Chapter 1: What is discussed at the start of this section?
Be the right club. Be the right club today.
That's better than most. How about him? That is better than most.
Better than most. Expect anything different.
ladies and gentlemen welcome to an extremely extremely special episode of the no laying up podcast solly here joined by a couple co-hosts and a guest today uh who is going to take us through something i don't know if i've ever been more like anxious and nervous for a podcast dj pie is here with me hello beach hello solly i yeah let's just get into it good to be here big randy is here the only remaining strap boy hello big randy
Hi, guys. My guys played Cyprus last year.
What are we talking about?
And the man of the hour, Mr. Icarito, Neil Schuster. What are you going to be telling us about today, Neil?
Oh, man, I played Augusta National Golf Club. I played golf out there yesterday. Hit the shots, gentlemen. Absolutely hit the shots. Fantastic day. It was awesome. It was hot. It was a battle. I think we rocked them, though, is what I'm going to say. We absolutely rocked them.
For the listeners' sake, we have zero details as we are about to break this down with Neil. We are in the exact same spot that you are in. We have no idea what he shot. I'm now inclined to believe he played well based on that statement, but I don't know anything of any one single shot. This is all going to be news to us as it is news to you.
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Chapter 2: What was Neil's experience playing Augusta National?
Yeah, it's, it's a very, it's like everything, you know, you gotta print out your, your press credential on paper. Uh, I was number 57, you know, you, you tear a, a lottery ticket, you stick it in a, uh, like a suggestion box and.
Uh, yeah, I was out on the golf course and I was, I came in pretty frazzled and Sally, I know you said like when you walk in from the course, there's a TV that was displaying the names, but it, it, I hit it just at the time when it said, uh, phones are prohibited in the interview room.
know and so i walked by and and didn't see my name so sally uh i actually let carson my wife know she uh you know she's like you need to call me so i called her and and uh or sally called her acting like it was cody gave me the phone i thought something was wrong she let me know that i was playing augusta national on monday so You know, I did a lot of recon. You know, I'm in the ARCOS app.
I'm looking at, like, what are we going to do here? So I had some specific shots I was looking forward to hitting. But let's just get to it. Pre-round, my tee time was 1230. You are allowed on the property at exactly 1130. No questions asked. I had a nice little sit down. I had a great stretch session. I had a nice little sit down at the Waffle House. I then drove up Washington Road.
So I ended up sitting in a Salvation Army parking lot because I wanted to make a right turn and then a quick left into Magnolia Lane. I didn't want to wait at a light. I know you were in the Christian bookstore. So I went down, kind of scouted out, drove past Magnolia Lane, took the first left.
These are the kinds of things that champions file away.
What time did you pull it? I pulled it at exactly 1130. And there's one car ahead of me. And it was quick. I had my physical invitation.
piece of paper i had it ready to go the uh the guards waved you through i mean it's like they got these pillars like uh steel pillars that come out of the ground like really fast they'll just like pop up uh i mean i've never been to the white house but it kind of felt like that but in the salvation army parking lot i sat there for about 25 minutes uh and i did i was just putting a little playlist together i couldn't decide on what song so i i had uh megalomaniac by incubus
shout out to dj kilmore who was on site um and i just felt like My energy was, you know, I needed, I tried to play some jazz. Like, that jazz isn't working. Like, I need some juice. I had Heart in a Cage by The Strokes. Sure. Shout out to Spieth. I had JTR by Dave Matthews, the Boulder 2002 live version, which is a pretty feel-good, high-energy song.
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Chapter 3: What were the challenges Neil faced during his round?
Hysteria by Muse, which was a little too heavy. Yeah. And then Hurricane Season by Trombone Shorty. I'm just cycling through these, seeing what I'm feeling. But we settled on...
working man by rush it was always right and that's what i played coming down magnolia lane i wanted a blue collar day out there randy five o'clock i'm looking for an ice cold beer okay um because there's nothing going on around here um And yeah, I just it was kind of I wanted to go out and have I wanted to hit some some electric shots and that that song always gets me jacked up to go play.
You know, it's pretty heavy. Some people may disagree with that selection, but it made me laugh when I rolled up to the clubhouse.
hey the magnolias uh they're they're kind of gnarly like they're low they got mangled like they've been there for 150 years it looks like they're not like the magnolias you see out on the course that are very tall and and and wide these are a lot like lower slung to the ground so that that was a surprise and then i think the member range normally is on either side of magnolia lane they only use the tournament driving range which we used uh i think during the jamboree for the members which is like in early march
and then for the anwa and for the masters uh so and drive chip and butt uh so i i rolled up i had sally to your uh um advice i had my golf bag ready to go who's ready like just plug and play we're not we're not messing around at the trunk we got an hour okay so we we were like give me i got my shoe bag i'm walking right into the clubhouse up the stairs to the champions locker room i was locker number seven
Do you guys have any guesses on whose locker that is? He played this year, I'll tell you that. Ulf Abel. No. Fred Couples. No. Mike Weir. No, it was Vijay Singh and Sam Snead.
Sure.
Big homie Sam, I don't think, was using it, so they let me move in. It was over on the left side when you walk into the Champions locker room. You get to see the dining room up there where they have the Champions dinner. And it's really not shocking, but really cool. Like, the masters, the grounds, everything feels so big.
Vistas and, you know, big hills and, you know, even all the, like, the merch and the Berkmans. Everything's just massive. Like, the brand is just massive. You get in the clubhouse, it's so cozy. It's almost, like, claustrophobic. Low ceilings. There's a ton of art on the walls everywhere. So the walls are... Like cluttered is not the right word, but just a lot of collages of pictures everywhere.
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Chapter 4: How did Neil prepare for his round at Augusta National?
Similar to you. Like, I want to know what I shot. And I can always, I can now hang my hat on. I know exactly what I shot at Augusta National. It is a real deal score for me.
Can I let me let me set the line because I asked everybody on our team to send in their score predictions and we can go through it. We kind of lock those in the envelope. We'll go through. I said, send through what you think he's going to shoot and one specific prediction. And everybody sent me their stuff.
Those those all averaged out to eighty one and a half, which I think is a pretty good line. Okay. So if you're, you know, for the listeners at home, you take it right now over under 81 and a half. I feel like I'm hammering the under based on the way he's talking, the way he's feeling. Sure. Sure.
He's like, no, I shot 88, but I had so much fun guys. I have one more stage setting question. You talked about the driving range, but I'm actually more curious about the, practice putts and your initial reaction to the speed of the practice green and just any first reactions to hitting some putts there.
Yeah, terrifying. Candidly, really fast and kind of grainy, like bumpy. Like not in a bad, like just grainy. Bumpy is the wrong word, but like, oh man, like- Bumpy is not going to get you invited back. No, it's not bumpy, but it's like, I mean, like I'd say half, I mean, they were almost like 17 look purple. Yeah. I mean, just like-
ride man and so that leads to some like oh man like the the ball will uh it just moves the ball moves and uh swings in in places where you're like that i kind of fooled by like whoa that's a lot more downhill and then the ones that look like they're on a big hill like because of grain they're not rolling as fast so there's just like subtle do they water them overnight did it feel like i i
I didn't feel like they were chewed up from like around the holes that the, from, you know, spikes that felt like they, you know, a lot of foot traffic. So I didn't seem like they'd done much overnight.
is that's how i want it i mean joe said to me he's like this is as hard as it plays he was like this place is like turned up to nine or ten right now this is he's like they they kind of do it up for the jamboree but like i mean this is it these pins are this is some this is tough man this is tough he was great i love joe he was great he's like let's go have a day man it's hard
So who made up the rest of your group? So I had Brentley Romine. She's a golf writer for Golf Channel. Comfy, like we were vibing. My guy Francisco, an Argentinian from Golf Channel Latin America. Jolly. I got more to come on Francisco. But he was a first-time covering the Masters, first-time lottery winner. How about that? And then Noah.
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Chapter 5: What were the key moments during Neil's round at Augusta National?
I was literally on the paint that outlines the lower part of the crosswalk on the upslope. I had 91 yards to the flag. It rolled over to the right side. We wanted a 100 to 102-yard shot.
Are we thinking spin control here? Yes, we are.
We can't see one rolling back. I hit 54, back of my stance, choked up. Gorgeous shot. Probably landed it. You can't see it, but I asked Francisco, he said landed like eight feet, eight yards past it and came back to seven feet. Just upright on the proper shelf, slightly downhill slider. Yeah, boy. Missed it on the high side. Come on. You can't tease us like this. I missed it on the high side.
Couldn't make any putts.
I mean, it looked like it was going to rip. After the putt on eight, I wanted to get it to the hole. It was a good putt. I mean, I thought it was going to fall in. I kind of had the Phil meme with the guy in the background. You know, like, I'm down. You know, my caddy standing behind me like... Uh, yeah. So that one, that one stunk.
Cause I was hoping, I was like, God, let's get a birdie head in the back nine. We're going to be running downhill. Randy could have shot a 32 coming in. I know. So 42 on the front gentlemen, 42, four, I'd say, you know, four of seven fairways, seven greens, 21 putts. Ain't going to get it done.
um putts i well i made a you know five footer on four and uh slider like a little three foot slider on three so i felt good about about those but yeah i just didn't lag putts on five and eight cost me big time and then i just didn't make the ten footers it's uh seven greens shooting 42 is like oh yeah well that's that's the experience there you go that's it man but i mean like i say this all the time golf's fun from the fairway like i had a blast like i feel like i hit some
Like, definitely hit more good shots than bad ones. I had one just rogue miss on the first tee. You know, you take that away, and that's a, you know, you're probably shooting 40. So, hey, it's going to happen. So, I'm thrilled heading into the back nine. Great. You saw Rafael Nadal coming off 18. He's finishing up his round.
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Chapter 6: How did Neil feel about his performance on the front nine?
And I got to give credit again to Nadal. He was walking step for step with Rory Saturday and Sunday out there. That guy got his steps in all weekend. Yeah. So roll down to 10T, grab a Snickers bar, some peanut butter crackers, chug the water. We're ready to go. I hit three wood.
How long did it take you to play the front nine? Any idea?
I didn't have any watch or phone on. But I would say it was two hours. It wasn't... Not bad for a four ball. Pace was tough on... Four, five, and six. And then a little wait on eight, and then we were good. No wait on 12? Well, I haven't gotten there yet. I got a little slow through A-man corner. But the front nine, there was just a couple choke points, which the caddies kind of called out.
They're like, we're going to get two par threes coming through here. It's a pace problem. All right, so 10. I hit three wood. Definitely the right club. I hit a really good one. I over-executed, Deej. Turned it around the corner tight. But it went okay? Yeah, yeah. We thought it was going to be in the second cut. It leaked into just into the pine straw, blocked out by a bush.
So I had to punch it out sideways. Took my medicine. Got it almost up to a flat spot on the right side of the fairway. but still just a little bit of a hanger. So right center of the fairway, I had... We had 163, 164 in to that back left pin, kind of middle back left on 10. Ball's slightly above my feet. We put in nine iron because wind's now coming. Feels like it's coming in.
And this is where, again, I just subtly... I kind of canceled out my baking recipe a little bit. I put... The nine iron, I needed, I felt like with the wind, I need a little juice on the nine, but I'm aimed. I don't know. I thought I would cancel out. I hit a, like, a really well-compressed shot, but it starts moving left on me, which is the cop's ball. Like, oh, my God, no, get on the ground.
Like, just feels like the world's falling away from me there.
Down by where Dan Poole putted it in the playoffs, according to Craig Sadler.
That's right.
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Chapter 7: What challenges did Neil face on the back nine?
Uh, yeah. So I, it landed just on the fringe left side. So it wasn't a huge, like it wasn't a tidal wave, but I just, I got to line that one up on the left edge of the right bunker. And I just, I was misaligned there for that, for how that ball's going to come out. I didn't account for the ball being above my feet.
I, it trickles down into the state in the grass, uh, just into the second cut, uh, a little bit of a clanky chip, got it up to about five,
14 probably 14 15 feet up the hill for bogey um that that was for bogey left that one about a cup short made double damn it that just was like a like you know a couple again nothing on that hole that was egregious three wood just to overcook the three wood a little bit and that you know take my medicine and then i just didn't i was gonna have to hit a really good recovery shot uh on that approach and i didn't execute so how far kind of a kind of a granny kind of a pinehurst number two double
Like, huh? Yeah. Like, damn. They're way too easy. I didn't see. That was a very elegant double.
Yeah. How far was it playing from your tee?
It was 450. And probably playing exactly that. So, you know, because I chipped out almost like 90 yards.
I was going to say, you had to punch it out like dead sideways, it sounds like.
But I'm guessing it got held up, you know, turning left. I probably would have had, like, 130, 120 into that if I hit that 3-wood a little straighter. So, right club, you know, just maybe not the best swing, but I'm just going to repeat, like, not when I watched that ball, I was like, oh, that felt like a decent shot, you know?
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Chapter 8: What reflections did Neil have after completing his round?
I just overturned it. I did what I was trying to do. I was trying to turn it, and it just was just a tighter draw than I wanted. Sure.
All right, well, now it's time to go eat.
Yeah, baby. So, no, and so I'm walking through the woods. Awesome walk behind 10. You know, you kind of walk through a little, like, forest trail to get to 11T. And I was in a great mood. I was like, fuck that double hook. And now it's like, okay, I'm eight over. I'm like, man, I'm going to hit the shots, Randy. That's my mindset. We're going to hit the shots. We came here to hit the shots.
We came here to hit the shots, all right? Like, come what may through this back nine. I had this drive planned out the night before and I hit second serve down 11 fairway. The target was the right side of the scoreboard down over the pond. You can see it's just sitting there like right on the horizon.
a fucking awesome shot guys i didn't leave the right side of the scoreboard i mean caddies were just like giving me the field goals like hell yeah you know it was awesome it's a bummer francisco hit a good one down there we all we were all in play coming you know just rolling down into amen corner so that was great wind is straight into us uh coming up from the green uh i'm down on the left side of the fairway i had 118 to the stick uh right over the pond
It was awesome. I was a little bit stuck on this one between clubs. 118 is my favorite number in the bag. DJ, you know this. For sure. The number I want before I die. But with the wind, and I was a little concerned about, like, with the wind compressing a 48 degree. Like, that is a solid 48. I did not want to spin one back into the water.
And now thinking back, I'm like, ah, you're probably not going to spin one there. But I just, I went with 44, kind of a knockdown 44. And I hit an awesome shot. It was just a little too much club. And I ended up about...
uh five four or five paces directly just right of the flag on the back of the green so back bunker left corner that back bunker um i mean it was just a bullet and really really really good swing hit my target just a little too much club so i had about a 30 35 footer down the hill Um, and I almost jarred it. I left it probably six inches to the right.
It didn't, it didn't turn left like as much as we thought it would tap in par thrilled. Oh, um, I played that whole fantastic.
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