Guests of the Pod
The Key Course Changes at Royal Birkdale
Royal Birkdale has a unique architectural lineage. Founded in 1889, the course as we recognise it today did not take shape until 1932, when the club set out to create the first purpose-built championship links course. Three generations of the Hawtree family have since shaped and refined the links, followed by Tom Mackenzie of Mackenzie & Ebert who's responsible for the latest phase of changes. As a result, the course now presents a slightly different challenge to the version seen during The Open Championship in 2017. In this video, we explore the key changes made to the 5th, 7th, 10th, 13th and 15th holes, before looking at why the 17th remains such an important part of Royal Birkdale’s championship test. A fascinating insight into how one of Britain’s greatest links continues to evolve while remaining true to its history and character. https://youtu.be/cOr2PfLiwp0
384 – The Hawtree Dynasty
In this episode we discuss the Scottish Open at Renaissance Club and the experience around the event, including the relaxed atmosphere for players, the links-style setting, and the way the course routing was changed. We also talk about nearby courses on the East Lothian coast, including Gullane, Winterfield, Craigielaw and Longniddry.We then begin the final part of our series on major golf course architects, focusing on the Hawtree family. We explain that the Hawtrees span three generations and have worked for over a century, with Frederick George Hawtree as the practical founder, Frederick William Hawtree as the more golf-focused writer and consultant, and Martin Hawtree as the modern restorer and consultant.We trace Fred Senior’s early career from greenkeeping at Sundridge Park to his first design work with James Braid at Sundridge Park and Croham Hurst. We also cover the founding of his practice in 1912, the interruption caused [...]
383 – East Lothian Eclectic 18
In this episode, we speak from Renaissance in East Lothian, where we discuss the golf on the coast and how many different courses there are in the area. We talk about the quality of the turf, the variety of links courses, and how the region keeps surprising us even when we think we know it well.We also discuss golf shoes and metal spikes, including why spectators wear golf shoes at events and why professionals still use metal spikes, even though many clubs do not allow them. We compare different styles of shoes and talk about the practical and visual side of wearing them around a golf course.A major part of the conversation is our Eclectic 18 for East Lothian. We explain why holes from Musselburgh, Winterfield, Dunbar, Archerfield, Muirfield, Gullane, North Berwick, Luffness New and the Glen made the cut, and we talk through several of the choices, [...]
382 – Recovering from The Yips w/ Will Dugdale
Will Dugdale discusses starting golf as a child, playing junior, county, Oxford and Cambridge golf, and turning pro in 1999. He also covers early career ups and downs, the putting yips, changes to his grip, and his work helping other golfers.Will has a genuinely fascinating story in the game of golf, and his relationship with the flat stick will no doubt resonate with many. For those who want to learn more, we'd encourage you to head to Will's website, best-putter.com. Latest Products
381 – Final Qualifying Roundup
In this episode we cover final qualifying for the Open Championship across four venues, with reports from Dundonald, Burnham & Berrow, Royal Cinque Ports, and West Lancashire. We compare the atmosphere at each course, noting that the day drew strong crowds, with many volunteers managing scoring, marshalling, parking and course presentation.We discuss how the golf courses were set up and how the weather affected play. Burnham and Barrow was described as especially well presented, while West Lancashire played firm and fast with strong runoff areas and difficult greens. We also talk about how the draw and weather conditions made a major difference to scoring, especially later in the day.We go through several of the main qualifiers and near misses. James Nicholas qualified comfortably, Tom Sloman played well at home to get through, and Caleb Surratt, Alejandro de Castro Piera and Austin Truslow also advanced. At West Lancashire, Sam [...]
The Men Who Modernised Walker Cup Selection
Words by Dr Darragh Garrahy With the bulk of the Amateur season now behind us, notably including the Lytham Trophy, the St Andrews Links, The Amateur Championship, the European Amateur Championship, and last week's South of Ireland at Lahinch itself, the jostling for position on the Great Britain & Irish Walker Cup team is reaching a crescendo. A large majority of the team will no doubt pick themselves based on form, experience and a sprinkling of data that will help Dean Robertson and his selectors put their best foot forward at Lahinch in early September. There is always interest in who makes the team and gets to breathe the rarefied air of a Walker Cup. The how of selection rightfully occupies a less interesting side-note but it might bear more similarity to the process instituted by Micklem & Oppenheimer than you’d [...]
