Guests of the Pod
5 holes I can’t stop thinking about
Words by Peter Handcock Five Holes I Can’t Stop Thinking About It’s no secret that I live and breathe golf. As someone who works at the Jar, and a fully-fledged golf nut for over a decade prior, I spend a lot of time immersing myself in the world of courses and design. But what truly captivates me is the variety within the sport — how, at the best courses, rarely do two holes ever feel quite the same. I find myself thinking about specific holes all the time. Earlier this month, I took a short trip to Scotland to play Crail, Elie, St Andrews New, and a revisit to Royal Aberdeen — a course I hadn’t played in seven years. The front nine is often hailed as the star, and it was the sixth hole specifically that had remained at the forefront of my mind since then. I [...]
309 – Persimmon Woods & Joe Powell w/ Scott Redman and John Morgan
Sam sits down with Scott Redman and John Morgan at The Bristol Golf Club who have in recent years acquired the Joe Powell Persimmon company. Scott is an equipment nerd and creative wizz who has spent decades around the game and John Morgan is a broadcaster for SkySports and played professionally on The PGA Tour. When the opportunity came up to acquire Joe Powell, they just couldn't say no, and their story, much like the company itself is a fascinating one. Huge thanks to The Bristol for having us last week, and looking after us so well! Latest Products
308 – GB&I Top 100 Reaction
Sam and Tom are joined by Half Par to dive into the newly released GB&I Top 100 from Top100GolfCourses.com — plus the other big three UK rankings from Golf World, Golf Monthly, and National Club Golfer. We get into the work that goes into these lists, what makes each one unique, the biggest movers (both deserved and controversial), the new entries, and whether rankings really matter at all. We also chat about our updated Rank of Ranks, where we’ve combined all four lists to create the ultimate guide — fully filterable, so you can slice and dice it however you like. If you fancy killing some time on the Rank of Ranks, you can find it here. Latest Products
Rank of Ranks – 2025
We first ran this feature all the way back in 2020. Since then, much has happened in the world of golf, none more so than the rampant demand to play some of the finest and most storied venues across all corners. So, given the GB&I rankings have each been updated in recent months, with Top100GolfCourses.com changing theirs this week, we thought we’d see what's happened and how they all stand up against each other. As a recap for those that weren’t with us back in 2020, here’s a refresh on how this is calculated: We take the rankings from each of the four ranking panels across GB&I (Today’s Golfer, National Club Golfer, Golf Monthly, and Top100GolfCourses.com). We attribute their ranking from each of those panels. Where a course is not ranked it receives a notional 115. As there are 129 courses among all four lists, this number feels [...]
Spotlight with Gary Wolstenholme MBE at Ganton
From our time up at Ganton with GB&I's most decorated amateur golfer - Gary Wolstenholme - we managed to talk him into a filmed round amidst the bright yellow gorse. Ganton is a place of huge significance for Gary, not just where he won The Amateur Championship in 1991, but also where he played Walker Cup and Home Internationals. A happy hunting ground indeed. Over/under 73.5 is the target! https://youtu.be/RG4wr7tytUw
Understanding Movement in the Golf Swing with Mark Bull
Filmed at Cumberwell Park, this session with performance and movement consultant Mark Bull explores how subtle changes in footwork and balance can impact your entire golf swing. Using motion capture data, Mark walks Bruce through how the position of the lead foot influences pelvis movement, rotation, and ultimately swing efficiency. This video dives into the why behind movement patterns and challenges common assumptions in golf instruction. Ideal for players and coaches interested in a more holistic and informed approach to performance. https://youtu.be/l_cKKhVBHFw
