Ann Ligouri, Author, sports radio and television personality - Encore
In today's discourse, we are privileged to engage with the esteemed Ann Liguori, a luminary in the realm of sports broadcasting and author of the recently published work, "Life on the Green: Lessons and Wisdom from Golf Legends." This episode delves into the profound insights gleaned from her interviews with twelve iconic figures in the golfing world, encompassing both male and female champions. Each legend imparts unique wisdom that transcends the sport, touching upon themes of perseverance, positivity, and the significance of hard work. We explore the intricacies of Liguori's own journey, marked by resilience and an unwavering commitment to excellence in a historically male-dominated field. This conversation promises to offer listeners not only an understanding of the golfing experience but also invaluable life lessons that resonate far beyond the fairways.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Oregon Crab Commission
- Paintedale's Natural Beef
- Westin
- Birdieball
- Ann Liguori Foundation
- American Cancer Society
- Masters
- USA Today
- Golf Channel
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Transcript
It's time for Grilling at the Green.
Speaker A:Join Jeff Tracy as he explores a golfing lifestyle and tries to keep it in the short grass for the hackers, new sweepers and turf spankers, here's Jeff.
Speaker B:Welcome to Grilling Ants and Green.
Speaker B:I'm your host, J.T.
Speaker B:how is your golf game this week?
Speaker B:Well, I hope it's better than mine.
Speaker B:We've got a real legend with us today, Ann Liguori.
Speaker B:If you're around New York, you listen and you listen to her on the fan wfan.
Speaker B:She's got a new book which we're going to talk about called Lessons and Wisdom from Golf Legends, or the actual title is Life on the Green and then Lessons and Wisdoms.
Speaker B:I've misread my notes there, so forgive me.
Speaker B:Anyway, Ann's with us today.
Speaker B:I'm very fortunate to have her.
Speaker B:And we would like to thank the folks, of course, at the Oregon Crab Commission and Paintedale's Natural Beef for supporting this show.
Speaker C:And don't forget, you can get this.
Speaker B:Show on golf news networks, iHeart.
Speaker B:And we're coming to television here in just a couple weeks.
Speaker B:So we'll talk about that later.
Speaker B:But Anne, welcome.
Speaker D:Well, thank you for having me.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:It's a pleasure to be with you.
Speaker B:It's a pleasure.
Speaker B:So, all right, what is the story, Liguori?
Speaker B:Tell me.
Speaker D:Hey, Liguori, what's the story?
Speaker D:Well, that was the name of my weekly show on the fan for 25 years.
Speaker D: I started in: Speaker D:And it was great.
Speaker D:I covered every team in New York, talked about every sport and took phone calls.
Speaker D:It was every week, five, six hours a show.
Speaker D:And, you know, that led to conversations with Ann Liguori on the Golf Channel, my primetime weekly show on on, you know, the all niche Golf Channel.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker D: h Ann Liguori that aired from: Speaker D:And that's a show that I'm probably most proud of because I own the archives to the whole library.
Speaker D:And basically I interviewed everybody from Mickey Mantle was my first guest to Ted Williams, Wilt Chamberlain, Hank Aaron, Billie Jean King, Arnold Palmer.
Speaker D:It was just a who's who as far as legends and sports.
Speaker D:And I licensed out the shows today and just actually was at the International Tennis hall of Fame recently to talk to them about the tennis legends that I interviewed, including Arthur Ashe and Martina Navratilova and Rod Laver and, and Actually signed my, my golf book afterwards because all those tennis players are huge golfers.
Speaker B:So yeah, there you go.
Speaker B:Now I know you started at the Fan when you were what, 4 or 5 years old?
Speaker B:So you did that.
Speaker B:But New York's a tough market.
Speaker B:It is, it is.
Speaker B:It's a, it's a tough market.
Speaker B:And I've never been on the air in New York except for a guest on a few shows.
Speaker B:But the call ins and stuff, some people can be lovely, some people can be harsh.
Speaker B:And especially being the first woman sports broadcaster in New York like that, with a daily show, how did you survive?
Speaker B:Was it easy?
Speaker D:Actually it was a weekly show.
Speaker B:A weekly show.
Speaker C:Excuse me.
Speaker D:Yeah, but still five to six hours.
Speaker D:Yeah, it was tough.
Speaker D:I will not, I disagree with your statement there.
Speaker D:And basically women weren't doing on air jobs in sports media.
Speaker D:Very few.
Speaker D:I mean, I wasn't the very first in sports media to go on the air, but to have a Collins sports show was so rare.
Speaker D:And so I felt like I was judged more harshly than the men, that I had to prove myself more than the guys, that I had to be more prepared.
Speaker D:And I also thought that, boy, I need to be almost flawless because it is because if I mess this up, not only will I perhaps hurt my own career, but maybe the potential of other women getting into the field of sports media.
Speaker D:So I was very conscientious of that and really needed to pull it off and establish that credibility very quickly.
Speaker D:And 25 years later, hey, Lagory, what's the story?
Speaker D:Was still airing.
Speaker D:So, you know, I feel, you know, proud to have accomplished that and, you know, have a loyal audience of everything I've ever done in media, whether it be radio, tv, podcasts, anything on any channel.
Speaker D:More people know me from the Fan and hey, Lagori, what's the story?
Speaker D:Than anything else?
Speaker D:So it's a great fan base for sure.
Speaker B:I'm sure you, you know, when you said you had to be more prepared, I can just envision, because I've been doing this for a long time and I know the prep work even going into an hour weekly show, I have a couple of them, but it doesn't matter.
Speaker B:I know the prep work going into that.
Speaker B:So a five hour show, just on average, that's a lot of work.
Speaker B:And I could, and I could see where, you know, if you didn't know the, the running back stats that week for the guy from whoever it was, the Giants, the Jets or Patriots, doesn't matter.
Speaker B:They would nail you on that.
Speaker D:Yeah, it was a Live show.
Speaker D:There was only a 7 second delay.
Speaker D:Took calls all night.
Speaker D:But you know what I really prepared, I took notes, I watched every game you needed to watch.
Speaker D:I read five newspapers.
Speaker D:Literally had a notebook.
Speaker D:This was before laptops and Google, mind you.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:So we couldn't just google a subject and look up a question and an answer.
Speaker D:So yeah, I took very thorough notes and I had a file literally for everybody that I was going to interview one day and I cut out newspaper articles about that person and about the team.
Speaker D:And yeah, it was just a very extensive effort for every week because I really brought my journalistic instincts and talents to the show.
Speaker D:I think I was the only journalist, at least Steve Summers used to say I'm the only real sports journalist on the Fan.
Speaker D:And you know, it was a real.
Speaker D:It was a fun show but I took it very seriously and had.
Speaker D:We had a great time but you know, I didn't have a shtick.
Speaker D:You know, I just basically wanted to interview top personalities and, and talk and answer phone calls and, and share information and.
Speaker D:And I think we did a good job of that.
Speaker D:And you know, 25 years went pretty quick.
Speaker D:But what a.
Speaker B:Does.
Speaker B:Yeah, it really does.
Speaker B:How we're going to talk some inside radio stuff here.
Speaker B:F.
Speaker B:Forgive me, how was like the program directors and then you got the suits down the hall, you've got other people like when you started the show, being the first woman on the fan, etc.
Speaker B:Etc.
Speaker B:We've kind of laid those rules out there or parameters.
Speaker B:But some of the.
Speaker B:Some of the guys that had been broadcasting sports broadcasting for a long time on radio, how did they respond to you when you first came in?
Speaker D:Well, let me first tell you, Susan Laudman was the first voice on the Fan and she was doing updates at the time.
Speaker D: ,: Speaker D:On Saturday, July 4.
Speaker D:Hey Lagori, what's the story?
Speaker D:Debuted and my very first guest.
Speaker D:I knew I had to get a great guest.
Speaker D:And my very first guest was the biggest name in sports back then who was dominating all the headlines and that was Doc Goodening.
Speaker D: just won the World Series in: Speaker D:Doc had just gotten out of rehab a couple weeks before WFN went on the air in 87.
Speaker D:And I was determined to get an exclusive interview with him.
Speaker D:So I bypassed the PR director who wouldn't let Doc talk to anybody and went right up to Doc and asked him myself.
Speaker D:I said, hey, you know, there's this new station debuting next week.
Speaker D:Would you like, to be my first guest.
Speaker D:And he said, sure.
Speaker D:And so then I had to make sure that nobody else would stick their microphones and grab the interview.
Speaker D:And so I asked Doc if he would follow me into the jets locker room and we could do the interview there.
Speaker D:Remember Shea Stadium back then was both Mets and Jets?
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker D:And he just followed me into the jets locker room and I did this exclusive interview with him.
Speaker D:And every radio and TV critic in New York wrote about it and was such a coup.
Speaker D:And so I just think back then, people had known me because before I went to wfan, I was working as a stringer for ABC Radio Sports Network, covering every team in New York.
Speaker D:And then I was also freelancing for USA Today Sports page.
Speaker D:So people saw my byline.
Speaker D:So I had established my credibility before I even got the job at Fan.
Speaker D:I couldn't have just walked in and gotten this job at Fan.
Speaker D:They knew me from my work at ABC Radio Network and USA Today.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker D:So, you know, there was.
Speaker D:It was mostly just educating, you know, the fans and the listeners about my knowledge and my personality and my, you know, I was always, like, very objective, you know, being that I wasn't from New York originally, I grew up in Ohio.
Speaker D:I wasn't this fanatical, crazy fan of any one team in New York.
Speaker D:So I really was the voice of reason.
Speaker D:And I think people respected that voice and my journalistic background.
Speaker D:So I didn't really have.
Speaker D:I mean, I don't know if there was jealousy or.
Speaker D:Yeah, there was resistance.
Speaker D:Just hiring women in general in sports media.
Speaker D:It was hard to get other jobs, even with this great breakthrough on the Fan.
Speaker D:But, you know, I like the sports interview show, MSG Network, who I pitched this show to, said, ann, we love your work.
Speaker D:We hear you on the Fan.
Speaker D:We see your byline in USA Today in the sports section.
Speaker D:We can provide a time slot for you every week, but we can't pay you.
Speaker D:So I don't know if they said that to guys, but basically that was an obstacle because I needed to get paid, obviously, and I needed to pay my camera crew and my production team.
Speaker D:But I honestly thought, well, that is a door.
Speaker D:Somehow I will make this work.
Speaker D:So I went down Madison Avenue, pounded on the pavement, knock down doors, and advertising executives looked at me like I had three heads.
Speaker D:Wait, you're.
Speaker D:You're a woman and you want to host a show and you're selling it?
Speaker D:And I was quite young and I said, absolutely.
Speaker D:And it worked.
Speaker D:I mean, it wasn't easy.
Speaker D:There were many times when I Thought I'd have to move back to Cleveland, Ohio and get a job back then because I was living in the most expensive city on the planet.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker D:But you know what, it just, I just kept really pounding on down doors and just, I kept my focus and my determination and I don't know how it happened, but it worked because it was very, very hard.
Speaker D:I mean, I was changing traditional mindsets and, you know, plus getting sponsors as talent and, you know, it was very difficult, but it worked.
Speaker D:In that show aired for 17 years, sports interview with Ann Liguorian at was syndicated all over the country.
Speaker D:So very happy and very proud of that legacy.
Speaker C:Absolutely.
Speaker B:We're going to take a break.
Speaker B:I'm going to be back with Ann Liguori here on Grilling at the Green.
Speaker B:Stay with us.
Speaker B:We've got more to talk about.
Speaker C:Hey, everybody, J.T.
Speaker B:Here.
Speaker C:You know, every week on Grilling at the Green, we bring you a travel tip and that is brought to you by the Westin dealerships.
Speaker C:I've known those guys since I was a kid and they have one way of doing business.
Speaker C:It's called the Westin way.
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Speaker C:Check out Weston KIA on Southeast Stark in Gresham, Oregon.
Speaker B:Hey, everybody, I'm Charlie Reimer and you're listening to JT on grilling @ the Green.
Speaker B:Welcome back to Grilling at the Green.
Speaker B:I'm JT Today we're very fortunate to have Anne Liguori with us.
Speaker B:And this is the part of the show where I ask our guests to share a travel tip, if you will.
Speaker B:Besides, you know, we talk to tour players, we talk to amateurs, we talk to sports writers, you know, and they're all kind of, a lot of them say, well, you know, don't take the last flight out at night or whatever, but you've logged some serious miles in your career.
Speaker B:What would you suggest as a travel tip?
Speaker D:Travel with a carry on.
Speaker D:And that's it.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Do not check a suitcase.
Speaker D:And if you can ship your clubs in advance, that's probably a good, a good thing as well.
Speaker D:I just, you know, and I've learned this through the years, how to pack really well with a carry on.
Speaker D:It's just easier.
Speaker D:I mean, a lot of times when you go to Ireland or Scotland for golf travel and you're, you're in, you know, one hotel for one night and then you leave the next morning and you're, you're traveling to play different golf courses literally every day.
Speaker D:It's just Easier with a carry on and you can get up sometimes, you know, the narrow steps of some of these accommodations and it's just a lot easier.
Speaker D:Plus you have to deal with the golf clubs bringing those.
Speaker D:So try to travel light.
Speaker D:I know.
Speaker D:And you know, when you're going to these venues where there are often five seasons in a day, like Ireland and Scotland, you have to bring the rain gear and the gloves and that.
Speaker D:And I always wear, you know, a hat when it's a little chilly.
Speaker D:So we make good use of the golf bag and the travel bag and then carry a carry on.
Speaker D:I think probably a lot of people might have told you that, but that would be my tip.
Speaker B:Not, not too many.
Speaker B:Most of them are talking about just stuff things in your golf bag, you know, just fill up all the, all the pockets in your golf bag.
Speaker B:But I've traveled enough like you have to say sometimes that golf bag doesn't get there for two days, you know, type thing.
Speaker B:So anyway, thank you for that.
Speaker B:We appreciate it.
Speaker B:We and appreciate Weston Kia for supporting us on that.
Speaker B:So I want to talk about your book, Life on the Green.
Speaker B:Lessons and wisdoms.
Speaker B:Wisdom from the Legends of Golf.
Speaker B:I'm sorry, I was shooting a television thing this morning and so my brain is like talking in another direction here.
Speaker B:So forgive me, forgive me for that.
Speaker B:Yeah, perfect.
Speaker D:There you go.
Speaker B:And, and I actually, I'll tell you something, I actually got most, most of it read.
Speaker B:I'm an old school kind of guy that if somebody sends me a book that's going to be on the show, I actually try to read the whole book before they are a guest and not just same way, not just the highlights.
Speaker B:You talked to some wonderful people here from Gary Player to Nancy Lopez, Dottie Dot, he's been on the show before, etc.
Speaker B:Etc.
Speaker B:What's the one biggest thing you gleaned from these people?
Speaker D:Well, they all had different messages which was amazing because I didn't coach them on coming up with a, you know, different wisdom to share.
Speaker D:And it's really 12 legends, six men and six women sharing wisdom and life lessons that they bring from their iconic golf careers that they use in their day to day life.
Speaker D:But you know, they all, they're all the themes are they all share them, but each one of them talked about a different theme.
Speaker D:So whether it was, you know, Padre Carrington talking about embracing your fear and the fact that he not only gets nervous but he is fearful when he hits that first tee and embrace that, whether it's Padraig talking about that or Annika Sorenstam saying, look, there are no shortcuts to success.
Speaker D:And she tells stories of her childhood when she learned that.
Speaker D:And those were hard lessons when, you know, that she shared as a child.
Speaker D:And also to maintain patience and learn patience, or Nancy Lopez talking about positivity.
Speaker D:And I know it sounds cliche, but it is so hard to stay positive on the golf course.
Speaker D:And off the golf course, you might have had a bad day at the office.
Speaker D:Something's not going great in your personal life.
Speaker D:How do you stay positive?
Speaker D:And certainly in golf, you're only as good as your last good shot.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:So all these themes that are in the book, they're universal themes.
Speaker D:And so they all believe in these themes, but every legend had his or her own kind of pearls of wisdom that they so generously shared.
Speaker D:And I think the common denominator probably would be work ethic.
Speaker D:As talented as they all are and were during their golf careers, and some of them are still playing, like Bernard Langer and, and Padre Carrington, their work ethic is second to none.
Speaker D:I mean, for Bernard Langer to have torn his Achilles tendon a couple months back in the spring and then coming back, what, only two months later, that takes an extraordinary amount of work and rehab and then going back and training and the fact that he still wants to travel and play and train and he's what, 67 now?
Speaker D:I think work ethic, people take it for granted how much focus, determination and work ethic it really takes to be a champion.
Speaker B:I agree.
Speaker B:And the other thing that it covered, one of the things in there was right at the front of the book, when you talk to Jan Stevenson.
Speaker B:And I think that can correlate to some of the players now on the LPGA that they.
Speaker B:Jan was a great player, but they also tried to make her a star, you know, for the benefit of the lpga and that, that happens in professional sports.
Speaker B:And she, she wasn't really ready for that.
Speaker B:You know, she was a kid, more or less.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker B:You know, doing that.
Speaker D:And, and yeah, she was a rookie, blonde hair, blue eyed, came from Australia to a new country.
Speaker D:And the LPGA back then under commissioner Ray Volpe, asked her if she would kind of be the face of the lpga.
Speaker D:And she didn't know what she was getting into.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:And I think she didn't think that she would get into the hall of Fame based on she had got a lot of negative feedback from people and her colleagues, her fellow competitors, either they were jealous or didn't think that she should be using sex appeal to show off the lpga.
Speaker D:Certainly you couldn't get away with that in these times.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:It would not be politically correct, so to speak.
Speaker D:But I'm glad to say that she finally got into the hall of Fame.
Speaker D:And I think a lot of women and men appreciate, you know, what she did back in the 70s to keep the LPG going because, you know, when you look at the LPJ in the 70s and she was going on Johnny Carson and doing all kinds of appearances and featured on the Meg cover of Sports Illustrated and hob, now being with sponsors at different corporate and pro am events.
Speaker D:And she said, hey, if I would have focused more on training and competition, I probably would have won even more titles.
Speaker D:So I think she did sacrifice a lot for the good of the organization.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think she did, too.
Speaker B:We're going to take another break.
Speaker B:We're going to be back with Ann Liguori.
Speaker B:Excuse me.
Speaker B:We're going to talk more about her new book, life on the Green, Lesson and Wisdom from the Legends of Golf when we come back.
Speaker C:Hey, everybody, it's jt.
Speaker C:You know, I talk about painted hills all the time and we always say beef the way nature intended.
Speaker C:But it's more than that because each bite of painted hills will make your taste buds explode.
Speaker C:Put a big bright smile on your face and whoever is at your dinner table will have a big bright smile on their face.
Speaker C:And you can thank me for that later.
Speaker C:Just go to painted hills beef.com and find out more.
Speaker C:You won't regret it.
Speaker B:Welcome back to GRILLING at the Green.
Speaker B:I'm JT today we're talking with Anne McGori.
Speaker B:Ann's resume is I ran out of paper in my printer when I was looking up Anne's resume here, so.
Speaker D:You're very kind.
Speaker B:I'll just tell you, it's, it's superlative out there.
Speaker B:We would like to, to thank, of course, Painter Hills, Natural Beef and the Oregon Crab Commission and our new sponsor, Squares Golf Shoes here, Bob Winkowicz and his crew there.
Speaker B:I don't know if you can see my Squares hat on when you watch this video, but it's pretty cool.
Speaker B:Anyway, we're talking with Anne Liguori and she's got a new book.
Speaker B:I want to talk a little bit more about that Life on the Green, Lessons and Wisdom from the Legends of Golf.
Speaker B:I yeah, hold it up all you want.
Speaker B:I think that's great.
Speaker D:That's it, folks.
Speaker D:You can go right on Amazon.com and you'll have it in a day or two.
Speaker B:Yeah, I might have to get a hard copy and send it to you and have you sign it and send it back.
Speaker D:I love that.
Speaker D:I definitely would do that.
Speaker B:Okay, we'll talk about that off the air.
Speaker B:But I think that's.
Speaker B:That's very good.
Speaker B:Anne said her own shows in one form, Matt, or another, since 86.
Speaker B:That gives you this vast ocean of people to draw from.
Speaker B:And all the different people you've interviewed on your various shows.
Speaker B:How did you pick the people to be in your book?
Speaker D:Well, that's a good question, you know, because as you mentioned, I interviewed so many different personalities in sports, Hollywood, politics, gosh, music.
Speaker D:But hallowly Press, the publishers wanted a golf book.
Speaker D: It was around: Speaker D:Golf was pretty much exploding as people in many states could play golf, and that was about all you could do right during the pandemic.
Speaker D:So they wanted a golf book and asked me if I would write Run.
Speaker D:And I said, sure, I can do that.
Speaker D:I've been covering golf for 30 years.
Speaker D:I've covered 26 Masters and dozens of US Opens and PGA Championships, Ryder Cups, et cetera, et cetera.
Speaker D:And so I just basically came up with the idea.
Speaker D:Let me interview 12 legends.
Speaker D:I want them to be great role models.
Speaker D:I want them to be well spoken.
Speaker D:I want them to be of age, where they had a lot of great experiences and wisdom that they would share.
Speaker D:I wanted them to be able to tell their success stories, and I wanted them to be willing to do that with joy.
Speaker D:I didn't want to have to get door slammed on my face with agents saying, no, you can't talk to them or you have to pay them, or every one of the legends in this book were so kind and generous with their time, and I spent hours interviewing many of them.
Speaker D:I interviewed all of them, whether in person or via zoom.
Speaker D:And I'm talking about Amy Alcott, Ben Crenshaw, Padre Carrington, Bernard Longer, Nancy Lopez, Jack Nicklaus, Donnie Pepper, Gary Player, Renee Powell, Annika Sorenstam, Jan Stevenson, and Tom Watson.
Speaker D:So I tried to pick six men and six women who are just stellar role models and who I knew had lots to share and who were really great people.
Speaker D:And I'm so proud that I accomplished that.
Speaker D:And I have to say, Jeff, many of them, if not all of them, thanked me for including them as the 12.
Speaker D:When I went to the Masters this past year, I saw Ben Crenshaw, I saw Renee Powell, I saw Nancy Lopez, Annika, Tom Watson, and they all thanked me for including them in the book.
Speaker D:Now how crazy is that?
Speaker D:Because I'm Just so grateful that they all agreed to give me their time and share their stories.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, It's.
Speaker B:It's a big deal.
Speaker B:I was.
Speaker B:I'll.
Speaker B:Maybe I should tell you this off the air, but when Dottie was on the show one time, I said, well, just last week, I said, this is talking to her.
Speaker B:I said, yeah, I had Bob Costas on the show, and it was a lot of fun.
Speaker B:And she said, you're the only person that I know that put.
Speaker B:Bob Costas are not Bob Costas.
Speaker B:God.
Speaker B:He used to do the thing on cbs.
Speaker B:The Swing Coach.
Speaker D:Oh, the Swing Coast.
Speaker D:Not.
Speaker B:What am I thinking of?
Speaker D:I just interviewed.
Speaker D:Not.
Speaker D:I just had him on the show.
Speaker D:The Swing.
Speaker D:Well, gosh, there was some.
Speaker D:They have a show together, don't they?
Speaker B:Yeah, him and McCord.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:Gary McCord.
Speaker D:Peter.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:Peter Costas.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:She said.
Speaker B:She said you're the only person that ever put Peter Costas and the word fun in the same sentence.
Speaker B:And it cracked me up so much, I couldn't do the interview for a couple minutes.
Speaker B:We were laughing so hard.
Speaker B:So that's.
Speaker B:Pardon my brain fade there.
Speaker D:You know, he's a serious guy, but along.
Speaker D:You know, along with his cohort, they.
Speaker D:They have a good time.
Speaker D:They do.
Speaker D:They do a fun podcast.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah, I don't think.
Speaker B:I don't think McCord is in that serious.
Speaker B:No, he's not.
Speaker B:He's not a very serious guy overall, but he has fun in life.
Speaker B:So anyway.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah, anyway.
Speaker B:Like that.
Speaker B:You know, I think it's great.
Speaker B:Not just because they're on the show, but I think it's great that you.
Speaker B:You did a book like this, because when you watch golf broadcasts or you listen to them or you listen to a show like this, you always.
Speaker B:These are icons, and people look up to them.
Speaker B:I mean, there's only a couple of people above them, and that would be like Hogan and that, you know, is at the top.
Speaker B:And of course, Tiger.
Speaker B:Tiger's in his own stratosphere, but, you know, but we always kind of.
Speaker B:I don't want to say idolize them, put them on a pedestal because of their accomplishments, but a lot of the things they talk about in the book, when you talk about hard work and preparation, but they also talk about being human.
Speaker B:And sometimes we don't think of them as human, especially when they were on the golf course, because they were, you know, just super above everybody else.
Speaker B:And how do you.
Speaker B:How do you, as an interviewer relate to them as a human?
Speaker B:That's a weird question, but you Know, where I'm coming from on that is that that you're sitting across from Jack Nicholas, and he's got the record.
Speaker B:You know, there's arguments about who's the greatest.
Speaker B:Heaven Tiger and this and that.
Speaker B:But how do.
Speaker B:How do you relate to him as a human?
Speaker B:Most people don't ever see that side of him.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker D:You know, I've just covered golf for so long, and I've taught.
Speaker D:I've interviewed Jack before.
Speaker D:I interviewed most of these people before in different.
Speaker D:For different shows and at different capacities.
Speaker D:And, you know, they are human.
Speaker D:They're.
Speaker D:They're lovely, gracious people.
Speaker D:Look, for my Golf Channel show, I booked my own guests, Conversations with Anne Liguori.
Speaker D:And I had Celine Dion on the show.
Speaker D:I had Samuel Al Jackson on the show.
Speaker D:I had Joe Pesci, Kevin Costner, Sylvester Stallone, Matthew McConaughey.
Speaker D:If I can handle those superstars, you know, I just really.
Speaker D:I've been.
Speaker D:I've interviewed so many different personalities that I just come to each interview very prepared and try to make it a conversation because they are human, just like you and me.
Speaker D:So I don't think.
Speaker D:I'm in awe of.
Speaker D:Certainly, I'm in awe of their accomplishments and completely respect and blown away by what they've done on the golf course, because I know how hard that golf game is.
Speaker D:It's just an impossible game.
Speaker D:It's the hardest game there is.
Speaker D:And I've covered such a variety of sports, I can honestly say golf is the hardest sport I've ever played.
Speaker D:And it's so hard for these guys to do what they're doing.
Speaker D:What Scotty Scheffler is doing right now, what Tiger did is just phenomenal.
Speaker D:What Annika accomplished, what Nelly Corda did, winning five.
Speaker D:Winning what?
Speaker D:Six of seven.
Speaker D:So it's just.
Speaker D:I'm so respectful of their accomplishments on the golf course.
Speaker D:But, you know, they're all human, like you and me.
Speaker D:And I think that shows in the chapters about each one of them.
Speaker D:They really open up.
Speaker D:And I just think having a conversation with them like you and I are having, really.
Speaker D:And I try to make each person very comfortable so that they share more.
Speaker D:I just had Renee Powell on my talking golf show on wfan, and she was talking about the interview I did with her for the book, and she said, anne, I went back and read that chapter and can't believe everything I told you, because she wants to write a book.
Speaker D:And I said, listen, you'll have enough material for your own book.
Speaker D:But I just think being a good interviewer and being a good listener and letting them talk and then following up with genuine interest.
Speaker D:I genuinely am interested in everybody I talk with.
Speaker D:And I think that shows because they share stories that golfers who know everything practically haven't heard before.
Speaker D:I'm just so honored and delighted that they felt so comfortable to be able to tell so many stories and share so much wisdom that we can all benefit from.
Speaker B:I think you touched on it when you said be a good listener.
Speaker B:I think that I've learned over the years, and this isn't about me, but I've learned over the years that you make people comfortable and listen to what they say.
Speaker B:And then as an interviewer, you can pick up on little bits of humanity in there and you can let the road take you that way if you want.
Speaker B:And a lot of times they just really open up when you do that.
Speaker B:It's a lot of fun.
Speaker D:You're absolutely right.
Speaker D:And, you know, being a people ask me, what is the key to a good interview?
Speaker D:And being a good listener is the most important fact because, you know, you can't interrupt when somebody is talking.
Speaker D:A lot of times if you let that person talk and then don't interrupt at all and take, let take a pause and then they continue on.
Speaker D:It's that second part when they're kind of rethinking how they're going to express themselves.
Speaker D:It's normally that next part that is very revealing.
Speaker D:And I've learned in all my interviews through the years that being a good listener and letting them talk is so crucial to letting them, to getting them to share things about themselves that you've never heard before.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:We're going to take another break and I'm going to be back with Ann Liguori here.
Speaker B:I want to talk about her working foundation or golf tournaments, that type of thing.
Speaker B:So when we come back.
Speaker B:And she'll hold up the book again, I promise.
Speaker B:As soon as we come back.
Speaker B:Stay with us.
Speaker C:Hey, everybody, J.T.
Speaker B:Here.
Speaker C:If you need something to practice with in the inclement weather, try Birdie ball.
Speaker C:Go to birdieball.com, check out the actual birdie balls, their packages, their putting greens, which I happen to have a couple of those and they work great.
Speaker C:Birdieball.com.
Speaker B:Welcome back to Grilling it to Green.
Speaker B:I'm JT along with a media legend and Ligori today in her new book.
Speaker B:Okay, pick it up.
Speaker B:Life Life on the Green.
Speaker B:Lessons and Wisdom from a From Golf Legend or Legends of Golf.
Speaker B:It's a great read.
Speaker B:I can tell you that I think I read all but like 15 pages, so forgive me if I didn't get the last 15 in, but.
Speaker D:Oh, you have to read the Bernard Langer chapter.
Speaker B:Did you read that one part of it?
Speaker D:Oh, my gosh.
Speaker D:He revealed so much that many of us did not know.
Speaker D:Just his very existence is a miracle.
Speaker D:And he goes into his childhood and just how tough it was, what he had to overcome to even play golf.
Speaker D:He came from a very poor family and his history is just fascinating.
Speaker D:And.
Speaker D:And I do want to say thank you very much to Jim Nance, who wrote the forward.
Speaker D:Jim Nance is just talk about gracious and generous and all the above.
Speaker D:For him to have written the advance for this book and be on the front cover is just incredible.
Speaker D:So thank you, Jim.
Speaker D:You're the best.
Speaker B:There you go.
Speaker B:I know Jim listens to the show every week, so he should.
Speaker B:Anyway, you.
Speaker B:You've got a foundation, if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker D:Yes, the Allegory Foundation.
Speaker B:Okay, tell us about that.
Speaker D:Well, years ago, when I first moved to New York, actually, I graduated from the University of South Florida and my dad passed of cancer when I was still in college, a junior in college, and then a year and a half later, I lost my 21 year old brother to leukemia.
Speaker D:So I came to New York, granted, out of college to start my career, having just undergone these two tragedies and in what, two, three years.
Speaker D:So, you know, you kind of sink yourself into work.
Speaker D:Being in Manhattan was great there because I was busy all the time just trying to earn a living and pay the rent, basically.
Speaker D:And a couple years into being in New York, the American Cancer Society asked me if I wanted to host a golf event at West Hampton Country Club for the American Cancer Society.
Speaker D:And I said absolutely.
Speaker D:So basically that was a celebrity tournament.
Speaker D:I called on all my sports celebrity friends and there were fivesomes, and each foursome had a sports celebrity or a musical celebrity.
Speaker D:And.
Speaker D:And we raised a lot of money for the American cancer society.
Speaker D:And 10 years into that, a friend of mine who was in the not for profit space suggested I put my own foundation together so I could help a variety of different not for profits.
Speaker D:And I agreed to do that.
Speaker D:So the Ann Liguori foundation was born.
Speaker D:And basically our mission is to raise money and awareness for cancer research and cancer care.
Speaker D:So we have a charity event every year in the Hamptons, and we go to the most prestigious golf courses there are out here in the East End.
Speaker D:So, you know, we were at Friar's Ed this past year, and last year we've been to Maidstone a number of times.
Speaker D:Atlantic, the Bridge, Sabonic, West Hampton Country Club.
Speaker D:So I'm just very proud of our efforts.
Speaker D:We're in our.
Speaker D:This year was our 26th Ann Liguori Foundation Charity Golf Classic.
Speaker D:And, you know, we help a lot of different organizations.
Speaker D:So it's a.
Speaker D:It's a cause that means a lot to me.
Speaker D:And, you know, indirectly or directly, cancer has touched all of us.
Speaker D:So I feel that we can't do enough, you know, to raise money and awareness for cancer research and to help others who are suffering from this just dreadful disease.
Speaker B:Yeah, no, I'm.
Speaker B:I'm with you on that.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:I try to help on a number of tournaments every year.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:I reach out and do what I call the full Jeffy on people that have been on the show, whether they're an author or a manufacturer, whatever, and I usually get them to support the tournaments that I work with.
Speaker B:Like, nothing to the degree that you're doing, obviously, but it all helps.
Speaker B:It all helps.
Speaker B:And I.
Speaker B:And I think that's.
Speaker B:I think we have to do it.
Speaker B:If we're in a position where we can.
Speaker B:I think we should.
Speaker B:So that's.
Speaker B:That's my.
Speaker D:You know, the golf industry, Jeff, is so charitable.
Speaker D:I mean, I reach out to all these golf club manufacturers that donate clubs for prizes or balls for the golfers or anytime I ask for anything in the golf industry, it's.
Speaker D:They just send things.
Speaker D:And, you know, they're just so generous and they're so supportive.
Speaker D:And I think we see that every week, not only on the PGA Tour, but the LPGA Tour, with the pro ams, and with all the.
Speaker D:The work that these organizations do for charity week in and week out, it's just a great sport to be involved with.
Speaker D:The people are just incredible.
Speaker B:Yes, they are.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Where can people find you?
Speaker B:Ann is going to stick around for after hours.
Speaker B:I didn't tell her about that part of the show because, you know, sometimes people scamper away when I do, but she can handle it.
Speaker B:But where can people find your book?
Speaker B:And also where can people find out more about your foundation and stuff if they would like to perhaps support it or work with you on something?
Speaker D:Sure.
Speaker D:So you.
Speaker D:They can find me on social media.
Speaker D:Ann Ligori on Facebook.
Speaker D:I have a fan page and a personal page.
Speaker D:Twitter @Anori LinkedIn.
Speaker D:My Instagram is the Anori.
Speaker D:Just have to spell my name right.
Speaker D:A N N L I G U O R I.
Speaker D:I have a website, anori.com and there's many different ways you can get a hold of me.
Speaker D:And of course you can order the book Life on the Green, Lessons and Wisdom from Legends of Golf on Amazon.
Speaker D:And please order and write a review too.
Speaker D:I love reading all the great reviews we've been getting.
Speaker B:I will do that and I will.
Speaker B:I'll be shamelessly self promoting and say you can listen to the interview with Ann on my show.
Speaker B:How's that?
Speaker D:I love it.
Speaker B:Okay, we're gonna get out of here.
Speaker B:We thank you all for listening.
Speaker B:I thank Ann for being with us this week.
Speaker B:Go out and grab her book.
Speaker B:It's a very good read and she is going to stick around for after hours.
Speaker B:So for everybody here, we want to thank you for listening.
Speaker B:And remember what we always say at the end of the show.
Speaker B:Go out, play some golf, have some fun.
Speaker B:But most of all, be kind.
Speaker B:Take care everybody.
Speaker A:Grilling at the Green is produced by JTSD Productions, LLC in association with Salem Media Group.
Speaker A:All rights reserve.
