The Fried Egg Golf Podcast

The 2022 Augusta National Women's Amateur begins tomorrow, and who better to talk to about it than Emilia Migliaccio (@emiliamigliacc1)? Emilia played in the inaugural ANWA in 2019, finished second last year, and will be in the field again this week. She talks with Garrett Morrison about the unique aspects of the event, the different challenges of the two host courses, her strategies for negotiating Augusta National’s greens, and the lessons she learned after coming up short in a playoff last year. In addition to being an elite amateur golfer, Emilia is also an accomplished writer and a Golf Channel reporter, and she explains why she has decided to pursue a career in journalism instead of turning professional in golf.

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Today we tell the story of one of the great lost elements of match-play golf: the stymie. A stymie occurred when one player’s ball on the green ended up between the hole and the opponent’s ball. Unless the balls were within six inches of one another, the ball closer to the hole could not be lifted. The player who was away simply had to figure out what to do next. When the governing bodies eliminated the stymie in 1952, more than a curious little quirk of match play was lost, according to our guest Stephen Proctor. In a conversation with Garrett Morrison, Stephen argues that the stymie embodied a larger attitude toward the game—an attitude that fell out of favor in the mid-20th century, but one that is worth remembering, and perhaps reviving, today.

Stephen's book The Long Golden Afternoon is available for pre-order now.

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With last week's Distance Insights update from the USGA and R&A, it made sense to bring in Geoff Shackelford (@geoffshac) to discuss the latest developments. Geoff has been writing about and covering the distance issue in golf for over 20 years. In this episode, he chats with Andy Johnson about what's coming, how players and equipment companies will be affected, and whether bifurcation has finally arrived. Andy and Geoff also catch up on two timely topics: the Saudi-backed LIV Golf league and the Masters. You can read more of Geoff's musings in his Substack newsletter The Quadrilateral.

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Andy Johnson and Garrett Morrison sit down (in person this time!) to discuss an array of listener questions. They talk about how the PGA Tour can better assess shot-shaping skills, which musical artist TPC Sawgrass resembles, how golf telecasts can improve, which golf books they would recommend, whether big-name architects are getting too busy, and what changes they would make to Augusta National’s course if they had their druthers. Many thanks to our followers on Twitter and Instagram for the questions!

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Former PGA Tour player Roberto Castro (@cicioCASTRO) talks with Andy Johnson about the marathon that was the 2022 Players Championship. From the weather to the final putt on Monday, Roberto shares his insights into what makes the tournament so difficult to predict, how Saturday gave us a glimpse into what a rollback might look like, and what he thinks the most difficult shot on the course is. The current state of golf course development is also discussed in the back half of the episode. 

In addition to hosting the Course Record Show podcast, Roberto runs his own golf consulting business, Castro Golf Consulting.

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In February 2020, Garrett Morrison interviewed 1976 U.S. Open champion Jerry Pate about his win at the 1982 Players Championship, the first Players held at TPC Sawgrass. Jerry talked about his first impressions of the Pete Dye-designed Stadium Course, his post-victory leap into the pond next to the 18th green, and his fond memories of his friends Pete and Alice Dye. We used excerpts from Jerry and Garrett's conversation in our documentary podcast “Making TPC Sawgrass.” Since it’s now the 40th anniversary of the '82 Players, we figured it was a good time to air the interview in full.

Check out our video on the history, design, and evolution of TPC Sawgrass.

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It’s tradition around here to release a “Five Things About...” episode on Tuesday before a major championship. Since the Players Championship, in spite of the PGA Tour’s best efforts, isn’t quite a major, we thought “Four Things” would suffice. Andy Johnson calls up Sean Martin (@PGATourSMartin), the newly anointed king of editorial at PGATour.com, to chat about the latest happenings on tour and the most interesting storylines going into the week at TPC Sawgrass.

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Things have been moving quickly for Phil Mickelson. After his comments about the Saudi-backed Super Golf League made headlines, he was dropped by most of his major sponsors and pilloried by both the media and his PGA Tour colleagues. The backlash was surprisingly severe, even if much of it was well deserved. Mickelson’s knowing involvement with Saudi sportswashing was indefensible. But that doesn’t mean that everything he said about the SGL was nonsense. In fact, his basic position that the PGA Tour needs to be challenged is worth taking seriously. So in this episode, Andy Johnson and Garrett Morrison discuss how competition from rival leagues could force the Tour to improve its product. 

Here is Garrett’s article “Phil Mickelson and the Uses of Leverage.” 

Also, check out the Fried Egg Events page on Golf Genius.

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Joshua C.F. Smith (@joshuacfsmith) has worn many hats in golf. From playing competitively in college to serving as superintendent at Orinda Country Club outside of Oakland, California, he has seen many aspects of the industry. He has also found time to become a renowned painter of golf landscapes and help found FlagBag Golf Co. (@flagbaggolf). In the latest installment of our Superintendent Series, Josh sits down with Andy Johnson to share stories about his wide-ranging career.

The Superintendent Series is brought to you by the Toro Company.

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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is making major inroads in professional golf. It holds lucrative annual events, funds a 10-event series on the Asian Tour, and hopes to lure the world’s best male players to a proposed Super Golf League. Recently, the SGL initiative has taken a hit because of Phil Mickelson’s loose lips, but Saudi Arabia appears committed to its golf strategy, and it’s clear that the country is engaged in a practice known as “sportswashing.” As one of our guests, Dr. Helen Lenskyj, defines it, sportswashing involves “attempts on the part of authoritarian regimes to improve their tarnished global reputations through sport.” It is important for golf fans to understand this concept because the Saudis aren’t going anywhere.

We have two guests today: Dr. Lenskyj, an academic researcher who focuses on the relationship between sports and global politics; and Will Bardwell, a civil rights attorney and golf writer.

Time stamps:

2:49—Will Bardwell interview, part 1

13:11—Helen Lenskyj interview

30:25—Will Bardwell interview, part 2

Reading material:

Will Bardwell, “Blind Men and Blood”

Helen Lenskyj, The Olympic Games: A Critical Approach

Check out The Fried Egg Events page on Golf Genius.

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The third of our deep dives into the five 18-hole courses at Bandon Dunes focuses on Bandon Trails, built by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw in 2005. Andy Johnson and Garrett Morrison talk about how the construction of Bandon Trails fit into the resort’s history, and they play an interview clip in which Coore discusses the origins of the course’s three-part identity. Andy and Garrett then launch into a wide-ranging discussion of Bandon Trails’ (many) strengths and (few) weaknesses. They cover, among other things, their favorite green-to-tee transitions, the controversy around the 14th hole, and the course’s similarities to Saving Private Ryan, The Princess Bride, and Bruce Bowen. (All of that will make sense in context, we promise.)

The Bandon Deep Dives are brought to you by Zero Restriction.

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With the final tournament of the West Coast swing upon us, it's a good time to catch up with Joseph LaMagna (@JosephLaMagna), Fried Egg contributor and author of the biweekly newsletter Finding the Edge, about the early part of the 2022 PGA Tour season. Andy Johnson grills Joseph on who has impressed and disappointed thus far and what he makes of the very low scores we've seen almost weekly. They wrap up their chat with what to expect at Riviera later this week and the specific skill sets the course will test.

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In the latest edition of our Superintendent Series, Andy Johnson meets up with Eric Richardson (@erichturf), Director of Grounds at Essex County Club, at the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) Conference and Trade Show in San Diego, California. Along with architect Bruce Hepner, Eric has worked to return Essex County to its Donald Ross roots. He has overseen projects such as enlarging greens, changing mowing lines, reshaping bunkers, giving the course a minimalist look and feel, and maintaining ideal playing conditions on the property's unique terrain. Andy and Eric also discover they have a similar disdain for ball washers.

The Superintendent Series is brought to you by the Toro Company.

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Ben Cowan-Dewar is the co-founder and CEO of Cabot, the company that developed Cabot Cape Breton and recently purchased World Woods Golf Club in Florida. Ben talks with Andy Johnson about Cabot’s first U.S.-based property, which will be rebranded as Cabot Citrus Farms. They also discuss Ben’s unconventional path to becoming a golf course developer, the early days of Cabot Links, and his experiences working with Bill Coore and other great architects.

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In the latest installment of our “What to Know About…” series on golf’s greatest architects, we focus on Perry Maxwell, the designer of many courses, including Prairie Dunes, Southern Hills, and Old Town Club. Garrett Morrison and Andy Johnson kick off the episode by talking about The Fried Egg’s upcoming event at Dornick Hills Country Club, the first course Maxwell built. We then present two conversations: one between Garrett and biographer Chris Clouser on Perry Maxwell’s life and work, and another between Andy and architect Colton Craig (@craig_colton) on Colton’s quest to play every Maxwell course in existence. Toward the end of the podcast, we return to Chris for some closing reflections on Maxwell’s architectural legacy. (Time stamps below.)

The Banker, our June 6 event at Dornick Hills in Ardmore, Oklahoma, opens for registration on Monday, February 7. For more information, visit our new events page on Golf Genius.

Check out The Midwest Associate, Chris Clouser’s biography of Perry Maxwell.

Time stamps:

0:35—Discussion of Dornick Hills and The Banker

7:04—Chris Clouser interview

36:34—Colton Craig interview

54:05—Final thoughts with Chris Clouser

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Legendary golf course architect Bill Coore returns to the podcast for the first time in over two years. He and Andy Johnson have a lot to catch up on, and they cover a number of past and present Coore & Crenshaw projects, including Old Sandwich Golf Club, Bandon Trails, the Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame, and Brambles in Northern California. Bill shares his insights on the current boom in golf course construction and how it differs from the last upturn in the 90s and early 00s. He finishes with some reflections on what keeps him going and what he loves most about designing golf courses.

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In the second of their five Bandon Dunes deep dives, Andy Johnson and Garrett Morrison discuss what may be the resort’s most polarizing course: Old Macdonald, built by Tom Doak and Jim Urbina in 2009. Andy and Garrett start with a historical rundown, touching on the origins of C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor’s “ideal holes,” the decision to make Old Mac a tribute to those templates, and the unusual collaborative process behind the construction of the course. Then Andy and Garrett dig into the nitty-gritty of Old Mac’s design. They talk about the holes they love (and don’t quite love), and they try to figure out why this unique, brilliant course sometimes rubs people the wrong way.

The Bandon Deep Dives are brought to you by Zero Restriction (code: OLDMAC).

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While visiting Scottsdale, Arizona, Andy Johnson met up with Tim Jackson and David Kahn of Jackson Kahn Design (@JKDgolfdesign). Tim and David got their start working for Tom Fazio’s organization, founded their own firm in 2009, and went on to do striking, ambitious work at Monterey Peninsula Country Club and Scottsdale National Golf Club. In this episode, they describe their design style, share stories of working for Bob Parsons (“kaboom, baby!”), and explain how a video game helped them conceptualize the Bad Little Nine at Scottsdale National. They also have some choice words about the current state of golf course architecture as an art.

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In this second part of his most recent conversation with Andy Johnson, Tom Doak answers more listener questions, including ones about the upcoming Sedge Valley project at Sand Valley and the non-golf literature that has influenced him. Tom and Andy also discuss how golf course architecture finds itself at a crossroads, with established architects approaching retirement just as construction has started to boom. Finally, Tom answers the hardest question in Yolk with Doak history.

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As the supply-chain crisis escalates, new golf equipment is becoming pricier and harder to get ahold of. So it might be a good time to take an interest in used clubs. Ryan Barath (@rdsbarath), lead content strategist at Tour Experience Golf, is one of the industry's most knowledgeable resources on that subject. Ryan talks with Garrett Morrison about how his golf nerdery started and how the equipment business has changed during his career. In the second half of the episode, Ryan and Garrett give their picks for two sets of used clubs: one that can be had for under $750 total, and another that consists of equipment made before 2005. This exercise allows them to delve deeper into the products, innovations, and trends that have, for better or for worse, shaped 21st-century golf.

On The Fried Egg website: How to Assemble a Great Set of Used Golf Clubs

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In the latest edition of our interview series with golf course architect Tom Doak, Tom answers listener questions about New Year's resolutions, forward-tee placement, and accounting for climate change in his designs. He also shares with Andy a number of new concepts and projects he'd like to explore, including a modern replica of Pine Valley, a course specifically for women, and a fresh take on residential golf. Look for part two of this conversation in the coming weeks.

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Why aren’t there more women in the turf industry? What changes would be necessary for there to be more? Devon Carroll (@turfgirl24), a doctoral candidate in turfgrass science at the University of Tennessee, has looked deeply into these questions. Recently she has been interviewing women who hold leadership roles in turf and finding out how more women might be recruited and retained. This topic has taken on additional urgency over the past several months as workplaces everywhere, including those in golf, have struggled to find labor. Devon joins Andy Johnson to talk about her background in golf and golf course maintenance, her experiences in the male-dominated field, and the ways that the industry can improve its gender diversity. 

Check out Devon’s new peer-reviewed research paper, “Women in Turf: A Qualitative Study Examining How Women Have Sustained Their Leadership Role in the Turfgrass Industry.”

The Superintendent Series is brought to you by The Toro Company.

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Let’s be honest: the PGA Tour season doesn’t really start until the serene seascapes of Kapalua fill our TV screens in the first week of January. To prepare for the occasion, Andy Johnson calls up Joseph LaMagna (@JosephLaMagna), the sharp mind behind the Finding the Edge newsletter, to discuss what to expect from Ponte Vedra’s princes in 2022. They talk about the youth wave in men’s professional golf, the keys to Collin Morikawa’s success, and whether Rory McIlroy is “back.” Andy and Joseph finish by running through several players who are primed for breakout years and a few who could regress to the mean.

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For our final episode of 2021, we talk about The Fried Egg’s roster of 2022 events. First, Andy Johnson and Garrett Morrison run through some FAQs: Why do we hold these events? How do we choose the venues? What’s the format? Can I register as a single? What if I’m not a particularly competitive player? (To address the latter two questions briefly: absolutely, and it doesn’t matter.) Then Andy and Garrett have an in-depth discussion of Lawsonia Links, site of the annual Steamshovel event. Lawsonia was designed by William Langford and Theodore Moreau in 1930, and it is an important course both to Andy and to The Fried Egg. We finish up with two clips from past episodes: a portion of Andy’s interview with architect Troy Miller about Charleston Municipal Golf Course, host of the King Tide; and a conversation between Andy and Garrett about Soule Park, host of the Boomerang.

Sign-ups for the first four Fried Egg events of 2022 open on Monday, January 3! Those events: the King Tide at Charleston Muni in Charleston, South Carolina; the Boomerang at Soule Park in Ojai, California; the Steamshovel at Lawsonia Links in Green Lake, Wisconsin; and the Coup de Grâce at the Dunes Club in New Buffalo, Michigan. For details, visit our EVENTS PAGE.

Here are some time stamps in case you’d like to skip around in the episode:

(0:37) Explanation of Fried Egg events and next year’s events in particular

(24:40) Discussion of Lawsonia Links

(40:50) Interview with Troy Miller about Charleston Muni

(55:10) Discussion of Soule Park

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Over the next several weeks, we plan to record deep-dive discussions for all five 18-hole courses at Bandon Dunes. First up, in reverse-chronological order: Sheep Ranch. Before it was officially part of the resort, Sheep Ranch was a free-form course on which players could choose their own routings. Its 13 greens were designed by Tom Doak and the team at Renaissance Golf Design. When owners Mike Keiser and Phil Friedmann decided to incorporate Sheep Ranch into Bandon Dunes, they hired Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw to transform it into a traditional 18-hole layout. Andy Johnson and Garrett Morrison discuss the course’s history and evolution before giving their assessment of its current design. (Spoiler: they like it.)

Our Bandon Deep Dives are brought to you by Zero Restriction.

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One of the most pressing issues in golf right now is the relationship between the game and the environment. As temperatures rise and water supplies dwindle, courses need to reevaluate the way they use resources and interact with their ecosystems. Sorting through these complexities is Parker Anderson’s specialty. Parker is the founder (and head beekeeper) of Greener Golf, a company that helps golf facilities quantify and improve their impact on the environment. In this episode, he talks with Garrett Morrison about the surprising benefits that a well-tended bee colony can offer a course and its surroundings. They also discuss the stigmas against the game, the potential for short courses to be ecological laboratories, and how golf can strive to be regenerative, not just sustainable.

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Earlier this week, Andy Johnson wrote an article for The Fried Egg website on the great remaining restoration opportunities in American golf. It generated a lot of discussion, so Andy and Garrett decided to sit down and discuss the topic further. They go in depth on Andy’s top four restoration candidates—Augusta National, Riviera, Pebble Beach, and the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass—and they touch on the 12 other courses that made the list as well as a few notable ones that were left off. Andy and Garrett wrap up with some thoughts on what the future might hold for restoration and renovation in the golf course industry.

Article: America's Great Remaining Golf Course Restoration Opportunities

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Ken Nice, Senior Director of Agronomy at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, joins Andy Johnson to discuss… basketball, of all things! Once the hoops chat is over, Ken shares some stories from his experience as the assistant superintendent during the construction of David McLay-Kidd's Bandon Dunes. Ken and Andy then talk about the evolution and growth of the resort, how he's handled overseeing the unique maintenance challenges at each course, his favorite spots on the property, and how he deals with the rare snow day and a packed tee sheet.

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For the latest installment of our audio documentary series, Garrett Morrison heads out to the Oregon coast for the 2021 U.S. Hickory Open. At this event, players must use wooden-shafted clubs either made before 1935 or faithfully based on those models. Garrett spends the day walking around Gearhart Golf Links, talking to a variety of characters, including John Henry Williams, a club repair specialist who has set up a workshop on site; Tad Moore, a renowned club builder and a co-founder of the Society of Hickory Golfers; and Colin McNamara, who is in contention to win the tournament. Garrett’s main purpose is to understand 21st-century hickory golf: where it came from, how it’s played, and why some people get absolutely hooked by it.

Season 2 of Fried Egg Stories is brought to you by Precision Pro Golf.

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After a six-day stint at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, a trio of tired Eggs (@the_woke_yolk, @gfordgolf, @willknightsTFE) sit down to hash out their "Dream 18": a composite course consisting of their favorite holes from the five 18-hole courses on the property. For each hole number, they choose a winner and an honorable mention, and some lively debate ensues. This discussion should provide an accessible introduction to our upcoming deep dives into each course.

The Fried Egg’s trip to Bandon Dunes was made possible (and, at times, survivable) by Zero Restriction, makers of fine outerwear.

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Our series with golf architect Tom Doak continues as he and Andy Johnson catch up in Washington D.C., where they attended the National Links Trust Symposium on Municipal Golf. In addition to discussing sustainability and course maintenance in the municipal golf world, they talk about the few golf course restorations left that would interest Tom, how his design style has evolved over the years, and the origins of the Renaissance Cup. Lastly, Apache Stronghold Golf Club, a course of Tom’s that hasn't been mentioned much in the Yolk with Doak series, gets some overdue attention.

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George C. Thomas Jr. is the golf architect behind Riviera Country Club, Bel Air Country Club, the North Course at Los Angeles Country Club, and the classic 1927 book Golf Architecture in America. To learn more about Thomas, Andy Johnson sits down with Geoff Shackelford (@geoffshac), who is the author not only of the Substack newsletter The Quadrilateral but also the book The Captain: George C. Thomas Jr. and His Golf Architecture. Geoff and Andy discuss various aspects of Thomas’s compelling albeit short life, including his diverse hobbies, contributions to Pine Valley, partnership with Billy Bell, and ever-evolving design style.

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Trevor Immelman is the 2008 Masters champion, a TV analyst, and the incoming captain of the International Presidents Cup squad. In this episode, he chats with Andy Johnson about what it takes to be a winner on the PGA Tour today, his experience as an assistant captain at the 2019 Presidents Cup, and how things are looking for the International team going into 2022. Trevor also looks back at the beginning of his golf career in South Africa and the role Ernie Els played as a mentor-turned-competitor.

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Ryan Tuxhorn (@r_tuxhorn) joins Andy Johnson for the latest edition of our Superintendent Series. Ryan went straight from college to working as an intern and making his way through the ranks at Merion Golf Club. He shares how his experiences there shaped his philosophies on everything from course maintenance to green speeds, and prepared him for his job as superintendent at Somerset Hills Country Club, where he has been for the past 13 years. He and Andy discuss the restoration work at Somerset Hills, how his approach has changed over the years, and his budding maple syrup business, which keeps him busy through the long New Jersey winters.

The Superintendent Series is brought to you by the Toro Company.

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Wayne Morrison is the author of The Nature Faker, a monumental biography of William Flynn. It’s safe to say that no one on earth knows more about Flynn, the architect behind Shinnecock Hills and many other great courses. In this episode (which is the first of a few we have planned on specific architects), Wayne goes in depth with Andy Johnson on Flynn's life and work during the Golden Age of golf course design. Wayne talks about how he became interested in Flynn and how his massive book came together. He and Andy also touch on Flynn's involvement with many courses that have stood the test of time, including not only Shinnecock but also Pine Valley, Merion East, Cherry Hills, Rolling Green, Lancaster, and Indian Creek. You can order your own copy of The Nature Faker by emailing Wayne at wsmorrison@hotmail.com.

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Sara Mess joins Garrett Morrison to discuss her involvement in the Glenway Golf Park renovation in Madison, Wisconsin. This unique project, spearheaded by Michael Keiser and his wife Jocelyn, will both revive the Glenway course and engage the Madison community in a number of creative ways. Sara also discusses her time working at Renaissance Golf Design, her collaboration with Tom Doak on his recent books, and her insights on how access and inclusivity (and proper tee placement!) can help create more diversity in both golf and the field of golf course architecture.

If you're so inclined, subscribe to The Fried Egg Newsletter HERE.

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Andy Johnson’s recent travels have taken him to two municipal golf courses with A-1 architectural pedigrees: Donald Ross’s George Wright Golf Course near Boston, Massachusetts; and A.W. Tillinghast’s Swope Memorial Golf Course in Kansas City, Missouri. In this episode, Andy sits down with Garrett Morrison to reflect on what makes these courses special. They discuss Ross’s clever drainage methods at George Wright and Tillinghast’s adventurous use of hilly land at Swope Memorial. They also debate whether the restoration trend in the golf course industry, which has primarily affected private clubs so far, will soon filter down to municipal facilities.

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Korn Ferry Tour player Vince India (@vince_india) catches up with Andy Johnson and discusses the grind that is the Second Stage of Q-School. Vince has made it through every level of Q-School for six years running. He shares some of his favorite stories and explains how his mindset going into qualifying has changed over the years. Andy and Vince also discuss the rising importance of physical conditioning in pro golf and how to actually improve your weaknesses.

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Rodney Hine got his start in the turf industry as an assistant superintendent at Winged Foot Golf Club. He then moved into golf course design, serving as the grow-in superintendent at Tom Doak's Stonewall and eventually as a designer and agronomist for Hanse Golf Course Design. After helping Gil Hanse build Boston Golf Club in 2003, Rodney decided to stay on as the course's first superintendent, and he has been there ever since. In this installment of our Superintendent Series, he and Andy Johnson chat about Rodney's fascinating career, the quirky challenges of BGC, the importance of varied plant life on a golf course, and more.

The Superintendent Series is brought to you by the Toro Company.

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This past weekend, Team USA won the Ryder Cup in dominant fashion, beating the European side 19-9. To get a handle on what this victory means, Garrett Morrison called up three different people—Ben Coley of Sporting Life, Joseph LaMagna of the Finding the Edge newsletter, and Shane Ryan of Golf Digest—and asked each for one big takeaway from the action at Whistling Straits.

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Lawrence Donegan (@lawrencedonegan) is a longtime golf journalist who has worked for The Scotsman and The Guardian. He co-founded the excellent McKellar Magazine and hosts the McKellar Golf Podcast. With the 2020 (not a typo) Ryder Cup approaching, Lawrence joins Andy Johnson to share five things to watch for at Whistling Straits. They discuss Steve Stricker’s uninspired start to his week-of captaincy, the reasons behind Team USA’s chronic underperformance, the looming succession drama on the European side, and more.

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To get ready for this week’s Ryder Cup, Andy Johnson and Garrett Morrison chat about the design of host venue Whistling Straits. Andy recently shot the Straits Course for a new Fried Egg video, so Garrett asks for his thoughts on Pete Dye’s routing, par-3 concepts, and outrageous shaping. They also discuss the PGA of America’s hefty build-outs, the reasons behind Andy’s hatred of catch basins, and the simple pleasure of gazing at a big ol’ lake all day.

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After a well-regarded run as LPGA commissioner, Mike Whan started two months ago as the CEO of the USGA. Earlier this week, he sat down with Andy Johnson at Chicago Golf Club to discuss a variety of topics. They cover Whan's thinking about the USGA's priorities, championship host selection, and the potential of bringing the U.S. Open back to Chicago and the Midwest. Whan also weighs in on the hottest topic of the day: the distance increases golf has seen over the past few decades, and the USGA's role in securing the future health of the game.

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In this wide-ranging conversation, Don Placek, Partner at Renaissance Golf Design, and Andy Johnson cover the complexity and challenges of the golf architecture consulting business, compare finding new golf courses to discovering new music, and discuss Don’s passion for drawing, maps, and art in general. Don shares how his passions and talents outside of golf improve Renaissance Golf Design’s work and how his routing maps help visualize the 3D world for their clients.

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If you're in Northern Lower Michigan to play Arcadia Bluffs or Crystal Downs, you shouldn't skip Champion Hill Golf Course and Pinecroft Golf Course. Public, affordable, and well designed, Champion Hill and Pinecroft are owned and operated by one family. Is this the ideal business model for affordable golf? Andy Johnson and Garrett Morrison tackle that question in this episode, but first they spend some time chatting about the Solheim Cup, which took place at Inverness Club this past weekend. After Andy and Garrett finish up, they throw it to a conversation Andy recently had with Lee Stone, the owner of Champion Hill and Pinecroft, and Jim Cole, the longtime superintendent of both courses.

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Team match play is the most entertaining format in golf, but we might not understand it very well. What factors should team captains consider when pairing players up for foursomes and four-ball? How much does a player's past match-play record matter? In alternate shot, how should teammates decide who tees off on which holes? Joseph LaMagna (@JosephLaMagna) believes that the conventional answers to these questions rely on faulty reasoning. Joseph runs Optimal Approach Golf, which advises PGA Tour pros on strategy, and writes an excellent newsletter called Finding the Edge. In this episode, he and Garrett Morrison dig into the intricacies of team match play and the tactics that Team USA and Team Europe should use in the upcoming Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup.

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Belvedere Golf Club superintendent Jordan Caplan joins the podcast to talk about the Willie Watson course and his role as the club's fourth superintendent in its almost 100-year history. Jordan and Andy Johnson discuss the challenges of course maintenance in harsh Northern Lower Michigan winters and the differences between the Belvedere job and Jordan’s past work at Philadelphia Cricket Club. They also chat about trends in golf architecture vs. building architecture, the abundance of quality golf in Michigan, and how to get your kids interested in the game. The Superintendent Series is brought to you by the Toro Company.

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Andrew Green is one of the busiest golf architects in the industry. He recently completed a restoration of Oak Hill's East Course and a renovation of Congressional's Blue Course, and he's currently doing work at Scioto, Wannamoisett, and Interlachen. Andrew's best-known project to date may be his bold 2017 restoration of Inverness Club, a 1919 Donald Ross design that has hosted six major championships. Next week, Inverness will appear on your TV as the host of the Solheim Cup, so Garrett Morrison figured it was a good time to call Andrew up and chat about Inverness's strengths, its complicated architectural history, Andrew's approach to balancing restoration with renovation, and his affection for a well-executed chocolate drop.

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Nick Nate, superintendent at South Bend Country Club, talks with Andy Johnson about his career in turf, which has taken him from his hometown in South Bend, Indiana, to the Old Course and back home again. They discuss Nick's start in the business at Warren Golf Course when it first opened, the perks of his internship at St. Andrews and his stint in Scotland, prepping Medinah Country Club for the 2006 PGA Championship, and the challenges and rewards of bringing South Bend CC back to its George O'Neil roots. Nick also shares his Notre Dame gameday tips and predictions for the upcoming college football season. The Superintendent Series is brought to you by the Toro Company.

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Today, Homer Kelley's 1969 book The Golfing Machine is a standard text for those who study the science of the golf swing. Famous instructors cite it, as do tour pros like Bryson DeChambeau and Steve Elkington. But in 1982, The Golfing Machine was most associated with 23-year-old Bobby Clampett, who had been schooled in Kelley's system. Clampett had compiled a stellar amateur résumé, and after two rounds of the '82 Open Championship, he led by five shots. He was on the verge of validating what he had once told a reporter about The Golfing Machine: "It's the Bible of golf." In this edition of our audio documentary series, we tell the story of Homer Kelley, Bobby Clampett, and their quest to prove that science could solve the mysteries of the game.

Season two of Fried Egg Stories is brought to you by Precision Pro Golf. This episode was produced by Garrett Morrison and mixed by Cameron Hurdus.

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