Our Classic Five Golf PGA pro Ed Miller of Pine Ridge in Timonium tells Nestor about magic of another Father’s Day weekend with dads and sons enjoying the legend and lore of Pinehurst as the best in the world gather for the U.S. Open.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

golf, golf course, pine ridge, pinehurst, week, augusta, golfer, play, absolutely, friends, pebble beach, practice, balls, winning, great, classic, scottie, east coast, open, years

SPEAKERS

Nestor J. Aparicio, Ed Miller

Nestor J. Aparicio  00:01

Welcome home we are wn St. am 1570, Towson, Baltimore and Baltimore positive positively back out on the Maryland crab cake tour trail but eat a lot of crab cakes this week. I even had some crabs over cost. This will be back at cost this next week during the show, but this week, we’re Coco’s on Wednesday, my co host MicroSIM Leanna. My favorite sports artists and one of my oldest friends, Max Weiss will be their gaming authority is going to stop by I have some other invited guests. That’s Wednesday from two until five. We’ll be at Coco’s all of it brought to you by our friends at the Maryland lottery awesome Pac Man scratch offs we get the new Lucky seven game together as well as our friends at Jiffy Lube multi care keeping the car oil lube doing it right and our friends at Liberty pure solutions keeping my water crystal clear. In my glass we’ll be on Friday we’re doing fleet week we’re gonna be down at Coopers and Fells Point cost this next Thursday for the end of the Orioles Yankee series. We’ll be there from one until four also get some great guests there including Jessica valus. You’ve been out to our new website. It’s supercharged thanks to our friends at Hartford designs and then we are ending the month at Pappas in Parkville Anna Raskin is going to join us some other friends which will be down there I’ll be having a chicken franchise along with my crab cake. This guy and I have not had a crab cake here this season because he was too busy those pimento sandwiches down there in Augusta. It is golf season it’s always golf season when you’re Ed Miller you the golf pro at Pine Ridge, our classic five friends teeing it up yet again here this week. So we got some us open conversation, some Pinehurst who cares about Pinehurst, all I care about the azaleas and what was going, Dude, it’s been two months. How are you our things up the street? Here are the kids doing up there hitting the balls? Everything

Ed Miller  01:44

is great. Nestor. Thank you again so much for having us. But yeah, the kids are out there. We’re full force seasons going. Everything’s blooming. Everything’s so green, I think because of all the rain we had. So I feel like we’re a gust of the North right now at old Pine Ridge forest. Yeah,

Nestor J. Aparicio  02:00

I mean, there’s Pinehurst. And there’s Pine Ridge. I don’t know. Now, you been to Augusta. So let’s start with Augusta and start with these majors and where the state of golf is and crazy stuff with the Saudis and everything that’s going on for these majors. But you went to Augusta? You were leaving. We did the show a little early. We got all discombobulated on a Sunday and you’re flying. Give me your masters journey because every golfer out there I saw Butch golfers golf, that spares point that cost your day. Every golfers dream is to do it. You’ve done it a handful of times. And I never checked back in with you to say, you know did you sneak something out of Butler cabin or anything like that or what happened? No,

Ed Miller  02:40

just another you know another great trip to the masters. Like you said Augusta is always in tip top shape. Crowds were great. You know, obviously Scottie Scheffler again, rolling it up all the big boys out there you know, even some of the Saudi back players it was a it was almost like nothing has changed. The Masters is pretty much the same as usual. Great food, great crowds, excellent weather this year. And again, you know, just watching Scottie Scheffler kind of roll and was good time when you can come down there have some sandwiches with me even though pimento cheese is not the greatest.

Nestor J. Aparicio  03:16

My mother’s from the south do no no, wait. You know, I was down in the south seeing Sammy Hagar that was in South Carolina. You know, the Palmetto State. I got some pimento stock on top of a fried green tomato which my mother would have liked it to me it wrecked the tomato you know I mean, I’m not too much for the Memento and whatnot. But so I mean, are you a serial gotta go to Pebble Beach gotta go here. Do you have other bucket list things once you do? Like I’m not a golfer right but if I’ve turned down a couple chance to go to Augustine you shoot me in the head if you want I still haven’t gotten there but if I was gonna go to one place I that would maybe St Andrews maybe because all that but my wife and I were watching the Orioles the other day and we had the window open and we live where it’s forest and my wife brings all the Cardinals and stuff she feeds the birds and we had the window open it was like one of those beautiful days we had last week we’re 70 degrees is perfect. And we my wife broke her ankle she can’t move much but we heard the birds and the window and I’m like it sounds like Augusta I don’t know what it smells like or whatever but they do a great job on TV I’ve given you what it sounds like Yeah, absolutely.

Ed Miller  04:32

I mean it is a well the crowds there at Augusta you know, I’ve been to the BMW have another tour events and they do seem like they’re a little bit more behaved that at Augusta than other places but certainly more or less in Phoenix or 10 times more than over Phoenix but you know it’s funny the last couple years I have been hearing the conspiracies about you know them bringing in the bird noises and I will say you know we do see some birds but you are right. I don’t know if they put microphones in the trees but It does

Nestor J. Aparicio  05:04

sound like I mean I’m just wondering you for guidance been down there if you’re saying you’re not hearing the birds I’m like, why am I hearing the birds with 20,000 people out on the golf course that they’re tweeting like, you know what i i hate to think that they manufacture any tournament like this What are we manufacturing this week for us open I mean you you follow the sports why one of the reasons I love avid pros on and it is really special thing to be a PGA golf pro the way you are, because you explained to me how it kind of worked to be able to go do these kinds of things.

Ed Miller  05:38

Yeah. Well, you know, the US Open Pinehurst, I would say, you know, it’s kind of like the East Coast Capital of golf. You know, they claimed to have made the first driving range 100 years ago and practice facility. So, you know, even though Gus does not quite as old Pinehurst definitely has its own share of history and great golf course designers, great champions of the past so biners could be a good bucket list item for a golfer honestly, probably easier to get to the US Open than the masters. So you know, once every 10 years or so when it comes back to Pinehurst be a great trip.

Nestor J. Aparicio  06:13

Picture over Mount Pleasant play Pinehurst, right?

Ed Miller  06:16

Yep. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. You know, to me, you know, I’ve been to Pinehurst a couple times. Actually, I was actually born about 30 minutes outside of Pinehurst. So I’ve been to Pinehurst a number of times as well. And have you played? Oh yes, sir. Played number two number four played a lot of oh, actually. So yeah, it’s a it’s definitely a great location. It’d be a good East Coast bucket trip list for us.

Nestor J. Aparicio  06:39

It’s interesting to know like because we do go to sleep on that a little bit. They played a Valhalla couple weeks ago. That’s of course that I’ve been on. Chris Redmond lives on that course. I didn’t have you want to add Richard on that week? You know, from over Forest Park talking about the element that week. But for you know, I I’ve had friends that have played Pebble Beach recently. And the day you play Pebble Beach, you put a picture up, you know, you know, you know you’re somewhere. How many courses do you feel that way about? Like, I guess we’d say first, I’ve been to all baseball stadiums right at the baseball. Right? So I mean, and when I say to you, I’ve been to all the stadiums. The first ones you want to ask me about are the ones you haven’t been to. And you start with Fenway regular Dodger, and then I guess you would say Camden Yards. Did you go to Pittsburgh? I would tell you that. I love the the Minnesota State the little target fields beautiful, San Francisco. But that’s a baseball thing. That’s an easy vernacular for me as a non golf golfer. I know the famous, you know, open Pittsburgh, I mean, right, Oakland. So they have some of those. What are your favorites? And what are the ones you’ve been to? And you keep going back to Augustine pine or do you have a company? Have you been to Pebble Beach?

Ed Miller  07:49

No, that’s actually one of my bucket list. I’d say Pebble Beach you hit the other one St. Andrews, I would love to start planning one of those before I get too old to walk that golf course. But Pebble Beach is kind of like the last big one for me in the United States. And you know, I’m not necessarily a world traveler. I’d say most of the famous golf courses that I’ve been to all kind of on the East Coast. key while in Pebble Beach. There’s a couple in Florida that I’ve been to that are pretty awesome as well, but

Nestor J. Aparicio  08:14

I stayed at the Wynn a couple of weeks ago with all the Maryland party people like little exclusive golf club. That’s the you know, like that’s next to it. That’s the Steve Wynn special, you have to pay five grand a night to get a like to get out get on. Like there’s some places in Vegas and places like that Palm Springs just are stunning courses, right? Yeah,

Ed Miller  08:36

absolutely. They, you know, they don’t necessarily have the history and all that stuff on tour events. But uh, yeah, they’re there. There’ll be so many occupied never knocked them out in terms of exclusively beautiful golf courses in America. It’s a it’s pretty awesome, actually. Way, right. Yeah, absolutely. You know, the kind of the elite may not get off on some of them ones you’re mentioning unless I spend that five grand so they might not be on the bucket list. Pebble Beach is almost like that,

Nestor J. Aparicio  09:01

hey, when I would go out to Arizona for spring training or the owners meetings, anything that’s out there, people would always have their sticks with them. But then you see the pictures of these dramatic, you know, Camelback and Red Rock. I mean, there’s just so many. I found a golf course on an island called Hamilton Island. You can Google this in Australia, that’s to the mouth of where, you know, all the deep sea diving and all the Great Barrier Reef is and all that. And people come from all over the world to play because it’s unique in that there’s no automobiles on the whole island. There’s only golf. It’s an island. It’s like fantasy island. You can only play golf there. The way people dream these things up but they all begin with seeing Pinehurst or seeing a you know Augusta or seeing St. EJ I had a real show this weekend. of it to smart ass dude in the middle of the night after dark out on the streets in Scotland right by schizophrenia and he hits a driver Over the buildings, and then runs around the corner, and he’s on that crazy course, you know, whether that’s by the tassels, and there’s a cone, because he’s hitting the shot from the street up onto the course. Or it’s kind of like people based diving from a tower that doing these crazy things, because they love these courses so much a planner is just one of these courses in America, right?

Ed Miller  10:24

Absolutely, absolutely. Like I said over 100 years old, and heck pi versus up to 10 courses on that property. So that’s why I call it the East Coast mecca of golf. Yeah, you want to, you want to escape and just think golf for a week. biners is probably one of your best choices you can make on the East Coast for sure.

Nestor J. Aparicio  10:41

Plenty of room. I like that. Alright, so tournament wise, where are you in the scramble that is this tournament this week. And what it represents is a major.

Ed Miller  10:52

Well, it’s funny, you know, Augusta, the nice thing about the Masters is it’s always at the same golf course every year. So you get kind of used to it and everybody learns the course, the US Open even though it changes venues every year. To me, one of the coolest things about the US Open is it always falls on Father’s Day weekend. So like my own little family tradition is my dad and I will always watch. We watched the Sunday, you know, back nine to the US Open together probably last 20 years. So in that respect is kind of a great, you know, it can be a great family thing. You do it at home. Yes, sir. Absolutely. Yeah, just

Nestor J. Aparicio  11:23

sharing, you know, like, I lost my dad 30 years ago. And I often think, what games would I still be watching with him? What would I What would I pop over on the couch and watch a hockey game with my dad like that, to have those kinds of traditions really special? I mean, that means that that makes the tournament even more special for you?

Ed Miller  11:41

Absolutely. Absolutely. And it’s, you know, going back to that it’s one of the US Open courses that you can actually play because it’s a public golf course. It’s not like in Oakmont or Wingfoot. So that’s what makes this US surfing kind of neat, you know, kind of know that the fact that hey, if you really want to play it, you can go book a trip and go play the same golf course that’s kind of unchanged in the in the best pros in the world get to play. So love it in the fact that again, like I said, my dad’s still around so we still get to watch it. And my dad’s been there piner so you know, we’ll get to we get to Kibbutz a little bit cookout, watch the back nine. I’ll probably route against Scottie Scheffler because I think he’s winning too much. But it’d be a good thing for my dad not to hang out. So

Nestor J. Aparicio  12:21

is that what happens when guys start to win? They become the bad guy right away when they went too much.

Ed Miller  12:26

I think they become like the Yankees back in the 90s or whatever like that. Yeah, absolutely. It is such

Nestor J. Aparicio  12:31

an open world for golf after the tiger show. And before that, sort of, you know, the jack show and even Tom Watson and some of those guys when we were younger, were winning has become it’s hard to win every week and even in tennis. We got a little spoiled in the doll and a bunch of you know, and the Williams sisters just winning everything feels way more wide open. And I guess in the era of wagering, I was gonna have you handicap the handicap of the field this week, but But who do you like it at Pinehurst this week?

Ed Miller  13:02

Well as that, you know, prime root against them. But if I were to put a little wager down, I’d have to put something on Scottie even though his odds aren’t as great. All the wins he’s already had this year. Heck, I read something yesterday. I didn’t realize it. But after it is when this past weekend. He’s a number six or seven on the career all time money list. He’s already won $24 million this year. With a major win and he’s winning all these signature events on the tour. It is a it’s definitely the closest thing to Tiger of 2002 that we’ve

Nestor J. Aparicio  13:34

seen, for sure. We had a little drama in Louisville from what I remember. Yeah.

Ed Miller  13:39

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to get to that event. But that might be the only way to keep Scotty from winning maybe a little trip to the jail. You know,

Nestor J. Aparicio  13:47

lock him up might be the only will keep the new I had a feeling in North Carolina police officer gonna be able to differently in regard to all that and the way that things shook out and Miller is here he is the head pro of right up the street from where my radio station is Pine Ridge. What is going on up there? Last I checked up there simulators all up in front. We’re teaching everybody on digital we’re working on, you know, short game long game working on every single measurement and young people come to you and it’s not hard to get them out there and show them progress pretty quickly. That

Ed Miller  14:24

is correct. Yeah, we’re absolutely in full for steam ahead, so to speak of the season is definitely rolling. We appreciate a little mentioned of the top tracer that’s definitely going you know, here we are in June already. So we got leagues are rolling, full, full loaded row boards. We got all these clinics lined up. We got Junior camps. We got long drive competition this Saturday with the top tracer so it’s definitely a fun place to come learn some golf, hang out, practice some golf and just enjoy a country club atmosphere. You know, be a part of something. So

Nestor J. Aparicio  14:58

how many years Have you been there now after being that amount plus, because I think people would love you, I love you. And if I were a golfer with a car and my age, I could go to all five of the classic five golf courses. I probably would, because it’s inexpensive. It’s easy to get on. There’s people like you there Richard over Ferraris the good people that care and our had been a part of classic five for a long, long time. But you switch courses and you want to what would you say? The differences. And I would also think for young people, North County, being able to come out, you mentioned we got this and that and this and that. And this and that. I’m thinking, you probably have some kid there. That’s 14, you met him two years ago. He’s 11. Who are she now involved in all of this? And you see these kids six, seven days a week. Now that school’s out, right?

Ed Miller  15:46

Yeah, absolutely. I’d say you know, the biggest difference are obviously all of our golf courses. I like to think with the classic fiber, great golf courses. Pine Ridge is actually the youngest of the five the other golf courses have been around a lot longer. I think the one thing that separates pine Pine Ridge from the other ones is the fact that it’s a we do have the practice facility, we have definitely, unfortunately, Mount Pleasant built in the 30s. Practice facilities weren’t that important back then when they were designing golf courses. So they didn’t put one there. So we get all the people who want to practice even though they’re playing other courses, the people that are new to golf that want to learn golf, they come to Pine Ridge, because of the practice area, the driving range, the chipping greens, the putting greens, and that’s kind of what separates us. So you get

Nestor J. Aparicio  16:31

the students from your colleagues and other classic five because they’re like, look, I want to work on this. This is the place to do it, right?

Ed Miller  16:38

Yes, Yep, absolutely. And that’s kind of what it is. And, you know, obviously, we get a lot of regulars that tend to play all of our courses. But at Pine Ridge, the neat thing is I get to I get to see them all I get to meet the the lot of the players. You know, for example, on the Wednesday senior league at Forest Park, a handful of them will come up to Pine Ridge and hit balls and practice so they can get ready for their Wednesday. playdate with the senior. So that’s the unique thing about Pine Ridge. You know,

Nestor J. Aparicio  17:03

I want to ask you this because I don’t think I’ve ever asked you this, it’s just kind of coming to me here a little bit. The practice part of golf, okay, like I went, when I got lessons, I got learned how to you know, get get get the dirt, right, you know, on the grips on not swinging like a baseball bat and extend the basics of hitting a golf ball, whether using chip, pod, T and off whatever we’re doing, learning all of that. I never, and I played, you know, in my late 20s, early 30s, I’m 55. Now I got a jacked up back, we all know that when I played, I didn’t practice, you know, saying like, I would, I would be invited to a tournament, this that go out, hit a little bit, whatever. I’m the practicing part of getting better at it. You recommend practicing in a in a non, I’m playing my nine today, Carroll Park, my 18 or whatever. Like, the only way you’re really going to get better is to do it a little bit on the side. So you can bring it to the course, I would think if I were serious about playing, and getting good at it not frustrating the ball all over the place and be it twice a year at some charity thing. But being good enough that I could go out and do it, enjoy it. Be better at it so I can enjoy it more the practice part of this when you mentioned Mount Pleasant, nobody thought about it, you sort of learned as you went along and lost balls and all of that, to do that anymore. Like you can literally get on a simulator all summer long and not get on the course and just work on shots. So when you get on the course you’re not lose the balls, and you can be better at it without being so damn frustrating. And what did they say a long walk spoiled or whatever, fine.

Ed Miller  18:45

No, absolutely. You know, I don’t want to be pulling the Allen Iverson card, you know talking about practice. But the reality is, if you want to improve it, heck, if you even just want to keep your your skill level you you need to put in some practice, you know, but most people don’t realize it but you go out and play golf and let’s just say you shoot 100 throughout is you’re only going to have 50 Full swings in that round a golf, you know, you got the putting the chipping, and all that other stuff. You can go to the driving range and hit 85 Ball bucket that’s equivalent to almost two rounds of golf. So in terms of practice, yeah, I mean, you know, back when I was learning golf, I was told he needed to practice to practice sessions for every round of golf. Okay,

Nestor J. Aparicio  19:24

all right. Yeah. Well, that’s probably not wrong. If you want to improve if you just want to go out and hit and be a jack wagon three times a year and chase the ball, right? I mean, and that’s fine, too. There’s nothing wrong with absolutely, but if you want to get better at it, you’re not chasing the ball. So when you’re in a captain’s choice, you’re not pulling up the back right literally. Yeah,

Ed Miller  19:44

absolutely. You know, and like you said, you know, golf balls start costing money. So instead of buying a dozen balls for every round of golf, maybe a bucket every month might save you a couple of dozen balls a month out on the golf course.

Nestor J. Aparicio  19:57

I’d love to share with great advice. He’s up at Pine Ridge. Just north tell everybody where you are how to get to you how to find all this all the classic five places are great we got it’s it’s a big golf weekend it’s Father’s Day weekend we get big baseball weekends, Fleet Week weekend. But for if you’re golfing and it’s been the weather has been just after all the rain, the weather’s been

Ed Miller  20:19

Oh yeah, it’s been beautiful. And like I said, we’re in the season and it is golf season. Heck, they even had that little golf tournament at Camden Yards last week and a couple of my buddies participate in that. So it’s golf season.

Nestor J. Aparicio  20:31

Is that something you get your rocks off, because I saw everybody putting pictures up. And I said to my wife, I’m not a golfer, and I don’t need to see my ball stroll into the center field. If I was gonna do that I want to do it with a baseball because my last name is Aparicio. But people really got on everybody loved it. Right?

Ed Miller  20:48

Yeah, no, they definitely loved it. And you know a lot of the golfers that were there, some of my regulars at Pine Ridge. And like I said, you know, you can always find us at Classic five golf.com Come out and play some golf. You don’t want to be that guy that went to Camden Yards, aiming for centerfield and accidentally hitting the right field or bouncing one off the warehouse. But yeah, come see us at any one of the golf courses because the season is rolling. We’re definitely in it in.

Nestor J. Aparicio  21:12

Yeah, I don’t know about that, man. Yeah, I’ve shaken one and it lands in the left field, you know? Yeah. You know, you miss it on there. You get to see how ugly it is. Yeah. Yeah. Find and find all of our friends at Classic five golf. We’re indebted to you guys for your partnership and relationship. And we’re always encouraging folks to go out. This is local, affordable, easy access. And more than that, you get really cool local people like me that know a lot about golf to help you know a little bit more about golf and tweak your game make a little bit more fun for you, your kids, your wife, your spouse, your girlfriend, your buddies, whatever it is. You watch any Oreos What’s up at?

Ed Miller  21:56

Oh, yeah, love the Oreos wants to actually go on Tuesday night so we’re gonna tear our Oreos all against the Braves and yeah, no, it’s awesome. been loving it. It

Nestor J. Aparicio  22:05

is really something every single day we’re talking baseball. It’s kind of the way I drew it up 32 years ago and it kind of got away for a little while but it is fun. It is June it is Father’s Day week. There’s golf ahead of us open this week at Pinehurst, our friend Ed Miller and everybody in the classic five group you can find them at Classic five golf and you hear them here all the time. Hit it straight out there and next time I see you will be in the playoffs. I know it. That’s

Ed Miller  22:29

right. That’s what we’re shooting for. Absolutely.

Nestor J. Aparicio  22:32

Send me those pictures over those pimento sandwiches. I know what to avoid. We are doing the Maryland crab cake tour. No comment on our damn crab cakes this week. Not that a Cooper’s will Friday. Certainly not Coco’s on Wednesday. We’re going to be cost this next Thursday before the Orioles Yankees game and then later left will be Papist on the 25th That’s a Tuesday afternoon hitting all of our core sponsors in June to make sure we get the freshest summer crabcakes just like add those fresh crabs it costs the other day. We are wn st am 1570 Towson Baltimore and we never stop talking Baltimore positive