Avoiding the trappings of the British Open

Forest Park Golf pro Richard Sheppard talks British Open, LIV and PGA merger and money and finding your local path to a Classic 5 Golf Course this summer here in Baltimore.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

golf, years, people, putter, play, thursday, golf course, forest park, baseball, friends, week, beaumont, day, richard, pot, hockey, baltimore, classic, coming, run

SPEAKERS

Nestor Aparicio, Richard Sheppard Jr.

Nestor Aparicio  00:01

wn st Towson, Baltimore and Baltimore positive. You’re positively taking the show on the road this week. It’s Maryland crabcake tour. We’re gonna be out on the west side at the Beaumont on Thursday from two of the five. There’s a rumor that I have a Hall of Famer coming but it’s not confirmed. I don’t want to give that out. But all of my guests are Hall of Famers. You know this. We had a great guest at Coco’s last week and Senator Cory McCray, join us in the 45th had a delicious crab cake over there great conversation with Dave shine and as well as my life or Powell, Mike Rusik, Liano, and artists and cartoonist and of course, Marcel and her staff stopped by and visited all of that up at Baltimore positive all of that as part of the Maryland crab cakes were presented by our friends at the Maryland lottery in conjunction with our friends at window nation. We had $100 Winner Coco’s last week. Speaking to the west side of town, I’ll be over there on Thursday they will be they’ll be hitting the little white dimple ball across the pond. The British Open is this weekend we talk a little golf around here, our dear friends classic five, and of course all the classic five courses opening sweltering they all have a hose the hose you off like the oil dugout at this point, if you ate a hole in one Richard chapter joins us now from Forest Park. How are we keeping the bikini wax greens bikini wax when it’s hot out? But there’s been a lot of water right so that oh yeah,

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Richard Sheppard Jr.  01:15

we haven’t had to worry about water. You know, it’s been tough to cut recently. But we I think this week is going to be dry. So greens will be running nice and smooth. Hopefully no water. We’ve had enough so far. So I think

Nestor Aparicio  01:29

you and I got to know each other a couple of months ago. I don’t know his masters. Maybe you came on. Alright, so we’re up to the last major here. You’re young guy. You’re younger than me. But dude, I don’t know we’ve ever seen a golf like like this since the last time you and I got together, right? Just the live the tour the PGA Audi’s the money, the politics, the play, actually, you know, through these majors, and now it all sort of meets over in Europe. This is this has been a messy year for golf and a lot of ways. Right.

Richard Sheppard Jr.  02:05

Yeah. You know, when they had when they had the meetings in Congress, right for the for the live and PGA situation. I think that was the first time I’ve seen like golf coverage on CNN. I’m like, wow, I mean, it’s made it all the way up to politics to the to the US Congress, what’s going on, they still got to figure some things out. A lot of congressmen I saw not in senators are not in favor because of you know, what Saudi has done to us in the past, I even saw they had they actually had 911 victims at the hearings. And that was one

Nestor Aparicio  02:43

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of those people too. By the way. My wife was a nine 911 leukemia survivor, she got leukemia there. So like, even 22 years later, what nefarious governments attempt to do to our country, I see the Tick Tock ads now running on mass and all tic TOCs. Great for our million tic TOCs owned by the Chinese. You know, let’s I call it the way I see it around here. I’ve been to China as a journalist, and I know exactly how the journalists were treated, not much better than Chad Steele treats me and always Mills at this point. I just when it comes to sports, washing and that sort of thing. It’s just I don’t think it’s amazing. They picked golf. Right? But But seriously, it’s abandoned everything about the sport itself and the way we watch it. I don’t think it’s upended anything about your programs over Forest Park and people coming in and having a good time. It’s loving the game and all that. But I think at the highest level one, everybody’s been brought into it no matter what your politics is, no matter where you are, you’ve been brought into it this changed the fundamental way professional golf is going to be viewed seen reported on all of that.

Richard Sheppard Jr.  03:50

Exactly. Yeah. So we’ll wait to see what the how they’re going to merge together. So, you know, I’m waiting to see how it’s gonna work. You know, the tour player, the PGA Tour players are upset because, you know, a lot of them are regretting not getting the money from live, you know, you know, they offered Tiger I think almost a billion dollars and he’s like, you know, I stayed loyal to the PGA Tour and then you’re gonna go ahead and and merge with them when I could have took the money and still been in good graces. So we’ll see man I’m excited for this British Open this week. Coming off Roy’s exciting win yesterday. I don’t know if you caught that. He won the Scottish open, coming back birdie, the last two holes to catch McIntyre. He’s actually a Scottish golfer. He called him down the stretch. It was amazing man. He’s He’s obviously the favorite going into this week. So

Nestor Aparicio  04:51

well, there’s a reason that Sony is targeted all this because these guys are good. They’re famous. These tournaments are wider. You know? Every golfer is global. Yeah, yeah. So for this week with the British and I know the politics is going to come raining down but you talk about Rory and some bad guys playing well versus not playing well, and then you get over to British Open and a lot of things shade that St. Andrews this time, but recourses and the way they’re played. I mean, even la played differently last last month, right?

Richard Sheppard Jr.  05:22

Yeah, yeah. Well, that’s the US Open LA was at the US Open that’s known for being a tough course high rough, fast green. So you know, scoring is at a premium there. You’re not going to see a lot of birdies at a US Open. Now British openness, a different styles link style, right. We’re used to American style kind of Parkland courses where you gotta hit carry it and land us off on the green link style. You can run it up, they got those pot bunkers in the fairway you got to watch for, because if you get in one of those you’re not, you’re not going to be able to advance it to the green. You got to just punch it out and then hate from there. So it’s a different style of play. And Roy’s being European is a favorite. But you know, a lot of guys are able to adjust. You know, they’re working on it this week. They’re probably all they’re now doing practice rounds and checking out the course to get ready for Thursday.

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Nestor Aparicio  06:13

Which Shepard Jr. is here. He’s over at Forest Park. He is the golf pro over there, the PGA pro. And so tell me for the summer and for playing and for all of this that golf has been in the news. I mean, to your point in the Real News, not just the sports news, news there. And when I put it on and my wife loves watching golf on a Sunday, she just does like so we all the majors we wind up watching We’ll watch it this weekend as well. Bobby and Dewey Beach with Tommy Conwell on Sunday watching the end. You got to be

Richard Sheppard Jr.  06:40

careful. You got to be careful now since they’re they’re overseas. It’s the earliest earlier,

Nestor Aparicio  06:45

right. It’s a 1010 o’clock at night. We’re sitting here watching in the dark. Yeah, like you were out in LA, the other side of the world. We got to get out of bed early. It’s like yes, like breakfast at Wimbledon. But exactly, yeah, we’ll be awake early. We’re not going to do a beach later in the day on Sunday. But in regard to what it means, FRS part what it means for classic five, what it means for locally is interest of playing golf locally as you see it. I mean, you see more fresh new faces out on your course.

Richard Sheppard Jr.  07:12

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Definitely, I’m getting a lot of new new golfers coming out and given a lot of beginner lessons. You know, Golf is a it’s a it’s a cool thing. Now, you know, I didn’t used to be that way. I think COVID helped a lot. A lot of people got into it during the pandemic. And they stuck with it. They’ve, they’ve told their friends, Hey, I’ve been playing golf, you should come join me. It’s a social thing. Having fun and being outdoors and can’t beat it, you know? Well, there’s

Nestor Aparicio  07:38

never a day. And I have a lot of Facebook friends. Right. So 100,000 people out there following up but but but somebody’s always on the golf course. Like I mean, on my Facebook page, somebody every single day is always on the golf course. And taking advantage of good weather. You know, I don’t have the Jones right like that, like the first day the sky opens, I’m more likely to go to the beach, right? That’s why but for me, golf and getting good weather and then it gets a little scorching. It’s been a little hot the last week or two. But I can’t think of a better weather year where like I’ve had the windows open just as an example in my place. Most of spring and summer where every day’s been a pretty decent day to play here.

Richard Sheppard Jr.  08:21

Yeah, definitely in the mornings, early afternoon, you know, you get those kind of scattered thunderstorms and afternoon with the humidity and heat. But it’s been great up until then. So yeah, come on out. Come see us. weather’s great. I’m getting ready to do a junior golf camp soon as we wrap up, and we’re gonna have some fun. All right.

Nestor Aparicio  08:40

So you say you’ve been given a lot more beginner lessons. Talk to our audience here what that’s like if it’s them, maybe it’s their child or grandchild spouse. And I say this all the time, Brian Billick and I’ve been friends for 30 years. He made fun of golf for 27 years, he moved to Minnesota and Columbus, Ohio about four or five years ago, we sold his place on the eastern shore. And he’s still making fun of golf. Then, at 65. He was making fun of golf. And now when I reached out to him, I can’t find him. He’s on the golf course seven days

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Richard Sheppard Jr.  09:14

a week. Oh, he’s got the bug. He’s got. He just

Nestor Aparicio  09:17

got addicted and I don’t. And the next time I have him on and we talked about this last year because he was coming into his own, but it’s really fed into his athleticism. His addiction is mind all 70 years old now he’s competitive. He’s got money, he’s got time he’s got grandkids they all ski all of his grandkids wife’s a ski instructor. She’s like you but a skier. Right? She takes them all. But when it comes to golf, here’s a guy who was an athlete in California of all places spent his whole life and all these places in this circle were all these other coaches golf, all of his coaching buddies golf, he made fun of all of them. You know, I remember when new highs was ran into us it was a great golfer. Make fun of those guys always. Now he’s got the bug. So when I even say about young people or somebody like me, I’m 54 to come out and get a lesson or whatever. You’re never too young, never too old. But all dogs can even. I mean, it is a sport that literally is for life. And everybody’s told me.

Richard Sheppard Jr.  10:14

Yeah, yeah, you could be four years old, you can be at four years old, you can still enjoy this great, this great game of golf. You know, it’s just getting out there. You don’t have to be a pro. You don’t have to be playing for money even a lot of people do, but you just get out there and enjoy it with your friends family. And, you know, it’s a lifelong game that you can play forever. You know, basketball was my first love. And, you know, I stopped growing. I didn’t grow I didn’t I stopped my, my growth spurt, stop. So I picked up the golf club and I’ve been I’m only five eight. So you know. I was the point guard. I wasn’t I was like, Steph Curry. And he did you see Steph Curry. He won the Celebrity Golf Tournament. Did you see that?

Nestor Aparicio  11:02

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Well, I mean, listen, I did cover it before they threw me out of the Orioles in the Ravens back when I was a real reporter before they decided I wasn’t anymore. And it just doesn’t matter. I knew athletes big time. I was always with baseball players always with hockey players. They all play golf. I mean, yeah. On their. On their off days and spring training. Spring Training is golf and fishing, and baseball. And hockey. My God every hockey player, I guess it’s you know, because of the stick and the movement of it. Yeah. And they’re all really and that’s think about hockey, hockey and baseball. I think if you pick up a golf club, tennis to if you play those kinds of sports where the ball moves, and I always said that about golf. I don’t find golf to be like, difficult. I find that to be repetitive. And I find it to be like because I played baseball, the ball doesn’t move. Right. So I found hitting a baseball to be much more difficult than hitting a golf ball. But more than that, just if you are inclined to have I hand if you’ve done any of that. I have a better I could come out there and you could get me playing decent golf pretty quickly.

Richard Sheppard Jr.  12:11

For sure. Yeah, it’s much easier to transition when you have former athletes baseball players mostly adjusting to golf because you still have to have the speed to clubhead speed. And they have that from bat speed or hockey.

Nestor Aparicio  12:25

Because you pull your elbows in first thing I did is I grabbed the golf club like a baseball bat and Nord who was my first Richard said Nana Nana finger and here here the club, you know, grip. Yeah, and more than that, keeping your arm open instead of close. Because it’s the same thing when you’re waterskiing, if you pull the rope and you’re done. You got to keep your arms out right and open. You go fly in me because the boat will pull you the same thing would be true for golf. That’s how I learned keeping arm strength, keeping arms straight, that if you are hockey, tennis, baseball, golf, golf becomes I wouldn’t say easy, but but it’s easy to transition acclimate you, you’ll you’ll get better at it quickly. Right? Correct.

Richard Sheppard Jr.  13:10

I agree. Yeah, only thing baseball you know, you’re swinging on a more of a horizontal plane. Sure. That was golf since the balls on the ground. We’re bending from our waist with you know, a little more of a diagonal playing sort of so to speak.

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Nestor Aparicio  13:22

You would five eight I didn’t know. So five eighths different than being six seven like Billick? Oh my god wide open, right? Yeah.

Richard Sheppard Jr.  13:31

He’s got to get his clubs adjusted.

Nestor Aparicio  13:35

And speak to that a little bit to that when people come out. And they got old. You know, Fred Flintstone, so clubs, right from the one pastor down for that, that the game now is so you know, I’m 510. Right? So like, you’re gonna get clubs to fit into your clubs, and my clubs wouldn’t be that different as long as you’re right handed, right? But finding good equipment, finding balls, they travel, finding good instruction, and classic five. I mean, it’s all there. If you want to play golf, and I I always think it’s a welcoming thing, because I love telling the story about Bella because two years ago, I couldn’t have told it that people pick the game up at various points. When they find time they find a friend, they find the spouse. I have a friend of mine. His girlfriend was athletic and had never played golf. They’re in their 40s. And they picked it up and it’s what they do. And they show up on my timeline. And he was not a guy that was golfing five years ago, but he’s got a girlfriend, and it’s what they started to

Richard Sheppard Jr.  14:32

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do. It’s a fun outing for them. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, you know, it’s great to get fit, you know, it’s okay with the starter set, just to kind of learn the basics, the fundamentals, but once you’re serious about the game, you want to get fit for a set that fit your body, your your swing speed. So you know, that’s gonna help you in the long run. And, yeah, we got all the recess resources for you here. Come out and see us. We’ll take care of you. We’ll get you from you know Not even knowing what to do to be uncomfortable out there on the golf course and enjoying this great game. That’s for everybody. We welcome everybody,

Nestor Aparicio  15:07

you know, classic five got their simulators going up at Pine Ridge as well, mountain. Forest Park. Tell them tell me about your course and how you got involved in golf because you were a basketball player. And now you’re a golf pro. Right? Yeah, my,

Richard Sheppard Jr.  15:21

my dad and my uncle’s played. I started when I was 10. That was 2000 I was the heyday. The peak of Tiger Woods. So you know, I was like, Billy, I think Golf was dumb. You know, this

Nestor Aparicio  15:35

old guy played at plays that right? Yeah.

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Richard Sheppard Jr.  15:39

Yeah, but my dad and my uncles were playing and they took me out and and you know, I hit a good shot a couple good shots and I said I love this spending time with them. That was the main thing. Just spending time with my dad because you know, my parents are divorced so it was nice to spend time with my dad and my uncles and I’ve loved it ever since we used to go you know, we started going to Ocean City golf trips and I

Nestor Aparicio  15:58

was gonna say did you pot pie? Was pot pot the the entry way?

Richard Sheppard Jr.  16:04

A little bit a little bit? I rather go to the rain starting off and just you want to fly? Yeah, I want to see the ball in the air. But yeah, Piper was definitely an entry point. A fun thing to do with your with the family. So

Nestor Aparicio  16:16

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my wife loves pot pot and we’re going to the beach this week. So I got some old

Richard Sheppard Jr.  16:22

Have you have you been the top golf?

Nestor Aparicio  16:23

I have not. No.

Richard Sheppard Jr.  16:24

Gotta check it out, man.

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Nestor Aparicio  16:25

Yeah, right now. So yeah, for me right now my back’s not allowing me to Okay. Okay, so I’m much more of a putter. Now we did do I took last time we got together. I was up at the hayfields at a charity event up there for the Mount Washington pediatric hospital. So I did go out for the day with Len Raskin. My partner Raskin global and raised a lot of money for great cause for the kids over Mt. Washington pediatric but I did it a couple of

Richard Sheppard Jr.  16:51

you know, he’s helped the team out a little bit,

Nestor Aparicio  16:55

let it to cereal putter, he, you know, he doesn’t tee off, he doesn’t hit any he doesn’t eat great. All he does is putt and he has this putter from like 1980 He said he got it his marriage wedding gift. And this is to hold on to it. Well, this is the way he treats sponsorship with a tournament. He goes hold a hole and offers the pot, you know, for as part of their foursome to help their team and he’s really a good putter like, I was shocked i I’m out on the course with them. And I wasn’t drinking that day. It wasn’t like one of those were driving around. Yeah, yeah. And I got out and I like he’s got his Potter. He’s talking to a bunch of issues. You know what I’m saying? And I’m like, and then he got out there and he started sinking shots. And I’m like, wow, you played a lot of putt putt down to the beach. That’s all good. So putt putt is the entryway, Richard Shepard JR. He’s your entryway over a Forest Park part of our classic five family here we talk about all the courses locally we talked about live and we talk about the British Open this weekend. You want to get out and play what’s the entryway What do I got to do call you and then what happens rich give us

Richard Sheppard Jr.  17:57

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a call. If you’re just starting out can set up lessons package with you I like to do I do a five lessons package five for four. So you get one free if you do five. My goal with that is to give a beginner to the onto the golf course and those five lessons so it’s a great entry way to enjoy to enjoy the game out here.

Nestor Aparicio  18:16

A couple of weeks come by for two three weeks. We’ll get you out there.

Richard Sheppard Jr.  18:19

Yeah, but yeah, two three ways up to a month. We’ll get you out there.

Nestor Aparicio  18:23

Well I’m gonna tell my partner right now I gotta get my back together. I don’t feel like comfortable in the long swing of doing that right now

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Richard Sheppard Jr.  18:31

and mess with it right now. Yeah.

Nestor Aparicio  18:33

For it’s you know, but I’m not in any pain right now. My friends at Planet Fitness have got me moving in the right direction. I’m on a yoga mat. I’m feeling fine, but I don’t want to I don’t wanna mess with it. I’m not you know, I’ve seen people I was a baseball player. So I’ve seen some of my older friends go out and play catch now because the Orioles are cool again right oh yeah, you know so and I’m thinking to myself tomorrow I can’t even throw a party man i i am just a spectator at this point. I’m better off just being where I am and happier and on the yoga mat that’s gonna be me right now play with my cat. Give everybody your update the contacts for you Richard and and coming out to Forest Park legendary course. Right. been there forever. Oh, yeah.

Richard Sheppard Jr.  19:14

Yeah, coming up. Yeah. 1934 We’ve been established. So yeah. Yeah, Forest Park golf course. We’re 2900 Hillsdale road Baltimore, Maryland. Phone number is 410-448-4653 Give us a call. Come out and see us classic five golf.com book a tee times. See what else we got going on. We actually have the putting contest this evening. We started yesterday. Round two is this evening four to seven. Come out and you know you qualify here. You go to Mount Pleasant for the finals on Wednesday. And the winner gets actually 25 Free rounds of golf. So come out and see us four to seven today. Planning contests. We got it all set up on the putting green labs

Nestor Aparicio  20:00

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One of five rounds of golf can I even get that in this year? Is that over the next year? Right? Well, it’s

Richard Sheppard Jr.  20:05

good for one year so you gotta you gotta get it in. Yeah. Every other week freaky round.

Nestor Aparicio  20:09

I liked that. I liked it. Richard Shepard Jr. joins us from classic five and our friends over Forest Park. Always good to have you on you got a prediction? You read up?

Richard Sheppard Jr.  20:18

I gotta go Rory. We have the same birthday. That’s my that’s my guy.

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Nestor Aparicio  20:22

That’s your guy. All right. Yeah. Yeah.

Richard Sheppard Jr.  20:25

He’s a shorter guy as well. So we really Yeah.

Nestor Aparicio  20:28

Garcia had my birthday. He was my guy, but that was back in. Oh, yeah. No, no, no baseball.

Richard Sheppard Jr.  20:35

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Yeah, okay.

Nestor Aparicio  20:36

October 14. You know, I just you know, me and John wouldn’t have the same birthday so I’m rooting for him. lead lead. Absolutely. We’re gonna be bringing the legends out to the Beaumont on Thursday. It is the Maryland crab cake tour. All of it presented by our friends at the Maryland lottery. I got I just got a handful of these left. We had $100 Winner Coco’s last week. People were celebrating, having a good time had such great conversation out there. Love

Richard Sheppard Jr.  20:58

Coco’s. By the way. That’s probably my favorite crabcakes

Nestor Aparicio  21:01

come out on Thursday. A lot of people tell me Yeah, and now that they’re sponsoring us you’re allowed to say that out loud. So give Marcel all that love. Get on down to Bellaire road the Lord but we were there on Thursday. Senator Cory McRae joined us. I had great conversations with Dave Shannon from the Washington Post and micro SIG Leanna, about music and baseball, as well as the history of Coco’s and the Coco’s crabcake over there. We are at the Beaumont this Thursday. That is not state fair. It’s not Oh guapo but the Beaumont people don’t have a shirt to give me so I’m going to work on Donnie over there on Thursday. I have some great guests coming out on Thursday to until five and then we are celebrating and Richard you’re invited to this 25th anniversary August 3 at Costas in I’m giving away everything every get nasty t shirt free the birch t shirt, Purple Rain one Purple Rain, two CDs, if it’s not nailed down, and I have swag on all sorts of this bring it all out the cost is on the third. Get there at 11 in the morning, take whatever you want. Stop say hello we’re gonna have great guests than a backage rug city on the fourth. Celebrating 25 years of this mayhem around here we are wn st am 1570 Towson Baltimore and we never stop talking Baltimore positive