Guests of the Pod
Kummel: Spirit of the Game
Words by Sam Of the many hallmarks of the quintessential British Golf Club - the musty smell in the locker room, tongue and groove panelling in the bar, hair combs drowning in blue barbicide next to a vintage bottle of talcum powder in the shower room - one small golfing tradition seems to be in decline. Kummel, an aniseed and caraway infused liqueur has been loitering around our clubhouses, keeping golfers hydrated, stomachs-settled and their first-tee nerves at bay for over a century now, but there is a serious cloud hanging over the future of this famous spirit and its place in the game. It enjoys iconic status throughout the golfing world, affectionately referred to by many as ‘putting mixture’ - consumed (sometimes copiously) at many of Britain’s historic and well regarded clubs, famed for its fabled ‘game-improvement’ qualities - it usually makes an appearance during club matches [...]
Ryder Cup: The Preview
It is upon us. A long-awaited (three years !!!) cup is finally here, and with it, comes a rundown of all the storylines and speculative predictions you need to know before sitting down to watch it. Previewing an event as complex as the Ryder Cup isn't easy, but I'll do my best to break it down for the avid and casual viewer. In an attempt to do this, I'll start with the most straightforward aspects of the event, and the more involved parts I'll work up to for the nerdiest amongst you. The course Whistling Straits, Kohler, WI. Many of you will remember watching Jason Day bring Whistling to its knees at the 2015 PGA. Some of you might not want reminding that four of the USA's current team (Spieth, Koepka, Johnson, Finau) finished in the top-10 that week. Aside from that, warm, sunny, and low scoring [...]
101 – Martin Ebert: Golf Course Architect
Bruce & Tom had the opportunity to sit down with World renowned architect Martin Ebert from MacKenzie & Ebert. We talk through his route into golf course architecture, history of the great architects and courses that Martin has been working on. Having learnt his craft with Donald Steel, Martin and his partner Tom Mackenzie have worked with 198 courses since 2005 when they founded Mackenzie & Ebert. 17 of which feature in the World Top 100 lists, and a staggering 7 of the current 10 Open rota venues - it certainly provides the perfect backdrop for a fascinating discussion! Latest Products Your bag? [contact-form-7 id="850" /]
100 – Course Diaries: Burnham & Berrow
Episode 100 is a course diaries feature from Bruce & Sam's time down at Burnham & Berrow, playing foursomes golf in the Brent Knoll Bowl. Incredible fun out on the links in arguably the purest form of the game... We talk about the course, the influence of the early greats like JH Taylor & Colt, recent alterations by Mackenzie & Ebert and we discuss the format itself. hello and welcome back to the cookie jar golf podcast I'm Sam Williams and it is a great privilege to introduce my foursomest part of last weekend Bruce Fitzpatrick to the pod hello how are we doing mate I'm excellent actually how are you yeah I'm all the better for this new microphone I'm wielding the new sm58 so a bit of investment in jhq last few weeks something handheld um I'm sticking with the old one um oh yeah I [...]
099 – Babe Didrikson Zaharias: The Life & Legend w/ Susan Cayleff
Babe Zaharias is a figure in the game with a career that is quite simply incredible. Her story is one of enormous achievement, not just in the game of golf but as a multi-discipline athlete. She overcame sexism and prejudice, she challenged stereotypes, she influenced the women's game in a way like no one else, and set records which still stand today. Susan Cayleff is a pulitzer prize nominee who has dedicated endless time to researching and documenting Babe's career, and this podcast gives you some colour and context around the rich tapestry of her life. Sadly, babe died at the tender age of 45, but it was a life rich in achievements. if you don't know about the story of Babe Zaharias, please listen to this podcast and find out more. She is someone we believe every golfer should know of. Latest Products [...]
The Old Course at St Andrews: Old Tom Trails
St Andrews is a place that is synonymous with the game of golf, and we’ve all heard so many superlatives used to describe The Old Course that it’s perhaps easy to take the history of this links for granted. The earliest reference to golf in this small coastal town in Fife is from 1552, where the charter proclaimed by the Archbishop Hamilton referred to the townspeople’s rights to pasture animals, dig turf and play golf. When the North Sea receded some 10,000 years ago, it had left sandy, undulating linksland which provided the ideal golfing terrain. The ownership of the links has been complicated. The council sold the land in the late 18th century to help pay off some of its debts, and the new owners, the Dempster family, used the links as a rabbit farm, generating huge uproar amongst the local residents and a twenty year legal [...]
