00:00 Introduction
00:47 Harry Hall joins from Bermuda
01:34 Growing up in England and discovering golf
03:00 Why Harry chose UNLV and Las Vegas
05:38 Walker Cup and the end of his amateur career
08:04 Turning pro and playing with Rory McIlroy at St Andrews
10:14 Monday qualifiers and breaking onto the Korn Ferry Tour
13:17 Failure, social media and changing his mindset
17:38 Playing Taylor Montgomery for a Shriners exemption
22:32 Choosing the Korn Ferry Tour over U.S. Open qualifying
26:56 TPC Summerlin and Harry’s Shriners performance
33:30 Harry’s statistical and analytical approach to golf
36:34 The Korn Ferry Tour event at Paiute
40:38 Harry’s favorite Las Vegas golf course: Shadow Creek
44:10 What’s in Harry Hall’s golf bag
46:53 Why Harry carries two drivers
48:02 Club specs, fitting and Harry the equipment gearhead
51:04 Bryson DeChambeau, driving caps and driver testing
53:59 Harry’s favorite moment from his Wichita win
56:21 Closing thoughts, engagement and representing Las Vegas

Matt 0:46

Welcome back to the James Daylight, everybody. Got a nice interview series for you today on the phone with me, which I just found out is live from Bermuda, Mr. Harry Hall. How are you doing today, sir?

SPEAKER_03 0:58

Very good, thank you, Matt. How are you doing?

Matt 1:01

Well, it it’s beautiful weather today. Uh, it sucks you’re not here to enjoy it, but I kind of, you know, would rather be where you are, to tell you the truth.

SPEAKER_03 1:09

I am uh sat in a nice hotel room. I’ve got a a band playing outside my patio door. Um I’m on the beach. I’m gonna spend an ugly week in Bermuda and play in my uh fourth PJ tour event. So I’m excited.

Matt 1:30

Life is good, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:32

Yeah.

Matt 1:33

So um I I know a lot about you because I’m I’m a UNLV junkie. Um been uh you know a fan of yours since since you got to UNLV. But you’re uh originally from how’s it Hale, England? Yeah. Um what brought you all the way around the other side of the planet to play at UNLV?

SPEAKER_03 1:59

Wow, um I’m originally from Campbell, which is a little town close to the close to the Hale that no one likes to tell tell you they’re from. So I’m actually from Hale. We moved there when I was about 13, so we moved up in the world. Yeah, right, exactly. Um so I’m actually from Cowboy. I grew up there, went to primary school there. When I was eleven, I went away to boarding school for a year and played golf. So I was pretty good and got a scholarship and uh came back to Hale when I was twelve and went just went to a normal school and it wasn’t until I was about sixteen that I was playing in some national events and member of like, you know, the England under-16 boys team and the under-eighteens and um had a a lot of interest through college golf coaches in America coming over to watch me play. And Phil Rowe, who was from uh West Cornwall Golf Club, the same golf course that I played at in Cornwall, England, was the assistant coach at Stanford, and he moved uh to UNLV in 2000, the end of 2013, just in time for me to sign in in porting to go to a school. I could never have gone to Stanford academically, and um it was a blessing really that he went to UNLV and invited me on a visit because you know we have that connection from being from the same place. And I grew up with always friends kind of mentoring me that didn’t move on like he did to the states from where I come from. And yeah, what UNLV was the best school that I was looking at at the time. Went on a visit and saw Shadow Creek and Southern Islands and Spanish Trails and Las Vegas Country Club and thought, you know, wow, 360 days of pure sunshine, you know, that’s hard to beat, isn’t it?

Matt 4:09

Yeah, we uh we kinda got it got it lucky here. The the winter isn’t really winter compared to the rest of the world.

SPEAKER_03 4:16

Right, yeah, exactly. Well, you know, I I spent most Saturday mornings in 35 mile an hour wind and waterproofs and could hardly hold the car, but it was you know zero thir thirty-two’s in Fahrenheit.

Matt 4:34

So what was what was your reaction to Vegas? I mean, had you had you been to a a big city like that, like I’m sure you’ve probably been to London, right?

SPEAKER_03 4:44

I’ve been to London a few times. It was my first time in America on my official visit.

SPEAKER_01 4:49

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_03 4:50

Uh yeah, went to went to Vegas and went to Marquef in Wisconsin, completely two different places. And uh I love Vegas, you know. I was at the time I was 16, 17, and you know, liked a bit of glamour, like dressing up, like the whole atmosphere that Vegas had. And for golf it was fantastic, and yeah, I I loved it, and I I still do.

Matt 5:21

So you uh had a pretty pretty outstanding career, and in uh 2019 you were awarded the Mountain West Golfer of the Year. Only the sixth player in UNLV’s history to win that. So congrats on that. That’s a nice little accolade to have.

unknown 5:37

Thank you.

Matt 5:38

So um after UNLV, there was there’s a little gap between that and your corn ferry start. Uh what was going on between graduating and getting out on the corn ferry?

SPEAKER_03 5:53

Well, I graduated in three and a half years at the end of 18 and decided to do another semester at UNLV, just so I played on a team and finished my you know NCAA eligibility and did a fourth year with the with the guys and um you know another national championship and then uh went back to England that summer and played in a few competitions and then played the Walker Cup, which is Great Britain and Ireland against the USA, uh, which was something that I always wanted to do because Phil Rowe, who obviously helped me progress in my career and was my coach at UNLB, played on the team.

Matt 6:34

Oh nice.

SPEAKER_03 6:35

Uh yeah, so that that was really cool to to get that on my C B. And you know, looking at his C B in the past, I try to tick off everything on it on his one. So to get out of the Walker Cup was really cool. And every every golf from Great Britain Island really cherishes playing in the Walker Cup and that’s kind of the pivotal of amateur golf for us. And that that was really really nice to do.

Matt 7:00

Who else was on that team with you? Anybody we’d know?

SPEAKER_03 7:08

No, no, not really. Uh it’s uh it was amazing because I’m kind of COVID really affected a lot of people my age back in Europe because they haven’t had a Q school for two years.

SPEAKER_01 7:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:23

And um they haven’t been able to progress as much as you could have over here. At least we’ve had some you know, monthly qualifiers to play in. Uh a system that you could, you know, graduate into. And I I know that the corn pro tour was two years into one, but I I still made it just because I got through Q school in at the end of 2019. Um, even with conditional status. So I I played the Walker Cup term pro. Before I played any Q school, I got an invite into out of Dunhill Lynx, uh, St Andrews, Teams Barnes, and Carnusty.

SPEAKER_01 8:01

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_03 8:03

Played that right after the Walker Cup. And I came 15th. I’m on playing my first professional event, and I remember playing uh practice round Luke Donald and seeing all the guys, and I’m thinking, wow, it’s my this is my first tournament. And I uh play Kings Barnes the first day, shoot two under. And uh I’m right on the cut line. And Kings Barnes and St Andrews, because every rotation, um, everyone’s at all three courses for three days, and they all play St. Andrews on the last days. You don’t want to finish on Carnusty, really, because you kind of just try to stay where you stay where you’re at. You know, if I shot level 5 that day, I probably wouldn’t have been happy, but it wouldn’t have made the cut. I knew I had to take it, and I shot four under Carnoosty, which was a a great score at that. And I made the cut by two, and I’m on the same score as Roy McLaren. And uh I got I got paired with him that Sunday night, uh that Saturday night. And I played my first professional event with Roy on Sunday at home of golf, and uh oh wow, shot a 65 and came 15, and that was that was a nice introduction to professional golf, and something that you know I’ll remember forever, just playing with Rory and having a bit of a crowd watch us and being at St Andrews and my dad watching that that was awesome. And after that, I came over, played cornproof tour Q school, got through all the way to finals, so it made me a corncray tour member. I came 113th at finals, so the top 40 get their automatic starts and was in the place of 113th. I was never gonna get a start on the corn fray tour, but it meant that I could do the Monday qualifiers for cheaper, and if I did get some events, then my points would count because I was a member.

SPEAKER_01 10:13

Oh nice.

SPEAKER_03 10:14

If you’re not a member, you have to do Monday qualifiers and get you know 350 points before you’re even eligible for a reshuffle or to be in the in the field automatically. So, you know, I uh I got through Q school, but never had a start, and then COVID happened, so I was trying to qualify, and I didn’t qualify for the first couple, um, because you can’t qualify for Bahamas and then the events in Bogota and Panama. I tried to qualify for a for a few and I didn’t make it. So there was about ten events to start the season that I didn’t play in, and then COVID happened uh in that February March. So four months later I’m doing some Monday qualifiers and I I kill it. I I get in three out of nine Mondays, which is a really good percentage in the end. Um and I I came T36 in Utah, and because I was a member, my points counted, and I got in the next reshuffle, and it meant that I had the next three events um on the cornpro tour. And I go miscart miscart second place, and I’m on I’m on the cornpro tour ever since, and uh managed to finish 2020 off well with a few top tens, and I finished 67th on the list, playing, you know, half the events of everybody else, but at least that got me a a full schedule in 2021 where I you know won an event this year and didn’t have my best year on the course, and that win kind of really uh made the year look a lot better than it was, and I’m very thankful for that. And I got the job done in the clutch, and when I wasn’t contention, I I finished it off, but that was kind of you know that and a s other one of the top ten for 22 events, you’d probably say, well, you know, other than that, it wasn’t a great year, but um made it to the finals and I’m comfortable and I’m in a I’m in the same spot as everybody else coming next year. And um you probably go with my in my amateur career, you know, finishing the the Walker Cup was great, but prior to the Walker Cup I hadn’t been a star and you a lot of people probably wouldn’t have picked me to come on and do so well and win on the corn fray tour and you know, my top ten at the Shriners a couple of weeks ago. Um people probably wouldn’t have chose me to have the results I’ve had after college, but I’ve kept on going and kept on taking a step up the ladder and hopefully I can do it for many more years to come.

Matt 13:17

Oh yeah, for sure you are. You you too much talent. So uh back in June, right before the Wichita, you put something out on Instagram that just really increased my level of respect for you. So I’m gonna read this what you wrote. I’ve had this photo in my library for a while now. I’ve been waiting for a good result on the course to put to post it, but that hasn’t happened. Then I realized that’s me falling into a trap of only posting positive, successful posts when life isn’t really like that. I have failures all the time, but tend not to share them with others, except those posts on my team. I am where I am today because of how I deal with failures, unfortunately for me when we can change a lot of things in my world. And then you went out and won. Have you always had that mindset and just I I I’m trying, you know, Instagram and social media can really overtake somebody. What was it something that happened that had you realize that or have you always thought like that?

SPEAKER_03 14:13

Um you know, you go through spells don’t you where obviously everybody goes through ups and downs and you never see it, do you? You never see it on social media, right? Um and I I just thought I need to switch something up. You know, it’s it’s negative, but I’m not posting at all. You know, if you only post positive stuff, well that might flip your mindset. But if I’m not posting at all, that that’s kind of negative because I you know I like to post and I like to stay relevant, but obviously something was going on where I wasn’t playing good enough goal to think that I deserved the post or tell anybody about it and nobody wanted to know, but I don’t think it was just a very spontaneous thing that I thought, you know what, I’m gonna post this for though because I like it, and it doesn’t matter how I play. And w what does it matter, eh? I mean, you know, you want to be a nice person, a good person. And if I came T50 last week and not T5, you know, someone might think T50 is a fantastic result and I’m on the corporate tour, you know?

Matt 15:35

Yeah. So well, I I loved it. I thought it was great, and I I wished more people in the spotlight would would post it. I mean, it’s so easy to get this glamorous life of the professional golfer out there. But you know, the um local knowledge we just said in our podcast last week. They had a great episode talking about mental health and a lot of the struggles that some of these top guys, like Matt Wolff and a couple other players, are going through. And it’s it’s nice to see that side of it. It’s not you know, of course, everybody wants to see the the you know the fat cards and the and the hot techs and the and the you know the the big techs, but that’s not everyday life. Even for you know the top players in the world, that’s not their everyday life. So I I was glad that you embraced that. And I you know it freed you up a little bit mentally, and you had a hell of a tournament.

SPEAKER_03 16:28

I think that post had a lot to do with you know flipping my mindset and having a a refreshed week for sure. Subconscious, you know? Yeah, it’s it was in the back of my mind that I took a little bit of weight off my shoulders and a little bit of pressure and thought, and I had a lot of support. That post, everybody loved that post. You know, I got a lot of messages out and saying, hey, respect that. And it was nice. I think a lot of people feel like that all the time. And you know, if they don’t post for two weeks, they’re probably going through it and they’re waiting for a chance to to do something positive to come up to give them a an excuse to post. Um I think now that I’ve done that I need to not do it more often, but you know, I definitely notice you know when I when I’m going through those spots again and still posting. You know, it’s healthy to to do.

Matt 17:38

Well, let’s get some beach photos out there, okay? Bermute is too beautiful. Uh okay, so uh want to touch on FRINERs, of course. But before you got into FRINERS, uh rumor was twirling around, and Phil confirmed it for me. Uh uh you had a map against Taylor to see who was gonna get the example. Okay, cool. So talk me through that. What was that like? Because I mean when we heard it, because somebody who told us that was this guy who was just annihilated out on the case. I didn’t know how much truth there was to it. And before we wanted to talk about it, we wanted to confirm so every step that Phil Reedy is getting for yeah, I happen to. All right. So let’s hear from you. It’s it’s an amazing way to get into an event. I mean, right? You’ve got you and Taylor, two of the top guys on the Corn Ferry tour that are, you know, from UNLV. It’s a home home game for you guys. So what was that like?

SPEAKER_03 18:50

Well, first off, I heard a few people around town from you know the local businesses and the people I play golf with on a regular basis that, oh hate, just looking good. I think, you know, you’re in the tournament. I’m like, great. Then Patrick Lindsay, the tournament director of the Shriners, says, Harry, I’ve got a question for you. Do you mind meeting me at TPC Summerlin tomorrow? And I’m like, Yeah, Patrick, I’ll I’ll see you there. And I’m thinking, okay, he’s just gonna ask me if I want the exemption in the shrine. You know, what he wouldn’t invite me to the office to say to say no, would he? So I thought, what other option is there? And I’m when I got there, I was, you know, obviously through the through the rumors, I I knew I had a good chance. And uh yeah, complete bombshell. He says, I’ve been thinking, I can’t decide. Do you want to play for it? We take a more gone. I’ve got one spot left, and I want to give it to one of you, and I’m gonna run over the shoot. And um obviously I’m not gonna say no, right? To play play someone one-on-one spot in a tournament is way better odds than a Monday qualifier, and I’m just very grateful for any opportunity I get and said that would be fantastic, Patrick. Thank you very much for considering me. And a week later teed it up against Taylor. Uh we had a local rules official, Tim Quinn from the SNGA, and we went out there, us two, and pretty pretty comfortable off the first tee because we’re we’re quite good friends actually and played a lot of golf with each other the last six years.

SPEAKER_01 20:36

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:37

He was a senior when I was a a sophomore at at college, so um he was a junior when I was a freshman. So I did two years with him on the team. And we were we were good friends and hung out a lot and his games, you know, got fantastic over the last couple of years. And I I know that he’s a tough competitor and he went up I shot a 68, which wasn’t my best score around two for six some win, but he he shot a sixty-nine and he’s pretty tense actually. I had a three shot leave and five to go. I eagled thirteen to go five under. And he bogeyed it to go two under. And um I thought that was kind of that was kind of it really, because I’m quite solid. I don’t make any big numbers. And I bogeied 15. Drive right and hit three and went into the desert. Oh I didn’t get up and down, I bogeyed it, and he parted, and he buried 16 and I parted, so I’m only one one in front with 17 and 18 to play in that. They’re good solid holes, it seems to be somewhere.

Matt 21:45

Oh, the closing holes there are uh I mean arguably some of the best in town.

SPEAKER_03 21:50

Yeah, exactly. And uh we both hit it on the green on 17 and 18, and so 25 feet, and both missed and

unknown 22:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:00

Yeah. Got him by one.

Matt 22:04

That’s so cool. I mean I I I’d never heard of that. I I thought it was great that they did that, you know.

SPEAKER_03 22:10

Everyone thought it was pretty great, you know. They’ve never heard it either. A lot of the players, and you know, I played a practice round with Miller Jagas and Scott Pearcy and even a few other guys said, Hey mate, by the way, by the way, did you have to play a playoff to get these in?

Matt 22:31

That’s so cool. Okay, so question about Taylor. Um he didn’t go to a Cornberry event because he qualified for the US Open. Makes the cut at the US Open.

SPEAKER_01 22:44

But because yeah.

Matt 22:47

I I gotta know your opinion. I’m I’m curious. Uh you know, you’re somebody that’s out there that’s grinding.

SPEAKER_03 22:51

So Spring Springfield two weeks prior. Well, so first of all, I don’t know if Taylor had to go to local or not. He might have gone to local and qualified for sectionals, right? US Open has a local qualifier and then a sectional. I don’t know what he did. He might have been exempt through world ranking top 500. If not, he did local. But I remember seeing him in Springfield, Illinois, where I came second in 2020. And uh I go, you know, we’re on the chat, we’re on the driving range. And he goes, Hey, wait, playing the US over. And um, I go, T, I’m through the Walker Cup, I was exempt intersectional. So all I had to do was, you know, do do a qualifier on the Monday or Tuesday of sectionals and have a have a great chance. If you’re if you’re uh eligible for sectionals straight away, I’m probably the only one in the this year that didn’t go. And I thought, you know what, I cannot miss a week on the conference tour. I’m sitting 74th on the list and top 75 making the finals, and every week’s so important. I kind of had the confidence if I can if I can just be on the conference all this year and get my card, I’ll play in the US Open for the next 25 years.

SPEAKER_01 24:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 24:16

That that was my mindset. So anyway, I see him on the range and he goes, Well, you’re not playing the US Open and you’re exempt into sexuals. Like he was almost like joking around as if to say, Well, you know, what are you doing? But he’s 19th on the list and he’s not thinking anything of it. Anyway, US Open comes around, he qualifies. And it’s a Tory Pines. Well, I’m in Wichita. And check this out, he goes from 19th to 24th on the list. Or he might have gone from like 22 to 26. I think that week might have moved him out. I’m not sure.

Matt 24:57

Yeah, I think it did.

SPEAKER_03 24:59

I go from 74 to 36 because I won. I decided not to go to sectionals, even though I was exempt, thinking, you know, US Open, I I could play an amazing championship. And I decided not to do it because I I valued being on the Cornfray Tour so much, and that I can’t afford to miss a week. And I went on one in Wichita the same day that John Brown won on Farada’s Day at Tory Pine. So I would say that that was a pretty smart decision on my behalf, or at least or at least it played well in my court.

SPEAKER_01 25:39

But oh yeah.

SPEAKER_03 25:40

You know, Ta Taylor might you never know, he might not have had a good event. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You still gotta play.

Matt 25:48

You know, you still gotta play the events. It’s not no it wasn’t a gimme that he’s making the cut and getting for.

SPEAKER_03 25:54

Um that might have helped him gear up for the rest of the year, and you know, he came second at Salt Lake City at the end of the year, and you know he had a good few results after, but every point is really important and unless you were solid in the top ten and and locked your card up already I wouldn’t play the witch tough.

Matt 26:24

Yeah, I think what did you miss out by two points for the final twenty-five five points and then the finals all you had to do I think was make the cut in in Indiana and um you know we didn’t and I don’t know how you can finish 26 26?

SPEAKER_03 26:47

I mean I I felt terrible for that, you know, you you never want to see that.

unknown 26:54

No, no, no, no.

Matt 26:56

So what uh how often do you play out at Summerlin? So for having such a great tournament, you know, getting top ten on the PGA tour at Summerlin, how how often are you do you play there to where you know that course and it gave you a little if it any kind of advantage?

SPEAKER_03 27:14

I play there a lot because I don’t live too far away. I live on the 215 and Russell and it’s only 10 minutes from TPC Summerlin. And when you’re away for 23 out of 25 weeks on the corn thread to one a year, when when you are home for a day or two, you’re not gonna you’re gonna value your time. And I I love to go to Shadow Creek. I I play there at Shadow Creek and TPC Summary and Spanish Trails I’m a member at. Uh but TC Summon I consider as as the office, you know, they’re so good, they have my cowboy balls, it’s close to home. You can play a lot of other golfers, you know, with a similar ability and have a nice little friendly competitive match on the golf course. So I’ve I’ve probably played it 30 times prior to seeing it up this year at the tournament.

Matt 28:11

Yeah, we played on Tuesday after the event. Uh a a friend of mine’s a member out there, and so he invited us out to play. Jeremy and I played on uh Tuesday, and it was I’ve probably played it eight or nine times, and it was, I thought, in phenomenal shape. I mean, the greens were just really, really good. Had you seen it? Uh, what’d you think how the course was set up?

SPEAKER_03 28:38

Had you heard about the course prior to the tournament? Oh, yeah, with the nematodes infection and they weren’t even sure away at the the Cornfree Tour finals, but they shut the course down for the members for three or four weeks because the greens were uh destroyed. And I didn’t see them, but everyone was saying that it was bad. Yeah, it was really bad. And they had to get a PJ Tour Grominist in and treat the Greens. I was very impressed by the time the tournament came around. The course was fantastic, I thought, you know.

Matt 29:16

Yeah, I said whatever they did just rinse and repeat because the greens were amazing.

SPEAKER_03 29:24

They were they were fantastic, they rolled true, you know, they weren’t lightning fast, but by the time Sunday hit, they were really firm. You know, on Monday, they were so soft. So the ability they have, I think, with the weather and you know how they manipulate water in the course. They Vegas is probably a pretty cool climate to do whatever they want with the course, and they got it in a fantastic place, especially with everything that they had to deal with.

Matt 29:53

So yeah, we were we were out there Friday, Saturday, and then played it on on Monday, and I I was I was blown away. I I’ve been telling everybody it’s probably one of the best Shriner events at that course in a in a long time.

SPEAKER_03 30:06

Oh, really? Well, I’ve I’ve watched the Shriner a couple of times when I was at UNLB, and I just remember it being so firm and fast. And it and it was by Saturday and Sunday.

Matt 30:18

So it’s a great course. It’s a great course. It’s it’s underrated. I I know it it gets beat up a lot because people say that you know the scores are so high that it doesn’t challenge the guys, but it’s I mean, it’s not an easy course, I don’t think. There’s there’s some elements that can come into play and and like you said, if they can control the greens and get infirm, it can it can play tough.

SPEAKER_03 30:41

Yeah, no, it’s it’s demanding on fatigue some shots and you know, around the greens, if you miss the greens, there’s not many easy up and downs.

Matt 30:50

You had a nice one on uh Friday, or was it Friday or Saturday where you uh on 15 yeah your bunker shot went long and you put it off the back right into the hole. That was nice.

SPEAKER_03 31:04

That was nice in our game, but I’m not sure if this bottle.

Matt 31:08

That’s a that’s a crazy hole. And and uh Joe and I played it. Joe played it for the first time uh last year, and uh he loves unique, he’s really into architecture and and design. And one thing from the broadcast that you do not get about the 15th hole is the view from the T-Box. They never show that. It’s always you know from the little tower above the green. But that T shot is really unique, and and I really would love to see them show that view because the the way that um I think it was it Weed that designed that course. The way he designed that, it it’s such a different perspective standing there looking at it than in the overhead.

SPEAKER_03 31:53

I think drive wall path fours are fantastic, and it’s so nice as well that you get a lot of drivers off that T-Box, and when they land on the green, normally they stay on the green. You know, it’s pretty rare. Um but yeah, you just gotta commit to you know that hazard on the left and hope it well, I do anyway, hope it fades a little bit. You’re on the green eight 80% of the time. If you’re not on the green, it’s it’s a great up and down hole. Yeah, you you can get up and down around that green.

Matt 32:30

You go from that one to the really scorable par five that’s pretty much a two-shot hole for most players. Uh a very challenging par three. And then the eighteenth hole is a great closing hole. And when that when that pin on 18 is up front, there can be some scary shots into that green.

SPEAKER_03 32:51

Yeah, I’m I managed to hit it to six inches when the pin was up front. That was nice. Um I think the key there is getting a getting a good drive away because a lot of people are scared and they leave it out to the right, and then you have you know 160 yards and not 130. And that’s a lot tougher shot, especially when the you know, three out of the four days the pins are tucked, you know, the front and then middle left and then back left, and they’re all along the water. So um I’ve I played the last few hours really well um in the tournament.

Matt 33:30

Yeah, you uh 66, 65, 68, 68. That’s four really good days.

SPEAKER_03 33:38

Yeah, yeah, I was a little disappointed Sunday to you know, in the heat of the moment, I I felt like the weekend I had some better scores out there, I think. And you know, I’m so used to playing TBC Summit and shooting six and seven under on a consistent basis. I I knew it was out there on the weekend for me, but I made a couple of mistakes on Sunday. Um I threw it into the hole on 11 on Sunday. Uh Sam dumped it and it bounced out to 20 feet, and I made par. And then I hit I hit the shot of my life on nine out of a bunker. You know the bunker on nine to the left.

SPEAKER_01 34:18

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_03 34:19

Off the key. Yeah, I hit it in there, and I was I had the ball below my feet, and I was hitting this five iron. I hit a five-line draw, and the pin was front left, and I hit it to 20 feet, and it was one of the best shots I’ve ever hit. I hit it into the third bunker, you know, I hit into the furthest bunker on 13, the park five, and thought I could do a very similar shot, took it 50 yards and land it over that bunker, short of the green, and roll it up onto the green. I left it in that bunker, and that was you know, that’s a shot and a half right there. Because then you’re hitting a wedge out and ended up making bogey and you know, those those two things changed a little bit, and I might have walked away with a second. I probably still went in the caught song chair. I mean, he’s pretty impressive, isn’t it?

Matt 35:09

So he was going nuts.

SPEAKER_03 35:11

Yeah.

Matt 35:12

So are you are you uh uh uh analytical thinker like that to where you remember all the shots?

SPEAKER_03 35:19

I’m very statistical. Yeah. Always trying to figure out how I can improve by half a shot, you know?

Matt 35:29

It’s I love I love talking to golfers because um I uh the guy that I went and caddied for out at the US Midamp, he he forgets the shot after he hits it. He you know, we’ll we’ll be talking, we’ve done a lot of traveling together. And it’s it’s funny he’ll hit a shot and like, oh, that’s just like that shot you hit when we were a cat. And he’s like, what are you talking about?

SPEAKER_02 35:49

And I remember Yeah, and so do I.

Matt 35:53

I’m I and it’s sometimes I I’ve thought of it as a curse because I remember too much. Like I shouldn’t be remembering all this. Um, but I I have a heart, it’s just it’s just there. So that’s that’s cool to hear that uh that your your mind thinks that way.

SPEAKER_03 36:09

Yeah, I’m yeah, I’m very uh statistical and methodical and kind of always have been since I got the UNLB and then Phil Rowe in a very similar way, psychology grab, and quite an intellectual, and we uh we nerfed it out over four years and I’m I’m still going.

Matt 36:34

What did you think about the the Cornfair event that was at Paiute? W what’s your thoughts on that? Should they come back? Wait, the the schedule’s come out and I haven’t seen it yet. Uh do you think that that needs to come back? Yeah. Yeah, I I thought that there’s there’s a gap in April and it’s right around the master’s time, so I don’t know if I mean there’s it was that meant to be determined probably. I’m I’m fingers crossed. I haven’t heard anything. We have a buddy that worked with the the agency that put that event on. Um and it was it was there because of COVID, they couldn’t do the Bermuda event. Um or the Bahamas event. What Bahamas, I think it was. Um so they’re they’re on they’re on now.

SPEAKER_03 37:25

The Bahamas are starting again in January. That’ll be my well hopefully if I can play well this week, you know.

Matt 37:32

Yeah, no, let’s let’s get you on the PGA tour.

SPEAKER_03 37:35

That would be nice, but at the moment I’m scheduled to go to the Bahamas for the first time, you know. Bermuda and Bahamas is not bad life, is it?

Matt 37:45

No, not at all. Not at all.

SPEAKER_03 37:47

I th I thought I feel like I should go home, you know. I’m halfway home from Vegas.

Matt 37:53

It’s a short flight for me compared.

SPEAKER_03 37:55

Very tempting.

Matt 37:57

Well, hey, you get another top ten, you’ll have a good reason to go home for a little bit.

SPEAKER_03 38:03

No, I know I wouldn’t because I think I’ve been in Monaco.

Matt 38:06

Oh yeah. Ooh. Yeah, that’s a good yeah, yeah. So um what is what are the what is the plan? Or you know, do you have your schedule worked out for Cornferry yet? Or is it are you just waiting to see what happens over these next couple weeks?

SPEAKER_03 38:23

I’m you know, I booked I book my hotel in the Bahamas for the first one of the year. Um so I’ll be there. As of as of right now. You know, I’m I’m not expecting too much out of this week. Obviously, I’m I’m gonna try my best and play well, but realistically, I’ll I’ll be getting my tour card through the Corn Ferry Tour next September. Um but it’s it’s lovely to have a chance to do it sooner. Absolutely. I’ll try my best this week and see what happens.

Matt 39:01

Did uh did Phil earn a permanent spot on the bag or uh he couldn’t come this week because you have to be vaccinated to come to Bermuda and play the event, and he wasn’t vaccinated, and it would have been you know the window of having that two weeks after your vaccination. Too close.

SPEAKER_03 39:24

With the he would have had to have the Johnson and Johnson too, and there was a lot of other factors to why you couldn’t couldn’t make it over, but I definitely would have had it if he could have come. He was he was fantastic in the week at the Shriners.

Matt 39:38

Yeah, you guys are a great team.

SPEAKER_03 39:40

Yeah, I I think uh we did really well, so we’ll we’ll see what happens with Phil. But he’s a great player too, so it’s gonna be hard to convince him to caddy when he he really just wants to play.

Matt 39:54

Yeah, he’s I know he’s searching for that 59 out at Las Vegas Golf Club. He keeps on posting all these 60s.

SPEAKER_03 40:02

Yeah, that that event of Paiu, I thought it was fantastic, and Paiu really shined as a golf course. It was a shame it was so windy the last day because obviously it made it so firm and fast that the course was almost too punishing. And you were chipping it and it was blowing 40 miles an hour, and I would chip it 10 yards and it would move forty four yards in the air. And the greens were so quick that you know it kept going further away.

Matt 40:30

So yeah, that’s the only protection that course has is the wind.

SPEAKER_03 40:34

Yeah, I thought I was really nice.

Matt 40:38

Yeah, it’s our favorite. It’s every year it’s our uh our uh we do a course rankings every year for all the Vegas courses, and it’s yeah, it’s come out one, two, and three both years we’ve done it. Really well. Yep. That uh that’s a good segue. So what what is your favorite course in town? Is it Shadow?

SPEAKER_03 40:58

One hundred percent.

Matt 41:01

Okay, for those that don’t know, what is it about Shadow?

SPEAKER_03 41:06

Shadow Creek and Pebble Beach are my favorite places that I’ve played so far. And they’re very different, but Shadow, you know, was dead flat once, right? It was the desert. And now you go, and there are waterfalls, you know, fifty feet high.

Matt 41:26

Every tree’s you know hundred years.

SPEAKER_03 41:31

You feel like you’re in the middle of a forest. You have no idea that you’re in the desert. Where every other golf course in Vegas, you kind of know that you’re in Vegas and that you’re playing in the desert. But you could it feels like you could be in Switzerland now. No joke. And it’s it’s got a Augusta feel. I’ve never been Augusta, but I’ve watched it on TV so many times with the yellow pins and the undulating green. Shadow is I’m gonna be very surprised if I prefer Augusta over Shadow Creek. And I I say that just because it is it’s like fairyland for any golfer. It’s so magical. And I go out there, I’ve been out there every day at UNLB and you know, every other day for the last two years, and it still blows my mind every time I drive from you know the front gate to the clubhouse. It’s just truly special, yeah. And the greens are always a twelve and a half. You can every green you can put it the opposite way of the pin, it’ll come back. You know, it’s just absolutely crazy. So cool. The best hole is 17, it’s 150 yard part three, and the green is like it’s so narrow. 35 yards wide and seven yards long.

Matt 43:00

Yeah, it’s it’s so narrow. It’s just a little tiny piece of grass, it seems like when you’re there.

SPEAKER_03 43:05

I have a you know, placed 20, 15 yards downhill.

unknown 43:12

So cool.

Matt 43:13

Yeah, the the I’ve played it once. Uh I’ve gone out there a lot for the events that they have out there, but uh I got to play it one time. And on 17, I I hooked my tee shot into the the where the cart path is, and it bounced off a tree and landed like 10 feet from the pin. Very unusual way to uh hit that green, but I did. So and then 18 is just magical. What a what a view from that T box, man. Oh.

SPEAKER_03 43:42

Yeah. Shadow has a very close place to my heart, you know. And then Pebble, Pebble just for the the scenery and every shot. Just I’m a quite an artistic player and I shape the ball a lot and I create golf shots, and that place is The pinnacle of being an artist is if you like shaping the ball and you know playing real goal. Pebbles are the thing.

Matt 44:10

Have you been up to Bandon? Never been to Bandon, but I put that on your list. That’s my favorite place on the planet. Bifar. Bifar. I haven’t played a bab, but I haven’t been to Pebble yet, so that that may persuade me, but yeah, Bandon is pretty special. Alright, so let’s let’s wrap this up with uh what’s in your bag, what’s your plan?

SPEAKER_03 44:37

Well, I’m playing it. Well, I’m sponsored by Callaway. Have been since I turned pro and will be for a few more years and hopefully many more years to come.

Matt 44:47

I love the brand and uh I just saw your new Toronto wedges.

SPEAKER_03 44:54

Yeah, got my lines on the wedges and won’t have there’s a new full toe out which toes go from all the way to the heel to the the end of the club. Normally there’s a little space there that hasn’t got any grooves. Um but these grooves go all the way from the heel to the end of the club. I haven’t got that in the bag this week, but I definitely will have. I just haven’t had enough time to kind of put it in play yet and practice with it. And my short games done me well over the years anyway, and I don’t need to change it, so fast. So I’ve still got a new just my my normal wedge in in play. But I use two drivers in the thrivers, and I’m gonna be using two drivers this week. One that one is 46 inches, one’s 45. Um the 46 one I I teared up hard and give it a rip and a slightly different tempo and carry that about 330 in Vegas and the short one carry about 300. So they are two drivers, but they’re different, they go different lengths, so they’re basically like different clubs. And I’ll do the same here. Depends how windy it is, though. I haven’t played in the wind for you know a pretty long while. And I I mean wind, I mean blowing like 40 mile an hour. Yeah, really. It can it can do that, yeah. So it’s gonna be interesting. I have had a seven wooden in my bag, and that might not be very valuable when it’s it’s blown 40. So I’ve got I’ve got apex apex irons or the nine iron, and then a 46 51, a 55, and a 59.

Matt 46:45

So what do you what do you not have in that would be there if you didn’t play two drivers?

SPEAKER_03 46:53

Well, this year I played a driver, a three wood, a seven wood. Now I’ve got two drivers, and I’ve got the option of either a five wood or a seven wood. So I haven’t got the you know the the seven wood carries we’re speaking Vegas numbers, about 260, 255, and you know, that’s a bit then I go to 300. So if I had the five wood, it would make my gap in a little more, but you know, most of the time when I’ve got that long driver now, I haven’t got too many three woods coming in 20 greens.

SPEAKER_01 47:31

Yeah, you don’t need to.

SPEAKER_03 47:32

And the short short driver, and it’s pretty pretty accurate, and I can grip down it a little bit and carry it 275, 280 if I want to. So it kind of replaces a three-wood, but it’s a little bit more forgiving, and I’ve got an extra 20 yards, you know, most of the time. When you pull a three-wood out, a driver’s too much, but it’s not the case when you’ve got a short driver. You can kind of hit it 20 yards by everybody’s three wood, but you’re still in a good spot.

Matt 48:02

It’s interesting. So are you are you a a a gear head? Do you do you know all your specs, all your swing weights, all your shaft lengths, all your all that stuff?

SPEAKER_03 48:13

All my shaft frequencies and headweights and you know it a lot. Yeah, I know it all, yeah. Got my own off the line machine. Um I’m I’ve been learning a lot. There was a guy called John Oder on the team when I was at UNLB Golf, and he got me on the train. He used to go to a lower golf center and get all his clubs looked at and adjusted, and I never thought about doing that at all. I came over when I was 18 and never been exposed to you know any golf facilities like I had a a UNLB golf and went to a lower golf center a couple of times and have gone, you know, most months ever since just to check the clubs and learn more and more from Joey, and he’s been fantastic and educating me and yeah, and since uh since about a couple of months ago, I’ve had my own off-the-line machine, so I don’t have to bug them as much, but I just went in there uh just before I left this week and got um a couple of shafts knocked down from 47 to 46 because there’s gonna be a new legal limit, isn’t there, in January? So I just make sure that um they were all okay and legal.

Matt 49:35

So do you do you think there’s something to the 48-inch drivers?

SPEAKER_03 49:43

The only thing is what as soon as you go above 45, you know, normal head weight for a driver’s like 195 grams. And the longer the shaft you go, you have to make the head lighter, otherwise it’s gonna be too whippy. You know, you put the same hundred and ninety-five gram head on a big like a noodle. And it’s yeah, it’s gonna be like a regular flex. So you have to you have to make the head lighter. So for example, on the end of my 46-inch uh tense shaft is a 40 or 190 gram headweight, which is five grams less, basically for every inch, I guess. So if you’re gonna go to 47, you’d have to get a 185-ish, and then you start losing ball speed and smash factor, right? So your swing speed might go up, but the ball speed might stay the same because the head weight is not as much mass behind the behind the ball.

Matt 50:40

Yeah, working harder to not get anything.

SPEAKER_03 50:44

Yes, you have to kind of see what’s optimal, and it’s been funny. I was actually listening to one of your podcasts just before we came on because it was the first one. I thought I’d do a little bit of research and you uh chat about how everybody’s been saying you know, the guy that wears the Bryson hat.

Matt 51:04

Dude, that was gonna finish it. I was gonna finish with that. I I wanted to know how long have you been wearing the driving cap? And do we need to let start calling Bryson? Hey, you look like Harry Hall.

SPEAKER_03 51:16

Yeah, one day. One day that’ll be um I tell you what, it you know, the more I think about it, Bryson’s obviously had a lot of you know aggravation in the media probably since his start of his career. But in recent times, probably the last six months, he’s probably become a bit of a hero for the average golfer. You know, the length that he’s put on is making the game really entertaining. What he did at the Ryder Cup was awesome, and then what he did at the long drive was awesome. I think his whole brand has got way better to the average golf fan. And I think the whole Brooksy thing, it was funny. When I when I won in Wichita, everyone was shouting Brooksy at me. Are you serious? So I’m serious, yeah. Um, and it’s funny, right? Um, when I you know on the corn tractor, I’m I’m I haven’t got an ego, and I make a part on 17 in Wichita. There was a big grandstand around the around the hulk on the 17th apart three. And if you make a birdie, there’s one dollar beers for like the next five minutes. Everyone was getting hammered that week. And you know, I’m walking after everyone’s shouting brooks and you just because I’m I’m wearing this hat, and you know, it’s funny. And I haven’t got the the ego to kind of get pissed off yet because I’m still young and up and coming. And you know, the more people talk about me, probably the better right now, whether it’s good or bad, or whether it’s look like I look like someone else, you know. Um but everyone was shouting Brooksy at me in Wichitar, and I’d hold apart and shout Brooksy back at them at the stadium, you know, they’d all go crazy.

Matt 53:06

Oh, that’s awesome.

SPEAKER_03 53:09

But I messaged Bryson the other day because I was wondering, I was kind of losing efficiency with the with the ball speed numbers, and I just wonder because he’s been using a 46-inch drive when he played, how what headweight he uses on the end of his shaft, and he goes 190, which was exactly what I was using. So that’s good to know. He’s obviously done a lot of testing with his guys of Cobra and stuff, and at least at least I know that 190 headweight is probably the most optimal you’re gonna get on a 46-inch driver, and that’s gonna be the the legal limit. So anyone listening to this that wants to go to the longer shaft, it’s definitely worth it, but you’ve got to make sure that the head weight is probably around about 190 to keep it stiff enough.

Matt 53:56

Yes, good info, right? Good info.

SPEAKER_03 53:59

But by the way, I want to go back to this Widgitar moment because this was highlight of the year. If you’re gonna ask me what the highlight of the year was.

Matt 54:06

What was the highlight of your year, Mr. Hall?

SPEAKER_03 54:09

The start of Widgitar. They asked you um, you know, what your theme song would be if you’re walking up 17, because they’re gonna play a mute a song, and what your favorite hobby is. I put the hobby down as going to Chipotle because I’ve been doing this challenge all year and I’m on like 75. So I, you know, I’ve got people.

Matt 54:34

I’m gonna ask you if how’s the Chipotle sponsorship coming?

SPEAKER_03 54:37

Yeah, well, hopefully. Um, but then the theme song, I I couldn’t think of any, and I’m like, what’d I do? So I go back next day and I put um there’s this song from the Peaky Barnes. That’s what I was gonna say with the with the red right hand. And no joke, they hadn’t played it all week when I walked up 17. I’m thinking, why have they asked us all for you know theme song? And Sunday they have this DJ, and I’m leading the tournament by one, walking up 17 in my hat. I’ve got my shades on, and as soon as I leave the T-Box, they start playing this Peaky Blinders theme tune. And I’m walking up in the you know, there’s probably five to ten thousand people around this hole, and it’s like the waste management Phoenix Open corn fray tour version, right? Yeah, and this theme tune of Peaky Blind is playing, and I’m walking up, and it’s like with a right, and boom, and I felt on top for the world, mate.

SPEAKER_02 55:47

You know, I felt like Thomas is on set.

SPEAKER_03 55:52

I was nuts and I was winning the tournament. I thought, oh, if I if I could if everyone thought I was a PG Binder the next 10 years, that would be nice. Not not price and two point.

Matt 56:04

All right, I’ll work on that. I love that show, man. That’s why anytime I post it about you, I’m doing Harry Fucking Hall because it’s on this fucking Kelvin.

SPEAKER_02 56:14

Yeah, I I that was that was a highlight of yeah. Oh, that’s yeah.

Matt 56:21

So have you seen Squid Game? That’s probably the pressing question I’m gonna get.

SPEAKER_03 56:25

Is that you haven’t watched episodes? Yeah.

Matt 56:31

Are you a big uh TV guy?

SPEAKER_02 56:35

Uh a little bit. Yeah, a little bit.

Matt 56:39

Well, hey man, uh thanks so much for hopping on. It’s uh it’s it’s been a uh a joy to have you on. I’ve been looking forward to that. I was thrilled to see you perform so well at Riner. I want nothing but the best for you to see that uh at Bermuda and uh we’re looking forward to to watching a very long prosperous career ahead of you.

SPEAKER_03 57:02

That’d be very nice, Allah. I’ll try my best to be.

Matt 57:06

Oh hey, congratulations uh also. You just recently got engaged.

SPEAKER_03 57:10

Yeah, as of two weeks ago, I am uh yeah, engaged.

Matt 57:15

Basically off the market.

SPEAKER_03 57:17

Basically off the market, sorry, sorry, baby.

Matt 57:21

So congratulations on that. Um had a great year. I I man, I I just think you’re gonna you’re gonna be hit making the headlines on the PGA tour in no time.

SPEAKER_03 57:32

Yeah, that would be nice. I’ll I’ll try my best to represent the Vegas community as well as I can and hopefully add add to the trophy cabinet with the Golden Knights and the Raiders over the next few years. That would be cool, wouldn’t it?

Matt 57:47

Yeah, it would be fantastic. You need to get up there uh spinning the horn, start of a game soon. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 57:53

I haven’t been to I haven’t been to a Raiders game. I went to the Golden Knights game last night just before I flew here.

Matt 57:59

Uh huh. Um that was so disappointing.

unknown 58:02

Yeah.

Matt 58:02

They’re hurting so bad right now.

SPEAKER_03 58:06

They can come back.

Matt 58:08

Too many games. Yeah, well, good luck, man. What’s that?

SPEAKER_03 58:18

Have you been to a Raiders game yet?

Matt 58:20

No, no. I I I haven’t gotten so uh I I was I was gonna try and go to the UNLV game Thursday night, but had something come up so we couldn’t go. Um but no, I had I would love to go. I would love to go. I just haven’t gotten the vaccination yet or the vaccine yet. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 58:40

Thanks for having me, mate. No problem, again.

Matt 58:44

Yeah, well next time you’re next time after you’re done, like on the note and everything, you’ll have to come hang out, and then we’ll go play some of it.