Scrambling with Dylan Otto

This week's episode of Scrambling with Dylan Otto is a final update on my journey in summer golf and how tournaments have been going. I played in the 2023 NCGA Am at Spyglass Hill which was a ton of fun and talk about each round. I'll take you through my though process with each round as well as what the game of golf has done for me in my life. I love being fully transparent with the listeners and hope you enjoy the show!

This week's episode of Scrambling with Dylan Otto features University of Oregon golfer Nate Stember. Born in Portland, Oregon and playing for the Oregon Ducks... Nate Stember is the hometown kid. Nate got into the game from the help of his grandpa and father at the age of 3 years old which is the definition of starting them young. He played most of his competitive golf in the summers and found success in many events. When to came time to the recruiting process, he was getting looked at by mainly west coast D1 schools. His decision was between Oregon State and University of Oregon and funny story is that he grew up a Beaver fan, but he had to put his past to the side. Over the last 4 years at U of O, Nate says his ball striking and mental side of the game are what developed tremendously due to the coach Casey Martin. Nate is heading into his last year of college golf which he feels a bit more pressure on this year, but is looking to enjoy every shot of it and find some success.  Enjoy the show!

This week's episode of Scrambling with Dylan Otto features Univeristy of North Carolina Golfer Austin Greaser. Golf was something that Austin fell in love very easily with the help of his father who found the love of the game later on in life. Greaser was always known as the smaller guy who didn't hit very far, but that didn't stop him from playing in competitive junior events and giving it all he had. When it came time to his high school years, he grew into the body he's currently in and that's bigger and stronger Austin Greaser. When it came to the recruiting process he would market himself to college coaches as not having the spectacular resume like other players did, but that one day he'll be the best golfer in the nation. At first UNC told Greaser that they were full and didn't have any spots open, but after some coaching changes and them realizing his talents... he committed to Tar Heal Nation. He's done a lot for himself both in college golf and amateur golf by finishing finishing runner-up in the 2021 U.S. Am and playing in both the 2022 Masters and 2022 U.S. Open. Austin is currently going into his 5th years at UNC and is looking to finish his college career on a strong note with his boys. Enjoy the show!

This week's episode of Scrambling with Dylan Otto features University of Oregon Women's Assistant Coach Krissy Carman. You've probably seen this name a lot because she's a legend in the state of Oregon and amateur golf world. Krissy grew up in Canby, Oregon where she played most of her junior golf and went onto play at both Oregon State University and Portland University. As her years playing college golf were coming to an end, she made the decision to not pursue golf and get things going in life. However, that never stopped her from playing in high level amateur events! Her biggest victory thus far was winning the 2022 U.S. Women's Mid-Am which got her an exception into the 2023 U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach which was a week you couldn't have drawn up better she said. Not only is golf a focus point in her life, but so is her family as they share the same love of the golf between her husband and son Conrad. Carman will be heading into her 1st season as the assistant coach for the Ducks and is looking forward to getting the ball rolling with the team. Enjoy the show!

This week's episode of Scrambling with Dylan Otto is an update on my journey in summer golf and how tournaments have been going. The game is in a really good spot right now off the tee, from the fairway, and around the greens. I touch on positives and negatives from each round as well as the matches my Dad and I have been playing in at Kings River Country Club in the Summer Matchplay. The college golf season is just around the corner and I touch on what I'm looking forward to the most. Enjoy the show!

This week's episode of Scrambling with Dylan Otto features Auburn University golfer Jackson Koivun. What a career this young man has had from winning AJGA events, playing in the Junior President's Cup, and much more... and he hasn't even started college golf yet. Jackson got started really early on with the game with the help of his family, he started playing competitive golf at the age 6 and never looked back. He first started out playing in U.S. Kids tournaments and eventually traveled to Missouri where he won his first AJGA event. That was only the beginning of all the accolades he'd receive from his junior/start of his amateur career. Jackson was also the #1 ranked junior in his class and we talk about what that meant to him as well as how that affected his recruiting process. Most would think that being the #1 ranked junior that his recruiting process was huge and glorious... however Jackson says differently. Koivun is currently enrolled in summer school at Auburn University and is looking to get things rolling this coming semester. Enjoy the show!

This week's episode of Scrambling with Dylan Otto features Washington State University Golfer Drayton Joseph. For a majority of Drayton's childhood he was known as a baseball and football player until he torn his rotator cuff which meant only one thing... time to play golf! He saw results pretty fast as he was grinding on his game and started playing in local SoCal junior events like SoCal Junior PGA, Toyota Tour Cups and eventually playing in AJGAs. The results were there and college coaches were seeing them which he soon verbally committed to USD, however the world threw a wrench into the mix as COVID shut down the world and players started coming back for another year of eligibility. Joseph found himself going to Florida Atlantic University where he played his 1st year of college golf and really developed his course management as he talks about. Drayton then found himself in the transfer portal to see what else was out there and he came to the conclusion that Washington State was the place for him and he's currently going into his 4th year with the Cougars. Enjoy the show!

This week's episode of Scrambling with Dylan Otto features Southern Methodist University golfer Aaron Jarvis. You don't hear many golfers coming out the Cayman Islands nowadays, but Aaron Jarvis is leading the way for his home country. He first started playing soccer until his brother got introduced to the game and Aaron was hooked as soon as he started playing. As he was developing his game on one of very few courses on the Cayman Islands, he moved to Florida to attend an academy where he was really able to get some exposure with competitive golf. Once he finished his time at the academy, he signed with UNLV which is where he played his first two years of college golf. Outside of his college career, he won the 2022 Latin American Amateur which allowed him to play in the 2022 Masters and Open Championship at St. Andrews. We touch on his experiences playing in those majors as well as the process to transferring to SMU where he'll finish the remaining years of eligibility he has. Enjoy the show!

This week's episode of Scrambling with Dylan Otto features University of Illinois golfer Piercen Hunt. This man has played golf in all sorts of places from his years living in Canada, The Netherlands, Wisconsin, and now Illinois. Of course hockey was a sport he fell in love with because golf was hard to play when there was snow on the ground, but he soon gave everything he had into golf in his early to mid teenage years. He played for his home course team in The Netherlands and when he moved to the states in the state of Wisconsin. Hunt also found a lot of success in his high school years which lead him to playing in some really big junior events in the AJGA circuit. We also touch on his win at the 2019 Western Junior where he came out on top and soon after that he started seeing college coaches rolling in. He committed to the University of Illinois and has loved everything there is to the program from the coaches, teammates, and the practice facilities. Piercen has really seen his game improve over the years, especially his short game he says. He's currently going into his last year of college golf and he wants to make it a memorable one not only for himself, but his family at the University of Illinois. Enjoy the show!

This week's episode of Scrambling with Dylan Otto features professional golfer David Kim. A majority of the guests I have on the podcast either got into the game with the help of a family member or they did it on their own... not David Kim. He doesn't even remember the experience, but his mother said that when he was 3 years old he saw a photo of Tiger Woods in a sports magazine. His mother also told him that after that moment he'd grab anything that would symbolize a golf club and start swinging it. He then started going to the local driving range with his snoopy set of clubs and was hooked! He started playing in U.S. Kids events to get his junior career started then stepped up to SCPGA events which are very competitive in the SoCal area. The proudest moment of his junior career was when he made it to his 1st AJGA event and eventually played in a couple more. Soon after that he was talking to a handful of schools where he ultimately committed to UC Irvine where he spent 4 years developing his game. David is currently a couple years into playing professionally and is getting the season started at PGA Tour Canada where he hopes to do the best he possibly can to move onto the next level. Enjoy the show!

This week's episode of Scrambling with Dylan Otto features BYU alum & newly professional golfer Carson Lundell. The way Carson got into the game of golf is a story you've never heard before. He had no interest in the game of golf until he dislocated his pinky finger at a camp he didn't even want to go to and the only thing he could do in his cast was chip and hit putts. Ever since then, golf has consumed his life! Junior golf was not existent to him and his family, they didn't know where to start with competitive golf. Lundell started playing in local Thursday night matches at the local course and once he started high school golf, he was able to find the golfer he'd eventually turn into. Shooting some really low numbers all throughout his high school career and playing in for some local Utah Junior organizations. Carson tells a story about when he was at the National Championship at PGA National in Florida for his high school team and after winning it, players were asking him where he was going to play college golf. He responded with... "I don't know". He soon committed to BYU where he had the best 5 years of his life and can't believe it's all over already. Carson has recently turned professional since graduating a month ago and is looking to take professional golf head on. Enjoy the show!

This week's episode of Scrambling with Dylan Otto features Mississippi State assistant coach Kolton Lapa. Yes, the name Kolton Lapa does sound familiar as he appeared in episode 28. However, he's made the transition from playing professional golf to coaching D1 golf in the SEC. Lapa was at last year's NCAA National Championship behind the ropes missing the coaching aspect of it. A day later he was getting a call from the head coach at Mississippi State asking if he wanted to join him coaching. Kolton had a very tough decision to make and did some soul searching to see if he wanted to throw the towel for a little... at this year's NCAA National Championship he walked down the 1st fairway with his team. Coach Lapa has been enjoying every moment and everything about Mississippi State from developing the players to learning all he can about coaching so that he can help his players even more. Enjoy the show!

This week's episode of Scrambling with Dylan Otto is a little different as we go over a few things with the podcast, photography business, and summer golf. I've been wanting to give the listeners a little update on how things have been going as well as a quick assessment of how my 1st tournament of the summer went. I'll take you through round-by-round of the 2023 Fresno City Amateur and what my experiences were like getting back into competition golf for this coming summer. We've got some really interesting guests coming on the next couple weeks and you don't want to miss them! I can't thank everyone enough for the all the support and appreciation you show, it really is great to see people interacting both on social media and in person. As always, if you ever see me out on the course taking photos, playing, or wherever.. don't be afraid to stop and stay what's up! Enjoy the show!

This week's episode of Scrambling with Dylan Otto features Arizona State University golfer Michael Mjaaseth. Competitive skiing and soccer are the sports Michael Mjaaseth grew up playing in his home country of Norway. The game of golf didn't come into his life until he joined a summer golf camp when he was 10 years old and he was hooked! Mjaaseth then joined a so-called academy and started to develop his game by playing in local junior events in Norway. Once he saw better results in the local events, he started traveling to different countries to play against the best junior golfers in the world. He found success in junior events in numerous countries and even played in 4 professional events... he even won on that stage. When it came to the recruiting process, he knew going to the U.S. was the best way to develop his game even further and ultimately made his way to ASU. He's currently a freshman and has found success early on by being co-medalist in his 1st college event ever and having multiple top 20 finishes. Mjaaseth and the rest of the Sun devils are preparing for the National Championship at Gray Hawk next week and they're looking to take home some hardware. Enjoy the show!

This week's episode of Scrambling with Dylan Otto features professional golfer Hunter Epson. Golf was always something Hunter did growing up, but he was really invested in soccer and ice hockey as well. Once he started to realize that he could go practice on his own and create his own success, he gave golf all of his attention. He started playing in a lot of local junior events in the Long Beach area like Toyota Tour cups, SCGA events, then a few AJGAs. He started his college career at Pepperdine University where he was making the lineup, but felt he needed a school that better fit him as a player so he went in the transfer portal. A couple months later he found himself coming back to where he was born and raised... Long Beach State University. He was a main contributor to the team over his years there and had quite a resume there. Hunter is currently a couple years into playing professional golf and has played on mini tours, PGA Tour Canada, and most recently gaining full status on the Sunshine Tour. He's looking to get the season underway in South Africa and potentially get into some big events. Enjoy the show!

This week's episode of Scrambling with Dylan Otto features USC Golfer Gavin Aurilia. At a very young age Gavin Aurilia only knew baseball since his father, Rich Aurilia, was a successful baseball player in the MLB. However, around the age of 12 he decided to put baseball to the side and give golf all his attention. He grew up playing a lot of local junior events in the Arizona area, but eventually moved up to the AJGA events which he found success in. One of Aurilia's memorable moments was winning the 2021 IMG Junior Worlds and two 2nd place finishes in AJGA events. After finding success in his junior career, his brother told him he needed to start reaching out to college coaches. Gavin didn't know what level or what schools he could even play for until he started getting in contact with high-level D1 programs. He eventually committed to USC and has been loving every part of being a Trojan especially the membership at Riviera Country Club, which is offered to 3 players on the USC team. Aurilia is heading into his junior year with the Trojans and is looking to get back into contention with the team starting in the fall. Enjoy the show!

This week's episode of Scrambling with Dylan Otto features UCLA assistant coach Patrick Murphy. You don't hear many golfers come from Canada to not only play college golf, but coach it as well. Patrick Murphy is one of those guys! He grew up in Crossfield, Alberta, Canada where golf wasn't the biggest sport to play. He grew up playing hockey like any other Canadian, but was playing in high level amateur events in the Southern California area as well as a couple AJGA events. The ability to shoot low rounds in the 60s and having high finishes in those junior events earned him a spot at UCLA where he didn't know too much about until he took his visits there. He repped the UCLA Bruin gear a lot and played in numerous events for the them. After his college career came to an end, he gave the professional route a try. He cashed a couple checks in the beginning, but was always honest with himself and the game of golf. One thing lead to another and he received a call from his coach at UCLA, Derek Freeman, about the coaching job at UCLA and Murphy is currently in his 3rd season with the team. They have a new head coach Armen Kirakossian from ASU and they're looking to get UCLA back to being the epic powerhouse school they know they can be. Enjoy the show!

This week's episode of Scrambling with Dylan Otto features professional golfer and swing coach Dylan Crowley. As I've said numerous times... every golfer has a different story and Dylan Crowley's is one you don't hear about too often. He's originally from the New York area, but moved to Southern California at a young age. He got into the game of golf by going to a local range just across the street from his house on his own, hitting balls into the late hours of the night. Crowley eventually grew to love the game and got some help from his family members on playing very few, but elite junior/amateur events like qualifying for the U.S. Junior Am, The Ike, and other big East Coast events. He played in a total of 3 junior events and a hand full of amateur events, but placed in the top 5 which was something he didn't expect since he was so new to the competitive side of golf. He then found himself signing a NLI to go play at St. Johns University where he played D1 golf and did pretty well. Soon after his years playing college golf, he turned pro and has been playing on tours like PGA Tour Canada, PGA Latin America, and numerous mini tour events. More recently he's been promoting him giving lessons and really improving the games of his students while playing professional golf. Enjoy the show!

This week's episode of Scrambling with Dylan Otto features Fresno State golfer Joseph Lloyd. Joseph grew up in a very saturated area with a ton of talented golfers... Scottsdale, Arizona. He played most of his junior golf in his home state and found great success doing so by having multiple wins like the 2020 Arizona Junior State Championship as well as being medalist at the 2020 Arizona Am. With this success and being ranked 45th on junior golf scoreboard in the class of 2021, he found himself talking to schools like the University of Utah and Colorado. With COVID happening in the middle of his recruiting process, he took the offer at the University of Utah which was something he was excited about. Lloyd loved the facilities there and the campus was gorgeous, but he needed some warmer weather and he found that by taking a visit to Fresno State University with Coach Spencer. Ever since last year, he's been enjoying every second of being a Bulldog! He loves his teammates and they have a lot of common interests which is something that they all enjoy. Joseph is currently a sophomore at Fresno State and has some high, but reachable goals that he's looking to accomplish. Enjoy the show!

This week's episode of Scrambling with Dylan Otto features Texas Tech University golfer Calum Scott. What a journey it's been from Nairn, Scotland to teeing it up in his 1st college event at Pebble Beach. It all started with the help of his father getting both him and his brother Sandy into the game, though he didn't get to play much with his brother growing up. Calum grew up playing in anything he could get in whether it was in Scotland or traveling to other countries to play against the best junior golfers. When it came time to the recruiting process, he was able to get some insight from his brother Sandy who was already playing at Texas Tech. One thing lead to another and Calum found himself on a plane to go play golf for Texas Tech University. When he got there he had to adapt to a lot of new things in his life from the different culture and atmosphere of doing both golf and school at the same time. His 1st time ever teeing it up in America was at his 1st college event at Pebble beach... he went on to shoot 69 and finished T20. Calum is currently a sophomore year at TTU and has already made a big impact on the team! Enjoy the show!