Lt. Col. Dan Rooney - Golf With Jay Delsing

Jay Delsing spent 25 years on the PGA Tour and is a lifetime member of the PGA Tour and PGA of America. Now he provides his unique perspective as a golfer and network broadcaster. It's time to go On The Range with Jay Delsing.

On The Range is brought to you by the Gateway section of the PGA. Hey good morning and welcome to Golf with Jay Delsing. I'm your host Jay Perley.

What's going on? Where are you this morning? I'm in McKinney, Texas chilling to a little Chris Bodie and eating my porridge. Ready to go for the show.

Porridge and Chris Bodie, alright. Well we formulated the show, wow, like a round of golf and the On The Range is our first segment and it's brought to you by the Gateway PGA. Over 300 men and women in our region make up our section and these men and women work countless hours trying to make our golf experiences better so we really appreciate their help and all of their efforts. Pearl do we have any social media reporting to do? You've got about 15 seconds.

No but we drove him into the ground. He's changed the name of Facebook to something else. I'll track that down for next week.

Okay you stay on that. Way to go Pearl. But what we do want to remember is we want to thank Bob and Kathy Donahue at Donahue Painting and Refinishing 314-805-2132. They are beautifying inside and outside of homes all across the St. Louis area and they are great people so give them a call. Alright so, John, I have got an interview. We've got Veterans Day coming up and I've got an interview with Lieutenant Colonel Dan Rooney, the founder of Folds of Honor, which is really just a really incredible organization.

I know you love them. I know you do work with them and that's also the gentleman we talked about that kind of spearheaded the whole American Dunes up in Grand Haven, Michigan. I got to go play with some buddies this year and there's a bright future in that property. That's a bucket list place for down the road.

Yeah, we'll get to American Dunes a little later in the show. But, John, we just had a really cool announcement here in St. Louis. The 2030 President's Cup is going to be here in St. Louis. So just a little quick math, we're almost in 2022.

Let's call it eight years. Are you going to be around in eight years to come to St. Louis and watch the President's Cup? I'll be able to carry this thing if you get another knee or two replaced and we'll get back out there again, I guarantee you.

I'll get my third knee replaced. And all joking aside, we had the Governor there, Governor Parson, we had the Lieutenant Governor there, who I believe is going to be our next Governor of this great state of Missouri, Mike Keough, and just a great guy. And it was really interesting when you think about the way we started in the game years ago and where the game is now, that it's on such a global stage, John. When I was playing, we'd have Greg, you know, we'd have a handful of Australians come over. We'd have Seve would come over every now and again.

Seve Faldo would come over. Ole Thabo and Langer would play maybe a handful of tournaments a year. But to look at the way the PGA Tour has grown, it's just really remarkable. And I think the President's Cup, it hasn't been as competitive as we'd like. For whatever reason, the U.S. waxes those international teams pretty regularly. It's a great competition and a really cool thing to have on the docket. So, question for you.

I thought you were going to go a little someplace different with that. Why are they choosing St. Louis? Is this kind of piggyback on all of the success they've had to see that the fans are just absolutely golf crazy and golf knowledgeable around here? Is that what's bringing that in?

Because you've been working as long as I can remember. I mean, straight out of college to get more events or get events to come to St. Louis. And now all of a sudden, they're coming in droves that relatively it appears.

Well, it's cool. First of all, I absolutely love seeing it come here and what it does, A, for the community and for the charities and B, for the businesses and things like that. It's just millions and millions of dollars worth of revenue that it comes to an area that I absolutely love. But it's absolutely piggybacking off the success of, A, the PGA Championship in 2018. But, Jon, make no mistake, the success of the Ascension Charity Classic this last September has a hell of a lot to do with that. I just talked with Nick Ragon at this press conference, and he's been on the phone with Jay Monahan and the PGA Tour. And Jay said to Nick, this area could support a yearly tour event.

And Nick said, oh, absolutely it could. But, you know, Nick is sharp as hell, and Ascension knows exactly what they're doing, and they love the Champions event and the Champions venue. And the $800,000, by the way, for the first year event puts the Ascension Charity Classic either right at the top or right near the top in monies raised on the Champions Tour. And pretty much in the middle of the pack for what's raised on the PGA Tour, that's a pretty significant deal. That's very significant. What an accomplishment. I didn't really know the numbers. I certainly don't know like you do. That's a shock.

I wouldn't have bet that at all. Well, I was surprised to know that we were up so high, and I just love the fact that what we have going on here is just beginning. I mean, this first year was terrific, but there's a lot of tricks up our sleeve that we have that can raise, you know, numerous more dollars for the charity and make this thing, oh, gosh, even better going forward. Well, this is going to darn near wrap up the, did I say darn? This is going to darn.

Let's just say it's going to wrap up the on the range segment. So let's do the tip of the cap. And the tip of the cap is brought to you by the Dean team of Kirkwood 314-966-0303. The tip of the cap this week goes to the organizers and the movers and shakers in the town here that we live in that we love so much. There is so much, you know, the term, it takes a village to get things done, just in this wine bar wild crush that we've started.

And I'm learning about how much organization and how much structure goes on and just a small wine bar that we started. And then I think of the Dean team and this massive production that these guys do over at Kirkwood. And I think about what it's going to take to put on the President's Cup, what it took to put on the Ascension Charity Classic. And the tip of the cap goes to these organizers, HNS, who did a great job for the Ascension Charity Classic, my hats off to those guys and everyone that's involved in putting these things together. We had all the movers and shakers at St. Louis there today, and my cap is definitely tipped to those guys. And we appreciate the Dean team of Kirkwood, Colin Burt, my buddy 314-966-0303 over there for bringing you the tip of the cap segment.

Don't go anywhere. We're going to be back for the front nine in our interview with Dan Rooney, Lieutenant Colonel Dan Rooney of Folds of Honor. This is Paul Leisinger and you're listening to Golf with Jay Delsing. I want to thank the Gateway section of the PGA of America for supporting the Golf with Jay Delsing show. There are over 300 men and women PGA professionals and over 100 golf facilities in the greater St. Louis area supporting us. They're experts in the game. They know the business of golf. And at this point in time, this pandemic, the golf courses are jammed.

These folks are working 10, 12-hour days and just doing great stuff and really appreciate them. Every time you pull up to a public course or a private course, a driving range, there's a really good chance that that facility is run by a member of our section. Some of the examples of the programs that are run by these PGA professionals and the Gateway PGA section include PGA Reach, Drive, Chip and Putt, PGA Hope and the PGA Junior League.

To learn more about the Gateway PGA, go to GatewayPGA.org. To find a local PGA professional coach for your next session, go to PGA.com. The PGA, growing this game we love. Marcon Appliance Parts Company needs to recognize the sponsors, staff and volunteers who made the inaugural Ascension Charity Classic in St. Louis a huge success. Without the tireless effort of hundreds of dedicated people this past year, this PGA Champions Tour event could not have achieved the success it did.

The winner in golf is the person with the lowest score. But the big winner of this event is the people and communities of need in the St. Louis area and the tremendous boost to the St. Louis economy as a whole. Well played by everyone who put in the time to make this a wonderful event. It's great to live in your community.

Marcon Appliance Parts Company is based in St. Louis, Missouri and is the largest distributor of major appliance parts in North America and a proud distributor of General Electric parts. I am delighted to welcome Marie Davila to the Golf with J. Delsing show. I'm sure you know where it is, but in case you don't, Marie Davila is a landmark out in West St. Louis County. It's located on the corner of Clayton and Weidman roads. It's also on 21 beautiful rolling acres right on the way out to Queenie Park. It's a country club like atmosphere. It's iconic and it's absolutely gorgeous.

When my dad died and my mom decided she didn't want to live alone. Marie Davila was the first place we called. When we pulled up, we were greeted at the front door by the owner. He took us around on a tour of the facility. We learned that there are one, two and three bedroom villas that you can live in. And there's also 24 hour care in the east, west and the Waterford buildings. So Marie Davila had everything that my mom wanted. One of the things that stood out in my mind as well was the way the family owned business treats their guests.

That's right. They refer to them as guests, but they treat them like family. So if you're in the process of trying to make a tough decision for this next part of life, you got to visit Marie Davila. This is local. This is family. And this is St. Louis.

This is Marie Davila. Come be our guest. Thank you, St. Louis, for making the first annual Ascension charity classic presented by Emerson a record breaking success. The golf was incredible.

Your enthusiasm unmatched. And the only thing that will last longer than the memories is the impact you've made on North St. Louis County charities to our sponsors, volunteers and fans. Thank you for welcoming golf's greatest legends and bringing professional golf back to St. Louis with record attendance.

See you next year at the Ascension charity classic. I want to give a shout out to my friend Colin Burnt over at the Dean team of Kirkwood. Folks, if you're looking for any sort of vehicle, I know it says Volkswagen of Kirkwood. Colin has a parking lot full of new and used cars.

I was just over there the other day. I bought a used VW Passat for my daughter, Joe, who just totaled it in an accident. She texted me, by the way, and said, Dad, I tapped a car in front of me. She tapped it so well that the cars totaled. Anyway, I talked to Colin and he is working out a new vehicle for us.

But we went over and looked. There is a huge selection of cars over there. My buddy, Pearly, that does a show with me had bought a used Toyota truck from Colin and just loved the service and loved the vehicle.

314-966-0303. This is like dealing with family over there. These are great people. Colin's there.

His right hand person, Brandy, is there to do anything they can to get you in the vehicle you want. Give them a call today. When things come out of left field, having a game plan matters. Farmers Insurance has over 90 years of experience helping people play through every stage of the game.

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Visit their website at powersinsurance.com. Grab your clubs. We're headed to the front nine on Golf with Jay Delsing. The front nine is brought to you by the Ascension Charity Classic. Hey, welcome back.

This is Golf with Jay Delsing. I'm your host Jay Pearly. It's with me and we are headed to the front nine that's brought to you by the Ascension Charity Classic.

Man, we just came off our inaugural first year and just the Ascension smashed it. Raised over $800,000 and it's only going up bigger and better and we can't wait. I've got an interview with Lieutenant Colonel Dan Rooney. He of Folds of Honor, he of Folds of Honor fame, he is an F-16 fighter pilot, 1800 hours of flights in those United States jets, three tours in Iraq. He's a member of the PGA of America.

He's author. Let's just go to that interview now. Well, here it comes. Oh my goodness. Oh wow!

In your life have you seen anything like that? Dan Rooney is brought to you by Golden Tee. I am sitting down this morning with Lieutenant Colonel Dan Rooney.

He of founder of Folds of Honor, F-16 fighter pilot, author, cool ass human, girl dad. Welcome to the show again. Jay, it's one of my favorite times that I get to spend with you so blessed that you would have me on. Oh my gosh, it's my honor truly. But let's just jump right in because man, since we talked last, there are so many cool things going on.

How about just an update for our listeners on Folds of Honor? Yeah, record setting year for us. So blessed, right, that so many people support this mission that we started 14 years ago above my garage, my wife and I.

And that's what makes it that much more unbelievable. But we'll send this fall right at 7000 families. So spouses and children who've had someone killed or disabled. We give them the gift of an education.

First grade through college, about 35 million dollars in life changing scholarships at the out the door. But, you know, our motto is is truly what it's about. It's honor the sacrifice, educate the legacy. And Jay, one of the most surprising things for me on this walk is these family members are always so grateful for the five thousand dollar scholarship we give them every year. But they say that the most important thing you've done is remember the sacrifice my family has made. And, you know, it's unfortunate we live in this here today, gone to gone tomorrow world.

Everybody's moving so fast. But these families and their loved ones are forgotten. And that's what we are able to do at Folds of Honor, not just the gift of an education, but really honor them and say thank you for the sacrifice that you have made for our freedoms. And so, so blessed to be on this walk and watch this ministry grow.

And, you know, God calls us with great frequency in the Bible to take care of widows and orphans. And at its core, that's what we're doing, making sure that they get the gift of an education and can go on and and live their dreams. And really proud to that this class of seven thousand forty six percent or minorities.

And as our country struggles to find a healthy path to equality, I can think of no better way to get there than through education. Oh, my gosh. You know, Dan, my dad served in World War Two and never talked about it. And I know none of you heroes had served, you know, because freedom isn't free.

And I know that any of you guys, you never served with the purpose of getting acknowledged or or anything like that. But we're in a time where we're finally able to shed some light on what these men and women sacrificed and how important it is. Yeah, I couldn't agree more. And, you know, as our country is tends to be so divided, either it's a red or a blue issue. One of the few last common grounds there is in this country are it's 94 percent of the country still agrees that our military is a really good thing and that we should take care of them and take care of their families.

And, you know, I would say is the world's kind of locked its mind a little bit these last couple of years. Folds of Honor's mission in this really strange way is, you know, morphed in a place in a safe place to come and unite together regardless of your differences. And it's just, you know, an awesome bright light. And I always say, man, we're not red or blue. We're red, white and blue. That is just wonderful.

How give us a little update, Dan, on how our Patriot Golf Day did. I know that just even locally I've seen a lot of spread. You know, I've seen a lot of this kind of creep into new courses and things like that. Yeah, number one, I would say, you know, why for me every day I wake up and I try to combine what I do with who I am. And I would say you're doing that on your show.

Right. Another perfect example. But Patriot Golf Day was that kind of simple idea. It's like, I love my country. I love the game of golf.

Can I go play a heroic round? That's not for me. And arguably what is the most myopic game on earth?

Right. Playing golf, play, play, play a round of golf, which I love to do, but play it for a reason bigger than myself. And I think that's, to your point, why Patriot Golf Day is growing and resonating. We'll raise this year close to seven million dollars through Patriot Golf Day events benefiting Folds.

And it warms my soul. I'm a total golf geek, as everybody is that's listening to your show. And I'll give you one anecdote, but everything good in my life is directly connected to this crazy game. So in under 15 seconds, grew up playing golf at my first fighter pilot when I was 12. Steve Courtright inspired me to be a fighter pilot, went to the University of Kansas, played golf, met my wife there, was on a flight on the way to my job as a PGA golf professional with Corporal Brock Buckland and his twin brother, Corporal Brad Buckland, who was bringing him home, had been killed in Iraq. That moment inspired me to create Folds of Honor. And then I turned to the game.

And with the support of the PGA of America and so many others created Patriot Golf Day and that birthed literally the Folds of Honor. And, you know, the iterations, whether it's the Patriot here in Tulsa or American Dunes up in Grand Avon, Michigan, I just love the game. And it is just part of my being. And everybody out there listening, I think understands what I'm saying is I can't explain it. It's not rational how much we love, how much passion and how addicted we are to this crazy game.

Because if it was someone that you were dating, you would have dumped them long ago because it beat you up more than it ever loved you. Right. But it's just this, you know, beautiful dichotomy and paradox of like, man, it's you against you. But, yeah, we just watch this game of golf and the awesome Patriots who play it continue to come to support Folds of Honor. And I'm just again, where I finished, where I started, I'm so blessed every day to wake up and combine what I do with who I am. And I'll leave you with this, you know, the number one regret on people's deathbed is I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life that others expected of me. And how rare it is for people to have the courage and faith to listen to what's in their heart.

Right. And golf is what God has put in my heart and flying fast jets and not often listen to yourself. And certainly not the people around you that keep you from living true to who God wants you to be. You know, Dan, when I think about this game and how lucky I've been, how fortunate that it was. I always wanted to be a professional baseball player like my dad, but we didn't have any money and there weren't these developed programs. So I went to golf because I could do it myself and I could play 72 holes a day, whatever, whatever. But this game is a societal powerhouse, man. It raises money like like nothing.

The PGA Tour and what it does and what it gives it out gives all the four major sports every year by a long shot. And I just am so lucky and I just can't believe how lucky I am. Yeah. Again. Yeah. You're not lucky.

You're blessed. Right. And I could not agree more with you. Oh, my gosh. It's just terrific.

All right. So we we wrapping up the first season at Grand Haven with American Dunes. Let's get a little report on that. And I loved what the great Jack Nicklaus said about when he was there at your grand opening because he had said he hadn't witnessed anything like this before.

And he says, I really love the game of golf, but I love my country so much more. Yeah. And for those that don't know the story of American Dunes and it parallels the title of my book, Fly Into the Wind, shameless plug. But it's the book is is helping so many people find their path and live a disciplined life. But the American Dunes story was a total fly into the wind story. Right.

I mean, enormous resistance. Why we started it. It was the original birthplace of Folds of Honor, my family's little golf course in Grand Haven, Michigan, on this beautiful site along the lake.

But it was it was an airplane losing altitude quickly. I'll put it in that some and didn't know what we're going to do. And my Hail Mary pass was getting a meeting with my boyhood hero, Jack Nicklaus, through our mutual friend Scott Tolley. Give him a ton of credit here. And I went down and I pitched Jack this idea to build a golf church. And he looked at me kind of cross-eyed and was like, oh, what's that? I was like, I want to build a place that forever memorializes the birthplace of Folds, but celebrates God and country in the game in that order every day. And his exact words. I mean, I like that crazy idea. And he said, anyway, there's three million dollar fee.

And I'll never forget walking out of the Bears Club thinking, oh, my gosh, this just happened. Now, what? Right. And I still don't have it.

I got. But I have the pressure of Jack saying he then and having to do it right. And, you know, over the course of three years, I would put together a group of people to sponsor golf holes and some partners.

And Jack always said to me, it's like a minute. I want to build you a golf course that's as good as the cause. And just to put my golf hat on, American Dunes is one of the best golf courses I've ever played in my life. And I've been blessed like you to play the best out there. Every one of them. It's incredible.

This is the shot values at this place. It is a it's a journey, a journey through these massive dunes along Lake Michigan and is so special. But I've never had anything in my life that we opened up that just worked. You know, everything's kind of been a struggle.

I had to fight for everything you had in life and kind of power through it. This place was a struggle to build, which I mentioned. But two days after we opened, we watched this place get inundated by tee time requests and it was sold out within three weeks for the year. And we just shut her down October 31st for the winter.

And I was talking to Doug and and the guys up there that run it day to day and we're just shaking our heads. You know how blessed we are. But American Dunes is so special because what it represents.

And it goes back to what I said before about Folds of Honor. And I think people are craving for places that they can go and celebrate the things they care about. And our God, our country, the game we love. And this place is a golf church.

And if I was going to give you one word to describe it, somebody asked me the other day. It's reverent. It is reverent to the legacy of Jack Nicklaus.

In 18 majors, he is placed on the 18 holes out there. And to honor those, it's reverent to the 18 soldiers that are on every hole that have been killed in action. It's reverent to the 1300, which is one o'clock every day. We play taps and the bell tolls 13 times, signifying the 13 folds that bring the flag to its triangle shape. And the whole place shuts down. And finally, Jay, it's reverent to this huge white cross that is in a rock.

Very intentionally on the 18 tee box, which you can see from like nine different holes. And when you get to that white rock, we ask you to say a prayer. Right. For half a percent of this country that's out there defending our freedoms. For those that didn't make it home, for their families and the Folds of Honor mission. And we thank you for playing the most heroic round in golf there at American Dunes.

And I think in this world of cancel culture, everybody's telling me what's what's politically correct, what you can and you can't say. American Dunes is a great example is that if you're true to the stuff that really matters, you're true to our founding fathers in this country who shared their faith very openly. You're true to the traditions of the game of golf.

That really powerful stuff can happen. And I know that was a long answer. I'm sorry, but I get really passionate when I get to talk about that golf church called American Dunes. Oh, my gosh. You know, Dan, first of all, don't apologize for anything.

I loved your answer and the thoughtfulness and the amount of care that went into that golf course from Jack to you honoring playing the game, first of all, or not first of all, but playing the game. You have your spiritual side with the cross and the prayer. You have the fallen heroes. It's there's nothing, nothing like it in the world. Yeah. And there's nothing here. And that's exactly right.

I left that out. But there's no golf course in the world that's ever been built to benefit a cause. And that's the thing about American Dunes, right? It gives back and creates awareness to folds of honor. And that is why it exists. And hopefully it inspires people and wherever their walk is to this beautiful irony when you when you leave American Dunes, that when you're helping someone else, that you're actually the one being helped. And what a world we would live in if everybody woke up every day thinking, how can I help somebody today? I would argue all of our problems, many of them would evaporate and we would come together just solely around that thought.

How can I go help someone today and not just think about myself and what I've got to get through or what I want to accomplish, but rather. And I believe God, God built us all right and given us time and talent. And the ultimate accountability is and how did you use that to to make a difference to help the other people around you to leave it better than you found it.

And, you know, Mr. Nicholas has certainly lived that life as well as Barbara. All right. So that's going to wrap up the front nine.

But don't go anywhere. We'll have more of the Dan Rooney interview on the back nine. This is Golf with Jay Delsing. Hi, this is Peter Jacobson.

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Get the protection and the peace of mind you deserve. Thank you, St. Louis, for making the first annual Ascension charity classic presented by Emerson a record breaking success. The golf was incredible.

Your enthusiasm unmatched. And the only thing that will last longer than the memories is the impact you've made on North St. Louis County charities to our sponsors, volunteers and fans. Thank you for welcoming golf's greatest legends and bringing professional golf back to St. Louis with record attendance.

See you next year at the Ascension charity classic. Hey, I know you've heard a lot about club fitting, but I need you to go visit my friends at Pro-Am Golf. They're a family owned and operated golf discount shop in St. Louis that's been operating for over 40 years. They have a top quality fitter in CJ over there and a very qualified staff with the most up to date state of the art technology in the industry at all. They've got a really cool ball program coming that will help you fit your swing speed to the right ball. But most importantly, they have the lowest prices in town on this fitting. And you know what's really special? They take the price of the fitting and roll it into the new clubs that you purchase over there.

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So stop by and ask for the delsing discount and they'll give you even more money off their already low price. That's Pro-Am Golf, a family owned business here in St. Louis. I'm delighted to bring you the Spotlight, the Gateway PGA Spotlight segment this week. I love having the PGA, the Gateway PGA be a part of my show. We just came back from an announcement about the 2030 President's Cup that's going to be at Bell Reef. And it just reminded me of the significance of our section and how important these men and women are for this great game of golf that we know and love. Mike Tucker was there. Mike's been, gosh, he's just a stalwart here in the community and in the Gateway section.

And I got to say hello and shake hands with him. And I think about how all of these men and women in all of the golf courses around the St. Louis area, the Metro East, even in some of the far reaching, far reaching parts of the state and even in Iowa as far as Arkansas and maybe Tennessee, go where there are so many golf related places that are carrying this torch, making the game better, setting out from as little as setting out golf balls on the range to picking the range, to cleaning the range, to get getting those things set up for all of us to go have fun, play the game we love and enjoy it. I just really appreciate all of you and really thank you for what you're doing. And please, please keep doing it and keep helping us grow this great game we love.

We're halfway there. It's time for the Back 9 on Golf with Jay Delcey. The Back 9 is brought to you by Fogelbach Agency with Farmers Insurance. Hey, welcome back. This is Golf with Jay Delcey. I'm your host, Jay.

Pearly's with me. We've got Brad Barnes-Mead. He's taking good care of us here at the ESPN studios. And we are headed to the Back 9, which is brought to you by the Fogelbach Agency with Farmers.

314-398-0101. Ed Fogelbach is a great guy. He and his family run this agency. And if you have any type of insurance need, whether it's for your family, whether it's for your business, whether it's for anything, call it today. He'll help you out. All right, we're going to go catch the last half of the Lieutenant Colonel Dan Rooney interview.

Maybe. Yes, sir. One of the greatest displays of courageous golf that everybody has ever seen, anything.

Dan Rooney is brought to you by Golden Tee. You mentioned your book, Flying to the Wind. It's your second book.

Tell us a little bit about how it's going. And I think we got some holidays coming up. It'd be a nice opportunity for people to give that as a gift. And so I'm just you know, it falls into the category of that last statement I just made that, you know, I think our ultimate accountability is how do we use our time, talent, experiences to help other people? And that's why God told me to write that I'm a fighter pilot, a golf pro. Right.

So it's safe to say I'm not a writer by trade. And so it was hard. But I felt such a responsibility with every word on the paper to help people find their path. And, you know, the common denominator, Jay, of all of us is we're going to struggle multiple times, probably every day. But what we do during those struggles, what we do in the times our life is not going our way defines us. And we live collectively in a world where ultimately there's, you know, more stuff to do than it's time to do it.

Right. We live in this connected drinking through a fire hose, what we call it, the fighter pilot world world. And I think as a fighter pilot, one of the unique attributes and talents you have to have to make it through the training, which is two and a half years long, government spends eight million dollars per pilot training us and only four point eight percent of the people will make it through.

So by far the most expensive, highest attrition rate of any training the U.S. military. And one of the unique skills we have is the ability to prioritize. And in fly into the wind, I lay out my code of living, which I call CAVU, which is a fighter pilot acronym, stands for Sealing Invisibility Unlimited. And in that spirit, I believe that every day God gives us is an unlimited gift that is simply up to us in our choices. And I map out that code of living and 10 LOEs or lines of effort, basically 10 things I do every day without fail. That go back to ensure that I live a day of fulfillment, not necessarily happy. I mean, we put way too much emphasis on being happy and there's nowhere in the Bible that says I want you to be happy.

We want to be fulfilled, which is much deeper and much more important than being happy. But creating a life and living by code and living by discipline. And the whole book is geared to help people find and identify what's important to them and give them a path to living congruently to that statement. And whether it's, you know, Urban Meyer, you know, called me and said, hey, I'm going to go back to coaching again after I read your book or it's the veteran that got my my book and calls me the next day and said I was going to commit suicide the day I got your book. And I'm here today. You know that God used those lessons, which are a lot of fun to read to write.

It's it's fighter pilot meets golf pro. And it's the stories are wonderful. And that's why the Bible was so powerful.

Right. It taught in parables. It teaches in stories. But I've just been so humbled to see where it's gone and also be able to support Folds of Honor by giving back from each book sold to fold.

So to your point, holidays are coming up. Fly into the wind. How to harness faith and fearlessness on your ascent to greatness is the title. And you can get it literally anywhere they sell books and just coming out and paperback next week, as a matter of fact.

So hardbacks and paperbacks are out there. And it is a very blessed journey that that we got it airborne. Right. And it's out there making an impact on people's lives. You know, you know, something, Dan, it's so awesome to have people like you on the show when you speak from your heart. You speak with so much passion. It just it's contagious, man.

I just absolutely love it. Tell us a little bit about the latest chapter. I know that Alabama, the state of Alabama is as I think the 31st Folds of Honor chapter in Alabama, isn't it? Yeah.

And, you know, the quick version of that is if you were going to ask me, hey, 10 years from now, what's Folds look like? We'll have 250 chapters across the country. It's not a unique play. I mean, you see it with lots of different charities. But it's so important because these chapters allow people to raise money locally and then support the recipients locally. So they're our biggest revenue source.

Thirty one of them out there. These are all volunteer forces across America that allows us to be able to run Folds of Honor at ninety one cents of every dollar going directly to fund scholarship programs. So when you ask somebody to give a dollar, you can tell a man it is making a difference and a huge difference in a military family's life. But, you know, we're just blessed to have people come to this light of Folds of Honor and say, hey, man, we want to do a chapter. We want to raise money locally.

We want to create awareness and we want to give scholarships away to to our hometown heroes. And that's really cool. You know, some other cool stuff that just happened this week, Yeti just came out with the second year of their program benefiting Folds of Honor.

So they got super cool Yeti tumblers. They'll donate one hundred and fifty thousand dollars from that to us over like the next two weeks. Great partnerships with Chipotle. Again, my favorite restaurant and having them on board is crazy cool. Anheuser-Busch just came out with their fall packaging to benefit Folds of Honor, which is a throwback to World War Two, which is just awesome. Folds is on every can, our stories on every can.

They give us a dollar for every case. So what an easy way to to get involved. And we have a wonderful chapter right there in St. Louis to everybody listening on the home front that's doing incredible stuff with the Cardinals, with Anheuser-Busch and Boeing and a host of other snooks there in town. St. Louis is my second hometown. I'm telling you, we've got more friends and more supporters there than any other place outside of my hometown here in Tulsa.

So it's really cool. Yeah, that kind of talks to why this spread. We're seeing this creep, Dan, work its way across the country and into some of these smaller parts of our country because there's veterans there, too. And they need help as well. And we need to keep moving that direction. Yeah, people don't know this, but the why behind Folds, Jay, and that's a great point, is we've got over two million dependents.

So a dependent is a spouse or a child of military who had somebody killed or disabled in Iraq and Afghanistan. And nine out of 10 get no federal education assistance. And that's where Folds of Honor steps in. And thirty five thousand scholarships is awarded in 14 years since we started above our garage. And it is it's one of those things that, you know, it's for the people, by the people. And, you know, if we want it screwed up, give it to the government.

You can turn on Fox or CNN and figure that one out. And, you know, we're just a humble, small team in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with with a bunch of veterans here that are taking money in from great patriots. And we are paying it forward in the form of an education. So it's it's it's just such an awesome ministry. Oh, my gosh, Dan, in that education is the way to really evoke change.

It's going to it's generational. It's it's it's so awesome. Tell us about the fold squadron and how folks can get involved for as little as thirteen dollars a month. Man, this is a great deal.

Yeah. So our squadron, I mean, literally have thousands of people in it giving thirteen dollars a month and people scratch their head like, well, that's a strange number. Well, there are 13 folds that bring it's bring the flag to its triangle shape. Obviously, our mark here at Folds of Honor.

And so that's why the number 13 is there. And it's a monthly donation. But they can visit folds of honor to work. Join the squadron of 13 bucks a month. Make a donation in honor of someone in your family who has who has served our nation. And and we'll pay that forward and in the in the form of life changing educational dollars, which we are blessed to be able to do. And every year, despite this year, we sent 7000 families to school.

We have several thousand families who apply who are qualified, but we can't help. So no better way to say thank you for your freedom, in my opinion, than joining our squadron and taking care of a of a military family who's given life and limb for our freedoms. All right. That was the that'll wrap that interview up and that'll wrap up the back nine.

But don't go anywhere. Pearly and I'll be back for the 19th hole and we'll break down this interview and talk a little bit of golf and military and a few more things. This is Golf with Jay Delsing. Marcon Appliance Parts Company needs to recognize the sponsors, staff and volunteers who made the inaugural Ascension charity classic in St. Louis a huge success. Without the tireless effort of hundreds of dedicated people this past year, this PGA Champions Tour event could not have achieved the success it did.

The winner in golf is the person with the lowest score. But the big winner of this event is the people and communities of need in the St. Louis area and the tremendous boost to the St. Louis economy as a whole. Well played by everyone who put in the time to make this a wonderful event. It's great to live in your community.

Marcon Appliance Parts Company is based in St. Louis, Missouri, and is the largest distributor of major appliance parts in North America and a proud distributor of General Electric parts. Hey guys, I know you've heard golf is booming and it really is. There are more people playing golf today than ever before.

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He wants to help you with your game, and he'll show you around. This is Jay Delsing, and our Gateway PGA Spotlight this week is my personal shout-out to these men and women that are spending... The golf season here in St. Louis is coming to a close. Unfortunately, the weather's going to get colder, but from, gosh, April to November, these men and women have been logging massive amounts of hours behind the scenes, doing so many great things for we golfers to enhance our experience, and I just want to thank them. Jason Marcinik is the new director of golf over at Norwood Hills, and we just hired Brandon Smith. So we have Smitty now as our head professional at Norwood, and a huge shout-out to Norwood and the staff for getting such a... It's like a dream team over there with great people, and Norwood membership has got a great benefit. I know we've had Jerry Tucker. I'm sorry, we've had Mike Tucker on the spotlight, and there's some great stuff happening at Bell Reef.

The BMW tournament is coming to St. Louis in 2026, and there's rumblings about the President's Cup coming to Bell Reef in 2030, so really excited about that. But, folks, just think about it this way. Maybe you live in the city.

Maybe you don't. Maybe you live in Union or Pacific or somewhere that's a little more outskirtish, and you have just your golf course that you go to. Chances are that the guys that are hanging out there are part of this PGA of America association, and they're all working and doing things to try to enhance their golf experience.

And so the year's coming to an end. I just want to give them a nice big shout-out, a thank you, thanks for being part of the show, and thanks for all you do. And another part of the Gateway section is Ozzie Smith, who just had his gala with Johnny Bench, and they had a big event over at Bell Reef, and they sold it out again, so Ali Wells and her staff, they're just doing great stuff. So golf's in a great place right now in St. Louis, and I want to thank all those guys for being part of the show and for doing what they do. Thank you, St. Louis, for making the first annual Ascension Charity Classic presented by Emerson a record-breaking success. The golf was incredible, your enthusiasm unmatched, and the only thing that will last longer than the memories is the impact you've made on North St. Louis County charities. To our sponsors, volunteers, and fans, thank you for welcoming golf's greatest legends and bringing professional golf back to St. Louis with record attendance.

See you next year at the Ascension Charity Classic. There's 80 locations in the St. Louis area, 800-518-1626, or visit them on the web at ssmphysicaltherapy.com. Tell them Jay sent you for special pricing.

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We know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. We are farmers, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum. I'm with my buddy, Joe Scieser from USA Mortgage. Hi, Jay, how are you?

Doing great, Joe. Thanks so much for the support of the show. Hi, really appreciate the opportunity. Congratulations. This is your third year and we're really proud to be a sponsor all three years since the very beginning. It's a great show and we look forward to it every Sunday morning.

Well, thanks a bunch. Tell us just a little bit about USA Mortgage and what you can do for people. Well, USA Mortgage is a ESOP. It's an employee-owned company. So over a thousand families here in St. Louis work for the company.

So if you want an opportunity to patronize a local company, please call USA Mortgage at 314-628-2015 and I'll be more than happy to sit down with you, go over your options, discuss all the different programs that are available and give you an opportunity to support a local company. That's awesome, Joe. Thanks so much. Appreciate it, Jay. Thank you.

Grab your friends, a cold one and pull up a chair. We're on to the 19th hole on golf with Jay Delsing. The 19th hole is brought to you by Pro-Am Golf. Hey, welcome back. This is Golf with Jay Delsing.

I'm your host, Jay. Pearly is with me and we are headed to the 19th hole that is brought to you by our friends at Pro-Am Golf Centers. If you need to get fitted, guys, getting fitted is so vitally important. If you need to get fitted, you need to head over and see CJ at Pro-Am Golf Centers. They've got the lowest prices in town. They will roll that price of the fitting into the purchase of your clubs and CJ will absolutely take care of you. So you've got to go see those guys and give them a call.

Their number is 314-647-8054. All right, Pearl, you've played American Dunes. Let's start with American Dunes and go from there. Dan Rooney is just an American hero. That's all there is to it.

I mean, close to $150 million raised in scholarship money for our fallen heroes' families, the stuff that he's doing. But talk about American Dunes a little bit. Well, I thoroughly enjoyed it with some friends up there.

It gives you a different sense of playing golf. I mean, you're kind of going into what they're, I think, laying out a little bit of hallowed ground. There's a lot of indication and stories about what goes on in the military, stories about folks that they've lost, heroes. The decor is all kind of military-based.

They've got some traditions that I don't want to steal from people that haven't gone yet. They've got the cool, I'll tell you what one is, Jay. The 18th hole, there's the biggest American flag maybe you've ever seen in your life, positioned out there that gives you some level of a starting point on a tee shot. And the whole time you're there, you just have this wonderful feeling. And it's unique. The golf course is unique. When you look at it, you can look at it and go like, oh my gosh, how am I going to play anything here?

But then you get out there and it's surprisingly playable and exciting. They've really done something special to that area. Pearl, what about what happens at one o'clock every day?

Were you there? That's the stuff I don't want to give away. There's several traditions. Yeah, it's a very cool tradition.

Yeah, absolutely. There's a couple different ones and it has a unique flavor to it and that's one of the reasons it's worth going to and putting on your bucket list. And you know, we've had Jack Nicklaus, the GOAT, on the show who waived his $3 million fee to design the golf course all for the veterans. And he said something about their grand opening when they were doing some of these ceremonial things that you're mentioning. And Jack said, I've never been part of anything like this before.

Yeah, it's pretty special. And my guess is, had he not lent his name and expertise, I'm not sure they could have pulled this place off. No, there's no doubt. How about what Jack said, Pearl, at that opening, the grand opening where he said, I love golf, but I love my country more.

Absolutely. You know, John, my dad served in World War II, lost over two years of his baseball career to serve. And no one really talked much about that. No one ever thanked those guys much. And I think we're getting to a spot now where we're realizing what a big deal all of those services are.

Your dad served, my dad served, and you're talking about Hubert Green, Larry Nelson, amongst the many others that served. And we're realizing what a commitment it is and how important that is to the society for our way of life, for things that have happened. And with guys like, you know, Noonan here, Lieutenant Colonel Dan Rooney, and bringing some of this stuff to the light, and what Faraday is doing with Troops First, we're getting more light being shined on these men and women. Hopefully bringing some awareness and better things to them in general. Absolutely. I think it's worth it.

It was a game changer. I don't think people like your father, my father, were looking for anybody to thank them. I think they wanted to serve the country, and they served the country. So I think there's different ways to look at some of that. I've shared with you before, Jay, my father considered it the best couple of years, several years, in his life. It allowed him to grow up, to get some structure, get some guidance.

So I think it was probably different for all different kinds of people. But this is a special time. It's a special holiday that is in front of us. And I'm really glad we're getting to talk about it a little bit on the show. I am a little disappointed in you not knowing the specifics of some of those answers.

But, you know, next time we'll do like they do with our president. I'll give you the answers before I ask you the questions, and we'll give it out of shot. Well, at least let me know. I had a test coming. I could have studied for some of them. But I appreciate you popping those out there. But, Pearl, I wasn't saying that these men and women are doing it at all for any sort of recognition.

I didn't want the listeners to be confused about that. I know they're not. But they deserve it. They deserve some of this recognition. Some of the conditions in our VA hospitals have to improve greatly.

Some of the attention that they receive when they come back from some of their injuries and from some of the injuries affiliated with their service need to be, you know, they need to be taken care of, and hopefully some of this is improving that for them. Yeah, I hope so. I hope so. I think they talked about it.

Well, that's going to wrap up another show. Pearl, hey, thanks for all of the social media stuff and the quiz on the military was just awesome. What was my grade? Did I flunk? You're 0 for 4, so whatever you would call that. 0 for 4.

I don't get any extra credit for knowing at least the second half of New Haven? No. Okay. Good to know. All right, cool. We will be back next week with more golf with Jay Delzing. Hit them straight, St. Louis.