At The Turn - Golf Podcast · Joe Simons & Nick Heidelberger

Winding Down 2025 & Formulating Offseason Strategies

·43 min·2 clips

Joe says a five iron instead of a seven iron could have saved him 15 strokes at Rose City.

1. At The Turn’s “Winding Down 2025 & Formulating Offseason Strategies” centers on Joe Simons and Nick Heidelberger planning their golf winter. 2. Nick Heidelberger is the host who edits GolfLink, and Joe Simons is the host who plays most of the golf and tracks the handicap numbers. 3. The episode asks how Joe and Nick can use the offseason to get ready for Gamble Sands and 2026. 4. Joe says he finished 2025 at a 7.0 handicap after playing 45 rounds, which is up from about 31 and 26 rounds in prior years. 5. He says his triple-bogey rate fell from 3% in 2024 to 1% in 2025, and that change is what moved his index. 6. Nick uses handicap benchmarks for 5-, 10-, 15-, and 20-handicap players to show how doubles and triples drive scoring. 7. The hosts note that a 15-handicap player should make 26% double bogey-plus holes and a 20-handicap player 37%. 8. Joe says his own scorecard is not offset by birdies, which is why the double-bogey conversation matters. 9. Joe also describes the one-club tournament at Rose City Golf Course on the east side of Portland. 10. He says it was about 45 degrees, sunny, and windy, and that the wind made his seven iron the wrong choice early. 11. Joe finished the event with a 102, a solo 30th gross finish out of 47 competitors, and the lowest gross in his group. 12. He says the winning score was an 80 after a two-hole playoff, which surprised him given the format. 13. Joe argues that a five iron would have been worth about 15 strokes because every par four became a struggle with the seven iron. 14. He says the hardest shots were the ones with perfect yardages, because his body defaulted to feel shots and produced snap hooks or flubs. 15. The conversation turns to Nick’s offseason project as editor of GolfLink, where he is testing golf balls against LPGA Tour TrackMan averages. 16. Nick says he will test 40 or 50 balls with 15 or 20 quality shots each using a wedge, a seven iron, and a driver. 17. He describes the work as garage-based, data-driven, and tied to launch angle, ball speed, smash factor, and tighter dispersion patterns. 18. The tone stays conversational and technical, with stretches of jokes about Christmas lights, tequila, TGL, and Keegan Bradley’s mustache. 19. Golfers who like stats, winter practice plans, and local tournament stories will get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners wanting a strict match preview or a fast news recap may skip it.

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