January 2026

353 – Kington Course Diaries

2026-01-04T21:04:59+00:00January 4th, 2026|Course Diaries, Podcasts|

Sam & Tom sit down to discuss their recent trip to Kington in Herefordshire. The highest course in England, Kington offers spectacular views and great architecture from C. K. Hutchison. We talk tangential historic tidbits and the style and playability of the course. Latest Products

December 2025

November 2025

349 – Course Diaries: Pasatiempo w/ Jim Urbina & Brett Hochstein

2025-11-28T09:00:55+00:00November 28th, 2025|Course Diaries, Podcasts|

Following on from our Thanksgiving extravaganza about Pasatiempo and the work of MacKenzie and Hollins, Sam sits down with Jim Urbina and Brett Hochstein. A link to our film can be found here. Jim has been working on the restoration of Pasatiempo for 25 years now, and knows the course about as well as Marion and the good Doctor would have. His love and care over the last quarter of a century has helped bring the course back to its former glory, and following their most recent work in the past two winters, the green sites are absolutely sparkling. [...]

345 – Course Diaries: Formby Golf Club w/ Ian Jamson

2025-11-06T08:22:59+00:00November 6th, 2025|Course Diaries, Podcasts, Sam's favourites|

Sam sits down with Formby Golf Club archivist and past Captain - Ian Jamson - to talk about the history of the club. Founded in 1884, Formby is one of the oldest courses on the north west coast and has some fascinating and eclectic tales, which Ian recounts beautifully in this episode. From Horace the Hippo to a clock tower gifted by Sir Bruce Ismay of Titanic fame, and through the evolution of the links and its championship history, it’s a brilliant listen! Ian is a superb storyteller and another highly passionate club archivist who thankfully preserves these [...]

July 2025

322 – Open Preview from Royal Portrush

2025-07-19T09:04:50+00:00July 16th, 2025|153rd Open, Course Diaries, Podcasts|

Sam, Tom & Peter sit down at the Open to preview the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush. After spending two days on site we chat through the journey, the course, the players, and of course - THE WEATHER. Exciting times ahead, and we can't wait to see Padraig stripe one down the first. Latest Products

321 – Course Diaries: Royal Portrush w/ Gary McNeill

2025-07-14T11:39:05+00:00July 14th, 2025|Course Diaries, Podcasts|

Sam & Tom sit down with Gary McNeill, Head Professional at Royal Portrush, to talk about the club, the course, and his life in golf. Gary enjoyed a distinguished amateur career, winning several provincial and national events — including the Irish Boys Championship in 1987 and the Irish Amateur Championship at Ballybunion in 1991. He represented Ulster and Ireland at every level, as well as Great Britain & Ireland at both Boys and Youths level. Turning professional in 1993, Gary went on to lead the MacGregor Academy and serve as Head Coach to the Ulster teams before taking [...]

June 2025

315 – Course Diaries: Royal Worlington & Newmarket

2025-06-24T08:53:49+00:00June 24th, 2025|Course Diaries, Podcasts|

Sam and Tom sit down with Nigel Notley (archivist) & Michael Morrison (club historian) from Royal Worlington & Newmarket Golf Club - affectionately refered to as 'the sacred nine' or simply 'Mildenhall' to discuss the history of one of the most unique clubs in the British Isles. As a course, it's simple, elegant and a monument to penal design at the hands of Tom Hood and Tom Dunn. As a club, it's synonymous with The Pink Jug, a concoction of just about everything in the spirit cabinet which comes together in a potent cocktail and now serves as [...]

311 – Exciting Announcement: Golf Badgers

2025-06-03T09:54:46+00:00June 3rd, 2025|Course Diaries, Golf History, Podcasts, Sam's favourites|

Some exciting news from us this week as we extend our ‘stable’ of podcast from 1 to 2! We’re thrilled to be bringing the Golf Badgers podcast into Cookie Jar! For those that don’t know, Golf Badgers is a popular industry and greenkeeping podcast which has been going for over a year now. The show is hosted by James Bledge (Links Manager at Royal Liverpool) and Sam Cooper (Course Architect at McDonnell & Cooper) who bring an unrivalled passion for their industries on all matters around turf health, agronomy and how it allows the golf course architecture to really shine. [...]

May 2025

310 – Course Diaries: Royal Wimbledon w/ Anthony Wolfe

2025-05-28T18:31:59+00:00May 28th, 2025|Course Diaries, Golf History, Podcasts, Sam's favourites|

Sam & Tom sit down with Anthony Wolfe, the club archivist of Royal Wimbledon Golf Club, to talk about its history in the game which dates back to 1865. It has had three separate golf courses and its now full time home on the other side of camp cottage from Wimbledon Common, is the product of Harry Colt which has recently undergone huge work by Mackenzie & Ebert in recent years. Some of the game's greatest names have travelled through Royal Wimbledon, and we sit down with Anthony to talk about it all. [...]

March 2025

298 – Course Diaries: Sutton Coldfield Golf Club

2025-03-19T08:21:08+00:00March 19th, 2025|Course Diaries, Podcasts, Sam's favourites|

Link to our newly announced survey, the 'Tip Jar' can be found here. We would be really appreciative if you can find ten minutes to fill this out, and will be extremely helpful for us in our quest to create better content for you in the future. *** Sutton Coldfield was founded in 1889, with golf played on the royal park of Sutton for years before. From a 9-hole course developed by our favourite roofer - David Brown - to an 18 hole MacKenzie layout, it's wonderful example of sustainable year round golf. Huge thanks to Pat and Pat [...]

Go to Top