Better Than I Found It

Welcome back to Better Than I Found It! Today, Coach McGrawperuses his storied career and dives into his book (the original Better Than I Found It) to discuss qualifying: the process by which the players for new tournaments are selected. A sentiment reiterated to Coach McGraw by several hall of fame coaches, qualifying is “your job to get the best five players on the van, regardless of how you go about that”.  From caddying for a teammate, to only getting one ball to play, to reducing bogeys by a stroke if you birdie the next hole, Coach McGraw has used dozens of strategies to pick players for upcomingtournaments. With the addition of Coach Ryan Murphy to the team, new and interesting qualifying strategies have been added to the Bears’ playbook, with more to come. I hope you enjoy the listen!Subscribe to the podcast for future episodes. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook —> @BetterThanIFoundItPodcastAssociated social media accounts:Coach McGraw - @BearCoachMcGrawBaylor Men’s Golf - @BaylorMGolfProduced and Edited by Will GreeneMusic: DriftMaster by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com---Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/betterthanifoundit/message

Welcome back to Better Than I Found It! Today Jay Goble, the head coach for the Baylor Women's Golf Team, joins Coach McGraw as they are in Michigan for the 4th Annual Folds of Honor Tournament. As Coach Goble explains, the Tournament was originally put on by Colonel Dan Rooney, a fighter pilot and PGA professional, as a charity tournament to raise money for veterans to go to college. Baylor alone has had over 200 veterans attend the university through the Folds of Honor Scholarship. Coach Goble further talks about the increased parity in collegiate golf on both the men's and women's side, the upcoming Bear Brawl Tournament at Ridgewood Country Club, the challenges of foreign players moving and living in the United States, and the upcoming ladies' golf season. Coach Goble is a staple of college golf, and I hope you enjoy listening to what he has to say. Thank you for joining the podcast Jay!Subscribe to the podcast for future episodes. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook —> @BetterThanIFoundItPodcastAssociated social media accounts:Coach McGraw - @BearCoachMcGrawBaylor Men’s Golf - @BaylorMGolfProduced and Edited by Will GreeneMusic: DriftMaster by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com---Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/betterthanifoundit/message

Welcome Back to Another Episode of Better than I Found It! Today’s episode is a little bit shorter and sweeter as we gointo detail in both the recruiting of players and fundraising for new facilities. These topics are fresh on the mind of Coach McGraw and the rest of the Baylor staff as they sent the Summer recruiting and renovating the Billy, our stateof the art practice facility, Coach McGraw dives into his stories from the past to show the importance of both recruiting hardworking players and building great facilities. He also goes over the evolution of recruiting with the transfer portal, NIL deals, and changes in recruiting rules forcing him and others toadapt over time. With the Bears currently in a rebuilding cycle, there is no more important time to have good recruiting and facilities. I hope you enjoy the listen as much as I did. Subscribe to the podcast for future episodes. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook —> @BetterThanIFoundItPodcastAssociated social media accounts:Coach McGraw - @BearCoachMcGrawBaylor Men’s Golf - @BaylorMGolfProduced and Edited by Will GreeneMusic: DriftMaster by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com---Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/betterthanifoundit/message

Joining us today on Better Than I Found It is current points leader on the Korn Ferry Tour and former Baylor All-American, Johnny Keefer. Johnny made his return to Waco the last few nights to speak with our Baylor team before the start of the upcoming season. 14 months after finishing his senior year at the NCAA national championship, where he finished 25th to secure the lost spot to join the PGA Tour University, Johnny has found extreme success on the Tour, earning his place in both the US Open and the PGA Championship. Johnny talks about his playing mentality (including his hatred of losing), his professional career, and the development of his game to become a more complete player. I hope you get as much from Johnny as the players and I did this weekend. Thank you for joining the podcast Johnny!Subscribe to the podcast for future episodes. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook —> @BetterThanIFoundItPodcastAssociated social media accounts:Coach McGraw - @BearCoachMcGrawBaylor Men’s Golf - @BaylorMGolfProduced and Edited by Will GreeneMusic: DriftMaster by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com---Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/betterthanifoundit/message

Hope springs eternal this week on Better Than I Found It, as Coach McGraw discusses the challenges that players and coaches face as the new season begins. From the lifelong friendships that new players make to the challenges of beginning a new adventure, Coach McGraw shares stories from his experiences with players both former and current. As the Bears prepare to start their new season, Coach McGraw details the upcoming schedule. I hope you enjoy this episode! Subscribe to the podcast for future episodes. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook —> @BetterThanIFoundItPodcastAssociated social media accounts:Coach McGraw - @BearCoachMcGrawBaylor Men’s Golf - @BaylorMGolfProduced and Edited by Will GreeneMusic: DriftMaster by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com---Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/betterthanifoundit/message

Welcome back to another episode of Better Than I Found It! A little different of an episode, today's guests are former Oklahoma State players of Coach McGraw: Michael Miller and Mark Johnson. Although they would not end up playing much professional golf and no longer compete today, they are prime examples of the reason coaches coach. They are good men who lives good lives. Furthermore, they are evidence of how the relationship between a coach and a player does not end upon graduation, as they enriched the life of Coach McGraw both during and after their playing career. I hope you get as much out of this as Coach McGraw and I did. Thank you for joining the podcast Mark and Michael! Subscribe to the podcast for future episodes. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook —> @BetterThanIFoundItPodcastAssociated social media accounts:Coach McGraw - @BearCoachMcGrawBaylor Men’s Golf - @BaylorMGolfProduced and Edited by Will GreeneMusic: DriftMaster by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com---Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/betterthanifoundit/message

Joining us today on Better Than I Found It is recently hired head coach for the Duke Blue Devils, Bob Heintz. Bob's first career was as a successful PGA tour player. He played in over 200 Korn Ferry events before he played for 6 years at the PGA level, and finally joined the ranks of college coaches in 2013. His first stop was at Penn, where he led the Quakers to a 2015 Ivy League Championship. He moved to Duke as an assistant coach in 2017, and became the head coach of the Devils on June 26th of this year. He has a unique perspective on the game of golf, having experience as a collegiate, Korn Ferry, and PGA player as well as a former assistant and current head coach. I hope you gain as much from this interview as I did. Thank you for joining the podcast Bob! Subscribe to the podcast for future episodes. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook —> @BetterThanIFoundItPodcastAssociated social media accounts:Coach McGraw - @BearCoachMcGrawBaylor Men’s Golf - @BaylorMGolfProduced and Edited by Will GreeneMusic: DriftMaster by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com---Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/betterthanifoundit/message

Welcome back to another episode of Better Than I Found It, where our guest today is South Carolina Men's Golf Coach, Rob Bradley. Rob began coaching after an All-American career at North Carolina and a seven-year career on the Korn Ferry Tour. Although two years older than Tiger Woods, Rob describes the times he matched up against him both on the junior and collegiate level. As successful as his playing career was, his coaching career has been perhaps even more successful. He recently completed his first year at South Carolina after an 11 year stint at Purdue, where he brought the program to new heights. I hope you enjoy listening to what he has to say. Thank you so much for joining the podcast Rob! Subscribe to the podcast for future episodes. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook —> @BetterThanIFoundItPodcastAssociated social media accounts:Coach McGraw - @BearCoachMcGrawBaylor Men’s Golf - @BaylorMGolfProduced and Edited by Will GreeneMusic: DriftMaster by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com---Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/betterthanifoundit/message

Welcome back to another episode of Better Than I Found It. Our guests today are former Oklahoma City University golfers Daniel Mitchell and Matthew Rison. This will be a different type of episode, as Daniel, Matthew, and Coach McGraw will be paying their respects to Scott Kedy, a Oklahoma City University legend and teammate of Daniel and Matthew, who sadly passed away on July 1st, 2025. All three attended Scott's funeral last week, and have decided to spend this episode sharing stories of their friend and teammate. Scott was a popular and talented member of the team, a devoted husband and father, and a good man. I hope you enjoy this episode. Thank you to Daniel and Matthew for joining the podcast and sharing their memories with Scott. Subscribe to the podcast for future episodes. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook —> @BetterThanIFoundItPodcastAssociated social media accounts:Coach McGraw - @BearCoachMcGrawBaylor Men’s Golf - @BaylorMGolfProduced and Edited by Will Greene---Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/betterthanifoundit/message

Welcome back to Better Than I Found It, where today Ryan Donovan, head coach for SDSU men's golf, joins the podcast. Coach Donovan has led the program for 22 years and seen his team win seven Mountain West Conference titles. Perhaps most impressive, Ryan has recently seen his former players win three majors over the last two years, as Xander Schauffele won both the PGA Championship and Open Championship in 2024 and JJ Spaun won the most recent US Open just a few weeks ago. The coaches talk about all that and more this episode. I hope you enjoy. Thank you for joining the podcast Ryan!Subscribe to the podcast for future episodes. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook —> @BetterThanIFoundItPodcastAssociated social media accounts:Coach McGraw - @BearCoachMcGrawBaylor Men’s Golf - @BaylorMGolfProduced and Edited by Will GreeneMusic: DriftMaster by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com---Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/betterthanifoundit/message

Today on Better Than I Found It we welcome newly hired Tulsa's Men's Golf Coach, Brandon Wilkins. Having spent five seasons as the associate coach at SMU, Coach Wilkins has the unique responsibility of building a program from scratch as Tulsa brings back Men's Golf after a nine year hiatus. He and Coach McGraw talk about the road ahead, from fundraising to building a roster. Both coaches concur that Tulsa bringing back Men's Golf is great for the sport. I hope you enjoy the listen. Thank you for joining the podcast Brandon!Subscribe to the podcast for future episodes. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook —> @BetterThanIFoundItPodcastAssociated social media accounts:Coach McGraw - @BearCoachMcGrawBaylor Men’s Golf - @BaylorMGolfProduced and Edited by Will GreeneMusic: DriftMaster by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com---Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/betterthanifoundit/message

Welcome back to another episode Better Than I Found It, where today we welcome Maddie Luitwieler-Caruana, the assistant coach for the Baylor Women’s Golf Team. Maddie came to Baylor from the University of Texas, who she both played and coached for under Ryan Murphy, our current men’s assistant coach. Coach Luitwieler-Caruana and Coach McGraw also share the connection of having lived in Edmond, Oklahoma, as she went to the same high school that McGraw coached for. Maddie brings a galvanizing energy to the women’s golf team, and is one of the great up-and-comers in college golf. I hope you enjoy the listen. Thank you for joining the podcast Maddie!Subscribe to the podcast for future episodes. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook —> @BetterThanIFoundItPodcastAssociated social media accounts:Coach McGraw - @BearCoachMcGrawBaylor Men’s Golf - @BaylorMGolfProduced and Edited by Will GreeneMusic: DriftMaster by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com---Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/betterthanifoundit/message

Welcome back to Better Than I Found It! Today, former Georgia Tech golfer Chris Petefish joins us. Chris and Coach McGraw talk about everything about his career at Georgia Tech, from being recruited by hall of fame coach Bruce Heppler to his ACC championship matches. They also go into his transition to his pro career, as he has been on the Korn Ferry tour for the last few years. A self-admitted "strokes-gained nerd", they talk about the analytical side of golf and how young players and coaches can use data to drive their scores down. I hope you enjoy listening to this episode. Thanks for joining the podcast Chris! Subscribe to the podcast for future episodes. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook —> @BetterThanIFoundItPodcastAssociated social media accounts:Coach McGraw - @BearCoachMcGrawBaylor Men’s Golf - @BaylorMGolfProduced and Edited by Will GreeneMusic: DriftMaster by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com---Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/betterthanifoundit/message

This week we welcome Roy Edwards, long time head men's golf coach for the University of Colorado, to Better Than I Found It. Coming off his 19th year as the head coach for Colorado, and one of his most successful, as his Buffs had nine top-three finishes and finished the season 23rd at the NCAA championship. Coach Edwards and McGraw especially connect on their love for Prairie Dunes Country Club in Kansas, the course Roy grew up playing. I hope you enjoy the listen. Thank you for joining the podcast Roy! Subscribe to the podcast for future episodes. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook —> @BetterThanIFoundItPodcastAssociated social media accounts:Coach McGraw - @BearCoachMcGrawBaylor Men’s Golf - @BaylorMGolfProduced and Edited by Will GreeneMusic: DriftMaster by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com---Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/betterthanifoundit/message

This week we welcome Mississippi Gulf Coast Head Coach, Brad Thornton, to the podcast. Brad, an alumnus of the school, is fresh off leading the Bulldogs to their second consecutive NJCAA Division 2 National Championship. Brad is a young coach, but his wisdom belies his youth. I think you'll enjoy listening to what he has to say. Thank you for joining the podcast Brad!Subscribe to the podcast for future episodes. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook —> @BetterThanIFoundItPodcastAssociated social media accounts:Coach McGraw - @BearCoachMcGrawBaylor Men’s Golf - @BaylorMGolfProduced and Edited by Will GreeneMusic: DriftMaster by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com---Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/betterthanifoundit/message

Fresh off winning the 2025 NCAA National Championship, we welcome Alan Bratton, head coach of the OSU Cowboys, to the podcast. Coach Bratton and Coach McGraw discuss last week's championship at La Costa, and later share a trip down memory lane to the NCAA Championships they both competed and coached in, including the one they won together in 2006. Both coaches boast a championship laden pedigree, as two of the four head coaches to ever coach OSU men's golf. OSU men's golf is the only D1 program in the country to have had every head coach in their history coach the team to a National Championship. I hope after listening to the podcast, you can see why. Thank you for joining the podcast Alan! Subscribe to the podcast for future episodes. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook —> @BetterThanIFoundItPodcastAssociated social media accounts:Coach McGraw - @BearCoachMcGrawBaylor Men’s Golf - @BaylorMGolfProduced and Edited by Will GreeneMusic: DriftMaster by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com---Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/betterthanifoundit/message

Today's guest on Better Than I Found It is Austin native and former Baylor golfer, Matthew Perrine. Matthew played for Baylor from 2015-2018, was an All-American, set several school records, and was the 2018 Byron Nelson award winner, an award given to the most outstanding scholar-athlete of the year. His story starts before his time at Baylor, however, as he played junior golf against Will Zalatoris, Scottie Scheffler, and Jordan Spieth. He is a fantastic representative of our university, and I hope you enjoy listening to his story. Thank you for joining the podcast Matthew! Subscribe to the podcast for future episodes. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook —> @BetterThanIFoundItPodcastAssociated social media accounts:Coach McGraw - @BearCoachMcGrawBaylor Men’s Golf - @BaylorMGolfProduced and Edited by Will GreeneMusic: DriftMaster by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com---Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/betterthanifoundit/message

Joining us on Better Than I Found It this week is the assistant coach for the University of North Texas, Cory Churchman. Cory and Coach McGraw actually recorded this episode in person as they prepared for a youth golf camp. Despite working alongside Luke Calcatera, a podcast guest just a few weeks ago, Cory shares how his philosophies and ideas as a coach differ from the UNT head coach and how they have achieved synthesis and success in Denton. Cory also shares about the importance of his faith in his work, his perspective on the future of NIL money in college golf, and his plans for the University of North Texas. I hope you enjoy this episode. Thank you for joining the podcast Cory! Subscribe to the podcast for future episodes. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook —> @BetterThanIFoundItPodcastAssociated social media accounts:Coach McGraw - @BearCoachMcGrawBaylor Men’s Golf - @BaylorMGolfProduced and Edited by Will GreeneMusic: DriftMaster by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com---Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/betterthanifoundit/message

Welcome back to Better than I Found It! Today's guest is former Vanderbilt All-American based out of Austin, Texas: Cole Sherwood. Currently 19th on the points list of the Korn Ferry Tour, Cole is an excellent example of a young golfer who understands the value of good coaching. His college coach, Scott Limbaugh, praised Cole for his ability to improve every year due to his insatiable growth mindset. To those who follow college golf, it is no surprise to see Cole continue to improve on the tour. He's an up-and-comer you will want to be following in the future. I hope you enjoy this episode. Thank you for joining the podcast Cole! Subscribe to the podcast for future episodes. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook —> @BetterThanIFoundItPodcastAssociated social media accounts:Coach McGraw - @BearCoachMcGrawBaylor Men’s Golf - @BaylorMGolfProduced and Edited by Will GreeneMusic: DriftMaster by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com---Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/betterthanifoundit/message

Welcome to the 250th episode of Better Than I Found It! It has been 250 straight Mondays, almost five years, since Coach McGraw and Mikkel first sat down in a recording booth over Covid to tell Coach McGraw's story, and we would like to thank each and every person who has listened to the podcast over the years. We especially would like to thank those who have been there since the podcast first began; we would not be here today without your support. On this special episode, Coach McGraw delves back into his "Stuff That Works" journal. He shares stories from the experiences and knowledge he has gained from professional golfers and coaches such as Jim Colbert, Mike Holder, and Claude Harmon III. Coach McGraw also shares his opinions on instruction, learning from your mistakes, and simply playing the game. I hope you enjoy episode 250!Subscribe to the podcast for future episodes. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook —> @BetterThanIFoundItPodcastAssociated social media accounts:Coach McGraw - @BearCoachMcGrawBaylor Men’s Golf - @BaylorMGolfProduced and Edited by Will GreeneMusic: DriftMaster by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com---Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/betterthanifoundit/message