Jimmy James - Author and Golfer - Afterhours
The salient point of our discussion centers around the evolving landscape of golf, particularly the rise of indoor facilities and the advent of simulators, which we believe could democratize access to the sport. Our engaging dialogue features insights from Jimmy James, a notable figure in golf, who shares his perspectives on various topics, including the unsung contributions of individuals like Charlie Sifford within the golfing community. We delve into personal anecdotes, exploring what moments and experiences have shaped our journeys, and reflect on the significance of kindness in our interactions. Furthermore, we examine the balance between traditional golfing experiences and modern innovations, contemplating their implications for the future of the sport. Join us as we navigate these themes and more, fostering a deeper understanding of the game we cherish.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Painted Hills Natural Beef
- Ellerston
- Packer
- Royal Melbourne
- Hank
- TGL
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, 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.
Speaker A:Beef you can be proud to serve your family and friends.
Speaker A:That's Painted Hills Natural Beef.
Speaker A:Hey, everybody.
Speaker A:Welcome to After Hours here on Grilling at the Green.
Speaker A:I'm jt.
Speaker A:Today we're talking with Jimmy James, playing from the Rough Fame and the Golf Digest 100 Conquest fame.
Speaker A:And Erica's husband, I'll put it that way.
Speaker B:That's the key.
Speaker A:That's the key.
Speaker A:All right, I've got a few new questions for After Hours, and I know you can handle this.
Speaker A:This is fair enough.
Speaker A:But let me start with one that kind of makes some people scratch their head a little bit.
Speaker A:If I gave you a box with everything you lost in your life, what would be first thing you would reach for?
Speaker B:H. That's.
Speaker B:That's an interesting one.
Speaker B:Everything that I've lost.
Speaker B:Can I answer it in a way?
Speaker A:Any way you want.
Speaker B:My mother.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, I get that.
Speaker A:What's the one song you want to hear on the radio when you first jump in and start your car?
Speaker B:Beautiful day.
Speaker A:There you go.
Speaker A:There you go.
Speaker A:There you go.
Speaker A:What's your favorite flavor and color of Lifesaver?
Speaker B:Probably the red and the cherry type.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:I was telling somebody on another show the other day, asked that question, and I said I was the one who used to buy the Luden's red cough drops because they were cherry flavored.
Speaker A:I love cherry stuff.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And I would buy those.
Speaker A:I never had a cough.
Speaker A:I just would.
Speaker A:I just would eat those.
Speaker A:I don't think there was a lick of any medicine in them.
Speaker A:But anyway, yeah, I did that.
Speaker A:Who do you think is an unsung hero in the golf world?
Speaker A:Jimmy.
Speaker B:Unsung hero in the golf world.
Speaker B:I don't know if you consider him on song, but I think Charlie Sifford.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:What he did and the barriers he broke and the legacy he left doesn't get enough.
Speaker B:Doesn't get enough attention.
Speaker A:Yeah, Yeah, I can see that.
Speaker A:Name a player that you think is somewhat underrated can be any player in the world, any tour, in an amateur player, whatever.
Speaker B:That's underrated.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:You know my friend Alvin Venezuela?
Speaker B:What?
Speaker B:She's.
Speaker B:She's a very, very steady player.
Speaker B:She's generally going to be plus or minus one.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:But so consistent.
Speaker B:That, that.
Speaker B:I mean, that Takes talent.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's.
Speaker A:That's out of my league.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's out of my league.
Speaker A:What is a course?
Speaker A:And this is a question that I think I designed directly for you.
Speaker A:What is the course you want to play but have not played yet?
Speaker B:Well, I'm going to have to say, because it's the only course I've tried to actually get on to and not be able and have yet to be successful at.
Speaker B:It is Ellerston in Australia.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:It's owned by the Packer family.
Speaker B:It has no members.
Speaker B:But then.
Speaker B:And they've pretty much shut down outside play.
Speaker B:So it's been.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:But it's on the list of that world hundred that I wanted that I want to play.
Speaker B:And it's the only course that I've wanted access to and couldn't get.
Speaker B:Not that I've not been able to get access to.
Speaker A:Have you played down there?
Speaker A:The Royal Melbourne?
Speaker B:Yes, I.
Speaker B:The greens complexes at Royal Melbourne are just spectacular on both east and west.
Speaker B:And then I think the sixth hole on the west coast at World Melbourne is probably the greatest hole in golf.
Speaker A:I would agree.
Speaker A:I would agree.
Speaker A:You're still on the road a lot.
Speaker A:Not like you used to be, but pretty significant.
Speaker A:Name one place that you always look forward to go to.
Speaker A:Like, if you go to Chicago, is there.
Speaker A:It doesn't have to be a golf course.
Speaker A:Is there a favorite restaurant that every time you go, you.
Speaker A:You visit?
Speaker A:Or is it a particular hotel?
Speaker A:Or maybe it is a golf course.
Speaker B:I would say on South Main in Houston, Texas, just inside the 610 loop.
Speaker B:And a.
Speaker B:Shouting.
Speaker B:You know, probably a.
Speaker B:A Rory McElroy drive away from where the Astrodome is, is a little ice cream shop called Hank.
Speaker B:And Hank made his own ice cream.
Speaker B:And it's the only place I could get lemon custard ice cream that was just really ice cream.
Speaker B:Not sherbet, not gelato, but creamy ice cream.
Speaker B:So every time.
Speaker B:And now Hanks, I think, is closed.
Speaker B:But every time I would go to Houston, I would.
Speaker B:Hans.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:I would really look forward to going to Hanks and getting some lemon.
Speaker B:Lemon custard ice cream.
Speaker A:Oh, goodness.
Speaker A:Kind of a philosophical question here, Jimmy.
Speaker A:We've seen the advent of.
Speaker A:Even since you and I talked the last time, seen the advent of more indoor.
Speaker A:Indoor, excuse me, golf facilities.
Speaker A:You know, I don't know what it is in Philly, but around Portland, we have a bunch of them now because our weather sets in, if you will, in November, and it doesn't really let up till March consistently.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Plus, this Time of year when it's so warm you can go into them and play and, and we've seen the TGL Golf League come to fruition.
Speaker A:Do you think going forward there's going to be more of that?
Speaker A:I think I'll give you my opinion.
Speaker A:I think yes, because it said can get more people involved in the sport without actually having to go out and play 18 and, and buy all the accoutrements that we have, et cetera, et cetera.
Speaker A:I wanted to get your take on that.
Speaker B:So I think there are a lot of things that need to be adjusted in golf, but playing it with electrons rather than.
Speaker B:And on a computer screen or big wide screen rather than on grass and in sand and is not one of them.
Speaker B:And I'm probably going to anger a few friends that are, that own some of these simulators, these, these golf facilities like that.
Speaker B:But I, I don't use simulators.
Speaker B:I don't, I don't.
Speaker B:It.
Speaker B:That gives me no joy.
Speaker B:I'd rather hit an actual shank than hit a 300 yard drive down the middle on a simulator.
Speaker B:I'd rather hit a shank on a golf course, on an actual golf course than a three because it doesn't feel real to me.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, that, that's.
Speaker B:But that's.
Speaker B:But I'm the guy who for the longest wouldn't even get a digital camera because I liked watching the image that I took with my single lens reflex coming to life in the developer under the light of a dark room lamp.
Speaker B:That just the purity of that.
Speaker B:I'm the guy who wouldn't even buy software for a while on computers.
Speaker B:I would write my own machine code, load accumulator A with Hexadec.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:So I'm probably different in that regard.
Speaker B:But I agree with you that there will be more of it.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:But I won't call it golf.
Speaker A:Okay, that's fair.
Speaker A:That's fair.
Speaker A:I actually think a lot of them like TGL and some of those are designed for younger folks if you will, you know, and they can stop by after work and they can simulate nine holes or whatever and have a couple beers with their friends and, and move on down the road.
Speaker A:I, I'm kind of like you now.
Speaker A:I've hid into a simulator probably 20 times.
Speaker A:Not 20 separate visits, but 20 times total.
Speaker A:And I prefer.
Speaker A:And I, I have a little golf facility in my backyard.
Speaker A:I've got a huge net.
Speaker A:I've got.
Speaker A:You can hit off the grass, but you can also hit off some turf.
Speaker A:AstroTurf and that type of thing and I have a putting green and, and that's all come about because of this show.
Speaker A:That's about as close to simulators as I get.
Speaker A:But I see the, I don't want to call it the need, but I see the slice of the population golf pun intended.
Speaker A:No shanks, though, Jimmy.
Speaker B:That I shouldn't have even said the word because you know, it is that word that never should be uttered.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's right.
Speaker A:It's the Volta Board of Golf, you know.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's like that.
Speaker A:You've been to a lot of tournaments.
Speaker A:You were just talking about, you know, being down with Trevino and Hail Irwin and those.
Speaker A:What's one thing you wish spectators at tournaments would not do, Yale?
Speaker B:Go in the hole.
Speaker A:You know, you're not the first person that said that.
Speaker A:And right behind that for me is.
Speaker A:Remember the guy who used to always yell when Tiger was playing mashed potatoes?
Speaker B:Really?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:There was, I don't know if it was the same guy, but somebody in the crowd yell, they, you know, the ball would be flying off the tee and they'd go mashed potatoes.
Speaker A:And I was like, what the hell is that?
Speaker A:That doesn't even make sense.
Speaker A:But anyway, it was something that I guess they felt, you know, like they had to.
Speaker A:Couple last questions here, Jimmy.
Speaker A:Looking back, is there anything that you might change that you, even though it was a learning experience, you kind of wish, like, well, maybe I wish that didn't happen or I could have handled it differently.
Speaker A:Any situation like that in, in regard.
Speaker B:In what context?
Speaker A:Just, just in life in general.
Speaker B:Yeah, I write about some in the book.
Speaker B:Anytime I've been rude to someone or disrespected someone or made someone feel less than right.
Speaker B:So when I think about all the mistakes I may have made across my career, the only ones I really regret are ones where I may have not handled a situation as well as I could have with a person.
Speaker B:Anything that diminishes someone doesn't lift someone up.
Speaker B:Those things.
Speaker B:Yeah, there are several of those I, I, I can handle differently and with everything.
Speaker B:So I really focus on that now.
Speaker B:Like even this morning, I had to, I, I, I, I had to take our dog to the borders.
Speaker B:And I go out and there's a, a repair truck guy, H VAC guy for my neighbor whose truck is blocking me leaving my garage.
Speaker B:And rather than just being hot headed about it.
Speaker B:And what's this guy doing?
Speaker B:All that?
Speaker B:It's, the guy's just trying to earn a living.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And so I knocked on the door and said, That I would.
Speaker B:Would they mind asking the guy who.
Speaker B:Who's there repairing their H vac system if he could move the truck?
Speaker B:And then I thanked him when he did it.
Speaker B:After he did it, I just said.
Speaker B:I waved at him and smiled and said, thanks a lot.
Speaker B:Appreciate it.
Speaker B:To let him know that I.
Speaker B:It wasn't a entitlement or it's.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:It's the.
Speaker B:Just.
Speaker B:I. I think about times where I may have been rude to someone or just diminish someone, and those things I just really, really regret.
Speaker B:And every day I tried to think about more and more how to lift people up.
Speaker B:And so anytime I've done anything that's not lifted someone up, I regret it.
Speaker A:I think that's a fair assessment, really, for all of us to look at.
Speaker A:Can't go back and repair it, but you can change the way going forward.
Speaker A:Two last two questions, and I may have asked you this the last time or when we were filming.
Speaker A:What's your least favorite food to eat?
Speaker B:Anything that's a vegetable.
Speaker B:Like, when I go into restaurants and they say, do you have any allergies?
Speaker B:I say, yeah, unless you have a bunch of EpiPens available.
Speaker B:No vegetables on my plate.
Speaker B:Now, that's bad.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker B:So I do eat them occasionally, but.
Speaker B:And, But I won't eat Brussels sprouts.
Speaker A:Well, you know what?
Speaker B:Broccoli, I'll do cabbage.
Speaker B:I'll do greens and spinach.
Speaker B:But Brussels sprouts, I, I don't understand them.
Speaker A:I, I always said they were Martian kidneys, but.
Speaker A:Anyway, last question.
Speaker A:What is the oldest thing in your refrigerator to test?
Speaker B:What is the oldest thing in the refrigerator?
Speaker B:Yeah, probably some of the ice that is never melted.
Speaker A:I always joke and say, ours is.
Speaker A:We are.
Speaker A:We've been married 34 years and we're on our second bottle of Tabasco.
Speaker A:So that's, you know, that's kind of the, the realm that I live in, as you know.
Speaker B:No, my wife does not allow organic things to hang around in our refrigerator.
Speaker B:She.
Speaker B:No, there's, there's, there's.
Speaker B:If it's not a part of the refrigerator, I can almost guarantee you it's not too old.
Speaker B:She will have thrown it out.
Speaker A:There you go.
Speaker A:Jimmy James playing from the rough.
Speaker A:Golf adventurer extraordinaire.
Speaker A:Thanks for taking the time again, Jimmy.
Speaker A:It's great to catch up with you.
Speaker B:Thanks, J.T.
Speaker B:it's great to catch up with you again.
Speaker A:No problem.
Speaker A:You are welcome on this show anytime.
Speaker A:We're going to get out of here.
Speaker A:And that wraps it up for after hours.
Speaker A:So for Jimmy and myself, we thank you for listening and letting us spend this time with you, whatever you're doing.
Speaker A:And we'll be back next week with another edition of After Hours.
Speaker A:Go out, play some golf, have some fun.
Speaker A:But most of all, be kind.
Speaker A:Take care, everybody.
