The Golfer's Journal Podcast

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.