about the the face on it I mean I know Nate Lashley putts with a similar putter out here for us it’s like three wood and putter it’s the hardest thing to to get rid of to change and it’s one of those where I I know the good and bad of it I know my misses with it and it’s just something you kind of stick to are you using the same exact one from college I have I have four different ones right now that I’ve kind of collected over the years um so I don’t know if it’s the exact same one I I’ll kind of put one in the corner for a little bit to take a time out if it’s not working right um but yeah I mean that the the grip I mean the the whole grip thing of the rer cup I mean I I don’t really like to change grips a whole lot um I like it kind of worn in um because my hands sweat a little bit and I don’t like a real shiny slippery grip so I like it worn it a lot I know the guys on the on the trailer will sand it down a little bit for me um but yeah it it’s worked really well um I’ve tried a lot of different Putters I mean but it’s it’s hard to switch what’s your Club collection like at home how mean how many clubs do you think you have in your uh your garage or wherever you store so we were in the process of moving and I had to clean out a lot of clubs and I didn’t realize how many clubs I actually have cuz kept fouring out of a closet yeah it was it was a lot and if I’ve played a tournament with one or I can remember a shot with a certain Club I I really can’t give it up yeah um espec with wedges different grinds and like oh this is how it felt 3-woods I still have a lot of g2s g5s that I loved I love that deep face on the G5 3 that was probably my favorite 3ood I’ve ever I’ve ever had yeah but just some I have some old school thing like the Isis were amazing stuff I grew up with um but yeah I’ve had to clean out some that I didn’t really like and had to get rid of but I still have a lot yeah moving into a new place are you going to have always interested in this with pro golfers and pro athletes are you going to have an area to kind of display stuff you’ve done throughout your career is that on the plan yeah I I don’t want to make like our living room or anything like a trophy room like around the TV yeah yeah um there’ll be a couple spots for the the special trophies um little rer cup that we got for the tournament will be in there a couple of my wins will be in there but I’ll have a kind of a golf storage room off the garage that I’ll have a lot of my clubs um kind of facing I I that was one of the rooms I got to Des so I will get to display all my clubs and get to be able to see them instead of just piled up in the corner um I’ll be able to see them easier and put some stuff in there um again you collect so much golf stuff pictures and I mean the tiberon team bags things like that I mean it’s a big part of yeah it’s a lot of stuff and it’s you don’t want to get rid of it but it’s I don’t want to have it like all around the house like again you kind of want to get away from it a little bit and not have all the golf stuff in your face all the time when did you feel like you weren’t a newbie on tour anymore I know you’re in your mid-30s now and you’ve turned Pro back in 2011 when do you feel like you felt comfortable as a pro in terms of you knew everything when you were traveling you knew about the golf courses you kind of knew where to stay you new places to eat and then you started to see the young guys pop up and you were thinking to yourself oh those guys are much younger than me that’s like a different generation do you know when that kind of hit how I would say recently I mean I’ve always I mean coming on tour when I was 21 22 years old I was always the Young guy and there was just a few of us out here um but I’m in my 13th year now and I I feel like probably the last five six years i’ I’ve really gotten comfortable just like you said learning how to travel where to stay where to eat it it takes a while um and and you get to know the courses you you come back to every single year and and love the places um you come to I mean it’s really cool traveling or or spending a week in every city out on tour you feel like you’re a local for a week and and you get to know a lot of the people a lot of lot of the local spots so we have a good time and my wife and I spend the whole West Coast Swing um stay on the west coast I don’t even if I take a week off I don’t go back home we we stay out on the west coast and make some memories um out here so it’s uh it’s been a lot of fun and um I’ve enjoyed the ride I mean it’s crazy to think this is my 13th on tour happens quick right all of a sudden you’re like oh wait I’ve been doing this for this long cuz you get such in a routine and and thinking about this week and thinking about next week and and every year seems to be the exact same of what tournaments you play and and where you’re traveling so it flies by really fast but uh making some new memories we got a seven-month-old little girl and it’s been fun doing some different stuff like finding out where daycare is a lot of so so the new stuff that’s popping up um traveling with a small kid on on tour is uh is new and fresh and it’s it’s uh it’s been a lot of fun so far how does the baby travel doing doing good on the flights like handling that I know that’s not easy we just we just traveled to Orlando I’ve got a almost 5-year-old and almost 2-year-old and it was disaster Zone on the air you’re in the midst of it yeah I mean you you can like sit you know you can sit the baby you know in like the car seat on the plane and hopefully get about an hour that was a mistake we made flying out to Haw is we just got a seat for my wife and I so we just passing her back and forth she wasn’t comfortable trying to go to sleep feeding her so I’ve learned my lesson we’re going to get her own seat now put the car seat in there she’s in the cocoa Melon now so we’ve uh burn kind kind of dabble that in a little bit um but yeah kind of learning on the Fly I mean it’s pretty easy right now that she can sit still and be in her seat but I know it’ll change soon when she’s up walking around and getting in a lot of stuff yes Harris tell us about like 2020 2021 I mean you had an amazing year in 21 we could all see signs of that kind of building up what was what what came to together for you either you know training wise technique Wise Equipment wise to build up we won The Travelers in 21 obviously special week of the ryer cup what was what were the things that all came together around that time it was unfortunate obviously Co hitting um I felt like I was playing some really good golf um at the players that year I think I was in second place I think I shot 65 that first round and I was really feeling good about my game and then that was the Hideki one when he shot 63 and you shot 65 yeah yeah um feeling really good about that tournament and then going to bed that night and then wake up at 11: p.m and they’ve canceled the tournament and it’s like well what now um but I worked really hard during Co I I trained a lot I practiced a lot worked with my coach Justin Parsons I used that time to really get a lot better at golf and and when we didn’t start again I was I was ready to play um so I’m not sure everybody did that I think a lot of guys took that time to be with their family and hang out and and take a little vacation from golf but I I used that to get better and and be ready to play when when the the time came and I I came out pretty hot I think I missed the cut the first week at Colonial but then Hilton Head the next week I got started and kept rolling and uh yeah started playing some really good golf uh won the century Tournament of Champions in a playoff over wo um it was nice to get back in the winter Circle again that break of not not winning since 20 3 you kind of forget how hard it is to win out here on tour you got to have kind of all the stars in line and it lined up that week I was putting really well I was playing really well and to get in the playoff and and be able to birdie that number 18 Again to to win the playoff was amazing and then the crazy Travelers um eight whole playoff I mean you you literally same year you have Birdie the first hole of a playoff to win and then you have that eight hole Marathon which like par after par after par I mean those are two totally different situations for a player totally different kind of approaches mentally I mean you go out and like you said you catch fire and make a birdie early and it’s winning and the other one like how did you handle eight holes what was that like an hour and a half two hours of golf extra on the back end of the final round yeah it was it was a wild day um I remember playing the final round with Jason day um I birdied 18 made like a 35-footer left to right breaker for me that was either to win the tournament or or get in a playoff it was playing PR hard coming down the stretch the wind was picking up 17 and 18 were straight down wind and and pretty hard to access the pins um so I knew that was a really big Putt and I remember Jason day telling me kind of walking up to the scoring trailer like hey stay calm be ready be ready for a playoff go go do your routine be be ready for it and I thought that was really cool of him to say and S my scorecard went straight to the range and and kind of warming up like was playing in the playoff and then I heard the roar Kramer making the birdie on uh 18 to get in the playoffs so I was I was ready I never let myself kind of go back down and then come back up I kind of stayed had the same intensity the whole time and I feel like that that really helped me during the playoff um yeah it it was tiring um my caddy Eric Larson really kept me in it my low back was starting to get pretty sore um that was a long day I mean walking 18 holes and then warming up again and then playing eight holes I mean it it was grueling but you got to mentally stay in it um I felt like we battled it out pretty well we made some really clutch putts and I know people on TV were like why can’t somebody make a birdie yeah yeah yeah just it’s just I mean it was fun to watch you know it was kind of fun to watch like I mean it was just literal tennis match you know it was like it was like a tiebreaker in tennis where you’re seeing like good shots hit and passing shots hit and you’re kind of waiting for somebody to hit the winner and it kind of I mean I’d say for most average golfers they see that and they think to themselves either you’re going to win or lose this at some point but to stay in it and continually kind of get back to that te and go all right routine again I mean like you said Jason day told you I mean that shows kind of the mental fortitude of pro golfers you know and I I remember one shot I kind of flared a wedge short right of that pin being too aggressive and plugged in the bunker and it’s kind of do or die like I’m trying to hold that out I know I have to make bar on that hole and and I like that um I like being in that mental space of of yeah like you said a a tennis match is do or die I know what I have to do I’ve got to do it and you got to stay in the moment and I feel like I I did that I stayed calm um I was very focused and and in the moment and uh it worked out and and the crowd seemed to be in favor of Kramer which I liked a lot I like kind of being the underdog in that situation it seemed like they wanted him to win and uh felt like my cadd and I Eric were the only two out there that wanted us to win and I I kind of like I kind of liked that situation so you went from 13 to 21 without a victory what were some of your close calls along the way there uh during that stretch yeah I remember uh losing a playoff to Jason day at Tory ponds um played really well there I remember Colonial coming down the stretch I felt like I was tied for the leader maybe one up and then Jordan Speed 30 the last three four holes to beat me so there’s a lot of close calls um and then kind of went went through a little regression in my game um 177 18ish um learned a lot about myself and and about my game when you’re coming out on tour everything’s new and fresh and fun and seeing everything for the first time and for me I didn’t I knew how to play the game I just didn’t know a whole lot about why I did certain things and why that made me good um so easy to fall in the Trap of like playing with guys like Dustin a Rory Phil tiger was like why can’t I do that why can’t I swing the club like that um but everybody does it different and for me it was Finding why I do certain things my way and I can’t do things that other guys can do and you can kind of fall in that trap and I did a little bit of chasing different swings had a lot of different swing coaches and um that didn’t work for me and uh luckily found Justin um I think in early 2019 and then things starting to click and kind of getting back to how I play the the game and and practiced and trained and all that and it’s uh it’s been great yeah Harris you’re one of those guys that uh we when we design our blueprint irons we we kind of always have you in mind you know like our original blueprint you played those when they first came out now you’re playing the blueprint te’s and when we’re designing the product it’s always like wow we got you know this is the iron Harris is gonna play you know it’s like Harris and Tony is like these guys are gonna be ex exactly tell us about your first experience with our original blueprint and then uh and then what it’s been like transition to the new blueprint te and it it was wild seeing those blueprints for the first time because it’s unlike anything Ping’s ever made um which is incredible I mean kind of stepping outside their boundaries and and making a true Players Club um for us out here um that like to work the ball that can spin it enough um and and especially to keep the low irons down a little bit that’s kind of what we struggle with is you get into the wind and and some of these game improvement irons um flights the ball too high too high and and we can’t control it as well um so I love I love the way they look and and hitting them for the first time just the feel is incredible and and being able to work the ball both ways hitting it high hitting it low everything and it it was unlike anything I’ve ever seen from ping and I I was uh in love with it from the first time I hit it um and I I think it was an easy transition going to the blueprint T’s um the offset is a little bit different so it took a little bit to get used to that but once I started playing with them um it was a very easy transition and I love them so are you with your iron play are you mostly a shot maker in terms of controlling your vertical or do you curve it do you curve it left to right right to left into different pins or or uh crosswind scenarios I I like to do both um depending I like the pin and the wind kind of dictate what shot I’m trying to hit um because I I feel like I can hit both and the hardest pin for me is a pin in the dead center of the green because I can see both shots and I it’s hard for me to commit to one or the other but if a pins on the right I can see a fade in there all day if it pins on the left water left I can see a draw in there um so I like to do both and and like playing with Bubba Watson I love watching him play because I I kind of I don’t curve it as much as he does but I see the same shots that he does so I love playing with that freedom and and just kind of letting the scenario dictate what shot I’m trying to hit instead of trying to force force a shot into something that I’m not really comfortable with you talk about center pin what do you typically go with if you’re saying you’re looking at a center pin no wind I mean are you going to are you 65% I’m going to hit a fade or you draw or you hit it straight what do you do I don’t really know it depends on the yardage like if I’m trying to take some off I’m trying to add a little bit that that’s the toughest one because I can see both and it’s it’s so hard for me to just commit to one because I I I don’t know I’d much rather append to be tucked than be in the dead center so a little different philosophy than what the average player was an average golfer’s like I don’t want five off the left or four off the left har is like four off the left is great cuz we never really see that unless it’s a proam right right right that’s what we’re kind of used to is playing like going out for the proam I’m I’m used to seeing the pins tuck so I’m used to working balls and and missing them and in certain areas but if you have a tweener yardage then you might hit a little draw or take a little off with it by cutting it a little bit yeah yeah that’s uh I had to do it a lot at Pebble I mean when the greens get really soft I have to take a lot of spin off that’s the hardest thing for me because I I spin it a lot with my wedges and my irons that’s the hardest thing for me um so I’m working on that a little bit but yeah I mean if if I’m trying to add a little bit I’m going to draw it if I’m taking a five six yards off I’m trying to hit a little soft cut in there yeah Harris is the ultimate blueprint te player I mean just shaping it both directions High spin you’re you’re you’re fighting unlike the average player getting spin off they’re trying we’re trying to help them get the ball in the air which is pretty cool now Harris what about transitioning into your wedges you’re one of you’re one of I don’t know not too rare but Shane’s one of them that plays our you know s159 pitching wedge basically right the 48 have you always played that what why do you choose that over the set pitching wedge I don’t know just if I’m playing a wedge I want it to look like my other wedges yeah um I’ve never really done well with like a set pitch and wedge I don’t know why I chip a lot with my pitch and wedge I hit a lot of bumping runs long bunker shots I feel like it has more playability I don’t know I don’t know if I’m one of the few but I I’ve kind of always gravitated towards playing a pitching wedge like my other wedges yeah same for me too it’s like the the shots are on the green it just I mean it look when you look down at it it looks like you’re 50 looks like you’re 56 you know it just so much easier and I feel like you’re more confident pulling that club out and and going with it so I’m with it can we go back to 2011 for a minute because obviously 2024 we’ve seen Amer win on the PGA tour you won on the corn Fury tour as an Amer what point during that week did you think you actually might win the golf tournament that was a wild week I I just won the southern Amer the week before I was playing really well and that was one of the events where if you were an All-American I think I was the second team all- americ I got in the tournament Ohio State but it was a weird week like I was paired with uh Peter ulon and and bank I’m I’m gonna butcher his last name I arnan Von Vonage I think you naed it we called him Bank sound great so I played with two amers the first two days and then I played with John Peterson I think the third day also an Amer at the time right also an Amer and I think the four the last day was the only time I ever I played with the pro and I played with John Peterson as well so so to me it just it it was a comfort zone like I I played with all my buddies that I played with for a long time it was weird like it was just I felt like I was just battling out with John Peterson the whole time and just like our College days and uh it was a strange week like it didn’t feel like a pro event to me like I wasn’t playing for money I was out there trying to make the Walker Cup team later that year just trying to do the best I can and um it was such a comfort zone for me and on top of that playing some of the best golf of my life so uh it was awesome to be in the mix and and unfortunate John Peterson made bill on 18 I made birdie to to get the win but it was an awesome week and and really jump start in my career were you surp are you surprised that it took so long for an Amer to win on the PGA tour obviously we had it happen in 2024 but I mean you go back to 92 with Phil Mickelson winning as an Amer I mean we’ve seen amers get in contention even at major championships you think about the Open Championship a few years ago at St Andrews but it felt like as good as these Amer players are and as many many experiences they’re getting in pro events and being on camera you feel like that Comfort level is going to get there at some point did it surprise you that it took this long 92 to 24 to see an Amer win on the PJ tour it actually has yeah especially with the guys I mean spe was probably pretty close to doing it Scotty Sheffer got in a number of events um I know it’s a different level of pressure when you’re an Amer compared to a pro but yeah it it has surprised me that it hasn’t been ticked off before now and and you could see it happen more often in some of these smaller not smaller Fields but not as big name tournament not Signature Events not Signature Events um I mean it was it was awesome to see I think the whole world was sping on Nick Dunlap to do it it was awesome to see great for golf and and just shows how good these kids in college are I mean that’s that’s how it’s been for a while I mean these kids are ready to play I mean the facilities in college the training these guys are doing and and they are coming out thinking they can compete and they can and they’re great players and um I think you’ll you’ll see it more often I don’t know if you’ll see it every year but I think more guys are amers are probably going to get some starts in the PJ tour and and they got a great chance to pull it off I think being on TV helps too I mean I just feel like when you’re kind of going through some of the things that Amer golfer has obviously improved since you were a college golfer an Amer golfer facilities are great travel is great but having cameras on you having crowds around like that’s becoming more popular in amer golf you’re seeing Collegiate events on TV a lot more and when you’re more comfortable in that scenario and then you get to the PJ tour it’s not such a jump you know it’s not such a a big jump you go out and shoot 65 65 Thursday Friday at a PJ Tour event and all of a sudden cameras are on for the first time and you’re like what do I do you know was do I do I walk weird do I do these types of things well you don’t have to worry about that anymore when you’re on TV five six seven times a year yeah and and when I was in college we were never on TV and I think that’s why they went to the match play to be able to get college golf on TV and it’s awesome to watch on the Golf Channel I love watching college golf on on TV and yeah to your point I mean if if they’re more comfortable in those scenarios in college they’re going to be more comfortable when they get the tour and it’s not going to be that much different um so so it’s awesome to see and it just shows where college golf is now and people may think the average golf fan probably doesn’t watch a whole lot of college golf or amate golf but these guys are really good and they need to tune in more to the US ameter to the Walker cup to these big- time College events because these kids are coming on the PJ tour and they’re going to be the the Stars here in a few years I mean it’s happened so fast Marty I mean I think that’s what’s been so surprising over these last few years is kind of going back to 2019 you think about that group that crop jumping off and you got you know Victor obviously played so well at that us Amer at Pebble and Justin sa was number one Amer in the world it’s like all these guys come up at the same time and they win you know and they contend and they play well and obviously you’re seeing it now ludvig had obviously a great season I mean addc wins on the corn fairy tour and his first start it almost feels like they’re itching to get out there you know and how much different do you see the Amer golfer Now versus when you turn pro like what’s is it is it drastically different in terms of how they are right out of the gate I feel like they’re they’re just a more complete player I mean the the biggest thing I’ve seen is these kids now hit it so far I mean I remember coming out my first couple years I felt like I was one of the longest on the PGA tour and really my numbers have stayed the same and like every year I just keep dropping back and percentile goes down yeah I think I was like top 15 maybe my first year on score and I feel like my numbers have stayed the same and I’m I don’t know what I am now but I’m probably past 50th and and these kids hit it long hit it straight they’re not scared they’re hitting driver more often I me we we didn’t have all these stats coming out right um about how to play certain holes how to be aggressive how to make birdie you dive into that stuff like do you look at that stuff as well a little bit I mean for me it’s more of a comfort level too like now I’ve played these golf courses for 12 years like I I kind of know the blueprint for each course and and what suits my game I’m not going to hit drivers somewhere where I’m not comfortable with it I mean I’m I feel like the strength of my game is kind of my mid iron so I’m I’m not scared to lay back and hit it in the Fairway and then access a pen with a eight iron or seven iron I feel like that’s a great part of my game but yeah I mean these these kids they hit it long they’re they kind of grew up on the track man and they they know how to optimize all that stuff and the training programs have have gotten to be incredible I know you’ve kind of done some of that Speed Stick stuff yeah um but yeah we didn’t we didn’t grow up with that we didn’t really know how to do that I mean growing up for me with the bat ball the professional ball like we never hit up on it I kind of teed it low and and launched it low and it was the one that started like an airplane it starts low and then up awesome to see but to see now now these guys are launching it so high with no Spin and hitting it forever and it’s just the game has changed so much in the past 10 to 12 years yeah I think also there’s like you know players you see them bringing their foresight or what have you on the course are measuring every single shot you know so you’re getting the feedback every time have you felt the pressure to increase your own distance or you have you stayed kind of immune to that and hey you are still a long hitter um and just do your own thing yeah I’d rather do it in like the uh the workout trailer the training room yeah and not really mess with my swing too much because I know you can kind of go too much I’ve heard of guys doing a lot of that speed six training and maybe it messes up their seven eron or messes up their wedge like yeah it’d be cool to get 15 extra yards off the te but if it diminishes some of my the other parts of my game that are very good then I don’t really see the benefit of that um but I’d rather do it in the in the workout room um working on my body trying to do some more ballistic stuff speed stuff in there yeah to then hopefully help that translate to my game at this point have you are you trying to maintain or are you feeling a little pressure to gain some ball speed um maintain right now but I I mean yeah it wouldn’t hurt now now I mean this past offseason was my first offseason really in golf in 12 or 13 years since college so I feel like I used it wisely to gain some strength gain a little speed um and during the season you’re just trying to maintain for me I mean the most I’m going to take off this year is probably two weeks at a time so it’s really hard to do a whole lot of that stuff in your off weeks let’s talk about your driver Harris uh g430 LST for a long time he played the g400 yeah again the the sound I mean when they when ping came out with a g400 that was probably the my favorite driver I’ve ever played the sound for us the sound the feel the look I mean all of it are are mixed in together and even now like hitting that g430 I I’ll have people like turn their heads like man that sounds really yeah and and it’s hard to hard to replicate that and I think for me personally the g430 is a great answer to the g400 for for me of the sound the feel what I’m looking for in the flight um it’s been amazing I’ve tried the 10K a little bit which is awesome the Miss hits are incredible yeah um definitely a little bit of getting used to swinging a little bigger head you can feel it more in the swing but man I mean that g430 is awesome yeah so the LST with the composite on there gets the Acoustics a little bit deeper and that’s that’s what you’re kind of one that was very important to you right yeah yeah and and I feel like a lot more of those heads sounded that way when I was younger the G2 the G5 like had that deeper sound to it not the tingy yep I don’t know it for us I mean it it makes such a difference and I don’t know what it is but when we practice so much when we play so much you get used to certain sounds and I know sound and feel correlate so much they might not in the world you’re in but for us sound and feel are are correlated a lot actually I think uh this is a experiment any The Listener can do is put on and so many kids now practice with headphones on and that you know you could put noise cancelling headphones on and hit a bunch of different Putters and you can’t tell the difference in the feel so it’s almost you know you could argue it’s 100% sound is the feel you get especially off of putter is is practicing with I think we’ve talked a little bit about this but is practicing with headphones a bad thing to do in your opinion in my opinion I think so because want that I don’t I if I’m doing like a humman hman podcast I’m kind of have it on very low volume if I’m chipping or something so you can still get that you know get get that acoustic feedback but you’re not having you’re like the big the big ones no I’m not doing that at all yeah I don’t really put the airpods in I I’ll have like a speaker or my phone playing something but like you I don’t like putting airpods in because you like chipping putting the feel aspect like you don’t get the same response yeah or or I can’t tell like an iron shot like did I hit that perfect or I missed a little bit like it’s hard to tell when you have airpods yeah one of the big ingredients of your feedback you know yeah I mean you got to have it um did you watch the college football playoff this year I did I was a little sad the dogs yeah but it was uh who are you rooting for in that situation is it just like everybody Bama kind of situation or what I didn’t want Bama to play I didn’t want him to back door another n Championship oh W back door look at this just a slight dig I like that I like that I I wanted Washington win I thought that was a cool story um Michael penx was incredible I know he didn’t have a great championship game but it it was a cool story kind of an underdog they they were I played Oregon twice and they were still like a ninepoint underdog playing them the second time and Vegas didn’t think they were very good and they made it and they kept beating everybody and I kind of wanted them to win but I mean Michigan had a great team I would have loved to see Georgia play Michigan at some point um but it is what it is I’m I’m glad that they’re going to the 12 team playoff mainly for our scenario of of losing one game in 29 games and then you’re out so I mean we’ve got a really tough schedule so we’d be lucky to get through that season with one or two losses so hopefully we can get in that 12 team playoff I think it’s just going to be make that even better and and make it better on TV why does the US Open Play into your hands so well cuz You’ played so well over the last few years at the US Open in terms of major championship golf I love that kind of golf I love when greens get firm it’s a chess smash out there um we’re we’re bogey avoidance is might be better than the birdies um for me and and if you get out of position it’s like okay where where do I now need to put the ball to give give myself a four to six-footer for par and I I love that kind of gol off and very strategic um kind of how I grew up I mean kind of small greens you’re not going to hit more than 12 greens you got to get up and down I I love it I love when the winning score is anywhere less than probably 10 or 12 under um I don’t know what it is but I I’ve I’ve gravitated towards us open and love when it gets really hard I feel like that’s when you got to have a great mental space out there and and really start grinding and put the mouthpiece in and that’s what I love about that kind of golf so like when you’re looking at the schedule and you see Piner number two as the host of the US Open this season you get excited obviously I mean it’s a tough golf course they can play extremely tough par is a very very good score on any hole out there I mean as you’re kind of looking ahead at the schedule and you’re looking ahead at the major season I’m assuming when you see a place like Pinehurst and Oakmont and Wingfoot you know that’s hosting that year it probably gets you pumped up yeah I know if I’m I’m playing decent i’ I’ve got control over my golf well I feel like I’m going to be in that tournament every single time because I’m not going to beat myself I’m going to use the practice rounds to really learn how to play that golf course and where to miss it a certain pens and like I said a chess match and I love that kind of golf and I wish we played more of that on the PJ tour I know it’s very weather dependent um because for a lot of these guys out here when when the greens get soft um it’s a dark contest and um is there a golf course on tour year to year that feels the closest to US Open feels like it’s probably Bay Hill I’d say Bay Hill when it gets baked feels kind of Us opening Bill Tampa a little bit Colonial when it gets firm um I just like when the when the conditions are really firm and and for me it it helps out because I can spin it a lot yeah that I can get to a lot of pens that other people can’t get to um but yeah I mean it it when the greens get firm it makes it more penalizing if you hit the rough because you can’t really hit the green and you’ve got to then kind of run it up the front missing this this bunker to get it close to the pin um so I I enjoy that kind of golf Harris you talked about a lot about having a bunch of different grinds and wedges you know in your collection now you’re using s159 you’ve used the H grind which is our half moon and also kind of toggling a little bit with our tea grind tell us about do do you switch grinds a little bit depending on conditions your Technique and where where you at right now yeah on those two options I started with a t gr and uh and y um especially Sony was a little firmer conditions um and then the last couple weeks I’ve switched to the H grind um Tori was soft Pebble Beach was extremely soft so um that’s what I’ve got to get better at is is kind of switching between two of of the for me the bunker if it’s firm or soft and and that’s what I’m working with the Ping guys um to travel with two wedges and and to kind of go back and forth and and have two wedges that I’m really comfortable with and just bring them in and out based on the conditions um so I’m learning a bit more like that and and kind of enjoying knowing knowing more about the clubs and the different grinds and how that can help me hit different chips and bunker shots and and get the ball to do what I want to do so for you a a big priority on on your 60 degre is Bunker play yeah um for me kind of the shortsighted Bunker play because if I’m going to be pretty aggressive getting into the pens and I do miss in a bunker I want to be confident like okay I can hit it in there and be fine if it’s not plugged I got a good chance of getting up and down yeah um because the pins are so tuck four three to four Paces off the green you’re going to have some really short sided bunker shot so you got to bring it in high and soft and have enough spin to keep it around the hole um so yeah I’m I’m really good at the basic bump and runs that that’s why I like chipping them my 52 my pitching wedge that’s why I use the 159 yeah degre yeah because I do use those a lot if the if I’ve got enough green to work with to bump and run it back there but you got to be able to hit that high soft shot with a lot of spin um out here on tour and and having the right grind and and the right foot to to help me do that what is the best uh a short game shot you think in your repertoire where you could you could you’re you’re better than most out here I practice a lot of like downhill live bunker shots um for me it’s more of a training tool to where I stay stay in the shot I don’t back out of the shot I practice a lot I kind of do it in my warm-up routine so I feel like anytime I get that shot in competition I’m kind of excited excited to hit it so I would say I’m probably better than most at long bunker shots and downhill bunker shots take us to the Ryder Cup you go out with Tony F now and you guys get Rory and Shane Lowry and this is your first experience of the Ryder Cup what was the first let’s say 30 minutes of that experience like when you got to the first te you guys started to hit golf shots and got out of the match because I mean I could imagine it was nerve-wracking exciting intimidating all those kind of things yeah it was it was awesome to get paired with my boy Tony he he’s the best um super fun super even killed great energy um it was a very comfortable pairing for me um I just love playing with Tony I love being around him and it was awesome to draw Shane and Rory like all right we’re getting thrown in the mix we got a great Duo let’s let’s get after it um there’s so much buildup to it and then finally when after you hit that first t- shot you’re like all right we’re we’re playing golf again it’s it’s go time but I that first t- shot I mean for me it’s like if if I can get the ball on the te the first time and then doesn’t fall off doesn’t fall off your hands are shaking a little bit and then that opening hole is just like hit driver as hard as you can which is awesome I probably wouldn’t like hitting the four iron off that t um but it was awesome hit it hit great drives every day and and we had some great matches Tony played great puted great um beat Rory and Shane and then the next day we got Shane and uh troll Hatton which is another great match and they uh squeaked us out on the last hole Shane made a 15f footer on 18 to win that match one up but uh it was an awesome experience and something I’ll never forget I mean that’s got to be a drug it’s like playing like like contending in US Open or getting in contion at a big event I mean playing in the rider cup probably the closest you know it’s around the Super Bowl right now when we’re recording this and it’s probably the closest golfers can feel to Super Bowl week you know you get two weeks off obviously you’re not playing golf till Friday a lot of buildup a lot of hype around it not much else is going on in the golf world but uh when you’re in that world you’re in that space and then you go home on Monday or Tuesday and you’re thinking back to it it’s probably a mindset of I’ve got to get back to there I’ve got to get back to that again in a couple years yeah I mean once you make one you never want to miss another team um I I ha it not being with them in Rome this year but I got up early with our baby and and watched it on TV and um a little bit of fomo but I loved watching him and it’s such a cool experience and to anybody that has never been to a rouer cup you have to go I mean the one at Beth Page next year or two years is going to be incredible um there there’s just so much adrenaline and and four matches on the golf course like every shot means so much and it’s like playing 16 at Scottdale pretty much every hole um your adrenaline is through the roof I mean even going back to the team Hotel it’s just hard to settle down it’s hard to go to sleep um hard to get your rest because you’re on such a high Adrenaline Rush it’s uh it’s amazing I mean it was one of the best experience of my life yeah that’s incredible I’ve played on two uh PGA Cup teams so when the PGA of America spun off the Ryder Cup they started the PGA cup which is for the club proos so we play against GBA gbni and that’s been two of the funnest weeks obviously we don’t have the big galleries but it’s been it’s been on Golf Channel and it’s been super fun I made the winning putt to beat GB in a huge comeback in 2021 and that was like the most fun I’ve ever had just a team more nervous in that or more nervous like Majors or when you played here I was proba like 16 when I played 16 at Phoenix I there’s so much buzz in there that actually wasn’t that nervous and you’re hting short and you’re hitting a pitching wedge you’re mashing a pitching wedge or something like that you’re not you’re not trying to chip a little nard in there you’re you’re taking one Club less and hitting hard I have my whole team around and so it’s like they’re all REI like you know they’re all relying on me to win this final hole that was probably the most pressure I felt on the golf course actually team team golf is different I mean it’s it’s way more pressure because for me like I can deal if if deal with if I had a bad shot or short side myself but it’s kind of on you yeah you have to deal with the consequences and and playing best ball with Tony is a little bit easier than alternate shot so like I let Tony play his game he lets me play my game we’re trying to make as many birdes as we can so it’s a little bit easier but yeah team golf I mean you don’t you don’t want to let your teammates down how did you and Tony pick uh which golf ball you’re going to use so we played best ball so we we uh got a was best ball yeah that’s right got to play our own ball um how’d you do that in the alternate shot is it like rock paper scissors or something or you like who cares less yeah who cares less or who I guess like if you’re paired with tiger or Phil it’s like we’ll use your I’ll adjust yeah um the only time I’ve really done that is a grant Thorton um played with Matt coocher for for years and I played with you guys have like a run there yeah you won it like three times is that right I think so yeah got second a couple times we’ve had a good run that’s an awesome event and uh playing with Seline buer this year was awesome getting to meet some of the LPGA players and and see their games they’re they’re awesome and unbelievable wedge games unbelievable Putters um it was really cool to see that side what’s left on the goals of Harris English for your career do you have a do you make goals B do you write them down and see what is on the list if you do yeah I I make goals I I write them down some I need to be better about that um but I to compete in Majors I mean 34 um that’s that’s what we play for I mean that’s why I’m on the PJ tour is I want to play in as many majors I can and then have as many chances to win as possible um and and even big tournaments on the PJ tour I don’t care what tournament is I mean if you’re coming out the stretch and contention you’re feeling the butterflies you’re feeling the nerves and you want to win because it’s it’s so hard to win on the PJ tour um but yeah would would love to knock off a major two more I mean for me it’s like if I can get in contention half the tournaments I play in that’s that’s a great year or that’s a great week if if if I’m within two or three shots Le and nine holds the play that’s a successful week for me um because that’s where I want to be that’s why why I play the game to get those nerves to get that feeling that adrenaline going um and and to play on some rer Cup teams play on President’s Cup teams um because I got a taste of that and like I said earlier once you have that you don’t want to miss another one um do you keep all the gear like do you keep all the shirts and stuff do you give them away what do you do most of it a lot of gear it is and and it’s like boxes of gear yeah and and like cleaning out all my stuff the last couple months it’s like how much gear accumulates and like we got that much stuff for the rider cup and you don’t want to give it away I mean because it it means so much and I want my kids to be able to see it or wear it someday would be really cool um yeah it it being 13 years you accumulate so much and it’s like what what do I need to take with me or what can I get rid of and and not worry about well Harris we really appreciate the time uh great chatting with you I hope you have a great season excited to see you contend and compete in the major championships and keep doing what you’re doing uh been a great chat thanks so much for your time thank you Marty yep would love to shout to you someday at your work feel free anytime you want come on over come over there and build a couple clubs with and get really dial and see what he’s doing I I don’t know a whole lot about it but I love what goes into it and I think it’s really cool so i’ love know thanks har it’s been it’s been fun working with you and like I said I I was not joking when when we think about designing some you know always the Deep face Fairway Wood we talk about Harris on blueprint irons we talk about Harris you know we’re all working on putter designs and trying to what can we learn from the ho home where’re Scot still what did what did that face of the Scott still why is it so popular put yeah know we’ve put that insert in a lot of other Putters uh for players and just trying to learn and I think you’re so tuned into the feel MH right in marrying yes it needs to perform this way but also what we want to do from a field standpoint so Rockstar Harris English this is the Ping Proving Ground podcast [Applause]
