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So far Claude has created 151 blog entries.

May 2026

Royal Birkdale & Formby – our 2026 Spring Meeting

2026-05-10T17:00:10+00:00May 10th, 2026|Video|

Much like the Sunningdale Foursomes or the Halford Hewitt, the Cookie Jar Spring Meeting has become something of a curtain raiser to the season for many of golf’s biggest nerds. This year, we were fortunate enough to stage it at Birkdale and Formby, just three months before The Open returns to Birkdale. A fairly surreal way to begin the year. It is hard to go wrong with 32 likeminded golf obsessives across two of the country’s finest clubs, but this year was made even better by the company of Mike Howard from Mackenzie & Ebert and Joe McDonnell, who talked [...]

372 – The Tiger Slam Pt 4: The Masters

2026-05-01T04:00:00+00:00May 1st, 2026|Podcasts|

Sam & Tom sit down for Part IV of their deep dive into the Tiger Slam. 25 years on from the fourth leg of Tiger's historic run — and his sixth major victory overall — we revisit the 65th Masters at Augusta National, where he clinched the infamous Tiger Slam.For more on the Tiger Slam, we highly recommend Kevin Cook’s book, which captures the era in microscopic detail. You can grab a copy here. Latest Products

April 2026

078 – From Fairways to Football: Inside Man City’s Grounds Team with Daniel Lewis

2026-04-30T04:00:00+00:00April 30th, 2026|Golf Badgers|

Bledge and Dan sit down to explore the fascinating crossover between elite golf and top-level football, diving into the creation of the Blue Exchange and how it’s giving greenkeepers a rare behind-the-scenes look at life inside Manchester City. From matchday pressure to pitch perfection, this one’s all about learning from the very best. Latest Products

371 – Course Diaries: Royal Birkdale w/ Mike Howard

2026-04-29T18:29:32+00:00April 21st, 2026|Podcasts|

Sam sits down at Royal Birkdale Golf Club with Mike Howard, Senior Design Associate at MacKenzie & Ebert, to discuss his long-standing relationship with the club.A lifelong member with an intimate knowledge of the North West coast, Mike has played a central role in the recent course changes, working alongside Tom MacKenzie to prepare Birkdale for The Open Championship this summer.A longstanding friend of the podcast, Mike brings both insight and perspective to the conversation. Widely respected for his work in golf course design, he is also a fine golfer and a highly regarded figure within the industry. [...]

077 – Dan Davies

2026-04-16T04:00:00+00:00April 16th, 2026|Golf Badgers|

Bledge and Sam sit down with Dan Davies of RNGC fame to discuss the sacred acre and Dan's journey through the golf journalism world. Dan is also a member of the cradle of English Golf, which is discussed towards the end of the podcast. A man who has spent 10 months of more building a golf course to host a special one day invitational event for his friends and loved ones. Despite being a mere 510 yards in total, this 9 hole course makes up for its lack of distance with terrifyingly difficult and intricate green complexes, and waist [...]

368 – Alister MacKenzie (part 2)

2026-04-29T18:14:26+00:00April 3rd, 2026|Podcasts|

In part two of this needlessly detailed look at the life and times of Dr Alister MacKenzie, Sam takes us through life after WWI and MacKenzie's partnership with Harry Colt and Charles Hugh Allison, as well as the work that leads him to travelling to furthest reaches of the globe. In 1926, MacKenzie travelled to Australia on what would become a career defining two months helping to shaope the Melbourne Sand belt and many other courses around the country, as well as New Zealand, and how MacKenzie would become involved in shaping golf on the West Coast of America. [...]

076 – Willie Murphy on Terralift, Soil Biology and Smarter Turf Nutrition

2026-04-02T04:00:00+00:00April 2nd, 2026|Golf Badgers|

Bledge and Willie sit down to talk all things Terralift, turf nutrition and the long-term art of building stronger, healthier golf surfaces. Willie shares his journey from greenkeeping in Ireland, Scotland and Germany to spending 20 years with Terralift, while explaining why organic-mineral fertilisers can support performance without driving excess growth. They get into soil structure, organic matter, leaner nitrogen inputs, new green construction, and why products like TX Humus, TX 10 and Roca Stem have become trusted tools for green keepers chasing firmer, more consistent greens. Latest Products [...]

March 2026

367 – Alister MacKenzie (part 1)

2026-03-31T04:00:00+00:00March 31st, 2026|Podcasts|

Sam is in the chair this time to bring to life the good Dr - Alister MacKenzie - considered by many to be the most influential golf course architect in history. In part 1 we discuss MacKenzie's childhood, his education, going to Cambridge and serving in the Boer war. We also discuss the formation of Alwoodley and his golfing career leading into that, as well as Moortown and through to 1914 and the outbreak of WWI having finished designing Sitwell park.   Latest Products

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