Links for Life

Kris Lynch on Golf Yourself Healthy, Loss, Purpose, and Embracing the Rough

In this episode, Tommy sits down with Kris Lynch, founder of Golf Yourself Healthy and host of the Golf Yourself Happy podcast, for one of the most personal conversations Links for Life has hosted. Kris shares the story of his son Innes, who was born still in February 2023, and how that loss became the inspiration behind a platform helping golfers use the game as a path to mental and emotional health. This is a tender, honest episode about grief, golf as therapy, and the choice to embrace the rough instead of running from it. What You'll Hear in This Episode: * Kris's journey from Scotland to London to Wales and his complicated early relationship with golf * Why Kris took redundancy from an 11-year banking career to go full-time on his coaching platform * The story of his son Innes and the surge of inspiration that founded Golf Yourself Healthy * The Scottish Gaelic meaning of Innes and the symbolism behind the Golf Yourself Healthy logo * The tagline "embrace the rough and cherish the fairway" and what it really means * A PGA study on golf elitism that showed half of UK golfers don't identify as golfers * The HAPPY framework, habits, acceptance, presence, purpose, and your call to action * Tommy and Kris on the good hard story and why we often climb someone else's ladder Timestamps:  (0:00) Intro & Kris' Story (24:08) Embrace the rough, cherish the fairway (31:32) Living an integrated life (40:52) Founding Golf Yourself Healthy (48:47) The HAPPY framework explained (52:42) How to connect with Kris Resources / Next Steps: * Visit Kris at golfyourselfhealthy.com [https://cp.podetize.com/golfyourselfhealthy.com] * Follow the Golf Yourself Happy podcast [https://www.golfyourselfhealthy.com/podcast] on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube * Email Kris directly at chris@golfyourselfhealthy.com [chris@golfyourselfhealthy.com] to connect or explore coaching * Pick up Treasures in the Dark [https://www.amazon.com/Treasures-Dark-Reflections-Finding-Hurting/dp/1400338212]by Katherine Wolf, referenced in the conversation

Wally Armstrong on the PGA Tour, The Mulligan, and Walking with Jesus

Tommy sits down with Wally Armstrong, who spent ten years on the PGA Tour, tied for fifth at his rookie Masters, and went on to help start both Links Players and College Golf Fellowship. Wally walks through the full arc of his life, from caddying for Gary Player to writing The Mulligan with Ken Blanchard to the moment in 2004 that finally taught him how to walk with Jesus instead of working for him. It's part golf history, part ministry origin story, part invitation into a more present kind of faith. What You'll Hear in This Episode: * Wally's path from the Indiana cornfields and an alcoholic home to captain of the Florida golf team * Becoming a "chaplain without a prayer" and getting led to Christ before he even realized it * The origin of the PGA Tour Bible Study and the players who came to faith through it * Tying for fifth in his rookie Masters after mapping every green by hand * Why he calls Jesus the greatest mulligan of all time, and how Ken Blanchard helped shape the book * The empty chair story and the simple practice that ended 34 years of trying to earn God's approval * Two practical golf tips from Wally on ball position and keeping your swing on plane * Why he's still planning twenty years out at age eighty * Timestamps:  (0:00) Cold open and welcome (2:04) Introducing Wally Armstrong (6:10) Growing up in Indiana (8:06) Florida golf and the FCA chaplaincy (10:25) The chaplain without a prayer (13:08) Caddying for Dave Reagan and Gary Player (15:21) Eight rounds of Q School and finishing fifth (22:24) Mapping Augusta for a rookie top five (28:01) Family life on tour in the seventies and eighties (29:20) Founding the Links Letter and Links Players (33:36) Starting College Golf Fellowship (37:11) Writing The Mulligan with Ken Blanchard (42:31) The empty chair and the transforming friendship (47:42) Practicing the Presence of Jesus (52:24) The Course Less Played and building your bag (57:32) Refire don't retire at age eighty (1:00:18) Wally's two golf tips for amateurs (1:03:27) Where to connect with Wally Resources / Next Steps: * Visit Wally's site at wallyarmstronggolf.com * Pick up The Mulligan, In His Grip, and The Practice of the Presence of Jesus * Learn about Links Players and find a club fellowship near you * Become a member of the Mulligan Club, free, all you need is a need for a mulligan Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!

Why We're Actually Angry on the Golf Course (and How to Face It)

Anger might be the single most universal struggle in golf, and most of us are carrying more of it than we realize. In this episode Tommy digs into where golf anger actually comes from, why the way we handle it on the course is probably the same way we handle it everywhere else, and what you can actually do about it before it steals another round. Honest, practical, and a lot more useful than just telling yourself to calm down. What You'll Hear in This Episode: * Why golf is one of the best mirrors for the anger we carry everywhere else in life * The three faces of anger on a golf course: visible rage, brooding, and the dangerous kind nobody around you ever sees * The real root causes: humiliation, thinking we're better than we are, the desire for control, and using golf to escape problems it was never meant to fix * Why internalizing anger is often more destructive than expressing it * Tiger's ten foot rule and other practical ways to address and release anger without dragging it through the rest of your round * Why asking your playing partner a question about themselves is one of the most effective anger tools on the course * How to tell the difference between managing the symptom and actually addressing what is going on underneath Timestamps: (0:00) Intro: why anger is the most universal struggle in golf (3:28) Golf as a mirror for the anger we carry everywhere (9:24) The three faces of anger on a golf course (11:30) Symptoms vs the deeper issue (15:12) The root causes: humiliation, pride, and unrealistic expectations (20:51) When you use golf to escape life and it backfires (32:32) Practical ways to address and release anger on the course (40:10) Addressing the heart issue not just the symptoms (47:30) Where to start if anger is wrecking your game

Inside the Ropes at the Masters with Robert Wrenn

Tommy sits down with PGA Tour winner Robert Wrenn, who played in the 1988 Masters after winning the 1987 Buick Open by seven strokes, to share what it was actually like to experience Augusta National from inside the ropes. Robert co-led the tournament after round one, shot the low round of the day, and was later paired with Jack Nicklaus in the final round, and he holds nothing back. This is the kind of conversation you only get from someone who has actually walked those fairways under the pressure of tournament play. What You'll Hear in This Episode: * Robert's solo practice rounds at Augusta before tournament week, playing the course alone with full access and no crowds * His 88-year-old grandmother walking the front nine and watching the back nine from a cabin with a cocktail * Getting an impromptu lesson from Davis Love Sr. on the Augusta practice tee the week of the tournament * The birdie on 18 in round one that tied him for the lead and earned him a piece of Masters crystal * Being paired with Jack Nicklaus in the final round and the story that had the whole group laughing on the 11th green * The hidden design details Augusta National doesn't want you to figure out, from grass grain direction to Alister Mackenzie's visual tricks * His one tip for playing Augusta National and why knowing your lines matters more there than anywhere else (0:00) Intro (3:26) Earning the Masters invitation (6:27) Solo practice rounds at Augusta (11:38) Family, the locker room, and the atmosphere (14:37) Getting a lesson from Davis Love Sr. (19:31) Round one: co-leading after shooting 69 (22:41) Paired with Jack Nicklaus in the final round (25:07) Hidden design details of Augusta National (53:54) Robert's one tip for playing Augusta Resources / Next Steps: Share this one with a golfer who loves the Masters. It's one you'll want to listen to every year during Masters Week.

What Makes the Masters So Special with John Sabino

Why does the Masters feel different from every other sporting event? For many people who have attended the tournament at Augusta National, the experience exceeds even the highest expectations. The course is immaculate, the atmosphere is calm, and the hospitality feels intentional in ways that are rare in modern sports. In this episode of Links for Life, Tommy Thompson sits down with author John Sabino to explore what makes the Masters so special and the ideas behind his book, The Augusta Principles. [https://www.amazon.com/Augusta-Principles-Timeless-Business-Lessons/dp/B0FJ2KS5KW] John explains that the project began with a simple question he asked himself after leaving the Masters one year. Why can the world not be more like the Masters? From that question came a study of the principles that define Augusta National. These include attention to detail, respect for tradition, thoughtful use of technology, limited commercialization, and a commitment to improving the patron experience every year. John also shares the personal story behind the book. After being diagnosed with leukemia, he stepped away from his business career and began researching the history and leadership of Augusta National. The project became both a research journey and part of his recovery. Augusta National has spent nearly a century refining the experience of the Masters. The conversation explores how those principles extend beyond golf and into business and leadership. (0:00) Why the Masters experience feels different (2:48) John Sabino’s first Masters and the origin of the book (7:00) A leukemia diagnosis and the journey to writing the book (12:08) What makes Augusta National such a unique place (15:58) Continuous improvement and attention to detail (21:15) Business examples that reflect the Augusta principles (27:29) Favorite Masters memories and practice round traditions (34:14) Civility and trust in the culture of the Masters (36:05) Counterintuitive decisions such as low prices and limited commercialization