SmartLess

INTRODUCING: We Need A Fourth with Brian Baumgartner, Cooper Manning and Kenny Mayne

9 min
Sep 16, 20257 months ago
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Summary

SmartLess host Jason Bateman interviews the co-hosts of the new golf podcast 'We Need A Fourth'—Kenny Mayne, Brian Baumgartner, and Cooper Manning—discussing their varying relationships with golf, the social and meditative aspects of the sport, and what the podcast aims to explore beyond just golf.

Insights
  • Golf serves as a unique social and meditative tool that creates unfiltered conversations and reveals character in ways other activities cannot
  • The podcast format prioritizes genuine human connection and storytelling over competitive outcomes or technical golf discussion
  • Four hours of shared activity creates natural vulnerability and authentic relationship-building that's rare in modern life
  • Golf's appeal extends beyond the sport itself—it's about unplugging from technology and distractions in a structured social setting
Trends
Celebrity-driven golf podcasts gaining mainstream appeal and cultural relevanceGolf content expanding beyond sports enthusiasts to general audiences interested in personality-driven narrativesPodcast format used as vehicle for deep-dive personality interviews and character explorationGolf as wellness and mental health tool gaining recognition in mainstream mediaUnscripted, tangential podcast formats outperforming highly structured content
Topics
Golf as meditation and mental health practiceSocial dynamics and character assessment through golfPodcast format and guest interview strategyCompetitive vs. recreational sports mentalityUnplugging from technology and digital distractionsGolf culture and etiquettePersonality-driven podcast contentFour-hour social bonding experiencesGolf trip planning and guest selectionStorytelling through sports anecdotes
People
Jason Bateman
Host of SmartLess podcast interviewing the co-hosts of We Need A Fourth
Kenny Mayne
Co-host of We Need A Fourth podcast, described as the most passionate golfer of the three
Brian Baumgartner
Co-host of We Need A Fourth podcast, plays golf competitively from the back tees
Cooper Manning
Co-host of We Need A Fourth podcast, prioritizes fun and social aspects over competition
Chris Pratt
Actor and golfer who played with Jason Bateman and Mark in New Jersey years ago
Mark
Producer of SmartLess, described as a very good golfer who plays regularly with hosts
Quotes
"I do not like playing golf as much as I love playing golf. I do not like playing golf with people I do not like and I won't."
Cooper Manning
"I don't do yoga, but I use golf as meditation a hundred percent. Like you get four hours and you're thinking about nothing."
Jason Bateman
"We're looking for a fourth to play golf with, but really we're just looking for a fourth to hang out with."
Kenny Mayne or Brian Baumgartner
"You spend four hours playing something. You're going to find out a lot. Like, is this a good fellow? Do I want to hang around him again?"
Jason Bateman
"There's rarely a scenario where you're going to spend four hours with three other guys doing something everybody's enjoying and you can't hide from getting a read on someone."
Jason Bateman
Full Transcript
Well, guys, I am I am so honored. I am joined today by the absolute royalty of golf podcasting. Honestly, royalty of personalities, too, if I'm being fully honest. The co-hosts of We Need A Fourth, Kenny May, Brian Baumgartner and my boy, Cooper Manning. Boys welcome. I'm so excited for you guys. I'm so excited for the podcast. Thank you so much. This is great. We've been having a blast. This is the threesome that we didn't know we needed in America. And then when I tell people that we're doing that you guys are doing this podcast, everybody's very excited. You all love golf to varying degrees. Explain a little bit about your relationship to golf. Well, first off, well, I would say that Kenny loves golf the most for sure. Like I don't think I think Kenny loves golf more than Cooper and I love golf combined. He just needs to learn how to play it. So yeah, I mean, that doesn't love me back. Now I'm a disabled senior and I play back way back with those guys from the tip. So keep that in mind. I'm just that's unfair. I'm trying to learn. I'm trying to learn. I got a lot more to learn, but I do love the game. You know, I was going to ask you about your hockey team up there in Canada and whether you get distraught. I get incredibly competitive when it's over. I'm done. Like it's not it's not like I don't carry with you. I don't carry the joy or the pain for longer than like 25 seconds. Right. And Coop, Coop, you don't get, you're not very competitive in that way. Like golf for you is a lot of fun. You like to have fun. I mean, you like to bet or whatever, but I've gotten to the point where I do not like playing golf as much as I love playing golf. I do not like playing golf with people I do not like and I won't. You can someone can invite me on the greatest trip. We're going here and I'm like, who's going? And if it's a bunch of bozos, Coopie is out. I'd rather go play an absolute muni with two guys wearing football jerseys and smoking weed and get a story out of it than some stiff at, you know, some fancy, fancy spot. Well, that makes sense. And this podcast obviously is, you know, we need a fourth. So it's golf centric, but you guys kind of delve into it. It's safe to say that you guys go on tangents that aren't necessarily golf related. I know there's an error coming in. And we also get very deep as you, you know, interviewed with us. I mean, we talked, Hi-Li, we talked Canadian football. We talked about your love of hockey and your love. We try to, we want the whole person. We're peeling back. There's nothing left of the fucking onion by the time it's minced and, and we break the person down. I guess I like the social aspect of it. I love that for that time you're out there, there's nothing to do. You're not on your phone. You don't have a million things coming at you. You're just there and you get to kind of shoot the shit and, and have a good time. And that's, that's what I like. And that's kind of the vibe that you guys have here. That's what we're trying to do. I mean, we're trying, we're looking for a fourth to play golf with, but really we're just looking for a fourth to hang out with. And like you, well, for me golf, I, I, I don't do yoga. I know that's surprising to a lot of people. This is, by the way, this is breaking news. But it was going to be the name of this show. I don't do yoga. He's more of a tight sheet guy. I don't do yoga, but I use golf as meditation a hundred percent. Like you get four hours and you're thinking about nothing, you know, not worked out family, not whatever distracts you on your phone, but you're just focusing on putting this little stupid ball into this little stupid hole and that, uh, it totally resets me. But don't you think as a, as a man in the world you live in today, there's rarely a scenario where you're going to spend four hours with three other guys doing something everybody's enjoying and, and not, you can't, you can't hide from getting a read on someone. You spend four hours playing something. You're going to find out a lot. Like, is this, is this a good fellow? Do I want to hang around him again? What's he, you can, you find out because you can ask him anything and it's always fun. I usually learn a lot. Sometimes people don't ask me anything in return. I go, well, I got that guy figured out, but he doesn't know shit about me. That's fine too. I like that. Well, it's also sort of like, I forget which comic does it. It's, it's, we have the joke here where I'll come home and my wife will ask, so how's someone so doing, you know, is he dating anyone? Like, I don't know. He, he had a 82. He had a good day. Like, you know, yeah, I did. Kenny, that is so funny. You say, uh, my, my buddy, I don't play golf with anybody more than I do with, with, uh, our pal, Jason Bateman, JB and JB, Jackie Bates and, uh, his, uh, his wife, she'll, she'll double back on me. We'll play and then we'll have dinner that night. And she goes, what, Jason didn't tell me any of the stuff that you're telling me. I asked him and he didn't, she goes, what do you guys talk about? I go, I don't know. We're just, you know, we're just shooting the breeze. Yeah. A next shot, giving ribbing each other, uh, having a laugh about something, but we don't, you know, you don't get too deep. It's not like, um, you know, we don't tee off, go and start walking, go, Hey man, you know, I just, I'm really depressed. It doesn't make for a great day. Things are not good at home. I'm sure he's eight or seven. Exactly. Mark, our producer should be noted as a, as a, uh, as a stick. He's a very good golfer. I played with him many times over the years and, um, he reminded me of a story one time we were playing years ago in New Jersey, which Kub, I know you like. I could almost stop there. A year ago in New Jersey, in New Jersey. Right. I could almost just stop there, right? This is like 10, 15 years ago in New Jersey. Uh, Mark and me and Chris Pratt, TV and films, Chris Pratt, who we adore, hilarious guy, great guy, funniest dude in the room. And Pratt about the second or third hole, I forget what it was, um, his a shot and he's like, through my back out. And he says, I'm, he says, I'm going to go in. We're like, do you want to see, no, no, no, you guys keep going. I'm just going to go in and let me just go and deal with it. And I'll see you guys later. So Mark and I continue to play. We play a full 18. We're coming in. It's, it's kind of like twilight. We're coming into 18 and just behind the 18th green, we see this, this thing, this being lying on the ground with his knees up and it's Pratt and he's been waiting there for hours for us to come in, lying on the grass just beyond 18. By the way, we drove him back to the, cause we were his ride to the city. We drove back here to New York city and he gets out of the car bent over and he walked there and he was like, see a man that was a great date, fully bent over. I love when people get hurt. I don't know why. And a grown man like it's helping kill a goose once. So I got off a tee at, at, uh, Diker out in, uh, out of Brooklyn, uh, off the tee. This guy was a terrible golfer and he hit a goose and it killed it. Oh, I had two clients one time I was playing with and one guy was up ahead in the bunker, kind of trying to figure out something and someone's just absolutely hit this shin high to iron right in the lower back. The guy went, Oh, I know it goes down and those two started getting in a fight and I just said, you know, I just laughed my face off. By the way, you just said, I love when someone gets hurt. That's like doing something, doing something, you know, they're supposed to be doing, you know, like, well, that's why you guys both ridicule me for the leg brace. I got a ruin. The will doesn't know this. I got a rectangle from football way back when. So where this leg device that lets me do stuff with no pain, these guys and JB, the Jason are those. They killed me for us. Like, okay, let's go make fun of wheelchair people next guy. I know, but you carry it. You carry it around like you're carrying an urn of your dead uncle. Like walking around like that ankle. So guys, listen, we're really excited about we need a for it. This is going to be, this is going to be a lot of fun. When is it drop September 15th, September 15th is a drop date. Thank you, bomber. This is our only promotion every Mondays, every Monday. Drop two on the 15th. So there'll be two there. If you're listening to this on the 16th, do something. Do something. I mean, let's reword that. I don't think it's going to give us the best. Do something. 15 fantastic. We need a fourth. Brian Baumgartner, Kenny main, Cooper Manning guys couldn't be more excited. Psych for you guys and can't wait to listen. Thanks so much, man. Thank you, boy. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.