Inside The Ropes

On episode 208, we head over to South Carolina for the second men’s major of the year to chat with Lucas Herbert as one of the eight Aussies teeing it up at the PGA Championship.The Victorian chats setting up roots in Orlando, his aspirations to join the PGA Tour, and ‘leaving no stone unturned’ when it comes to a major.If you think you’re a big hitter, our chat with Joel Taylor, Director of the Pro Long Drivers Association in Australia, will have you wanting to ‘smash’ drives like Bryson DeChambeau.All this and a wrap of golf around the world with hosts Andy Maher and Ali Whitaker.

This week we come close to apologising for writing off Rory McIlroy the week before he won his first tournament since 2019.We chat about the hot issue of whether it’s women’s golf, or ladies’ golf. Chyloe Kurdas, Golf Australia’s female engagement senior manager, who says ‘women’ is a better terminology.We talk Hannah Green’s great run in Asia and Maverick Antcliff’s superb performance in Europe as well.All this and a wrap of golf around the world with hosts Andy Maher and Martin Blake.

This week we take a deep dive into the stunning form of world No. 13 Hannah Green, who narrowly missed a victory on the LPGA in Singapore.We talk to Simon Magdulski about Golf Australia’s new handicap app, which has proved to be a hit with golfers, and we learn the inspiring story of Queensland’s Special Olympics star Natascha Tennent, whose golf prowess is growing despite her issues with autism and Tourette Syndrome.We also have a look at Rory McIlroy’s continuing struggles… winless since 2019 as he reaches 32 years of age.All this and a wrap of golf around the world with hosts Andy Maher and Martin Blake.

As Australian golf celebrates another win for Marc Leishman and Cam Smith and their comedic antics on the PGA Tour, we also enthuse about Hannah Green and Gabi Ruffels on the LPGA Tour.We have a fascinating chat with Wayne Perske about the unique career path he’s trodden that has taken him from successful player to a Japanese jail and all the way back to pouring his heart into the future of the sport at beautiful Maleny Golf Club on the Sunshine Coast.We then come a little south and chat to Nambucca Heads Island Golf Club boss Johnathon Zirkler about the recent biblical rains that were so severe they cut access to the course and left all bar a couple of greens inundated by mud and water.All this and a wrap of all things golf around the world with hosts Andy Maher, Mark Hayes and Alison Whitaker.

From successful touring pro to brilliant caddie on the PGA Tour for Cameron Davis, Andrew Tschudin sees golf from a unique perspective. We’re also joined by two newly crowned champions: Australian Amputee Open winner Shane Luke and Australian Boys’ winner Jeffrey Guan. The PGA of Australia’s Nick Dastey makes his in-studio debut as co-host with Andy Maher and Mark Hayes as we keep you up to date with all the happenings in the golfing world this week.

If you’ve ever wanted to hear Andy Maher rap, you’re in unexpected luck! Much to co-host Mark Hayes’ disgust, Andy introduces a whole new element to our review of a memorable Masters.We also chat to Metropolitan GC board member Jay Bethell, whose club is doing amazing things to become a worthy winner of our Visionary of the Year March award.We welcome back Nick Dastey to chat all things PGA after some great news this week about next summer’s tournament schedule, plus a whole lot more.

It’s golf’s week in the global sports spotlight and we just can’t get enough of the mighty Masters.We cross live to Augusta to chat with Aussie expert on the ground, Ben Everill, then chat with Sydney amateur Grace Kim who – partly at least – lived out her dream of playing Augusta National last week.Hosts Andy Maher, Mark Hayes and Martin Blake offer their ill-considered tips for the green jacket, plus we look back at the year’s first women’s major championship and Jordan Spieth’s timely return to the winner’s circle.

After an epic NSW Open, our very own Bryden Macpherson fought off an army of would-be stars to salute at Concord. He joins us today to tell us the trade secrets of exactly how.We stay in Sydney to chat with the emerging Andy Richards and his coach former WPGA Tour player Rachel Bailey, who’s breaking down barriers as a coach.Plus all the latest from a genuinely busy week around the world with Andy Maher, Mark Hayes and Stacey Peters at the helm.

To celebrate the show’s 200th episode, we are joined by Australian Golf legend, Karrie Webb. In addition, Golf Australia CEO, James Sutherland and PGA of Australia CEO, Gavin Kirkman drop by the studio to talk about greater collaboration to move the game forward. Our milestone episode is hosted by Andy Maher and Ali Whitaker.

After our wrap of the Players, we have a couple of heartwarming chats with current and potential stars of the Isuzu Queensland Open – Andrew Evans, the new champ still letting his heroics sink in and then 13-year-old Alfie Ward, who had the week of his young life.Hosts Andy Maher and Mark Hayes then turn their attention to one of the more extraordinary scoring feats we’ve ever brought to the table when Connor McLachlan chats through his round of 16-under-par (YEP!!) 56 at Woodford Golf Club in Queensland.All this and all that’s important in world and local golf.

As we celebrate the impact of women in our great game, the long absent Alison Whitaker makes a return to the co-hosting chair as we chat with WPGA boss Karen Lunn, Victoria Golf Club devotee Jan Jelleff and our Visionary of the Year February award winners.Co-hosts Mark Hayes and Martin Blake also run through the news of the week including Bryson DeChambeau’s musclebound heroics and Andrew Martin’s hour of power at TPS Bonnie Doon.All this and a whole lot more.

It’s episode #197 for Inside the Ropes and it’s an eclectic mix.NRL legend and budding golf player manager Braith Anasta tells us why he’s excited to host The Players Series in Sydney, talks about his (very tidy) golf, and a little rugby league anecdote.Luke Bates runs us through a preview of the Isuzu Queensland Open next week at Pelican Waters.And we look at the implications of the Tiger Woods car accident for golf.

If you’ve ever wanted the inside scoop on what goes on in the back rooms of world golf, Andrew Langford-Jones is your man. Today, “Langers” shares a couple of cracking stories, including spilling the beans on how he kept Tiger’s secret a secret during the 2009 Australian Masters!Kristalle Blum, winner of the WPGA’s inaugural Athena competition, drops by to tell hosts Andy Maher and Mark Hayes how it has changed her life.Plus we talk to Grahame Stinson, the newest member of “Club 59” and flash around the world for the latest news and views.

It’s Aussie winners all round this week with Moonah Links PGA Classic winner Bryden MacPherson dropping in as a scarily knowledgable co-host for the first time. He joins regulars Andy Maher and Mark Hayes in chatting with newly crowned Australian Amateur champions Grace Kim and Louis Dobbelaar.All that and all the news and views from around the golfing world.

The great ball rollback debate goes on, and Mike Clayton is at the forefront again.Architect, commentator and strident critic ‘Clayts’ joins us for this week’s edition.As does Chris Wood, winner of last weekend’s Victorian PGA Championship.We cross to Adelaide for Mark Hayes’ take on the Australian Amateur at Kooyonga.Hosts Andy Maher, Martin Blake and Mike Clayton also work through the domination of Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka’s big comeback victory in Phoenix.

There were two types of golf drama that dominated this week … the bad kind with Patrick Reed’s rules drama and the very best kind with Brad Kennedy saluting amid a host of great challengers at the fabulous debut of The Players Series at Rosebud.We chat with Kennedy and youngster Molly McLean who played a fascinating part of her own at Rosebud.Hosts Andy Maher, Mark Hayes and Stacey Peters also chat with our first Visionary of the Year recipient and walk though all the other news in golf, both home and abroad.

As we return to a studio (hurrah!), we turn to one of Australian golf’s favourites to tee off our 2021 campaign. Hannah Green drops in from Perth to tell us how her world has changed. Hosts Andy Maher and Mark Hayes also talk to Cancer Council boss Todd Harper about the enormous success of the Longest Day in Golf around the country and catch up on all the news from around the golfing globe this summer.

The show that breaks down all borders did it again today, going inside the quarantine hotel to speak with the rising star of Australian golf, Steph Kyriacou, after her amazing rookie year on the Ladies European Tour.We then cross to Florida to catch up with her St Michael’s clubmate Travis Smyth, who tells all about his new base and how he’s dealing with the pandemic’s challenges.Regular visitors Karen Lunn and Nick Dastey drop by to share some exciting news about not only the Australian professional calendar this summer, but also the ground-breaking name change for the women’s domestic tour.All this and a whole lot more with hosts Mark Hayes and Martin Blake in our final show for 2020.

As hosts Andy Maher and Mark Hayes dissect a memorable Masters, we’re joined by one of its record-setting protagonists, Cam Smith. From the agony of his near miss to the battle to thicken his moustache, the young Queenslander gives us a great insight into all that made his week so entertaining.We get special “couchside” access to great mates Hannah Green and Su Oh courtesy of Luke Mackey in Florida.Then we cross to northern NSW to catch up with Allan Clarke, he of the astounding 34 club championships, to learn of the esky-toting buggy that has helped him to golfing immortality at his beloved Macksville.All that and a heap more, including Steph Kyriacou’s sensational rise through the world rankings.

Masters week is in full swing and we return to Ben Everill this week - who will provide the best Aussie-focussed coverage there is via AAP - to find out how different the November Masters has looked to this point.Then, we skip west to Texas to catch up with two-time Australian Open champ Greg Chalmers.We touch on the distance debate, get the latest on Greg's back, hear how some coaching could be in his near future... and hear one of the all-time great Masters stories from Greg's first hole in 2001!Plus, Mark Hayes and Justin Falconer wrap Minjee Lee's incredible performance under the bright lights in Dubai, plus the efforts of future stars Steph Kyriacou and Gabi Ruffels.And for more info on how you can score one of 29 awesome prizes just by watching The Masters this week, head to masterslivingroom.golf!