No Laying Up

Neil and Randy empty the mailbag in this AMA edition of the Nest Pod. New codes are being added to your Nest Profiles. And it is almost that time of year—please update your address! Check out some of the questions Neil answered in the newsletter (not featured in the podcast!) below. If you're not a Nest Member, scroll all the way down to get 5 free Nest videos like this one, or join The Nest here.

Neil AMA

What are the biggest things you'll miss and won't miss about living in NYC? —Matt B.

First, I did move last week. Moving sucks, but I’m excited to start truly building a home in advance of the arrival of my second child on or around November 8th. I actually thought about this question a great deal over the last month. In the non-golf category, I have two easy answers:

• The trash chute: I will miss the everyday luxury of taking the trash 20 feet down the hall, opening up a trap door and dropping it into the abyss. It was truly a daily thrill letting a bag free-fall five stories, and hearing it smash at the bottom, knowing it was no longer my problem.
• I will certainly miss the self-powered commuting and the ability to run errands on foot. That will no longer be possible in New Jersey.

From a golf standpoint, I don’t think there’s much I will miss about golf in the city. It’s a hassle to play and practice, and I’m looking forward to exploring golf in a different area.

You've constantly stated your best golf is ahead of you. I'd be curious to know what that looks like? —Henry C.

I love this one because I love getting specific about goals. Getting to a + handicap is definitely on the list, but I think sustained success in some of the amateur golf events I’ve been playing is becoming a real North Star. I made it to match play in the Long Island Amateur (top 32 out of 90+ players). I lost on 17 in my first match, but I felt like I had a chance to win against a college golfer. I’d love to build on that “success” from 2025 and keep making it out of qualifiers to see if I could catch fire in a match play bracket. Long term, I’d love to have enough game to realistically qualify for the U.S. Mid Am in the next five years. I'm starting to associate good golf with playing it when you have to in these events vs. just lowering my handicap.

Of all the merch you have curated for the No Laying Up Pro Shop, which piece are you most proud of? —Andrew C.

You know I can’t just give you one…here are four:

• Strapped Season Posters: I still get a great deal of joy looking at these posters on my office wall.
• Nest Member Laundry Bags: These bags were lambasted as pointless when we sent them out as Nest Member gifts years ago, but I still get messages monthly about how functional they are for golf trips. I feel completely vindicated. It may be the most functional item we sell! 
• TrapDraw Polos: I really love the way the logos and colors turned out on this custom TrapDraw polo we did with Rhoback earlier this year. 
• IBOD T-shirts: It’s a thrill and delight when an inside joke with your brother-in-law turns into merch. I can’t believe we just had to reorder IBOD shirts because we sold out!

Now that you've planted your familial roots, besides the Columbia Lions and the Rib, what sports fandoms do you plan on passing to your children? Will they all be local? —Harrison A.

Such a tough question. I must first make an admission: I have always been a pretty bad “fan.” I certainly still root for the Falcons and the Braves as an Atlanta native, but I’ve never felt a strong connection to my hometown teams the way some of my friends do. Some of this may be due to my parents being from Ohio. They did not pass down a strong fandom to me. Naturally, I think my son Pete will be drawn to NYC area teams, which is concerning. Personally, I can’t stand the New York Football Giants, and I will do everything in my power to prevent him from supporting that organization. On the flip side, I find the Jets fun to root for because they are such a dumpster fire. I will probably encourage Pete to buy low, especially since his Uncle Chet is a lifelong, tortured Jets fan. That type of dedication is contagious. 
I grew up hating the Mets, but I don’t feel the same disdain now. That said, rooting for the Yankees feels like it has more upside. I’ll leave baseball allegiance up to him. The Rangers and Knicks rule, and I look forward to taking him to MSG (even if Jimmy Dolan is a bad hombre). Until Trae Young leaves, I have no interest in supporting the Hawks.

What's the one verbal tic or saying that you repeatedly use on pods and videos that makes you cringe when you hear it back? —Phillip W.

The words “like” and “kinda.” I’ll never be able to eliminate either, but I feel that I’ve fallen back into a bad habit of using them as a crutch when I’m trying to find other words, versus slowing down. I’ve also found myself using the words "vibe" and "juice" too often. Both words are effective, but I need to stick my nose in the thesaurus this off-season!

What's the number one piece of advice you'd give to college Neil? —Craig M.

Go to office hours. Smart, thoughtful and world-renowned professors are paid to sit in a room once a week and talk to you. I wish I had utilized that time better and made more of a point to develop sincere relationships with my professors.

What tips do you have for improving your golf game while living in the city? —Alex O.

The single best thing I did for my golf game while living in NYC was to sign up for competitive golf events through the Met Golf Association. Having 2-4 events on the calendar forced me to practice in the weeks leading up to these events, and the only way to practice is to find a simulator near your office or home. Since I usually only had 1 or 2 hours max in the sim, I’d batch practice around specific parts of my game. In one session, I’d only bring Driver, 3-wood, and 4-iron (clubs I’d hit off the tee), and the next session I’d focus only on wedges. This made it easier to travel around the city with 2-3 golf clubs (vs. the full bag), and it kept these practice sessions focused instead of banging balls mindlessly. 

My family is coming to NYC in early December for a Christmas trip. What's one place we MUST eat? —Alex S.

My recommendation would be & Son Steakeasy on W. 9th. It’s a modern steakhouse menu, but located in a 190-year-old Greenwich Village townhouse. There is an inviting but lively bar up front, an amazing dining room in the back, a fun speakeasy bar on the 2nd floor, and a creative family-style menu. It is a steakhouse, but not in a snooty way. They focus on doing specific and approachable things really well.

What's one rule you'd change or get rid of in golf? —Liam S.

I’ve said it before, but I’ll put it in writing: Temporary Immovable Object relief needs to be a 1 stroke penalty. Players should still be allowed to take line of sight relief, but if they hit behind a grandstand or object that is outside the rope line, there should be a penalty associated with that relief. I would hear arguments on free relief if pinned up against the front side of a grandstand, but I worry this will still condone backstopping. 

Have you rocked the cashmere sweater you wore at the Sentry ever since that match? Was a crazy choice. —Dominick N.

Well, first, it wasn’t cashmere; it was a Holderness & Bourne Ward Sweater, one of my favorite sweaters on planet earth. I wear a version of that sweater weekly, and it was freezing that morning when we left the hotel. Knowing it was January, I thought it was a totally fair wardrobe selection. You and J.T. can find a new slant! We know your joy for assigning bands to different golf courses you have played over the years. Can you assign each parts of your golf game a band and explain how they relate? —Max P.This is a black hole type question that will suck me in for way too long, so I’m going to try and write down my first thought on each:

• Driving: (Metallica) explosive and sustained power over a long period of time, but when things aren’t synced up (like James/Lars fighting in Some King of Monster documentary), it can look really bad and get really embarrassing.
• Irons: (Red Hot Chili Peppers) Some good stuff, but also a lot of bad. Overall, good power, pop, and compression (think Flea and Chad Smith), but a lack of refinement and taste.
• Wedges: (Mumford & Sons) pretty one note. If you’re in the mood, it works, but not a lot of variety is a theme between their catalog and my wedge ball flights and ability to add and subtract spin when I need to. 
• Chipping/Short game: (Garth Brooks) Overall pretty good, but then I try to hit “Chris Gaines” type shots - needlessly complicated shots that I don’t practice when a stock bump and run would work. 
• Putting: (Mars Volta) When it’s on and the putting is hot, it can be really good, but it’s often over-complicated and looks/feels way too technical for no reason.
• Mentals: (John Coltrane) Unstructured, high-energy improvisation that swings across the mood spectrum. A lot of energy and air are being used, and the result may not be for everyone’s ears!

How happy is the dog to be out of the city? The most of any family member involved? —Corbin B.

Sunny loves the rolling hills of Somerset, New Jersey. I would say the transition from city to suburbs has been easiest for her!Neil, you're a big goals guy: What's one area of fatherhood that you want to get better at? —Jeff H.This one is a bit abstract, but I would love to feel more patient and present in the mornings. It’s when my son is in his best mood, but it’s also when I’ve traditionally been my most productive at work. For that reason, I often feel rushed to get to work and get a jump on the day. I would like to slow down my mornings and commit to spending 1-2 hours with him before getting into the workday.