Talking Golf With The Golf Guy-Season 6 Episode 4 With Alan Shipnuck
in Archives, Podcasts, Shows by Jeff Waters

Talking Golf With The Golf Guy-Season 6 Episode 4 With Alan Shipnuck

The winners of the Annual Golf Writers Association of America writing contest are littered with many of the great names in sports journalism.

Jenkins, Kindred, Sirak, Achenbach, Callahan, Diaz, Kessler, Reilly, Rosaforte, Boswell, Tayor, are some of the masters of composition whose monikers grace the walls in the pantheon of outstanding golf literature. 

But none of those illustrious scribes can match the towering accomplishments of former Golf Magazine and Sports Illustrated’s Alan Shipnuck who holds the record in the annual competition with twelve first-place awards. 

Only the late Hall of Famer, Dan Jenkins comes close with ten first place trophy’s

Shipnuck shared his most recent award with Michael Bamberger for the fictional account of “The Masters That Never Was.” A fanciful account of last year’s Masters if it had been conducted without the restrictions the COVID-19 pandemic placed on the 2020 Tournament. You may access the winning entry here. The Masters That Never Was, Part I: Tiger arrives, and Team Reed grows (golf.com)

A graduate of UCLA and a twenty-five-year veteran of the publishing wars with Sports Illustrated, Golf Magazine, and Golf.com, Shipnuck is the author of six books, including the national bestsellers, “Bud. Sweat, & Tees” and “The Swinger” (also with Michael Bamberger).

He is currently at work on an unauthorized biography with Phil Mickelson.

I was invited to join in on a rambling and unscripted conversation held by the Shivas Irons Society, conducted by Executive Director Ben Kline, as Shipnuck made the surprising announcement he was severing ties with Golf Magazine and the high-priced New York fifth-avenue rat race, casting his fate to the fickle winds of independent journalism.

Feeling stifled by the restrive boardroom hierarchy of Madison Avenue publishing, Shipnuck is joining forces with former Golf Channel’s Matt Ginella and Alex Upegui in launching a new venture, “The FirePit Collective.”

Together, they are combining their individual and distinctive talents into an enterprising new media company that will produce a website/podcast/platform offering their unique brand of storytelling and golf travel literature that has produced so much award-winning prose along the way.

You may access their new website at. https://thefirepitcollective.com/

And please listen to the entire conversation with Alan here.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Jeff Waters, MBA, is a PGA Master Professional and the President/CEO of Rocky Mountain Golf Enterprises, a Utah-licensed and registered corporation that uses golf as a marketing tool. With over fifty years of experience in the golf industry, Jeff has worn many hats in diverse roles, including as a player, teacher, Head Professional, administrator, and small business owner. Jeff's extensive background includes ten years as a competitive player, ten years as a Head Golf Professional, overseeing the entire golf course operation, three years as the Director of Player Development for Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation, managing, directing, and supervising multiple golf course programs, and over thirty years as a golf coach and instructor at Rocky Mountain Golf Academy, teaching the game. His elite professional status as a fully trained and certified PGA Master Professional highlights his commitment to the sport. This prestigious designation is merited by a small and exclusive group of Golf Professionals worldwide. This wealth of experience in both the sport and business of golf has established Jeff as a highly skilled and knowledgeable expert and one of America's most qualified and accomplished Golf Professionals. In addition to his practical experience, Jeff has a robust academic background, including a BS in Political Science from the University of Utah, graduate studies in Economics and Commercial Recreation, at that school, and a Master's in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. He has also taught undergraduate courses at the University of Utah's College of Health and served as an adjunct professor at Granite Peaks Community School. As a well-known media personality, Jeff's versatility in the golf industry is evident through his work as a celebrated broadcast journalist and radio host. He has traveled extensively nationwide, announcing major sporting events at arenas, ballparks, stadiums, and golf courses for national media outlets and syndicated on the Rocky Mountain Golf Radio Network. A member of the Golf Writers Association of America, Jeff regularly contributes editorial pieces to national print publications and has authored multiple books, essays, and short stories. His work has appeared in numerous domestic and regional periodicals and magazines, such as Utah Golf News, Rocky Mountain Golfer, Golf Today, Utah Fairways, Jackson Hole Golf News, and Utah Golf Magazine. He has also contributed to blogs, podcasts, internet forums, and his website at www.jeffgolfguy.com. Jeff's unwavering dedication and service to the golf industry continue to inspire others, underscoring his deep commitment and affection for the sport, business, and recreation of golf.