Fore the Ladies Golf Podcast

Your favorite duo is back to preview the first women's major championship of the season, The 2024 Chevron Championship.

Before we dive in, we recap Nelly's epic 3-week run and follow the preview with some news and notes over the last few weeks.

Abby and Justin return to cover the LPGA Asian Swing just in the nick of time before the tour returns to the U.S., for the Fir Hills Se Ri Pak Championship. They discuss:

Wins:

- Honda LPGA Thailand: Patty Tavatanakit

- HSBC World Women’s Championship: Hannah Green

- Blue Bay LPGA: Bailey Tardy 

- Is Lydia Ko saving her HOF win for a major? (lol)

Epson Tour and Ladies European Tour updates, the college standings, things we missed in Q1 and more.

This week we welcome Casey Landman of No Laying Up to the Fore the Ladies podcast! We discuss Casey's career arc and how *getting involved* led to working in a role she loves.

We recap the 2023 Solheim Cup where the European team retained the cup. The golf was stellar at this year's competition, so we name our MVPs, LVPs, and talk about next year's edition at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club back on U.S. soil.

This episode's player spotlight is Gemma Dryburgh and we give a special shout out to University of Florida Assistant Coach Beth Wu for her team's win at the Inverness Intercollegiate this week!

This week we're featuring another inspiring woman in the golf industry on the Ladies of Golf podcast: Anna Kittelson, P.J. Boatwright Intern at the Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP). Anna is GAP's first intern focused on adaptive golf and is helping the association bring their adaptive program to life.

We talk about Anna's "late start" to the game, her college experience and how caretaking for a young adult made her realize how golf can a perfect outlet. As one of our youngest guests, we hope you'll share this episode with someone in high school or college who is on their journey to figuring out the next step!

Hi all! We hope you had a great Labor Day weekend and are gearing up for fall golf. This is the time of year that we evaluate our golf wardrobe for the coming season and are so excited to have added Honors to ours. Today we welcome the three founders of Honors: Amy Anderson, Huntley Rodes and Jenna Walter.

The trio all picked up golf throughout their lives and found the limited golf apparel options they had to choose from to be ill-fitting, bright colors and prints that didn't match their preferred style and aesthetic. We chatted about how their individual experiences came together to create this beautiful, modern and chic brand that we can't wait for you to explore!

Abby is joined by guest co-host Sara H. while Justin is out inspiring the youth and coaching high school golf.

This week we recap the latest on the LPGA Tour, including Celine Boutier's wins at both the Evian and Women's Scottish. We also preview the AIG Women's Open, chat U.S. Women's Amateur and search our way through the Solheim Cup team standings.

AIG Women’s Open Coverage 

• Thursday: 6AM-1PM, USA

• Friday: 6AM-1PM, USA

• Saturday: 7AM-2PM, USA

• Sunday: 7AM-Noon, USA; Noon-2PM, NBC

Abby and Justin are off to a chaotic start but pull it together for a U.S. Women's Open recap! We celebrate Allisen Corpuz's win and this iconic week in golf. Next we cover this week's Dana Open, in which Justin will be representing FTL as media this week! Keep an eye out for him on the grounds and if you see him, get a FTL sticker ;)

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Justin takes the hosting responsibilities this week as he welcomes guest co-host Stephanie Kruse (aka Justin's better half). The duo recap the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, preview the course and players competing in the 78th U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links and of course share their experiences in golf along the way.

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Ladies of Golf is back and this time we're chatting with Courtney Engle, Manager of Mechanical Engineering at Titleist. Courtney works in golf ball research and development and her enthusiasm for this field is contagious. Learn about golf ball development, aerodynamics, and how to pair your passion with your work.

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Abby and Justin take the mic for a post-Chevron podcast that includes recaps from the last few weeks on the LPGA. They discuss:

• Chevron Championship: Major vibes?
• JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro: Hannah Green's emotional win
• International Crown: Is Thailand a powerhouse?
• Cognizant Founders Cup: The LPGA's Players championship?
• Super solid upcoming events on the LPGA schedule
• Solheim Cup standings
• NCAA D1 Women's Championship: Will Stanford defend?
• Player spotlight: Cheyenne Knight

Justin and Abby are coming to you live from Toledo, where they've reunited to play golf and talk all things women's golf. This episode includes:

• Quick recaps of the LPGA Drive On Championship, DIO Implant LA Open and LOTTE Championship
• Augusta National Women's Amateur Recap
• Chevron Championship preview: The course, our picks and coverage

Thanks as always for your support and please feel free to give us a rating and review on both Apple and Spotify!

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Christine Fraser is a golf course architect. She has worked alongside world-renowned architect Dr. Martin Hawtree on projects including but not limited to: Dooks golf club; Lahinch Golf Club; Royal Aberdeen Golf Club; Royal Birkdale Golf Club; Tralee Golf Club and the list goes on. She has recently made Canadian golf history when she was hired as the first female architect to undertake a comprehensive Master Plan at the Toronto Hunt Club. And we're so honored to have her here today for the Ladies of Golf podcast!

Katie Byrnes is founder of Jayebird Golf, a women’s golf apparel brand based in Arizona. Jayebird was born out of a love for style, need for function, and desire to inspire more women to get into the game of golf. Katie hosted a trunk show at our FTL golf clinic in Scottsdale in 2022 and we’re so excited to reunite with her today on Ladies of Golf!

Coming off our third-annual Fore the Ladies Golf Getaway to Pinehurst Resort, we're sitting down with Laura Robinson, Director of Retail of the resort. Laura's experience in retail spans more than 30 years and she has overseen the operation at Pinehurst since October 2012. We discuss the wide variety of golf apparel and accessory brands, the evolution of retail, representing female fashion at the resort, how brands get into Pinehurst Resort's retail shops and so much more.

Abby and Justin mix it up for the next episode of the Mixed Bag podcast, where we talk about all things women's competitive golf. We do quick recaps of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions (Brooke Henderson, champion), Honda LPGA Thailand (Lilia Vu, champion) and HSBC Women's World Championship (Jin Young Ko) as well as recent Ladies European Tour tournaments. 

We then preview what's ahead on the LPGA, Rose Zhang's dominance on the collegiate circuit, International Crown and Solheim Cup standings, the Grant Thornton Invitational, LPGA news and notes and more! 

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Thanks to Goodr sunglasses for supporting the Fore the Ladies podcast! Justin and Abby have been rocking their sunglasses on and off the golf course, and with dozens of styles to choose from at an affordable price point - there's something for everyone. 

Janet Craig (JC) Cruise joins the Fore the Ladies podcast just before our FTL Meetup in Chicago this February! JC is the third-generation President and Owner of Jan Craig Headcovers. Jan Craig Headcovers was founded more than 60 years ago and each of their custom headcovers is 100% handknit in the United States. With clients like Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Nelly and Jessica Korda, you know there's something special. 

JC shares her path to the family business and how her experiences led her to becoming President of the legacy brand. We discuss balancing a modern mindset with retro feel, making connections in the industry, the evolution of Jan Craig Headcovers and so much more. 

Our Golf 101 series returns for a special episode answering all of our questions about Handicap Indexes and GHIN. A huge thank you to Ainsley Kuppler (Handicap Index: 39.6) and Frances Nee (Handicap Index: 26.5) of the United States Golf Association for breaking it down for us. 

Some of the questions we tackle include: 

• Why should you get one? 
• What will it add to my golf game? 
• How is it calculated? 
• Once I sign up, how do I establish my Handicap Index? 
• What if I don't keep score on every hole? 
• Where do I post my scores? 
• Does my "number" matter? 

We're joined by Michelle Penney, who is a Principal Engineer of Product Development at TaylorMade Golf. Yeah, she's a pretty big deal. Michelle started her career in auto design, working for companies like Acura and Nissan, but moved into a golf career 14 years ago. Also incredibly important ... Michelle participated in The Lily at Pinehurst Resort last year and we’re so grateful to have her today on the Fore the Ladies podcast!

We discuss how Michelle got her start in the automobile industry, bringing her engineer and design skills to golf, creating equipment for the best golfers in the world, encouraging more women to become engineers in the golf industry and so much more. 

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Today we are joined by Katie McBee, Director of Digital Content Partnerships at NBC Sports Group. Before entering her current role, Katie was a digital content lead for tournaments and tours at the PGA Tour and a partnership manager at the American Junior Golf Association. 

Katie shares how her experience in creating content for golf became transferable for all sports when she moved to NBC Sports Group. From creating TikToks at the Kentucky Derby to being part of the insane atmosphere of the Ryder Cup, Katie has seen so much of the sports landscape. 

We love this episode for anyone curious about creating digital and social media content, and aspiring digital content creators for teams, leagues and brands. Thanks to Katie for her time and we hope to see her covering the Olympics very soon. 

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Dr. Carly Hunt returns to the podcast for the second part of our series about golf psychology. We discuss developing mental toughness, getting into an ideal performance state, behaviors and rituals, dealing with setbacks, avoiding burnout and more. We enjoyed connecting these topics to our everyday lives, too, and hope it brings an edge to your golf game to take you to the next level! 

Mixed Bag is back for the 2023 season and to give us a preview of the LPGA's year ahead, we welcome Beth Ann Nichols of Golfweek! We talk about the schedule, new events on our radars, predictions for the majors and rookies, and what we're looking forward to in 2023. 

Justin and Abby dive into this week's Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and pick their celebrity foursomes (this week is a pro-am). Finally, we kick off our new series, Player Spotlights, where we introduce you to LPGA Tour players and their stories. 

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This week we welcome the absolutely incredible Hally Leadbetter, who is a broadcaster, host, producer and social media content creator.

To take it all the way back, Hally played junior golf at a high level, ultimately earning a scholarship to the University of Arkansas. Two years in, she transferred to Rollins College where she ranked No. 10 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and led her team to winning the 2016 NCAA DII Championship.

Post graduation, Hally played professional golf, but ultimately decided to pair her passion for golf with her new-found interest in media. In 2017, she started working in social media for Golf Digest and, subsequently, the PGA TOUR as a digital producer and host. In 2019, she returned to Golf Digest to head up their social content team. And most recently, Hally has launched a podcast with Michelle Wie West called Golf, Mostly!

Abby and Hally discuss the trajectory of Hally's career, expanding beyond golf and manifesting her passions into reality. This episode is packed with helpful advice for anyone looking to get into the industry and identifying ways to create the job you want. 

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Happy New Year from Fore the Ladies! We're kicking off 2023 with Caroline Tanis CDFA MBA, financial advisor, strategist and speaker. She is helping us plan and build our dream golf life with advice for our wallets and financial mindset. Abby and Caroline discuss saving for that dream golf trip, small behaviors that control our spending on the course (and in the pro shop), and how to decide when to save or splurge. 

This week we welcome Elyssa Nastalski, co-founder of Dogwood Country Club, Raleigh’s first urban country club which is an indoor golf facility. Prior to launching Dogwood, Elyssa worked for a golf startup leading their marketing efforts and working her way into becoming a company partner. She recently oversaw the development of Dogwood Country Club's new location, just north of downtown Raleigh.

Elyssa shares the journey that brought her and her husband to launching Dogwood in 2018, from the original concept to adding staff and designing their dream space. Abby and Elyssa discuss the different types of entrepreneurs, how to keep going and find times of peace. We hope you enjoy this conversation and that it encourages you to chase your dreams in 2023!

Today we are joined by Joanna Coe, PGA Director of Instruction at Merion Golf Club. Prior to joining Merion, she was Director of Instruction at Baltimore Country Club. Joanna has been the Middle Atlantic Women’s PGA Player of the Year six times and was named the inaugural OMEGA Women’s PGA Professional Player of the Year in 2020. Before her career in golf instruction, she competed on the now named Epson Tour and played collegiate golf at Rollins College.

Abby and Joanna discuss her experience on the LPGA developmental tour (now named the Epson Tour), being contracted as a golf instructor for the United States Air Force, the state of female PGA Professionals and so much more.

Today's guest, Kira K. Dixon, is a reporter for NBC Universal and has been a contributor to USGA and Golf Pass digital content. Before becoming a staple in golf media, Kira earned the Miss America title for 2015. 

Kira shares her journey with us, from her first live hit for Golf Channel to covering even more sports for NBC. We discuss perfecting your craft, where and how to ask for feedback, playing golf on the road, her must-haves for travel and so much more. 

Supporters: 

This week on Ladies of Golf, Abby is joined by Beth Wu, who is assistant coach of the University of Florida women’s golf team. She began her coaching career after spending the last three years on the Epson Tour. She posted four top-10 finishes on the LPGA feeder tour and in 2021 she finished 11th on the Epson Tour money list.

Highlights of Beth’s amateur golf career include: medaling at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur, being ranked as the #1 junior when joining the UCLA team in 2015, reaching the semifinals of the 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur, being a member of the 2016 U.S. Curtis Cup team, winning twice while at UCLA, and earning many awards like All-American, All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention and more.

Ladies of Golf is back for another season! Hosted by FTL founder and president Abby Liebenthal, meet women who work, play and love the game, while we dive into advice that will help you on the course, in the conference room and beyond.

Abby and Justin reunite after a month of LPGA Tour and women's college golf. The pair talk about Abby's upcoming golf trip with Justin's wife and putting yourself in competitive situations. For this episode's golf recap, they discuss: 

• Epson Tour 2022 grads, success rate of the 2021 grads 
• The state of the LPGA's winners so far 
• The AmazingCre Portland Classic, Walmart Arkansas NW Championship, Ascendant LPGA and MEDIHEAL Championship 
• Remainder of the 2022 season coming to a close
• Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown returns to the 2023 schedule
• Women's college golf: Stanford vs. Wake Forest 

Abby avoids her honeymoon blues and Justin shares his experience competing in a LPGA Pro-Am in episode 16 of the Mixed Bag podcast. The pair is back for the first time since the AIG Women's Open, so they discuss:

• First time winners at the ISPS Handa World Invitational and CP Women's Open
• The awesome crowds who came out for the CP (Canadian) Women's Open
• Our hometown event of the Dana Open (and what we think can be brought to the event)
• Upcoming events: The new Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G, AmazingCre Portland Classic, Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G, Ascendant LPGA benefitting Volunteers of America 
• News: Stanford Women's Golf, LPGA Q-School and more

It's still #CoffeeGolfSzn for the final major of the season at the AIG Women's Open at Muirfield! Abby returns to the pod for a live conversation at Casa de Justin where they talk about Muirfield's history, make their picks that they'll regret later and recap their competitive seasons at the home club. 

Coverage

USA

Thursday: 6 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Friday: 6 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Saturday: 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Sunday: 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.

NBC

Saturday: 12-3 p.m.

Sunday: 12-3 p.m.