Army major and +5 golfer Neil Williams joins Sam for an honest conversation about ambition, avoidance and the complicated role golf has played throughout his life.

Neil reflects on joining the Army at 16, serving in Iraq at 18, losing both parents, his daughter being born at 28 weeks and receiving an ADHD diagnosis at 40.

Golf gave him somewhere to escape. It helped him cope and carried him to course records and Final Qualifying for The Open—but Neil now recognises that it sometimes allowed him to bury emotions rather than process them.

They also discuss founding the Veterans Golf Association, learning to talk, preparing to turn professional and Neil’s long-term dream of competing on the Senior Tour.

Follow Neil on Instagram: @neil_williams_golf

@veteransgolfassociation

Nine Holes, Nine Questions is a Golf Saved My Life production exploring the person behind golf.

🎙 Connect with me – Golf Saved My Life

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YouTube: https://youtube.com/@golfsavedmylifeofficial?si=EMslx2_5q-fsHZWc

I’m sharing my own journey to better golf and a better headspace, plus more episodes of 9 Holes, 9 Questions with golfers, creators and coaches.

🏌️‍♂️ Support the show

If you enjoy the podcast and want to support what I’m doing, you can use my referral links/codes below – it doesn’t cost you anything extra and helps me keep making episodes:

ShotScope: https://shotscope.com/?rfsn=8928822.66aa89&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=8928822.66aa89

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Thank you for listening, sharing, and sending this to a golfer who needs to hear it. 💚

— Sam

9 Holes, 9 Questions – Golf Saved My Life

What started as a few mates getting out on the golf course after COVID has grown into a community, charity events and something Rikki hopes could one day become his full-time life.

This week Sam sits down with Rikki from Foreheads Golf.

They talk about Rikki’s rapid golfing journey from a 34 handicap to single figures, the growth of Foreheads, organising golf events and the community he’s discovered through the game.

But at the centre of the conversation is something much more important: why does golf make it easier for men to talk?

Rikki opens up about loneliness, learning to talk about his own struggles, balancing family life with ambition and why simply asking a mate “Are you okay?” can matter more than we realise.

Plus, we hear about the round so bad that England Golf gave him a 120 — and Rikki was happy to take it.

Episode 28 of 9 Holes, 9 Questions from Golf Saved My Life.

⛳ Connect with Foreheads Golf

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foreheadsgolf/

🎙 Connect with me – Golf Saved My Life

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/golf_savedmylife?igsh=MW1zYWl3d2c3ZGwy&utm_source=qr

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@golfsavedmylifeofficial?si=EMslx2_5q-fsHZWc

I’m sharing my own journey to better golf and a better headspace, plus more episodes of 9 Holes, 9 Questions with golfers, creators and coaches.

🏌️‍♂️ Support the show

If you enjoy the podcast and want to support what I’m doing, you can use my referral links/codes below – it doesn’t cost you anything extra and helps me keep making episodes:

ShotScope: https://shotscope.com/?rfsn=8928822.66aa89&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=8928822.66aa89

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Thank you for listening, sharing, and sending this to a golfer who needs to hear it. 💚

— Sam

9 Holes, 9 Questions – Golf Saved My Life

What started as a creative side project became something much bigger.

This week on 9 Holes, 9 Questions, Sam sits down with Dan Hase, founder of Northern Ball Markers, to discover how experimenting with customised golf ball markers eventually became his full-time career.

Dan explains how being made redundant — in the same week he discovered his wife was pregnant with their second child — gave him the push to find out whether his side hustle could become a sustainable business.

More than five years later, Northern Ball Markers has developed into an established independent golf brand, with loyal collectors and customers around the world.

But building a business while raising a young family hasn’t always been straightforward.

Dan talks about the pressure of self-employment, balancing work with being a dad, the isolation that can come from working alone and how he’s learned to recognise when he needs to get out, speak to people and make time for himself.

We also explore Dan’s relationship with golf — from collecting lost balls as a child and selling them back to the golf club, to playing frozen winter rounds with friends, becoming a golf collector himself and eventually building a business within the sport.

Dan also explains why he no longer worries about chasing his handicap and why golf, for him, is ultimately about good people, conversation and enjoying the time you have available to play.

A conversation about golf, entrepreneurship, family, mental wellbeing and finding the right balance between them all.

⛳ Connect with Northern Ball Markers

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northernballmarkers?igsh=MWd4NzV0bmM0dTZuNg==

Website: https://www.northernballmarkers.co.uk/

🎙 Connect with me – Golf Saved My Life

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@golfsavedmylifeofficial?_r=1&_t=ZN-93SVWNm3lSA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/golf_savedmylife?igsh=MW1zYWl3d2c3ZGwy&utm_source=qr

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@golfsavedmylifeofficial?si=EMslx2_5q-fsHZWc

I’m sharing my own journey to better golf and a better headspace, plus more episodes of 9 Holes, 9 Questions with golfers, creators and coaches.

🏌️‍♂️ Support the show

If you enjoy the podcast and want to support what I’m doing, you can use my referral links/codes below – it doesn’t cost you anything extra and helps me keep making episodes:

ShotScope: https://shotscope.com/?rfsn=8928822.66aa89&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=8928822.66aa89

Use Code GSML15

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Thank you for listening, sharing, and sending this to a golfer who needs to hear it. 💚

— Sam

9 Holes, 9 Questions – Golf Saved My Life

What happens when a golf brand is built around purpose rather than products?

This week I’m joined by George from Mulligan Bros, to explore the mission behind one of golf’s newest apparel brands.

Following his transition out of the military and the loss of his brother, George created Mulligan Bros with a clear vision: to use golf as a vehicle for good.

In this conversation we discuss:

• The story behind Mulligan Bros

• Building a golf apparel business

• Supporting mental health through golf

• Life after the military

• Creating a community, not just a brand

• The future vision for Mulligan Bros

This is one of those conversations that reminds us golf can be about far more than scores and handicaps.

⛳ Connect with Mulligan Bros

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mulligan.bros?igsh=Ynp6aGFjMnU1MDM2

Website: https://mulliganbros.co.uk/

🎙 Connect with me – Golf Saved My Life

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@golfsavedmylifeofficial?_r=1&_t=ZN-93SVWNm3lSA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/golf_savedmylife?igsh=MW1zYWl3d2c3ZGwy&utm_source=qr

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@golfsavedmylifeofficial?si=EMslx2_5q-fsHZWc

I’m sharing my own journey to better golf and a better headspace, plus more episodes of 9 Holes, 9 Questions with golfers, creators and coaches.

🏌️‍♂️ Support the show

If you enjoy the podcast and want to support what I’m doing, you can use my referral links/codes below – it doesn’t cost you anything extra and helps me keep making episodes:

ShotScope: https://shotscope.com/?rfsn=8928822.66aa89&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=8928822.66aa89

Use Code GSML15

Vice Golf: https://checkout.vicegolf.de/GSML

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Get Up & Go Rentals Holiday Villa in Spain!: https://www.getupandgorentals.com/

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Thank you for listening, sharing, and sending this to a golfer who needs to hear it. 💚

— Sam

9 Holes, 9 Questions – Golf Saved My Life

What separates a good golfer from someone who can perform when it really matters?

In Episode 25 of Nine Holes, Nine Questions, Sam is joined by Coops from Coopers Golf, also known online as Postman’s Par, for a conversation about golf psychology, competitive pressure, content creation and building a business around the game he loves.

Coops explains how he went from working long days as a plasterer to creating golf content, coaching players online and developing his Strategy, Mindset and Short Game system.

He also shares how investing £8,000 in a business mentor changed his attitude towards building something online, why one viral post brought him around 15,000 followers, and why trying to recreate that success temporarily caused him to lose sight of what had originally worked.

The conversation explores Coops’ journey from municipal golf to scratch golf and county competition, including the meeting with a sports psychologist that completely changed how he approached pressure.

Coops discusses why golfers often spend too much time chasing the perfect swing, why mindset and course strategy are overlooked, and how viewing a round as 18 individual one-hole challenges can prevent one bad score from ruining an entire card.

They also discuss:

• Going from football to competitive golf
• Reaching scratch and playing county golf
• Why better equipment does not automatically produce better scores
• The difference between practising a golf swing and practising golf
• How to transfer your range game onto the course
• Managing anger and frustration during a round
• Why golfers should avoid double bogeys
• Building confidence without changing your swing
• The reality of making money through social media
• Creating an online golf coaching business
• Coops’ Strategy, Mindset and Short Game system
• How golf shaped Coops as a person

Follow Coopers Golf on Instagram: @coopergolf27

Nine Holes, Nine Questions is a Golf Saved My Life podcast exploring the people, experiences and stories behind the game.

Follow Golf Saved My Life for more conversations about golf, mental health, personal growth and the wider golf community.

In Episode 24 of Nine Holes, Nine Questions, I’m joined by John Young Golf, our first international guest.

John has played golf for most of his life, competed at a high level, played college golf, and has recently turned professional while pursuing a career in the golf industry.

But this episode is about much more than golf.

John opens up about his journey with sobriety, celebrating five years sober, his struggles with depression, drinking, cocaine, therapy, and the moment he realised he had to make a change. He also talks about leaving a successful private equity career, walking away from money and status, and choosing a life that felt more aligned with who he really is.

We discuss golf as a platform for talking about mental health, sobriety, advocacy, therapy, inclusion, career change, and why men need more spaces where they can speak honestly.

John also shares his golf journey, turning pro, practice habits, golf tech, course management, blow-up holes, competitive golf, and why the game continues to be such a powerful part of his life.

This is a powerful conversation about recovery, purpose, honesty, and using golf to build a better life.

Follow John:
Instagram: @john_young_golf
YouTube: John Young GolfPatreon: John Young Golf

Connect with me – Golf Saved My Life

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@golfsavedmylifeofficial?_r=1&_t=ZN-93SVWNm3lSA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/golf_savedmylife?igsh=MW1zYWl3d2c3ZGwy&utm_source=qr

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@golfsavedmylifeofficial?si=EMslx2_5q-fsHZWc

I’m sharing my own journey to better golf and a better headspace, plus more episodes of 9 Holes, 9 Questions with golfers, creators and coaches.

🏌️‍♂️ Support the show

If you enjoy the podcast and want to support what I’m doing, you can use my referral links/codes below – it doesn’t cost you anything extra and helps me keep making episodes:

ShotScope: https://shotscope.com/?rfsn=8928822.66aa89&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=8928822.66aa89

Use Code GSML15

Vice Golf: https://checkout.vicegolf.de/GSML

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Get Up & Go Rentals Holiday Villa in Spain!: https://www.getupandgorentals.com/

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Thank you for listening, sharing, and sending this to a golfer who needs to hear it. 💚

— Sam

9 Holes, 9 Questions – Golf Saved My Life

In Episode 23 of Nine Holes, Nine Questions, I’m joined by PGA golf coach and competitive golfer James Rooney.

James shares his journey from growing up around golf in Scotland, heading to America to play college golf, stepping away from the game after burnout, and eventually finding his way back through coaching and competing.

We talk about the reality of mini tour golf, the financial challenges of chasing professional golf, why coaching and playing do not always naturally translate, and what amateur golfers can do to practise more effectively.

James also opens up about burnout, high-functioning depression, anxiety, therapy, changing career paths, fatherhood, and why golf became a sanctuary during a difficult period in his life.

This episode is packed with insight for amateur golfers, golf content creators, anyone thinking about lessons, and anyone interested in the real side of coaching, competing and chasing improvement in golf.

⛳ Connect with James:
Instagram: @jamesrooneygolf
Website: jamesrooneygolf.com
YouTube: James Rooney Golf
Skillest: James Rooney

🎙 Connect with me – Golf Saved My Life

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@golfsavedmylifeofficial?_r=1&_t=ZN-93SVWNm3lSA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/golf_savedmylife?igsh=MW1zYWl3d2c3ZGwy&utm_source=qr

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@golfsavedmylifeofficial?si=EMslx2_5q-fsHZWc

I’m sharing my own journey to better golf and a better headspace, plus more episodes of 9 Holes, 9 Questions with golfers, creators and coaches.

🏌️‍♂️ Support the show

If you enjoy the podcast and want to support what I’m doing, you can use my referral links/codes below – it doesn’t cost you anything extra and helps me keep making episodes:

ShotScope: https://shotscope.com/?rfsn=8928822.66aa89&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=8928822.66aa89

Use Code GSML15

Vice Golf: https://checkout.vicegolf.de/GSML

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Get Up & Go Rentals Holiday Villa in Spain!: https://www.getupandgorentals.com/

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Thank you for listening, sharing, and sending this to a golfer who needs to hear it. 💚

— Sam

9 Holes, 9 Questions – Golf Saved My Life

In Episode 22 of Nine Holes, Nine Questions, I’m joined by Ally from Chasing Pars.

Ally has been podcasting for around 15 years, starting in football before moving into the golf space with Out Here Chasing Pars. In this episode, we talk about how he went from thinking golf was an old man’s game to becoming completely hooked after lockdown.

We discuss golf, podcasting, the UK golf creator community, fitness, weight loss, competitiveness, mental health, family, and why the stories behind normal golfers can be just as powerful as the biggest names in the game.

Ally opens up about going from 23 stone to changing his lifestyle, using fitness and running as part of his routine, finding golf after football, and how conversations on the golf course can sometimes feel like free therapy.

This episode is about much more than chasing pars. It’s about finding something that gives you purpose, connection, competition and community.

Listen to Out Here Chasing Pars for more golf conversations from across the golf community.

⛳ Connect with Ally

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_chasing_pars?igsh=bWsybzRjZDQwMGhu

🎙 Connect with me – Golf Saved My Life

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@golfsavedmylifeofficial?_r=1&_t=ZN-93SVWNm3lSA

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/golf_savedmylife?igsh=MW1zYWl3d2c3ZGwy&utm_source=qr

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@golfsavedmylifeofficial?si=EMslx2_5q-fsHZWc

I’m sharing my own journey to better golf and a better headspace, plus more episodes of 9 Holes, 9 Questions with golfers, creators and coaches.

🏌️‍♂️ Support the show

If you enjoy the podcast and want to support what I’m doing, you can use my referral links/codes below – it doesn’t cost you anything extra and helps me keep making episodes:

ShotScope: https://shotscope.com/?rfsn=8928822.66aa89&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=8928822.66aa89

Use Code GSML15

Vice Golf: https://checkout.vicegolf.de/GSML

Use code GSML

Get Up & Go Rentals Holiday Villa in Spain!: https://www.getupandgorentals.com/

Use Code GSML20

Thank you for listening, sharing, and sending this to a golfer who needs to hear it. 💚

— Sam

9 Holes, 9 Questions – Golf Saved My Life