The best golf podcasts you should be listening to right now
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The best golf podcasts you should be listening to right now

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Despite what Bill Simmons thinks, there are some really good golf podcasts in the world. And they're ones to which you should subscribe, even if iTunes is a terrible piece of software.

So, I wanted to let you know the golf podcasts that I listen and/or subscribe to, and why.

But first...

This list excludes the shows that we air on Golf News Net Radio. I'm biased, but I can't be that biased. However, let me give a brief word about each of the Internet-based shows we air on the 24/7 feed -- the only such golf talk radio station in the world -- so you know about them.

The 19th Hole Golf Show | iTunes | RSS

This is my show. I've done it for 12 years, on and off, pre-dating the actual word "podcast." Over the years, it's been as long as an hour, but these days it's about 30 minutes. I do two shows each week: one that's a shorter, interview-based show with a guest I hope you'll find interesting (because I do) and another that's a 25-30 minute show focusing on a few topics. You never know who will stop by, with past guests including Gary Player, Tom Watson, Paula Creamer, Yani Tseng, Stacy Lewis, Billy Andrade, Hunter Mahan and more.

Jay's Plays | RSS

Jay Flemma hosts a terrific interview-based podcast that comes out every couple of weeks or so. Jay's shows are typically a 45-minute-or-so conversation with someone, typically a golf journalist or a golf-course architect. The topics are wide-ranging and don't stay in the guest's supposed lane. It flows at a good conversational pace, and Jay works tirelessly to prepare for his interviews so you, the listener, get the most out of it.

The Golf Unfiltered Podcast | iTunes | RSS

This is a new show for GNN Radio, but I'm glad to welcome Adam Fonseca back to ole' GNN dot com. His Golf Unfiltered podcast features a guest with a 30-45 minute, wide-ranging conversation. Adam likes to talk about current issues and weave in some inside baseball as it relates to golf reporting and journalism. The show offers a good look to what reporters are thinking about as headline topics in the game.

Teeing It Up with Jeremy Schilling | RSS

Jeremy has been doing his podcast for a number of years now. Don't let the title fool you. It's not always a golf show. He works golf into most of the 30-minute episodes, but he's a big New York Jets and Mets fan, so that inevitably comes up in his analysis and with his guest choices.

Back 9 Report | RSS

Fred Altvater and Carlos Torres host a weekly program that typically goes about 2 hours and in-depth on the results of each professional event from the major tours. The guys like to have a guest each week, and they've welcomed the likes of LPGA commissioner Mike Whan, Stacy Lewis and other big names in the sport.

OK, now that the commercial for our GNN Radio shows is complete, here are some of the podcasts I listen to:

Note: Just because a podcast doesn't appear on the following list doesn't means it's either (a) not good or (b) that I've ever listened to it. Radio is the most personal of mediums. You're forming a relationship with a host or group of hosts, and you're investing in getting to know them and hearing their world view. So, what appeals to me may not appeal to you. My hope is that this list sends you on a journey as an interested listener to making your own list!

State of the Game | iTunes | RSS

This is a show we also air on GNN Radio, but I think it deserves to be in this category because I had been listening to it well before I started GNN Radio. Aussies Rod Morri and Mike Clayton are joined by Geoff Shackelford for an in-depth conversation about big issues in the game. There's usually a slant toward architecture. Sometimes they have wonderful guests who typically can fit right in the normal conversation. The only downside? The show comes out somewhat rarely and irregularly.

No Laying Up Podcast | iTunes

The gang at No Laying Up has carved out an audience for their view of the world of golf, and it's not for nothing. Their Twitter feed is funny, their tournament previews are intriguing and their podcast has some in-depth, "fanalyst" conversation. The shows aren't regular, but they almost always feature a guest that's a friend of NLU. That makes the rapport solid and the conversation akin to a slightly censored Gchat feed.

Friends of Tiger Podcast | iTunes | RSS

Shane Ryan kicked up his podcast, in part, to promote his book, "Slaying the Tiger," but it's so much more than that. Shane's shows typically last an hour or more, sometimes two hours, but the conversation is so good that it goes by quickly. Shane is an enthusiastic host who really shows his love and interest in not only the topics he discusses but in the guests he brings on with him.

The "Golf" Podcast | iTunes

Jason Sobel is back at ESPN, and thank goodness. He did a podcast in his first tour of duty there that was dynamite, and then it went away when he went to Golf Channel. Now that he's back at the Worldwide Leader, he's teamed up with Michael Collins -- a caddie, radio host already on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio and a stand-up comic -- to do a podcast under the guise of golf. It's not all golf, and that's alright by me. It's a good show from two guys who have the insider label, albeit seeing golf through different prisms. The guys took a little break through the Florida Swing, but the show should pick up again now that we're in the meat of golf season.

Shows I listen to, but are either new or haven't been updated in a while:

Monday Scramble | iTunes | RSS

The gang at Golf Channel have come out with a podcast that's just like being in the GC.com newsroom. Anywhere from 2-4 folks from the dot-com team get together to talk topics in the game. It's a good recap and look forward. It's also fairly new.

The Clubhouse with Shane Bacon | iTunes | RSS

Two Shanes on this list! Shane Bacon, who writes for FoxSports.com and does their golf broadcasts, kicked up this podcast with the first episode dropping this week. Shane has always been supportive of my career (if you can call it that), and I really admire how he has worked hard to achieve his goals in broadcasting. Shane's got a natural sportscaster voice, and he's got a very good conversational tone. I expect those things to carry through in the podcast.

By the Min Golf Podcast | iTunes | RSS

Lawrence Donegan, along with typical partner in crime John Huggan, has an awesome show. The guests are fascinating, and they're not the kind of off-the-shelf guests that are there to promote something or have an agenda, etc. The conversation has plenty of witty quips, but it also goes deep on topics that people who love both playing golf and watching pro golf will appreciate. Unfortunately, there hasn't been a new show in a month!

 

About the author

Ryan Ballengee

Ryan Ballengee is the founder, owner and operator of Golf News Net.

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