Guests of the Pod
281 – James Braid – Part 1: ‘The Player’ w/ Simon Barrington
Pt I of our exciting new series, exploring the life of James Braid. James Braid was part of the great triumvirate which also included Harry Vardon & JH Taylor. In his career he would go on to win 5 Open Championships. Growing up in Earlsferry, before emigrating south of the border, Simon Barrington brings to life his playing career in vivid detail. Huge thanks go to Simon Barrington, an independent researcher of historical architecture, for his hard work in helping us bring this episode to life, and we look forward to releasing part two about the courses which James Braid designed or reimagined in episode two later this week. For any further consultation around the proivenance of Braid designs around the UK, Simon can be contact on jamesbraidresearch@gmail.com or via his X profile: @CambridgeGrey Latest Products [...]
280 – Lottie Woad
This week, Bruce and his better half—‘Cookie Jar Lady Captain’—Grace, found some time to catch up with Lottie Woad to talk about her truly stellar year in the game, with her win at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA), ascension to the top of the Women’s Amateur Golf Rankings, and, of course, being part of the GB&I side's victory in The Curtis Cup at Sunningdale. Lottie’s career has been one of the great stories of 2024, and it was great to have her on the pod to talk us through it all! Latest Products
279 – 2024 Eclectic 18
Sam & Tom chat through the courses they have visited this year, and look at their composite Eclectic 18 scorecards in a straight up matchplay format. Who has made the best selection, you'll have to listen to the end to find out! Latest Products
278 – Bobby’s Open: The 1926 Open Championship with Dr Steven Reid
Sam & Tom sit down in the members' bar at Royal Lytham & St Anne's Golf Club to meet with Dr Steven Reid, lifelong member at Lytham and author of Bobby's Open, charting the tale of how Bobby Jones came to win his first Claret Jug. He would go on to defend it successfully in 1927, as well as winning at Royal Liverpool in 1930 on his way to completing the 'impregnable quadrilateral'. Steven's book - foreworded by Jack Nicklaus - is a captivating read and brings to life in viivd detail the struggles Jones went through, not only with his health but his temper and his putting as he clawed his way out of the 'lean years' into 7 (or perhaps 8) 'fat years', where he was unstoppable. In addition to this, Steven has very kindly pieced together this article about the 'Berrie portrait' which hangs at [...]
043 – First Green with Jenny Bledge. PLUS Badger Merch is live!
This episode is particularly important. We heard in the previous episode (042 with Scott Reeves) how one of the biggest issues faced in the greenkeeping industry is recruitment. Well, fortunately Bledge's much better half Jenny Bledge is out there working on a solution. First Green is a wonderful initiative that BIGGA has brought over the Atlantic from the GCSAA. It's all about introducing golf, and particularly careers in this part of the golf industry, to school kids of different ages. It might not help recruitment today, but it could make an enormous difference for tomorrow. Additionally, after literal years of people asking, I am delighted to report we now have Badger Merch!! There's only a week or so to get orders in that'll definitely land before Christmas, so to help some impulsive stocking filling you can enter the code BADGER10 at checkout to get 10% off anything/everything. I'll [...]
Secret Diary of a Club GM: vol. III – Course Closures
He's at it again. Our mystery General Manager has found some time to tap out some musings on a sensitive topic... Course Closures! Winter Golf: Course Closed? Table of Contents Winter Golf: Course Closed? Ah, winter golf in the U.K. The days are shorter, the temperatures are lower, and the courses? Well, let’s just say they’ve entered “hibernation mode.” For the avid golfer, it’s like being handed a box of Ultras at Christmas when you asked for Pro V 1’s. Disappointing. But before you toss your clubs into the garage and resign yourself to endless reruns of It ain’t half hot mum, let’s explore the peculiar beauty of this season and why it’s not just a time for grumbling but also for embracing the soul of the sport. A Golfer’s Nightmare The signs of winter golf are unmistakable: shortened [...]
