Adam Wahl joins the show to share his journey from a 21-year career in the U.S. Air Force to becoming one of the original caddies at The Keep at the McLemore. The conversation covers service, gratitude, and how golf became a meaningful part of his transition into retirement.

In this episode, Jeff Pelizzaro and Justin Bryant sit down with Adam Wahl, a retired Air Force veteran and professional caddie at The Keep at the McLemore. Adam reflects on his military career, the challenges of transitioning into civilian life, and how golf helped provide structure, purpose, and community. The discussion also explores what makes The Keep a special place, the role of a great caddie, and lessons the game continues to teach about perspective, self-care, and appreciation

In This Episode

1. Adam’s 21-year career in the U.S. Air Force
2. Transitioning from military service to civilian life
3. Discovering caddying as a second career
4. What makes The Keep at the McLemore unique
5. The impact a great caddie has on the golf experience
6. Fitness, longevity, and walking golf courses
7. Competitive golf and amateur tournaments
8. Gratitude, perspective, and taking care of yourself

Guest Bio

Adam Wahl is a retired U.S. Air Force veteran with over two decades of service. Following his military career, he transitioned into the golf industry and became one of the original caddies at The Keep at the McLemore. Adam is an avid golfer, competitive amateur, and advocate for fitness, gratitude, and lifelong growth through the game of golf.

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Golf Don’t Lie™️ is part of the 18STRONG® network, focused on helping golfers play better, move better, and live healthier lives. New episodes are released weekly featuring conversations with people who live at the intersection of golf, fitness, and life

Cordie Walker is the founder of Golf Science Lab and GolfWell, and one of the leading voices helping golfers cut through noise, frustration, and endless swing tips. In this episode, Jeff, Justin, and Cordie dig into why most golfers stay stuck, how real skill development works, and how to train for speed and performance that actually transfers to the course.

In this episode of GOLF DON’T LIE™️, Jeff and Justin sit down with Cordie Walker, founder of GolfWell, to break down why golfers struggle to improve even when they consume tons of lessons, content, and swing tips. Cordie explains the science of motor learning and skill acquisition — and why most golfers never train in the way that leads to real, lasting progress.

They explore concepts like variable training, self-organization, real-world practice environments, and why chasing “positions” rarely translates to playing better golf. The guys also dive into the chase for speed and why most golfers train speed incorrectly — along with simple ways to build athleticism and intention into practice.

Cordie shares the evolution of GolfWell, why he believes golfers need fewer fixes and more frameworks, and how modern learning science is reshaping the way coaches and players approach improvement. This is a conversation for any golfer who wants to stop guessing, stop grinding, and start training with purpose.

• Why golfers get stuck chasing swing tips that don’t stick
• The learning principles that actually produce long-term improvement
• What real skill development looks like (and why it’s rarely “pretty”)
• How to train for speed in a way that transfers to the course
• Why constraints & variability create better golfers
• The evolution of GolfWell and developing systems for frustrated golfers
• The role of athleticism, intention, and exploration in performance
• Why overly technical coaching slows progress
• How golfers can design practice sessions that build skill — not confusion

Cordie Walker is the founder of Golf Science Lab and GolfWell, platforms dedicated to helping golfers improve using evidence-based coaching, learning science, and practical training frameworks. Over the past decade, Cordie has interviewed and collaborated with many of the world’s leading coaches, researchers, and performance experts. His mission is to take golfers out of frustration loops and give them the tools to train skill, speed, and confidence that actually show up on the course.

• GolfWell: https://golfwell.com
• GolfWell YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GolfWellTV
• Follow Cordie: @cordie_golfwell
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Curt Rohe is the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association — the governing body for competitive golf in the St. Louis region. Jeff and Justin dive into how tournaments are set up, why handicaps matter more than golfers realize, the most misunderstood everyday rules, and the massive “Normandy Reimagined” project involving Jack Nicklaus that’s reshaping public golf access in St. Louis.

In this episode of GOLF DON’T LIE™️, Jeff sits down with Curt Rohe, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association, for a behind-the-scenes look at competitive golf in the St. Louis region. Curt explains what actually goes into running tournament operations — marking courses, selecting hole locations, coordinating rules officials — and why certain rules still trip golfers up at every level.

They also break down handicapping: why every golfer should have one, how nine-hole and partial-round posting works, and how the system measures improvement.

A major highlight is the Normandy Reimagined project — a Jack Nicklaus–led renovation that will bring a top-tier public golf course, a youth caddie program, Evans Scholarship opportunities, and First Tee programming to North St. Louis County. Curt shares updates, stories from Jack’s visits, and why this project is about more than golf — it’s about revitalizing a community.

• What the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association does across the region
• How tournament setup works behind the scenes
• The most misunderstood rules golfers constantly misapply
• Why a handicap matters (even for casual players)
• How nine-hole and partial-round posting actually works
• The vision behind the Normandy Reimagined project
• Jack Nicklaus’ direct involvement and on-site visits
• How the caddie program ties into the Evans Scholars pipeline
• Curt’s path from rural Missouri to leading golf administration
• What 25 years of golf has taught him about humility and service

Curt Rohe is the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association, where he has overseen competitive golf, USGA qualifiers, course rating, and handicapping operations for more than two decades. Known for his elite tournament setup and rules knowledge, Curt also serves on the board of the Metropolitan Golf Foundation, which is leading the Normandy Reimagined project with Jack Nicklaus, First Tee, and the Western Golf Association.

• Normandy Reimagined: https://normandreimagined.com
• Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association: https://metga.org
• 18STRONG: https://18strong.com
• Fairway Fuel Mix (1st Phorm x 18STRONG): https://1stphorm.com/18strong
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