Stewart Cink joins The Cart Barn Podcast to discuss his recent success on PGA Tour Champions, the mindset changes that helped him start winning again, and how modern analytics and AI are shaping the way he practices and competes.

Episode Description:
Friend of the podcast Stewart Cink returns to The Cart Barn Podcast after an incredible stretch of golf that has already produced multiple wins on PGA Tour Champions.

In this episode, Stewart sits down with J Chris Lemley and Gregg Dewalt at the Regions Tradition to discuss:

• Why he believes most golfers practice the wrong things
• The mindset shift that changed his performance
• How AI and analytics now influence his game
• Why “strengthening your strengths” matters
• The differences between PGA Tour and Champions Tour competition
• Preparing for the PGA Championship at Aronimink
• Playing alongside longtime friends like Zach Johnson and Ben Crane
• Balancing competition, family, travel, and life after 50

Stewart also shares insights into how elite players evaluate performance, how expectations can sabotage results, and why the Champions Tour is far more competitive than most fans realize.

This is one of the most in-depth golf performance conversations we’ve had on the show.

Recorded on-site at the Regions Tradition in Birmingham, Alabama.

Stewart Cink, PGA Tour Champions, PGA Tour, golf podcast, golf analytics, golf mindset, golf instruction, Champions Tour, Regions Tradition, Alabama golf, J Chris Lemley, Gregg Dewalt, golf performance, golf practice, golf strategy, Zach Johnson, Ben Crane, professional golf, golf stories, Cart Barn Podcast

Wes Tuck joins the Cart Barn Podcast to tell the story of a life spent inside the game — from growing up around Alabama junior golf, winning the Future Masters, playing at Troy and Auburn, competing in the 1988 U.S. Amateur, chasing professional golf, and eventually finding a second career on the course maintenance side of the game.

Wes Tuck has lived almost every version of a golf life.

He grew up around the game in Alabama, learned under influential pros like Billy Eastep and Chris Rigdon, won the Future Masters, played college golf at Troy and Auburn, and made a strong run in the 1988 U.S. Amateur — including a match against defending champion Billy Mayfair.

In this episode, Wes talks about junior golf before the modern travel-tour era, what he learned from great players, his years chasing professional golf, and how his career eventually shifted into golf course maintenance and turf management.

It is a conversation about practice, perspective, parents, pressure, persistence, and why affordable public golf still matters.

Episode Summary

Legendary college golf coach Mike Griffin shares stories from Troy and Auburn, including coaching elite players, building championship programs, and the lessons that shaped his career.

Full Show Notes

Coach Mike Griffin is one of the most respected names in college golf, with a career spanning decades at Troy and Auburn. In this episode, he shares the stories, decisions, and lessons that defined his journey—from small-town beginnings to building nationally competitive programs.

We get into what it takes to develop players at the highest level, the evolution of college golf, and behind-the-scenes stories involving players like Jason Duffner and Paul Azinger.

Coach Griffin also shares one of the most impactful moments of his career—winning a tournament but not being selected to advance—and how that experience shaped his philosophy as a coach.

This is a conversation about leadership, development, and what it really takes to build champions.

Chapters

• 00:00 Cold Open: “You weren’t supposed to win”
• 01:05 Introduction to Coach Mike Griffin
• 02:00 Early life and learning the game
• 07:30 College golf at Troy
• 12:45 The moment that shaped his coaching philosophy
• 17:00 From player to coach
• 21:00 Building a winning program at Troy
• 26:30 Recruiting and developing players
• 29:15 The Jason Duffner story
• 32:00 The Paul Azinger story
• 42:20 How college golf has changed
• 54:00 Auburn years and legacy

Tags (Transistor)

golf podcast, college golf, Auburn golf, Troy golf, Jason Duffner, Paul Azinger, golf coaching, sports leadership, golf stories, Cart Barn Podcast