00:00Dan Dickerson on the call Tigers win six and one in June.
00:04We'll talk more about them in 802 kind of a dingler day.
00:08Yes, you might say that it's been a kind of a dingler month along with a couple other guys.
00:14But last night was a big spotlight on hey, is this guy going to be the all-star catcher in
00:17the American League and the race is heating up and the Tigers needed to heat up to get back in
00:22it.
00:22So we'll get to him at 802.
00:26Last year, the rocket classic just announced yesterday.
00:30And it's for a variety of reasons, right?
00:32I mean, they say it's sagging attendance.
00:34They couldn't get marquee golfers.
00:36The PGA is also shaking up kind of their they want to have track one and track two events in
00:41Detroit kind of falls in the middle.
00:43But we got to be able to make this work.
00:47This is a state that loves golf.
00:49Yes, so we can't go without a PGA event, right?
00:53Well, you wouldn't think so.
00:55And there have been a number of different PGA events.
00:59Hence, there was the Buick Open that ran for a long time.
01:03Ended in 09.
01:04Yeah.
01:04But it was a long time event.
01:05Yeah, it was from like the 40s, 47 or something like that to 09.
01:11And then that went away.
01:12And then obviously the rocket classic.
01:14And you still have a senior tour event there.
01:18The LPGA is going to be in Grand Rapids, I believe, in the middle of June.
01:24Yeah, they've been doing that event.
01:27But everybody wants to see the big dogs.
01:29And that's part of the problem with the rocket classic is you weren't getting you were getting some big names.
01:37But recently, those big names haven't come.
01:41And watching, I went down to when Bryson DeChambeau was playing in the rocket class.
01:47He actually won it one year, came back the next year.
01:51And so you get a chance to see some of those players.
01:54And I would encourage you before it goes away this year, just head down for a couple of hours.
02:00It's a great event.
02:01I'm not a golf guy.
02:02Famously, I have talked about golf, and I've just talked about it on the other day.
02:07I didn't have my putter.
02:08I'm playing my first round of golf.
02:10I'm not classified as a golf guy.
02:13But I do appreciate events.
02:17I like the events.
02:19And I like going to see the best at what they do.
02:22And even though you might not be seeing Scotty Scheffler or whoever else it is, it's not a huge step
02:34away from where those guys are.
02:37When you're sitting there watching a guy that's shooting two or three under par, it's something I'll never do in
02:42my life.
02:42And I'm watching these guys make shots, and it's like, my God, these guys are so good, even though they're
02:49not the best of the best.
02:50We had Phil Mickelson compete one year.
02:53I think Xander Schauffler is in this year's field.
02:56Ricky Fowler has been great about coming to this.
02:59Right, because he's got the sponsorship.
03:02But it has been few and far between.
03:05Ricky Fowler is not a very good golfer anymore.
03:08He's a name that he's struggled for years.
03:12Yeah, right.
03:13That just highlights the lack of elite golfers that have played in this tournament.
03:18So, John, famously, you're not a golf guy.
03:21Neither am I.
03:22But I want the people here to have this event because I know many people listening eat this stuff up.
03:27So, one, why didn't it work in your eyes?
03:29Why haven't you gone to this the last few years attendance has been down?
03:33And how do they create a successful event that lasts?
03:37I've heard some people talk about, because there's so many courses in the state of Michigan, and some of it
03:45is just location.
03:46And some of it is length of course.
03:49Like, some of these golfers are, I mean, they're bombing the ball so much that you've got to have a
03:53certain length of course.
03:55And I've heard that Arcadia Bluffs is just not a long enough course, one or two of the ones at
04:01Bay Harbor.
04:02And then it becomes about hotel rooms.
04:04It comes about, you know, just the logistics of it.
04:09I know Liv last year was near me in Plymouth at St. John's, and they were, I think they had
04:1917 or 18, like, satellite parking situations where they would, you'd park, they'd take your bus in.
04:27And I'm curious if St. John's might be able to pick up a PGA event.
04:34Like, maybe that's a location.
04:37And everybody always goes to Oakland Hills.
04:39Like, why doesn't Oakland Hills do it?
04:41Reportedly, this is in the Detroit News article, Tony Paul had it.
04:44Oakland Hills only wants to host majors.
04:47Right.
04:48And they're going to host the U.S. Open in 2034.
04:52Yes.
04:53And they're going to host a major on the women's side even earlier in 2031.
04:58But as of right now, I know people pointing, hey, they just did these renovations.
05:02It'd be awesome.
05:03They don't want just some random June, July PGA Tour event.
05:06But it's got to be a major or they're just going to keep the door shut and let their members
05:10play and enjoy their beautiful course.
05:12So guess what?
05:13The lowest score ever to win the Rocket Classic is 18 under.
05:17I was going to bring this up.
05:18That happens twice.
05:19Most times it's 20 under or below.
05:21These aren't the best golfers.
05:23These are like most of the names on the list of winners are unknown golfers.
05:27Is it the course just isn't tough enough?
05:29It's that.
05:30It's not long enough.
05:31Like John said, average PGA Tour course is 7,000 to 7,600 yards.
05:36That's average.
05:38You know, you look at a place like I've been looking up numerous lists of best courses in Michigan.
05:44Oakland Hills obviously comes up.
05:46They don't want a routine event, an annual event.
05:49A place like Franklin Hills is mentioned a lot.
05:516,900 yards.
05:53They'd probably tear it up.
05:54Most of Michigan's best golf courses are not in Southeast Michigan, and that's, I think, the problem.
06:00Right.
06:01Well, it's the issue of, like I talked about Bay Harbor and some of those, I don't even know the
06:06length of those courses, but it is the ability to get there.
06:10And I've always thought, why don't we have, why don't some of the best golfers want to come to Michigan
06:16in the summer?
06:17Like there are so many people around the country that say, hey, Michigan in the summer is the place to
06:21be.
06:21Would you want to be golfing in Texas or Arizona in July?
06:26No.
06:27So that seems to me like to be a huge draw where you're going to get nice weather.
06:33You're going to get warm weather, but it's not going to be 110.
06:36Boy, I bet it's a dry heat.
06:39It's a good point.
06:39I know we're biased, but people do say like athletes that end up moving here.
06:43They go, the summers are great.
06:44Yeah.
06:44Summers are great in Michigan.
06:46We should have an event and who knows if someone steps up and picks up the check, but it sounds
06:51like it's 15 million bucks to be tier two or track two, which Detroit doesn't want to be a tier
06:57two event.
06:58They're a big market.
06:59They want to be tier one.
07:00Well, tier one's 30 million.
07:01And in reading more about this, you know, as much as Rocket and Gilbert love the city, they have a
07:07board.
07:07They can't just spend to spend as a charity project.
07:10They don't see the return on doubling their investment in the event as it currently stands.
07:16We got texters are going.
07:17Yeah.
07:17I mean, the courses it's easy.
07:19It's flat.
07:20It's visually boring, too easy to score.
07:22It's just not going to be a marquee PGA event.
07:25So where do you pivot?
07:27Does another sponsor step up to it?
07:29Can we get a series of sponsors to go together to create something?
07:32I don't know.
07:33Or is Michigan just that golfer's paradise for your everyday guy or girl?
07:41Right.
07:41So I like this.
07:42This is this is we're not elitist.
07:44We're for the every man and woman.
07:46Well, like we said, like if we don't have 10 courses that meet the, you know, the requirement in yardage.
07:54We're a blue collar golf state.
07:56We have a lot of courses and we have a lot of golfers.
07:59The opportunity to golf here is great and people love golf.
08:04But if if there are if if there's a lot of public courses and, you know, the private ones don't
08:12want to host these events, then what are you to do?
08:15A lot of grit golf.
08:16Yeah.
08:17Grit golf.
08:17Yes.
08:20Dan Campbell is your caddy.
08:22That might be how you get some good golfers to play here.
08:27Hey, if Scotty, you'll play here.
08:28Dan will be his caddy.
08:29I think you play.
08:30Sure.
08:32He's got to solicit all avenues.
08:34Two, four, eight, five, three, nine, 97, 97.
08:36So what's the advice you get from Dan?
08:38Just hit it harder.
08:39I told you swing harder.
08:42That's always the answer.
08:43Reckless.
08:43Yeah.
08:44Yeah.
08:45Say it.
08:46Uh-huh.
08:46Oh, should I take a dropper?
08:47Go for it.
08:48Go for it.
08:50Got some gritty courses, man.
08:52Seriously, we want to hear from some of the golfers out there and the people who want this event to
08:56work or just now that you have the chance.
08:58Reimagine what the event could be.
09:01A different course, a different sponsor.
09:04A chance to draw more money and better golfers.
09:07How do we make it work?
09:10I mean, this is more for you guys than it is for me or John, but we recognize how much
09:15you guys love golf in this state.
09:17Yeah.
09:18I mean, the event is fun.
09:21I've been to the event a couple of times, even though I'm not a golf guy.
09:24It's just it's fun to be there.
09:26We'll talk Tigers at the eight o'clock mark.
09:28It's 97 one.
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