10 NOV 2026 · On this week's show:
Coach Pete Buchanan joins host Ted Odorico to explain how technology, targeted training, and concise coaching can help golfers improve efficiently. In the travel segment, co-host Robert Kaufman introduces guest Tom Ferrell, Sanborn’s vice president of communications, to discuss Rodeo Dunes’ remote Colorado setting; the supplied transcript ends as that conversation begins. Tom Ferrell, Vice President of Communications at Sanborn, explains how Rodeo Dunes brings inland links golf to Colorado’s eastern plains and how its development is shaped by the land, the Serve family’s ranching legacy, and the area’s rodeo culture. He discusses the course’s bold design, future expansion, community impact, and plans for amenities.
Key Topics:
- Pete Buchanan says launch monitors and 3D analysis help coaches identify movement patterns and the effects of specific swing changes.
- His 50-15 drill alternates 50 movement repetitions without a ball, 15 shots, then another 50 repetitions to reduce ball-flight-driven reactions.
- Buchanan describes shifting from conventional lessons toward training, with fewer verbal interruptions and carefully selected movements; one session involved only 26 balls.
- For a 30-minute practice, target the golfer’s weakest areas rather than dividing time evenly among putting, chipping, and other skills.
- He links added speed to sound shaft-arm structure, coordinated upper- and lower-body movement, efficient sequencing, and checking equipment fit.
- Golf fitness priorities include mobility and stability, golf-specific movements, hip and hamstring flexibility, and warming up before practice or play.
- For an imminent tournament, Buchanan recommends practical temporary adjustments such as changing ball position, practicing a known weak shot, or aiming for the existing miss rather than rebuilding the swing.
- Travel segment guests Robert Kaufman and Tom Ferrell begin discussing Rodeo Dunes, its setting east of Denver, and the appeal of remote golf destinations. Tom Ferrell describes Rodeo Dunes’ location: about 40 traffic-free minutes from Denver International Airport and 45 minutes to an hour from downtown Denver.
- Michael Kaiser discovered the sand ridge on Google Earth, visited the property, and began conversations with the Serve family, whose cattle ranching operation was ending.
- Rodeo Dunes aims to introduce the public to sand-based, inland prairie-links golf without the long travel and access hurdles of destinations such as Sand Hills and Ballyneal.
- The golf-and-rodeo connection is more than branding: Ferrell points to shared land-use ethics and the focus required in both sports. The property also hosts the Duel at the Dunes rodeo.
- The first course, designed by Coore and Crenshaw, preserves the natural dunes with little ground intervention and features strategic choices such as the distinctive split options on hole 4.
- Ferrell highlights the course’s varied holes, including reachable par 5s, drivable par 4s, a 260-yard par 3, a short saddle-shaped green, and an Alps-style hole.
- The rugged playing experience combines wide fairways, wind, changing elevation, capricious bounces, and playable but engaging shot decisions.
- Plans include up to six courses on 4,400 acres, a nearly eight-acre putting course, a second course targeted for spring 2028, and future restaurant, lodging, and village amenities.
- Ferrell says development could bring caddie and employment opportunities and support businesses across eastern Colorado; on-site lodging is not yet available, with hotel rooms within an hour.
Takeaways:
- “I think that's probably the biggest piece with launch monitors and 3D.”
- “So they have to do 50 reps before and then hit 15 balls and then they gotta go back and do 50 reps again.”
- “I say, my students know that I'm gonna I'll say something when it's necessary.”
- “If you got thirty minutes, that's what we're going to focus on.”
- “You have to have the the right shaft arm structure first.”
- “you need to make sure that you stretch out before you play and before you practice.”
- “There's there's really no no quick fix to a swing”
- “If everything's going fifteen yards right, aim fifteen yards left”
- “you got to play with what you came with.”
- “Rodeo Dunes is it is remote, but remote comes on real fast when you get east of Denver, right?” “Rodeo Dunes brings that inland prairie links kind of thing.”
- “Michael Kaiser wasn’t the first to ever see those sand dunes and go, man, that could make good golf. But he was the first to act on that.”
- “Ranching depends on land use ethics, you know, as does golf.”
- “For eight seconds, there’s nothing in the universe except you and a horse.”
- “There just are a lot of parallels that you wouldn’t expect to find that if you go looking for them, you find them.”
- “They took some chances.”
- “There was very little intervention.”
- “It’s a wild decision-making ride.”
- “It needs to feel and look like it’s been there forever.”
- “We see up to six courses.”
Guest Names:
Pete Buchanan, Robert Kaufman, and Tom Ferrell
Chapters:
00:00 Season 14, episode 25: Coach’s Corner and golf travel
03:12 How launch monitors and training changed coaching
04:25 The 50-15 drill: rehearse movements before hitting balls
06:05 Less instruction, less analysis, more focused practice
10:30 A 30-minute practice built around your weak spots
16:09 Build swing speed with structure, sequencing, and fitting
24:19 Golf-specific mobility, stability, and warm-ups
30:03 Temporary tournament adjustments instead of quick fixes
39:22 Meet travel experts Robert Kaufman and Tom Ferrell
41:20 Rodeo Dunes and golf destinations east of Denver
43:11 A prairie-links destination close to Denver
46:01 How Michael Kaiser found the ranch’s sand dunes
48:06 The Serve family, shared land ethics, and the project’s origins
50:13 A first golf swing and the rodeo-golf connection
53:00 Eight seconds of focus: what golf and rodeo share
56:10 Coore and Crenshaw’s bold design and standout fourth hole
58:31 A course of rolling par 5s, drivable par 4s, and dramatic greens
01:00:14 A rugged atmosphere and the next course under construction
01:02:17 Community opportunities and a six-course vision
01:04:59 Lodging plans, elevation changes, and where to follow progress
01:10:04 Ferrell reflects on Golf Tips and the show signs off
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/golf-talk-live--6428965/support.