On this week's MEGA pod, Todd and Brian break down their recent trip to the mecca of public golf in the United States ... Bandon Dunes.

The guys break down their 7.5 rounds in 4 days, hear Todd's thoughts on his first time at Bandon, why the boys weren't so sold on Pacific Dunes, and their epically terrible, miserable day out on Old Macdonald.

Although despite the rain and some travel issues, both agreed this was some of the most fun they had on a golf course. If you've ever contemplated heading out to Bandon Dunes or want to know why we would subject ourselves to the torture of the weather out there ... give it a listen.

This week, Doug joins Brian to talk about three major golf developments going on in his hometown of Madison, WI.

First, they discuss the new Pioneer Pointe project; a 13-hole par-3 course featuring template holes done by the same group behind Hawks Landing. Built through a housing development, what caught Brian and Doug off guard was the hefty $4200 a year dues to belong to the club. Given the length of the golf season of WI that seemed awfully steep for a par 3 course.

Next, we delve into the latest TPC project, TPC Madison currently underway. Club owner, and Steve Stricker's father-in-law, Dennis Tiziani is overseeing the project to revamp the old Cherokee Country Club that was fading into marshland and bring it back to glory.

Finally, Doug celebrates the Keiser family's involvement with redoing the 9-hole Glenway Golf Course. The reason for the intrigue with this course is that the plan is to close the course on Sundays to make it available for the public to walk, picnic, and be an accessible public park in a nod to golf courses like the Old Course in Scotland.

On this week's episode Brian and Todd talk about the 'false spring' weather that has hit the midwest and a few takes from last week's Super Bowl before diving into the main golf headlines of the week.

This week, we try to make any sense of who's staying/who's going in the soap opera that is the PGA Tour and the Saudi Golf League. Apparently Donald Trump and his golf courses may be involved, players are desperately fleeing what seems a sinking ship, and we wonder where all of this leaves Phil Mickelson.

Next we dive into Golf.com's claim that the height you tee your ball up may be costing you distance on your drives. We look at what they say you need to do to maximize your distance.

And finally, speaking of distance, we spend a few minutes on the 6'9 pro golfer James Hart du Preez. His driving average last year was 375! yards on the Sunshine tour. Todd and I use his story to debate if being taller offers you an advantage in golf like it might in other sports.

To close, Todd shares about the world of Harry Potter with his kids, we both commiserate about raising boys, and Brian brags about his son hitting a 'game winning' basket.

Tonight Brian gets Dave's reaction to Bengals fever in Cincinnati before we dive into Bryson's recent injury and wonder if this is a harbinger of things to come for him. Has his quest to be a demigod caused detriment to his golf game?

Then we turn our attention to Phil Mickelson's comments this week about the 'greedy' PGA Tour and whether his claim that players should have access to their own media rights is ridiculous or something that should be entertained. Regardless it's obvious Phil is using the potential SGL as 'leverage' to try and extract more money from the tour.

Finally, we wrap up with what our kids made us do over the recent snow days that hit the Midwest.

This week Doug and Brian begin with some non-golf talk. With Nadal's win at the Australian Open we spend a few minutes discussing this golden age of tennis and how we would rank the Federer, Djokovic, and Nadal era.

Then we dive in-depth on how the NIL opportunities are impacting collegiate golf and what may be on the horizon moving forward. And we also discuss the resurgence of the local municipal course. Streamsong just announced a short course at their property, and various communities across the US are rethinking the muni concept, including one right in Madison, WI that Doug speaks knowledgeably about.

Finally Doug takes a few shots at my new putter ... the LAB 2.1. It's a spaceship, but if I can make more 4-6 footers with it, I'm happy to take the ridicule. Because it has to be the club, right?

This week Todd joins Brian on the podcast to discuss CBS golf producer Sellers Shy recent comments on what he hopes to bring to golf telecasts beginning in 2022. We welcome modernization to golf on tv, but after hearing what Shy is 'changing', let's just say we're still cautiously worried about how all of this will benefit how most of consume professional golf, from our couches. HOWEVER, talking about CBS' changes allowed us to wander off-topic and announce our billion dollar golf idea. Any interested venture capitalists out there, take a listen, and get back to us.

Also we talk about Wilson's latest golf ball release, Triad, which purports to do the magical, the impossible, and straighten out your golf shots to hit more fairways. We'll talk about the technology behind this and if it truly is the miracle cure it purports to be.

This week we finally catch up with Dave and hear about life in Cincinnati. Brian cries about the tragic end to the Cowboys game while Dave basks in the glory of Burrow magic. Dave then breaks down the state of his golf game currently and we talk about best strategies for getting up and down better.

Then we spend the bulk of the episode breaking down the PGA Tour's announcement of its partnership with Netflix to produce a golf documentary. We break down the people it will follow over the 2022 season, who is conspicuously absent, what's in it for the top players, and what the hope for the players might be for this.

Then, during parent corner, we talk youth rec league basketball and the highs and lows it affords as a parent.

Today Doug and Brian use the Tournament of Champions tournament to question if real life golf has finally caught up to video game golf. Can the low scores on tour be sustained? Is this just Kapalua? Or is the intersection of athletes, statistics, and equipment ushered in a new normal for golf?

We also get some insight into Doug's golf game at the moment, including a drill he hopes to practice in his basement during the bleak Wisconsin winter.

Finally, we use Kapalua as a jumping off point to discuss our top courses on tour that embrace the region they're in. When you turn on the tv, it's obvious you are in Hawaii for this tournament. Listen in to see some other courses we name that do the same for their part of the country.

And as a bonus after I smacked Todd down last week in the season ending quiz, Megan is back to pit a new challenger for me. The results may shock you.