Best Matthew Mollica Podcasts (2025)

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Ep73: So... Is Seven Mile Beach any good?! 1:48:41

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12d ago1:48:41

1:48:41

A really special episode this time around, with the voices of five different golfers all fleshing out the experience of preview play over the eleven holes currently open at the new Mike DeVries and Mike Clayton Seven Mile Beach course in Hobart. Will Kay, Will Watt, Sam MacDonald, Jared Kendler and Chris Kane all share their experiences of visiting…

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Ep72: Ewan Porter 47:52

1M ago47:52

47:52

Matt flying solo for this one, with special guest Ewan Porter discussing a range of topics, as Scott was racking up the birdie alongside Nick Mills on his beloved NSW GC at the time of recording. Our anchor will be back for the next episode – which we’re really excited about. More to come on that soon… We start this episode off recapping Ewan’s exp…

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Ep71: Goals Review & General Golf Chat 1:16:08

2M ago1:16:08

1:16:08

A casual chat for this episode – Scott and Matt discuss recent golf, a plan to build excitement in the lead-up to the Australian Open, and more. The goals outlined at the start of the year also come in for a mid-season review. Tons of good stuff covered. We hope you enjoy the chat, and as always with the goals – we hope this topic encourages all of…

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Ep70: Listener Questions (Part 2) 1:39:45

2M ago1:39:45

1:39:45

Another longish episode where we wrap up the huge batch of listener questions forwarded to us recently. Membership issues, rankings, golf in Sydney, architecture, course comparisons, and so much more. A really interesting and varied grab bag of subjects to ponder. Thanks again to all those who submitted via the Insta story call-out. To start the ep…

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Ep69: Listener Qs (Hanse at Barny, Ranking the Royals, Sydney gems, $600 to spend on the Mornington, and more) 2:03:05

3M ago2:03:05

2:03:05

This latest edition of Australian Golf Passport podcast is an ever-popular Listener Questions episode. Thanks to all those who submitted via the Insta story call-out. Almost 5 dozen questions will form hours of discussion for this episode and the next! We got to 28 of them in this two-hour session. Lots of great stuff to mull over ranging from turf…

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Ep68: Yarra Yarra 1:34:43

3M ago1:34:43

1:34:43

We’re back to devote an entire episode to Yarra Yarra – one of those Sandbelt courses that doesn’t quite get the love it deserves on occasions. We start the episode with a fast review of Scott’s recent Canberra visit, including his quick lap around Royal Canbera. For those keen to visit Royal Canberra, click the link below - https://www.royalcanber…

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Ep67: Tom Mackenzie on rebuilding NSWGC & discovering Aussie golf 1:22:43

4M ago1:22:43

1:22:43

Tom Mackenzie from Mackenzie & Ebert is our guest for this episode, talking all things NSWGC redesign, plus the arm-wrestle between designing in the dirt and having a plan to work to, the tension between form and function, tricks for making tight sections of property feel spacious and why he thinks Melbourne is the best golf city in the world. But …

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Ep66: Royal Sydney Is (Almost) Ready! 1:07:36

4M ago1:07:36

1:07:36

Fast turn around from last episode to this – with RoyalSydney about to publicly unveil their newly renovated Gil Hanse golf course. After a recent multi-hour walk around the property with super Adam Marchant, Scott shares his views on the design, and the highlights of the reworked layout. Needless to say – expectations were exceeded! Prior to that,…

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Ep65: Recent Events 1:11:37

4M ago1:11:37

1:11:37

This episode affords the chance to review loads of little topics on the Australian golf landscape - courses re-opening after works, Karl Vilips breakthrough win, Matt's quick jaunt to Tara Iti, activities of panelists on the AGP Top 50 panel, and more of Scott's ball testing. Metro, The Lakes, NSW, Mt Lawley, Royal Sydney and more are all discussed…

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Ep64: New South Wales GC renovation, Scott's instant reaction 46:36

5M ago46:36

46:36

New South Wales GC is baaaaaack! Matt checks in with Scott after opening weekend at the newly-renovated NSWGC for a quick initial reaction to the changes. Spoiler: he enjoyed himself. Seed Golf has provided an introductory 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport. Head to ⁠⁠seedgolf.com.au⁠ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on so…

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Ep63: Golf Along The Murray River, with Brian Walshe 1:19:16

5M ago1:19:16

1:19:16

An episode topic that has been consistently requested since we first started recording Australian Golf Passport – a deep dive into Golf Along The Might River Murray. We’re joined by Brian Walshe – great friend of the pod, and a passionate golfer who has planned & enjoyed dozens of Murray River golf trips over the decades. Courses, accommodation, me…

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Episode Sixty Two - Commonwealth deep dive, Aussie Open news, Fliers Club and Dean from Seed 2:32:21

5M ago2:32:21

2:32:21

We could have taken the easy way out and made this two episodes to chip away at our goal of 26 for the year, but instead here's two and a half hours of listening spanning four topics. We open with a chat about sanity prevailing at Sandringham with the men's and women's Aussie Opens to be contested separately again from 2025 after a failed three-yea…

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Episode Sixty One - A big announcement 50:34

6M ago50:34

50:34

We've been working on something exciting, and we're pumped to share it with you. First cab off the rank for 2025 allows us the chance to formulate some new goals for the coming 12 months and reflect on the previous year. This is an enjoyable and rewarding process - shamelessly based on the famous NoLayingUp annual Goals Pod. Not without its challen…

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Episode Sixty - 2024 Australian Golf Passport Awards 53:09

7M ago53:09

53:09

Our final episode for 2024 takes a look back at the year that was - with awards for a range of fantastic courses, great performances and favorite moments of the year. Superintendents, pro shops, renovated courses and playing partners all come in for a little love and affection. We'd love to hear who you think deserves some praise for a great year t…

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Episode Fifty Nine - Ross Flannigan, inc. Sandbelt Invitational wrap-up 2:01:41

7M ago2:01:41

2:01:41

A massive Christmas holiday edition for you to take in over a long festive season car trip, or during a relaxing lie down in the sun over the Christmas break. This episode starts with a little rundown on the recently completed Sandbelt Invitational to kick things off before sinking our teeth into the discussion with Ross Flannigan. Ross will be wel…

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Episode Fifty Eight - A Ton of Listener Questions 1:42:50

8M ago1:42:50

1:42:50

We thought we'd get on our bikes and up the rate at which we publish, as the finish line for 2024 nears. After having recorded a long episode in which we quickly review the goals for the year, this episode features heaps of responses to a great range of listener questions. During the edit process - Matt spilt a coffee over his laptop, and was offli…

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Episode Fifty Seven - Save Moore Park GC's Jared Kendler, plus latest Metro/Huntingdale news 1:08:39

8M ago1:08:39

1:08:39

Hot on the heels of the release of a plan by the Save Moore Park Golf Course alliance to keep the course at 18 holes, we chat with the driving force behind that alliance, Jared Kendler. Jared talks us through the issues and the plan that the golf community is hoping will be embraced by the NSW Government, which owns the site. His group has proposed…

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Episode Fifty Six - Peninsula Kingswood (North) full post-mortem 1:48:50

9M ago1:48:50

1:48:50

The longest episode we've ever done! There was a lot to discuss... The keenly anticipated chat on one of the most dramatic, and visually striking courses in the land. Following on from Scott's whirlwind trip to Melbourne a fortnight back, we do a deep dive on PK North. More than a good looker, this course is a gem in every way. Playable and strateg…

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Episode Fifty Five - Sandbelt trip wrap-up: PK & Commonwealth 51:09

9M ago51:09

51:09

Three days, five rounds, two course walks, 65,000 steps each. We're cooked. But before Scott gets on a plane home, we've got a quick recap of our rounds at Peninsula-Kingswood North and South, and a hotly anticipated lap of the newly renovated Commonwealth. Shoutout Angus & Grace Go Golfing. Images related to this episode can be found on our Instag…

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Episode Fifty Four - Sandbelt golf trip day one: PK, Yarra, listener Qs 45:04

9M ago45:04

45:04

A quick debrief on the first day of our Melbourne Sandbelt golf trip. Not the day we had planned thanks to a 50mm drop of rain, but we still saw plenty and had a lot to discuss. As always – special thanks to our podcast supporter – Angus & Grace Go Golfing. Check their website for latest apparel and product drops. You can also visit their Instagram…

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Episode Fifty Three - Chris Solomon 1:13:27

10M ago1:13:27

1:13:27

A super special guest for the long overdue next episode of the podcast. Chris Solomon from No Laying Up joins us to share his views on all things golf Down Under. Soly has travelled here several times over the years, with his visits bookended by Tourist Sauce Seasons #1 and #9. Between those visits he got to play the Composite course at Royal Melbo…

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Episode Fifty Two - Aussie golf media doyen Brendan James 1:07:26

11M ago1:07:26

1:07:26

Brendan James, long-time editor of Golf Australia magazine is our special guest for this episode. Brendan is a doyen of the Australian Golf Media landscape, spending more than quarter of a century at the helm of Golf Australia magazine. He’s now concluded his time there, doing his own thing under the banner of Snap Hook Media – https://snaphookmedi…

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Episode Fifty One - Gil Hanse & Josh McFadden on Royal Sydney GC 40:58

12M ago40:58

40:58

A thrill to speak with Josh McFadden and Gil Hanse of Hanse Golf Design. Both are visiting our country to complete renovation of the course at Royal Sydney Golf Club. This exciting development is entering the home stretch, after years of planning and work. Gil’s work is world-renowned, and we hope this commission in Sydney is the first of more proj…

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Episode Fifty - Metro/Huntingdale merger, Five Mile Beach update & other news 52:07

1y ago52:07

52:07

We've made it to 50 episodes! Metropolitan and Huntingdale are planning to merge, the Aussie Open is back on the sandbelt, some news about the likely architect of Five Mile Beach, two more courses for King Island (?!) and Royal Sydney is taking shape... Shoutout Angus & Grace, shoutout Burley Brewing, shoutout Will Drew!…

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Episode Forty Nine - Architecture listener questions 1:30:45

1y ago1:30:45

1:30:45

Following on from our previous episode examining why course architcture is an important part of the game of golf, we rip through 20 listener questions on the topic:Should short par threes have small greens or big wild ones?Where would an Aussie Pinehurst be located?What will the sandbelt look like in 50 years?Are there too many blind holes at Kings…

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Episode Forty Eight - Why Does Golf Architecture Matter? 1:37:54

1y ago1:37:54

1:37:54

Following on from a listener DM regarding course design issues, we devote an entire episode to the topic of golf architecture. Why does it matter? Why is the Old Course important, and why is Alister MacKenzie revered? How is it so many people long for firm and fast course conditions? All this, analytics, the wind at Cape Wickham, and more in a long…

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Episode Forty Seven - How to win a club championship, with Warwick Dews 1:29:55

1y ago1:29:55

1:29:55

We recap Scott's win in the 2024 New South Wales GC A-Reserve club championship final, joined for the discussion by his opponent's caddie, NSWGC head teaching pro Warwick Dews.Warwick and Scott recap the shots that made a difference, discuss what each camp was thinking in some key moments and Warwick casts a professional's eye over the mistakes Sco…

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Episode Forty Six - Steve Keipert & Australian Golf Digest 2024 Top 100 1:18:22

1y ago1:18:22

1:18:22

Steve Keipert, editor of Australian Golf Digest joins us to chat about the magazine's latest rankings edition - with the Top 100 list of Australian courses controversially featuring a new #1. Cape Wickham sits atop the rankings for the first time. Steve goes through the nitty gritty of the process, and talks all things rankings, course architecture…

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Episode Forty Five - Matt Mollica live from Augusta 25:35

1+ y ago25:35

25:35

Ever wondered what pure euphoria sounds like?Matt phoned in fresh from 12 hours walking the grounds of Augusta National to debrief on his day at The Masters.Just a quick episode, with regular programming to resume once Matty is back from his travels.Shoutout Burnley, shoutout Angus & Grace.

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Episode Forty Four - Playing The Masters, with Lukas Michel 1:27:04

1+ y ago1:27:04

1:27:04

Lukas Michel joins the pod for a second time to chat about playing in the 2020 Masters Tournament: what he learned about the course; favourite shots, holes and greens; playing practice rounds with OWGR Top 10 studs; social distancing in The Crow's Nest, why food at The Masters tastes better & more. We also discuss his amateur career, his internal w…

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Episode Forty Three - Listener Qs + Matt is Masters-bound 39:08

1+ y ago39:08

39:08

A quick catch-up before Matt's departure for the US to attend the Masters and play some all-world golf courses. We answer some listener questions, several with a Masters theme, go through some four-word course reviews of Aussie courses by American golf course architect Jaeger Kovich following his recent trip to the Sandbelt and chat a bit about wha…

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Episode Forty Two - Four word course reviews are back! 1:29:40

1+ y ago1:29:40

1:29:40

Four-word course reviews are back!After an initial catch-up on some recent news in Aussie golf & the pursuit — not all of it successful — of their 2024 goals, Matt and Scott turn their attention to the 2024 Golf Australia Magazine course rankings.They go course by course through the top 20 with four-word course reviews for each of them, as well as …

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Episode Forty One - Mike DeVries & 7 Mile Beach 1:27:37

1+ y ago1:27:37

1:27:37

A real treat to chat with esteemed golf course architect Mike DeVries. Boasting decades of experience in the industry, Mike is one of the men on the ground at 7 Mile Beach. This episode focusses lots on the course, as well as Mike’s portfolio of courses, his thoughts on construction, and so much more. The preamble of the episode includes Scott and …

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Episode Forty - Greg Chalmers 42:21

1+ y ago42:21

42:21

A snippet of 1998 Australian Open winner Greg Chalmers was featured within our previous episode – a focus on Royal Adelaide. This episode of the pod is the full chat with one of the more under-rated Australian golf talents of recent times. It was a real pleasure to speak with Greg – he covered a wide range of topics during his talk with us. We pres…

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Episode Thirty Nine - Royal Adelaide, With A Couple Of Lefties 1:17:15

1+ y ago1:17:15

1:17:15

One of the finest courses in the land comes under the microscope today - with the venerable Royal Adelaide layout our focus. Details are fleshed out by RA expert Terry Thornton, and the winner of the 1998 Australian Open (played at Royal Adelaide) Greg Chalmers. Everything you wanted to know about the course is in here, and there's even some detail…

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Episode Thirty Eight - 2024 Goals 57:13

1+ y ago57:13

57:13

Matt and Scott take a leaf out of the NoLayingUp playbook and map out some personal goals for the year ahead. Golf, health, personal development – all bases covered. And some golf chat thrown in there amongst all the good intentions. We hope this inspires listeners to reflect on the last year, and perhaps set some targets for the coming twelve mont…

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Episode Thirty Seven - Mike Clayton Returns 1:39:48

1+ y ago1:39:48

1:39:48

We round out the calendar year in style – Mike Clayton returns to discuss all things golf, and give us a little look at Mike the man, not just Mike the golfing legend. Healesville, The Sandbelt Invitational, the importance of staying active as we age, Mike’s connection with the game of tennis, The Addington, angles & data, Seven Mile Beach, course …

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Episode Thirty Six - 'Tis the season, Let's Get Blind! 1:28:48

1+ y ago1:28:48

1:28:48

Christmas is nearly upon us, so we decided to get into the festive spirit. A busy last few weeks on the domestic golfscene sees a full news chat at the start of the episode. Australian Open wrap, Sandbelt Invitational nearing the finish, Scott claims the Cathedral Invitational, JDay and LKo win the mixed pairs PGA / LPGA Tour event, and ball rollba…

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Episode Thirty Five - Australian Open Week Is Here! 1:10:20

1+ y ago1:10:20

1:10:20

The biggest week in the country for professional golf is upon us, and Scott & Matt take a look at the event, and the host courses – The Lakes and The Australian. The holes of note, the format of the event, players to watch, the all-important weather forecast for the week and more. Even some possible changes to The Lakes are discussed, before a wide…

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Episode Thirty Four - Barnbougle Revisited 1:30:49

1+ y ago1:30:49

1:30:49

After having first visited the town of Bridport back in 2004 for a sneak preview round on Barnbougle Dunes, Matt recently made his first trip back there in more than four and a half years, and recalls the experience of several days playing over Lost Farm, Bougle Run and Barnbougle Dunes. This episode starts with a reasonably lengthy recap of recent…

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Episode Thirty Three - What next for golf in Moore Park? 38:31

2y ago38:31

38:31

The New South Wales Premier Chris Minns yesterday announced that the busy and popular public golf course at Moore Park will be carved up to create more free-form parkland, at the expense of golf holes. It seems like golf is paying the price on the back end of unfettered urban development on the edge of Centennial Park and Moore Park. As the populat…

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Episode Thirty Two - Royal Melbourne (Composite) 52:41

2y ago52:41

52:41

Is it the best course in the world? Who can say. Royal Melbourne’s famed Composite layout has its moment in the Australian Golf Passport podcast spotlight this episode. We discus the origins of the concept for a course combining holes from East and West, and why it originated. The holes that make up Composite, and the sequence in which they’re been…

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Episode Thirty One - Royal Melbourne (East) 1:09:10

2y ago1:09:10

1:09:10

One of Australia’s finest layout, and one that is often over-looked by locals and overseas visitors alike. We’ve been looking forward to covering East, and hope that you enjoy the discussion. This episode kicks off with a brief summary of the experience at the Marvel Stadium Golf event in Melbourne, and the imminent opening of the underground carpa…

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Episode Thirty - Sandbelt Scandal & National Nonsense 1:26:54

2y ago1:26:54

1:26:54

With a flurry of activity on the local golf scene, and one great question accidentally omitted from the recent mailbag episode, we call an emergency pod, and spend longer than we thought we would discussing the events of the week. First up is the topic that has been running hot on the local rumor mill - the alleged misappropriation of funds and ass…

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Episode Twenty Nine - Listener Questions 1:16:50

2y ago1:16:50

1:16:50

The second half of the recent batch of listener questions submitted a little while ago are all covered in this fun episode. Loads of reallyinteresting and thought-provoking topics to cover including a hypothetical re-routing of a Sydney public course, and state of origin battle of the best of Victoria versus the best of the rest of Australia. Golf …

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Episode Twenty Eight - Ben Hillard 1:02:19

2y ago1:02:19

1:02:19

Our guest for this episode grew up in Melbourne, and played golf in his youth, but his love of the game blossomed in early adulthood. His rise from playing at Rosanna, to working in turf at the club, followed by a season at St Andrews, to then working at Cabot and finally joining the esteemed Gil Hanse has been a steady and successful climb into th…

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Episode Twenty Seven - Listener Questions 1:13:55

2y ago1:13:55

1:13:55

Hot on the heels of a tremendous time with Tron Carter we dive into a perennial favourite - listener questions. Thanks so much to so many of you for sending in a fantastic set of topics to discuss. We’ve divided theese into two episodes, and have covered the first 50% here. Links courses, regional courses, Sandbelt bunkering, an all-time Aussie fou…

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Episode Twenty Six - Tron Carter 1:30:03

2y ago1:30:03

1:30:03

A distinct privilege to spend some time talking with No Laying Up’s Tron Carter. A lover of all things Australian golf, Tron’s passion and knowledge shine through as he reflects on his previous trips to Australia, the courses he played and the places he visited. Our discussion covers the Sandbelt, as well as the Mornington and Bellarine peninsulas.…

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Episode Twenty Five - A Homesick Ran Morrissett 1:16:28

2y ago1:16:28

1:16:28

Ran Morrissett, the doyen of the online golf architecture community and founder of golfclubatlas.com is our special guest for this really enjoyable episode. Ran lived in Australia for several years and is one of golf’s most knowledgeable and passionate architectural minds. He serves as architectural editor of golf.com, and also heads up their World…

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Episode Twenty Four - The Lakes 58:22

2y ago58:22

58:22

One of Sydney’s finest courses and clubs has the spotlight for this edition of the pod, but there’s plenty of additional discussion in a spritely, slightly shorter session than usual. News of the week includes details on Golf in Marvel Stadium at the Docklands in September, which will be similar to the Callaway Golf take-over at Petco Park, home of…