PODCAST · sports
Plus Four Podcast
by Robert Birman
An online forum for hickory golf...the game as it existed prior to 1935
Episodes
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Mungo Park IV: Musselburgh
Between 1832 and 1892, Musselburgh stood at the heart of the golfing world. Five major golf clubs operated there, supported by skilled club and ball makers and caddies. While the game's early elements were rooted in Musselburgh, the codified version emerged in Leith in 1744, later refined when…
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Stephen Proctor: Matchless
Stephen Proctor has served as a senior editor at The Baltimore Sun, The San Francisco Chronicle and The Houston Chronicle. He is an avid golfer and has spent the past decade studying the history of the royal and ancient game. He is the author of Monarch of the Green (Shortlisted for The Telegraph...
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Elmer Nahum: Practical Clubmaker
Elmer Nahum, the author of Practical Clubmaking: A Guide to Long Nose Era Clubmaking, is a retired interventional radiologist who has a passion for traditional woodworking and golf history. Playing Bobby Jones’ home course of East Lake in the 1980s, which served as his college team’s home course,...
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Roger McStravick: Golf Historian
Roger McStravick is a golf historian, writer, editor and speaker, specializing in St Andrews, Old Tom Morris, and golfing legends from 1800 to 1920. His book, St Andrews-In The Footsteps of Old Tom Morris won the USGA's Herbert Warren Wind Book Award in 2015. The author's book, St Andrews - The...
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Clark Willard: Hickory Revival
Wisonsinites are known for their kindness, right? Think Bon Iver, Steve Stricker, Gene Wilder—you get the idea. Well, Clark Willard, now the head golf professional at The Lido Golf Club, part of Sand Valley Resort in Wisconsin, has that positive vibe. Though not native, it makes him a great fit…
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Gillian Kirkwood: Ladies Golf History
Gillian Kirkwood possesses a wealth of golf knowledge and business experience and is a past Ladies Golf Union (LGU) Councilor and past Chairman of the Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association. She is also a highly experienced rules official and, reflecting her keen interest in the history of ladies’...
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Michael B. Morrison & the Great English Golf Boom
Researcher, author, and historian, Michael B. Morrison, published an exhaustive account in 2022 of the rise of golf in England which is a must-read for those who wish to better understand the origins of the modern game. In this episode, we speak about the process Morrison subjected himself to—…
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Alex Bruce: Japan Hickory Golf
Since 2013, the Happy Hickory Golfers in Japan have been a force in hickory golf. We've seen them represented with great joy at the World Hickory Open, for instance, and marvel at their event photos from countless outings in their home country. Alex Bruce— a native Scotsman— is one of the…
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Bert Coghill: Chicago Golf
One of the great things about national and international hickory golf events, is that one never knows whom one might meet along the way. In 2021, I flew out to Wisconsin to play in the Wisconsin Hickory Golfers Whistling Straights Hickory Challenge, as I had always wanted to see the course. Well,...
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Jim McCormick: Collecting Golf History
When I contacted Jim McCormick to see if he would allow me to view his heralded private collection in Chicago, he was explicit. "Budget three hours for the tour," he warned, "four to five, tops." I'm embarrassed to say that I stayed seven-and-one-half hours— taking him away from his charming…
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The Ladies Golf Union with Lauren Beatty
The Ladies' Golf Union (LGU) was the original governing body for women's and girls' amateur golf in Great Britain and Ireland. It was founded in 1893 and was based in St. Andrews, Scotland until merging with The R&A in 2017. In this episode, Lauren Beatty, a Collaborative Doctorate Partnership...
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Kevin McGimpsey: The Story of the Golf Ball
Kevin McGimpsey is the British Golf Collectors Society’s Murdock Medal winner of 2004 for his seminal book, The Story of the Golf Ball. A former Captain in the Parachute Regiment, Kevin traded his red beret for a career in antique and collectible golfing memorabilia. In May 2003, Kevin was...
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Alastair Johnston, Collector, IMG Executive, and Philanthropist
Alastair J. Johnston has traveled a long way from Glasgow since his days as a lad. One might say that he has had a knack of being in the right place and the right time, but he might caution—to some degree—that one makes his own luck. In this episode, we learn about Johnston's magnanimous and...
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Fine Golf Books of St. Andrews with Peter Grunwell
Sometimes in life, you meet a kindred spirit. Peter Grunwell, co-owner of Fine Golf Books of St. Andrews, is just this person. He, along with his wife, Anke Bruxmeier, have been in the golf world for more than 55 years, combined. Peter was a British PGA professional and a member of the United...
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Angela Howe & The R&A World Golf Museum
The R&A World Golf Museum is a 'must-see' destination for every first-time visitor to St. Andrews. The modern-day successor of the former British Golf Museum, it raises its ambition to play a pivotal role in delivering on one of the R&A of St. Andrews' core objectives—to be a leading body within...
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Nairn Golf Club Archives and the 2022 World Hickory Open
In 1887, Robert Finlay became a benefactor and founder member of the Nairn Golf Club. He was President from 1911-1929. Horace Hutchinson, who won back-to-back Amateur Championships at St. Andrews and Hoylake in 1886-87, is associated with Nairn. The Nairn Golf Club archive has helped to trace…
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Prestwick, Western Gailes, and the Ayrshire and Kintyre coasts of Scotland
The first podcast from our 21-day journey in Scotland features week one in Glasgow, Ayr, and Campbeltown, getting to know golf on the west coast of Scotland. This episode features conversations with the archivist at Prestwick Golf Club, Mr. Andrew Lochhead, just prior to the official 150th...
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Preview: 2022 World Hickory Open
The World Hickory Open returns in October 2022, after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19. A group of ten intrepid hickory golf enthusiasts from the Pacific Northwest are making their way to this year's event at Royal Dornoch, Nairn, and Castle Stuart, following a 21-day itinerary that begins on…
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Dave Brown & McIntyre Golf Company
Precision is a word that aptly applies to Dr. David Brown, owner of McIntyre Golf Company, the leading manufacturer of replica golf balls in the world. (He even plays Nicoll Precision irons from the mid-1910s.) An orthopedic surgeon by training, specializing in knees and overall sports medicine…
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Karl Nagy & Deal Hudson
Their 2021 Trip to East Lothian and Fife While enduring the pandemic, hickory golfers everywhere dreamed of a return to the links and the prospect of getting back to international competition, camaraderie, and travel. Many of us suffered months of travel bans and course closures. Lingering for…
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Jeffery Ellis: The Clubmaker’s Art
Jeffery Ellis began collecting golf clubs at an early age and found that the literature that was available for up-and-coming collectors of antique golf instruments was sorely lacking. What is an ambitious and enterprising person to do, but set one's mind to creating the most definitive and...
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Carolina Hickory Golf Association
The Carolina Hickory Golf Association is dedicated to preserving the traditions of the ancient game of golf. Conceived in 2004, and formalized in 2005, it is one of the first—if not THE first—regional hickory golf association in the United States. The fortunate few who call the Carolinas their…
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Florida Hickory Golfers, with Mike Stevens, Bill Geisler, and Richard Grula
The Florida Hickory Golfers are a regional group of golfers dedicated to preserving the pureness and authenticity of golf by playing with hickory shafted clubs on traditional golf courses. At over 65,000 square miles, the state covers a vast territory, yet this group manages to build success upon...
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Kelly Leonard, Clubmaker
There aren't many people devoted to the craft of hand-making longnose clubs as they were made in the 19th century. Kelly Leonard is one of those rare exceptions. Based in Canada, Kelly is a one-man show. By day, he makes his living in construction, but in his free time, he's passionate about...
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Tim Alpaugh: Innovation, Creativity and the Metropolitan Hickory Society
Author, inventor, craftsman, and bon vivant—Tim Alpaugh has an unassuming manner about him, but don't let that fool you. He possesses a keen eye for detail, and a passion for history. In this episode, we'll hear about Tim's journey from the fast-paced corporate world to a life-changing decision…
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John Capers III: GHS, Club Archives and Stewardship of Historic Treasures
As member number three in the Golf Collectors Society (Now the Golf Heritage Society), John Capers III knows a lot about the value of preserving golf heritage and has established himself as one of the world's authorities on Club archives. His personal devotion and example have set the bar for…
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Hickory Club Repair and Restoration with John Henry Williams
Wood-shafted golf club repair and restoration isn’t always for the faint-at-heart, but those who are willing to learn, can certainly deal with a large majority of maintenance issues with our clubs. In fact, these clubs are more forgiving than we first imagine. For bigger challenges, however…
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Tad Moore, Rob Ahlschwede, Roger Hill, and the origins of the Society of Hickory Golfers
We’ve heard about B.C. and B.C.E., but what about B.S? “Before the Society!” What was the world like before the formation of the Society of Hickory Golfers? We thought we’d sit with some of the early influencers who helped create the SoHG to hear from them—first hand—what led to the motivation to...
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1 Minute Preview
The Plus Four podcast is a new series aimed to highlight the personalities, passion, and pursuit of the game of golf as it was prior to 1935 around the world. You can subscribe to the series via iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or Spotify. Subscribers will be provided new episodes as they come out....
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Plus Four Podcast have?
Plus Four Podcast currently has 29 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Plus Four Podcast about?
An online forum for hickory golf...the game as it existed prior to 1935
How often does Plus Four Podcast release new episodes?
Plus Four Podcast has 29 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Plus Four Podcast?
You can listen to Plus Four Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Plus Four Podcast?
Plus Four Podcast is created and hosted by Robert Birman.
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