Guests of the Pod
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 [...]
The Berrie Portrait, words by Dr Steven Reid
Dr Steven Reid is a lifelong member of Royal Lytham & St Anne's Golf Club, an author and historian with more than a slight interest in the life of Bobby Jones. After our podcast discussing the 1926 Open Championship (brilliantly chronicled in his book; 'Bobby's Open', talk turned to the famous Berrie portrait which was commissioned by Wallasey member and ex-captain Sir Ernest Royden, and painted by John A.A.Berrie. In this excellent article, Steven takes us closer to how a portrait from 1930 came to become the most iconic image of Bobby Jones and one that we all recognise from Butler Cabin at Augusta National. 'The Berrie Portrait' words by Dr Steven Reid Table of Contents The Wallasey Portrait When Bobby Jones played at Wallasey Golf Club in 1930 in order to qualify for the Open to be [...]
Ocean’s Thirty Eight – The 38th Walker Cup at Ocean Forest
Following our recent podcast with Walker Cup legend Nigel Edwards, our very own Walker Cup correspondent and self-proclaimed Professor of Pace Putting - Dr Darragh Garrahy - took to his library and did some more digging on the 38th playing of The Walker Cup at Ocean Forest. 'Ocean's Thirty Eight' words by Darragh Garrahy A.K.A 'Dr Lag' Table of Contents The Lindy Effect Something called the Lindy Effect theorizes that the longer a non-perishable item is around, the more sure their future is- if a golf course has been around 50 years it is likely to survive another 50. Maybe The Old Course at St. Andrews is the best example of this- it doesn’t feel like the land will be returned to grazing anytime soon. The most celebrated championship sites in golf are also the most venerable. The [...]
