The Very Beginning

Grilling at the Green started in 2017 with a radio version that became a podcast in short order after the dream of the show began in 2011 from Jeff Tracy, a longtime radio and broadcast guru.

Jeff Tracy and Steve DiPaola created the idea in 2011 and allowed it to simmer before it came to life.

“We actually made a trailer for the TV show in 2011 but could not get anyone interested,” Tracy said. “I guess I never gave up on the project. Had a couple of folks tell us the show would never make it on the air. Maybe good things do come to people who wait.”

Grilling at the Green features golf experts, media legends like Ian Baker Finch, and local proprietors or those involved in the game from around the country.

“Its about the guest, not me, I know the context and the value of the interview but its not about me,” Tracy said. “It’s about the guest; I always try to have some humility and its easier to live with yourself if your humble.”

Tracy spent the first 8 years after college as a professional horse trainer, along with 37 years as horse show judge, while traveling around North America and the world.

The Road of a BBQ Legend

“Started cooking when I was young and always had a real interest in the culinary arts,” Tracy said. “After a short stint around a couple of movie sets, I decided to make a pilot for a cowboy cooking show for TV. Just thought I would do it, and no one said I couldn’t, so I made a pilot, with a lot of help. At the time I was also hosting and producing a couple of radio shows that went into syndication.”

Tracy would end up joining the AM Northwest show as a BBQ and cooking genius. He is known as the Cowboy Cook.

“Later on, KATU in Portland asked if I would come on the AM Northwest show. I think this is my 24th year. I also have appeared on several shows around the country,” Tracy said. “I did a reality show, there is nothing real about reality shows, I can tell you that for a fact.”

Grilling at the Green partners with Golf News Net

The first season of Grilling at the Green TV show was shot in the fall of 2023 and through 2024, the show now airs on Golf News Net TV. Ryan Ballengee created Golf News Net TV in September 2024, after creating the website Golf News Net in 2017. The GNN radio launched in October of 2022.

Ballengee who worked for NBC, the Golf Channel, and Yahoo Sports writing their blogs, has built a platform that both entertains and educates golf fans with short form shows like The Road to French Lick, covering the Korn Ferry Tour in depth.

“I had met Ryan several years ago, a year after I started the radio show. I didn’t know what Golf News Net was, but Ryan has had a great media career, with Yahoo Sports, helping build it,” Tracy said. “I did some shows with him. He started doing radio shows and then we started doing TV. Ryan is very grassroots how he builds things; he just does it. Not with investors, he navigates the waters and gets it done.

“The first season had a really good response from the audience. It’s a streaming deal, and Ryan has expanded to other platforms. It is growing and he has started his show the Road to French Lick, on the Korn Ferry Tour which has had success.”

GNN TV has relationships with Roku, Pluto, Zeam, FreeCast, and Free Live Sports. Their short form video content has grown to 8 million views per month.

“I think my favorite part of the TV show is talking to the notable golfers we have here in Oregon, there is a good number of them. The food aspect is fun too.” Tracy added.

The Oregon Connection

Who is your favorite Oregon golf person?

“I haven’t cast my vote yet, I’ve met a number of them, talked to a number of them. David Jacobsen, with his family and the initiative,” Tracy said. “Tom Maletis who owns Langdon Farms, Tom helped keep the Portland Classic around. Brian Henneger was a tour player for many years and has great stories of being on tour. There are many tour players who played and are around. It’s pretty hard to pick a favorite.”

Tracy has talked to hundreds of golfers over the years from Oregon or who are involved in Oregon golf in some shape or form.

“We have examples of people, who have been on the respective tours, developed products, bought golf courses because they loved it, they put their own money into it,” Tracy said. “We have a lot of golf history here, if you look back at the 1950’s and 60’s. When they had PGA Tour events, that came through the Portland Golf Club, called the Western Open, history is fascinating here.

“There are people who were really involved, and don’t hear a lot about them. There are some great stories out there of people, golf courses, towns and events attached to the golf world. That is what we look at when bring people on. Julie Bosco lives in Eagle Crest, I’ve had her on the show, she is a true student of Ben Hogan. She was a teacher, PGA certified instructor, and she pays tribute to Hogan. Bosco trained under him, you don’t find to many people like that, who worked with him on a consistent basis. She is very highly respected. What a great story, when you go into her office, she has a treasure trove of memorabilia of Ben Hogan.”

As far as his favorite place to play its right here at home in Oregon.

“I’ve been fortunate to play around the country and on a couple of different continents,” Tracy said. “I still like playing here the best. We have a wide array of landscapes and layouts. Each corner of the state offers something uniquely different.”