A new podcast, titled Plus Four, is set to launch on Jan. 1, with hickory golf as the main event. Host and creator Rob Birman of Port Townsend, Wash., said the podcast is “devoted to exploring the sport of hickory golf.”
“The first episode features a conversation with Tad Moore, Rob Ahlschwede, and Roger Hill, exploring the origins of the SoHG and the world of golf collecting and gatherings that led to its creation in 2000,” Birman says.
The podcast has a home page at http://www.plusfour.org. Followers are encouraged to subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher. Episodes will be released periodically.
Birman, an avid consumer of podcasts, says these are part of his nightly routine, but no one was doing anything that focused on hickory golf.
“There are many golf podcasts; mainly those affiliated with golf course architecture, professionals, and general sports talk,” he says. “I believe there is a global audience for hickory-specific discussions. The Plus Four podcast aims to help satiate the appetites for this.”
In the aftermath of Covid, Birman launched five new podcast channels for his business, in the process learning some new software and distribution techniques. He’ll bring all this experience to the new Plus Four podcast.
The podcasts will all be structured as conversations with practitioners, collectors, dealers, players, etc.
“I expect the topics to be wide-ranging and all connected in some fashion to our sport and culture,” he says. “There likely will be some, limited, on-site recordings, but most will be done by phone and Internet, then edited for audio release. I’ll include links in show notes for ancillary visuals or materials that extend the listeners’ appreciation for the topic.”
Birman says he has roughly 25 show ideas and has been reaching out to potential guests. “Listeners will be encouraged to make suggestions through the website as well,” he adds.
One nice thing about podcasts, according to Birman, is that there’s no set time limit, it all depends on how the conversation goes with the guests. The first show with Moore, Hill, and Ahlschwede is one hour and 13 minutes.
As the listenership grows, so, too, will Birman’s outreach efforts. SoHG members can expect to see advance word on both the website and in the monthly e-newsletter. But the best way to stay tuned is to subscribe to the podcast. Birman will post episode notes prior to release dates. Subscriptions are free through mainstream podcast providers such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, etc.
Birman has been an SoHG member since 2010. He attended the U.S. Hickory at French Lick in 2011 as a spectator, meeting such early SoHG luminaries as Jay Harris, Bob Georgiade, and others. He is one of the co-founders of the very robust regional group, the Northwest Hickory Players, who, by the way, are the hosts of the 2021 USHO at the Gearhart Golf Links in Gearhart, Ore. He serves as the West Coast Tournament Media Manager for the 2021 USHO.
“I built my first playset via eBay,” he says, “mainly through the late Arlie Morris in California, who was immensely helpful in answering questions for me. And, as I was living in Louisville at the time, I got to know Mike Just and Josh Fischer well, and played numerous rounds with them as a beginning devotee.”
He has been a frequent contributor to the Wee Nip, and has played hickories exclusively for nine years. A native of suburban Philadelphia and non-profit arts CEO, Birman leads a large multi-disciplinary arts organization in Port Townsend. He has 30 years of executive management, leadership, and fundraising experience.
He helped support corporate underwriting for the U.S. Hickory Open (USHO) at French Lick (Indiana) in 2012 and was on tournament organizing committees for the 2017 USHO at Pebble Beach Resort (Del Monte, Calif.) and in Oregon. He’s a part-time fly fisherman and collector of pre-1900 smooth-face clubs. He has served on and led numerous boards of directors and spent the majority of his career managing symphony orchestras.
And now, you can enjoy some hickory golf talk with Birman and his guests on the Plus Four show. Given his enthusiasm for the sport, his natural poise and far-reaching knowledge of golf history, Plus Four should be an enjoyable show. Tune in!