Comedian, Heather McMahan. She not only absolutely buried JT in total chug time but she also did it with what I'd assume was a vodka soda or gin and tonic. Still has the carbonation but with an added punch of booze at the end.
Come. Watch with me.
FULL SWING S2: EPISODE 4 THOUGHTS
Thomas the Tank Kim got a full episode this week and it's unclear if that was the right call.
EPISODE TITLE:
Prove It
TAKEAWAY 1:
First episode of the season that I felt like the storytelling was just okay.
I understand thematically why they put Joel and Wyndham together last week—and the episode left me craving more of both. This week, I felt there could've been the same structure with another up and comer who struggled all year instead.
Don't get me wrong, I loved the intro to Tom Kim. I knew very little about him besides he was a golf insider darling. Amazing he was only 20 at the time of filming and had several PGA wins by the end of the season. Also incredible he went pro at age 15.
But outside of that, it felt like they were forcing the idea that he had high expectations and was perhaps falling short. Just looking at the Major finishes, he went T16 at his FIRST Masters, he went T8 at the US Open, and he finished T2 with a torn ankle at The Open.
I'm having a hard time seeing where the disappointment is.
TAKEAWAY 2:
I need infinitely more practice round anecdotes and content.
I always assumed that practice rounds were just opportunities for buddies to go play with one another in a lower stress environment.
But the revelation that they also use them to size up one another as we saw JT and Spieth teasing Tom throughout makes me wonder if pairings like Brooks and Rory before last year's Masters had a more sinister undertone.
Sure they said it was for diplomatic reasons and whatever. Couldn't you also see Brooks asking Rory to play as a mental game. Almost daring Rory to come play.
Especially for the bigger events where you see up and comers like Gordon Sargent being paired with marquee players—I now wonder if it's all "earn your stripes" kind of vibes out there. Layer in guys like Phil back in the day who likely was baiting these hotheaded young players into massive on-course bets... the sharks are out.
TAKEAWAY 3:
Love Tom Kim.
If the goal was to create this season's lovable teddy bear then mission accomplished. I was eating up all the little quirks and personality pieces we got throughout.
The framed Thomas the Tank Engine in his entry hall—just a classic purchase made by a 20 year old. It's like my own framed Hanksy pop culture art piece depicting Tom Hanks on the body of a rat... that I got within my first year or two of living in Los Angeles. The whole point was to buy stuff just because you can and no one will say otherwise. But then you get home and realize you have a giant Thomas the Tank Engine that needs to live somewhere in your place now.
The mud incident seen above completely fell off my radar. And not knowing Tom meant it was just kind of funny to me in the moment. But with the background of this episode, it added a whole new appreciation for it.
And the crowning moment was the EXTREMELY relatable monkey brain explanation. As Tom drives to Augusta, passing Waffle Houses and Zaxbys, describing how he is in constant battle with his monkey brain. A monkey brain that screams at him to eat something bad.
I say all this, sitting on my couch, eating a sausage mushroom pan pizza from Domino's with mango habanero dipping sauce and a few parmesan bread bites on the side. My monkey brain is strong.
EPISODE GRADE:
C
Echoing my first takeaway, this was the first meh episode. Could've used a balance to Tom in some way but can't fault it too much as Tom had plenty of RIZZ to carry things.
Let's try this again
TGL: TAKE TWO
After the absolute onslaught of PR drops at the end of last season around Tiger and Rory's new tech-enabled golf league, the TGL—we finally got signs that there is life again.
For those who don't recall (OR DON'T READ THIS NEWSLETTER), the TGL was scheduled to kick off in January of this year before a storm blew a hole in the roof of the original venue.
Since then, the TGL team decided to pivot to an actual building with, ya know, a rigid roof that could withstand the months of tropical storms that Florida gets each year.
And this week we got the premiere dates for the first three matches along with a
colorful acid trip of a video narrated by Rickie Fowler for what to expect.
Nothing too groundbreaking besides a tease of timeouts for teams to ice the other and something called a "hammer" to up the stakes.
Premiere date? January 7th.
And then I'll just leave this comment on the TGL YouTube here... oof.
That's right—it's not just the next generation of golf—it's banking, baby!
If that doesn't get you pumped...
Speaking of massive screens
STADIUM-STYLE SPORTS PUB
This one isn't golf news YET. But the story here is that ESPN just partnered with an experiential technology company called COSM that will be opening venues in Los Angeles and Dallas.
These shared reality spaces will feature an enormous 8k video screen, spatial audio capabilities, and now (with ESPN) the rights to a bunch of sports.
The result? Potentially the coolest sports pub experience I could imagine. Because you know what other sports property ESPN holds the television rights to?... The Masters.
Imagine if you could have 180 degree+ views of the tournament, being able to wander around "in the crowd" and hear different quality of audio as you walk.
It's basically what is being promised with the Apple Vision Pro but in a shared space so you and your crew can be drinking, eating, and enjoying the immersive sports experience together.
Count me in.
The course is secondary at this point
LOGO DROPS GALORE
I f^&@#& love golf logos.
And we got two highly anticipated logos in the last few weeks.
The first, seen above, is from Dream Golf—Mike Kaiser's company. Mike being the mastermind behind Bandon Dunes and Sand Valley.
Rodeo Dunes is a new development going up in Colorado just outside of Denver. "A place where the feel of rugged Irish links blends with the mystique and romance of the American West."
D&@# this guy knows his way around a story. And for the logo? I'm in. Already checked back with their site to see about tee times. Turns out you need a course first... which is still a ways out.
But I can join as a Founding Member if they will take Tiny Putters membership as an acceptable club.
The second drop was Pinehurst's 10th course—named Pinehurst Sandmines.
And look, I'm no graphic designer. ("Uhoh, here comes some completely off-base design critique," you're probably thinking.)
But it's giving Canva.
Especially since it has to live in a family with an iconic logo like this...
I don't know why you went vector here. It feels flat and lifeless to me. Where's the character?
Sandmines is such an interesting concept and the backstory is there. "Sand mined in Aberdeen was shipped along the adjoining railroad for building projects all over the United States, notably including another North Carolina landmark – the construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway."
Excellent.
So why can't we draw from the putting boy for some rustic/vintage feel. Instead this feels like a logo that, if it isn't already, will be dated in 5? years.
But hey, like I said, I'm no graphic designer. So I look forward to someone out there emailing me to say how wrong I am and this is actually inspired from a famous pen and ink artist in the 40's whose works go for millions of dollars at auction.
Until then, give me like 10 hours on Canva and I'll get close.
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