November 2026

406 – Eliot Baker

2026-11-10T05:00:00+00:00November 10th, 2026|Podcasts|

We speak with Eliot Baker about his recent Walker Cup victory and his transition from amateur golf to the professional ranks. He is set to begin his professional career in Australia through the R&A Global Amateur Pathway, with early events in Sydney, Melbourne and Mauritius.Baker describes himself as a late bloomer who did not compete in major junior events or England’s boys’ teams. After joining Hartpury at 18, he improved through university golf and began to build confidence in his ability. He credits his progress to working consistently with his coach and staying on one development path rather [...]

405 – Course Diaries: Sunningdale New w/ Gil Hanse & Adrian Pepper

2026-11-03T07:00:00+00:00November 3rd, 2026|Podcasts|

The interview is presented in two parts: historian and Sunningdale member Adrian Pepper discusses the club’s history, particularly the New Course, followed by golf-course architect Gil Hanse on the ongoing restoration work.Pepper describes joining Sunningdale around 2000 and explains how he brought together earlier books, pamphlets, newspaper reports and archival material for his history of the club. Digitized newspaper archives, he says, made it easier to find historical details, including the first recorded hole-in-one on the New Course, made by club founder T.A. Roberts.Roberts and his brother helped establish the club after building Ridgemount, where a few golf [...]

October 2026

404 – Dean Robertson pt 2

2026-10-30T05:00:00+00:00October 30th, 2026|Podcasts|

In part two of our conversation with Dean Robertson, we discuss the build-up to the Walker Cup at Lahinch, including player selection, communication with the team, and preparations at Ballybunion. Robertson explains how the coaching staff used deliberate disruptions—such as removing phones, rangefinders and pin sheets—to prepare players for uncertainty and reinforce a focus on hitting the center of the green.We hear how the team’s support staff and players were given specific roles, from tracking performance data and coordinating caddies to keeping players and their families connected and managing food and energy. The preparations also included a visit [...]

403: Dean Robertson pt 1

2026-10-27T05:00:00+00:00October 27th, 2026|Podcasts|

Dean Robertson discusses his golf career, coaching work and experience captaining the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team. He has worked at the University of Stirling for 17 years, where he directs golf and develops a structured, performance-focused program for student athletes.Robertson grew up in Paisley and began playing golf with his father. After studying civil engineering, he took a golf scholarship in the United States and later played professionally for ten years. He recalls his 1993 Walker Cup appearance as an important source of lasting friendships, though the team struggled with the fast greens and course [...]

402 – Bruce Critchley

2026-10-21T04:00:00+00:00October 21st, 2026|Podcasts|

This weeks episode is a fascinating interview with broadcaster and commentator, distinguished amateur player, and son of Diana and Alfred Critchley who shares with us his story in the game of golf. Bruce's voice will be familiar to many as the voice of golf for several decades. We talk about Bruce's long connection with Sunningdale Golf Club where he has been a member for 70 years next year. He describes how both of his parents were closely involved with the club before and after the war, and how the family’s history there shaped his own life.Bruce talks about that [...]

401 – Q & A with Sam & Tom

2026-10-13T04:00:00+00:00October 13th, 2026|Podcasts|

This episode we record a Q&A episode after reaching episode 401, using it to look back on a busy run of golf, travel and listener questions. We also mention upcoming episodes, including a conversation with Walker Cup captain Dean Robertson, and other planned Q&As and features.We talk about recent trips, including Rossapenna, where we played matches and the club championship finals, and the quality of the pitch and putt there. We also discuss visiting Royal Liverpool for a retirement celebration, and how strong the course was in condition.A large part of the episode is spent discussing golf course [...]

September 2026

400 – 95 Holes of Arran in a Single Day

2026-09-29T04:00:00+00:00September 29th, 2026|Podcasts|

In this episode, we look back on our 95-hole challenge on the Isle of Arran and compare it with the earlier Durness trip. We explain that Arran was more enjoyable largely because of better weather, shorter transfers, and more variety between courses, while Durness was much harder because of wind, rain, and the terrain.We go through the courses we played in order: Whiting Bay, Lamlash, Brodick, Corrie, Lochranza, Machry Bay, and Shiskin. We describe Whiting Bay as a short but very hilly and quirky course with small greens and dramatic views. Lamlash is presented as similarly hilly and [...]

399 – Building a Short Game with Alex Buckner

2026-09-24T07:00:00+00:00September 24th, 2026|Podcasts|

We speak with Alex Buckner about his work as a short game coach and how he got into coaching after starting golf seriously in his teens. He explains that he reached scratch as a junior, later moved into work and training, and eventually focused on coaching after realizing that specializing in short game was the clearest path for him.We discuss how he built his approach during his time at Swinley Forest, especially through COVID, when he gathered a large amount of information from courses, books, online resources, and conversations with other coaches. He describes sorting through that material, [...]

398 – Kevin Hammer: President of the USGA

2026-09-15T04:00:00+00:00September 15th, 2026|Podcasts|

Kevin Hammer discusses his path into golf administration and his role as president of the USGA. He says he grew up around golf in South Florida, with a father who played college golf, competed on the PGA Tour, and later worked as a club director of golf. He also says he played junior and college golf, but moved into administration through state and regional golf work before joining the USGA.He explains that his interest in administration began in part through helping with junior golf for his daughter and wanting to improve events for all players. He says his [...]

397 – Sam Easterbrook: Walker Cup Winner

2026-09-16T18:27:46+00:00September 12th, 2026|Podcasts|

In this episode, Peter speaks with Sam Easterbrook about winning the Walker Cup at Lahinch and what the week was like behind the scenes. He describes the celebrations after the win, the difficult travel back to the United States, and how quickly the team had to separate and return to their different commitments.We also go through Sam’s golf background, from starting the game as a child to developing through England Golf, attending Rossall and then moving on to Purdue. He explains how college golf has helped him both as a player and as a person, and why team [...]

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