Talking Golf With the Golf Guy Season 7 Episode 5 The 2022 PGA Championship. With Justin Thomas
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Talking Golf With the Golf Guy Season 7 Episode 5 The 2022 PGA Championship. With Justin Thomas

In my fifty-plus years as a PGA Professional, whether as a Player, Administrator, Journalist, Broadcaster, or Blogger, I’ve played in, administered, and covered hundred’s Golf Tournaments globally. I’ve journeyed to and visited most of the famous and celebrated Golf cities, states, and countries worldwide.

2022 PGA Champion Justin Thomas

Including the 2022 PGA Championship contested this past week at the Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which Justin Thomas won in a playoff to capture his second PGA title.

Full disclosure.

Of all the places I’ve been to, Tulsa, Oklahoma, is my least favorite destination spot anywhere. There are so many things that are not pleasing or likable about the city or state.

These are just a few examples.

The weather is deplorable. Miserly hot and humid in the spring and summer. Massive thundershowers, lightning, and tornados are routine. And can sneak up without the slightest warning.

The city reeks of an ever-present and sharply distinct petroleum smell that permeates the air, environment, and setting while a cloud of unescapable dust covers its entirety.

And its nightlife consists of knock-off barbeque joints and lowlife honky tonks trying to mimic and overhaul Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys’ Western Swing music from the fifties.

None of it works for me.

So why, you ask? Do the United States Golf Association, The PGA of America, and The PGA Tour keep returning to a God-forsaken Indian reservation, in the middle of the dust bowl, Oil Capital of the world?

One reason, and one reason only.

For all its negatives Tulsa, Oklahoma, has one of the finest Championship Golf Courses in the world.

Seventeen Major Golf Championships since 1945 have been contested over the magnificent Perry Maxwell design, including three United States, Opens and five PGA Championships, including the one just concluded. The most PGA’s of any courses present-day. The list of Champions who have prevailed on this golf course read like a veritable who’s who in the world of golf.

TigerWoods, Nick Price, Babe Zahartais, Dave Stockton, Raymond Floyd, Tommy Bolt, Hubert Green, Alex Cejka, Retief Goosen, Tom Lehman, and now Justin Thomas join this esteemed list of great Champions.

I had the opportunity to listen to Justin’s Championship interview after his play on Sunday.

Please, Listen Here.

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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.