Brent Whittaker, Director of Tournament Operations, OGA
This podcast episode features an insightful dialogue with Brent Whitaker, the Director of Championships at the Oregon Golf Association, who shares his reflections on the recent Ryder Cup and the evolving dynamics of professional golf in relation to amateur players. A salient point discussed is the apparent disconnection between the elite ranks of golf and everyday golfers, particularly in how equipment advancements and course designs may favor the professional players, thus rendering traditional courses potentially obsolete. We delve into Brent's aspirations to play at esteemed venues such as Pine Valley and explore the significance of unsung heroes in the golfing community, specifically highlighting individuals like Craig Winter and John Bodenhamer for their substantial yet often unrecognized contributions. The conversation further encompasses humorous anecdotes from Brent's tournament experiences, including a remarkable incident involving a physical altercation on the golf course. Ultimately, this episode serves to illuminate the multifaceted nature of golf, bridging the gap between casual enjoyment and competitive excellence.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Painted Hills Natural Beef
- Oregon Golf Association
- USGA
- Columbia Edgewater
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Transcript
Welcome to Grilling at the Green After Hours.
Speaker A:The conversation that took place after the show ended.
Speaker A:Hi, everybody.
Speaker A:It's jt and this is a special version of Grilling at the Green.
Speaker A:Grilling at the Green is brought to you in part by Painted Hills Natural Beef, Beef you can be proud to serve your family and friends.
Speaker A:That's Painted Hills Natural Beef.
Speaker A:Welcome to After Hours here on Grilling at the Green.
Speaker A:We're talking with Brent Whitaker from the Oregon Golf Association.
Speaker A:He happens to be the director of championships there.
Speaker A:You get much time to actually, like this.
Speaker A:Last weekend was the Ryder Cup.
Speaker A:Did you get a chance to watch any of it if you chose to?
Speaker A:I know you watched the Ducks game, so, I mean.
Speaker B:Well, definitely didn't watch it during the Ducks game.
Speaker B:I paid attention to it.
Speaker B:You know, ironically, I do play a lot.
Speaker B:I do watch a lot of golf.
Speaker B:And, you know, the Rider cup was certainly something that I paid attention to.
Speaker B:And I watched probably, you know, I watch Forceman 4 ball.
Speaker B:I find those games, those formats really interesting, more so than just singles match.
Speaker B:So I'd say probably Thursday or Friday, Saturday, I paid attention.
Speaker B:Obviously not during college football, but those.
Speaker A:Are the days that our site got drubbed.
Speaker B:They were.
Speaker B:Yeah, we clearly can't play foursomes at all.
Speaker B:That was bad.
Speaker B:That was really bad.
Speaker A:I mean, we.
Speaker A:We teach these guys all year long to go at each other tooth and nail and.
Speaker A:And listen.
Speaker A:Then we say, okay, now work together, you know?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And Scotty Scheffler was not built for.
Speaker B:For some play.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker B:That guy was just.
Speaker B:He doesn't have.
Speaker B:Doesn't seem like it.
Speaker B:I don't know him personally, but I don't.
Speaker A:I don't think that's in his wheelhouse, as they would say.
Speaker A:Anyway, okay, for some fun stuff here.
Speaker B:Brent.
Speaker A:What is a course that you want to play anywhere in the world but you haven't been able to play yet?
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:You know, I would say the place that I really want to play, and this is probably comes to mind because they just posted the Crump cup, but would be Pine Valley.
Speaker B:You know, you know, I.
Speaker B:When I started watching golf a lot on tv, you know, like, right when the Golf Channel came to fruition, they would always have those Wonderful World of Golf.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Or one of those.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:The shell things.
Speaker B:And they would host stuff at Pine Valley a lot.
Speaker B:And I just heard the mystique and all of it.
Speaker B:I would say, definitely Pine Valley.
Speaker B:I mean, that would be my.
Speaker B:My one.
Speaker B:I know all the US Open courses, but, you know, absolutely.
Speaker A:Absolutely what's the one song you want to hear on the radio when you go out and start your car in the morning?
Speaker B:Oh, wow.
Speaker B:Gosh.
Speaker B:Well, I guess I'm.
Speaker B:I'm kind of a Deadhead, so.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:I probably.
Speaker B:Fire in the Mountain, probably.
Speaker B:I know our staff will probably laugh at me for that one because, yeah, Fire in the Mountain would be something.
Speaker B:I like to listen to that.
Speaker A:I got to tell you, I got a friend of mine, casual friend.
Speaker A:He's a teaching pro in the Bay Area, and he's a Deadhead.
Speaker A:And I said, you know, growing up, if.
Speaker A:If they didn't have, like, all the weed at those concerts, they would figure out how bad the music really was.
Speaker A:And he.
Speaker A:He thought that.
Speaker A:Great stuff.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Anyway, name an unsung hero in the world of golf.
Speaker B:Unsung hero in the world of golf.
Speaker B:You know, I'll say Craig Winter.
Speaker B:You know, I don't know if you guys know who Craig Winter is, but he's the senior director of the rules or whatever his thing is for the usga.
Speaker B:I don't think he gets enough credit.
Speaker B:I would say John Bodenhammer is another one, too.
Speaker B:Just two Pacific Northwest guys who now work at the usga.
Speaker B:Two iconics in the Northwest, really.
Speaker B:I mean, like, I worked with Craig when he first got here, and, you know, just see the work that he's done on the rules of golf.
Speaker B: y helped rewrite the rules in: Speaker B: done a lot of the changes in: Speaker B:He's a great guy.
Speaker B:I think.
Speaker B:I think, you know, he's probably one person that impacted the game without anybody knowing it would be him.
Speaker B:John Bodenham is the other one, too.
Speaker B:I think John is.
Speaker B:You know, he's amazing.
Speaker B:And what he did for golf in the Pacific Northwest is, you know, I mean, the impression that he's left is.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah, if we made Brent Whitaker supreme ruler of golf for a day, and you could make a decree, anything you wanted, what would you decree?
Speaker B:Oh, gosh.
Speaker A:Be anything.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:I would say everybody has to play golf in four hours.
Speaker B:Okay, how about that?
Speaker B:There's, like, a statute that if you.
Speaker B:If.
Speaker B:If you.
Speaker B:A pace of play.
Speaker B:Statute that everybody has to play in four hours, that's it.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:The number one answer that I get, Brent, is can move the ball out of a divot?
Speaker B:Oh, sure.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I hear that so often.
Speaker B:And, you know, to be honest with you, it's like I always like to say when I'm like, teaching the rules, is like, you get what you get.
Speaker B:Like, I tell this to my kids all the time.
Speaker B:You get what you get.
Speaker B:You don't give a fit.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And so, you know, I hear you.
Speaker B:I know that that's a big gripe from people, especially when you hit a nice drive.
Speaker B:But you could also hit a, you know, a bad shot in the rough and have a really good lie.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Like, that's the same.
Speaker B:The alternative is, is like, if you change that rule, then you gotta change things else elsewhere.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:Oh, I understand.
Speaker B:What a divot looks like is always up for debate.
Speaker A:Most of the ones that say, I.
Speaker B:Jumped in a soapbox on that one.
Speaker A:No, no, no, no, no.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:Most of the ones that say that are Tour people, you know, Tour pros or X Tour pros.
Speaker A:Like that.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker A:You know, they do that type of thing.
Speaker A:So here's a very important one.
Speaker A:What's your favorite color of lifesaver?
Speaker B:My favorite color of Lifesaver.
Speaker B:I think it's the.
Speaker B:The cherry.
Speaker B:The red one.
Speaker B:Yeah, maybe.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think that's the one I really like.
Speaker B:If I'm digging through that, probably grab that one minor.
Speaker A:Mine are the red and the green.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:Yeah, those are.
Speaker A:Those are my two face.
Speaker A:Those yellow ones and the kind of.
Speaker A:Oh, I don't know what they are.
Speaker A:The other one is kind of a whitish.
Speaker A:No, I'm.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Do you think.
Speaker A:Do you think professional golf is getting further removed from everyday golfers like me and you?
Speaker B:I do, I think.
Speaker B:You know, but we see it from our standpoint, too.
Speaker B:I mean, like, it's hard for us to set up a golf course these days.
Speaker B:I mean, like, the guys hit it so far.
Speaker B:So far, even from the amateur ranks, I see these guys hitting it just a ton.
Speaker B:And it makes some of sometimes really obsolete.
Speaker B:You know, I mean, like, it's just.
Speaker B:And it becomes hard.
Speaker B:Like, I do think that I. I think the difference is.
Speaker B:And I.
Speaker B:And I've certainly seen this, right?
Speaker B:So, like, when you see a really competitive high schooler who's really good, and then they transition into college, and then they just get way, way better.
Speaker B:And I.
Speaker B:There's still like these stepping stones, and there's such a threshold there.
Speaker B:And I think on the elite level, the PGA Tour guys, Scotty Schefflers, you know, the Rory McElroy is when they hit 340, you know, it's different.
Speaker B:And just like you say, I Mean, like you said about, about divots, you know, that impacts them so intimately, you know, more so than, you know, an average player.
Speaker B:I mean, it's, it's uncomfortable to hit out of, but like, for them, it's, you know, that that minor change is going to affect them differently than us.
Speaker B:And so, yeah, I mean, like, it looks like, you know, we're creating two rules, you know, a rule for PGA Tour guys and rules for everybody else.
Speaker A:And we don't want to get too far into this.
Speaker A:But, but I had Gene on from Golf Labs last week, and we were talking about the Gene Parente, if you don't know his last name, talking about the ball rollback.
Speaker A:And his theory is, because you made this statement a couple minutes ago about courses becoming obsolete.
Speaker A:And I'm of the mindset that you could make that, you know, the rough bigger, the different things like that, instead of, because I, he doesn't think that it'll ever actually happen, even though they've said, you know, and they're going to graduate it in and all this stuff.
Speaker A:You've got industries that have billions of dollars.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker A:In that.
Speaker A:And, you know, there could potentially be some litigation over that stuff.
Speaker A:You know, like that.
Speaker A:I'm of the mindset that you can make the versus the fairways narrower in some of these championships.
Speaker A:Rough hire, whatever.
Speaker A:You know, pick, pick your poison.
Speaker A:I wanted to get your thoughts on that real quick.
Speaker B:Yeah, I mean, like, I, I, I, I totally agree with you.
Speaker B:I mean, like, I think, you know, you know, there's a lot of great golf courses in Oregon, you know, and, you know, if they're not 7,000 yards, it's tough.
Speaker B:And what 7,000 yards looks like in Oregon is a lot different than 7,000 yards in Arizona.
Speaker B:I mean.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:They just played quite different.
Speaker B:I mean, there's certainly things you could do.
Speaker B:And I agree with you, you could grow rough, but that's a demand on the golf course and the maintenance staff there.
Speaker B:You could also make green speeds faster, firmer.
Speaker B:You know, we, we see that.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So when we see, when we see speeds move up, right, Then we see those scores, especially when it comes to firmness to, and firmness counts, you know, then we see those scores go higher as well.
Speaker B:And so that's something you could certainly control.
Speaker B:And, but that's also a demand golf course to maintain those practices.
Speaker B:And that's really hard for them to do.
Speaker B:And they can do it for short periods of bursts like when, like Columbia Edgewater.
Speaker B:Jim Meyer is an amazing superintendent there.
Speaker B:And like, the work that he does for the LPGA Tour.
Speaker B:He can't maintain that for the entire year.
Speaker B:And so it's.
Speaker B:So those standards are tougher to maintain.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:Yeah, I mean, like, whole location is hard, too.
Speaker B:I mean, you can always make a whole location on a severe slope, but that, you know, puts a few people at a disadvantage over others and.
Speaker A:Yeah, I just.
Speaker A:I just think, Brent, that when you're talking about the balls and this type of thing, one year confusing people, or you will confuse people, most of the average golfer doesn't care.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:You know, if.
Speaker A:If they think their title is velocity threes are not going to be available.
Speaker A:They're going to go out and spend 500 bucks on, you know, 20 dozen golf balls, and that'll keep them going for a while.
Speaker A:So I don't.
Speaker A:Anyway, if you could play golf with one of your golfing heroes, who would it be?
Speaker B:Oh, would I love to play golf with?
Speaker B:I think I'd want to play golf with Ben Hogan.
Speaker B:I think.
Speaker B:I think, you know, I. I just want to watch him swing a swing at a club.
Speaker B:Swing a club.
Speaker B:I mean, like, you know, there's just so much beauty to the way he played.
Speaker B:And I would say.
Speaker B:I mean, the obvious answers are tiger or, you know, somebody.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:But Ben Hogan.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Someone I want to play with.
Speaker A:You're on the road a lot, Brent.
Speaker A:Name one place that you always look forward to going.
Speaker A:And we can't say bandit.
Speaker A:Now, this time we've worn bandon out here.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:Is there a place you.
Speaker A:And it may not just be for the course.
Speaker A:It may be there's a restaurant there that you really like or the hotel you stay in or.
Speaker A:Or whatever the reason.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker A:Name a place you, every year, look forward to going to.
Speaker B:Well, I have a new favorite there, and it's.
Speaker B:And it's all restaurant related, too.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:That's fair.
Speaker B:I'm a guy.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So it's either.
Speaker B:So it's either going to be Riverside or it's going to be Columbia Edgewater.
Speaker B:And there's this restaurant.
Speaker B:Talk about fire on the mountain.
Speaker B:There's a.
Speaker B:Like it said, the brewery.
Speaker B:And they do amazing wings.
Speaker B:So the thing is, for us, you know, like, our days are long, and so typically where our day ends is at dinner time, like the late, late night dinner.
Speaker B:And so for us as our staff, we really look forward to that meal.
Speaker B:And so.
Speaker B:So, you know, we.
Speaker B:We pick it.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:I can get that.
Speaker A:There's nothing like sitting down at the end of the day with wings and maybe a cold Beer or whatever you like.
Speaker B:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And you can have a basket or a plate full of wings, and you just take your time and eat them.
Speaker A:That's great stuff.
Speaker A:So what's one of the funniest odd things you've ever seen happen at a tournament that you've been running?
Speaker B:Yeah, so this is a really fun story.
Speaker B:This is actually my very first tournament I ever ran for the OGA and we had a fight on the golf course, and there were police that came on the gol course.
Speaker A:A real fist fight.
Speaker B:A real fist fight.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:And we had, like.
Speaker B:So it was here at the OGA golf course, and it was like two.
Speaker B:We had this, like.
Speaker B:It was a winter series, best ball kind of four ball competition.
Speaker B:And our last group, they got into it with a group of public players.
Speaker B:And so I'm hanging out behind the 16th green, and the golf shop calls me on the radio, and they're like, hey, Brent, they need you on.
Speaker B:They need you on 16.
Speaker B:And I'm like, well, I'm on 16.
Speaker B:And they're like, no, I need you on like 16 T or like 15 green.
Speaker B:So I go heading down there, and as I go down there, there's like, literally like six golf carts and there's four cops, and there's like all these guys.
Speaker B:And two of the guys are, like, friends of mine that were.
Speaker B:Got involved in it.
Speaker B:And so then, like, one of the guys that wasn't.
Speaker B:He was in the group, he comes walking past me.
Speaker B:He's like, I had nothing to do with it, and it was really funny.
Speaker B:And so I would say that was one of the weirdest things that ever happened to me on a golf course was an actual site brawl.
Speaker A:I'll.
Speaker A:I'll tell you something that I. I played in a little benefit tournament this weekend.
Speaker A:Yeah, I play in a lot of those.
Speaker A:It's fun.
Speaker A:I like to help them and all this stuff.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So we were out at the Gresham course, and I hadn't played Gresham in 30 years, so still as flat as it ever was.
Speaker A:But we're getting ready to.
Speaker A:To tee off, and we're kind of waiting for the guys ahead of us.
Speaker A:They're about halfway down the fairway, and all of a sudden I hear some commotion.
Speaker A:And another pair of r foursome was over there.
Speaker A:And Al's holding his head like this.
Speaker A:Well, somebody on the approaching.
Speaker A:I don't remember the numbers, okay?
Speaker A:So forgive me for that.
Speaker A:But they hit their ball and they watched it and it hit the golf cart and it Bounced up and hit Al in the head and then bounced over and hit the other guy in the groin.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And so they're not happy.
Speaker B:They're not happy.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And the other people never yelled four or duck or anything.
Speaker A:You know, they never did anything.
Speaker A:And I thought, well, I mean, we see that a lot where people, you know, golf course etiquette goes to hell in the handbasket.
Speaker A:But then the guy that got hit in the groin, he.
Speaker A:He sees me, and it's a lady and her husband and a kid like that, and he goes over, and of course, she's immediately saying she's sorry and all this stuff, but he's, like, chewing on her about, you know, there's.
Speaker A:There's etiquette to say there.
Speaker A:And anyway, it's just.
Speaker A:You see that stuff a lot, getting hit into, and they don't say anything, and it's like.
Speaker A:Okay, sidebar.
Speaker A:Okay, last question.
Speaker A:Brent, if I gave you a box with everything you've lost in your life, what's the absolutely first thing you would reach for?
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:If my wife was here, I could I get a laundry list of things she's lost?
Speaker A:Well, I'm sure.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Oh, my favorite hat.
Speaker B:I had this hat that I really loved.
Speaker B:It was actually, I got it at a USGA event that I was.
Speaker B:I got to be a part of, and I really love that hat.
Speaker B:And like, I.
Speaker B:From the life of me.
Speaker B:And I wore it all the time.
Speaker B:I wore it, like, when I set up golf courses.
Speaker B:I wore it when I played golf, and it was like my favorite hat.
Speaker B:And, yeah, I missed that hat.
Speaker B:Clearly, I miss it a lot.
Speaker A:Very good.
Speaker A:Brent Whitaker, senior director of events and championships.
Speaker A:And he wears a lot of hats, I'll put it that way.
Speaker A:Okay, Brent, thank you.
Speaker A:It's been a real pleasure.
Speaker B:Thanks.
Speaker B:Yeah, this has been fun, for sure.
Speaker A:We'll be back next week with another edition of After Hours here, and which, by the way, you can't hear this stuff on this part of it on the radio because swearing is allowed.
Speaker A:Although Brent didn't swear, but some people do.
Speaker A:Anyway, we'll be back.
Speaker A:Brent, thank you again.
Speaker A:And everybody, have a good week.
Speaker A:Go out, play some golf, have some fun, and be kind.
Speaker A:Take care, everybody.
