Granite State Golfers

Episode 45: Josiah Hakala

Ep.45 features 17 year old Josiah Hakala who is from New Ipswich, NH. He is playing some tremendous golf this summer. We talk about his big win in Texas last week capturing the PGA Boys High School Golf National Invitational. Josiah also talks about his goal of turning professional and his busy tournament schedule for the rest of the summer which includes playing in the US Junior Amateur at Oakland Hills. 
Thanks to The Oaks for sponsoring the podcast this season. I played there this weekend and the course is in fantastic condition.
Song is Good Vibe by Ketsa and is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
 

Episode 44: Carys Fennessy

In this brief episode (7 mins), we check back in with Carys who just won the New England Women's Amateur. We talk about that victory, which college she will be attending and playing golf at and what other tournaments she is playing in this summer. If you missed my prior conversations with Carys, check out episodes 16 and 28. This is the third time she has been on the show - the most of any guest. 
Thanks to my home course, The Oaks, for sponsoring the podcast this season. 
Song is Good Vibe by Ketsa and is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Episode 43: Nick McLaughlin

This episode features Nick McLaughlin who just captured his third Seacoast Am title last weekend. Nick grew up in New Castle and went on to play collegiate golf at the University of Virginia. We talk about some of the people he played with in college (Scottie Scheffler!) and his decision to turn pro and his decision to regain his amateur status. Nick shares great insights into the game and how fickle it can be. We also talk about the last round of the Seacoast Am including the playoff which led to his victory. 
Thanks for listening and sharing the show with your friends. And a special thanks to my home course, The Oaks, for sponsoring the podcast this year. They will be having a grand opening weekend soon for the Pavilion. 
Song is Good Vibe by Ketsa and is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Episode 42: The Salo Brothers

Damon Salo, the guest from our last episode, returns to the show with his brother, Cam, to talk about their win last week at Owl's Nest capturing the NHGA 36 hole 4ball tournament. We talk about their heater in the morning, firing a 62 and then their slow start to begin their second 18. Damon and Cam walk us through the playoff that led to victory. Thank you for listening and enjoy the show!
Thank you to The Oaks for sponsoring the podcast this season. They will be making an announcement soon to unveil the first full golf entertainment facility in New Hampshire.  
Song is Good Vibe by Ketsa and is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Episode 41: Damon Salo

This episode features Damon Salo who is fresh off a victory, winning the Players Invitational last weekend at Baker Hill. We talk about the win and we also discuss his stacked high school team (3 championships) and playing the Shattuck. Damon also discusses his collegiate career, his brief stint turning pro and which tournaments he is focused on this year. 
Thank you to The Oaks for sponsoring the podcast this season. Be sure to check out their US Open challenge tournament at The Pavilion powered by TopTracer Range technology. 
Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy my conversation with Damon.
Song is Good Vibe by Ketsa is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Episode 40: Mark Baldwin

This episode features Mark Baldwin who grew up in the Laconia area and had a very successful junior career capturing three consecutive state junior titles. He went on to play at the University of Notre Dame and turned professional after he graduated. He captured his first win as a professional in 2006, winning the NH Open. Since then, he has played on a number of tours around the world and has played in five PGA Tour events (including the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am). A lot of Mark's professional journey has been captured well by Ryan French at MondayQ.com - be sure to check it out if you are not already following MondayQ. We spend most of the interview talking about Mark's early years in golf, including late hot summer nights shagging balls at Laconia CC.
And thank you to my home course, The Oaks, for sponsoring the podcast this season.
Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy my conversation with Mark.
Song is Good Vibe by Ketsa is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
 
Thanks for listening! 

Episode 39: Ken Hamel

This episode features Ken Hamel who has been the pro at three different NH courses and is currently the head pro at Stonebridge in Goffstown. I have known Ken for quite some time and as you will hear, he has a deep passion for the game and loves coaching and getting people to love golf. We talk about his early years in golf, his transition from being a plumber to a PGA Professional and his plans for retirement after this season. 
Thank you to my home course, The Oaks, for sponsoring the podcast.  The course has been open for 7 weeks and is getting greener by the day and the greens are rolling smooth. 
Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy my conversation with Ken. 
Song is Good Vibe by Ketsa is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Episode 38: Pat Pelletier

This episode features Pat Pelletier. Pat grew up in Lebanon, NH and started playing as a kid and quickly got the bug for competitive golf, playing in junior tournaments. He played on a high school team that seems like was stacked with a bunch of players. I talk with Pat about his collegiate career at the University of Rhode Island, his decision to turn pro and eventually regaining his amateur status. We also discuss some of his big wins and why the state am title is the one he really wants.
I am excited to announce that my home course, The Oaks, is sponsoring the podcast this year. Thank you to The Oaks for their support. If you have not checked out their new Top Tracer practice facility - go check it out.
Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy my conversation with Pat. 
Song is Good Vibe by Ketsa is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0