The Golfer's Journal Podcast

Episode 175: Augusta in Arkansas Oct 21, 2024

You’ve likely never heard of Warren Stephens—or his magnificent and critically acclaimed Arkansas golf retreat—and that’s by design. Recently, host Tom Coyne accepted a rare invite from Stephens to The Alotian Club, perhaps the quietest club ever to crack America’s top 100. The golf is eye-popping, with 18 rollercoaster holes slashed through the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, but the family behind it is where the real stories lie. You’ll meet Stephens, club founder and chairman of one of the nation’s largest privately held investment banks. You’ll hear tales from his father Jackson, a former chairman of Augusta National who presided over perhaps the most successful IPO in American history. And you’ll learn how the family is giving back to the game with the Stephens Cup, a collegiate tournament hitting a few small, out-of-the-way locations like Shoreacres, PGA Frisco and, yes, the Alotian Club.

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Episode 174: The Rainmaker Oct 09, 2024

In 1989, IMG agent Hughes Norton showed up at Earl Woods’ front door. Tiger was 12—but Norton could see the future. He would go on to become Tiger’s first agent, inking the future legend to record-setting deals with Nike and Titleist before he hit one ball as a pro. But, as you’ll hear in Norton’s new sit-down with host Tom Coyne, all that fame and fortune came at a heavy price. In this interview, Norton pulls back the curtain to reveal the soaring highs and stomach-churning lows from his 35+ years as one of golf’s premier agents. Fleshing out tales from his new memoir, Rainmaker, Norton offers blow-by-blow accounts of previously unseen Tiger moments, sheds new light on Greg Norman’s decades-long grudges, offers an inside look at the birth of IMG and reflects on how history may just judge Arnold Palmer as the game’s true moral compass.

The Golfer's Journal is made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT⁠⁠

TGJ Podcast is presented by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Titleist ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Episode 173: Counting Cards with Tommy Hyland Sep 25, 2024

During college in 1979, Tommy Hyland ran across a basic blackjack strategy book. Nearly a half century later, he is the kingpin of the world’s longest-lasting and most successful professional blackjack team, and one of the seven original members of the Blackjack Hall of Fame. Hyland’s gaming isn’t limited to the table, however—he is a longtime competitive amateur golfer within the Philadelphia section, and has qualified for five USGA championships. Hyland brings host Tom Coyne on a wild ride through his 50-plus years in gambling, including the highs (cleaning Vegas out during a 1982 prizefight) and lows (losing six figures in one night—without visiting a casino). Plus, Hyland elucidates the parallels between professional gambling and amateur golf, details his unlikely Lucas Glover US Open windfall, and duels Coyne in a live hand of blackjack, which was only going to end one way.

The Golfer's Journal is made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT⁠⁠

TGJ Podcast is presented by⁠⁠⁠⁠ @titleist ⁠⁠⁠⁠

Episode 172: Jon Sherman's Guide to Competitive Golf Sep 12, 2024

Jon Sherman has developed a career, and a +2 handicap index, out of teaching boring golf. As the strategic mind behind Practical Golf, Sherman has parlayed his common-sense lessons into a series of bestselling books and PGA Tour coaching gigs. We recently sat down with him for a BTS member-exclusive video series designed to elevate our members’ on-course decision making. But as Bobby Jones noted, golf and tournament golf are two very different things. In this new interview, host Casey Bannon chats with Sherman about his new book, The Foundations of Winning Golf, which focuses on the fundamentals of succeeding under pressure. The two spent time discussing strategies for leaning into tournament nerves, the value of putting your game on display and the alternative ways that Mackenzie Hughes defines success, among other insights. Tune in and start racking up Ws.

Watch Jon Sherman's six-part master class: https://glfrsj.nl/PBG

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TGJ Podcast is presented by⁠⁠⁠ @titleist ⁠⁠⁠

Episode 171: The Royal County Down Difference Sep 10, 2024

Northern Ireland was a different place when Scotsman Kevan Whitson took the Royal County Down head professional job in 1992. The country was still enmeshed in the Troubles, golf travel hadn’t yet boomed, and the club saw 1,500 visitor rounds a year. But Old Tom’s layout at this low-key members’ club strung along the Irish Sea has always been world-class, and RCD now rightfully claims its place as perhaps the greatest links in the world, as well as a fixture on every golfer’s bucket list. Host Tom Coyne sat down with Whitson to walk through the changes he’s overseen in his 30 years at the club, the balancing act between providing an elite visitor experience and serving the club’s membership, and his memories of hosting everyone from Jack and Arnie to Rory and Rickie. Plus, Whitson offers a few points of advice for anyone gearing up to take on the 2024 Irish Open host venue, and lays out how Royal County Down may just be golf’s answer to Emily Post, with every hole teaching players to mind their manners.

The Golfer's Journal is made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT⁠⁠

TGJ Podcast is presented by⁠⁠ @titleist ⁠⁠

Episode 170: On Tour with Micah Pueschel Sep 04, 2024

If you know, you know: It’s Poosh! If that’s gibberish to you, pop in those earbuds and meet Micah Pueschel, frontman of reggae band Iration, published contributor in TGJ No. 29 and humble golf nerd well aware of the “insane” run he’s on. Before helping to lead Iration from a college bar band to a world-touring festival headliner, Pueschel grew up at a now-defunct nine-hole muni near his home on the Big Island of Hawaii. As he tells host Tom Coyne from the Iration tour bus outside Columbus, golf took a back seat for many years, but safe to say that the bug is back in a big way. Pueschel expands on his abiding love for Soule Park and its unpretentious SoCal character, runs down his eye-popping list of courses played this year, and opens up about his experiences with “the most nerve-wracking thing in the world.” Hint: it’s not playing shows.

The Golfer's Journal is made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT⁠⁠

TGJ Podcast is presented by⁠ @titleist ⁠

Episode 169: A First Look at TGL Aug 21, 2024

Last week, TGJ became one of the first media outlets to visit ⁠TGL's performance lab⁠ (which is different from the SoFi Center where competition will be held) in West Palm Beach, FL and preview the first of roughly 30 new digital golf holes designed specifically for league competition starting in January 2025. Managing Editor Travis Hill sat down with golf course architect Beau Welling, one of three designers behind the development of what Tiger and Rory are hoping will become an entirely new style of golf. So how were the courses designed? ⁠How does one play a hole?⁠ Will they play out of real fairway grass? How does this spinning green work? And will Tiger and Rory's ambitious new venture actually catch on? All these questions and more are answered on TGJ Podcast 169.

The Golfer's Journal is made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT⁠⁠

TGJ Podcast is presented by @titleist

Episode 168: The Return of Castle Pines Aug 15, 2024

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TGJ Podcast is presented by Titleist

George Solich, the youngest of five brothers from a lower-middle class family in Colorado Springs, grew up a caddie. A few decades later he has become a business titan, having developed and sold three successful companies in the energy sector. And to hear him tell it, everything leads back to golf. Today, Solich is the President and Chairman of Castle Pines Golf Club outside Denver, and on the eve of the PGA Tour’s return to this epic Jack Nicklaus design for the BMW Championship, host Tom Coyne sits down with Solich to learn how and why he brought pro golf back to Castle Pines after a lengthy absence. They also discuss the pivotal role that golf and caddying has played in Solich’s life—from his first loops at 13, to becoming an Evans Scholar, to giving back through his Solich Caddie and Leadership Program and the Western Golf Association. Solich’s story is a case study in the life-shaping power of the game, and one any golf fan will appreciate

Episode 167: Garrett from Dude Perfect Aug 08, 2024

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TGJ Podcast is presented by Titleist

Garrett Hilbert is one of the six founding members of Dude Perfect—a group of college friends that have parlayed dorm-room trick shots into a content empire that includes 60 million YouTube subscribers.

In this conversation with host Tom Coyne, Hilbert delves into the origins of Dude Perfect, how they’ve managed to build a massive audience around a demographic of 5-15 year olds, and how they've used it to introduce the next generation to golf. They also discuss how new content ideas come about, like Rory McIlroy’s world-record for most 300 yard drives and the longest putt ever made with a hot dog.

And then there’s Augusta National video heard around the golf world in which Dude Perfect and Bryson DeChambeau kicked soccer balls and threw footballs down Amen Corner. Hilbert peels back the curtain to reveal how that video got approved, the criticism they received from the golf world and why they felt it was important for kids to see it.

There’s no sport that Dude Perfect hasn’t touched, but it’s clear from this episode that golf plays a special role in Hilbert’s life. Here are the receipts to prove it.

Episode 166: Bill Coore Goes to Antarctica Jul 16, 2024

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TGJ Podcast is presented by Titleist

As half of the team behind legendary far-flung layouts like Cabot St. Lucia, Te Arai in New Zealand and Tasmania’s Barnbougle Lost Farm, Bill Coore has spent his career crisscrossing the globe. He’s built epic golf at every stop—but not even Coore can conceive of 18 holes at the South Pole. Earlier this year, host Tom Coyne sat down with Coore at Bandon’s 25th anniversary celebration to discuss not just his builds in Bandon, but his recent travels to Antarctica and Patagonia. Whales and sea lions make an appearance, as does a plane with a steel-plated underbelly (and a custom penguin paint job) capable of negotiating gravel runways. Seeing this alien continent through the eyes of a seasoned traveler is illuminating—and frightening, as Coore details in his harrowing experience of nearly being blown clean off a mountain in the Patagonian wilderness. If you’re wondering what golf architects do in their spare time, tune in.

Episode 165: Dhani Jones’ Keys to a Full Life Jul 03, 2024

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TGJ Podcast is presented by Titleist

An 11-year career in the NFL might be one of the least interesting things Dhani Jones has ever done. From a near-death experience while fishing in India to hunting dwarf alligators in the night in Gabon to trying different sports around the world on his TV series Dhani Tackles The Globe, Jones has seen and done it all. The former hard-hitting linebacker joins his regular playing partner Tom Coyne on the TGJ Podcast to discuss the importance of saying “yes,” staying curious, and why he considers golf “the ultimate explanation of life.”

Episode 164: Edoardo Molinari 2.0 Jun 12, 2024

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TGJ Podcast is presented by Titleist

Remember Edoardo Molinari? 2005 US Am winner, Ryder Cupper, and brother of Francesco? Well, he qualified into this week’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst and recently added a few new titles to his resume: Chief Data Strategist for Arccos and 2025 Ryder Cup Vice Captain for Team Europe. Having reinvented himself as a golf data wizard, Molinari joins host Tom Coyne to unpack his proprietary modeling service that Viktor Hovland, Matthew Fitzpatrick and the rest of the European Ryder Cup squad used to thrash the US team last September, plus his thoughts on Pinehurst, his "politically incorrect" opinions on golf in Italy and his shockingly fast round at Bethpage recently.

While “Dodo” offers player-specific insights to his stable of golfers (which now stretches to some three dozen across the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and beyond), this conversation is chock-full of nuggets for the everyday golfer. If you subscribe to axioms like “keep it below the hole” and “find the right side of the fairway,” get ready to challenge your thinking.

Episode 163: The Bard in Ireland Jun 07, 2024

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The New York Times calls Billy Collins America’s most popular living poet. The Golfer’s Journal calls him a fine golfer as well, and a lover of all things Irish. When it comes to his poetry, Collins says, “I have one reader in mind, someone who is in the room with me, and who I’m talking to, and I want to make sure I don’t talk too fast, or too glibly.” In this conversation with Tom Coyne following a week-long stay at Donegal’s Rosapenna, Collins doesn’t talk too fast or glibly as he describes the magic of Ireland’s northwest, and for the first time shares a freshly-penned tribute to links golf.

TGJ Podcast is presented by Titleist

Episode 162: The Original Caveman May 26, 2024

Watch the latest TGJ Film here.

Save 20% on Club Glove by becoming a member.

Though at first glance it may read as a third-line act at Lollapalooza, golf architecture diehards know the Cavemen as the unsung heroes who have helped Jim Wagner, along with his partner Gil Hanse, rise to their position as one of the finest design-build firms in the game. Wagner joins fellow Philly native Tom Coyne to offer an inside look at his firm’s process, and the collection of globe-trotting, earth-moving shapers responsible for masterpieces from Ohoopee to Ladera and beyond. Also on the docket: Delco talk, the long-awaited Cobbs Creek renovation, and a future project Wagner calls “Cruden Bay in Texas.”

Episode 161: The Best Major No One Remembers May 12, 2024

Read the written version of this episode here⁠.

50 years ago, Trevino, Nicklaus, and Richard Nixon (???) got tangled up at Tanglewood Park Golf Course in North Carolina during a PGA Championship that has since been lost to history. In this episode, eminent golf writer Jim Moriarty refreshes our memory of an all-time major that everyone, including its protagonists, can’t seem to remember.

The Golfer's Journal is made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: ⁠⁠⁠https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT⁠⁠

TGJ Podcast is presented by Titleist

Episode 160: The Man Behind Cabot's Empire Apr 21, 2024

The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: ⁠⁠https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT⁠⁠

Watch a new TGJ Film about Cabot Citrus Farms here. The Golfer’s Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist.

At 12 years old, Ben Cowan-Dewar built a golf hole on his family’s farm east of Toronto. By the time he graduated college, he owned a golf tour operator running trips in 20 countries. At 24, he set out to build the best course in Canada. 12 later, he had the top two. Now, with Cabot St. Lucia online and Cabot Citrus Farms welcoming guests to a new breed of Florida destination golf, Cowan-Dewar sits down to discuss his journey, and the hallmarks of the Cabot brand he’s helped to build. Entrepreneurs, dreamers and golf junkies alike will find common ground in Cowan-Dewar’s tales, which include his foolproof advice on decision making, why he said no to Mike Keiser when every instinct told him to say yes, and the inside story behind the trademark ding at the bottom of every Cabot cup.

Part 5 | The Making of The Masters | Monuments Apr 07, 2024

This is part five of a five-part TGJ Podcast series which chronicles the origin, evolution and inner-workings of The Masters. The series is voiced by David Owen and based on his best-selling book, The Making of the Masters.

Part 5: As its founders begin to decline, the mythology around The Masters only grows stronger

The Masters is paused and Augusta National is forced to become self-sufficient in the wake of World War II. In the 1970s, the club must endure the passing of Bobby Jones and the shocking suicide of Clifford Roberts. But the club and tournament move on, going to untold lengths to preserve their legacies that still reverberate today.

A transcript of this episode can be found here.

The Golfer's Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist

The Golfer's Journal is made possible thanks to our members. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

Part 4 | The Making of The Masters | Turn the Cameras On Apr 06, 2024

This is part four of a five-part TGJ Podcast series which chronicles the origin, evolution and inner-workings of The Masters. The series is voiced by David Owen and based on his best-selling book, The Making of the Masters.

Part 4: The evolution of the Masters broadcast

In the mid-1950s, the Masters innovates by partnering with CBS to broadcast the tournament on national television. As is the case with everything at Augusta, chairman Clifford Roberts has his fingerprints all over it as he works with legendary producer Frank Chirkinian to elevate the commentary, pacing, visuals and commercial load. The modern golf telecast is born.

A transcript of this episode can be found here.

The Golfer's Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist

The Golfer's Journal is made possible thanks to our members. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

Part 3 | The Making of The Masters | The First Masters Apr 05, 2024

This is part three of a five-part TGJ Podcast series which chronicles the origin, evolution and inner-workings of The Masters. The series is voiced by David Owen and based on his best-selling book, The Making of the Masters.

Part 3: The Augusta National Invitational Tournament is formed

By 1934, Augusta National is struggling to attract new members and raise the necessary funds to execute the club’s vision. With this in mind, the first annual Augusta National Invitational Tournament is held, and Clifford Roberts must convince Bobby Jones to play in it. In an effort to boost ticket revenue, the traditional three-day event is stretched to four, and Roberts has some strong opinions on how to improve the fan experience.

A transcript of this episode can be found here.

The Golfer's Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist

The Golfer's Journal is made possible thanks to our members. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

Part 2 | The Making of the Masters | The World’s Finest Course Apr 04, 2024

This is part two of a five-part TGJ Podcast series which chronicles the origin, evolution and inner-workings of The Masters. The series is voiced by David Owen and based on his best-selling book, The Making of the Masters.

Part 2: A deep dive into the design and strategy of Augusta National’s routing

Thanks to his renowned designs at Cypress Point and Pasatiempo, Dr. Alister MacKenzie is hired to build Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts a golf course in Augusta, Georgia. The spectacular success of the project means that every hump, bump and contour is scrutinized. But as the course changes to adapt with modern championship golf, not every tweak is immediately embraced.

A transcript of this episode can be found here: https://glfrsj.nl/MOTM2

The Golfer's Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist

The Golfer's Journal is made possible thanks to our members. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

Part 1 | The Making of The Masters | Benevolent Dictator Apr 03, 2024

This is part one of a five-part TGJ Podcast series which chronicles the origin, evolution and inner-workings of The Masters. The series is voiced by David Owen and based on his best-selling book, The Making of the Masters.

Part 1: Clifford Roberts’ rise to power at Augusta National

Until he met Bobby Jones, Clifford Roberts was a former traveling suit salesman and modest investor who was still grappling with the tragic loss of his mother. Part 1 tells the remarkable story of his unlikely rise to become the first chairman at Augusta National and one of the most feared and influential executives in sports history.

A transcript of this episode can be found here: https://glfrsj.nl/MOTM1

The Golfer's Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist

The Golfer's Journal is made possible thanks to our members. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

Intro | The Making of The Masters Apr 03, 2024

In the mid-1990s, Augusta National approached author David Owen about a book project to preserve the legacy of its founder Clifford Roberts. Owen agreed, under one condition: During his reporting he could play the course as much as he liked. The club allowed it, and Owen’s book, The Making of the Masters, has since become one of the definitive histories of the tournament. It chronicles the beginnings, inner-workings and evolutions of Augusta National and The Masters, bringing to light a number of previously unreported facts and stories. In this new five-part TGJ Podcast series, Owen shares several chapters from his seminal book along with stories of his time on the course, painting a rich portrait of the tournament that changed golf forever.

The Golfer's Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist

The Golfer's Journal is made possible thanks to our members. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

Episode 159: Ben & Charlie Go To Branson Mar 14, 2024

The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: ⁠https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT⁠ The Golfer’s Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist.

The unlikeliest adventure in TGJ No. 27 saw Nashville-based singer-songwriter Ben Rector and The Atlantic writer Charlie Warzel travel to Branson, Missouri, for three days of golf, rodeo theater, and tire-sized pancakes. Now they’re back to break it all down. Join Ben and Charlie as they relive their exploration of “Ned Flanders’ Vegas,” shining equal light on the brilliance of Coore+Crenshaw’s Ozarks National and a breakfast variety show that Rector says was “better than it had any right to be.” Fun is still king on the Ozark Plateau, and as you’ll hear, it’s the earnest pursuit of this uncomplicated goal that unlocks Branson’s magic.

Charlie Warzel: https://twitter.com/cwarzel

Ben Rector: https://www.benrectormusic.com/

Episode 158: Full-er Swing Mar 02, 2024

The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT The Golfer’s Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist

What was it like to be there when Keegan Bradley got the Ryder Cup news? What were players saying behind closed doors after the June 6th announcement? What was really going on in the Ryder Cup team rooms? Executive producer Chad Mumm returns to The Golfer’s Journal podcast to preview the drama and storylines from the upcoming season of the Netflix hit series, “Full Swing.”

In this episode, Mumm joins host Tom Coyne to discuss the unexpected success of Full Swing season 1 and the reaction from players, fans, and critics. Season 2 was quickly greenlit and Mumm and his team were back on the fairways, but this time on a far bigger scale. With the Ryder Cup looming and Captain’s picks to be made, Full Swing goes international this season with a new narrative approach. Want more insights and longer storylines that carry from one episode to the next? It sounds like season 2 is set to deliver. Want to see more of Brooks Koepka? You won’t, and Mumm explains why.

In this conversation about life inside the ropes, Mumm tells us not just what to watch for, but describes what it’s like for a golf junkie to live alongside the world’s best players, capturing their every move and emotion as one of the wildest years in pro golf history unfolds.

Episode 157: Who Is Stephen Malbon? Feb 29, 2024

The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT The Golfer’s Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist You might have noticed that Jason Day looks a little different these days. That's thanks in large part to Stephen Malbon's booming lifestyle and apparel company. Based in Southern California, Malbon Golf has unflinchingly merged the cultures of skate, surf, snowboard and hip hop into golf style. He recently sat down in L.A. with TGJ's Casey Bannon to discuss how re-connecting with the game changed his life, misconceptions about him in the golf industry, what he thinks of Tiger's new look and the crucial difference between baggy pants and straight-leg chinos.

Casey Bannon: https://www.instagram.com/caseyfbannon/ Malbon Golf: https://malbongolf.com/

Episode 156: Golf’s Earnings Report Feb 15, 2024

Is golf in a bubble or a sustained boom? Are lighted par-3 courses a fad or the future of new course builds? Who is playing simulator and indoor golf? And what impact can golf resorts have on the communities and economies around them? Jared Doerfler covers the business of golf in his weekly Perfect Putt Substack newsletter and joins Tom Coyne to unpack some of the more surprising emerging trends in the game today.

Explore TGJ No. 27: https://glfrsj.nl/27

The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT⁠⁠

The Golfer’s Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist.

Episode 155: The Science of Speed Feb 02, 2024

After tracking 17 million swings from users of The Stack System, Canadian biomechanist Sasho MacKenzie has unlocked the secret to reliable speed, and he’s helping everyone from rank amateurs to 2022 US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick get faster. MacKenzie joins host Tom Coyne in front of a live audience on the Broken Tee Society Discord server to discuss all things speed—from ground forces and angular momentum to the “bad science” of the ball rollback.

The Golfer's Journal is made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: ⁠⁠https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT⁠⁠

The Golfer's Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist

Episode 154: Drew Holcomb’s Wonderful World of Golf Jan 21, 2024

Watch ⁠Local Rules: Nashville featuring Drew Holcomb here.⁠

Drew Holcomb is a critically acclaimed singer, songwriter and frontman for his band, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors. More importantly, he is completely and hopelessly in love with playing golf. In-between his never-ending worldwide touring schedule, Holcomb found some time to speak with host Tom Coyne about how he created a golf life that any true sicko would be jealous of, and his appearance in TGJ’s newest film, Local Rules: Nashville.

The Golfer's Journal podcast is presented by Titleist

2024 Broken Tee Society Events Calendar Reveal Jan 10, 2024

There are many perks that come with being a Broken Tee Society member, perhaps the least of which are invites to a world-class roster of events and gatherings at some of the world’s most interesting golf courses. This year’s calendar of events is the biggest yet, featuring 32 dates and 49 courses across 17 states and five different countries. On January 9, TGJ’s Casey Bannon and Tom Coyne announced the entire schedule in front of a live audience of 550-plus BTS members in our private Discord server. We are publishing the recording of that live show here so you can join us on tour in 2024.

View the full events calendar here: https://glfrsj.nl/events

If you are not yet a member any would like play in these events, become a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

Episode 153: Smylie Kaufman's Second Act Jan 04, 2024

Smylie Kaufman was once one of golf’s most exciting and popular young players—winning shortly after turning pro in 2015 and playing in the final group of the 2016 Masters. Then, golf happened. A few years of injuries, swing changes and “heartache” later, Kaufman decided to switch career paths, and has since become a standout voice on golf broadcasts and the podcasting landscape. Kaufman joins host Tom Coyne for a wide-ranging discussion on his playing career, what he learned from watching tour pros in 2023, and his next chapter in a game that he deeply cares about.

The Golfer's Journal is made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: ⁠https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT⁠

The Golfer's Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist

Episode 152: Mike Whan Addresses the Rollback Debate Dec 19, 2023

The golf world took sides earlier this month when the USGA and R&A announced their plans to reign in distance with a rollback of the golf ball for both professionals and amateurs starting in 2028. The data presented by the governing bodies includes statistics claiming that high club-head speed players will lose up to 10 yards with the new ball restrictions, while shorter hitters will only see a 3-5 yard difference. So why the rule change? Why now? What happened to bifurcation? What about course setups, sustainability and green speeds? How is all of this good for the game?

Tom Coyne brings all of these questions to USGA headquarters where he sits down with its CEO Mike Whan. In a candid conversation including questions submitted by TGJ members, Coyne and Whan attempt to find common ground on one of the game’s most heated subjects.

Read Titleist’s response to the rollback here: https://www.titleist.com/titleist-response-distance-insights

The Golfer's Journal is made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

Mind Game 08: Kelly Slater, What Greatness Requires Dec 14, 2023

A 30-plus year career at the highest level of surfing, 11 world titles, and an incalculable impact on his sport and beyond: A case can be made that nobody has ever been more dominant at their sport than Kelly Slater. Another could be made that he is one of the best pro athletes-turned-golfers on the planet. Slater joins Mind Game to discuss his path to greatness, communicating with the ocean, structure vs. creativity, performing under pressure, what’s driving him to still compete, his love for Moe Norman and the time he played 18 holes between heats.

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Episode 151: Michael Wolf on Seth Raynor Dec 07, 2023

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Michael Wolf wrote the book on Seth Raynor—literally. Wolf, also known by his X handle @BamaBearcat, joins host Tom Coyne fresh off the publication of his new book The Golf Courses of Seth Raynor, which profiles one of the titans of early American golf architecture. They dig deep into how Raynor transitioned from a golf-agnostic engineer to a household name, the golfing public’s misguided views on template holes, Raynor’s proposals for second courses at Fishers Island and Mid Ocean Club (among others), and much more. If the mere mention of a Biarritz green complex fires your golfing brain, this episode is for you.

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Mind Game 07: Massimo Pigliucci, Play Stoic Golf Nov 30, 2023

Marcus Aurelius, the great Roman emperor, once wrote: “You shouldn’t give circumstances the power to rouse anger, for they don’t care at all.” It’s doubtful Aurelius ever landed a perfect pitch on the downslope of the collar only to watch it rocket 40 feet past the pin, but his philosophy for life does apply to golf. Few today are more qualified to speak on Stoicism than Massimo Pigliucci. He is a professor of philosophy at the City College of New York and the best-selling author of several books, including How to Be a Stoic. He joins us on Mind Game to give a crash course in how stoicism could help you play the best golf of your life.

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Episode 150: Padraig Harrington's Perspective Nov 16, 2023

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Padraig Harrington will be the first to tell you that he wasn’t destined for golf stardom. In fact, he’ll be the first to tell you a lot of things. Like how to pronounce his first name (“Pour-ig”), what separates elite professional golfers from the rank-and-file, and why your on-course goals need more oomph. In this wide-ranging discussion, Harrington and host Tom Coyne dig into the three fundamentals that every golfer should know, unearth the secret to solving Tom’s early extension, and, of course, engage in some Irish links golf chatter.

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Mind Game 06: Jason Kuhn, The Navy SEAL Way Nov 09, 2023

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A case of the throwing yips ended Jason Kuhn’s promising baseball career. He pivoted and became a decorated Navy SEAL operator and sniper. In his post-Special Forces career, he’s turned his training into a bulletproof mental system that has led Lucas Glover back into the winner’s circle, Atlanta Braves pitcher Tyler Matsek to a World Series save and other teams of all kinds to winning the SEAL way. And now he’s sharing his system with Mind Game.

Episode 149: On the Record with Amanda Renner Nov 02, 2023

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With thoughtful questions and a knack for reading the room, Amanda Renner’s (formerly Amanda Balionis) post-round interviews have become something of a CBS broadcast weekend tradition. Now it’s her turn in the chair as Tom Coyne gets the inside story with Renner on asking tough questions (like interviewing Tiger Woods following Kobe Bryant’s passing), her dream of becoming a sideline NFL reporter (which came true), the thing that saved her life (yoga), and her foundation that pairs puppies with veterans (let dogs on the course!).

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Mind Game 05: Joshua Medcalf, Chop Wood Carry Water Oct 25, 2023

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“Everyone wants to be great, until it’s time to do what greatness requires.” Joshua Medcalf has made a career by turning the path to greatness into best-selling stories. The sports psychologist, author and scratch golfer joins Mind Game to discuss what greatness actually requires, the benefits of being uncomfortable, how he went from a 15 handicap to a +3 in a few short years, and what it means to chop wood and carry water.

Episode 148: At Home with Keith Mitchell Oct 19, 2023

Easygoing charisma, effortless steeze and bombed fade drivers have made Keith Mitchell a fan favorite on Tour. But he wants to be more than that. On the latest TGJ Podcast, Tom Coyne pays Mitchell a visit at his home in Sea Island where the two discuss Mitchell's ambition, offseason tinkering, swing thoughts, perfect medium-rare steaks, what’s in his golf closet, and the wild backstory story behind TGJ No. 25’s cover.

The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

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Mind Game 04: Julie Elion, Building Self-Belief Oct 12, 2023

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Julie Elion’s nickname on Tour is “Stealth,” because the most in-demand psychologist in in the game doesn’t disclose her clients or grant many interviews—until now. Wyndham Clark, Max Homa (above) and Justin Thomas have all revealed they are working with Elion on their mindset using her holistic, goal-driven approach to building self-belief. Just a day removed from working with all three at the Ryder Cup, Elion joined Mind Game to discuss her incredible 25-year career, why her system works and what she was thinking when Max Homa stood over that now-famous 7-footer.

Casey Bannon: https://twitter.com/CaseyFBannon

Julie Elion: https://www.capeperformance.com/

Episode 147: Sean Foley's Philosophy Oct 06, 2023

If you prefer that your golf instructors stick to sports, steer clear of Sean Foley. The longtime mentor to Tiger Woods and Justin Rose is an inveterate seeker, drawn as much to the neuroscience behind how we learn as the ideal position at the top of the backswing. Foley sits down with host Tom Coyne for a wide-ranging discussion on performance and purpose, fear and success, perspective and, yes, even love. If all that leaves you asking, "Why?"—to Foley, that's the whole point.

The Golfer's Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist and made possible by member support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

Mind Game 03: Sahil Bloom, Take Daily Action Sep 26, 2023

Focus on one big goal at a time. Say no more than you say yes. Be more productive by being less busy. Sahil Bloom is a writer, entrepreneur and creator who inspires millions daily with bite-sized nuggets of wisdom and life hacks. He joins Mind Game to give his playbook on time management, the benefits of imposter syndrome, making one good decision at a time, choosing a side quest and prioritizing the things that matter. If you’re struggling to find ways to attack your Index Experiment goals, this conversation is for you.

Casey Bannon: https://twitter.com/CaseyFBannon

Sahil Bloom: https://twitter.com/SahilBloom

This podcast is 100% member-supported thanks to the Broken Tee Society. If you liked this episode, please consider becoming a member of The Golfer's Journal here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

Episode 146: Ryder Cup Preview Sep 20, 2023

Few golf writers know the Ryder Cup like Shane Ryan. Since his book, The Cup They Couldn’t Lose: America, The Ryder Cup, and the Long Road to Whistling Straits, he’s only increased his exhaustive reporting of the biennial event’s origins and history. On this week’s TGJ Podcast, he and host Tom Coyne discuss the best and worst captains, the formation of the pod system, bad blood and preview next week’s showdown in Rome.

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Mind Game 02: Kyle Allen, Have a Plan Sep 13, 2023

Since the Super Bowl era began in 1967, only 800 men have started an NFL game at quarterback. Kyle Allen is in that elite club. He joins host Casey Bannon on this week's episode of Mind Game to discuss the physical, mental, emotional and leadership skills required to play the most coveted and challenging position in professional sports.

This podcast is 100% reader supported thanks to the Broken Tee Society. Become a member here: https://www.golfersjournal.com/product-category/subscriptions/

This series is part of The Index Experiment: https://www.golfersjournal.com/index-experiment/

Casey Bannon: https://www.instagram.com/caseyfbannon/

Kyle Allen: https://www.instagram.com/kyle_allen/

Episode 145: The Valentine Legacy Sep 09, 2023

As a kid, Tom Valentine called Merion Golf Club “the family farm.” His grandfather tended the greens there for 52 years, and his father followed suit for another 27. Tom took a different approach, opting to leave the "farm" to develop newer and more efficient ways to care for courses. That's taken him across the golf world, but his heart still belongs to Merion. Dig in learn more about our playing surfaces, an encounter with Albert Einstein, and a secret modification to Merion's famed 11th green.

Mind Game 01: Dr. Mark Lowry, Concentration, Confidence and Commitment Aug 30, 2023

The brain processes roughly 70,000 thoughts per day. With 100 billion neurons connected nearly 500 trillion different ways, it’s without question the most important club in your bag. So as we continue The Index Experiment, it’s vital to examine the mind’s role in playing better golf. In this new podcast series, we’ll hear from high performers, academics and experts across a wide range of disciplines, all offering mental models, hacks and insights to help in your search for improvement.

On the first installment of this new TGJ Podcast series, host Casey Bannon speaks with Dr. Mark Lowry—a clinical psychologist who began his career in the Army where he evaluated, assessed and coached elite special operations aviators. In this fascinating conversation we learn about Lowry’s work with top CEOs to Olympians, where his “three C’s” method produces mind-bending results.

This podcast is 100% reader-supported thanks to the Broken Tee Society. Become a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

Casey Bannon: https://twitter.com/CaseyFBannon

Dr. Mark Lowry: https://thewinningmind.com/

Episode 144: Billy Walters Tells All Aug 18, 2023

You might have heard that gambling legend Billy Walters is releasing a book, and that Phil Mickelson is prominently involved. But have you heard the rest of the story? The one in which Walters is raised in the pool halls of rural Kentucky, rises to legitimate business power on the Las Vegas Strip and uses his time in prison to do some good for other inmates? Walters joins host Tom Coyne to chat about Phil, the $100 million in losses, that $400,000 Ryder Cup wager and the two-year sentence Walters claims Mickelson could have prevented had he testified. But you’ll also hear the rest of a remarkable golf life.

Episode 143: Gary Williams Has Stories to Tell Jul 28, 2023

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As host of Golf Channel’s Morning Drive from 2011 until its final episode in December 2020, Gary Williams cemented his place as one of golf’s most recognizable voices. He joins host Tom Coyne to take stock of a golf life spanning from Ridgewood to Wyoming to Seminole and beyond. Williams talks candidly about his sobriety, and shares hilarious stories about interning for Senator Joe Biden and an unforgettable flight aboard Air Bear with Jack and Arnold.

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Re-Teed: 2017 Open Championship Jul 15, 2023

Welcome back to Re-Teed—the show that relieves some of golf’s most memorable tournaments. This time around, Editor Travis Hill reminisces on the chaos that was the 2017 Open at Royal Birkdale which, for him, included birthday cake shots, Wrigley Field and life-changing news. For Jordan Spieth, it included one of the strangest rulings in golf history and some demon slaying down the stretch. We re-tee it all on this episode, plus Travis catches up with friend-of-the-program D.J. Piehowski in an attempt to fully understand what happens on "Spieth Island."

Episode 141: An Insider's Look at Liverpool Jul 08, 2023

Joe McDonnell has always known good golf. He grew up in Hoylake and has been a member of Royal Liverpool since he was a young lad. Today, McDonnell is changing the way the industry thinks and looks at golf holes. Using state-of-the-art topography technology, 3D graphics and an artist’s touch, McDonnell’s hyper-detailed renderings of golf holes land somewhere between golf course architecture and modern art—and we’re proud to feature them in the “Yardage Book” department of The Golfer’s Journal.

The man from Hoylake joins host Tom Coyne to give us a brief history of the land at Royal Liverpool, why first-time players may sleep on the golf course, what we can expect at the 2023 Open Championship, the process behind his art and some of his favorite golf holes in the world.

Episode 140: A Course Called Home Jun 26, 2023

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What’s left after playing and writing your way through Ireland, Scotland and America? For TGJ Senior Editor Tom Coyne, it's settling down and falling in love with a golf course that needs some. Alongside his new superintendent Shaun Smith, Tom details how he became the owner of Sullivan County Golf Club in Liberty, NY, how they’re turning it around, and how it all ties into his next book, A Course Called Home.

Learn more about how you can support Sullivan County Golf Club here.

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Episode 139: LACC for Normal People Jun 13, 2023

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Geoff Shackelford has written extensively on golf course architecture throughout the years and has consulted for Los Angeles Country Club on course modifications, making him the ideal guest for 2023 U.S. Open week. Shackelford joins Tom Coyne for a candid chat on his new book, Golf Course Architecture for Normal People, how to take GCA seriously without being a snob, and what to expect when the world's best take on LACC.

Geoff Shackelford: https://www.geoffshackelford.com/

Tom Coyne: https://www.tomcoyne.com/

Episode 138: David McLay-Kidd Is Busy May 30, 2023

Friend-of-the-program David McLay-Kidd makes his return to the TGJ Podcast from the site of his highly-anticipated next project: Dormie Network’s GrayBull in the Nebraska Sandhills. The world-renowned architect known for his work at Bandon Dunes, Gamble Sands and Sand Valley joins Tom Coyne to discuss the wide array of course builds he’s currently undertaking, the new course boom, how water works, how new projects come about, how the pandemic affected his business, Ruby Tuesday vs. Applebees and much more.

Episode 137: Cameron McCormick Wants to Change Your Mind May 16, 2023

What does it take to be the best in the world? Or maybe just better than yesterday? If anyone knows it’s Cameron McCormick—Jordan Spieth’s swing coach for the last 18 years and one of the game’s most respected instructors. Host Tom Coyne recently paid McCormick a visit at his performance center at Trinity Forest Golf Club where they discussed the mindset of elite players, the power of forgiving yourself before a bad shot, Tom’s personal Index Experiment and what 12-year-old Jordan Speith was like.

Cameron McCormick: https://www.instagram.com/cmccormickgolf/

Tom Coyne: https://twitter.com/coynewriter

The Golfer's Journal Podcast is made possible by member support. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/Memberships

The Golfer's Journal podcast is presented by Titleist

Episode 136: Lou Stagner's Numbers Never Lie Apr 26, 2023

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Lou Stagner never intended to become the golf data guy. But with a degree in analytics and a spreadsheet that’s tracked every single one of his shots since the 1990s, he’s uniquely qualified for it. The prolific tweeter joins Tom Coyne to discuss why not all 10 handicaps are equal, why more birdies is a bad strategy, the importance of keeping your stats and plenty more number nerdiness.

Tom Coyne: https://twitter.com/coynewriter Lou Stagner: https://twitter.com/LouStagner

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Episode 135: The Philosopher and the GOAT Apr 16, 2023

The Golfer's Journal Podcast is made possible by Member support. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a TGJ Member: https://glfrsj.nl/Memberships

Bernard Darwin didn't invent golf writing. But as TGJ contributor and philosophy professor Matt Chominski tells us, he was the first to prove it could be a career. Chominski and host Tom Coyne are your guides through Darwin's singular golf life, with timeless tales about Pine Valley, Bobby Jones, the inaugural Walker Cup, and his famed grandfather Charles (yes, that one).

Episode 134: Handicapping The Masters Apr 03, 2023

After an award-winning career as a PGA teaching professional, Keith Stewart is going all in on something more high stakes: betting on golf. The founder of readtheline.com joins host Tom Coyne to unpack what makes golf such an attractive sport to wager on, his rigorous process for making picks, the pros and cons of sports gambling and all the factors that make The Masters one of the most-bet weeks of the year.

Episode 133: Short Game Chef's Secrets Mar 22, 2023

Parker McLachlin, aka @shortgamechef, is a winner on the PGA Tour and is now helping some of the world’s best players revamp their short game using modern techniques. We sat down with Keith Mitchell and Collin Morikawa’s greenside guru to better understand how pros approach wedge play, why our understanding of it needs modernizing, why amateurs make it harder than it actually is and who the best to ever hold a wedge is.

Broken Tee Society members can get $70 off all of Parker's short game instructional content on shortgamechef.com. Become a member and find an exclusive code in your Member Locker today.

Episode 132: Harry Higgs Has Opinions Mar 16, 2023

Harry Higgs would like you to know that these are his opinions, and his alone. The PGA Tour veteran joins the pod to give his unfiltered thoughts on the USGA and R&A’s recent distance ruling, criticism from “Twitter warriors,” designated and no-cut events, LIV Golf, the emotional work he’s been doing to play better golf and much more.

Episode 131: JJ Redick Gets Hot Mar 13, 2023

You’ve watched JJ Redick knock down three-pointers since his freshman year at Duke two decades ago. These days, when the 15-year NBA vet isn’t talking hoops on your TV, he’s likely grinding over his short game.

The legendary sniper joins host Tom Coyne to discuss how he’s redirecting his competitive fire into golf. He also nerds out on club logos, ponders the art inherent in golf course architecture, compares swing thoughts to shooting thoughts and fires off a truly NSFW Greg Norman take.

Tom Coyne: https://twitter.com/coynewriter

JJ Redick: https://twitter.com/jj_redick

Casey Bannon: https://twitter.com/CaseyFBannon

Episode 130: Still Chasing Scratch Mar 01, 2023

Five years after they first started recording their quest to a 0.0, Mike & Eli of Chasing Scratch are still doing exactly that. The co-hosts of golf’s favorite game improvement buddy podcast join host Tom Coyneto to unpack their up-and-down journey to this point, and help our audience avoid any pitfalls along the path of better. For example: Are training aids a scam? Is speed necessary? How many wedges do you actually need to hit to get better?

This lively back-and-forth includes a live Q&A with Broken Tee Society members participating in The Index Experiment, and will have you itching to rededicate yourself to the grind.

Episode 129: Getting Practical with Jon Sherman Feb 25, 2023

Should I attack this pin or play it safe? How do I move on from a bad shot? How do I get better during the offseason? For the answers to these and many other questions from Broken Tee Society members participating in The Index Experiment, we turn to Practical Golf’s Jon Sherman.

As a self described "player coach," Sherman is less concerned with your swing than he is with what you do before, between and after them. He joins host Tom Coyne to answer questions submitted from within the members-only Discord server, and covers everything from course strategy to managing expectations to the surprising utility of foot spray.

Episode 128: Welcome to Golf's Youtube Era Feb 18, 2023

Charlie Warzel writes about technology’s effect on culture, people and ideas for The Atlantic. This makes him the perfect person to ask the question: Why are we all addicted to watching the Trents and Big Randys of the world play golf on YouTube?

Warzel consumed “a weapons-grade amount of YouTube golf” for his story in TGJ No. 23, and joins the podcast to unpack it all with Tom Coyne. They also discuss the future of AI and writing, the work-from-home movement, Warzel’s Index Experiment goals, and characters he’s befriended through covering golf.

Episode 127: Paper Tiger Feb 08, 2023

Nearly 20 years ago, TGJ Senior Editor Tom Coyne put life on hold, moved to Florida and dumped everything he had into chasing his dream of playing pro golf. He chronicled his journey in the NYT best-selling book Paper Tiger, and recently sat down with TGJ contributor Matt Chominski to reflect on what he learned whilst doing so.

Episode 126: Inside Netflix's Full Swing Jan 26, 2023

This February, pro golf will receive the F1 treatment thanks to Full Swing: an eight-part Netflix docuseries showcasing what life as a pro golfer was really like in 2022. Vox Media's Chad Mumm—a Broken Tee Society member known to pop into our Discord server—is the man behind it all. He joins Tom Coyne on TGJ Podcast 126 to give a behind-the-scenes look at making the show, the process behind getting access to players, and why fans have a certain multi-major champion all wrong.

Episode 125: What's Up with Crystal Downs? Jan 14, 2023

Mike DeVries has learned from the best. The Michigan native first picked up the game at Crystal Downs, trained under Tom Doak and worked for Tom Fazio. He's since made a name for himself by designing celebrated modern courses like Kingsley Club, Cape Wickham and Greywalls to name a few.

On TGJ Podcast 125, DeVries joins host Tom Coyne from the site of his next project in Tasmania to speak to what makes for "engaging" golf," his personal top five and why, for him, everything comes back to Crystal Downs.

Episode 124: On the Road with Bill Murray Dec 29, 2022

It’s not easy to pin down Bill Murray, but one way to do so, as podcast host Tom Coyne learned, is to ride shotgun with him across Georgia. In this candid conversation from the midst of a golf road trip to Ohoopee Match Club, the two discuss what they love about golf, where they love to play it, and with whom. It’s Bill Murray as you haven’t heard him before–not the movie star but your pilot across the low country, both of you late for a tee time.

Episode 123: The Many Shades of Andrew Green Dec 19, 2022

Andrew Green has become one of the hottest names in golf course architecture thanks to his renovation work at Inverness, Congressional, Oak Hill, Scioto, Wannamoisett and many other golden age classics in need of a refresh. But does he want to build something from scratch? He joins Tom Coyne on the TGJ Podcast to discuss his passion for history, his start in golf course design, love for his job and why William Flynn is his spirit animal.

Episode 122: The Man Who Hacked Putting Dec 08, 2022

In 2004, software developer Mark Sweeney was fed up with missing putts. So he dedicated two years of his life to creating a system that delivers perfect reads. He called it AimPoint.

You’ve seen players from Keegan Bradley to Lydia Ko to Adam Scott straddle their line and read their break in finger-widths. Now, hear from the inventor of this peculiar but effective strategy, as Sweeney and host Tom Coyne dig into this method that took 100,000 lines of code to get right. Along the way, you’ll learn how Golf Channel’s virtual putting line came to be, how a group of third graders helped unlock an AimPoint mystery, and why you might already be a much better putter than you think.

Episode 121: But My Friends Call Me Randy Nov 22, 2022

Tron doesn’t hold back on Twitter. Soly shared his No Laying Up origin story in #7, and DJ’s byline is a regular in The Golfer’s Journal. But what about the member of No Laying Up whose presence, quite literally, overshadows them all?

Phil Landes (aka Big Randy) has become one of golf media’s favorite characters via his appearances across NLU’s platforms, yet a part of him is ducking the spotlight–not an easy feat at 6’8”. He joins the podcast to talk with Tom Coyne about how a former accountant and freshmen basketball coach came to find himself drinking out of the Solheim Cup, and whether this dream job is a dream job after all. In this honest and insightful discussion, Phil reflects on living with two names, his current romantic circumstance, how we’re all just a different shade of short to him, and why he doesn’t want to meet your dog.

Episode 120: The Golf Life of Reilly Nov 07, 2022

You know Rick Reilly from the back page of Sports Illustrated, where he delivered 800 words of humor, heartbreak or heroism every week for 15 years. And though you’ve seen him at St. Andrews and read him at Augusta—his ‘96 opus on Norman’s collapse is an all-timer—you’ll be surprised to discover just how deep his golf obsession goes. Reilly, who joined the Broken Tee Society earlier this year, jumped into our members-only Discord server to talk with Tom Coyne about his lifelong love of the game, which he has distilled into his new book So Help Me Golf.The stories within—from a fraught relationship with his dad, to the myriad cheating methods employed by sitting US presidents, to tales of POWs and drug-mule caddies—cement him as one of the finest golf scribes of our time.

Episode 119: Conor Moore, as Conor Moore Oct 24, 2022

Conor Moore believes he has no accent. But when the Irishman is impersonating the world’s most famous athletes, he’s got them all. Though this episode sounds like a cast of many, it’s just Moore and host Tom Coyne going deep on the art behind his sketches (hint: don’t call them impressions), the toughest athlete to impersonate, and the time he was (jokingly) cursed out by Tiger Woods. Cameo appearances from Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Greg Norman and Rory McIlroy highlight this lively conversation.

Episode 118: Mark Broadie Thinks Putting Is Overrated Oct 08, 2022

We've all heard it: "Drive for show, putt for dough." But after speaking with Mark Broadie, the godfather of the game-changing Strokes Gained model, we're rethinking that position. Professor Broadie joins Tom Coyne live in the Broken Tee Society Discord server to unpack golf's ongoing data revolution, and why you're trying to shave strokes in all the wrong places.

Mark Broadie is the Carson Family Professor of Business at Columbia Business School. In the mid-2000s, he developed the Strokes Gained model by manually tracking and analyzing thousands of golf shots from amateurs at his club in Pelham, New York. After gaining access to the PGA Tour's shot-tracking data, Broadie refined his model, then released his seminal book Every Shot Counts in 2014. He now works on the USGA handicap research team, operates the GolfMetrics stat-tracking app, and advises a number of professional and amateur players.

Episode 117: Golf’s Treasure Hunter Sep 15, 2022

Ryan Carey wasn’t looking to become the world’s foremost golf memorabilia auctioneer. A lawyer by trade, Carey started Green Jacket Auctions as a side gig to feed his passion for the game’s history. 16 years and one very expensive set of irons later, Carey and his team are riding high and traveling the world in search of the next great golf item.

Carey joins Tom Coyne live in the Broken Tee Society Discord server to offer a glimpse into the career that’s taken him everywhere from Tom Watson’s home bar to Perry Maxwell’s basement. Plus, he details the record-breaking sale of the “Tiger Slam” irons, and delivers an otherworldly prediction when asked about the Holy Grail of golf collecting.

Episode 116: What Happened to Ben Garner? Sep 08, 2022

Unless you’ve already dug into Charlie Warzel’s profile in TGJ #21, you’ve probably never heard of Ben Garner. You’ve likely never heard about the kid who used to beat Tiger Woods (sometimes) and who buddied around SoCal with the future superstar, two kids who understood what it was like to live beneath the shadow of demanding golf dads.

Ben Garner joins the Golfer’s Journal podcast to discuss what happened between being unbeatable and being beaten, to where he couldn’t even look at a golf course or tell his old friend how he was really doing. If it all sounds like a typical wayward prodigy tale, you’ll want to listen to hear where Charlie Warzel finds him, and how it all came back to Ben in abundant and unforeseeable ways.

Episode 115: You Don't Know Doak Aug 24, 2022

Tom Doak has a reputation for being difficult. Golf media has described him as socially awkward and emotionally remote, traits that are often overlooked in favor of the brilliance he’s brought to course designs around the world. But there is much more to Tom Doak and his public persona than people have discussed or know about–until now.

With unflinching candor, Doak digs deep on “my media reputation as an asshole,” discussing what he’s learned about himself through group therapy and addressing his complicated relationships with peers like Gil Hanse and David McLay Kidd. It all makes for a riveting conversation about the forces that shape our lives–some that we might change, and others that we learn to accept.

Episode 114: Dottie Pepper Is Frustrated Aug 06, 2022

Dottie Pepper has little sympathy for the modern professional golfer. But you can’t blame her—the beloved CBS analyst and 17-winner on the LPGA never had anything handed to her. She turned down a Dinah Shore sponsor's exemption in college because she couldn't afford to travel; she borrowed $5,000 from her grandfather to play in the 1987 U.S. Open; and her parents rented out their house to horse jockeys and trainers every summer to pay for her junior golf. So, no, she’s not interested in hearing about no cuts and guaranteed pay days.

Pepper joins Assistant Editor Casey Bannon to discuss the current state of the professional golfer, the value in taking the hard way, criticisms of the broadcast, writing her first book and what’s currently in her garden.

Episode 113: The "Y" Word Jul 23, 2022

Ward Jarvis has gone from caddie to theology professor to firefighter to yip fixer. He joins host Tom Coyne to explain the science behind what he calls a “periodic loss of an automatic ability,” and how he helped three-time PGA Tour winner Brendon Todd overcome them.
Jarvis also details how his own struggle with stuttering led him to teaching players of all skill levels how to build new memory patterns and find their flow.

Website: https://www.wardjarvis.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wjarviscoaching

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

Episode 112: No Place for Politics Jul 06, 2022

Thomas Friedman has been the foreign affairs Op-Ed columnist for the New York Times since 1995. He’s also in the Western Golf Association Caddie Hall of Fame. He’s been to Saudi Arabia, and he’s been inside the ropes, caddying for Chi Chi Rodriguez in the 1970 U.S. Open. In short: He knows the Gulf, and he knows golf.

Friedman joins the podcast and explains how the reality on the ground in Saudi Arabia is much more complex than what’s being reported in golf circles and why the LIV golf experiment thus far “has been a colossal failure as an effort to improve their image."

He also discusses life as a golf diehard, including stories from his time as a member of both Seminole and Beirut Golf & Country Club, how golf has led to some juicy scoops in his Pulitzer Prize-winning career, and why politics should be kept off the course.

Episode 111: Fax Only Jun 21, 2022

Brad Faxon joins the podcast on the heels of a thrilling U.S. Open finish to reflect on what made Brookline such an enjoyable venue, and why we’re now seeing the fruits of his labor with Rory McIlroy.

The pride of Rhode Island also dives into the current state of the flat stick, giving context to the rise of mallets and AimPoint green reading. But stick around for the time Greg Norman called Faxon to an impromptu players-only meeting before the 1994 Shark Shootout. Those details might sound familiar.

Episode 110: Inside the Saudi Situation Jun 08, 2022

Alan Shipnuck puts it plainly: "The professional game is at a crossroads. This is a monumental moment."

Shipnuck joins the TGJ Podcast to unpack all the factors at play with LIV Golf, including money, ego, legacy, morals and the PGA Tour's own culpability in creating competition. He also takes us into the phone call with Phil Mickelson that became national news and ultimately forced Phil into hiding.

Episode 109: Golf Without Limits May 28, 2022

If it sometimes feels like the future of golf is here, just wait ‘til you see what’s coming next. Transhumanist, Futurist, and avid golfer David Wood walks us through the approaching impact of artificial intelligence, automation and biotechnology on both golf and our daily lives. Good news: You’re going to get better. Bad news: So is everybody else.

Episode 108: The Irishman May 13, 2022

When one of the great talkers in golf has a few minutes to talk, you do precisely that. Paul McGinley rejoins the pod to pick up where we left off, diving into his life as a broadcaster, Champions Tour player, and traveling dad trying to keep up with his family.

Episode 107: The Lesson in Their Loathing May 06, 2022

Jane Coaston doesn’t like golf, but when you listen to her explanation, we think there’s a very good chance that you’ll like Jane Coaston. In her recent piece “How Loathing Golf Taught Me to Confront My Own Prejudice,” the New York Times columnist and podcast host confronts golf not for what it is, but for what she perceives it to be. On the pod we discuss her story, and attempt to change her mind.

Episode 106: Chasing Scratch Apr 16, 2022

In TGJ No. 19 we met Mike Shade & Eli Strait—hosts of the wildly popular Chasing Scratch podcast. Now, we hear from them live in the Broken Tee Society Discord server. Mike & Eli join host Tom Coyne to discuss their newfound golf celebrity, their distaste for that word, inside jokes, pursuit of a 0.0 index and the magic behind their inimitable bond.

Re-Teed: 2011 Masters Mar 31, 2022

Re-Teed—the series where we relive golf’s most exciting tournaments—is back. And this time we’re going deep on the 2011 Masters—the one where everything went right for Charl Schwartzel after everything went left for Rory.

Featuring host Tom Coyne, TGJ editors Travis Hill and Casey Bannon, and ESPN's Kevin Van Valkenburg.

Episode 104: The Answers Upstairs Mar 18, 2022

In TGJ No. 18, Daniel Riley’s “The Man Riding Clouds” introduced us to Peter Beames and a golf life that is hard to believe. We had a feeling that Peter might have more to say about his adventures if we put him in front of a microphone. So that’s what we did. And he proved us right.

Episode 103: A Drink at All the Tables Mar 02, 2022

From cleaning clubs to writing blogs to announcing the biggest events in golf, Shane Bacon has lived a golf life well beyond his years. He joins us via the Broken Tee Society to discuss how he went from grinding on the mini-tours to taking center-stage in the Golf Channel’s lineup as co-host of "Golf Today." Plus, he walks us through an evolving landscape in golf coverage, as off-the-course drama rivals on-the-course action for attention.

Episode 102: Wrights and Wrongs Feb 25, 2022

Wright Thompson is one of only a few scribes who have the luxury of writing about whatever he wants, whenever he wants. Which is why it came as a bit of a surprise when his most recent book, Pappyland, centered around a different kind of game: bourbon. Thompson joins TGJ Programming Manager Robbie Vogel and host Tom Coyne in our Broken Tee Society Discord server to give some insights into his writing and reporting process, as well as his fascination with Rory, expensing a yacht while writing about Tiger, boozy country club lunches, and building monuments that live on after death.

Episode 101: The Curling Connection Feb 16, 2022

You know Beau Welling as the Senior Design Consultant to Tiger Woods’ TGR Design, with recent work including Payne’s Valley, Bluejack National and the forthcoming PGA Headquarters project in Frisco, TX. Here's what you're about to learn: He’s one of eight people in the world tasked with governing the sport of curling.

Meditations Feb 05, 2022

Over the next 30 minutes, we will attempt to refocus your energy, and recenter your mind, with a meditation designed specifically for golfers, but not just for golfers.

If you are new to meditation, well welcome – this is a beginner friendly exercise. And if you are experienced in the art of mindfulness, we hope you’ll find some new ideas and sounds to work into your own routine.

Either way, we think you’ll find that the benefits of meditation will carry on beyond this brief session, and hopefully, out onto the golf course with you.

Episode 100 Feb 05, 2022

As we touch the century mark here at The Golfer’s Journal Podcast (where has the time gone?), we wanted to celebrate our 100th episode by giving something special to our listeners; something you can use over and over again.
After a quick recap of our best and (very) worst from the previous 100 episodes, voice artist Erik Braa guides you through a 30-minute golf specific meditation. His soothing tone paired with ambient golf sounds will take you from your couch or office and transport you to the first tee. And his quiet message will help you find that on-course focus we’re all searching for.

Episode 99: Fairway Philosophy Jan 21, 2022

Matt Chominski is a professor of philosophy and theology at Delaware’s Archmere Academy—where once upon a time a young Tom Coyne wandered the halls. And when Chominski isn’t unpacking the fundamental truths of life, he’s putting some of those lessons into practice on the course.

He joins our host for a thought-provoking conversation on what it means to be human, the absurdity of golf at its core, why the game is technically “useless,” what it’s trying to teach us, and which famous thinkers best represent current Tour players.

Episode 98: Sandra Boynton, Dancing Hippos, and the Birth of Bandon Dunes Jan 07, 2022

Sandra Boynton has sold more than 70 million children’s books, 500 million greeting cards, and has been nominated for a Grammy. So what does she have to do with golf?

According to her first publisher, Mike Keiser, Boynton’s work financed the building of Bandon Dunes.

Fresh off her profile in TGJ No. 18, Boynton joins host Tom Coyne to discuss working for Keiser’s greeting card company after graduating from Yale, turning down his original offer in exchange for royalties, Keiser’s meritocratic leadership style, the inspiration behind her designs, and quite possibly making the first hole-in-one in Bandon history.

Episode 97: Dream On Dec 22, 2021

If we eat, sleep and breathe golf, then we are bound to dream about it. From struggling to pull the club back to eating ice cream with Gary Woodland, golf dreams can manifest themselves in infinite ways. But no matter how wacky they get, a fundamental truth remains: Golf dreams reveal the deepest level of our golfing subconscious.

On Episode 97, we enlist dream analyst expert Lauri Loewenberg to decode some golf dreams submitted by TGJ Members. And while we’ll never know exactly why we find ourselves washing windows with Jordan Spieth or hanging with Tom Coyne in our childhood homes, we now know we can learn a great deal about ourselves—as long as we keep on dreaming.

Episode 96: Eastside Story Dec 10, 2021

After winning a national championship at Morehouse College, Olajuwon Ajanaku set his sights on a professional golf career. Despite some early success, he found himself struggling to meet the financial demands of chasing the dream. Instead of seeking sponsorship, he went a different way: He created a logo of himself, slapped it on a Gildan, and started pushing it around downtown Detroit. Two years later, after joining forces with his college teammate Earl Cooper, Eastside Golf is pushing the boundaries of what a golf brand can be, and recently became the first brand to collaborate with Jordan on a signature golf shoe. The entrepreneur duo join us in the Broken Tee Society Discord server to discuss building a brand, the importance of being yourself, the definition of culture, hip hop’s influence, and much more.

Episode 95: The Three Lidos Dec 03, 2021

Once upon a time there was a golf course called The Lido. Bernard Darwin called it “the finest golf course in the world.” And then? It disappeared.

And now, there are three.

On Ep. 95, Brett Cyrgalis, Gil Hanse and Brian Schneider take us on a journey to unravel how we lost such an important piece of golf history, and why we should be thankful that a group of true believers are putting it back together.

Episode 94: The Life and Times of Will Mackenzie Nov 19, 2021

Will MacKenzie has lived in an Alaskan cave for 30 days, worked as a kayak instructor in Montana, sold grilled cheeses at Grateful Dead concerts and won twice on the PGA Tour. He’s now found his footing as a caddie for the likes of Chris Kirk, where he grapples with thoughts of making a comeback and the reality that fishing sounds a lot more enjoyable than hitting range balls. He joins Tom Coyne between rounds at the RSM Classic at Sea Island to unpack his wild ride of a life, and to pinpoint why it always seems to lead back to golf.

Episode 93: Mr. Top 100 Nov 03, 2021

Greg Ohlendorf knows the secret. He is one of two people to have ever played Golf Magazine’s World Top 100 Courses, Golfweek‘s Top 100 Modern and Top 100 Classic Courses, plus a course in all 50 states. The biggest lesson he’s learned? Checking courses off a list doesn’t get the blood flowing. True golf adventure does.

Ohlendorf, who wrote “The Road to Diùranais” in TGJ No. 17 about his wild ride to an under-the-radar Scottish nine-holer, joins host Tom Coyne to discuss the joys of finding new tracks, how on Earth he accomplished those lists and the flaws behind lists in general in this live recording from the main stage of the Broken Tee Society.

Episode 92: Introducing the Broken Tee Society (Live) Oct 27, 2021

Greetings from the new online home of the Broken Tee Society! To kick things off, host Tom Coyne is joined by TGJ staff for a live town hall discussing the details of our newly launched private community. Open to every Member of the Broken Tee Society, people have already begun finding new playing partners, enjoying exclusive content, and even sharing advice on how to be a golf parent. The crew goes deep on our lofty plans for the new community and the critical role our Members will play going forward, along with a lively Q&A with the audience.

Episode 91: Lifetime Amateur Oct 20, 2021

With appearances in nine Masters and two U.S. Opens, victories in the U.S. and British Amateur and five Walker Cup appearances, Vinny Giles is the most accomplished male amateur player alive. And—as you’ll hear—one straight shooter.

On today’s podcast, host Tom Coyne travels to Virginia to sit down with Giles at Kinloch Golf Club, the course he co-designed and still regularly plays—and still goes low. They discuss the origins of Kinloch (5:00), his remarkable amateur career (10:14), a wild ride at his first Masters (21:45), his decision to not turn pro (28:30) and a few scorching-hot takes in a lightning round on the way out (37:49). Come for the classic southern drawl, stay for Giles calling a household-name track on the West Coast “the most overrated course in the world.”

Episode 90: Views from the Hollins Tees Oct 07, 2021

Why are the Hollins tees at Pasatiempo—named for one of the longest hitters in women's history—so far forward? Why is putting the tee in the ground as a beginner so scary? How did Tom Coyne come up with the "Burger Dog Index?" Today's podcast guest comes ready with answers.

Amidst a successful career at the New York Times, Katie Hafner has recently turned her lens toward golf after falling for the game. She joins the pod to discuss her piece in TGJ No. 17 on Pasatiempo and its founder Marion Hollins, the true impact pioneers like Hollins continue to have on the game, writing an early obituary for Golf in the Kingdom's Michael Murphy and much more.

Episode 89: Why I Hate the Ryder Cup Sep 21, 2021

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Even Michael Wolf who, just last week, took to Twitter to declare the 24 reasons he hates The Ryder Cup. After recovering from his initial shock (and perhaps some heartbreak), host Tom Coyne reached out to Wolf in hopes of unpacking his gripes against golf's most beloved biennial competition. The two go deep on the commercialization of The Ryder Cup, the PGA of America's motives, the viewing experience and its rightful place in golf history.

You may not agree with him, but you have to admire the courage.

Episode 88: Chandler's Plan Sep 16, 2021

If you’re hungry for never-before-heard Ryder Cup stories, you’ve come to the right place. With stops at legendary clubs like Seminole, Merion and Hazeltine National, golf professional Chandler Withington has already lived a full golf life. And in a career full of them, perhaps his biggest highlight was being at the center of the action at the 2016 Ryder Cup. Withington joins host Tom Coyne and uses his Ryder Cup experience at Hazeltine—including the advice he gave then-captain Davis Love III on setting up the course, why Tiger Woods implored the 2016 U.S. team to celebrate and how he got Michael Jordan kicked out of the team room—to formulate his strategy for a U.S. victory this week.

Episode 87: Southern Style with Davis Love III Aug 27, 2021

Only 15 people in history have made more money on the golf course than Davis Love III. But now, at 57 years old with a newly-replaced hip, the World Golf Hall of Famer is trying his hand at some things away from it.
This year's Ryder Cup vice-captain joins the show to talk about his new 12-hole design at Belmont, how to clean a cast-iron skillet, why broadcasting didn't suit his eye, and, of course, Team USA's locker room situation at Whistling Straits.

Episode 86: Blazers Off with Roger Bennett Aug 17, 2021

Roger Bennett is well known in the soccer community as the co-host of the wildly popular podcast-turned-television-show Men in Blazers. But he’s also a huge golf fan. Today he joins host Tom Coyne to discuss hosting television coverage of the Open at Royal Portrush, why Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Craig Stadler are his favorite players, and how the golf chapter was cut from his New York Times best-selling book, (Re)born in the USA: An Englishman’s Love Letter to his Chosen Home, and more. Courage!

(Podcast dress code: Blazers optional.)

Episode 85: Live from The Olympics Aug 03, 2021

Good morning, Tokyo! On this week's TGJ Podcast, we catch up with friend of the show Chris Reimer, who has spent the last several weeks in Japan running the media center for the Olympic Golf competitions. Following the conclusion of the men's tournament, Reimer joins TGJ Editor Travis Hill to report back on life in the village, the debates over pros vs. amateurs and the stroke-play format, trash talk from inside the ropes, how to buy a real samurai sword and how stars like Rory McIlroy are not immune to the power of the Olympic spirit.

Episode 84: Royal Etiquette Jul 13, 2021

We all remember where we were during Jordan Spieth’s infamous drop on No. 13 at Royal Birkdale during his now-legendary win at the 2017 Open Championship. So does today’s podcast guest David Bonsall: He was the rules official who orchestrated the 17-minute-long ordeal. In addition to his time as a former R&A rules official, Bonsall also happens to be the Captain (club president) at Royal St. George’s, host of this week’s Open. Bonsall sits down with host Tom Coyne to discuss Royal St. George’s place in history, strategy on the grueling par-4 fourth and the inside scoop on what in the world happened next to that Titleist truck in 2017.

Episode 83: Doctor's Orders Jul 01, 2021

For 35-year-old Zach Kahl, one foggy, early-morning round ended with an unexpected, life-altering trip to the emergency room. He suffered several strokes and blood clotting in his brain, an incredibly rare malady for someone his age. But his doctor prescribed a refreshing road to recovery: Stop working and play more golf. In TGJ No. 15, readers walked with Kahl as he used the game to take the literal next steps of his new life. This podcast opens with Kahl’s emotional reading of his piece in No. 15 and later he joins host Tom Coyne for an encouraging update about his progress, his relationship with the game, hidden blessings and more.

Did you know that almost every feature from the book has an audio version available on the website? Let each author take you behind the scenes, adding more context and details to the story.

Episode 82: Hunting Sasquatch with Gary McCord Jun 15, 2021

At 73 years young, and after a career in golf that would be too wild for the movies, there’s only one thing left for Gary McCord to do: Find Sasquatch. No, seriously.

Pulled from an extended conversation featured in the pages of TGJ No. 16, McCord connects with longtime friend/golf writer Jim Moriarty and opens up one of the more subversive storybooks in all of golf. They chat about everything from Phil’s win at Kiawah, Brooks vs. Bryson, Mac O’Grady, Steve Martin, failed PGA Tour format proposals, an ex-wife golf tournament, never-before-heard stories from the set of Tin Cup, and, yes, Sasquatch.

Episode 81: The Kings of Cannery Row Jun 03, 2021

Want to hear about a bet over killing Bin Laden? Well, on a road trip from TGJ HQ to Gearhart—and after a series of hard-to-believe phone calls—TGJ Assistant Editor Casey Bannon found himself hearing all about it in the private wine cellar of the world famous Sardine Factory, just down the road from 17 Mile Drive. Across the table from him sat owner Ted Balestreri, a man for whom a statue was erected in Monterey, and Balestreri’s longtime friend/ former CIA Director/ Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. The three discuss the revitalization of Cannery Row, the people that call it home, the art of dining, and how golf—plus an expensive bottle of wine—were intertwined with a wager that took down Bin Laden.

Episode 80: Light In Paspalum's Shadows May 16, 2021

On Sept. 26, 1783, a great schooner shoved off from London. The Comte du Nord's captain, a notorious Liverpudlian trader named James Penny, listed on the ship’s manifest 97 women, 131 girls, 197 men and 249 boys—all loaded into her lower holds for future sale. This week, the PGA Championship will kick off at Kiawah Island, where the same grass used to line the bottom of Penny's boat now lines the fairways.

In TGJ No. 15, "Paspalum Shadows" explores how a turf from the shores of West Africa has made its way to Kiawah, Sea Island, Dubai and beyond. On Episode 80, Associate Editor Casey Bannon and Earl Cooper of Eastside Golf discuss the making of the story from ideation through creation, and how it has altered their perspective on golf, history, and friendship.

Episode 79: My Friend, LaJethro Apr 30, 2021

The last year brought a legion of new golfers into the fold. Some will stay for good, and some are sure to fade away. But nine months into his newfound yet promising career, LaJethro Jenkins, of NBA internet and Jenkins & Jonez Podcast fame, is certain he’s in the game for life: “There’s nothing that moves me like this.” As fate would have it, TGJ Contributor Laz Versalles just happens to hit balls at the same public range where Jenkins now spends most of his days, and has quickly become his spiritual swing guide. So tag along with these fast friends as they raid the TGJ van at Westchester Golf Course in the heart of L.A., and talk footwork, overcoming fears, and golf in the afterlife.

Episode 78: The Rise of Don Rea Apr 15, 2021

While Don Rea's previous career involved enforcing the rules, he's now tossing them out the window as owner/operator at Augusta Ranch Golf Club in Mesa, AZ. From night golf to music on the range to candles in the pro shop, Rea sets out to entertain every golfer that steps foot on his par-61 property—including an infamous one-club golfer.

Is it working? The PGA of America certainly thinks so. Host Tom Coyne sits down with the newly-appointed Secretary of the PGA to discuss his rise from cart guy to owner (at the same course!), his previous life as an umpire, how makeup shopping for his wife rewired his business approach and more. For those begging golf’s governing bodies to begin thinking outside the box, Rea is your man.

Episode 77: The Masters Theme: A Review Apr 06, 2021

The twinkling piano notes are unmistakable, but did you know that the Masters theme song has actual lyrics? Or that Dave Loggins—second cousin of Kenny—wrote them? Or that TGJ Contributor/songwriter/music critic Elizabeth Nelson doesn’t think they are very good? Join host Tom Coyne as he and Nelson share a few laughs over one of golf’s most iconic tunes and even sneak in a meditation on two-time Masters champ Seve Bellesteros in this Masters-themed mini-episode.

Episode 76: Office Hours with Sid Matthew Mar 24, 2021

Meet Sid Matthew, your favorite golf historian’s favorite golf historian. In TGJ No. 15 we explored Matthew’s extensive golf collection in “Office Hours.” But on today’s podcast, we discover that his most prized possessions are his collection of Bobby Jones stories. Having worked in the Jones’ Atlanta law office, Matthew has become the game’s foremost Jones historian. He takes us behind the scenes (and over the crazy hurdles) of making his famous Jones documentary, regales us with tales of playing with his late, great friend Sean Connery and inside the origins of the golf collecting boom—including a club that sold for more than $200,000.

Re-Teed: The 2015 Players Championship Mar 10, 2021

Welcome to the next Re-Teed, TGJ’s look back at golf’s greatest tournaments. The first edition featured Tiger at the 2008 U.S. Open, and our latest dives deep into another famous finish: the 2015 Players Championship. While Rickie Fowler may have owned the island green, TGJ Editor Travis Hill, who has covered the tournament for nearly 20 years, and longtime PGA Tour executive Chris Reimer own all the behind-the-scenes stories. They look back at Fowler (momentarily) quieting the doubters, Sergio Garcia’s pants, a few missed putts that nearly changed history, and the legend of Jerry f^ing Kelly.

Episode 74: From Gamer to Golfer Feb 25, 2021

Grip, stance, posture...yawn. Has junior instruction grown stale? Richard Franklin thinks so.

After 15 years of studying game design, Franklin brings a more playful approach to junior golf involving birds, eskimos and more unusual suspects. In his conversation with host Tom Coyne, the two unpack his unique teaching style while discussing game theories, adding more fun, and the importance of richer rewards. And for anyone who ever whispered “This putt is to win the Masters,” on the practice green—Franklin says you’ve been on the right track all along.

Because hell, golf is just a game after all, right?

Episode 73: Lessons in Leadership with Paul McGinley Feb 11, 2021

He wasn’t the biggest, flashiest or longest, but one look at Paul McGinley’s resume—four European Tour wins, three Ryder Cup titles as a player and one more as captain—clearly shows a legendary career in the game. But golf never came easily to the scrappy Irishman. McGinley spills his secrets for success to host Tom Coyne, reflecting on his love for Gaelic football, attending high school with Padraig Harrington, why he prefers watching Rory over Tiger, what it takes to gain the respect of a Ryder Cup locker room and how he purposefully hooked the most important putt of his life.

Episode 72: A Compendium of Golf's Cheaters Jan 28, 2021

Sandbaggers, ball-droppers and lie-fluffers, oh my! Getting cheated in golf can stay with you—just ask host Tom Coyne, who still can’t forget an interclub incident from 1986. So we decided to name names: We speak with experts who break down golf’s various scammers (behold, the “cheating non-liar”) and investigate what exactly leads someone to cheat at the ultimate game of honor. Along the way, we hear some of the wackiest cheating stories ever recorded, as submitted by listeners. Fingers crossed none are about you.

Episode 71: The Sober League Jan 14, 2021

Yes, in TGJ No. 14, Coyne chronicled the hellish battles he and four others had with substance abuse and how golf in a sober league became an unexpectedly vital part of their journeys to recovery. But in this pod, it's clear that busting each other’s chops is also a big part of it. In a surprisingly funny and hopeful conversation, Coyne and two members of the league discuss golf’s longtime kinship with alcohol, their own roads to sobriety and why a sense of humor helps too. Because hey, it’s a lot easier to play 36 a day when you’re not hungover.

Episode 70: Inside the PGA Tour’s Traveling Circus Dec 30, 2020

What are you left with after 19 years as a communications executive for the PGA Tour’s biggest events? A jukebox of epic tales ranging from the parking-lot chase with Tiger at Doral, a front row seat for the Keegan Bradley-Miguel Angel Jiminez greenside clash, and a late night meal at an Atlanta Waffle House where he shared a special drink with a stranger the night Arnold Palmer passed. TGJ Editor Travis Hill sits down with Chris Reimer to press play on his career with the Tour, and how it led to his piece in TGJ No. 14: A trip to King Island, golf’s next great bucket list destination.

Episode 69: Ben Rector’s Off-Stage Addiction Dec 16, 2020

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Ben Rector writes from a place of vulnerability, forming a bond with his fans by letting them behind the curtain. And while he and host Tom Coyne have just recently met, they sound very much like old friends on this episode. During their conversation, Rector discusses the best places to peg it on tour, golf in the Nashville music scene, life as an independent artist and adds his expert opinion on one of golf’s hot-button issues: music on the golf course.

Episode 68: Golf According to Spencer Hall Dec 03, 2020

College football fans know the legendary writing, podcasting and Twitter rants of Spencer Hall. But what does he know about golf? Just enough to be dangerous. Hall joins TGJ Editor Travis Hill to discuss his story in TGJ No. 14 about Ray Ray Whitley, a virtual golfer Hall created to survive an early-quarantine sports black hole. They go on to workshop some golf takes like how Phil Mickelson is a walking hedge fund, why one in-person Masters was enough for Hall, and his belief that the Waste Management is the true U.S. Open. Much like Ray Ray, Hall gives the traditional golf establishment a much-needed cage rattling.

Episode 67: Mike Madden and the Invisible Hand of Golf Nov 19, 2020

If you’re open to it, the game can provide some life-changing surprises. So it is with Mike Madden and host Tom Coyne. Madden, son of legendary NFL coach and broadcaster John Madden, and Coyne never knew each other before they teed off. Now, Madden is passing him secret turducken recipes and they’re talking about a trip to play in Ireland. This conversation retraces the steps of their round at Philly Cricket, Madden’s preservation of Muhammed Ali’s legacy, and his small role in the video game bearing his father’s famous face. But really, it’s a story about how our game can turn strangers into fast friends. And one absolutely incredible bus.

Episode 66: Jim Fitzpatrick’s Endless Summer Nov 05, 2020

It’s been a hell of a ride. In the early 1950s, he was watching declassified rocket explosions filmed by his father. During the 1960s, in the shadow of Riviera, he learned the game from Willie Hunter by flying 4-irons into the Pacific. In 1964 he helped produce some of the first music videos, and by 1966 he was part of the revolutionary Bones Brigade that introduced skateboarding to Europe. Over the decades his love for golf took him from Pacific Grove to Carne and just about everywhere in between. In 2020, he wrote about it all in TGJ No. 13 and joined host Tom Coyne to explain his movie-script life. This is Jim Fitzpatrick.

Episode 65: Chris Solomon and the Traveling Bag Oct 19, 2020

Fresh off his byline in TGJ No. 13, Golfer’s Journal Contributor Chris Solomon returns to the show to talk about the inspiration behind “Infinite Loop,” the brotherhood behind the traveling carry bag that’s now been around the world twice, how to properly pitch a TGJ story, and the fear that comes when putting pen to paper.

What's Next for Golf? Oct 12, 2020

This week on TGJ Digital we released “Now What?” — a new feature where contributing writer Will Bardwell asks a variety of golf industry members the big question: After golf’s biggest summer in decades, what will, and should, once-struggling golf courses do with their unexpected revenue? Assistant Editor Casey Bannon connects with Bardwell to go beyond the reporting of the piece, and further the conversation on what's next for golf.

Episode 64: The Johns of Aronimink Oct 05, 2020

With Aronimink Golf Club set to host the KPMG Ladies PGA Championship, Tom Coyne and Casey Bannon pay the Donald Ross blue-chipper a visit in search of the real stories behind two of golf’s most under-appreciated characters: John Shippen and John McDermott. As it quickly becomes apparent, you can’t talk about America’s first Black golf professional and caddie-turned-U.S. Open-champion without the ‘Mink.

Episode 63: Behind USGA Lines Sep 15, 2020

The USGA Museum has been closed to the public for months. But that didn’t stop TGJ Senior Writer and podcast host Tom Coyne from finagling an all-access tour in preparation for the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. Alongside Museum Director Hilary Cronhim, he finds Mickey Wright’s jewelry, the original sheet music to Winged Foot’s fight song (because every course should have a fight song), the most clutch putter of all time, and a vault holding some of golf’s most valuable artifacts.

Episode 62: Lester George Live from Ballyhack Sep 02, 2020

“I’ve always said that if other architects would stay out of Virginia, then I’d stay out of their states too.” After a late introduction to the golf design game, Lester George has made good on his promise to dominate the Dominion state. His in-state roster now consists of top-100 projects like Kinloch, the quietly explosive Langley Air Force Base, and the mindbender at Ballyhack. And that’s where he crashes our 2020 Broken Tee 2-Man to discuss how the military shaped his eye for topography, his affinity for surfing despite never hopping on a board, unloading his car collection and an upcoming Seth Raynor project.

Episode 61: Expand Your Mind with Charles Lindsay Aug 12, 2020

Charles Lindsay describes himself as “a conceptual artist-adventurer, whose work synthesizes ideas about technology, time, eco-systems, and semiotics.” And he believes playing a ton of golf falls into that description. Lindsay joins host Tom Coyne for a wide-ranging discussion on golf’s relationship with hunting, the search for extraterrestrials, becoming unlikely playing partners with John Updike and how he created the book of hilarious golf images that are featured in TGJ No. 12.

Episode 60: Ken Wang Jul 30, 2020

Ken Wang has a degree in economics from MIT, is the brother of fashion designer Vera Wang, and, most important to us, is the founder/owner of the Pete Dye-designed Pound Ridge Golf Club in New York. He joins Tom Coyne to discuss his fervent belief in public courses, how Dye got what he wanted in the design, the democratization of the game, and how Vera plays “Bill Clinton golf.”

Episode 59: Good News is Just a Phone Call Away Jul 14, 2020

COVID, cheating, distance debates, course closures and a lack of diversity—golf’s recent news cycle has been gloomy. But it’s not all bad out there. Host Tom Coyne called some folks from around the golf world who have some good news to share. He went beyond the headlines and found the Navajo Nation’s booming dirt course; a staggering drop in suicide rates thanks to the Veterans Golfer’s Association; a little guy’s big time 15-footer; a 50-day Pinehurst trip, and a heartwarming update on Ireland’s Carne Golf Links. Five reminders of why we love this game.

Episode 58: Real Talk with Colton Craig Jul 02, 2020

Colton Craig is a 27-year-old golf-course architect and founder of the Perry Maxwell Society. Over the past year he’s quit his apprentice gig, opened his own design firm, visited every Maxwell design in the U.S., and become a first-time father. He unpacks the trials and tribulations of his journey over nine holes at Maxwell's first design, Dornick Hills, with assistant Editor Casey Bannon.

Episode 57: Yes In a Heartbeat: Annika at Colonial Jun 11, 2020

You know she teed it up with the men. But there’s still much to learn about Annika Sorenstam’s trailblazing PGA Tour appearance at the 2003 Colonial. Featuring candid interviews with Sorenstam and Aaron Oberholser, along with journalists and marshalls who witnessed it first-hand, host Tom Coyne and TGJ Assistant Editor Casey Bannon re-live the controversial resistance from male and female pros, the electricity on the first tee, the legacy of Sorenstam’s accomplishment, and her shocking four-word declaration that started it all.

Episode 56: Dr. George F. Grant Jun 04, 2020

Before there was the broken tee, there was the original one. Host Tom Coyne and Assistant Editor Casey Bannon dive into the remarkable life of Dr. George F. Grant—the second African American graduate of Harvard Dental School, and inventor of the wooden golf tee in 1899.

Episode 55: Shrink the Game with Ken Kearney May 21, 2020

Ken Kearney went from a decorated Irish amateur player to a career in finance to golf-course architect. For his next big challenge, he wants to shrink the game.

Episode 54: Dispatches From the New Frontier May 06, 2020

Contributing Editor D.J. Piehowski makes his return to the TGJ Podcast—reading his thorough TGJ No. 11 profile on the reverse routing at remote Silvies Valley Ranch. Fellow TGJ contributor Neil Schuster joins him to add commentary and context from their homestead into Eastern Oregon’s rugged frontier.

Episode 53: The Pandemic Diary Apr 16, 2020

No place is safe from the ravages of the COVID-19 virus, even host Tom Coyne’s beloved Carne Golf Links on the remote Western coast of Ireland. The shutdown there has left scores unemployed and the course’s future in doubt. Carne chairman Gerry Maguire takes us there as he reads from the personal diary he kept during a week from hell.

Episode 52: The Last Time Golf Stopped Apr 08, 2020

Host Tom Coyne serves as our commanding general on this docu-pod exploration of golf through World War II in the 1940s—the last time golf was forced to mark and step away.

Episode 51: Life on the Inside Mar 24, 2020

Renowned sports psychologist Dr. Bob Winters returns, this time to answer subscriber questions about golf's new normal.

Episode 50: 24 Hours at Sawgrass Mar 11, 2020

This is the 17th Players Championship for TGJ editor and grizzled vet Travis Hill. He gave newbie Casey Bannon one day to find a Sawgrass story he hadn’t heard. Challenge accepted.

Episode 49: Finding your Center with Geoff Cunningham Feb 29, 2020

Artist. Photographer. Tequila drinker. Soul surfer. Hickory player. Club maker. Linksoul Creative Director Geoff Cunningham refuses to let anyone put him, or the game he loves, in a box. On Ep. 49 of the TGJ Podcast, the man who created TGJ’s Broken Tee logo joins host Tom Coyne for a raw, emotional conversation that explores Cunningham’s career highs and personal lows, but somehow always finds its way back to his center.

Episode 48: Sheep Ranch Preview Announcement Feb 14, 2020

ATTENTION: TGJ Subscribers will be playing Bandon Dunes’ Sheep Ranch masterpiece before it opens to the public. You’re wondering how to get in on this? Publisher Brendon Thomas joins host Tom Coyne to cover everything you need to know.

Episode 47: Challenge Days ft. Shane Bacon Feb 08, 2020

Is a bad day on the course really better than a good day anywhere else? On episode 47 of the TGJ Podcast, host Tom Coyne puts that old adage to its greatest test. First he connects with Shane Bacon to recount his feature in TGJ No. 10, where he got his “teeth kicked in” at Scottsdale National’s Bad Little Nine. We then open the floor to some familiar names and fresh voices to hear their lowest points on the course. Listen in as Fore the Ladies’ Abby Liebenthal, Outside the Cut’s Trey Runkle and more rehash their personal challenge days.

Episode 46: The Next 20 Years Jan 25, 2020

Where will we play? How much will we pay? How many holes, with what tools and what will we wear? Golf changed in so manys from 2000-2020, which led host Tom Coyne to wonder how the game will look two decades from now. On episode 46, a high-profile collection of experts including journalist Geoff Shackelford, Stanford women’s golf coach Anne Walker, Bandon Dunes architect David McLay Kidd, creative director Andrew Haynes and Streamsong Resort’s Director of Golf Scott Wilson to stare into the crystal ProV1 and predict where the game is headed.

Episode 45: The War on Par ft. Gil Hanse Jan 09, 2020

TGJ No. 10 introduces us to the Ohoopee Match Club—a discreet Georgia playground designed specifically to ignore par. Inspired by this concept, host Tom Coyne taps Ohoopee architect Gil Hanse to understand how the edict to eliminate a target score shaped his design process. Next, Tom dials renowned Scottish Historian Neil Laird to trace the origins of par itself. Finally, TGJ contributor Thomas Young passionately states his case for why golf is more fun without its most familiar scoring system.

Re-Tee: 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Dec 27, 2019

The greatest tournaments live on in our collective memories. But they also provide a sometimes shocking timestamp of the golf world at that time. Host Tom Coyne, No Laying Up’s Chris Solomon, PGATour.Com Senior Editor Sean Martin and TGJ’s Casey Bannon gather to look back on five days of golf that wrote legacies and history books alike: The 2008 U.S. Open. From practice round folklore to the birth of Rickie’s orange pants and 91 unforgettable holes, this one deserves a Re-Tee.

Episode 43: Brough Creek National Dec 05, 2019

From message board idea to functioning golf course to the pages of TGJ No.10, Brough Creek National is every armchair architect’s dream. In our latest episode, host Tom Coyne confirms the hand-built reality with a (temporary) course record, followed by a tour with Ben Hotaling, the course’s designer. Hole-by-hole, Hotaling discusses an array of tee-to-green options, obstacles that nearly prevented his finished product, selling national memberships in rural Kansas City, and how your yard can become Some Guy’s Backyard.

Episode 42: The Lost Strantz Tapes Nov 20, 2019

While reporting TGJ No.10’s, “The One Less Travelled,” contributor Jay Revell stumbled upon a treasure trove of unearthed footage featuring the late architect Mike Strantz during construction of his masterpiece, Tobacco Road. After sifting through hours of rare interviews and conversations, Revell and host Tom Coyne analyze some of Strantz’s most profound thoughts on visual intimidation, fine arts, fairway lines and the zen in shaping golf holes.

Episode 41: Bob Ford Nov 06, 2019

He’s watched Ben Hogan write checks to settle debts, walked off Arnie’s home course rather than breaking the King’s record and ran the merchandise tent at Oakmont while playing in the ‘83 U.S. Open. Bob Ford’s legendary career in golf continues today: He’s the head professional at Seminole Country Club. Host Tom Coyne tries to keep a straight face as Ford regales him with tales from 40 unforgettable years in the game.

Episode 40: Bizarre Golf History Oct 18, 2019

Who holds the rightful claim to America’s first golf club? How did three different players lose in match play after an ace? Which major champion was nearly arrested for slow play? Host Tom Coyne has questions, and Connor Lewis of the Society of Golf Historians has the answers. This rollicking conversation gets into some of golf’s true-life oddities, including a flatulence fine, a mid-round pizza delivery at the U.S. Open and the real-life Roy McAvoy.

Episode 39: Swing Thoughts with Dr. Bob Winters Oct 03, 2019

Breathe. Rotate. Don’t blow it left. Don’t think about your ex. Get your hands to the proper spot. Shut the face. Be oily. Go blank. Whether they’re beautiful and effective or a form of psychological warfare, everyone has a swing thought. On our latest podcast, host Tom Coyne asks a host of players what’s going through their heads, and gets renowned golf psychologist Dr. Bob Winters to sort through them. Listen as PGA Tour pro Zac Blair, U.S. poet laureate Billy Collins, No Laying Up’s Big Randy and Tron Carter, course architect David McLay Kidd and more sit on the TGJ couch and bare their golfing souls for all to hear.

Golf and the Climate Crisis Sep 17, 2019

Inspired by the frightening story of Scotland’s Montrose Golf Links in TGJ No. 9, host Tom Coyne sets out to see how others in golf are confronting the very real effects of the climate crisis. He interviews Montrose story author and climate scientist Dr. Robin George Andrews, Cornell University turfgrass specialist Dr. Frank Rossi and Dani Creighton, the environmental manager at Glencoe Golf Club in Alberta, Canada, to ask what exactly is happening to golf courses worldwide. The answers are troubling—the game we love is no doubt changing—but he also discovers some surprising ways some are fighting back.

Episode 37: Joel Murray from Canal Shores Aug 28, 2019

The latest TGJ Podcast finds Tom Coyne sitting down with actor and comedian Joel Murray at American Legion Post 42, following their round together at Chicago’s Canal Shores. The youngest of nine Murrays reminisces on his introduction to the game at Canal, its infamous snackbar, lessons his own caddie shack and of course, stories about Bill.

Episode 36: Rob Collins and Sweetens Cove Aug 15, 2019

We celebrate the return of Sweetens Cove to the pages of TGJ with a conversation between Contributing Editor D.J. Piehowski and Sweetens Cove architect Rob Collins. They discuss the devilish fourth hole, which is featured in the Yardage Book section of issue No. 9, the foul-mouthed preacher behind its royal nickname, and just how tough it can play. They also get into the changes at the course and how a game of telephone between Brad Faxon, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning led to Manning joining its ownership group.

TGJ Podcast 35: Wendell Haskins and Sadena Parks Aug 01, 2019

From music videos at Def Jam to Director of Diversity at the PGA of America, Wendell Haskins has built a remarkable life inside and outside the game. On the latest TGJ Podcast, Casey Bannon links up with Haskins and professional golfer Sadena Parks in New York City in advance of their Original Tee Golf Classic—a tournament celebrating the African-Americans in the game. Learn how one of the coolest guys in golf went from roommates with P. Diddy to Luther Campbell’s stylist to full-time grower of the game.

Episode 34: Royal Portrush Jul 16, 2019

After 68 years, the Open Championship has finally returned to Royal Portrush and Northern Ireland. Host Tom Coyne sits down with Dr. Richard Haslam of Saint Joseph’s University to explore the politics of the area that contributed to the Open’s absence, then he’s joined by “The Boss” of Royal Portrush, Wilma Erskine, to discuss how her club returned to the rota. It’s one part history lesson, one part preview and 100 percent Irish.

Episode 33: Dinner with David McLay Kidd Jul 08, 2019

After playing Gamble Sands together, Tom Coyne joins course architect David McLay Kidd and the rest of their fivesome for a dinner conversation. Over local wine and halibut with sides of banter, the group dishes on what makes Kidd’s wonderfully wild design in upstate Washington so refreshing, the beauty behind fescue and the serious business of making golf fun.

Episode 32: Jimmy Dunne Jun 25, 2019

After 36 holes incredible together at Shinnecock and NGLA, Tom Coyne sits down with Jimmy Dunne, one of the most interesting men in golf you may not know. He opens up on everything from growing up as a caddie, becoming a member at Augusta (among other clubs), being a staple in celebrity foursomes, lunches with presidents and Tom Brady “whining” for more strokes.

Episode 31: U.S. Open Recap with Jim Moriarty Jun 18, 2019

Go behind the scenes at the 2019 U.S. Open with Jim Moriarty. In the latest TGJ podcast, host Tom Coyne checks in with the legendary golf writer as he covers his 34th U.S. Open. In a series of daily chats from Pebble Beach, Jim discusses a new appreciation for Brooks Koepka, his Kansas connection with Gary Woodland, and drops some fantastic yarns from Pebble’s days gone by including one about Jack Nicklaus and a missing winner’s check.

Episode 30: Anthony Pioppi May 29, 2019

Tom Coyne sits down with author Anthony Pioppi to discuss why it's not the quantity of the holes that count, it's the quality.

Episode 29: New York, New York May 09, 2019

Comedian Paul Gutkowski describes what it's really like to be a golfer in New York City.

Episode 28: Masters Road Trip Apr 18, 2019

Host Tom Coyne takes a few of his buddies on a once in a lifetime trip to The Masters

Episode 27: No Laying Up: Chris Solomon Apr 04, 2019

From the pages of No.7: A deep dive into the origins No Laying Up with co-founder Chris Solomon

Episode 26: The Roadie: Aaron Dill Mar 28, 2019

Aaron Dill takes us on a tour of the Titleist tour truck on location at The Player's Championship

Episode 25: The Ace Pod Mar 05, 2019

Episode 24: Billy Collins Feb 20, 2019

Tom Coyne sits with the former U.S. Poet Laureate, Billy Collins

Episode 23: Geoff Ogilvy Jan 10, 2019

Geoff Ogilvy is a major champion that also happens to be a Golfer's Journal contributor. The former U.S. Open champ wrote the Yardage Book section of TGJ No. 6 and he joins the podcast to discuss growing up in Australia's Sand Belt as well as the state of the professional and recreational game around the world.

Episode 22: Our favorite stories of 2018 Dec 28, 2018

To wrap up 2018, Publisher Brendon Thomas and Managing Editor Travis Hill join the podcast to discuss how their favorite stories came together this year. We also discuss the highlights of the year’s TGJ events and give a preview of what’s on the horizon in 2019 and how readers can get involved.

Episode 21: Larry Wilmore Dec 19, 2018

After serving as a writer and contributor on shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Office and The Daily Show, Larry Wilmore is now the executive producer of Black-ish on ABC. Beyond that, he's a golf fanatic. He joined the podcast to discuss how he fell in love with the game and the role that it plays in Hollywood today. You can read more about his golf obsession in TGJ No. 6.

Episode 20: Keith Cutten Nov 20, 2018

Keith Cutten is a Canadian golf course architect and the author of the new book, "The Evolution of Golf Course Design." He joined the podcast to talk through his career in architecture, how he came up with the idea for his book and the current state of the golf industry.

Episode 19: Job Fickett and Adam Heindorff Nov 06, 2018

Job Fickett was the TGJ reader that pitched the story that ended up becoming "Game of Pixels" in TGJ No. 5. We talk through the ins and outs of the most in-depth golf video game there is and Job explains what it takes to be one of the game's standout course designers. We also chat with Adam Heindorff of Links & Kings about the gift all premium subscribers receive this year.

Episode 18: Jim Dodson (Live at Pinehurst) Oct 11, 2018

Jim Dodson has written more than 10 books about golf, ranging from his personal experience with the game to biographies of titans like Arnold Palmer and Ben Hogan. He joined us live at a TGJ subscriber event at Pinehurst Resort to share stories from a career of covering the game, as well as his thoughts on golf and media at large.

Episode 17: The Long Road to the PGA Tour Sep 26, 2018

There are thousands of professional golfers in the world and most never make it to the PGA Tour. After seven years of grinding toward that goal, Adam Long finally broke through this year and will begin his rookie season on the PGA Tour next week. He joined the podcast to discuss the highs and lows of his path to the Tour.

Episode 16: Gil Hanse Aug 29, 2018

Gil Hanse is one of the most prolific architects working in golf today. His original work can be seen everywhere from The Olympic Course in Rio to the wild Streamsong Black, while his restoration work has touched many of the United States’ most prestigious clubs (from Winged Foot to Los Angeles Country Club). Hanse joined the TGJ Podcast to discuss his complete renovation of Pinehurst No. 4 and a variety of other topics.

Episode 15: Jim Moriarty Aug 15, 2018

Jim Moriarty has covered golf for more than 40 years as a reporter, author and photographer. He joins the podcast to talk through how golf has changed throughout his career and why he’s still excited to watch the action on Sunday afternoons. Jim also makes his Golfer’s Journal debut with an essay in TGJ No. 5.

Episode 14: The Links Episode Jul 24, 2018

On the heels of The Open at Carnoustie, we put together an episode celebrating the things that make links golf special. We start with a reading of D.J. Piehowski’s piece, “Beneath the Machair” from TGJ No. 1 (1:35 mark), which details the history of the once-lost Askernish golf course. Up next is a conversation with contributor Tom Coyne (17:37 mark), who has played (nearly) every links course in Ireland and Scotland. The episode concludes with a reading of his essay, “Sacred Sands” from TGJ No. 2 (44:10 mark).

Episode 13: Australian Golf with Curtis Luck Jul 09, 2018

In our TGJ No. 4 Q&A, we discussed a number of things with young Australian standout Curtis Luck – where he grew up, winning the U.S. Amateur, playing the Masters and more. In this episode of the podcast, we had Curtis break down his five favorite Australian golf courses and why they each make the list.

Episode 12: Jamie Kennedy's Golf Marathon Jun 21, 2018

This week marks the Bandon Solstice event, where a group of people get together to try to play all four courses at Bandon Dunes on the longest day of the year. As impressive as that is, Jamie Kennedy laughs at the feat. To raise money for a Scotland charity back in 2012, Jamie walked 10 rounds in one day – a total of nearly 60 miles – and he shares the story in this episode of the TGJ Podcast.

Episode 11: Inside TGJ No. 4 Jun 06, 2018

Managing editor Travis Hill takes you step-by-step through the latest issue of The Golfer's Journal with stories and context on how each feature came together and why it was chosen. TGJ No. 4 marks one full year in the life of our magazine and we couldn't be more thankful to have all of the readers (and listeners) that have helped support it.

Episode 10: No Scars - The Story of Len Mattiace May 09, 2018

People like Len Mattiace often turn into footnotes of history as the guys who almost got it done. But his story is more complicated than near-misses on big stages. In a special Golfer’s Journal podcast, Mattiace shares the story of his career – from watching a major slip away to gaining perspective from injuries.

Episode 9: The Courses That Stick with Andy Johnson Apr 18, 2018

Andy Johnson is a TGJ contributor who first started writing about golf course architecture for his website and newsletter, The Fried Egg. In this episode of the podcast, Andy reflects on the five golf courses that had the biggest impact on shaping his views on the game.

Episode 8: Riley Johns and Keith Rhebb Apr 04, 2018

Our guests today are Riley Johns and Keith Rhebb, two golf course architects who recently completed work on their first solo design at the Winter Park 9. Johns was featured in TGJ No. 3 while guiding us on a tour of his home course, the Stanley Thompson-designed Banff Springs.

Episode 7: Shane Bacon and Chris Solomon Mar 21, 2018

TGJ contributors Shane Bacon (Fox Sports) and Chris Solomon (No Laying Up) join the podcast to discuss the unbelievable hospitality details that come with playing one of South Korea's most private golf courses. Shane also recounted his experience in TGJ No. 3, a piece brought to life in part by Chris’ dramatic aerial photos of Whistling Rock Country Club.

Episode 6: Will Leitch Mar 07, 2018

Will Leitch is not a golfer, which, in a strange way, is a major reason we wanted him to write for The Golfer's Journal. As a sportswriter who has appeared in every outlet from the New York Times to Deadspin (which he helped found), Will has a unique perspective from outside the world of golf. He discussed his complicated relationship with the game in an essay in TGJ No. 3 and elaborated on what's kept him away from golf in this episode of the podcast.

Episode 5: Brendon Thomas and Travis Hill Feb 21, 2018

With TGJ No. 3 about to ship to subscribers, we wanted to look back at how and why The Golfer's Journal got started. Publisher Brendon Thomas and Managing Editor Travis Hill discussed where the idea came from, the 2-year struggle to put TGJ No. 1 together and much more.

Episode 4: Geoff Cunningham Feb 08, 2018

Geoff Cunningham is – among many, many other golf things – the creative vision behind Linksoul. His art and photography is featured prominently in TGJ No. 2. He joined the podcast to discuss his golf artwork, his visit to Louisville Golf, the revitalization of Goat Hill Park and much more.

You can find his work at GeoffCunninghamGolf.com and on Instagram: @parnography

Episode 3: Tom Coyne / Sacred Sands Jan 09, 2018

Tom Coyne has played every links course in Ireland and Scotland, written four books and a screenplay. He brings a lifetime of golf experience and opinion to The Golfer's Journal and, for the first time, the TGJ podcast.

Episode 2: Travis Hill / Sweetens Cove Dec 26, 2017

Managing editor Travis Hill talks through his transformative trip to Sweetens Cove, a nine-hole gem in Tennessee that's changing how people think about the game.

Episode 1: Caleb Hannan / Bally Bandon Sheep Ranch Dec 14, 2017

In our debut episode, writer Caleb Hannan explains what it's like to play the mysterious Sheep Ranch near Bandon Dunes, golf's equivalent to a choose-your-own-adventure novel.

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