Our resident PGA pro and Baltimore sports lover Richard Sheppard Jr. of Forest Park returns to update us on beating the summer heat, getting juniors schooled up on weekdays at Classic Five Golf and dreams of playing a course like Royal Troon and The Open in Scotland this weekend.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
golf, week, courses, great, rain delays, day, people, forest park, talk, play, orioles, grass, game, golf course, kids, degrees, hot, golfers, pro, pga pro
SPEAKERS
Nestor J. Aparicio, Richard Sheppard Jr.
Nestor J. Aparicio 00:01
Come home we are wn St. am 1570, Towson, Baltimore and Baltimore positive and all star game week. Orioles headed to Texas. All the fights of last weekend and the fisticuffs and all of that and Lord knows that country and assassination all this stuff’s happening this week. But I’m back on the grid. We’re gonna be doing a little bit of best stuff this week with some a Hall of Fame baseball players because it’s a baseball week around here and I’ve taken 33 years to accumulate all this stuff. We’re gonna get the Maryland crab cakes, we’re back out on the road with the Gold Rush sevens doublers. We had a great time and fade these we had some winners at fade Luiza on Friday. The Orioles did not win on faith as of Friday. But we had a good time over there. Make sure you’re checking that out all week long. We had a great guest from the Bergen record, talking about Frank Sinatra songs. And so it was good to have Pete caldera on and Luke came down as well. Luke is on vacation this week. He is in Wildwood. And it’s just as well because Luke is not a golfer and I’m going to talk to golf here right now. RJ Shepherd rich Shepherd is the PGA pro over Forest Park with our partners at Classic five golf we always see him in our Facebook friends. I see your card and your kids at the Oreo games and summers on and all those first of all, how are things at Forest Park? What’s going on on the west side, man? Everything’s
8
Richard Sheppard Jr. 01:15
good man. It’s a little hot, but you know, making it through staying cool. Staying hydrated. Course is in good shape. Considering the heat and looking forward to a great summer. Here Forest Park.
Nestor J. Aparicio 01:28
That’s what I was gonna ask you about the weather, right? Because I look I don’t I know a little bit about golf. I know very little about horticulture and about grasses and how they grow to play a lot of baseball and feel a score to the grass down but that’s the full extent I lost my finger mowing the lawn when I was three years old. So like so like, I’m not a lawn mower guy. Okay, but my dear friend John from true vine takes care of my my lawn right and we had a little party Fourth of July for friends over to house and I warned him a month ahead it’s I’m still gonna have people over bugs grass this that. He came over and he cut the grass and my son was at the house and my son was like a landscapers don’t landscaping work and, and he cut it. I was like, why are you here? Give me the schedule. This I’m trying to understand grass cutting. And my son and he both said, You can’t cut the grass. You’ll cut it too short. It’ll burn. It’ll burn. And I’m like, I don’t know anything about grass. And I thought Yeah, I got to ask you about this because like, this is the most important thing going on in a golf course right now right here where it’s been 100 degrees for like two weeks. And I’m thinking to myself, Oh, man, you come out there one day and the green turns to gold and like, just keeping courses in shape is like, I mean, the cow that says Oriole Park. She’s only got this much grass. She’s gotta keep it perfect. You got 18 holes out there, man. Yeah, you
Richard Sheppard Jr. 02:50
know, when it’s really hot. You got to keep it wet. And we had a drought there was rain. We had a couple of rain last couple days. But before that it was a real drought with regards to rain so sort of Greens get, you know, the fairways and rough greens kind of get burnt out. But you know, we keep it happen
Nestor J. Aparicio 03:08
8every year everywhere is I mean every summer. Oh, yeah. Yeah. spend a million dollars all that it’s just the sun, the water the grass. It’s it’s tough to do, I would think right?
Richard Sheppard Jr. 03:19
And yeah, it doesn’t matter where you are. You gotta it’s tough. You know, when it’s so hot, got to dress non growing how it normally would in the spring. You know, that’s when things are blooming things are sprouting. Summertime. You just want to keep them you’re trying to maintain through the summer keep them wet as best you can. Hopefully mother nature helps us out a little bit. But you know, this week you got you know, today tomorrow, Wednesday, I think you’re looking over 100 degrees, so we’ll keep it wet. And hopefully they agree with you
Nestor J. Aparicio 03:47
and I love having you on a string because you got your little Crocodile Dundee hat on. You’re ready to go out there on these hot days. Do you have any advice for people? And I would think young people I remember being young playing baseball and 100 degree days we like to hydrate and I didn’t know much about hydration back then. I know a lot more now. Any advice for people? I mean, obviously starting early in the day, older people and people just some people probably shouldn’t be out on the golf course this time. You know, just to God you love golf and all that but you’re a little up in age got this and that it’s too hot to play this week for some people. Yeah,
Richard Sheppard Jr. 04:21
yeah. Well, yeah. I want to know your limits. You know, elderly people, some people have the certain health conditions Know your limits. Definitely play early in the morning or in the evening. As the sun starting to go down. Stay hydrated.
8Nestor J. Aparicio 04:33
I got you have people after. It’ll be 98 You’ll have there’ll be people on
Richard Sheppard Jr. 04:39
the course. We’ll have a few Yeah, nine holes. Not too bad. You can kind of get around quickly get a quick nine and before you get too dehydrated and sweating out.
Nestor J. Aparicio 04:49
January the first day, it’s 41 degrees. You’re all out there playing whatever, but when it gets hot, it’s time to get off right. I mean, there was a point where like you have to bail out here a little bit right?
Richard Sheppard Jr. 04:59
8It gets to a point but you gotta be prepared. You know, stay hydrated. wear your sunscreen, wear your bucket hats. I got the sleeves I’m gonna put on I got Junior Golf camp this week. So I got the sun sleeves I put on keeps you cool keeps the sun from, you know getting the sunburn and just got to be prepared for golf, the outdoor sport so that’d be prepared for the elements. You know, you got suntan lotion out there for everybody will SPF 50 for all the kids is that we’re doing? Yeah, we got some banana boat out there. Yeah. Well tell me about the junior
Nestor J. Aparicio 05:34
because I want to talk. I mean, I’ll talk British and they’re playing in Scotland. And we’ll get to all that and the Live tour and all the Polish all the crap that’s going on with golf, but you’re out there everyday playing, you’re out to everyday teaching, we talked about classified in the courses being everywhere. It’s a little hot right now. But if you did sign up and take our advice back in the spring or early summer, and you’re out there, and it’s summertime, you got kids that sign up for camps. Tell me about the junior program because I know that’s something you’re really proud of. And I know, as a parent yourself now you’re, you know, you’re getting the club into the kids hands, you know, making them think they were born with it. Yeah, so
Richard Sheppard Jr. 06:04
we got Junior Golf camp this week, I do it in the morning. So I just do it from nine to 12. Monday through Friday. So that way we get them out before it gets too hot. We have a good time we go they have a nice curriculum set up PGA Junior Golf camps. We’re taking them through everything. And on Friday, we take them out on the course. So they have a great time
Nestor J. Aparicio 06:22
when you see curriculum on them. And you make any school to me, right. So when I think curriculum, like I need to call Don Mohler and get the principles guide out like all that. There was a course I mean, because I would think I come out and play you and I get to know each other, we do a lesson and say I want to work on this. I want to work on that. What do I want to work on? But when you take a child and say, This is how to hold the club, and then but but they’re literally there. There’s a handbook? I don’t know, I make them out to this. Yeah,
8Richard Sheppard Jr. 06:50
we try to we try to do a curriculum that way they can take stuff home. And usually when you teach somebody, especially juniors, but even adults, sometimes you tell them something, and then tomorrow, they forget it. That way they have,
Nestor J. Aparicio 07:03
they don’t listen to best advice, or do using your free will.
Richard Sheppard Jr. 07:09
That way they can take they can take it home, they can reference it later. Because I won’t be there all the time. So you need they need information to reach to go back to later they can practice on their own. Because I won’t be you know, I’m only one man so I can’t be there all the time. So that way they can always reference that later in the future. And it keeps them you know, keeps them keeps you playing golf every you know you go always go back to your curriculum to your reference reference sheet. And, yeah, you can always go back to it.
Nestor J. Aparicio 07:38
8All right, it’s always measuring your game over there. He can help you with your game as well. He’s PGA golf pro. He is Richard Shepard Jr. RJ you can find him over at a Forest Park. All the classic five courses I had Tom on a couple of weeks ago over coke because he got a crabcake out of the deal. At some point you got to get off the course come have a crab cake because I’m bringing it to you. You got to come to the crab cake tour with me. Tom came over to Coco’s last month, but it was so you know it’s Phillies weekend so like I had to do all that Philadelphia stuff, get that out of the way. We got a big week here with the British. I mean, obviously, the majors are the majors, you know when I think of, you know, going over to Old Trafford or going over to play soccer and I see all the soccer stuff here and I think about famous courses in St Andrews and famous places in Europe royal Troon I don’t know royal Troon you know, like I don’t know enough about it. It’s a great name and I checked out where it is in Scotland and all that but this is one of those weekends where like you know, all everybody comes all the players are playing the live thing or live thing however you pronounce it. This is yeah, this is the best golfers in the world getting together here on these crazy looking courses. They look like they’re on another planet anytime they play British Open, right?
Richard Sheppard Jr. 08:52
Yeah, well, the British Open Now they call it the open they kind of get they got rid of the British. So now it’s just called The Open Championship. It’s the oldest major in golf. You know, I think the world true was 1816 something like that. Being built so very historic. That’s how Golf was originally played out Scotland invented the golf course so within a golf so that was originally playing not too many trees, but you got those pot bunkers in the fairway. Gotta be careful of they got big greens so you might see some long putts they got to navigate. So be fun to watch Yeah,
Nestor J. Aparicio 09:28
like that semi because being American grown West Baltimore the courses look the same. And sometimes you see some courses out in Arizona red rocks or Cliff courses like Pebble Beach met there not much in America or in North America that looks anything like these. These look like prehistoric courses to some degree right? Let’s say the dinosaurs were going for the golf balls when Yeah,
Richard Sheppard Jr. 09:51
so that was a link style link style so they you know they not too many trees pretty flat. But you got the elements you know you got the when most of the Of course is over, they’re off the water. So you got the wind and play. The weather’s not as good here and Middle Atlantic. So it might be a little chilly but
8Nestor J. Aparicio 10:07
they’re all like cliffy right here. So you really get crazy winds, right?
Richard Sheppard Jr. 10:11
Crazy winds, crazy winds. Yeah, that’s what makes it fun that really tested the golfers game able to control their ball and accommodate for the wind. So you know, in here we got Parkland style where it’s more tree lined, a little more lush, fairways and greens. So it’s a little different style of play than the link so how have
Nestor J. Aparicio 10:34
you played any of those kinds of courses before were you stood out and said, This is a different kind of style of golf? Because I mean, you listen, you’re playing you’re teaching kids, you’re there. Every time I talk to golfers like we don’t play golf, we just teach it we don’t really get to go out and like have fun with it very often at all. And when we’re on vacation, it’s not like it really me talking sports some of it I don’t want to do that this week. I’m off this week, you know, so playing these kinds of courses I would think it’s a thrill because it is so unique and different weird. It’s something you can only see on TV. Yeah,
Richard Sheppard Jr. 11:05
8you know, the PGA Tour players they mainly play over here so I know it’s a treat for them to go over there and play that style a lot of Europeans they might have a little bit of advantage because they grew up playing their your or Asia John rom guys like that. But hey, you they have a week to prepare. So they got until Thursday I’m sure most of them already they’re getting ready. So they got till Thursday to learn the course learning to track learn what they’re going to hit the ball and get ready for the for the for the round but on vacation I have to get around the golf. I haven’t been I haven’t been across the pond yet. But anytime I go on vacation I go to Caribbean a lot. I definitely get around the golf and
Nestor J. Aparicio 11:47
Pro can you get on like courses that nobody else can get? You got a chance if you if you signed up a year ahead of time could you play royal Troon if you wanted to?
Richard Sheppard Jr. 11:55
Oh, yeah, yeah, long as I call ahead, hopefully to the head Pro. There’s also a PGA and they kind of look out we’re a fraternity so we’re supposed to look out for each other and they hook us up most of the time. What
Nestor J. Aparicio 12:07
are you looking at folks at Forest Park? You have a favorite golfer? It seems to me like when you’re watching this weekend because I talked to folks, I Tom on the week for Father’s Day, right? Everybody’s watching father’s day watching you. Have you adopted anyone in recent times because I look everybody has a Tiger Woods or an Arnold Palmer or a filmmaker, you know, whatever. But in the modern game, there’s just like incredibly wide and there’s two tours now. Right? So there’s a wide variety of things you could be watching if you’re a fan of a player.
8Richard Sheppard Jr. 12:35
Yeah, well Rory is my favorite right now. Why don’t we share a birthday may 4. But you know I just love his style. You’re not too big of too big of a guy but he still is got a lot of power. It’s one of the longest drivers out on tour. And I love you know, he had a tough US Open. Miss no short putts that cost him against Bryson. But I love his I love his demeanor and how he goes about the game. Northern Ireland guy, so sit
Nestor J. Aparicio 13:00
back from the front the meltdown right?
Richard Sheppard Jr. 13:02
Before it bounced back this week. Yeah. All right. So
Nestor J. Aparicio 13:06
8for you in summertime, give everybody the full invitation to come out when it’s still only at four degrees at 7am and get out on the course with you. But talking about Forest Park and bragging on your own course because I I know it’s your it’s your home course. Nobody knows it better than you probably anywhere in the world. I don’t know how often you go out there and you actually hit. You got one now you’re bringing out there and you’re walking the course all the time. Give me a day in the life of you at Forest Park.
Richard Sheppard Jr. 13:33
Yeah, usually get in early and, you know, kind of do my administrative work. You know, I run the golf course as well. I just I just don’t teach so I’m running the staff making sure they’re in place. Doing any administrative things I need khatam and then you know, do some lessons and hopefully by the evening I could play a few quick nine. Keep my game sharp. And just enjoy. It’s a great place to be everyone great staff friendly staff. Great food, check our grill out GRS food services do a great job. We actually had a event yesterday for if you’ve been to Carroll Park.
Nestor J. Aparicio 14:08
I happen to Carol
Richard Sheppard Jr. 14:09
Park Vondel short track as they say down there. Yeah, yeah, nine holes downtown Vondel She’s the manager there. She had a birthday party yesterday here at for us we have a banquet hall. So it was a nice everyone came out and my son was actually out here putting I took them out for a little bit. It’s a good time so yeah, come on. Man.
8Nestor J. Aparicio 14:29
You’re a Pine Ridge here. We get all the rage driving up there and a computer simulated. We’re down in Mount Pleasant. But you know you guys are all over town classic five. And they see you guys get together at least once a year to celebrate a birthday play a little golf together. Yeah,
Richard Sheppard Jr. 14:41
one big family. So that’s that’s our motto. And you know, we’re accessible. That’s the main thing. We’re accessible. Come out and see us. There’s no barriers here. Come out have a great time. And we actually had yesterday too. We had a lady. She had a birthday party. And she just she just learned off to about a few invited about eight of our friends out to play. And it was great. It was great to see it was Sunday afternoon. It was hot yesterday, but they still came out and had a great time. And that’s
Nestor J. Aparicio 15:10
what it’s all about. Well, it’s hard to get the Oreo game on Sunday. Anyway, you know when I go pick up these Maryland lottery tickets, I have to go drive right past Carroll park because the lottery headquarters is an income rewards building. So I’m always in Carroll Park once a month getting these from Ross. We’re gonna get to Maryland crab cakes. We’re back out on the road. RJ Shepard is joining us here from Forest Park and from our friends at Classic five golf. We talk about it all the time. Get a young one you want to get back into the game you just want to go and hit some balls. If you need some instruction there PGA pros and all the locations we try to have all of them on and sprinkle them around. You drew the short straw this week to have to come on 100 degree week here. Talk about royal Troon and all that. But you drew the long straw in that it’s it’s all star game week and you’re an Oriole guy. Yeah. So here’s the deal. I went down to Florida to see Sammy Hagar and Joe Satriani play all the Van Halen songs I went down with my buddy John laid on the beach for a day or two and so I was sort of gone and monitoring everything on Saturday and Sunday obviously the courage that thing and the brush back and the bench is clear like all of that stuff. Where are you with the Orioles right now? You nervous? Yeah, like feel like everybody’s waiting on pitching everybody’s waiting on getting rid of prospects. This is and your little one doesn’t know this but you’re like half my age. This is rarefied air that we’re sitting here in the All Star Game talking about what day we’re going to slot playoff games in October that’s never been done before. These are the good times to be an Oreo fan. I know you’re digging it
Richard Sheppard Jr. 16:37
8yeah it’s a good time. We had a little slump there this past week. I went to the game on Wednesday we played the Cubs
Nestor J. Aparicio 16:44
it’s your fault
Richard Sheppard Jr. 16:45
yeah my got some golf friends we had a sweet it was nice nighttime yeah crabcakes there to the sweet but yeah, we didn’t look good but I’m glad we got to win yesterday. Walk off style. So that gave us some momentum going to the All Star break I think we needed this all star break. Good time regroup reset you know lineups right get some get some pitching and hopefully beat the Yankees out second half of the year. You’re
Nestor J. Aparicio 17:10
out there run around all these young people hitting golf balls all morning. These baseball players they didn’t have a day off in June. It’s crazy. Right? So yeah, yeah. Yeah, no, they’re still first place everybody breathes watch the gun show. Watch the the all star game take a day off. We’ll gather in Arlington this week. Richard Sheppard Jr. He does things and he’s a PGA golf pro. What does it mean to be PGA golf pro what do you what? What school do you have to go to to get that done because that is something that is very special and you are one of them.
8Richard Sheppard Jr. 17:38
Very special. I went to Maryland Eastern Shore PGM golf program, they were to only HBCU to have the PGM program. So historic. Oh,
Nestor J. Aparicio 17:48
my friends over top and about that because they don’t like here and you me? You Me SP 10 Animals something over eastern shore
Richard Sheppard Jr. 17:55
or Morgan right. But yeah, being being an African American PGA pro is rarefied air. It’s not that many of us, but how
Nestor J. Aparicio 18:04
8many? Are you? Or do you know? Is it 1% 3%? is
Richard Sheppard Jr. 18:09
less than 1%? Yes, about 30,000 PGA pros will probably less than 300. So probably less than 1% Wow, African American PGA pro. So this is
Nestor J. Aparicio 18:21
a generation after Tiger Woods. I mean, you know, like literally trying to imagine 40 years ago, this would have been different you know, like that. But the accessibility for you in West Baltimore. This is what I say to folks, especially when you come on I’m like, here’s a guy that was feels like you were born with a golf club. You love the game. You’ve preached the game to everyone you know, in your space. And here you are, you know, years later showing another generation and I’m you know, I don’t know what the percentage of people of color on Listen, I’m an Hispanic I grew up in Dundalk there were no Hispanic people. I got it done but now at 70% Hispanic, so I was the only one in the 70s Believe me. So but but for you people of color coming on the course all the time. And probably all the time when you were a kid on the course. It’s just not aspiring to be a PGA golf pro something that’s just very difficult to do.
Richard Sheppard Jr. 19:09
It is. But yeah, the main thing is accessibility you know, if if you know for the juniors so they don’t know what’s out there. They don’t know they don’t know what to do. So get bring them out here we got we got a lot of youth organizations coming out and just just getting them out on the golf course a lot of people don’t even know we’re here. You know what I mean? It’s a beautiful golf course here in West Baltimore. You know, you can go out on the golf course you would have been no you’re in the city, you know, the scenery, the greenery, it’s just a nice time and come out relax, enjoy, get away from all the hustle and bustle and you know the political stuff and all that stuff going on and just enjoy yourself and yeah, we’re just trying to grow the game. You don’t have to be a pro but just just learning the game of golf being out there to people you meet the people your network. That’s how I was able to go to the Oreo suite and the people I know through golf is invaluable. So you know a lot of golfers are fluent. So Get a lot of business owners, entrepreneurs, corporate executives, so lots of deals get made and all that good stuff. So play golf is a great game physically, emotionally, socially, financially. So come out have a great time. We did. All right right now. Yes. Yeah. Many good and good. Yep. All right. Well, listen
8Nestor J. Aparicio 20:19
again. Yeah. Take care of the kids out there. As far as Park, RJ Shepard K found a classic five golf. They sponsor us and we play the ads. We have a good time we had somebody say, I
Richard Sheppard Jr. 20:29
want to say when we went to the game, Orioles game I saw what’s the lady’s name that controls the grounds for the Orioles. Nicole, Shari, Nicole, she, it was a rain delay. It was a rain delay. It was about 30 minutes. And it was amazing to see how they put the tarp now. All that stuff. It was it was just amazing to see. Like it was like 30 Guys, and Nicole’s directing them.
Nestor J. Aparicio 20:53
When the storm was coming, she had arrived. And she’s out with the iPad. And I’m thinking myself, man, like dad would freak out if you were alive. This is the way they’re doing all your rain delays in baseball. Well, the storm you will look at this up. I mean, we didn’t have
Richard Sheppard Jr. 21:07
8a lot. Yeah, it was a very efficient It was just incredible watch. So shout out to her. Piano yard is always looking good. So that’s when I saw her. I was like that was nice to see.
Nestor J. Aparicio 21:16
United use the word hate. You know, I’m anti hatred. Nothing’s I hate and life and rain delays. Ooh, baseball. It’s right on like, I don’t tolerate rain delays. I’m just too old for that. So get them over with get out on the course. While it’s cool in the mornings. It’s a hot week out there. And if you’re watching
Richard Sheppard Jr. 21:34
Thursday, it’ll be back nights after Thursday. We’ll be back in the 80s beautiful weather.
Nestor J. Aparicio 21:38
All right, well, we get the kids out there though hitting the balls. 25 Golf is all over the beltway. You can find them in Mount Pleasant. You found them at Pine Ridge and find them in Carroll Park. I forgot one would have Clifton Park. Yeah, we forget that one. It was the one I drove through. Going over to Memorial Stadium when I was a kid. You can also find Richard Sheppard up on the website as well with his smiling face and his bio for his PJs you look a little different with the hat on but keep pull out there keep the kids lotion on out there and I will see you you and I get together September for playoff time I think before the Orioles get ready for game one with Corbin birds take care of yourselves great like a plan your Shepherd Richard Shepard Jr. Joining us here from Forest Park and our partners at Classic five golf we do not have any crab cake tour schedule on the schedule right now we’re gonna get back after it in early August put some together with Woodberry Kitchen a little later on the month of Spike Georgia to and talking about farming and using land to what create food that we all enjoy and organic foods and healthy foods. Very very important that we we do that summertime All Star break. If you hear some old school conversations here with Hall of Famers like Tony Gwynn, Cal Ripken just down the line. Just all of the archives are a weaver a lot of Brooks Robinson I have in my archives. Gonna play that for a couple of days getting back on the grid. Luke is on vacay this week running around with both of his nieces in Wildwood New Jersey get fat on pizza, but we’ll get back after it this weekend after the all star game I am Nestor we are wn St. Am 1570 Towson Baltimore and we never stop talking. Baltimore positive
RJ Sheppard of Forest Park Golf talks summer heat, juniors on the course and Royal Troon and The Open
