July 2025

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 [...]

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320 – Colin Montgomerie (pt 2)

2025-07-09T13:40:45+00:00July 9th, 2025|Players, Podcasts, Sam's favourites|

In part two of this cracking podcast, we talk to Colin Montgomerie about his exceptional Ryder Cup record and some of the iconic events he’s played in — from the War on the Shore in ’91, to Valderrama in ’97, the 'incident' at Brookline with Olazábal and Leonard, and much more. Huge thanks to Loch Lomond Whiskies for their help in arranging this wonderful two-parter. A link to their website can be found here. Latest Products

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319 – Colin Montgomerie (pt 1)

2025-07-08T07:40:33+00:00July 8th, 2025|Players, Podcasts, Sam's favourites|

Sam & Tom are joined this week by Colin Montgomerie at the wonderful Woking Golf Club. Podcasting under the watchful gaze of John Low, whose portrait hangs proudly in the clubhouse, we chat to Monty about his career in the game. In part one, we talk about his earliest experiences with the game, his amateur career, and his quest to work in sports management at IMG — before unfortunately shooting 29 on the back nine at Turnberry during a job interview, which sent his career in an altogether different direction. We also touch on the emergence of Woods [...]

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318 – 99 Holes at Durness

2025-07-03T12:50:05+00:00July 3rd, 2025|Behind the Scenes, CJG Ramblings, Podcasts|

Sam & Tom relive the ordeal that was 99 holes at Durness. Durness is one of the most northerly courses on the British mainland, and offers breathtaking views across the shimmering blue waters. Why 99 holes? It had a ring to it. Why Durness? It promised lots of good sunlight, the prospect of playing golf at midnight, and we thought it would be a great avdenture. While the weather and light was far from what had envisioned, the course was exceptional and the adventure was plentiful! For more on Durness, check out the latest GolfBadgers podcast with Ali Morrison - the [...]

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049 – Solo Greenkeeping at Durness with Ali Morrison

2025-07-03T10:37:51+00:00July 3rd, 2025|Golf Badgers, Podcasts|

Sam and Bledge sit down with Ali Morrison, head greenkeeper of Durness Golf Club, to uncover what it takes to run one of the most remote and dramatic golf courses in the UK. From sheep grazing on fairways to the possibility of Coore & Crenshaw dropping by, they explore the quirks, history, and breathtaking beauty of this nine-hole wonder on the edge of the Highlands. Latest Products

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317 – Open Championship Final Qualifying: The Moments that Matter

2025-07-03T12:46:09+00:00July 2nd, 2025|CJG Ramblings, Events, Podcasts|

The whole crew get together to recap the action from Open Final Qualifying. Sam, Tom, Luke & Peter relive a wild day across final qualifying venues, sharing everything from Richard Teder’s epic walk-off eagle to the heartbreak of near misses, and the unforgettable scenes of amateurs and pros fighting for a spot at Royal Portrush. They unpack moments that matter, the raw emotion on the 18th green, and why final qualifying is golf’s best-kept secret. Summary of who was where: Sam: Dundonald Links Tom: West Lancashire Luke: Burnham & Berrow Peter: Royal Cinque Ports Huge thanks to Loch [...]

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June 2025

316 – Amateur Golf, the Tennant Cup & Open Qualifying with Half Par

2025-06-26T09:00:37+00:00June 26th, 2025|CJG Ramblings, Podcasts|

Sam drives down to meet a fatigued Peter Handcock (aka @half_par_kid) at the renown Beaconsfield Services to talk about his first foray back into top-level amateur golf since before Covid and his run at Open Qualifying. First up is The Tennant Cup — golf’s oldest open amateur stroke play event — followed by a bid at Open Qualifying at Kilmarnock Barassie, where he sadly came up just two shots short of securing a spot at Deal for Finals. We’ll continue the story next week on the road to The Open Championship, as our podcast wraps up Final Qualifying. We’ll [...]

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048 – Architectural Match Play – Royal St. Georges vs Royal Cinque Ports – pt2

2025-06-26T08:48:37+00:00June 26th, 2025|Golf Badgers, Podcasts|

Sam and Bledge sit down for the second half of their course-by-course duel between Royal Cinque Ports (Deal) and Royal St. George’s (Sandwich), resuming at the 7th hole with the match all square. With tales of seawall tees, mega green complexes, and historic anecdotes, they bring their usual blend of architectural insight and pub-style golf chat to the back nine. Below are two youtube links for the two courses: https://youtu.be/C3tAaJ6fkQ0?si=VdwHJAm9RRW7IJyy https://youtu.be/BLs-mQ3MpB8?si=KvSt6GSqn8NWwV9X Latest Products

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047 – Architectural Match Play – Royal St. Georges vs Royal Cinque Ports – pt1

2025-06-26T08:47:39+00:00June 26th, 2025|Golf Badgers, Podcasts|

Sam and Bledge sit down in the sweltering heat of Badger HQ to debate two of their favourite links courses—Royal St. George’s (Sandwich) and Royal Cinque Ports (Deal). From punchbowl greens to first-tee nightmares, they go head-to-head hole by hole in a playful yet passionate playoff steeped in nostalgia, course architecture, and plenty of sneezes. Latest Products

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046 – McDonnell & Cooper w/ Joe McDonnell

2025-06-26T08:46:18+00:00June 26th, 2025|Golf Badgers, Podcasts|

Joe McDonnell joins Sam & Bledge to discuss the formation of McDonnell & Cooper, a new golf course architecture firm with our very own Sam Cooper. The formation of this company was part of the excuse of the 6 month break, so sit back and listen to their thoughts on the next generation of golf course architecture Latest Products

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